electro is actually cake

Boys Noize's sophomore album Power is, yeah, not mind-blowingly great. It's a careful extension of the arid electro his debut Oi Oi Oi had people trading hickies over.

With all the attention Mr Noize, aka Alexander Ridha, received over the past two years the pressure to set the bar higher might've given him some sleepless nights. So he's gone the other way and produced an album that is, overall, less edgy.

The best example is the track 'Nerve' lacking a hard kick drum. Instead Ridha has used the synthline like a violin. This creates rising and falling tempo in all the right places. It fucks my life.

'Rozz Box' does the industrial electro thing as Oi Oi Oi was renowned for, 'Gax' is whimsical and catchy, 'Kontact Me' is like a modern horror movie theme song and 'Transmission' needs a few listens because it's got this annoying synthline that, eventually, makes you realise how clever this Boy(s) really is.

Boys Noize - Jeffer (Modeselektor Remix)

Modeselektor have got the right idea. They turned this little slut of a track into upbeat, hippity-hoppity electro with a minimal glaze over the top. Yeah, it's like peach-glazed Savarin cake.

Boys Noize - Heart Attack (MMMatthias Edit)

The original is like a shoegazey lullaby. MMMatthias takes it to a place i think the electro genre is already heading - toward lo-fi, damp, ruminating dance music.

Boys Noize - Kontact Me (MMMatthias Edit)

This is a lightly edited version of the original and would be great for a party playlist because it's shelf life will probably be about four minutes. But it's still worth listening to because it's like ripped stockings. A bit wow until you rock up to work in them.

Grab your copy of Power right here.

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)

sigh

i feel like shit and its friday. what the fuck. who gets sick on a friday?? who gets sick before a night as epic as tonight? i keep trying to pep myself up by listening to bangers but subconsciously keep floating back to the same relaxing stuff ive been listening to all week. (that rubies remix truly is a gem. truly.)

however, i know that there are definitely not that many people out there that would feel like this today- so probably feel obliged to post some of the harder sort of stuff...

Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen (Riton Rerub)

Wolfgang Gartner - Squares

i think i really enjoy these last two songs so much because they are really quirky.. the sort of songs youd hear in a club and think 'wow these are interesting sounds' and thereby feel compelled to dance.. the wolfgang gartner track is really quite hard and almost nu-ravey but somehow his music is always so jacking and listenable..

Coldplay - Death and All His Friends (MMMatthias Remix)

mmmathias is a name that keeps popping up wherever you look.. he obviously really done some really good groundwork in terms of selfpromotion so good on him. his music itself is quite solid though. it is really minimalist in terms of melodic depth, so his tracks almost feel a bit like progressive electro but in a good way.. they still have good strong beats and have been finished nicely. will be interesting to see what he pulls out for his own solo compositions though.
haha think mmmattttttt and ttoommaassss or whatever they are called will feel a bit cheated by his name. or maybe it will be the other way around?? maybe they could play as a wicked 3some

i REALLY feel like shit now- so will have to cut this short have a good weekend.

oh yeah- for all of you that missed this- (cos i love y'all)

Yuksek - Composer (Surkin Remix)