australia

sorry for the hiatus.. its just been getting so cold in sydney. finding motivation to even get out of bed is proving difficult.

sydney youngsters aeons have apparently found a solution to the cold weather by keeping themselves warm in the studio.. not only have they been spending time remixing the likes of lisa mitchell, ellie goulding and dcup, but also recording and mastering their debut ep.
proper studio time has certainly done wonders for lance and josh as their presets-like electro/indie sound has been allowed to develop and grow some serious chest-hair.
this can be seen on all four tracks on the ep, but in particular on 'where the sky meets the sea'.. i thoughts its previous incarnation was a touch meek, but this mastered version is a stadium banger of epic proportions:

Aeons - Where the Sky Meets the Sea

jump over to their facebook page to listen to an excellent array of remixes (the 'we speak no americano' snippet sounds pretty promising).. their ep should be out very shortly.

melbourne lad cullen has also been on many peoples watch-lists after first featuring on jjj's unearthed a few years ago, and more recently enjoying an eight month stint in the uk, where he bumped heads (and possibly uglies) with the slips.. an album is expected to drop soon, and 'easily impressed' is the first taste. check it out:

Cullen - Easily Impressed

fellow melbournian fromage was called in on remix duties for 'easily impressed' and he turned in this stripped back, gyration-inducing version which features hypnotic basslines, subtle synth touches and a slight acid twinge. very nice.

Cullen - Easily Impressed (Fromage Silver Lining Special)

paris thursday

i have to admit that i find kavinsky to be one of the most underwhelming artists going around.. i cant seem to work out where all of his credibility and hype came from.. his cartoon avatar? his jacket?
he sure rode that 80s wave pretty well, but when that died off where did he find himself? with a black macbook full of halfhearted testarossa overdrive revamps and tired pop?
his yet to be released single 'nightcall' is a sad case of remixes (in this case by breakbot and jackson) bettering the originals..
take the jackson remix of 'pacific coast highway' for example.. the original was almost ok - the dramatic, surging melody is quite compelling; but the douchey overbaked 80s synths and irritating voiceover band together to ruin it..
jacksons version swaps out the 80s vibe with some powerful, sebastian-esque synths and takes a lot of emphasis off the vocal.. the result is a certified ed-banger-banger straight from the bloghaus "golden years".. awesome nostalgia:

Kavinsky - Pacific Coast Highway (Jackson Remix)

one person that is far from underwhelming is lifelike.. ive had a bit of time away from french/filter house recently, but have slowly been getting back into it. getting acquainted with the tracks that lifelike has produced in my absence has been an absolute pleasure..
im sure that everyone under the sun has heard this vitalic mix he stroked out a while ago, but i sure hadn't- and i have to say that im pretty pretty impressed.. somehow he manages to disguise a hands-in-the-air house bangar by wrapping it around some tight, groove-laden french house.. the drop at 2:18 makes me remember why i liked going to music festivals. seriously good.

Vitalic - Second Lives (Lifelike Remix)

these next two classic cuts are way too smooth to pass up.. they may be the perfect tracks to help ease you into another friday.
i am seriously in love with the percussive sound of liquid liquid: "so simple, yet so perfect". 'cavern' is a solid, grandmaster flash inspiring, hypnotically bass-driven affair complete with reverb laden vocals and bongos..

Liquid Liquid - Cavern

the dub mix of lola by some fellow named jon is a slow burner that is heavy on groove and snare. if this could be any more up my alley right now id have to go and see a doctor.. when the slap bass kicks in over the top of vibes half way through, my knees get a little shaky..

Lola - Wax The Van (Jon's Dub Mix)

speaking of slow burners, here is the new(ish) track from young sydney scenesters aeons.. an expansive, gritty number with layers of incredible vocal harmonies and understated melodies..

Aeons - In Great Wonder

i firmly think that aeons are one of the most exciting young electronic groups to come out of sydney in recent times.. and if recent shows at parklife, sosueme, mum and soho are anything to go by, these guys will only get bigger in '10..
get on board the good ship aeon and check out their jjj unearthed page here.. if you havent heard 'beyond the satellites' before, you should go listen to it asap..