New SebastiAn: Embody EP

Since we last eavesdropped on SebastiAn he has released another track to help us remember the blog house era and cry.

The Embody EP was released a few days ago and sounds like Justice did in 2007.

But don't hold that against him, because they have always sounded similar. You could ask whether Justice influenced him, or if it was the other way around.

Here's the answer: Go fuck yourself.

SebastiAn - Embody

This track has hallmark SebastiAn hip-hop blips with the addition of distorted R&B vocal samples.

They are steady throughout the track, with a keyboard climax ensuing just before the 2m30s mark.

No joke, today I asked someone: "If you could rate 'Embody' between one and 10 with only the number 10, what would you rate it?"

"I'll kick you in the nuts is what I'd rate it," they said.

The EP comes with remixes from DJ Premier and Kavinsky.

Order you copy here.

sebastiAn & busy p: a conversation

Busy P: Bonjour Sebastian, come in and sit down. What’s going on in electroland? Ça va? Do you have le new track ready?

SebastiAn: (lights cigarette) Oui Pedro. I finished it. But i had no idea making an LP was so feuking hard.

BP: Aw-haw-haw-haw monsieur, that’s right! Making an album is harder than it looks (racks a line off a Kitsune Maison 8 CD case). If you want to contribute to zis feuking label – then albums need to appear you silly motheurfuckeur!

S: Well, I thought about how to make it big like Gaspard and Xavier. It’s like they didn’t actually `reinvent’ house, they just found what was already populeur and used it in creative ways.

P: Excuse moi. I have no feuking idea what you mean. You feuking bassterd.

S: I mean, is making an artistic impact about being the most populeur produceur, or the most innovative?

P: Sacre bleu! Have I taught you neuthing? It’s about how much pussy you get.

S: (lights another cigarette before finishing the first one) Come on Pedro. I’ve been thinking about zis for two years now. Pitchfeurk keeps asking me about new material. I need to release this album and it has to be incredible.

P: Relax mon ami. Look at Guy-Manuel and Thomas. I banged zis American geurl in ’05 and told them her snatch looked like a glowing pyramid. Look what they did with that idea, you feukwit.

S: Well you told moi to take a different direction from the 'Cheep and Cheerful' and 'Golden Skans' remixes. You said le public are getting tired of le four minute banger.

P: Exactly Sebby. You need to do something that’s never been done before. If you’re not going to reinvent electronic music, which you probably won’t, then use this feuking album like a billboard for how big your balls are!

S: Honestly Pedro, I think I’ve done it.

P: So you’re going to show moi this track?

S: O-oui. Here it is (connects his iPhone to Busy P’s amplifier).

SebastiAn – Threnody

SebastiAn - Threnody (Capt and Cooked Edit)

in the matrix

FBi Radio hath been saved by the good graces of Sydney’s clubbers, music industry sponsors and pink-faced binge drinkers.

From a wave of fundraising events to an insidious PR campaign aimed at the top rung – $ir Richard Bran$on - the funds needed to keep the station solvent and on-air have been banked.

Every person that contributed even just one cover charge towards these events should pat themselves on the back. Either we're fantastic supporters of community radio or just a bunch of raging alcoholics that didn’t care so much who performed, but rather how many drinks we could carry from the bar at once. Don't fall over sweetheart.

Also in Blouse's awesome! books are the numerous music venues, bands and DJs that donated their blood, sweat and mojo to these fundraisers. What we’ve seen in the past few months isn’t likely to happen until the next global recession in 2109. The ability to fight the GFC is quite an achievement.

By contrast, one organisation that hasn’t been asking for help is Google. I feel like my time in the internet cloud, way up ‘there’, is slowly being taken over by these guys. If it's even run by humans.

Apart from owning most of the observable universe, Google have that fantastic Chrome web browser which shits over Explorer, Safari and Firefox for its speed and simplicity. It isn’t the prettiest of them though. In fact, it’s positively sterile. Chrome has the aesthetic character of a condom.

I’ve also been using iGoogle, which pushes email, news and blog feeds into the same browser with the Google search engine (I call it Dad) sitting above them.

Just to test it I even wrote this post in Google Documents. It was rad. Just as good as Word, maybe better because I can write from any PC or laptop - and I use several a day. Don't even get me started on Gmail. Or the Android OS for mobiles.

Then to add another shackle to my life ‘Dad’ recently announced the Chrome Operating System. It'll probably be shipped with netbooks by late next year and, if it’s as good as everything else they do, will give Microsoft a serious kick in the nuts. Soon enough we all might become converts and disown Windows, the OS that raised us.

Google is...the Matrix.

Here's some Friday night happy tracks, to keep your mind on the fields-of-daisies at over at FBi.

Tellier & Oizo & SebastiAn - Chivers as a Female

Dragonette - Fixin To Thrill (Villains Remix)

The Mint Chicks - Don't Sell Your Brains Out, Baby

hey you, grow some balls

About two weeks ago i strummed your heart strings like a fucking harp to raise funds for FBi Radio, who are struggling to stay afloat from lost advertising and supporter revenue due to the GFC.

FBi is now trying to out-wit insolvency. They've just launched the Ask Richard campaign, which is calling for pitches to convince Richard Branson, the world's biggest virgin, to give $1 million to the station.

They want their listeners to "grow some balls" and grab Dick's attention by any means. This could include "entering a singing competition wearing a Richard Branson mask" or "stopping Richard in his tracks" with a plea created in any medium, including skywriting.

Video tape and photograph it, send it to FBi, and if you are the reason Branson is compelled to donate a mill - you get a $50,000 cut. Sweet.

It'd be like the Rudd bonus all over again. But 55.5 of them. Or 251 8GB iPod Nanos. Or 417 pairs of American Apparel jeans. Your future as a trendspotter would be secure.

SebastiAn - Walkman (Re-Edit)

outlandish

Not that anyone cares, but i had my first Blouse post torn down the other day. I put up some Metronomy remixes a few weeks back and was sent notification by the good people of Blogger i'd been nabbed for my bad boy ways. The email read something to the tune of "you're a tool that posts cool shit, and we don't like it. In accordance with our global takeover plans your post has been placed on a USB stick and will be executed by vigorous removal from a computer port without the safely remove hardware feature."

I needed some relief from the obvious stress this caused so i went to see the Archibald's last week with a lady friend. As i traversed the gallery's travertine floors and scanned its whitewash walls amongst Sydney arty types - in thick frame glasses and vintage jackets - i had an epiphany of sorts. I cream for stylised, idealised and saturated imagery. Basically, i like corsets.

I was enraptured when i studied Georges Bataille's Story of the Eye in an undergrad philosophy unit. It's about adolescents making omelettes during violent orgies. This led me to read Philosophies of the Boudoir by the Marquis de Sade, which is pretty much the same story with more people.

So as i approached Anthony Bennett's striking Archibald entry (shown above), entitled Self-portrait in the bathroom discussing beauty, Bukowski and Brett Whiteley with my ex, now a stripper, who likes to dress as Wonder Woman, i was well primed for some outlandishness.

Someone should do a portrait of SebastiAn, with a half-smoked cigarette sloping from the side of his mouth.

SebastiAn - Motor

____ ____ ____ on the wall from dusk til dawn

it seems as if blouse has dropped off the dancey wagon in the last few weeks.. big apologies to all y'all..
to get back up in it, here are a few bangin tracks that have been doing the rounds in the blouse offices.

this is the new track from sebastiAn.. its really more of the same from everyones favourite explosions expert, with the main point of difference coming from the menacing film-noir type feeling that comes from baz's good use of brass, horns and what not..

sebastiAn - Momy

like electrorash, im very surprised that Alex Metric hasn't taken off in a massive way.. his remixes and tracks are always worth waiting for with their classic electro/rock/house vibe (haha) and amazing production qualities.. THIS GUY SHOULD BE A STAR! anyways here is his latest offering that is absolutely blowing people away in the office.. the bassline in this track is the only one i want to hear at sunset at the next festival i find myself at.. the zdarlight of '08/09??

Alex Metric - Deadly on a Mission (Dub Mix)

last up is 'Girls Sing' by the ever impressive Like Woah.. this is also a very classic sounding track with a very strong 90's house thing going down.. the pianos are soo awesome
Hyperbole posted this song a while back but for some reason i could only download the first 20 secs or so of it..

Like Woah - Girls Sing

for some reason this takes me back to my lot days...... is that good or bad?

more cant hurt

i think that i still want to throw my 2 bloc party and sebastiAn cents in, despite the fact that there is probably already a total of about $3 in whatever it is im aiming for..

i have a healthy dose of respect for bloc party.. even though they are a largely mainstream band these days, they seem to like pushing the mainstream boundaries and keeping their fans on their toes..
i must admit that i havent been following them too closely since 'silent alarm', but i do believe that there were a couple of songs on their last album (a weekend in the city) that were a bit unexpected (the prayer, flux).. and with Mercury, it looks like they are again leading with another.. 'un-blocpartyish' sort of track..

Bloc Party - Mercury

when i first heard 'Mercury' on the radio a few weeks ago i thought that i was listening to a remix of a new bloc party single.. (isn't this the point in the bloc party boy's careers where they make formulaic banquet replicas?) but no.. it seems as if bloc party have turned up with a b'more (and ever so slightly fidget) influenced rock track... it really is a compelling and demanding song. i really like how the fluttery drums and percussion manage to hold the quirky horns string and synths together so well.

bloc party also really seem to be embracing the whole dance/electronic thing too, having done a remix for chromeo, and having had their singles and albums remixed by nearly everyone on earth. as im sure you probably know, Mercury came bundled with remixes by CSS, Flosstradamus and Herve

Bloc Party - Mercury (Flosstradamus Remix)

i definitely agree with electrorash here.. the flosstradamus remix is the pick of the litter.. is herve flogging a dying horse??

someone else that might be flogging a dying horse is sebastiAn ('dog' didnt exactly get the best reception).. please dont get me wrong- listening to his 'greatest hits/remixes" cd did put a large dopey smile on my face, but i think it was more because his beats made me reminisce about the fun times had with bangersz than anything else..

these tracks were my faves off the album..

Annie - Happy Without You (sebastiAn Remix)

The Rakes - We Danced Together (sebastiAn Remix)

The Editors - Camera (Fader) (sebastiAn Remix)

i couldnt help feeling while listening to this album that it was a bit of book end- a celebration of the past.. not just sebastiAn's past either, but of the whole electro movement..
with the everchanging world of dance music and all this talk of disco house, are bangers doomed to be relegated to back rooms and niche clubs like (shitty) trance?? busy p and ed banger have already said somewhere that they are going to try and move away from bangers and blogs have certainly started to post more ear-friendly tracks..

eeekk.. im getting way too far ahead of myself i think.. maybe ill stop going on and on about this stuff

abbreved

© Alix Smith

*cos i couldnt be assed writing proper sentences and paragraphs.*

THING THAT HAVE ANNOYED ME RECENTLY:

- my headphone cable getting wrapped around the armrest of my chair and which then makes my headphones fall off my desk when i pull my chair out.
- having a cold and waking up in the middle of the night gasping because my nose is blocked.
- any form of goat. especially the mountain variety. actually thats not true i just hate the mountain goats.
- dj 'mixtapes', 'demos' or 'promos' that arent beatmatched.
- people trying to be tough and making points.
- hearing people eat apples.
- not having money with which to purchase food or entry into entertainment venues.
- blog music like hostage and the usually awesome boy 8-bit

THINGS I HAVE ENJOYED RECENTLY:

- inadvertent boob or etc shots on nitelife photography sites.
- awesome *beatmatched* mixes by djs like the Gameboys and the Kinky Afro crewzzzz
Disco Punch - the Gameboys (awesome- a throw back to the banggang podcasts.. something like 6 songs in the first 3 minutes... whhooaaaaa)
Kinky Afro Djs- May Mix mad O-S shite
- blog music like sebastian, anoraak and the perenially awesome russ chimes
- awesome producers and djs doing equally awesome interviews for blouse... will share loving SOON
- sharing love SOON.
- lykke li's amazing music and grainy, semi-sepia 60's/70's style photography that she has taken off her myspace. and her video for little bit. ive got to say im a sucker for sun flares in video and photos.
- sun flares.
- being totally unpredictable, cunning and WILD with link placement.
- trying to pretend that a shitty blog entry like this one is actually half decent.

put two fingers out like this...

in my mind i had planned to do an ultra mega v fest post tomorrow but instead im gonna be rad and do one now.. i think i might be a little too excited to wait a WHOLE day to post up v related tracks.. it certainly will be a fun day- but whats with the wack peeps up in v headquarters putting the headlining acts on at the same time at the end? huh? lame.

anyway i think we'll find a way to get around this and have a fun time. just like this

The Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey

Duran Duran - Save a Prayer

The Presets - Go Hard, Go Home (Ascii Disko Remix)

Air - Mer Du Japon (Kris Menace Remix)

Donnie Sloan - Call You Up!

Donnie Sloan - System

The Rakes - We Danced Together (sebastiAn mix)

And cos i apparently love her:

(Harder)

Roisin Murphy - Overpowered (Herve & Roisin In The Secret Garden Mix)

Roisin Murphy - You Know Me Better (Trevor Loveys Remix)

(Less Harder)

Roisin Murphy - Overpowered (Kris Menace Remix)

Roisin Murphy - You Know Me Better (Nightmoves Mix)

Roisin Murphy - Let Me Know (Joey Negro's Destination: Boogie Remix)

Whoa... i DID NOT just post 12 tracks... damn kid.

as an added treat- you should go and download Munk and Flosstradamus' mixes from the bang gang podcast site (sorry think there might be a recurring theme here.. no we are not sponsored by the bang gang but would seriously consider any funds that they would like to send our way...) they are well wicked and might convince you to go and see them. ps was i the only one that only just noticed that there was a stage called the 'virgin mobile venue' cos the table for that is in white?!?

bonus: might be a bit 6 degrees of seperation action but here is

Kid Sister - Pro Nails (Bagraiders mix)

cos it was on Flosstradamus' mix for bang gang and it rocks out- especially after the drop (at 3 mins). Like everyone on sat that will be at V fest. woot.

In the Battle

photo: Jack Walsh

While we were excitedly discussing our Big Day Out plans the other day, my mate Jack made me promise to forego aussie rock stalwarts Silverchair in favour of new-ish rockers Battles. At the time, I wasn't so sure about this promise, as I hadn't really heard much of their stuff (other than their song 'Ddiamondd' that i had picked up somewhere along the way). To make me feel better he gave me a copy of their CD 'Mirrored'.

It is awesome. I am now glad that i made that promise to him.

Mirrored is an album that shouldn't be reduced to a couple of hit tracks, but should all be listened to in one sitting. Or perhaps again and again in many different sittings. Layered over the crunchy, prog rock foundation are ambient noises, slightly off-key notes and echoing, barely-there vocals which make it haunting and somehow compelling- bringing back memories of the awesome 'De-Loused in the Comatorium' by the Mars Volta.

Battles - Leyendecker

(I know i just said that listening to just one or two tracks is not the right way to appreciate Battles but I want y'all to get an idea of what they sound like in case you haven't heard them.)

I'm not sure how this will convert live but im sure it will be rad. If you're comin' on down to the Sydney BDO tomorrow please come and see them. awesome.

Man its a good line up this year- here is a tiny taste. Can not wait to see Pnau. Old men that rock my world.


Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name Of (SebastiAn Remix)

Aston Shuffle - For Everyone (Stupid Fresh Remix)

Grafton Primary - I Can Cook (Miami Horror Remix)

Pnau - Embrace

Meanwhile what a nice day- what the F am im doing sitting in an office. life is wasted sometimes.

ssssssssss