DAS GLOW // LITE BRITE REMIXES // INSTITUBES

 

Cannibal Corpse totally blew my eardrums out last night. Can't believe these guys have been plying their trade for over 20 years. There was a drunken debate as to the proliferation of the Floridian Death Metal scene during the late 80s/early 90s. Think of Florida and images of sun drenched beaches, hot chicks on roller skates and Mickey Mouse come to mind. Not exactly the environment one would think could spawn the likes of Obituary, Morbid Angel, Death & the aforementioned Cannibal Corpse.

You could kinda understand where bands like Emperor, Mayhem et al are coming from. Guess the sun hardly shines in Norway and church burning is the weekend past time. Also dudes like Godflesh & Carcass, where the industrial wasteland of Birmingham gave these guys reason to crank it up. Anyways, by the time George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher belted out 'Meat Hook Sodomy', all was forgotten.

Not so hardcore but equally mesmerising is Institubes mainstay & all round Parisian hipster, Das Glow, with his fuzzy, retro electro tinged pop. His previous single, 'Sunburnt', was a spaced out 8 bit wonder and got picked up by Alex Boyz Noise, Simian Mobile Disco & Miss Kitten. The 'Lite Brite' remix package is the man's latest offering. Maybe ol Corpsegrinder might like this as well.

Check out 'Lite Brite (Strip Steve Remix)' here.

CRIMEA X LIVE @ ADVENTURES IN THE BEETROOT FIELD // CARGO LONDON // FRI OCT 30

Oh yes, we've passed the mid week threshold and the weekend finally beckons. Just wish that it was Friday everyday, where everyone's up for it, where hangovers and Mondays are non existent. But alas, we live in the now and the alarm clock rings at 7AM everyday. However, that doesn't stop us from punching out early and rendezvous-ing down to the fantastic FREE FRIDAYS over at top East London hangout, Cargo.

Friday, October 30 will see our favourite spaced out Italians, Crimea X, take the stage with The One, Knifeworld, Von Haze & party to alt disco, nu rave beats courtesy of Crispin Dior & Richard Fearless. See you weekenders down at the front.

Download Crimea X's, 'Seaside Resort Mix #3' here.

TOKiMONSTA // DOING IT MY WAY // RAMP RECORDINGS

Slowly sipping chamomile  & vanilla tea, trying desperately to piece together the jigsaw events of the weekend. Feel like Joseph Fiennes' flashforward where everything's a little hazy but at least there are no masked gunmen with assault rifles coming to kill me. Sonic Youth on Friday, Mobilee Records party on Saturday and numerous sambucas in between. Feel like Jenson Button after his win in Brazil albeit without the hot lingerie model girlfriend and £8 million a year salary.

However, we've got a tasty little tune courtesy of London's fantastic aficionados label, Ramp Recordings. 'Doing It My Way' is the latest offering from LA's TOKiMONSTA AKA Jenny Lee and it sizzles with leftfield creativity, which has fellow luminaries like Flying Lotus & Mary Ann Hobbs salivating over it like huskies on a hot day.

Beauty & brains. We like this.

RELISH COMPILATION II + RELEASE PARTY // RELISH RECORDINGS

Wish I was in Berlin where it feels like it's always 1989. The social and cultural milieu where everything and anything can happen, cheap rent in the city, clubs that never close and currywurst & fries everyday till you die. Well, maybe not. But they do have Mezzo Mix, a soda that combines the flavours of Fanta & Coke in one neat bottle. Why the hell didn't we think of that one?

Anyways, if you happen to be in the city next Halloween weekend, make sure you don the fangs & cape and bat over to Headman's album launch party @ Pick Nick for the extremely fine, 'Relish Compilation II'. All the usual new wave, nu disco suspects are on board with tracks from Headman, David Gilmour Girls, The C90s, Don Cash and Nemesi. Get your rave on now.

Download Headman's, 'Dirt (Shazam Remix)' here.

ASH // TRUE LOVE 1980 // ATOMIC HEART RECORDS

1995 was an excellent year. Dial up internet modems with the fuzzy, white noise connections. No one knew what the hell a blog was and all girls we knew were 18. AND there was Ash. We sang along to 'Kung Fu' & 'Girl From Mars', stuck badges on our backpacks and wanted to be rock stars. Young and carefree we cried, "Fuck you. We don't give a damn."

Well, here's 2009. We don't really swear anymore, are definitely not rock stars and get anxiety attacks about the number of things we do actually have to give a damn about. But Ash are still here and do what they do best. Taking it back to the 80s with their new single, 'True Love 1980'. Wish we had a flux capacitor to take us back.

THE PHENOMENAL HANDCLAP BAND // 15 TO 20 // GOMMA

You've probably heard this getting played to death on BBC 6 Music but you can't help sticking it on again & again & again... Well, you get the point. Infectiously catchy to the point of irritation. What better way to piss off your work mates on a Monday afternoon by having this repeated on the office stereo.

NYC collective, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, shoulders the blame for this sing a long pop ditty, '15 to 20' out on Gomma Records. Peep David E Sugar's retro makeover below.

ALEC EMPIRE // NEW SINGLE 1000 EYES // UK TOUR DATES

Whoop! Whoop! Everyone's favourite Master of the Dark Arts, Alec Empire, is back on the grid with a new download only single, '1000 Eyes', taken off the dystopian, Blade Runner-esque animated short film, 'The Golden Foretaste of Heaven'. Why does the future always look like the burnt out concrete urban battle scene at the end of 'Full Metal Jacket'? You can almost hear Animal Mother saying, "Fuck you Cowboy. Fuck all you assholes!".

But the film's ace. Check out the trailer here.

Alec and Nic Endo will also bring the pain to the UK this November with a few choice dates in and around the country. Time to rock out the face paint and vintage ATR t shirts and tell the Nazi's to shove it. Haha.

18.11.2009 Newport, TJS

19.11.2009 London, O2 Academy Islington

20.11.2009 Birmingham, Eddie's

21.11.2009 Manchester, Club Academy

22.11.2009 Edinburgh, GRV

MELLEFRESH VS CYBERSUTRA // WHITE TRASHY & BLONDE // SMUT PUSHERS REMIX

Feeling a bit mental today. Did 30min flat on the treadmill and barely broke a sweat, must be the boxfresh New Balance MT1500s I had on today or the 3 redbulls & energy bars that went down like jagermeisters on Saturday night. Having trouble focusing right now, let alone construct coherent sentences...

Kinda calls for a bass wobbling, gut wrenching, big room banger and Toronto's Smut Pushers know how to rev it up. Already getting picked up by Steve Aoki, The Bloody Beetroots, Drop The Lime et al, their remix of Mellefresh's 'White, Trashy & Blonde' certainly kicks a whole lot of ass.

FENECH SOLER // LIES (THE PHANTOM'S REVENGE REMIX) + VIDEO // MODA MUSIC

Where the hell did the weekend go? In a blink of an eye and it's gone. Need to get my head round this two day weekend business and do what the French do so well by sticking it to the man and picketing for three day weekends. Might as well pack my bags and move to Paris. Maybe get a job as a shop assistant for Kitsune or peddle DVDs along La Halle.

Anyways, what Fenech Soler do so well is crank it up to the MAX as their new glammed up video for 'Lies' will attest to. Loud & proud on a Monday afternoon. Check out 'Lies (The Phantom's Revenge Remix)' here.

THE SO SO GLOS // TOURISM_TERRORISM // GREEN OWL RECORDS

Finally, something to rave about on a Thursday afternoon. The weather seems to have picked up as well, compelling us to abandon our daily sedentary lifestyle and get wasted under the sunshine. We still prefer the shade and typing on our macbooks.

Brooklyn's hardest working post punks, The So So Glos, however, are lean mean soldiers on a mission. A preemptive strike on our side of the pond, spreading their infectiously catchy sing a long tunes and f*** you attitude.

Currently on tour in Europe with The Virgins, showcasing tracks from their debut album, 'Tourism/Terrorism', this NYC quartet will hit London sometime in November. Stay tuned.

Check out their new single, 'My Block' here.

SAMUEL & THE DRAGON // DIAMONDS ON A BOAT // MOSHI MOSHI

Gonna take it down a notch this Wednesday. The onset of autumn has made us feel quite emotional or could it be the hangover from the rousing, blast from the past performance from our all time classic alt indie favs, The Pixies, at the Brixton Academy last night. Frank, Kim et al blitzed through the Doolittle track list like it was 1989 albeit a little chubbier around the sides. Can't believe it's 20 years since the band's sophomore release. Feel old now. They rounded off the night with the UK Surf version of Wave of Mutilation. Pretty emotional stuff.

New Moshi Moshi signings, Samuel & The Dragon know a thing or two about emotions, with their new single, 'Diamonds On A Boat'. A laid back, stripped down electronic excursion on urban isolation and melancholy. It's deep shit. Makes you just wanna kick back, light up, burn & chill. Sweet stuff.

TURZI // BUENOS AIRES // RECORD MAKERS

Rainy Mondays are a staple fixture in the pre autumnal comedown calender. Come Halloween when the clocks go back an hour, all manner of wintry unpleasantries arise. Doesn't it suck big time when you look out the window and it's pitch black at 4PM? Freezing our unfortunate asses off as we trudge along to work muttering about the numbness in our fingers. whilst thinking of our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, who are just rocking out the speedos getting ready for the summer heatwave. F***ers.

Parisian electro rock upstart, Turzi, looks south for sunnier inspirations with 'Buenos Aires', the lead single taken off his sophomore album, 'B', out later this year. A thrilling demonstration of Romain Turzi's knack for an ace tune and polished production, we get a swirling new wave excursion in pop music at its hedonistic best. On the flipside, Turzi's druggy space rock composition, 'Bombay' is best served straight up and loud as hell.

Check out Sebastian Tellier's sweet ass reworking of 'New Beat In Buenos Aires' and Pan Euro remixers, Koudlam's trippy take on 'Thriller In Bombay'.

MOMMA'S BOY // WEDOUWEDOU // SOUND PELLEGRINO

Got busted trying to sneak out the back door of a show last night. Band's manager clocked me as I was making my 'stealth' exit during the second song. Is it really imperative to stay for the whole, excruciating shindig if these guys were as appalling as a cross dressing, trannie Natalie Imbruglia? Might as well be reading Chris Martin's self penned poetry prose.

Thankfully, the French do it better and this latest electro funk offering from Momma's Boy (aka Mikix The Cat aka Mike Gnacadja), 'Wedouwedou' on Sound Pellegrino, Institubes cooler sounding imprint, is the drug free remedy to a crappy night out. Endorsed by the NYC hipster set, Trouble & Bass, Drop The Lime et al, this looks set to bump & grind and not a cheesy chorus in sight.

Rotterdam's home grown talent, Kid Kaio, lays the smackdown on the remix of 'Wedouwedou'. Crazy stuff.