R.I.P Donna Summer

A true original disco diva

Glittering Synths

Starfucker's Jackalope (Julius) gets the remix treatment from Vans. Original recording of Julius is on Heaven's Youth - Reptilians Demos. This song has a happy heart, the subdued singing is used as an instrument that snakes through the music with effortless charm. A psychedelic synth-pop tune to help you through a long hot summers night.

Starfucker, also known as STRFKR, is an electronica band from Portland, Oregon formed in 2007, initially started as a solo project for Joshua Hodges.

Born Ready To Die

Terry Urban links up with DopeCouture to present Born Ready To Die, a mash up of Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die with Lana del Rey’s Born to Die.

Using the music from Lana’s Born To Die (remixed and resampled) and Lyrics from Biggie’s Ready To Die, it's fucking epic stuff, This track renamed Juicy Lolita is brilliant, I wouldn't have thought Biggie's Juicy would work without the Mtume backing tune Juicyfruit, however this sounds like the perfect Bond theme! Throughout this mixtape it all sounds so natural, Lana's strings and moody tones work perfectly with Big's gritty drawl.

A fitting tribute to the 15 year anniversary of Christopher Wallace’s death.

Check it out you can download full album by visiting mixstream.com

Get Some Reggae In Your Jeggae!

My mate Dave found a copy of Tighten Up Vol. 1 & 2 this week down the back of an old cuboard, some seriously classic reggae on these milestone LP's. Originally released in 1969 by Trojan Records.

This track by Dandy (Dandy Livingstone) is on the Tighten Up Volume 2. Reggae In Your Jeggae is a top tune, been listening to this loads. Other classics on here include The Upsetters' Return Of Django and Live Injection, The Pioneers' Longshot Kick De Bucket, Clancy Eccles' Fire Corner and of course Lee Scratch Perry's Tighten Up.

Tighten Up - Trojan Reggae Classics 1968-74 is a great comp on iTunes

R.I.P MCA

MCA's publicist just released a statement, writing, "It is with great sadness that we confirm that musician, rapper, activist and director Adam 'MCA' Yauch ... passed away in his native New York City this morning after a near-three-year battle with cancer. He was 47 years old."

MCA co-founded Beastie Boys in 1979 with Mike D, and Ad Rock and went on to churn out some of the most iconic albums in hip-hop including License to Ill, Paul's Boutique, Check Your Head and Ill Communication. The Bands last album Hot Sauce Committee Part.2 was also a return to form. They won multiple Grammys and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year.

She's Crafty from their debut is a classic (as is the whole album) and a personnal favourite. Rest In Peace MCA.

Wonky Disco

Sébastien Tellier returns with new album My God Is Blue, produced by Mr Flash. Looking more like the messiah with every release Tellier's trademark beard and long messy hair is symphonious with his own brand of sexy-disco electronica. The frenchman's music remains in the high quality bracket, all the usual influences are omni present, the old styles of Philippe Nicaud, Serge Gainsbourg and Jean-Claude Vannier to the contemporary sounds of Air, Daft Punk and Bertrand Bergalat. Cochon Ville is the lead single released with a suitably erotic video of naked dancers in gods own disco. Tellier always does just enough to remain on the right edge of kitsch with an electro-pop sound that could have been released anytime in the last thirty years or far into the future. Future-retro maybe?! Sedulous is my choice pick of this LP, a slow jam that Serge Gainsbourg would be proud of, a dramatic drum roll strolls into a slow digi-funk beat with a waltzing horn section and funky quitar stabs. Good to have you back Sébastien! HIGHLY RECOMMEDED!

Out now on iTunes

The Summer soundtrack has arrived

Great to hear some new music from Baltimore duo Beach House and even better that they haven't lost the edge. Following the amazing Teen Dream LP in 2010, new album Bloom is full of the bands lush harmonies and dreamy tunes.

First single Myth is grand song that builds in tension till the euphoria washes over the sound to lift you higher into a state of pure bliss. Other People sounds just as beautiful with a song-along chorus, Wishes has this amazing quitar riff solo halfway through. Irene is the slow late-night jam, On The Sea is a hazy folky song that is just delightful and New Year bursts with energy and colour. Lazuli is 5 minutes of graceful melodies and enchanting atmospherics. Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally have done it again just in time for summer, Beach House will surely be everywhere soundtracking sun-drenched escapades this year. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Due for release in the UK on 14th May. Pre-Order now on iTunes.

A Major Force

Major Lazer played Live at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire this week, it was a mental gig, Toddla T got the crowd nicely warmed-up with a few special guest including the delightful Shola Ama who stole the set. You might need somebody, Taboo and Take it back all sounding good with Toddla's beats. Major Lazor take the stage and dancehall mayhem erupts for the next hour and half. Hold the Line was a special moment, Diplo mixed up the unique Major Lazer sound with classic reggae and calypso, the highlight for me was Harry Belafonte's Day-O mashed with the epic Pon de Floor, the whole of the empire went absolutely mental. 

Also out this week is a new tune from Major Lazers forthcoming album due in 2 months time. Given away as a free download in exchange for your email here. Get Free features the lush vocals of Amber Coffman of the Dirty Projectors and sounds amazing, I've been playing it on repeat for the last few days. LOVE IT!

Look out for Major Lazer's forthcoming Dancehall album with Snoop Dogg too!

Synth-pop magic

Grooves like a bastard

Brooklyn's The Men latest long player Open Your Heart is a refreshing burst of melodic leftfield, expansive rock and distortion. Sometimes full on, sometimes it's just weird but always entertaining. It goes from Nirvana grunge to Fucked up's (the band) psychedelic noise via fat Led Zeppelinesque riffarama! It's also has some off kilter alt-country in Candy, a song of beauty. Cube is like an old Dammed song played by Soundgarden that slaps you in the face and nicks your beer leaving you dazed and confused. Title track Open Your Heart sounds like a 2012 version of Ever fallen in love? by The Buzzcocks.

I keep coming back to this album and it's definitely going to feature in the albums of the year come December.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Like this? Try: The Dammed, The Buzzcocks, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters

Buy it NOW on iTunes

Soak up the haze

Some late night moody haze here in the shape of Brooklyn's Sepalcure from their self titled LP from last year. See Me, Feel Me samples very subtly the Who's See Me, Feel Me.

Sit back relax and enjoy.

Album on itunes

Beautiful Bliss

Atlanta's Lockett Pundt's Lotus Plaza project debuted with The Floodlight Collective in 2009, and has spectacularly returned with Spooky Action at a Distance. Following the hugely successfully Halcyon Digest by Pundt's other band Deerhunter this LP is another indie delight. It's a beautifully breezy album full of blissed out acoustic portraits that bring a feeling of floating in a triply daydream. The Deerhunter guitarists expertly crafted folky songs are reminiscent of Kurt Vile but with a warm charm, colorfully rhythmic chord progressions with a pysch-pop edge.

It's slow gentle burner that will no doubt feature in the end of year top albums. Highly Recommended. 

Deerhunter, Atlas Sound, Real Estate, Kurt Vile

Night Drive

From the cult album Night Drive by the Chromatics this is one of favourite tracks from that album. An instant classic back in 2007 Night Drive also contains the full 15 minute version of Tick Of The Clock, an edited version of which features on the Drive movie soundtrack. The pulsating rhythms of I Want Your Love still sounds fresh in a future retrospective kind of way, the rest of the album is just as impressive including a rather moody version of Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill. The title track could easily have been the title theme tune to the Drive movie. Another Highly Recommended LP from the Chromatics.

Also check out the In the City album for a great cover of Bruce Springsteen's I'm on Fire.

Buy Chromatics on iTunes

Like this? Try: Symmetry, Glass Candy, Desire, Kavinsky

Stunning Neil Young cover

Kill for Love, Chromatics' first album since 2007's Night Drive and it's an epic masterpiece. Earlier post below Symmetry's Themes for an Imaginary Film was created with Johnny Jewel and fellow Chromatics member Nat Walker, Kill for Love fits nicely along side that soundtrack of neon-noir Italo-disco sensibilities but this album is full of big expansive dreamy pop-noir driven by lush vocals and left-field glacial synths.

The album kicks off with this synth-draped cover of Neil Young's Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) which is deconstructed and rebuilt to absolute perfection, featuring the beautiful voice of singer Ruth Radelet. Kill for Love is Highly Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes

European Noir

The perfect accompaniment to the Drive soundtrack is Themes for an Imaginary Film, by Italo-disco producer Johnny Jewel who coincidentally was originally inline to soundtrack the Drive movie in the first place. Word is that this album is now the alternative Drive soundtrack that never was. Three years in the making, Symmetry - the project that began as a conceptual tangent between Glass Candy, Chromatics, Mirage, & Desire's more abstract sides consists of 37 tracks. Some short little interludes peppered amongst lengthier synth laden cinematic soundscapes. As with most soundtracks the mood changes throughout from upbeat minimal monotonous synth-rhythm-driven beatscapes to darker, moodier ambient trance, tension and atmospheric space. Reminiscent of classic John Carpenter soundtracks it's well worth persevering through the 37 tracks if only to get to the closing love song Streets of Fire. Brilliant.

But it on iTunes

I'm gonna show you where it's dark, but have no fear

Finally got around to watching Drive, a film about a mysterious Hollywood stuntman, mechanic and getaway driver that lands himself in trouble when he helps out his neighbour. Lush direction by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Ryan Gosling as the stuntman. It's a moody piece of cinema backed up by an intriguing soundtrack, most of its ethereal electronic-pop score was composed by Cliff Martinez (previous Chilli Peppers drummer). Other artists feature on the first few tracks, This track Nightcall is by French electronic musician Kavinsky and features vocals from Lovefoxx (Cansei de Ser Sexy), it was produced by Daft Punk's Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo and mixed by electronic artist SebastiAn. 

Opening the movie it's the perfect soundtrack, setting the scene with an obscure sense of unease with Gosling's cool and calm character driving around the streets of LA aiding as getaway driver from a robbery. Desire, Chromatics and Riz Ortolani also feature on this superb 80's future-retro epic soundtrack. Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes

We dream by accident 

Kindness aka Adam Bainbridge's latest LP World, You Need a Change of Mind is on constant rotation at the moment. This track is my current favourite from an excellent album produced by Cassius' Philippe Zdar.

The finest disco-funk tune this year!

Great tune form Poliça’s debut album, Give You The Ghost. Dark Star, nice baseline.

What is mine, what is all mine

Not my child not my child

Hold you just a little while

I’m gonna give her all my life

Until she's until she's

Swooped up, swooped up, by the sea of love

A world of discovery

Here we have our first big contender for album of the year status. Barcelona's John Talabot releases his first album, ƒIN and it's a stunner! Talabot takes on many different styles on this record and weaves them together seamlessly with confident grace. Bursting with a rainbow of colours, intricate textures and deep atmospherics that delve in and out of deep house, disco, and indie pop with shades of tropical lushness and Balearic beauty.

Quiet and loud, dreamy haze and pulsating beats. There are so many moods on this LP and that's what makes it so interesting, I discover something new with every listen and the more you listen the more it opens up. Destiny a co-production with Madrid's Pional is an outstanding house tune that's sounds as good on headphone as on the dancefloor. Pional turns up again for the album closer So Will Be Now, another house track that leaves you wanting more. Outstanding and Highly Recommended.

Buy it on iTunes, John's place in MySpace

Like this? Try: SBTRKT, Delorean, Caribou, Boards of Canada, Matias Aguayo, Nicolas Jaar

Attack On Memory

Attack On Memory is the third studio album from Ohio's Cloud Nothings released at the end of last month. Wasted Days is the 2nd track in and is a monster 9 minutes of rock 'n' roll, simultaneously taking in punk, psychedelic rock and grunge - meandering into a disoriented mass of noise. Lead singer Dylan Baldi's Kurt Cobain comparisons are inevitable and much of this record sounds like Bleach era Nirvana. And it's recorded by In Utero producer Steve Albini. Albini's previous production work for the likes of Nirvana, The Stooges, Pixies, The Jesus Lizard are all thrown into the mix.

Attack On Memory is out now and highly recommended. Buy on iTunes