recap

the avalanche of quality new music in 2010 is somewhat shocking. it seems that i barely have time to calm myself after an excellent release before i find myself again pulling out my hair over something new.

take this goldfrapp remix by greg wilson for instance: probably the closest thing to perfection ive heard all year. it came up on wilson's bestival promo mix and when i heard it, i was literally stopped in my tracks. you may call them cheesy, but epic, emotion-laden strings twist my dials every time.
apparently it wont be properly released for a while, so i took some initiative and sliced it out of the bestival mix for your listening pleasure..

Goldfrapp - Dreaming (Greg Wilson Version) (DJ Set Rip) (taken down by request)

another cause for major excitement in blouse land has been the release of todd terje's 'remasters of the universe'..
there may be a few tracks and mixes on 'remasters...' that have been floating around for a while, but there are also some rare bits and bobs that i didnt even know existed.. like this version of 'all that she wants' by ace of base that he made under the name 'chuck norris'. it may be so so simple, but that familiar, smooth, rolling bassline coupled with reverby snares are a match made in musical heaven.

Chuck Norris (aka Todd Terje) - All That She Wants

grab terje's 'remasters of the universe' here.. you know its worth it.

ichisan and nakova dropped their debut long-player 'yugo tempo' on us not long ago and as expected, it is a really solid effort. i was perhaps expecting more grand, sweeping compositions (considering ichisan is on board), but in their place is bubbling, raw and suitably cosmic funk. 'tarantela' comes from the darker side of the album and features an array of stringed instruments - expect banjos and twangy guitars before the strings tie it all together.

Ichisan & Nakova - Tarantela

grab 'yugo tempo' by ichisan and nakova here..

this new pollyn/paul simon edit ambushed me while i was writing this post.. i havent listened to paul simon in quite some time, and hearing his innocent voice again was really good. pollyn hasnt changed things up too much here, instead allowing simon's voice and melodies take the spotlight..

Paul Simon - 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover (Pollyn Re-edit)

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2009 According to Steve

writing a personal 2009 music summary is really hard. it feels a bit stupid to say that i avoided all party music, but it is actually the truth.. instead of nodding away to bangers, i found myself chasing the more refined sounds of disco and chillwave. which was ok cos it was apparently a great year for the more chin-strokey and misty-eyed beats anyway:

Washed Out - Feel It All Around

some people might say that 2009 was the year of dubstep. i on the other hand would argue that it was the year of dream-pop and nu-disco.. boat club, toro y moi and memory tapes may have all flown that dream-pop flag high with some amazing releases, but the simplicity, reverb and "oooooooo's" put forth by washed out's 'feel it all around' managed to cradle me into misty-eyed bliss more any of them.

Telefon Tel Aviv - Helen of Troy

i had this song jammed solidly on repeat for basically the entire start of '09. their album 'immolate yourself' may have been a fantastically whacked out prog-journey in itself, but as a single, 'helen of troy' was like the soundtrack to my dad and i discussing the meaning of life. an absolute standout.

D-Pulse - Highway To Saturn

the disco genre apparently decided to take in the intergalactic scenic drive in '09.. cosmic tracks were plentiful, and i have to say that the mateship of strong funky basslines and echoey, soaring vintage synths really floated my boat. big time. to me, d-pulse's 'highway to saturn' epitomises this cosmic '09 sound. funky, classy and oh-so-cool, this track may be more 'logan's run' than '2001: a space odyssey', yet definitely does not suffer for it.

Space - Just Blue (Ichisan's Quatro Diversion)

sitting proudly alongside lindstrom & prins thomas, d-pulse, acos coolkas et al as the solar crown princes of this cosmic sound is ichisan. powerful, all-encompassing productions are ichisan's game and in '09 he certainly played well.
this remix that he turned in for the space remixes project pushed my buttons in every way.. epic, pounding pianos, rolling basslines and more drama than your nye with the phantom of the opera.

Lindstrom & Prins Thomas - Gudene Vet + Snutt

where to start with a duo like lindstrom and prins thomas? 2009 again presented these guys with a commanding view of the lush disco landscape after several top-notch remixes and a couple of impressive lp's between them.
it is hard to pick one stand-out track from them, but the hammock-inspiring "gudene vet + snutt" was an absolute standout from the majestic "II".. rocking a distinctly relaxed air-air, this track is truly all orange sunshine and yellow sand: summery disco at its very finest.
i know i talk about songs being soundtracks to things very often, but if this song was the soundtrack to anything, it would be this.

DOWNLOAD STEVE'S 2009 (zip file)

DOWNLOAD ENTIRE BLOUSE BEST OF 2009 (zip file - 187mb)

Honourable Mentions:

Miike Snow - Silvia
Siriusmo - High Together
Tesla Boy - Neon Love
Toby Tobias - In Your Eyes (Tensnake Remix)
Memory Tapes - Green Knight
Junior Boys - Parallel Lines
Fever Ray - Dry & Dusty

icky space

good news! 70's cosmic disco extraordineer space has just been officially signed to nang! that means that over the next year or so, space's albums (which sold over ten million copies f.y.i.) will be remastered and re-released. exciting times indeed.
it really is a testament to the quality and timeless..ness of his sound that labels are still keen to re-release his work thirty years after his hey-day. good work!

to celebrate, nang are releasing a space remix cd packed full of reworks, rejigs, rethinks and versions from the likes of bottin, acos coolkas, d-pulse and all-time blouse favourite ichisan.
while the entire release might sound like roger troutman and h.a.l. having a no-pants party, it was ichisan's contribution that really caught my attention:

Space - Just Blue (Ichisan's Quatro Diversion)

the raw drama that a song like this can conjure is enough to make me blush. any band/man that is willing to passionately pound as many power chords as these will always have a spot in my bed. probably.

to check out the re-released albums or to grab your copy of the remixes vol 1 compilation, head over here.

in other related news, ichisan has been busy bee of late.. i stumbled across this new track a few days ago and still cant seem to pry it out of my headphones. compellingly sophisticated space funk fo' dat ass:

Ichisan - Full Bet Rule

catch up with your man ichisan right here.

force of nature

i really dont listen to dj demos and mixes enough.. the realisation that they are unparalleled sources of new music is slowly dawning on me.
i can thank volume one of 'cosmic balaeric beats' for introducing me to this track by slovenia's own ichisan..

Ichisan - Radar Pulse Is Sent

this track is a perfect force of nature.. it is the first track ive ever encountered that needs to be accompanied by footage of an eagle catching its prey. or of the cosmic expanse of outer space.
to prove that ichisan has this whole techy nudisco thing worked out, check out his squelchily awesome 'global pillage':

Ichisan - Global Pillage

in other techy/nu/disco news, i recently discovered this jamie paton edit of aussie wildchild sidwho? which blew my mind.. i cant seem to find the mp3 anywhere, and it isnt released for a few weeks so please content yourselves with a few minutes of streaming madness:

Sidwho? - Violet Run Run (Jamie Paton Edit) adult arts club link

volume two of cosmic balaeric beats is out now.. and is highly recommended.. grab it here
check out more ichisan stuff here and here