La Roux - In for the Kill (Twelves Remix)

A combination of two kinds of goodness on today's track.  Pretty much everyone will have heard of La Roux by now.  In the mix amongst most critics top 10 picks for 2009, Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid's 80s-themed synth has been making hipsters throw (very angular) shapes across indie dancefloors for the past few months. 

Today's track is a remix of their new single 'In for the Kill' by Brasilian boys The Twelves.  The Twelves might be slightly less well-known, but they have a remix back catalogue that reads like a great and the good of hyped indie/electro crossover bands - Black Kids, New Young Pony Club, M.I.A, Asobi Seksu to name but a few - and they've played live with the likes of Justice, LCD Soundsystem, Diplo, and Van She.  They are currently on tour across the US and Australia, but a trip to UK shores can't be far away.

The track is a corker.  Slowing down the track slightly, and taking the bass out at the start, it's a touch hard on the ears (all that treble) - but once the beat comes in, it's absolutely ravetastic in a 'Last Days of Disco' kinda way.  If the club has a discoball, it needs to be on for this...

La Roux - In For the Kill (Twelves mix)

Enjoy!

Korgis - Everybody's Got to Learn Sometimes (Laidback Luke boot)

So I have been trawling the musical blogosphere in an attempt to find some tunes to wrap my ears around for this afternoon's efforts at work.  As ever, the Young Punx's fantastic music blog Your Music is Killing Me does not disappoint, offering up this beauty!

For those that aren't in the know, The Young Punx are a collective of live musicians, DJs, producers, singers, anyone else talented, that make absolutely insane mash-up music.  House, electro, pop, DnB, the shipping report (yes, really) - it all gets stuck into a big musical blender, and pumped back out at high volume.   Checkkit...

As well as putting on a storming live set, Hal and Cameron - the producers and writers for the group - are also stonking DJs in a His Majesty Andre/Basement Jaxx/Laidback Luke kinda way (big filtered tracks, party beats, and lots of odd squelches!).  They often record their mixes to broadcast on their blog and, midway through a podcast of their recent set at Ministry of Sound, I was treated to a tasty Laidback Luke boot of Korgis' 'Everybody's Got to Learn Sometimes'.  It's one of my all-time favourite tracks, and this is a belter of a mix...

Korgis - Everybody's Got To Learn Sometimes (Laidback Luke boot)

All together now...'change your hearrrrrt, look arounnnnnd you'.

Enjoy!

Flight of the Conchords - Bus Driver's Song

Office Christmas party last night, killer headache this morning.  For those not in the know, in true credit crunch stylee we cancelled our planned Christmas bash at London Bridge, and decided to have it in the office.  Many alcoholic high jinks followed, and sadly there is video footage of pretty much all of it.  Whoever thought it was a good idea to start packaging mobile phones with video cameras?!

Still feeling a little under the weather (ahem), so not much blogging being done.  The only thing that's keeping my head above water at work are the ever-wonderful Flight of the Conchords.  I'm so excited about the new series, which should be hitting the Beeb in January '09.

Anyway - I'm sure fans of the show will know all the songs from the episodes, but I'm posting one that comes from their pre-TV days.  It's one of my all-time favourites of theirs - a look at life in New Zealand through the eyes of Coachline driver Tony.  Very funny, of course, but sweet and quite affecting at the same time.

Enjoy

Jx

Alex Roots Alex Roots Alex Roots!

What were you doing at 16?  If you were anything like me, you were panicking about which A-levels to take, sneaking into under-age pubs (of which Cambridge had a wide array), and listening to Pulp.  What you possibly weren't doing was surrounding yourself by a media-savvy array of agents, managers, label folk and songwriters, and making a determined assault on London's live scene; but then again, neither of us are Alex Roots...

Now I've been meaning to blog about this little lady for a while now, ever since we booked her to open for us at dancetillyoudie's 1st birthday party in Kilburn a couple of months ago and she attracted a hysteria akin to the start of 'A Hard Day's Night' (well....almost...) to be exact.  Why do I bring her to your attention, you ask?  Because she's a chuffing pop marvel, that's why!

Ploughing a furrow described by the Guardian as mid-way between Cyndi Lauper, Blondie, Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne, Alex and her co-writer (pop/RnB stalwart Ryan Laubscher) have crafted a selection of musical gems that seem sure to grace the Radio 1 playlist in the not too distant, from the faux thrash of 'Fake', to the Lauper-inspired 'Put Your Hands up' to the quite wonderful 'Dizzy from the Ride' (mother flippin's favourite), they are all belters.

(hat-tip to Sheena Beaston for the link to this megamix - you can also hear a couple of the tracks in full on her Good Groove artist page...)

Her debut album looks set to drop in the early part of 2009, released on the Good Groove imprint that brought Corinne Bailey Rae to the music-buying public.  It sounds like they have another hit on their hands...

Jx

Bo Pepper - I Haven't Got You Anything (This Christmas)

So Christmas rolls around, along with all the usual traditions.  You know what I'm talking about; Turkey for dinner, Shrek on the TV, The Queen's Speech, Mince pies and mulled wine, and the X Factor winner getting to Christmas Number 1.....

...but wait!  What light from yonder musical window breaks?  It can't actually be...no....a....half-decent Christmas song?!  Hallelujah!  

They go by the name of Bo Pepper, and Mother Flippin is a BIG fan having encountered them a number of times over the past year.  Fronted by the charming Dolly Pepper, they sound like the Strokes and look a lot better.  I mean they've even got idential twins in the band for God's sake, that's got to give them one up on El Tel in the Chrimberley music stakes, surely?!  So, I know where MY festive 79p iTunes purchase will be heading, and it won't be to Terry Wogan or Alexandra Burke*...Plus, if they get to the top spot, it might make Simon Cowell look like this...

and THAT's worth the money!

Jx

*of course I don't KNOW that she's going to win, but it would be a travesty if she didn't...

Lily Allen - The Fear

Ahhhh, Lily Allen.  Good to see that she's back to making music rather than mouthing off.  Mother Flippin is a big fan, and her new single 'The Fear', from the forthcoming album 'It's not me, it's you' is a winner - as is the video.  She's lookin' goooood...

Jx

Kid Cudi - Day 'n' Night

Yeah!  One of my favourite club tracks of the year is finally getting a proper commercial release.

The Crookers' remix of Kid Cudi's 'Day 'n' Night' obviously impressed the danceratti across the globe enough for the track to be picked up by Data Records, given a new 'Club Mix' title (the artist is now Kid Cudi vs. Crookers), remixed a couple of times, and stuck out for the chart to chomp on.  Not sure as to the release date as yet, but I'm sure there'll be some kind of girls in bikinis video along soon enough...

Kid Cudi vs. Crookers - Day 'n' Nite (RCDLBL)

I have to say, most of the new mixes can't hold a candle to the Crookers' original mix, but one that tries damned hard is the spiffy 'Jokers of the Scene' mix - haven't heard of them before, but this is lovely and squelchy!

Kid Cudi vs. Crookers - Day 'n' Nite (Jokers of the Scene Remix)

(hat-tip to Stoney Roads for the link)

Enjoy!

Jx

The Hours - See the Light (Calvin Harris Remix)

Track of the day today comes in the form of a Calvin Harris remix.  Now, I've always felt that Calvin sometimes puts a little more effort into the one-off remixes he does compared with his own output - 'Acceptable in the 80s' was all well and good, but 'Girls' anyone?!  Really?!  

You can't fault him when he's given a ready-made track to deal with, though, and his remix for returning Sheffield indie-kids The Hours (check out their 2007 album 'Narcissus Road', which is pretty belting) is typically excellent.  A little more down-tempo than previous efforts, this is a storming piece of bump'n'funk electro that is going straight to the front of my box.  Enjoy!

UPDATE:  I read from my helpful promotional blurb that there is a pretty intense video for the original of this doing the rounds.  It features Sienna Miller as...well...see for yourselves:

Jx

Little Boots - Stuck on Repeat. Oh my good GOD!

So I've been away for a looooong time - blame the pressures of work, some play, an 8-month old baby, and bands who keep dropping out of gigs I've arranged (damn them!)  I am, however, back on the blog...and back with an absolute corker for y'all.

Little Boots is one of my favourite artists at the moment.  Originally from Blackpool (a fact that sometimes comes out in endearing little Northern word pronunciations in her recordings), she's now firmly ensconced in London, and making some great music.  She does this little series called Funtimes on YouTube where she covers a track every week or so (check out her Tenori-On cover of 'Ready for the Floor' by Hot Chip here) and it's highly recommended.  However, the track I'm posting is her single 'Stuck on Repeat' from earlier in the year (February I think?) - It's produced by Hot Chip's own Joe Goddard, and...well...would you listen to that bassline?! There's a Fake Blood (DJ Touche) mix too which is nice, but I just love the original.  Like Madonna stepping out to disco with the Soulwax boys, this really is a belter.

Mother Flippin' loves you Little Boots!

x