Encore

im really starting to lose track of where weekends end and weekdays begin. and it is awesome. having no full time job for the first time in years is precisely as excellent as i thought it would be.

i also really love matias aguayo's music. everytime i listen to it, i envision a big truck with big speakers inching slowly down a road packed with sweaty, tanned dancers sipping on cheap beer..
and his latest ep "i dont smoke" definitely fits that mould. powerful, rhythmic percussion and minimal synth melodies. perfect for summer! im sweating even thinking about it!

Matias Aguayo - Ligado

head out and grab the "i dont smoke" ep here.

by now most of you would have heard black van's (aka kris menace & kowesix from moonbootica) take on munk's new single 'mis labios' but in case you haven't, here it is in all its glory..
beautifully crafted and composed down-tempo electro with some great synth touches.. one of the better examples of the genre that i have heard for a while:

Munk - Mis Labios (Black Van Remix)

grab the "mis labios" remix package here.. definitely worth a listen with a cool joyce muniz remix and the awesome original featuring.

im really in two minds as to whether i still have time for the ravey indie dance of digitalism. a lot of the tracks on their new album "i love you dude" sound really good to me - and i appreciate that they have toned down a lot of the ravier sounds from their earlier work - but im just not sure that their big, made-for-festival sound really appeals anymore.. or maybe i should just stop being a dick.
this is one of my early favourites off the album - a bright, happy number that feels like a spray of water from surly festival security at the front of a digitalism show.

Digitalism - Encore

"i love you dude" will be released in 10 days from now! pretty exciting! preorder yourself a copy right here.

right - im'ma sign off and go and enjoy some more sun. have a good weekend!

Digitalism Blitz EP

Digitalism, oh how I miss the melancholy of your music.

Do you remember when we shook hands at the Metro in 2009? We took happy snaps and watched Simian Mobile Disco together.

Then after you stole my lunch with 'Pogo', 'Zdarlight' and 'Taken Away', I thought you'd disappeared off the fucking awesome metre forever.

But you're back:

Digitalism - Blitz

This electro house offering is marinated in plunging basslines and sprinkled with distortion.

As a whole, the Blitz EP rolls tech, punk and house into a disparate but complimentary package.

Oh look, you made a video too!

my pets

Steve posted a bunch of Animal Collective remixes a few weeks ago, but there’s always reason to revisit the zoo. That’s because this band is my pet. The Baltimore four-piece released their eighth studio album Merriweather Post Pavilion in January and let me say it’s causing more than just excitement for veterinarians. Their brand of experimental psych-folk is aurally saturating and highly original. With band members named Panda Bear and Geologist what the fuck were you expecting?

Their track My Girls gets my vote for clenched-jaw comedown song of the minute. It’s Beach Boys meets The Ruby Suns meets Fuck Buttons. As the hi-hat begins start cuddling.

Animal Collective – My Girls

While I’m bingeing on melancholy I’ll mention Digitalism’s Taken Away. It’s like Pogo with glowsticks. The instrumental is from Kitsune Maison 6, with a rework of the radio edit from fellow German MMMathias to balance it out.

Digitalism – Taken Away (Instrumental)

Digitalism – Taken Away (MMMathias Remix)

i am a special suprise guest

This song makes me want to fuck myself. Usually Portishead makes me want to be introspective and weird.

Portishead - Nylon Smile (The Scienticians Remix)

Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again (Digitalism Remix)

And is this the kind of stuff Digiface is going to play on New Year's Day? Gonna make the indie kids cry. Makes my ears bleed. I wonder who the special surprise guestface is going to be? Hope its a giant head.

The Presets - This Boys In Love (LifeLike Remix)

passe?

i would just like to congratulate fred falke for sampling a jazz/funk/slap-bass playing Howard Moon in the bassline of his new remix for digitalism. kudos kind sir.. welcome back to form:

Digitalism - Apollo Gize (Fred Falke Remix)

welcome back to form as well for digitalism.. this influx of new remixes is really hitting the spot.. siriusmo with typical class:

Digitalism - Echoes (Siriusmo Remix)

so much velvet in one song can get dangerous but siriusmo always handles it well

steve: "cant wait to see you in january digitalism!"
digitalism: "cant wait to see you in january steve!"

tour dates and tickets here.. EP here..

di doo

for some reason i always associate summer with digitalism.. weird hey.
when i think of summer, and in particularly summer festivals, visions of digitalism playing at parklife last year spring to mind (even though parklife isn't technically in summer haha)..
it wasn't the performance that particularly blew me away, (the sound was terrible and their whole rig broke down halfway through their set) but the muggy temperature and excited yet relaxed vibe strongly resonated with my idea of summer.

so i guess that in this run-in to summer (and parklife), its really nice to see some very lush, summery and overall digitalism(ish) sounds making their way into the blouse offices..

first up are awesome local boys One Glove who i first heard of a few weeks ago, just after they won a part of the JJJ Unearthed competition (congrats lads). they seemed to be getting massive props everywhere i went, but i don't think i realised how epic and mature their sound would be until i heard it..

One Glove - Radiator

i think that the whole upbeat, yet deep indie/electro/disco sound that digitalism made their own is a really untapped resource.. i would have thought that a lot of people would have tried to cash in on this sound in some way but i haven't really heard anyone (except perhaps the presets)come close to this sound.. until One Glove..

One Glove - Tell Me Something I Don't Know

like digitalism, one glove's use of flowing, engulfing synths and amped up drums is genius. one glove though feel much deeper in lyrical content and musical arrangement, which really floats mah boat yo..
not to sound too cheesy or anything, but theirs is that perfect sort of music that you have to shut your eyes to on the dance floor.. where you actually pay attention to what is being played and sung. absolutely compelling and engrossing.
amazing coming from these dudes who (i think) are only in their early 20's

One Glove - Origin

along with winning the JJJ unearthed competition, these boys won a slot at this year's parklife.. im pretty stoked to be seeing them there- i can only imagine what these beats are like live.
my prediction is that we will be seeing much much much of these boys in the future.

on the other side of the digitalism coin of course, is their incredible remixing ability.. they have an uncanny ability to inject a large amount of toughness and masculinity into any song. take their remix of 'skip to the end' by futureheads for example- they took a weak britpoppy mess of a track and turned into a tough, don't-mess-with-me strutter that simply destroyed any d-floor it encountered..
although there are many artists out there that make tough dancefloor destroyers (thank you boyz noize and bloody beetroots), i haven't really come across too many that do it with the same funk or style.. frenchies Dead Rock Machine definitely do though..

Dead Rock Machine - Ante

this is the sort of electro house that i still love to hear out.. its hard but still has intelligence..
although Dead Rock Machine share a similar confident toughness and funk with digitalism remixes, one thing that does differentiate them from.... them is an element of optimism or upbeatedness.. they don't seem as dark.. and i guess that is a good thing

Metronomy - Heartbreaker (Dead Rock Machine Remix)

all up, these boys are pure class- like one glove, i'm sure we'll be hearing a lot from them soon..

and finally.. here is a slice of disco that everyone has been DYING for.

Casino - Penthouse Affair

casino hail from tha ukizzle and apparently are kind of a big deal in and around europe.. this sound is very cool- very funky really sounds authenticish like its really oldschool..

the week after

busy-ness has occured for all wearing a blouse this weekend.. good busy-ness.. the kind where many drinks are consumed, many bumping tracks are dropped and many hours of sleep lost. mmmmm..

one thing i love- but know my girlfriend must hate- is me thinking out loud about the songs that i thought went well in one of my sets.. "hmmm i reckon "_______" went off!!! dont you???" blaaaaaaaa. must be annoying.

Wolfgang Gartner - Killer

Sono - A New Cage (Digitalism Mix)

Xinobi - BMX (Moulinex Mix) ive already posted this but cos it is fire ill post it again

Praise be to all y'all that shared funs with me and the rest of the blouse crew wherever we happened to be (in particular to those at Bamboozled, Exposed or Big Guns)

Hmmm must rush off but thought but thought id throw two awesome Headman remixes your way- the Ricky D mix is straight up stockholm quality baby

Headman - Catch Me If U Can (Bagraiders Mix)

Headman - Catch Me If U Can (Ricky D Fast Lane Mix)

PS i know this has been floating aroung blogton for a while now but i got it sent 'specially to me and would feel bad if i didnt post it cos its pretty rad

The Presets - Are You The One (Lifelike Mix)

wow what a (busy) way for the week to start after such a jampacked weekend