Blouse's Best of 2011

Well well.. Our 2011 calendars seem to only have a couple of days left until they run out of paper.

I guess that means that it is time for Blouse to reflect and cherry pick the things that we felt made 2011 the year that it was.

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parklife

This coming Sunday Parklife will hit Sydney, a long weekend and celestial Spring weather. There really is no better combination to usher in the festival season. The only thing that could compare is if the moon became a strobe light on NYE. Or spun around and said something dopey.

Fellow Parklifers, there are things you should and shouldn't do this weekend. I'll illustrate.

*Cue dark synths and smoke machines* It was way back (last week), one sunny summer afternoon in a Potts Point apartment. A raving buddy and I hung our arms from the breezy window, above a fucking hipster's balcony. We smoked cigarettes like air, drank Vodka like water and debated the "way of the rave" for hours.

We discussed 'rules' for Field Day 2010, but the ideas applied to any festival. Like Confucius, my buddy's words echoed through time like planets colliding. Her name is Lauren Murada. She is also a hipster, loves Top Shop, indie-electro, will trip in heels of any height and reckons chicks go to dubstep nights to experience vibrating toilet seats. This is what she said:

"My advice would be to definitely leave your shirt on. Don't wear thongs. Invest in a pairs of Cons or High Tops. Wear sunscreen. Don't pass out before 1pm and don't wet yourself. Oh, and see the Juan Maclean."

Empire of the Sun - Standing on the Shore (Cassian Remix)

Miike Snow - Black & Blue (Tiga Remix)

La Roux - I'm Not Your Toy (datA Remix)

La Roux - In for the Kill (Diplo and Bot Edit)

Services - Element of Danger (MSTRKRFT Remix)

Late of the Pier - The Bears are Coming (Joakim Remix)

Bloc Party - Hunting for Witches (Crystal Castles Remix)

Claude Von Stroke - Who's Afraid of Detroit? (Audion Remix)

Metronomy - Not Made for Love (Joakim Remix)

The Rapture - House of Jealous Lovers (Morgan Geist Remix)

Sydney Parklife 2009 set list.

tough kids doing damage

there were some serious monday blues floating around at work today. i for one had a pretty relaxed day, but the sobs and whinging penetrating the calm of my headphones started to get a little tiresome. o if only i had some decent speakers and mood lighting controls on my desk.. perhaps i could have got everyone out of their uncomfortable chairs and into hammocks as the lord intended..

if there was ever a song to get us young'uns into hammocks, it would be 'do the right thing' by metronomy.. im sure most of you will have already heard this track, but in case you havent, and if by chance you enjoy a spot of air france (or even just a spot of superbly moody dream-pop), then this might be for you:

Metronomy - Do The Right Thing

listening to a spot of nite jewel right after a sydney visit from italians do it better bossman mike simonetti seemed appropriate.. im pretty peeved that i didnt get to go to the party. in my dreams, i did actually go and when it was over i went with mike simonetti to an after party where he personally plugged in his portable music device and put on nite jewel.

Nite Jewel - Want You Back

last but not least is this remix done by perennial blouse favourite's black strobe..

The Penelopes - Demian feat. Dierdre Dubois (Black Strobe Remix)

what i love so much about black strobe is their diversity.. while i usually associate anything with the black strobe tag on it with classy, yet monstrous electro-tech, they sometimes do a little trickeroo and pop up with something different. this penelopes remix for instance is a distinctly lifelike-like affair with warbly, rolling bass coupled with soaring synths.

bonus black strobe cut from '01:

Cosmo Vitelli - Robot Soul (Black Strobe Remix)