A Derogatory Term

NEW WEBSITE http://aderogatoryterm.com

2011-05-30T04:05:00.000-07:00

Same Blog different Address!!!

A Derogatory ReTerms!

http://aderogatoryterm.com

Fuck You Google!!

Now These Shackles Graze My Knees

2010-04-28T05:45:00.000-07:00

Well it has been 6 whole months since the last Derogatory Playlist and the longer I left it the harder it got to put one down as my long list of dance tracks got stale. I came to the decision that I just had to make the post sooner rather then later so I am able to move forward. This playlist will be a little different to the others as it has been 6 months of tunes shrunk down to 11 carefully selected tracks. What you have below are 11 tracks I have heard over the last 6 months new or old which have stayed with me until now – from 2009’s Die Verboten which I heard for the first time this week, to the 1997 Jam & Spoon track I stumbled upon earlier this year. From Krautrock to dubstep, disco to funky house, electro to psy trance and progressive back to electro. There were no rules with this playlist and that is why it probably will not flow as well as the others (starting with a 20 min track will probably not help either). I hope for those of you who have not heard some of the below tracks you really enjoy the levels they can take you.

A Derogatory Playlist PT XVI

Download the Complete playlist zipped

1. Die Verboten - Live in Eivissa
2. Bat For Lashes - Pearls Dream (Skream Remix)
3. Tensnake - Coma Cat (Original Mix)
4. Holy Ghost - On Board (feat. the DFA Celestial Choir)
5. UNKLE - Heavy Drug (Surrender Sounds Mix)
6. Gramophonedzie - Why Don't You (Original Mix)
7. Gorillaz - Stylo (Alex Metric Remix)
8. Jam & Spoon - El Baile
9. Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn (Softwar Remix)
10. Sherlock's Daughter - Kids (Alison Wonderland Remix)
11. Das Racist - Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell (Wallpaper. RMX)

I highly Recommend

Live In Elvissa – Die Verboten

I have been hanging out to hear this track for over 3 years ever since I first heard that Soulwax was going to team up with Riton and produce an experimental Kruatrock band. Live In Elvissa is the only track to be released from the group and was released on a limited edition vinyl pressing of 300 last year. I regretfully did not get myself a copy of this as I could not justify the postage at the time. Due to this error I did not get a chance to hear the track in its full until I received this vinyl rip from a dude over at the Soulwax - thanks Lynxx.

Live in Elivissa is a 19 Minute journey through the parallels of instrumental electronics with incoherent conflicts of sounds creating a quest for the main melody. Riton and the Dewaele brothers use a combination of their excellence in composition and electronics to funnel surrealism from their mind into our ears, where a world of sliding synths and stabbing melodies chase each other into the abyss.

Bat For Lashes - Pearls Dream (Skream Remix)

I am glad that a dubstep mix made it into the playlist as it is reflective of my slight fetish I have had for the genre in the last 6 months. Bat For Lashes were quite a big band of last year and the vocals work perfectly in-front of the deep frequencies and off beats which help keep the track dark and cold. Similar to his Chromeo remix, Skream has managed to really exploit the most underground sounds into a final product of pop.

Holy Ghost - On Board (feat. The DFA Celestial Choir)

This Holy Ghost cover of Friendly Fires On Board was one part of a joint EP they released earlier this year where both bands covered each others tracks with Friendly Fires doing Hold On. I think most people agree that Holy Ghost was the band out of the two who hit the spot with their version of On Board featuring the heavenly DFA Celestial Choir (I think I hear Nancy in there). I was thinking of posting the Celestial Choir Dub Version but I now believe that the vocals do add to the track. The big bass synth dominates the track throughout holding the chords together as Holy Ghost’s DFA disco style dances over the rest.

Gramophonedzie - Why Don’t You

It is not often I will post a house track on this blog as I do not really get the chance to listen to enough of it to find the good stuff. I have a feeling though that House may be making a return to the mainstream (Yolanda Be Cool as an example) as electro starts to get more distorted and girls get sick of sharing dance floors with sweaty, teeth grinding alpha males while the sound of a chainsaw screams from the speakers. House is more classy then electro and there is always a place and time for it. Gramophonedzie has tapped into this new sub genre of house which mixes vintage records with house beats creating a somewhat cabaret feel about it. The track will keep you moving for the first minute and a half with a simple funky intro. The interesting part starts after this when it cuts into the sample of the old record that then drops back with the beat. I believe that this will keep a dance floor very happy.

Jam & Spoon - El Baile

El Baile was produced in 1997 by the duo Jam & Spoon who clearly had massive influence on trance in the 90’s and today. I love unexpected variation in genres and El Baile has to be one of the biggest jumps I have ever heard from sweet Spanish guitar and vocals to rolling bass and deep beats similar to modern psy trance. The track continues to progress into an electronic monster with break downs cued by the sweet acoustic guitar.

Sherlock’s Daughter – Kids (Alison Wonderland Remix)

I received this track earlier this year over email and made a promise to myself that I would post it at some stage. Sherlock’s Daughter are an indie rock band from Sydney who are starting to poke their head into the scene. The vocals on the track allow for a perfect back setting for Alison to come over with some quality electro production which is the focus on this remix. Big synths stab as they run cleanly through the chords creating a true indie dance verse. The soothing female vocals are perfect for breaking down the track and it is evident that Alison has her fingers on the pulse when it comes to laying down tracks. I look forward to hearing more from her in the future.

Alison Wonderland's Myspace
Sherlock's Daughter's Myspace

Thanks once again to Adso for the great posts over the last couple of months - he has got me into some fantastic bands as I am sure he has done the same to many of you. I will be back soon with another album post as the good ones are starting to stack up again with many more on the horizon!

Thanks

Jimps

Never Call Me A... Derogatory Term

2010-04-22T04:44:00.000-07:00

After listening to The Morning Benders a lot, I wasn't keen to listen to another band from the same crop of sunny, fuzzed out indie pop, so I was pleasantly surprised to find Wild Beasts’ latest Two Dancers full of crisp drums, running bass lines and distinct vocals. Fans of Jimps' favourite band of last year When Saints Go Machine will love this stuff. Opener The Fun Powder Plot is, from what I can tell, a song about cocaine, and is just as addictive as it (from what I’ve heard of course). With its almost break-beat drumming This Is Our Lot is my favourite cut off the album, while the obligatory, usually instrumental track near the end on almost all indie albums, here called Under Belly, is actually quite an entrancing piece of work. I was really edgy on a flight home last weekend and the second half of the track eased me down a lot I just wish it wasn’t cut short.

Wild Beasts - The Fun Powder Plot

Wild Beasts - This Is Our Lot

Wild Beasts - Under Belly

I’d never heard of Itch-E & Scratch-E before this track but apparently they are Australian electronic music legends. But I will be looking out for anything they do now because the track below is possibly the most bad-ass electro song I’ve ever heard. Usually I would be against lyrics in a track as menacing as this, but here New York MC MDNA’s fierce but dirtily humorous taunts add to the song’s brilliance. It would be fucking incredible on large speakers.

Itch-E & Scratch-E – Other Planets (7" Mix)

Itch-E & Scratch-E – Other Planets (Itch-E & Scratch-E Black Hole Remix)

Have a good weekend,

Adso

Who's In Your Mind?

2010-04-14T23:23:00.001-07:00

Bit of a different flavour to start off this week. Below I have a couple of new tracks from Sydney producer Richard In Your Mind off of his recent Summertime EP. I’d never heard of him before so the first time I heard Make It Chill I thought it was a classic from the 90s. Even if you’re not a hip-hop head, Make It Chill is a must download. It’s by far my favourite song at the moment. There are some classic lines in it, my favourite comes at 2:30, just remember it’s very tongue-in-cheek. The other song I posted is from the same EP and sounds something like big band drum-n-bass. It seems like he's trying to find his sound for the future on this EP so hopefully he'll bring out a full length soon.

Richard In Your Mind – Make It Chill

Richard In Your Mind – Summertime Boogie, Do The

More laidback music next from a not very laidback sounding band, The Morning Benders. If you like Grizzly Bear you’ll love their new album Big Echo, probably because it sounds like Grizzly Bear which is probably because Grizzly Bear’s guitarist Chris Taylor produced it. Album opener Excuses is an awesome track after two listens and All Day Daylight has some really catchy instrumentation, especially the hand claps. If you read my posts at all you will have noticed that I froth over slow building tracks that progress to become something thunderously epic after starting from something so calm and peaceful. Stitches is one of those tracks.

The Morning Benders – Excuses

The Morning Benders – All Day Daylight

The Morning Benders – Stitches

If you trawled the blogs downloading every banger you could get your hands on like I did in 2008 you might have heard Solid Gold by The Golden Filter. Well after two years they have come out with their debut album Völuspà. Overall I think they’ve nailed their sound very well for a debut album. In saying that they’re at their best when on up-tempo tracks, I would’ve loved if they had a track as good structurally as Stitches above. My favourite track is opener Dance Around The Fire. It is electro at its finest – punchy drums, deep bass, shrieking strings, rolling synth stabs and breathy female vocals. Look Me In The Eye follows on from Dance Around The Fire well and Thunderbird is a really funky track that closes the album with a bang.

The Golden Filter - Dance Around The Fire

The Golden Filter - Look Me In The Eye

The Golden Filter -Thunderbird

Thanks,

Adso

Another One?

2010-04-08T03:30:00.000-07:00

What is going on? Two Derogatory posts in a week? Crazy. Thanks for reminding me Jimps. I’ve been listening to a few great albums lately but the one that stands out the most is Gorillaz’ Plastic Beach. It is by far and away the best thing I’ve listened to this year. So if you’ve neglected to listen to the whole thing or have been put off it for some misguided reason then I highly recommend you give it a go. As is always the case with Gorillaz albums, the singles are not the best songs. The best track, Empire Ants, can be found in the middle, and just when you think it’ll be an intermission track with nothing much to it, it morphs into a dance floor monster. It is pure gold. I’ve got a little treat for all those who know exactly what I’m talking about, the edit below extends the last 2 short minutes of bliss into 4 minutes making it perfect to play at a party. The titular track is actually my favourite, but each time I listen to it I seem to find a new favourite so isn’t really fair. Pirate Jet is the album closer and sounds to me like, if Plastic Beach were a movie, that it would be played as something sick happened at the end of the movie and ‘To Be Continued’ rolled up on the screen.

EDIT: The Empire Ants Edit is now fixed

Gorillaz - Empire Ants (Feat. Little Dragon)

Gorillaz - Empire Ants (Club Clique Dancefloor Edit)

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (Feat. Mick Jones & Paul Simonon)

Gorillaz - Pirate Jet

Another album I’ve been digging is the James Mercer of The Shins and producer Danger Mouse of Gnarls Barkley, Gorillaz’ ‘Demon Days’ and Beck’s ‘Modern Guilt’ collaboration called Broken Bells. It sounds a bit more upbeat and electronic than The Shins but a bit less beat-driven than Danger Mouse’s projects above. The tracks below are my favourite so if you like them I suggest you get their self-titled album.

Broken Bells - The High Road

Broken Bells - The Ghost Inside

A new project by the two guys from Poney Poney (the only thing they did was have an awesome track that was produced by Xavier from Justice which I’ve posted below) is quite big on the blogs at the moment and for good reason. I love that Poney Poney track and have been hoping since they put it out that they would bring out an album, but I can’t complain ‘cause now they’ve come back with a new (shit) name and apparently have a full album again produced by Xavier due out in August. Also, the new tracks are sweet.

Jamaica - Short and Entertaining

Jamaica - I Think I Like U 2

Poney Poney - Cross the Fader (Original Mix)

I'll be back next week with some tracks and albums from The Morning Benders and The Golden Filter.

Cheers,

Adso

Y Is Just So Vertically Vast, And The Infinity of X Disappears So Fast

2010-04-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

Well it has almost been a couple of months since I last posted and although I have been listening to many albums in this time there has just been a few which have been receiving the attention they deserve – enough attention to post about anyway. I am hoping I can make a quick return once some of the others have been broken in a little more.

We Have Band – WHB

I have only had We Have Band’s debut album for a week yet it is already the album I have been most excited about this year. It could be too early too tell as I am still in the very early stages of listening to it however I believe that this could definitely be one of the stand out’s of the year for me. The band has been getting around for a couple of years with a few singles however I had heard nothing of them until now (except for a Bloc Party remix they did). I would consider them indie-electro-synth-pop, with similarities to The Rapture, New Young Pony Club, Hot Chip, and my favorite band of last year When Saints Go Machine. Although there are many similarities to other bands they have a truly original and complex sound that instantly grabbed me.

The track of the album for me is ‘Hear it In The Cans’ a perfect pop song with potential to rope in an instant fan base with radio play. I find the track just so cool with an outstanding composition, the intro and chorus will have you singing along before your first listen is up however it is the verses that really stand out for me. There are two separate vocals lines in the verse panned right and left respectively in each speaker, completely unrelated yet entwined like a knot together to make one. You will find yourself with both lines in your head unable to decide which one to follow yet perfectly happy with the confusion.

I have posted a couple of other tracks below for a taste of the album. Divisive is rolling synth number, separated by running bass and flowing vocals. Honeytrap is another track that is defined by the vocal variations. Three different voices are used to create a truly original piece that is broken down at about 2 mins with the addition of the female vocal which sharpens the entire track and creates the edge.

Due to the fact that I am in the first week of listening to the album I am hoping that this feeling is just not hype and it continues to grow rather then letting down.

We Have Band – Hear It In The Cans
We Have Band – Divisive
We Have Band – Honey Trap

Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History

Adso posted a couple of tracks from these guys awhile back (almost a year) and they have finally released their debut album Tourist History. This album has been the one that I have been listening to the most in the last month. It seems as though the Indie Dance sound I enjoyed so much a few years ago which has been manipulated and failing to hit the same spot recently has finally been brought back by a string of bands who are doing it right – how it use to be done. Two Door Cinema Club are making tracks that sound like the really good remixes of indie bands a couple of years ago. The originality I found in We Have Band above was not really there as much on this album. The tracks all seem to follow the same formula that works without fail, however at the end of the day I always need a little more variation. The album is almost like electro pop punk, with fast chorus’ and slow broken down verses which are concentrated by bass and drums and strong vocal hooks. I am pretty confident that we will get an opportunity to see these guys this year in Australia, maybe at Splendour or Parklife – I sure as hell hope so, as they would be so much fun live.

Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn
Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn (Softwar Remix)
Two Door Cinema Club - I Can Talk
Two Door Cinema Club - Eat That Up, It's Good For You

Massive Attack – Heligoland

I have not listened to that much of Massive Attack’s catalog, only ever owning Mezzanine and well after it was released. Heligoland has taken a very different approach with relying on a range of guests to lay the vocals with the more known collaborators Tricky, Shara Nelson and Mushroom now gone. The album is really something special and takes you on a bass heavy ride with strong melodies and harmonies to keep you in check. My favourite track would have to be the opener ‘Pray For Rain’, which features Tunde Adebimple from TV On The Radio on vocals. I got the Itunes Delux version of the album which included 5 remixes, one being the Tim Goldsworthy remix of ‘Pray For Rain’ which I think adds to the greatness of the original in true DFA style. ‘Paradise Circus’ is another fantastic track on the album, which is also made better by Gui Boratto’s minimal progressive remix. I was unable to go see them live when they just recently toured a couple of weeks ago for a few reasons I still regret. I did get to see Delphic on the Thursday though and they were the best live act I have seen this year so far.

Massive Attack – Pray For Rain
Massive Attack – Pray For Rain (Tim Goldworthy Remix)
Massive Attack – Paradise Circus
Massive Attack – Paradise Circus (Gui Boratto Remix)
Massive Attack – Rush Minute

I am currently trying to sort though the dance music I have stored over the last 4 or so months to put together another Derogatory Playlist and hope to do this sooner rather then later so I can move onto some newer tunes. Sorry for not keeping the blog upto date as of late, I hope to move it forward in the future if you the readers are still keen.

Thanks

Jimps

Visuals Mixed With Chemicals, Combust The Insane

2010-02-15T03:47:00.000-08:00

2010 is already shaping up to be massive for the Dance Music LP with the below three albums the ones I have been enjoying the most thus far. My most anticipated album for the year would have to be Goose as I am not getting my hopes up for Soulwax's return - If Goose, LCD Soundsystem and Soulwax were all to release new ones I do not think I would be able to contain myself. Here is to wishful thinking! Enjoy the music!!

Lindstrom & Christabelle – Real Life Is No Good

I am an absolute sucker for all things Lindstrom and have obsessed over his last couple of LP’s -one being the epic Where You Go I Go To and his last work with Prins Thomas in II. This time he has teamed up with Christabelle and made a completely different album from his norm, whilst still using his incredible production talent to create something truly original. I believe Lindstrom’s goals of this album was to try to slide more into the mainstream disco revolution by utilising shorter tracks which jump straight to the point and female vocals to spice it up with some pop. However this is no usual pop record – it still sounds like something from the future and Christabelle’s strange yet intriguing vocals help achieve this feeling. There’s not a lot of singing - it is almost like a female conscious echoing in your head all the way from space. ‘Lovesick’ is the most funky track with a huge bass riff determining the entire track laced with screaming synths and jumping piano.

The album has a constant grove to it with no massive drops or peaks, however the tempo and attitude it maintains throughout will never let you down. ‘Let It Happen’ is real evidence of this feeling. The most friendly track and also the closest to the real raw disco sound is 'Baby Can’t Stop' with piecing horns, jumping bass and really old school disco vocals. I am hoping that this album does great for both Lindstrom and Christabelle and they decide to tour it with a live disco band as it would be unreal. You may have heard of 'Baby Can’t Stop' from Aeroplane’s dub last year however the original shits all over it and I never have anything bad to say about Aeroplane – the new vocal mix of the track by Aeroplane is better but still does not come near the original. The whole album is just fantastic so I am going to stop talking about it and just post up three tracks as I could really keep on going and post up the whole album but that would not be very nice. Get it and give it a few listens before you give up on it as it is the sort of music some of you would not have heard before and you will need to get use to it.

Lindstrome & Christabelle - Lovesick
Lindstrome & Christabelle - Let it happen
Lindstrome & Christabelle - Baby Can’t Stop
Lindstrome & Christabelle -Baby Can’t Stop (Aeroplane Dub)

Memory Tapes – Seek Magic

This is a massive album that I missed last year. It did not make my top 30 list as I only started listening to it in January so I did not think it really passed the criteria but it definitely could have been up there. The production on the album is silky smooth and is a one man effort. The album starts off in a real ambient environment during the first track Swimming Field running through chords layered with different effects, rhythms and melodies. It sounds like the drums have been recorded live due to the rawness of each hit and this creates an effect of growing each track in parts larger then its whole.

The highlight of the album from first listen to my last has been the second track Bicycle, starting with smooth melodies it follows on perfectly from the opener and makes you believe that the album is going to be a steady ride full of sound-scapes and dreamy vocals – the first break down feeds this feeling even further as you sit and wait for another scenic verse or perhaps a melodic chorus. Relaxation is suddenly pieced at 1:18 with a pounding combination of massive bass and beats layered over a perfectly mixed vocal harmony. The track continues using whistles, effects and atmospheric samples to bring you back to where you started and consistently applies this formula to turn what you thought would be an easy ride into a hybrid of garden electronica and dance floor domination. The album continues along this path mixing it up with kinetic kick drum driven beats and contagious and intriguing instrumentals. After you break your ear in a whole layer of samples start to come clean and you are continuously discovering something new – like during the silky ‘Green Knight” where in the bridge a kick drum and sliding synth might be used by most, Memory Tapes instead use the sample of what sounds like a Basketball hitting the ground whilst the players sneakers slide across the court.

Once again I need to stop myself from talking and posting about the whole album – get it and discover for yourself. I have also added some remixes done by Memory Tapes which shows a more aggressive tripped out take on his production – the Midnight Juggernauts remix is pretty damn massive as well.

Memory Tapes - Swimming Field
Memory Tapes - Bicycle
Memory Tapes - Green Knight
Midnight Juggernauts - This New Technology (Memory Tapes Remix)
Primary 1 - Foaming (Memory Tapes Remix)

Delphic – Acolyte

There is much hype around Delphic at the moment and for very good reason. Pigeon holed as the next big electro band they have produced a massive first album at just the right time. There is no doubt that they will be massive in 2010 and this will surely mean a tour of Australia during the year (Parklife??). I am not sure if I entirely agree with the term Electro band, however I do believe that they are giving Electro fans who have been caught up in the offensive side of the genre during 2009 a reason to escape into some more intelligent and mature live sounds. I also believe if they are to do a tour this year and get their live sound right and a BIG festival set ready by the European summer then this alone will accelerate them far ahead of their pears in 2010 excluding Goose and Soulwax which I am hoping will have the most electrifying live sets come European Summer 2010.

Delphic – Clarion Call
Delphic – Doubt
Delphic – Counterpoint

Thanks for reading – I have been trying to get back into the remixes as of late so hopefully get a Playlist or two up for you all soon – I do feel like I am losing my edge though. I have also realised that we need to get off this stupid blogspot with the content warning at the front and on to our own webpage – so if any one has any knowledge of simple Webdesign and would like to help out that would be great.

Thanks

Jimps

Brooklyn You Go Hard

2010-02-10T02:13:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn courtesy of Darren McDonald

Yeasayer’s new album Odd Blood has been on high rotation in my car lately and for good reason. The band’s second offering keeps the psychedelic sound-scapes that they are best known for but also brings forth a pop sensibility to the mix. I’ve heard some people right them off for “going commercial” but just because this album includes a few ‘pop’ leaning songs doesn’t mean it isn’t good or original. In fact I think it marks the skill of a band to make songs that stay true to their sound while appealing to a larger audience. The lead single Ambling Alp is a good example of this as is the song ONE, whereas Madder Red and Love Me Girl show off their eccentric side.

Yeasayer – Ambling Alp

Yeasayer – Love Me Girl

Yeasayer – Madder Red

Another Brooklyn band I have been enjoying recently is White Rabbits. When their song Percussion Gun first came through iTunes shuffle I was in another room and I actually thought for a minute that it was a Radiohead song – that’s how good it is. The guitar reminds me a lot of their song Reckoner. However when I heard the vocals properly I quickly realised it wasn’t (his voice sounds like a more raspy, masculine version of Cold War Kids – which is a really good thing) and had to see who this track was by. So I got their album It’s Frightening and although the rest of the album didn’t hit me immediately like Percussion Gun did it really grew on me and I am loving it. What also intrigues me about this band is how they would perform live seeing that they are a six piece with two drummers, a bass, two guitars and a piano – I predict it would be fucking awesome.

White Rabbits – Percussion Gun

White Rabbits – Rudie Fails

White Rabbits – Midnight and I

Cheers,

Adso

Two Thousand & Nine

2010-02-08T23:12:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody!!! It is good to be back!! Sorry about the mass hiatus but I was in South America for a couple of months and it has taken me a month to get my head back. Many thanks must go to Adso for the great work at keeping the blog pumping with all your music needs.

Now in the same vein as my Top 15 albums of 2007, my Top 25 of 2008 and Adso’s Favourite 15 albums of 2009 I bring my Top 30 Albums of 2009. Now this list has been my most thought about yet as I started drafting it up in November during the start of a massive night in Buenos Aires. It has been on my mind ever since and it is finally time to get this fucker down on paper and make it official so I can start thinking of this year. The good thing about going away in November for a couple of months was that I was stuck for 2 months with my current library of music and therefore was able to fully concentrate on the 2009 albums without any new distractions.

My list also includes 6 albums which Adso had in his showing that our taste in music crosses over in the middle however there is still enough room on each side to keep things interesting around here and that is why it works so well.

Top 30 Albums of 2009

30. Lindstrome and Prins Thomas – II

Lindstome is definitely one of my favourite produces of the last couple of years and definitely probably one of the most intelligent. This effort with Prins Thomas was intriguing and has its place and time. Instrumental and progressive the album takes you through many shades of space.

Lindstrome & Prins Thomas - Rothaus
Lindstrome & Prins Thomas - Cisco

29. Fischerspooner – Entertainment

I find it personally very disappointing to see Fischerspooner this far down my list as their last album could have topped this year if it was released now. I guess I may be living for nostalgia for the past and my tastes have matured beyond the Electroclash of a few years ago however I do believe that this album was poorly produced compared to their last couple and it did not quite get me there. Saying that it does deserve its spot for its pop value and electro moments.

Fischerspooner - The Best Revenge
Fischerspooner - Infidels of the world unite

28. Gossip – Music for Men

The gossip really took their talent, their audience and the current scene mixed it together and made a really good pop record. No one can deny that Beth Ditto has an amazingly remarkable voice although it is sometimes better to imagine it coming from someone else. Although the production on this record is layered much more than earlier they are still able to keep their three piece feel with all focus being from the rhythm section and the vocals. The record is pure indie dance.

Gossip - Heavy Cross
Gossip - Pop Goes To The World

27. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More

Well I picked up this album just before I left and enjoyed it quite a bit overseas when I needed to chill. I only picked up the album because they were playing at Lane Way and I had not really heard anything about them before this. Little did I know I would come back to them being Australia favourite band. The album has some fantastic acoustic ballads however it does not keep up this standard the whole length and that is why it hit the position it did with me.

Mumford and Sons - Sigh no more
Mumford and Sons - The Cave

26. Fever Ray – Fever Ray

On first few listens of this album I was immediately captivated and thrilled at the originality of the sound and the depth’s it delivered. I was unable however to go any deeper and the album halted just as it begun and ceased to grow. She would be a fantastic live act with big dark speakers enhancing the situation.

Fever Ray - When I grow up
Fever Ray - Triangle Walks
Fever Ray - Triangle Walks (Rex The Dog Remix)

25. Peter Bjorn and John – Living thing

I loved this album much more at the time and if they released it in November then it would probably be a lot higher. Every track is good yet the lack of any real body hits it short of great. The strong point definitely has to be the vocal harmonies, quirky melodies and humorous themes. Perfect for remixes although I cannot really remember any good ones??

Peter Bjorn & John - Nothing to worry about
Peter Bjorn & John - Lay it down

24. Children Collide – The Long Now

This album was my little bit of grungy nostalgia for the year. It came at a time when I really was craving some whiney vocals, big licks and simple distortion. Missed them play at Splendour which I was really disappointed at as I think they would produce heaps of energy live and there is nothing better than a good old mosh pit when you are in the mood for it.

Children Collide - Chosen Armies
Children Collide - Social Currency

23. Silversun Pickups - Swoon

I had never really listened to the Pickups before except for a couple of their singles but I am really glad I got a hold of this album as it was pumping. My last two top lists of the year included an indie rock album at number 1 and indie rock albums all over the list however this year I do not think there is one true indie album which is really disappointing. However there are a few great rock albums instead and this being one of them.

Silversun Pickups - There's No Secrets This Year
Silversun Pickups - Panic Switch

22. Blackbelt Anderson – Blackbelt Anderson

A real spacey disco album which included a perfect addition with the album being 1 continuous mix. Another album really for those certain moments but one that at the same time can really hold its own by the uplifting changes. The album cover really describes it well – a cowboy in space, grooving to his own adventure.

Blackbelt Anderson - Sondag
Blackbelt Anderson - Lordag

21. Zero 7 – Yeah Ghost

Zero 7 was a real surprise packet for me at the end of the year. One of the albums which grew on me when I was overseas. The production on the album is flawless and the addition of a range of vocals over a range of different beats and melodies of all speeds and sizes creates a truly original album which nowadays is hard to come by.

Zero 7 - Medicine Man
Zero 7 - Everything Up

20. Junior Boys – Begone Dull Care

The live stand out at Parklife last year by far. Their progressive minimal beats are perfect for closing your eyes and grooving to. Begone Dull Care has been my favourite Junior Boys album thus far with very consistent tracks which flow flawlessly throughout the album. The stand out track for me was definitely Dull To Pause with its uplifting raw guitar riff, friendly vocal line and a wickedly catchy high pitch synth melody - get it from Adso's post.

Junior Boys - Work
Junior Boys - Bits and Pieces

19. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – It’s Blitz

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs really turned it up a notch on this album with deciding to dive right into the electronic scene which made artist hugely popular in 2009. The scene really swallowed them up with the help of some massive synth lines and bangers most notably their track Zero. The production was massively tight on this album with the focal point staying on the vocals throughout. Was unable to make it back for Sunset Sounds to catch them live so hopefully next time.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Shame and Fortune,
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads will roll (Passion Pit Remix)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero (Erol Alkan Rework)

18. Placebo – Battle For The Sun

Placebo was another band who gave me my rock fix during the year. I did not really hear much of this album at all last year and do not think I saw them make an appearance of Triple J hottest 100? I am sure the lead singers whiney voice annoys the shit out of some people but I absolutely love it – it vomits angst’s and really puts meaning behind each word. I think these guys are coming to Sound Wave in Feb however I do not think I will be able to put up with all the metal to see them.

Placebo - Kings of Medicine
Placebo - Battle for the Sun

17. The Sounds – Crossing The Rubicon

This is another album which I basically heard nothing about this year, I have a feeling it did not do too well?? But once again I loved it. It took a much rawer attempt at pop then their last two but still kept it really rocking. I love the singer’s punk voice and imagining her singing makes it even better as she is beautiful. The album has really strong break downs and I do believe still has the ability to work on the dance floor – especially the track Beatbox.

The Sounds - Home is where the heart is
The Sounds - Beatbox

16. Chairlift – Does You Inspire You

I found Chairlift’s album really interesting and original. The vocal lines are amazing and the beats can be real deep or real uplifting – this creates a constant emotion throughout the album.

Chairlift - Garbage
Chairlift - Bruises

15. Florence and the Machine

I just recently saw Florence and the Machine at Lane Way and for anyone else who saw Florence sing they will know what I am speaking about when I say she is an absolutely amazing performer. Her voice is so strong and accurate it is hard to take your eyes off her. The album is incredibly uplifting throughout and the production creates a strong vibe which centres on each vocal line. Florence could be a very very big pop star if she decides to stop making such cool music – so let’s hope for all of us that she continues along the line of Lungs.

Florence and the Machine - Drumming song (Boy 8 Bit Remix)
Florence and the Machine - You've got The Love (The XX Cover)
Florence and the Machine -Drumming
Florence and the Machine -Rabbit Heart

14. Metric – Fantasies

It seems that a lot of the bands I have included in this list seem to have front women – I do not think it is any personal preference or taste of mine just that the chicks killed it in 2009. I have been into Metric for awhile and have really enjoyed their previous albums however Fantasies really stepped it up a notch in terms of overall production – I think it was the first album which Australia really noticed the Canadians. There are some really strong tracks on this album including Help I’m Alive, Sick Muse and Gimme Sympathy. The vocals and guitars are definitely the focal point throughout the album mixed with some big beats and synth lines creating another indie dance crossover.

Metric - Help I’m Alive
Metric - Sick Muse

13. Beyond The Wizards Sleeve – Beyond the Wizards Sleeve Re-Animations, Vol. 1

Well I know many of you do not really think a remix album should count in this list right?? Well it is my list and I can do what I want. I would even probably call this more of a mix then a remix album as the Continuous Mix by Erol got a lot more plays then the album itself. I was able to put the mix on in any situation with any group of people and it was able to be listened to – either that the group of people did not tell me to change the music or that the group of people fucking loved it. I am not much of a fan of mixes usually however I have not listened to one more than this, well other than a couple of Soulwax’s live ones ;-)

Beyond The Wizards Sleeve - One Continuous Mix

Equal 12. Tiga - Ciao

Yes the Dewaele’s production with that little singer from Montreal called Tiga. I honestly thought that this album was going to be able to hit the charts this years and we would start hearing some of the tracks on Nova – from all reports it did not seem to happen which is very surprising. Now other than a few gag worthy vocal lines this album contained absolutely massive beats and once you got past half way Tiga’s cheesy lines were long forgotten. The stand out track for me was defiantly the last being Love Don’t Dance Here Anymore – the 10 min epic with a massive amount of variation and a massive amount of fun.

Tiga - Love Don’t Dance here Anymore
Tiga - Overtime

Equal 12. Peaches – I feel Cream

I could not decide which album I liked better out of Tiga and Peaches so I have given them both 12th spot. I felt that these albums gave me very similar feelings while listening to them and were equally as good. Peaches relied on a few more producers then Tiga using the likes of Simian Mobile Disco, Soulwax, Drums 4 Death and Digitalism – this is evident throughout the production with some absolutely massive tracks my favourite being More produced by Simian Mobile Disco. The track I Feel Cream could be a club classic and I can’t believe I have not heard DJs play it more?

Peaches - More
Peaches - I Feel Cream

10. Miike Snow – Miike Snow

This album got a lot of people very excited this year. It came out just as people were starting to take The XX off repeat and were looking for something a little more upbeat. When first listening to the album I had suspicions that it could have been produced by a very well known electronic producer however on doing some research it turns out it is a production team called Bloodshy & Avant – I would love to look into some of their other stuff as the extra electronic parts which they have throughout the album make it what it is. Ok on clicking through to Bloodshy & Avant name on Wikipedia I have just come aware that they have produced the likes of Britney Spears, Madonna, Kelis, Kylie Minogue and Jennifer Lopex – aren’t we lucky that they got together with the singer and made something this cool!

Miike Snow - Animal
Miike Snow - Burial

9. Woolfy – If you Know What’s Good For Ya

We are now starting to get into albums which I absolutely loved this year. My taste of music was massively swayed towards the disco beats in 2009 and luckily for me there were some great releases. Woolfy are DFA babies from the UK and their album if filled with funky beats driven by strong drums and bopping bass. Like every good dance album it has its pop elements but also it’s long spaced out trips. The album sounds like nothing else this year and I would love to see these guys reproduce it live. I do not think they have gained much popularity here in Australia but one of them came for a DJ set in 2009 so hopefully he liked the place so much that the band will return!!

Woolfy - Oh Missy (In Flagrantis Xenon Mix)
Woolfy - Two Far Gone (Carlos Hernandex Remix)
Woolfy - Oh Missy
Woolfy - Loa The Disco

8. White Lies – To lose My Life

Adso first got me into White Lies during an earlier post and luckily for me it was before they played at Splendour in the Grass festival. I could not quite believe it when the singer came out who seemed to be a really young scrawny dude with this absolutely massive voice which he reproduced perfectly on the day. The vocals are filled with stories of hope, lost ambition, sadness and redemption – they are able to take you right into their tracks and make you feel sympathy with the music.

White Lies - A Place To Hide
White Lies - To Lose My LIfe

7. Who Made Who – The Plot

Who Made Who are one of my favourite bands and The Plot really highlighted how much they have matured since their first album. Their live show this year was awesome, unfortunately they came out just before their album was released so I am dying to see them again – these guys are real characters I would love to see WMW and Datarock on the same night (O wait I did a couple of years ago). WMW kept a similar formula to their last album being big octave disco basslines coupled with dancey drum beats and piecing guitar however the big change was the addition of intelligent vocals which created even more catchy tracks.

Who Made Who - TV Friend (Hot Chip Remix)
Who Made Who - Keep Me in My Plane (Moderaire remix)
Who Made Who - Office Clerk

6. Datarock – Red

Well Datarock has to be the most posted about band on this blog in the last year and have done very well on both Adso (Number 7) and my lists. A lot of people describe Datarock as 80’s nostalgia but I do not really agree with that - I believe that their sound is modern electronic pop. Anyone who has seen them live knows that their shows are an absolute ball with music to match it. I do believe that Australia is their second home and it will not be long until we see them again.
Datarock - The Pretender (Holy Ghost Dub)
Datarock - Give It Up (Kissy Sell Out Remix)
Datarock - Molly

5. The XX – XX

I would have to say that The XX were definitely 2009’s buzz band and they sure as hell lived up to it. Their mix of electronic lounge, dub step pop has grasped audiences of all shapes and sizes in 2009. Their back and forth technique of sharing the vocal verses between male and female creates a type of ambiance that makes you feel as if you are listening in on a conversation. The foundation of their music is minimal melodies, a focus on basslines, of course the soothing vocals and effects and I believe most importantly the drum patterns which have thrown them into the electronic scene. I had the absolute pleasure of seeing them live recently at Lane Way and I was both shocked and pleased at their performance. I had no idea that they were a bunch of Goths as their music points in the opposite direction – this alone intrigued me however not as much as the fact that the dude doing the beats was producing them all with his fingers on a drum pad – that was the fucking coolest.

The XX - VCR
The XX - Islands

4. The Lost Valentinos – Cities Of Gold

What a surprise packet The Lost Valentinos album turned out to be. I am a little disappointed that there are not more Aussie bands in my list but I am glad that one got this high. I listened to this album heaps overseas as it is a concept album about the end of Inca times in Peru and that’s where I was for some of the time. The production on the album is first class and the use of pure synth sounds have fattened each track up to the point that the dance floor is begging to feel the album dropped. They came in at number 9 on Adso’s list due to the fact that the last songs let it down for him – I did not feel that at all as I believe the whole album in each of its parts makes for a fantastic whole. The last tracks hold the most emotion in the entire album. Great album Valentinos and I do hope to see you soon!!

The Lost Valentinos - Great Leap Forward
The Lost Valentinos - Midnights
The Lost Valentinos - Bismarck (Canyons remix)

3. The Juan Maclean – The Future Will Come

The Juan Maclean album is really the pinnacle of the sound which I was searching for all year. I hold a lot of similarities between The Juan Maclean and LCD Soundsystem and not only the obvious ones (same label, some of the same band members) but due to the complexity of each track and the amazing compositions to pull it all together. Each track delivers something different and some of the tracks are so good that every time you listen to them you find something different to like about it – and once you add that to all the other things that you have found in the past you start to want to make music. Although they gave me one of my favourite albums of the year they also gave me one of my biggest disappointments of the year when I found out that they were not playing live at Summafieldayz – but we will not talk about that.

The Juan Maclean - The Simple Life
The Juan Maclean - Accusations

2. The Whitest Boy Alive – Rules

Rules was the first album of the year which I truly enjoyed and it has continued to be one of the last. I was still able to put this album on in December and enjoy it as much as I did at the start of the year. On occasion during my decision making process I thought due to its amazing staying power that it did deserve the number 1 spot. However a wise women did tell me something very true and that is it has stayed so long at the top due to the fact it is so easy to listen to and able to be listened to in any situation. She also pointed out that it was their second album and a lot like their first – both of these things are very true and are the reason why it is sitting at number 2. The fact that you can listen to this album at any time of the day or night is testament of how well it was produced. I believe that its strongest quality are the running bass lines which get into your head and determine each beat and direction of the track until you start singing the bass lines instead of the words.

The Whitest Boy Alive - Courage (Jack Tennis Edit)
The Whitest Boy Alive - Gravity
The Whitest Boy Alive - Island

1. When Saints Go Machine – Ten Makes A Face

Well here it is, my number 1 album of 2009 out of all the many albums I listened to. When I first heard Fail Forever which was definitely my favourite song of 2009 I thought that this band would be huge. When I first heard Ten Makes A Face I knew that this band would be huge, however for some reason or another they are not huge? I have a feeling it has been due to the fact that their album has been restricted in its release and promotion. I am not even sure if it has seen a realease outside of Scandanavia?? So maybe just maybe 2010 could be their year. I for one sure as hell hope so because I need to see them live – so much do I need to see them live if it does not happen in the near future I may have to go overseas to see them. Their album is perfectly original with so much variation and genre between each track it would be hard to put the tracks together if you did not know it was them. The lead singers voice is stunning, to a stranded of Antony Hegarty. DJs should really get a hold of this and start playing some of the tracks on the dance floor as they could pump it. The vocal harmonies throughout the album are incredible and the slower tracks highlight this. I am really glad that an album like this was released last year as it gives me hope for the future that there is amazing stuff out there to always be discovered – so keep looking.

When Saints Go Machine - Fail forever
When Saints Go Machine - Spitting image
When Saints Go Machine - Pinned

Well that is it for 2009 come February 2010. I now hope we can all leave the past behind and finally get on with our lives. I know 2010 has already produced a few smashing albums and the direction and the sound of dance music is consistently running further away from the commercial shit that is starting to pollute our airwaves – being electro hip hop. Here is to another year of A Derogatory Term – Thanks for reading.

Jimps

Thank You For Being So Damn...

2010-02-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

Cut Copy takes a different spin on the classic house track and not only give it a new lease on life but make it even better! I love the deep voice saying “house,” such a great sample.

Happy House (Cut Copy Remix)

The master of erotic slap-bass funk is back with a new EP out on Valentine’s Day. The vocals on Baby I’m Yours are a bit cheesy for me but they’re definitely worthy of Valentine’s Day. I prefer the b-side Make You Mine – it’s got a little less cheese and much more sex funk.

Breakbot – Baby I'm Yours (ft. Irfane)

Breakbot – Make You Mine

I only took note of this remix when I found out it the man behind Tobacco is the creative force behind Black Moth Super Rainbow. If you’ve listened to HEALTH before you’d know they can be a bit hard on the ears, well Tobacco’s managed to make the track far more listenable and turned it into a really great song, while still keeping the toughness of the original. The guy’s got a really great ear for percussion – take a listen to his more laid-back work with Black Moth Super Rainbow and get the album Eating Us if you like the tracks.

HEALTH – Die Slow (Tobacco Remix)

Black Moth Super Rainbow – Born On A Day The Sun Didn’t Rise

Black Moth Super Rainbow – Twin Of Myself

Siriusmo just keeps getting better and better. This is the best remix I’ve heard in a while. I’ve heard he’s got two more EPs in the making, they couldn’t come sooner for me.

Gossip – Heavy Cross (Siriusmo Dub)

Favourite 15 Albums of 2009

2010-01-28T03:19:00.000-08:00

A lot of great music came out in 2009 so this has been hard for me to narrow it down to just 15. It was a year that I and seemingly most of the music industry matured from the raw distortion and grind that ran rampant in electronic music through 2007 and 2008 (with a few exceptions – I'm looking at you Bloody Beetroots). A perfect example of this is the reaction to Bag Raiders’ Turbo Love EP. The titular single was given to radio stations and promoted heavily, but it was the much less intense yet more uplifting B-side Shooting Stars that became the real hit from the release. The emergence of the faux genre “chill-wave”, appropriately coined by the ingenious Carles of Hipster Runoff, further pushed listeners towards more melodic, laid-back musical stylings. Although this movement has definitely influenced me and my top 15, I would say the shifting in my tastes is more due to a lack of quality electro releases and an abundance of great indie-dance type releases. I’ve already spoken about most of these releases earlier in the year so I won’t say too much. Anyway, see what you think and I’d love to see your top whatever in the comments!

15. Kid Cudi – Man On The Moon: The End Of Day

The only hip hop release on my list, this album’s ambition and creativity made it an album that took you on a journey. Slick production and Cudi’s fun but often introspective rhymes make him stand out from the macho gangster rap that’s ubiquitous in music today.

Kid Cudi - Soundtrack 2 My Life

Kid Cudi - Alive (ft. Ratatat)

Kid Cudi - Pursuit of Happiness (ft. MGMT and Ratatat)

14. Jamie T – Kings & Queens

Having only been introduced to Jamie T by a friend this year Kings & Queens was the first I’d heard from him and boy was I glad I listened. His cheery brand of indie-pop is perfect for just hanging out with mates on a sunny afternoon.

Jamie T - Chaka Demus

Jamie T - Castro Dies

13. Animal Collective – Merriweather Post Pavilion

A lot of bloggers and music critics have placed this album as number one on their lists for obvious reasons, but it simply wasn’t my favourite so here it is. Deal with it.

Animal Collective - Summertime Clothes

Animal Collective - My Girls

12. Phoenix – Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

1901 was the best pop song of the year. This was an amazing album and Phoenix deserve all the success they achieved as a result. Only thing wrong was that I found a got a little bored of the album if I tried to listen to it right through. Most of the songs are brilliant; I think they just needed to mix it up a bit more to keep the listener guessing.

Phoenix - 1901

Phoenix - Lasso

11. Junior Boys – Begone Dull Care

Begone Dull Care is a perfectly crafted chill out album. I was lucky enough to spend some time on the islands of Hawaii and North Stradbroke and I remember having this album on repeat and enjoying every second of it. Coupled with an awesome live performance at the Parklife festival, Junior Boys climbed a few notches in my book this year.

Junior Boys - Dull To Pause

Junior Boys - Hazel

Junior Boys - Sneak A Picture

10. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug

Another band that moved up in my books was Arctic Monkeys. I recognise their talent but I had never been a big fan of their work until Humbug. This is probably because of their change in sound marked by the production style of rock god Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Eagles of Death Metal and Them Crooked Vultures). The monkeys were left with a much muddier, heavy sound than on previous albums and I loved the new direction.

Arctic Monkeys - My Propellar

Arctic Monkeys - Crying Lightning

Arctic Monkeys - Pretty Visitors

9. Lost Valentinos – Cities of Gold

I really loved this album – most of the songs made the hairs on my neck stand at their climaxes, especially the ones below. The only reason this isn’t much higher is that I thought the last few songs on the album really let it down.

Lost Valentinos - Thief

Lost Valentinos - Bismarck

Lost Valentinos - Francisco

8. Air – Love 2

Another great laid back electronic album from the masters of the genre.

Air - So Light Is Her Footfall

Air - Be A Bee

Air - Sing Sang Sung

7. Datarock – Red

If you read this blog much you’d know that we love Datarock here at A Derogatory Term. Their second album was a step up from their debut while still managing to keep all the elements we love about their music.

Datarock - Amarillion

Datarock - Back In The Seventies

6. Franz Ferdinand – Tonight: Franz Ferdinand

The main reason this album is so high is that I related to its concept of a big night out so much. I think they flawlessly captured the exciting feeling of the build up to the start of the night to the feeling of lying in bed the morning after with someone cool. Oh yeah and the last quarter of Lucid Dreams is insane!

Franz Ferdinand - Lucid Dreams

Franz Ferdinand - Katherine Kiss Me

Franz Ferdinand - Ulysses

5. White Lies – To Lose My Life

For an album with quite sombre subject matter it was extremely uplifting for me. The lead singer’s voice is just so powerful and well suited to the music that I often got caught singing along very loudly in the car.

White Lies - E.S.T.

White Lies - Death

White Lies - Unfinished Business

4. WhoMadeWho – The Plot

I thought this effort by WhoMadeWho was much better than their first album. The whole album just sounded fuller, deeper and much more diverse.

WhoMadeWho - Keep Me In My Plane

WhoMadeWho - The Plot

WhoMadeWho - Small Town City

3. The xx – The xx

This was the undisputed down tempo album of the year and obviously one of my overall favourites too. I loved how their sound is very minimalistic without feeling empty or hollow, which is a very difficult thing to do especially in pop music.

The xx - Crystalised

The xx - Basic Space

The xx - Infinity

2. Temper Trap – Conditions

This album probably got the most plays out of any other album and Sweet Disposition is in my top 10 most played songs ever. Saw them live at Sunset Sounds and they were all really polished performers especially the singer, whose voice sounded just as spectacular on stage as it does on the cd.

The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition

The Temper Trap - Down River

The Temper Trap - Soldier On

1. Kasabian – West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum

My love for Kasabian is no secret, having professed my love for their exciting brand of rock to you all way back here when West Ryder first came out. They were always going to make the top 3 but they probably weren’t going to be number 1 until I saw them at Big Day Out on the Gold Coast and they blew me away. They were far and away the highlight of the day and gave exactly the standard of performance I hoped for.

Kasabian - Fire

Kasabian - Take Aim

Kasabian - Vlad The Impaler

Kasabian - Where Did All The Love Go

I would love to hear some of you guys’ favourite albums of the year so don’t be afraid to share in the comments or on the facebook page. I’ve been listening to some killer new dance music lately so I should be back soon to post that for you people. ‘Til then,

Cheers,

Adso

Sunset Sounds

2010-01-04T03:11:00.000-08:00

Hey all, just a quick post to warm you up for the Sunset Sounds Music Festival in Brisbane on the 6^th and 7^th. These are the bands I will be endeavouring to see. The only bad clash for me is a three-way between The Temper Trap, Grizzly Bear and Yves Klein Blue. I’ve yet to finalise my decision, but seeing as I’ve seen Yves Klein Blue and I will be seeing Editors before Temper Trap on the same stage I’ll probably be seeing them. Find my tracks and rambles about Temper Trap here and some Editors tracks from their 2009 album In This Light And On This Evening below.

Editors - The Big Exit (Wait for the kick at 3:26)

Editors - Papillon

I’m sure everyone is excited to see Moby headline the first day. I was at first a bit sceptical about how well his music would translate live at the end of a music festival, especially since his latest album Wait For Me is a very sombre, introspective one. Having said that I watched a couple recent of YouTube clips of him at some other festivals and it seems like he knows how to get the crowd going. His stage setup includes a live band with the man himself on lead guitar and vocals, with occasional help from vocalists. The first four tracks are some of his old songs that will go off and the last three are songs off his new album to show you what I mean.

Moby - Honey

Moby -Natural Blues

Moby -Porcelain

Moby -Jam For The Ladies

Moby - Shot In The Back Of The Head

Moby -Mistake

Moby - One Time We Lived

The video below is Moby live at 2001 Grammy Awards playing Natural Blues with help from singer Jill Scott and my favourite all-male, all-blue, experimental dance troupe The Blue Man Group.

Jamie T is another artist I'm excited to see. His cheeky lyrics and fun melodies will surely make for a feel-good festival moment. What impresses me most about him is that he created most of his first album by himself in his bedroom and was signed to Virgin Records at just 16. That's Talent.

Jamie T - Chaka Demus

Jamie T - Ike & Tina

Jamie T - Castro Dies

Yeah Yeah Yeahs front-woman Karen O is one sassy woman. Her howls and shrieks are so sexy and I'm sure she will be sexing it up to close the festival on the 2^nd night.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Soft Shock

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps

Jimps and I have spoken a great deal about our love for Datarock so their brilliance needs no explanation on this blog. Here are some sweet tracks of theirs if you’re a poor soul that doesn’t have them.

Datarock - I Used To Dance With My Daddy

Datarock - Amarillion

Datarock - Fa-Fa-Fa

Other than that, I recommend you see Little Red (really catchy ‘50s doo-wop band), The Middle East (whom Jimps featured here), The John Steel Singers (six-piece indie-pop band) and Hungry Kids of Hungary (another indie-pop band – check out their track Scattered Diamonds).

Have fun and see you there!

Adso

Back In Business

2009-12-24T02:47:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: Thanks to a very special reader I now have the House Of House track at the bottom of this post for everyone in full 320kbps quality!

FINALLY, my internet is fixed! Let us never speak of this again. I promise to post more regular new music from now on. But I will keep doing the ‘Auntie Gertrude Takes A Trip’ posts about classic old music if you guys don’t think it’s waste of time? Please let me know what you think in the comments or on the Facebook page. While you’re there become a member of the group, if you’re not already, to get updates on when the blog is err... updated.

Here are some new tunes while I finish off my Top Albums of 2009 list. The newie from Palermo Disko Machine (AKA Jence from Digitalism) is some pretty cool electro. It sounds similar to Digitalism in that you can tell he’s using the same instruments, but other than that it’s on the darker, more chilled-out, side of what they’re known for, but I think fans will still enjoy this track. The track doesn’t really start until 2:30 so fast forward there if you have a short attention span. Jence also made an EP under this moniker last year which was lighter and poppier than Theme Of Palermo Disko Machine. It included a really catchy track which I loved called Pump, so grab that as well if you don’t have it.

Palermo Disko Machine – Theme Of Palermo Disko Machine

Palermo Disko Machine – Pump

(lean back)

I have been searching for this track for years! I heard it on the infamous As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt. 2 mix years ago and have wanted the full unmixed song ever since. Now that it has finally become available on iTunes Australia I have it to share with you all. Since there is no band on the internet called ‘Firebirds,’ the name ‘Firebirds’ is a derivative of the lyrics in the original song and the Dewaele brothers use the track in the aforementioned mix – not to mention the production sounds like them and their quality – I’m going to assume this is an actual Soulwax remix hidden under one of their many obscure monikers. Correct me if I’m wrong, but if I’m right, how was that for some detective work!

Alphawezen – Into The Stars (Firebirds Remix)

Jesus Twistie?

This next track by House of House, which comprises half of Still Going Liv Spencer and vocalist Saheer Umar, has had some ridiculous hype placed upon it. This vinyl-only release is so sort-after that, legend has it, people paid upwards of €100 on eBay when it sold out in record shops. Also, it’s very well worded press release is anything but modest, “Instantly coveted and championed by cutting edge DJ's, record collectors and cultural connoisseurs, "Rushing to Paradise" quickly moved up into the upper echelon of "years best" lists, even before the records official release date.” After listening to it a couple of times I recognise the quality of the track, but I don’t really see why it’s been put on such a pedestal. I think it’s probably more to do with the fact that you can’t get it which makes people want it that much more. All in all it is a good house track, I just wish they kept the section from 3:30 – 4:23 going and kept the vocal out of it. ~~Oh yeah, sorry but I could only get it in 128kbps, damn vinyl elitists!~~

NOW IN FULL 320 QUALITY!

House Of House – Rushing To Paradise (Walkin' These Streets)

Merry Christmas!

Adso

Auntie Gertrude Takes A Trip 2

2009-12-14T03:28:00.000-08:00

This edition of AGTAT is dedicated to The Beach Boys. It saddens me deeply that The Boys’ catalogue has been raped and pillaged by advertising agencies. This is mainly due to Brian Wilson, the driving creative force and leader of the band, signing away the rights to their songs to his manipulating and money-hungry father.

However, what most people in our generation don’t realise though is that The Boys’, and Brian Wilson in particular, were pioneers and innovators who greatly influenced the direction of rock and pop music in the late 60s and early 70s. Their album Pet Sounds, which was created almost single-handedly by Brian Wilson, is widely regarded as one of, if not the best, albums of all time. At the time of its creation there was nothing else like it; it was the first piece to successfully utilise multiple layers of instruments and vocals to produce music with real depth. It was also the major influence for The Beatles to produce Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – another album widely regarded as the best of all time. Further, Paul McCartney was quoted saying that the track God Only Knows is his favourite song of all-time.

My favourite songs from the album are:

The Beach Boys – God Only Knows

The Beach Boys – I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times

The Beach Boys – I Know There’s An Answer

Now for something a little more Gen-Y. A British producer that goes by the name of Bullion has, for lack of a better word, remixed the entire Pet Sounds album. I am reluctant to use the word remix because I think the guy has managed to produce something truly original that could stand alone as its own piece of music. The style he uses is comparable to that of hip hop producer J Dilla’s, whereby he takes small samples and chops and screws them to create new melodies and vocal hooks.

With no song running over 2 ½ minutes and mostly seamless transitions between tracks, this album plays like a mixtape that someone like GirlTalk would make. I think this album will naturally appeal much more to the readers of this blog than The Boys’ original music. Have a go at these two tracks and if you like them get the whole album which Bullion kindly offers for free.

Bullion – You Still Believe In Dee

Bullion – Wouldn’t It Be Nice

The Full Album (Rapidshare link - open in new window and click 'free user' then wait for the download button to appear): Bullion – Pet Sounds: In The Key Of Dee

Auntie Gertrude Takes A Trip 01

2009-12-08T01:06:00.000-08:00

Good day everyone. Sorry about the absence of late, my internet has been fucked for the last two months and there is no resolution in sight. In the mean time, I am hijacking my work computer just for you. Since I’ve had very limited internet access lately, I’ve delved into the vast array of ‘classic’ old music that has largely been sitting dormant on my computer – music I’ve heard is good that I’ve acquired in my hopeless attempt to have “every good song ever made by anybody,” and that I hadn’t really listened to yet. So I’ll be posting some old music that isn’t flogged on golden oldies radio stations, but would be in a perfect world. I plan for this to be a recurring theme so I will dub these posts “Auntie Gertrude Takes A Trip.”

I’d like to start with the original chameleon and coolest cat in the universe – David Bowie. My favourite song of his and one of my all-time faves is Ashes To Ashes. The production on this is so slick and layered that you can listen to it over and over and keep finding new sounds.

David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes

You may remember the bass line in this song from somewhere?

David Bowie - Under Pressure (with Queen)

You’d at least be familiar with these awesome two tracks if you didn’t know they were David Bowie’s.

David Bowie - Changes

David Bowie - Golden Years

Finally, two covers/tributes that are just too good not to include. The Heroes cover is a rolling electronic beast while the Conchords tribute to Space Oddity and Let’s Dance is humorous and listenable at the same time.

TV On The Radio - Heroes

Flight Of The Conchords - Bowie

And just for good measure: a hilarious clip from Ricky Gervais’ comedy Extras featuring the man himself.

P.S. I promise I will start posting more while Jimps is away in South America (if my internet ever gets fixed).

Adso

My skeptical mind refuses to believe, in the truth which will set me free

2009-10-24T15:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a first for the blog – Three Derogatory playlist in one single post for your aural pleasure. No not for your oral pleasure - please see below for that kind of filth you sick fucks..

"It feels best in-between my two bottom teeth ;)"

My concentration on club/dance music is starting to fall further behind to the time I spend on listening to albums. However I have had a massive hand the last few months in being shown some of the best remixes through Aeroplane's monthly sets – my playlists below draw influence from them. My taste in dance music is honestly getting a little bit soft, the electro bangers of the past seem to be slipping out of my reach as I no longer spend every weekend under a speaker clenching my fists and screaming for the drops.

"Fuck - its fucking cyanide!"

Maybe my taste has matured or maybe the ugly commercial side of electro has begun to taint it with a majority of fidgety or distorted offensive rubbish that it is making it harder to find those true bangers. This is not saying they are lost as I hope they never will be on this blog. Check the playlist's towards the end and you will still find some floating around.

"My skin has never been so soft after visiting the sperm bank"

I have listened to each of the below playlist's many times by now and can highly recommend each of them in the full for a real uplifting journey. I have kindly Zipped up each one as well so if you know you want the whole thing then you can just download it in one click.

"We love getting sprayed"

A Derogatory Playlist PT XIII

Download (right click save as);

Complete PT XIII zipped

1. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than the Stars (Saint Etienne Visits Lord Spank Mix)
2. Mayer Hawthorne - Green Eyed Love (Classixx Remix)
3. Chromeo - Night By Night (Skream Remix)
4. Canyons - Dancing On Silk
5. John Rocca - I Want It To Be Real
6. Still Going - Spaghetti Circus
7. Metronomy - Do The Right Thing (Wild Geese remix)
8. Florence + The Machine - Drumming Song (Boy 8-Bit Remix)
9. Miami Horror - Sometimes
10. Metric - Sick Muse (Adam Freeland Remix)
11. Designer Drugs - Back Up In This (Nadastrom Remix)
12. Grafton Primary - Records For The Righteous (Hey Now remix)
13. Jean Elan - Where's Your Head At (Klaas Remix)

"Please penis, pop out of pre-made hole and internet fame will be mine"

A Derogatory Playlist PT XIV

Download (right click save as);

Complete PT XIV zipped

1. Au Revoir Simone - Another Likely Story (Aeroplane Remix)
2. Lindstrom & Solale - Baby I Can't Stop (Aeroplane Remix)
3. LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 (Padded Cell Remix)
4. Wolfmother - New Moon Rising (Riton Vocal Rub)
5. Dusty Springfield - That's The Kind Of Love I've Got For You (Disco 3000 Edit)
6. The Units - High Pressure Days (Rory Phillips Remix)
7. Headman - Dirt (The C90s Remix)
8. The Juan Maclean - Happy House (Will Saul & Mike Monday Remix)
9. Vincent Markowski - The Madness Of Moths
10. Pola-Riot - Superpimpin
11. D.I.M. & TAI - Lyposuct (Original)
12. Samantha Fu - Theme From Discotheque (REFILL Remix)

"Smile now little man, but soon you will be my little bowl shaped anus dildo"

A Derogatory Playlist PT XV

Download (right click save as);

Complete PT XV zipped

1. Yacht - Psychic City (Classixx Remix)
2. Phoenix - Fences (Grincheux & Dangereux Remix)
3. WhoMadeWho - Keep Me In My Plane (Modernaire Remix)
4. Mujava - Township Funk (Crazy P Remix)
5. Datarock - The Pretender (Holy Ghost Remix Dub)
6. Fred Falke Feat. Teff Balmer - Chicago (Extended Mix)
8. Riton & Primary 1 - Who's There? (In Flagranti Remix)
9. Wax Stag - And How (Bottin's Discursive Version)
10. Dre Skull - I Want You (Dre Skull Remix)
11. Art vs Science - Parlez vous francais? (Hey Now Remix)
12. Retro/Grade - Moda (Radio Edit)
13. Hugg & Pepp - Penguini (Original mix)
14. The Japanese Popstars - Rise Of Ulysses

"Ahh - bang my insecurities away"

I Highly Recommend

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Higher Than the Stars (Saint Etienne Visits Lord Spank Mix)

This is one of those really nice easy to listen to tracks, which is perfect for any moment and could even have its place on an open minded dance floor. The hook centers on the soothing vocals both male and female following each other through tales of childhood confusion. Long euphoric breakdowns and uplifting melodies work together to keep your eyes shut and your imagination flowing.

Chromeo - Night By Night (Skream Remix)

I cannot really comment on exactly what Skream has done to the original as I am yet to hear it. On its own the track's vocals work perfectly with the slow dubbing breaks, I can imagine the original would have more of a straight synth hook while Skream delivers his low frequency bass lines which fuse perfectly with the catchy vocoder chorus Chromeo has become famous for. Sensual lyrics also trademark of the boys are delivered best with the slow driving low melodies. Chromeo never miss with a straight up pop song and Skream has managed to keep all of the right elements to deliver a perfect pop remix with sounds a little further from the commercial ears.

Metronomy - Do The Right Thing (Wild Geese remix)

This has definitely been one of my favorite remixes over the last couple of months and has been made to get a dance floor started. A tight bouncy intro with teasing lyrics builds to break then build again to destroy – I dare you to put this one on with some serious volume, listen to it from the start and try not to move when it drops at 3:36. Some massive synth tweaking follows and the bouncing continues….. Enjoy, I know I have many times.

Au Revoir Simone - Another Likely Story (Aeroplane Remix)

I believe that Aeroplane should have named this an “Aeroplane Pop Mix” as they did with their take on Hearts On Fire. You can't really go wrong in sampling the lyrics of Au Revoir Simone as they have already found out on their take of Paris by Friendly Fires. Aeroplane have a knack for not only producing uplifting remixes but also throwing down incredibly uplifting DJ sets as a lot of us found out at Parklife this year. The mood they are able to incubate is one of complete joy, which is a long distance away from some grinding beats we also all love. I know that they are currently working on an album, playing all instruments themselves, doing it the hard but only way – lets all hope for an incredible live show when their album is released and they are ready to tour.

Wolfmother - New Moon Rising (Riton Vocal Rub)

Well it has been awhile since Wolfmother has been the centre of remixes – being Modular base they will always have a easy strong push into the dance scene with quality remixes. I am sure every body can remember MSTRKRFT’s remix of Woman back in the day. I prefer Riton's Vocal Rub over his Club Rub as I think the vocals are a definite stand out of the remix and they need to be the centre. I am a massive fan of Riton in all his forms and this remix showcases a twitchy side I have not heard much of – all his productions are clean and tight and this is no exception. Sorry for the 128kbps but all I could find for now.

Headman - Dirt (The C90s Remix)

This is another igniter for the dance floor – bouncing in the same direction as the Do The Right Thing remix above. The vocals make the track feel indie although at almost 9 mins long there is plenty of time to build layers and the vocals are just one of them. The vocal verses slow down the track just enough to hook you in as the disco brass stabs at your inhibitions. 4 minutes in and the track is just beginning - the big synth starts panning to the left and each loop adds another direction until you begin to sing the melodies just as much as you will sing the lyrics when they quietly drop as the beat breaks at 5:25 – “All the voices in my brain, this is the one that sends me insane, of all the faces in my mind this is the one I’m longing to find – freaking out.” Then the bass begins and your movement is a history that you will find repeated with a simple press of play.

D.I.M. & TAI - Lyposuct (Original)

I guess highly recommending this track is testament I still have balls although they may have shriveled almost completely into my body. I assume this is the good type of electro all the hipster kids are listening to these days as they bang their heads and imitate the bass with their face. Anyway the production on this track is amazingly clean as two completely opposite sounds (Squeaky high and distorted low) combine with tough drums to take the listener on an aggressive ride to electro heaven.

Keep Me In My Plane (Modernaire Remix) – Who Made Who

I hope that a string of good remixes continue to seep in every direction as long as possible from Who Made Who’s The Plot. It will continue to remind me of how fucking good that album was and to give it another listen which is will always deserve. Modernaire has managed to up the beat a little on this remix and dice the main melody with a metal tweaked effect which pollutes the bass line with toughness whilst retaining its original funk.

"Hopefully this will turn daddy off tonight"

That should keep you all busy for a little while so until next time - have some fun.

Thanks

Jimps

"Ok place beer in photo and nobody will suspect the roofies"

Tell Your Story Before Old Age Kills Your Plans

2009-10-01T03:55:00.000-07:00

It is good to be back after another short hiatus – I have missed you guys so much and thanks once again to Adso for keeping the flame burning. Well how was Parklife everybody?? I was floating around Earth in an Aeroplane for about an hour – and that is about as much as I can say… Did anyone get to try out Adso’s playlist when they got home – I just gave it a listen and it sounded perfect for after life although I am sure that after life many of us saw death?

Since we last spoke there have been a few albums that I have been very happy with and just one that I have fallen in love with.

When Saints Go Machine – Ten Makes a Face

Well here it is – I do not want to be making any predictions with still a quarter of the year left but I think that this could be it – the album of the year for me. I first stumbled across these guys back in May when I randomly picked up their track Fail Forever that featured on one of my last Derogatory Playlists. I immediately fell in love with the track but it would take me another 3 months to finally track down their album and listen to it in full. When Saints Go Machine are still a relatively unknown band from Denmark although when you listen to their album you will not quite believe it. I believe that this could be due to the fact that their album has not been officially released in any country other then Denmark, so I predict that their popularity is still on the way.

As an album it has no weaknesses and a diverse range of strengths, stretching from pop melodic harmonies to synth driven house all tied together with vocals capturing the emotion with sharp hooks. Produced by themselves your can feel the personal connection attached to each track with innocence still flowing from every uplifting chord progression.

All I can hope for now is a world wide release of their album and for it to reach as far and wide as possible so their popularity can replicate its infection outside of Scandinavia and their live show can eventually stretch to Australia – if not looks like I am going to them….

Download (right click save as);
When Saints Go Machine - Fail Forever
When Saints Go Machine - Spitting Image
When Saints Go Machine - Pinned

Well I am a little out of breath after finally getting my love for When Saints Go Machine off my chest but I will try not to lose too much enthusiasm for the rest of the post as there are still some fantastic albums to talk about.

The Sounds – Crossing The Rubicon

The Sounds previous album was one of my favorites a few years back so I was highly anticipating the new one this year. A little less punk and a little more pop but just as sexy – if you know what the lead singer looks like then you will know what I mean. The stand out track for me on the album would have to be ‘Home Is Where The Heart Is” mainly due to its lyrical content – a beautiful track describing a way to find yourself by reaching out. Beatbox is the the electro Tony The Beat of the new album almost literally, good ol Tony even gets a mention in the lyrics – this track would sound nice in a DJ set if you are game to try it. Crossing The Rubicon is a very solid album and if you have soft spot for some rock then this is your pop album.

Download (right click save as);
The Sounds - Home Is Where The Heart Is
The Sounds - Beatbox
The Sounds - No One Sleeps When I'm Awake

Metric – Fantasies

Metric’s new album Fantasies is in the same vein as The Sounds above just with a little more depth that will create an easier cross to the indie dance scene. I had been really getting into this album recently and had the chance to see them at Parklife on the weekend but for some reason blew it – I would not call it my most successful festival for live music. The production on Fantasies is top notch with heaps of interesting layers creating an electronic feel over a somewhat indie album. The lead singers voice has an ability to create transitions within tracks producing memorising hooks and stabs – Help I’m Alive is a great example of this with smooth vocal changes throughout creating a formula of repetition fused by the vocal lines and guitars onto the dance floor.

Download (right click save as);
Metric - Help I'm Alive
Metric - Sick Muse
Metric - Gold Guns Girls

Lost Valentinos – Cities Of Gold

Lost Valentinos have been quite the enigma in the scene for the last few years. Although their music back then did not quite fit what was going on at the time (the rise of electro) they always seemed to be around supporting the big name live electro acts and DJs – it did not really make sense. It is clear that they have always been in the scene themselves and The Knife Machine is testimony to that however their sound has evolved and now slots perfectly into the chair left vacant for them. Cities Of Gold is an indie electro concept album exploring the realm of the Inca civilisation, which has obviously intrigued one or more of the band members in the past. It is quite clear that Lost Valentinos have achieved their stunning debut and new signature sound with the help of Ewan Pearson’s production on the album – an electronic producer/remixer who has helped turn the knobs on each synthesiser. My favourite track so far is Francisco due mainly to the deep rhythm section which builds to euphoric harmonies - perfect for the dance floor. I have not seen these guys live for a few years so I am now very excited for my next chance!!! You got to love all the awesome Aussie bands at the moment.

Download (right click save as);
Lost Valentinos - Francisco
Lost Valentinos - The Bismarck
Lost Valentinos - Thief

Yacht – See Mystery Lights

I had not heard of Yacht for a couple of years as I seemed to forget about them pretty quickly last time I started to get into them. I purchased their album after some hype and DFA support and really enjoyed it. As I continued to delve deeper into my appreciation for the tight production I made a fatal error which I would soon realise was the exact reason why I had forgotten about them in the first place. This error would be checking out a youtube clip of their live show – it all started to come back when I remembered that their live show is simply prerecorded tracks with the guy and now a girl singing over them – no band, no real live element. It sounded terrible and was insulting to his production work – Every time I listen to Physic City I can not get this image out of my head – the album was all but ruined – Get a band you douche bag or at worse just DJ - this is not a Japanese Karaoke contest.

Download (right click save as);
Yacht - Summer Song
Yacht - Psychic City
Yacht - It's Boring/You Can Live Anywhere You Want

Eine Kleine Nacht Musik

I have been after Riton’s first Krautrock experiment since it was released, however it has taken me a very long time to finally track it down. The spacey instrumentals experiment with a diverse range of progressive sounds and effects. Die Verboten is what is next for Riton, his Krautrock project with Soulwax which has been agonisingly slow in any releases or word on progress – just a vinyl release of a track I have not even heard. In the meantime Eine Kleine Nacht Musik will take you on a journey back to Germany in the 1970’s with psychedelic riffs and progressions filling your mind.

Download (right click save as);
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik - Besuchen Sie Mich Einmal
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik - Bardolator
Eine Kleine Nacht Musik - Ertrinken

O and a fucked out mix for those nights in the hole - some seriously cool tracks on this - I highly recommend it.

Eine Kleine Nacht Musik - Only German Mix

Hope to be back soon with some Derogatory Playlists so stay tuned!!

Jimps