Rachel's Highlights of 2010

I am suffering end of year blues. No, I think I am suffering severe post-holiday blues. Going back to work this week after three weeks in Thailand has not helped this. Making a list of my favourite songs of the year has helped this marginally - trawling my ipod and listening to so much amazing music - but somehow made it worse too. How the fuck am I supposed to narrow this year down to ten songs, so overwhelming, what happened to the year, who am i, where am i, why am i sitting at a desk at work, what day is it, what am i supposed to do when a new year starts, oh god.


1. It seems that Steve and I concur that Twin Shadow was one of the best artists to come out of 2010. Have you googled a picture of him? He is also the best things to come out of 2010 aesthetically.

Twin Shadow - At My Heels


2. Kisses were also another 2010 love affair for me. I thought the dreampop shoegazey year of 2009 would blissfully float away to another glo-fi time and space continuum in 2010 but I was wrong and it was very much here to stay. The Hot Chip remix of this track is amazeballs as well.

Kisses - Kisses

Kisses - Kisses (Hot Chip Remix)


3. I do not care for indie street cred and love this next song to bits. The number of strange corners of the world in which I heard this song this year only made me love it more. The fact that Dcup is a blouse man only makes it better even though it needed no extra levels of betterness. This song is going to do down in dance music history like Drop the Pressure.

DCup and Yolanda Be Cool - We No Speak Americano


4. Tame Impala's album Innerspeaker was Australia's 2010 obsession apparently. There is something annoyingly good about their music. It's like, I don't like the fact that I like it. Is that weird? I think it's because every time I've seen them live they've been poo. And they're young and blaze and seem to not give a shit. But then their music is the shit. So confused. Lucidity was a fave but I am a sucker for a sick instrumental and this is the instrumental of the year.

Tame Impala - Jeremy's Storm


5. Delorean was my live music experience of the year and therefore deserves a spot. I saw them play at a club in Shibuya in Tokyo which was surreal in itself but complete with dancing Japanese hipsters and that guy who goes nuts on the keyboard and Ibiza-stylez electronic music in the middle of downtown Nippon, it was too good. This is the standout from their 2010 album Subiza I think.

Delorean - Stay Close


6. 7. 8. and 9. Sydney pumped out so much good music this year! Not that it ever doesn't but Jinja Safari, Bag Raiders, Flight Facilities and Boy and Bear stole my attention this year. These four tracks were on high rotation on the local dial. Have you heard tropical house done as good as Snake Chalmers? Or carefree summertime disco-pop as good as Crave You? And Jinja Safari even had their own genre made up for them - "forest rock" or some shit like that. As for Boy and Bear, you make my heart melt.

Bag Raiders - Snake Chalmers

Jinja Safari - Peter Pan

Boy and Bear - Mexican Mavis

Flight Facilities - Crave You

Flight Facilities - Crave You (C90 Remix)


10. And if you want to know who will be at the top of the Australian music scene in a couple of years time it is this dude. This is the first taste we have had of Joyride & The Accidents and it made my year. Feeling a little excitable for what is to come.

Joyride & The Accidents - This Is It


11. Kanye (another one you hate to love) really sucked me in this year and it seems the rest of the world too. This song is bananas. So beautiful, so effortlessly cool and something that just makes you shake your head and think how does he keep on doing it?

Kanye West - Lost in the World


12. I know I'm now up to number 12 in my top 10 and being self indulgent with what the above average music lover will deem a below average list of favourites but whatevs. Yeasayer are my all timers. It'd be easy to choose One as the standout from Odd Blood but Madder Red is so sick, it gives me chills down my spine. My sister has declared that she wants this song played at her funeral procession as her body is slowly paraded through the crowds on the shoulders of red indians.

Yeasayer - Madder Red

And here are all the tracks in a zip file via mediafire


Love you 2010 and love you blouse readers. Sending much love over the seas and cities and the radio waves xxxxxx

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)

DCUP in SA

Hey ya'll.
Played rAdelaide last night. It was rad. Yolanda Be Cool came down with me and banged on after my set till 4am. Around that time I had a line of something, a shot, my eyes pointed out in different directions like one of those ugly dogs, and next I woke up in the hotel. They dont do half measures.

Galactik Knights - Falling In Love

(Galactik Knights myspace)

bat signal

if dcup had some sort of signal that announced a new track, what do you think it would look like? do you think that it would be similar to the bat-signal? but maybe instead of a bat silhouette in the sky it could be superb cleavage like above..? the thought of that is tantalising.

if he did have such a signal, those boobies would be sure be burning brightly tonight.. this remix of priors (feat yann destal from 2k chartbusters modjo) is fresh up out of the dcup chiller and is really cold.

Priors - What You Need (Dcup Remix) taken down by request

dcup cleverly uses a similar formula to the original, infusing the weightlessly sun-speckled overtones with martini glasses, olives and limes like only he can.
he has been a busy bro recently so watch this space for some new tracks soonish...

sickest day (part two)

so im back at work today.. dammit. there is probably no real reason why i cant live the backyard sun life at my desk though.
to assist, dcup dropped off this mixtape that he recently busted out for melbourne radioe statione pbs..

Dcup PBS Mix

at this point, i would like to gently remind you to make your way to neverland bar in coolangatta this saturday to support dcup as he plays his first qld show.

ps.. sorry if all of these big ol' mixtapes are destroying your bandwidth. sometimes you just have to roll with it

sickest day

ahhh the fabled sick day.. a time for laziness in the sun.. seriously who can be bothered to move on a day like this.. even considering what music to put on requires too much effort. thank god for dj mixes huh?

these first two have a distinct disco/funk/yacht-rock flavour.. i have a strong feeling that these genres should be the only ones playing when youre enjoying sick-day sun in your backyard.

Breakbot Radio 1 Mix

Tensnake Summer Mix

this live set by golden bug was a lot different to what i thought it would be.. sure, i expected it to be flat out awesome, but i figured that it would be awesomeness of the lively techy/electro kind.. instead, they busted out a crazy collection of disco flavoured tech-funk and quirky indie-dance with a wide-eyed twist of sweaty fun.. seriously amazing.

Golden Bug - Live In Kiev

in other news, dcup is playing at fringe bar tonight.. if youre around and feel like you want to go and dance your ass right off, then maybe you should drop in and say hi.
if you live at coolangatta and are frustrated that dcup never seems to leave sydney, then your frustrations are unfounded. check this link here and i think you will find that he is indeed playing up there this weekend. lucky queenslanders!

BONUS SELF-PROMOTION:

ok i just thought that i would indulge my ego for two secs and post an uber chilled mix that i recently completed..

Steve's Rug Mix

im hoping that if you find yourself sick and stretched out in your sunny backyard tomorrow, that this mix makes you feel a little better.
it might also be nice on a sunday afternoon with pimms. maybe.

the launch of style

as of midnight tomorrow night, my month off alcohol will be complete. the thought of drinking a beer has somehow gotten my palms all sweaty. yes it's true, i'm very excited.
but me getting back 'on the piss' is not the most exciting thing about tomorrow night. not by a long way.. that's because tomorrow night is the DCUP 'STYLE' EP LAUNCH!

it is being held at sydneys very own home of debauchery (candy's apartment) and will set you back $15.. he starts at 1130 but definitely get there earlier to enjoy a simple glass of hennessy vsop cognac while you mentally prepare youself.

to get a little taste of what will be going down tomorrow night, here is a little mix that dcup concocted earlier this month for the 'mix-up' segment on triple j.

Dcup Mix-up on JJJ Mix

if you havent yet dipped your ears into dcups ep, and feel like you need to get yourself acquainted with it before tomorrow night, you can get it here

see you guys tomorrow night!

hysterics

the hysteria is mounting... rraaaaahhhhh
are you ready for june 20? have you got a little party planned for your family and close friends? i hope so. the date of dcup's first official release is no time to be sitting at home 'taking it easy'.

dcup certainly has his june 20 planned out. and im sure he would like your party to be as glamourous and sassy as his will surely be.
to make sure it is, he has thrown together a collection of classic house and disco bootlegs for your enjoyment.. he has called them 'dcup divas'. if you thought his previous remixes and tracks were funky then you should probs check these out..

Ultranate - Free (Dcup's Bootleg Remix)

Indeep - Last Night A DJ Saved My Life (Dcup's Bootleg Remix)

Masters At Work feat India - To Be In Love (Dcup's Bootleg Remix)

cool non? watch this space for some super-cool style ep launch party and remix news soon.. also, you can catch dcup playing at the sweat it out remixes vol 2 party at some point in the near future. everything is happening so quickly

i actually feel deaf

this was just what i needed after a painfully large weekend. new dcup magik..

this is one of his most high-profile official remixes and may well feature on the new evermore single 'can you hear me' (get it here).. boys be moving up in the world huh? first sweat it out, now evermore.. (hell yeah)

this mix is a lot more bare and stripped back then some of his other compositions and works really nicely. it is heavily driven by its funky bassline with his trademark synths grabbing a bit of much needed 'me-time' in the backseat.
kinda reminds me of a velvet lined lounge in an ice bar.. so smooth and cool.

Evermore - Can You Hear Me (Dcup's Horny Mix)

can you hear shades of 'men in black' by will 'big willy styles' smith shimmying through the bass in parts? i can and its really good

hello duncan pt 5: "the secret of saurus rock"

Bastian! I dont know who these synth funkers are but they rock! Can someone please tell me who they are and when they were around?

Bastian - Groceries

Bastian - People Change

aarrgghh

i dont know if any of our other writers are having problems with the blouse server but i sure as hell am..
while we work out what the fuck is going on, please enjoy this autumn mix done by our favourite discoman dcup.. disco fire at its hottest:

Dcup Autumn Mix mediafire link

if entire mixtapes could be remixed, then this effort would be like the (dcup 2k9 refix) of the david mancuso set from the other week.. hmm is refix the right wording for it? maybe it should be the (dcup 2009 reedit)? or maybe even the (dcup 2009 reheat)? either way it is probs the perfect mixtape for your friday at work. or your friday evening getting buzzed. very exciting

dcup + sweat it out

finally some good news in this world of swine flu and recessions.. dcup has signed to sweat it out..! have to admit that everyone in the blouse jacuzzi was stoked when the news reached the mansion.

above is quite obviously the art for his ep 'style'.. the sweat it out melting shoe thing is pretty cool hey.. duncs' decision to use a pimp slipper as his sweat it out identity was rather fitting and pretty funny. when he told me that he had chosen a slipper as his shoe, i immediately tried to work out what shoe i would have picked.. do you think you could have picked footwear like that? i'd like to say that i would pick a melted flippy-floppy thong as mine, but i think crocs would be more fitting. tell me what you'd pick. a doc marten?

anyway, 'style' officially comes out in approximately two weeks- more on that soon.. in the meantime, here is a blouse exclusive to heat things up- his new remix of damn arms..

Damn Arms - Destination Pt. 1 (DCup Remix)

it starts off full of cocktail sass and lush synths, but an aston martin spins by the dcup casino in the last third of the song and takes those synths for a bit of a drive.. such classy, subtle disco house..

hello duncan part 4

commiserations to hello duncan part 3 who was eaten alive by DMCA monsters. you will always be remembered

the name says it all, All Good Funk Alliance mixed with Bumper

Neighbour - Drunk on the Funk

warm wide synths and a 'lean back' break

Future Rock - That Sound

I think this was on Raw Fusion Sweeden, goddamn these north Europeans make some damn good twisted hip funk, pity their vocals are just bad yank imitations

Aqueel - Nasty (instrumental)

funk and the cosmos: a beginners journey

i have been sitting here for the past hour or so trying to work out why the hell i havent been swept up in the phoenix/yyy hysteria. i love those bands- i have their new albums. why the hell arent i listening to them? why the hell arent i listening to them at the same time: sound-off style? theres even a new(ish) kris menace album that should be joining the sound-off.
whats wrong with me? chaz jankel. he has me tangled in a world of funky 80's pop. bah.

back in a world that had yet to feel the ravaging grips of a hype machine or record label e-mailing lists lived keyboard player and producer chaz jankel. i dont know how his music was received back in those days (apparently it was quite popular), but in my day and in my bedroom right now it is being recieved very well.
by listening to chaz jankel's music, it is easy to picture his world as one where music was less about trend and commerical viability and more about making soulful and fun songs. it might be a fantasy but whatevs. hope chaz had fun in his relaxed, no-pressure creative time.

Chaz Jankel - Number One

im sure that you would have heard of chaz jankel at some point in the past as his songs 'get my self together' and 'glad to know you' have featured in a few heavyweight disco and nudisco mixes that have floated around.. jankel's floaty synths and strummy guitars really make themselves at home amongst those other newer synths and guitars and somehow even stand out with all their genuineness and soul.

Chaz Jankel - Feel Alone

there are so many diverse gems in his back catalogue, but this edit by ray mang from his greatest hits is an eight and a half parade of magnificence. really hope to hear this in a dj mix soon. (gauntlet thrown.)

Chaz Jankel - Am I Honest With Myself Really?

on a final funky note, here is dcup's newest remix which is of the brotherhood of broken heart's single 'lonely together'.. a bit more emo and d-floor friendly this time around. the drop at 3.02 is so so uplifting..

Brotherhood of Broken Hearts - Together Lonely (DCup Remix)

another quality release from duncan- i wish that i didnt look and feel so biased by posting every dcup track that comes my way but these tracks seriously need to be heard- so good.

i guess we dont care

ok so what if 'the man' took down duncan's last post.. so what.
we have some nice new dcup tracks to fill the hole anyway. and hasnt he been a busy lad: knocking out 2 (two) sparkling new remixes for 2 (two) new remix competitions.

his remix for the jazzanova competition was apparently finished in a day. i really find that hard to believe though cos this is perhaps be one of his more accomplished efforts.
the chilled & slow pianoroom vibe that this track embraces is the perfect medium through which duncan is able display his sass and disco-savvy. his newly adopted strings and warbling guitar sit so nicely amongst the heavily compelling snares and soulful vocals. perfect accompaniment for that friday afternoon mojito

Jazzanova feat Ben Westbeech - I Can See (DCup Remix)

this sidechains mix for the sidechains competition is much more upbeat and d-floor friendly but still retains all of that patented class and disconess.. while i liked the original version, i think that dcups remix is much more colourful and seems to have much more depth with its judicious use of strings and shimmering synths. sidechains original might have suited a club, but i think that dcup's version would suit a club with wavy white curtains on a balcony overlooking the mediterranean. (i know which club i would rather be at.)

Sidechains - Dance While You Can (DCup Remix)

take that 'man'.

get excited

i for one am excited. after what has seemed like ages, duncan 'dcup' maclennan has released his first EP..

if you're lucky, you may have heard some of his previous work (which includes remixes of the heat, crazy p and teenagersintokyo) or read some of his awesome disco posts on this very site..
going back through his work earlier today, it has been really interesting to hear the progression and maturity that has developed in his music. while i have been a fan of pretty much everything that duncs has put out, i really love the way that the releases on this EP aim to charm peeps onto the d-floor with glamour and groove - a subtle technique that he may have picked up via his love of all things disco. hmm

anyway, this first song 'style' is a perfect representation of this new-school disco house groove that he is channeling. barrel loads of funk, yet not standoffish or chilled at all thanks to the warm chromeo-esque bassline running throughout. pure class

DCup - Style

strikingly different to 'style' is 'epic'. channeling elements of french house and a large dose of valerie's russ chimes, this song is much more of a d-floor destroyer. in the most uplifting way possible.

DCup - Epic

so yeah exciting times indeed. im looking outside and the rain certainly isnt matching the excitingness of these times.

everyone ready for the muddiest good vibes of all time tomorrow? get ready to lose some shoes!

more boobies

i dont know why ive held onto these songs for so long. maybe i was waiting for the right moment or something. anyway, today is saturday and it really feels like a good time to unleash duncan dcup's brand new songs- which i must say are as impressive as ever.

Crazy P - Stop Space Return (DCup Remix)

the thing that impresses me most about this bunch of tracks is the growing individuality and identity that duncan is finding. i think he is really establishing his own sound and feel, and that's an exciting something indeed.

Teenagers In Tokyo - Death Rides A Horse (DCup Remix)

after playing around a little bit last year with harder forms of house, he's embraced this glamourous, classy, disco-tinged electro-funk which is seems to come a lot more naturally and definitely works amazingly well.
here also is his first solo outing, which typifies this new funky direction

DCup - Walking Away

so yeah. five stars mister cup. bravo sir- i cant wait to hear what pops out next.

and in case you missed it, here is his remix of the heat's 'the celebration' which is a bit more straight-up electro housey but is defs sure to fill dancefloors

The Heat - The Celebration (DCup Remix)

hungry like wolves tonight

ok yall the almighty gameboys are kicking off what will hopefully be the first in a crazy series of parties tonight at the cross..
the wizards of handheld gaming wont be hosting the party alone though, as the ever uber CSK OK and J-Flex will be putting their hands on deck with the regular blouse/rubicon supports in the form of Rick Taylor, Mark Love and meeeeee..
come along! well get on at 10 and its $10 before 11 and $15 after..

i guess/think the only way to express our excitement over tonight is through music..

blouse bestie mark love aka dcup recently conducted a mix up that celebrates his love for disco.. twelve songs in twelve mins? youd better believe that..

Dcup - DCup Disco Dozen

other songs you may well hear tonight include

Shinichi Osawa - Star Guitar (Popular Computer Remix)

The Outrunners - These Girls Are Dressed To Kill (Russ Chimes Remix) thank you so much to electrorash for this.. total blinding radness

aight im outta hear.. gotta get my drink on.. hope to see you peeps tonight!

hot boobies

well its been nothing but blue skies now for this whole week.. whoooo! summer here we come!
if summer means anything it means rooftop parties!
and everyone knows that the only rooftop party to go in sydney to is the one at the eastern hosted by the classy boys from the heat!

its been a bit quiet from the hot boys of late but thankfully our very own dcup has brought their track 'The Celebration' up to date with an awesome twist of his own brand of electro funk..

The Heat - The Celebration (dCup Remix)

i think in this case dCup has outdone himself. although the original had a pretty rockin tune it did get a bit repetitive after 7 minutes..
with this remix, duncs has taken the original melody and rhythm, and somehow made it throb with wicked syncopation. i seriously cant help but nod my head when listening to this.. he has also added a heap of depth to the song with lush synths, little vocal stabs and a rad treble melody that ties it all together.. the climax of the track at 4 minutes is awesome- i think id melt into the ground if i heard it out.

and in case you missed them:

The Heat - Celebration

Teenagers In Tokyo - Very Vampyr (dCup Remix)

get excitey

photo: Jack Walsh

i have had very little to keep me entertained in the super boring last week and a half at my work. i really was proud of myself for having finally gotten over facebook after many addicted months but.. no. give me a few days of nothing to do and i turn into some sort of walking facebook relapse.
so it makes sense then that just as im about to get busy again a whole heap of awesome music just drops into the front of the blouse; AKA our email. hooray ive got to try and get as much enjoyment out of these beats as i can before i get swamped.

fellow blousee and famous member of the infamous Rubicon krew- dCup - has just sent through his remix of the awesome Teenagers in Tokyo track- "Very Vampyr".
Originally this was an uber-punk banger with angsty teen vocals and crunchy rock backbone- but dCup got his hands on it and threw it through his Autobot transformer and it has come out as an uplifting, bag-raiding, everyoneputhandsintheairandsingalong dancefloor jammer. Very schmick.

Teenagers in Tokyo - Very Vampyr

Teenagers in Tokyo - Very Vampyr (dCup remix)

He also very kindly send through his autumn '08 promo - oh yeaaaaa ive got music coming out of my ears... hmm

dCup - All the Girls Get Down

if you take residence in syd-a-ney come down and see dCup and other Rubicon and Blouse chum Richard Taylor play Ritual at Candy's on sat night.. shall be ritual-tastic.

Also... i remember at some point last year finding a *SUPER-UBER* mix called Verbena Selected by Buffet Libre- with each track being specially selected by some famous dj or producer. i really liked this idea but thought that a few of the djs and producers didnt put as much effort into choosing tracks as i thought they would..

WELL ive just awesomely recieved the brand spanking new Verbena Selected mix entitled....... Verbena Selected 2. ive literally only just got this so havent listened to it all yet but the tracklist looks pretty good.. a few tracks im not the biggest fan of but hey- it is a big.. long.. mix.. after all..

Verbena Selected 2 *tracklisting in comments

also have just got the heads up on Yakushi from over in Portugal.. his sound reminds me a bit of a nu-ravier Bagraiders or a stripped back, Bloody Beetroots.. hopefully more from him soon.

ah well back to the 'book. please be safe while driving. watch for cyclists