the break being yesterday, today and tomorrow. been insanely busy with trying to find myself a real job somewhere and going camping tomorrow, so nowhere near internet to try and get the blog updated. got some awesome interviews coming soon, and some unreleased material as well. just finished an interview with the disco villains, and in the process of getting that written up for iinsight and here. i'll get the last interviews from the magazine on here before long as well, i just want to get them written up and some extra material for the blog for them.
but anyway, thought i'd let you know the reason for the recent silence. again, inordinate amounts of alcohol and little time are the main causes. and sorry for the incredibly brief notice, but i'm half asleep and getting things sorted for tomorrow and writing up some of the material that i'll have on here before long.
yes, mansion. the duo is comprised of violca yryku and hans edquist, better known as dj barletta, who together perform energy-filled dj sets and produce some banging tunes for us all. one of their best known releases is an officially sanctioned remix of the massive track bounce by fellow canadian residents mstrkrft. i loved the original, and this i love as well.
it starts with a nice piano introduction, which isn't often heard in electro house. but hey, it works. and it works well. the sound, mixed with the traditional pounding kick and some tight effects, produces a fantastic track that is easily danceable and listenable. and it's well worth doing the latter.
the same can be said for the following track, which takes the original mind dimension by tiga and blows it up into something darker, heavier and more sinister.
'every time i look into your eyes i see the future' is still present, but only repeated a couple of times throughout the track. there's a lovely, funky kind of breakdown a little over half way through that i really like, which leads into a repetition of the classic line, but unexpectedly distorted. there's also some nice builds in various parts, leading to some deep and growly wobbly-style bass. all in all, a nice little remix.
and i'd highly recommend keeping an eye on these two. i got this in my most recent message from them.
i'd get excited. now. and very excited. sure to be a big thing when it's out, mark the date down in your calendars and prepare yourselves. i know i will be!
about bloody time indeed. over a week. sorry. but i'm back. and i'll carry on writing. and you should be pleased! in my absence from posting i've had some amazing material sent to me and i've got a hell of a lot done. i've applied for a few jobs, made a couple hundred pounds, got some more applications for other places, made new friends, talked to old ones, drunk obscene amounts and partied a hell of a lot. and enjoyed every second of it. and now i'm back to share what i enjoy most with you; music.
to start with, read about this finnish electro-pop duo called tv off who sent me some nice material:
"TV OFF is an electro-pop hybrid featuring a colourful, hyperactive singer called Sara and a deadpan beatsman everyone around here refers to as Markku.
At a recent performance the duo were described by one chin-stroker as "like Sophie Ellis-Bextor meets Moby". The band kicked the crap outta that guy and he still eats through a straw. Luckily, it was all put down to "high spirits", and The Off was able to return to the studio to start on the debut record.
After only a fistful of gigs, the guys were attracting attention on a scale that made them both smile like kids in a sweetstore (or Sara in a shoeshop) and soon they were snapped up for lovely things like being nominated for Best Upcoming Act at the Basso Radio awards, performing at the Diesel Global Party event, opening the new Minna Parikka store (a woman who makes shoes that are so valuable that most people can only afford one of a pair), being featured in snowboarding movies, and playing alongside such Coolness-Personified-In Band-Form as CSS, Crystal Castles and Mum at Flow Festival in Finland.
Despite real initial interest from record labels, publishers and other folk that fear for their jobs, the band is going ahead with releasing their material on the internet for now and, well, seeing what happens. It is, of course, all part of a bigger plan for world domination as the guys are already confirmed to appear at The Great Escape Festival in UK in May where, between gigs, they plan to spend a lot of time on the beach, or in the arcades on the pier if it is raining. They will also appear at events in Tokyo, Berlin and throughout Scandinavia this Spring while they wait for the rest of the world to join their party."
here's the funky video for their track, music machine. it's a pretty amusing watch:
liking what you hear? then give the two tracks they sent over a listen. the first is entitled 'car is on fire' and i like it. a lot. there's quite a few layers to the song, all held together with the incredibly tight effects and sara's smooth vocals. check it out.
'i mind now' is the second track, and is just as well produced as the first. it's a more downtempo track and, for whatever reason, kind of reminds me of an amalgamation of massive attack and sneaker pimps, with some 80's synth thrown in there for good mix. it's a nice track, and has a unique sound.
in case you hadn't noticed, i've kind of given up on the alternate links thing for the moment. i just don't see the need, if you have a direct link to the track. if the link goes down just leave a comment or drop me an email or message somewhere and i'll get it right back up for you.
and, to keep you going on the interview front, check my latest submission to iinsight magazine, which is a nice, lengthy interview with producer jon hamlin, or iamxl:
if you're feeling particularly kind, you could leave a comment and let me and the publishers know what you think of it. i'm sure jon would love to hear what you have to say as well!
and i'll be getting more interviews actually on here before long. i'm finally back so i'll get everything i promised sorted, in time. message or email me again if there's anything i miss out or whatever, as i'd love to sort it all out.
and finally, for today, credits to EERIKKI POKELA for the promo photos for tv off, including the one i used at the top of this post. it's some damn nice work!
well, summer is officially here. and i swear i am still drunk from last night. but i'm off to a house party in a bit to drink that off and everything. should be fun, if i can stay awake. but anyway, the point of this is that i am now free, as in no exams, no school, nothing any more. and i'll be putting a lot more time into the blog, getting more interviews, more material and everything for you all. but, this will be in about a week or so, when things quiten down a bit, as i'm not in or sober long enough to string together anything of much coherence at the moment.
and to all those i've emailed, messaged on myspace, commented or who have done the same to me, i'm sorry if i haven't replied or am late! whatever i said i would do, i will, just it'll take me a while to get on top of things. if we were talking through myspace, please send me an email to wecandyflip@gmail.com with a reminder than i still need to send you an interview, finish what i was writing for you or whatever, as i have most likely forgotten or myspace has deleted all my messages. again.
stay tuned for more. it will come. and it'll be awesome.
no, not some crazy spelling of the top gear international man of mystery, but a relatively new duo from stockholm, sweden. stygg is johan bring and david strindberg, and they produce a dirty electro house sound. one of my favourite tracks at the minute is one they sent me the other week called lunacy, which is an incredibly infectious tune and, whilst the vocals are almost droned, surprisingly memorable and catchy! the track also has a trippy video, which has appeared on mtv in sweden:
if you like the track, get it saved to your disk, as i have it for you here in glorious 320kbps.
the synth sound is nice an fat, with filth dripping from it. and i love it. it's almost a raw and untamed sound, roaring through pretty much the whole of the track. there's a kindy of spooky 'electro glockenschpiel' that appears intermittently in it, which is a nice hook. the next song is just as good, bizarrely entitled center pivot irrigation system:
this one reminds me of simian mobile disco. definitely promising! i think it just has that kind of feel about it. the tempo is lower and the whole vibe is just more downbeat and chilled. this is another one that i am really liking at the moment.
stygg, i think, will definitely be worth keeping your eyes on, as i can see them going places. and pretty damn fast. and sorry if the post isn't really up to scratch today or seems a little short, but i had my last exam earlier on about two hours of sleep. again. needless to say, it didn't go amazingly. and wasn't fun. but, i am now a free man! couldn't really be happier. but my head is nodding as i write this, so if bits don't make sense or i am rambling, it's because i may as well be asleep.
this is, without a doubt, my favourite track at the minute. flash gordon. it is amazing. brilliant. cool. dazzling. excellent. fucking fantastic. and whatever other abc adjectives you can come up with. i just love it. a lot. and i won't waste any more time describing it. just listen to it, download it and fall in love.
it's from a belgian dj trio voltronixx, made up of cé, matty and jan. and the sound is, in a word, loud. it's nothing too new, but it works. and if it works, why change it? there's plenty of distorted synths, a raving bassline, some repeated vocals and crazy buildups and suchlike. all in all, it has the makings of a massive party anthem. if i haven't already told you; i absolutely fucking adore this track. get it downloaded
boost down is another damn good release from voltronixx. it's not quite as 'ravey' or new electro housey as flash gordon, but the bass is beastly and the effects well used, so it's impossible to complain. oh, and it sounds awesome! which is always a plus. i'm definitely keeping my eyes on these three, as i am sure they have big things coming their way in the future. their mixtapes help give support to this as well, with some hard and heavy track listings and enough bass to make your ears bleed. crank up the volume, head over to the myspace page and get dancing.
if you're looking for a new interview, look no further! as i mentioned in my lazy post yesterday, i've done one with justdima that has been published on iinsight magazine's front page. it's the first in the series i'll be doing for the magazine, so check it out:
the man has pushed out some banging tunes, and enough to get people moving. well worth a listen, and a read! he has some nice stories. and stay tuned for more from both myself and dima, as he'll have more material out soon and i'll have it up on here! i'll also be continuing on iinsight, and i've got some damn nice interviews lined up for that. keep your eyes and ears open!
i'm not entirely sure if insomnia counts as a passion, especially since i fucking despise it. but, it's something that's been with me for years and i think i'll be keeping up for a long while to come, unfortunately. that, coupled with the fact that i've had another two exams today and have just done my first submission for iinsight magazine, mean i am absolutely bloody shattered. as such, i'll not be updating the blog with anything of use to you all today, but i will make the promise that i have a hell of a lot more excellent material for you, and that i will get it all posted up on here.
in the meantime, take a look at wecandyfliip 001 justdima; the first in my series of interviews for iinsight. inventive name for it, i know. but hey, i'm tired! and it makes me laugh. which probably isn't a good thing, but it'll be fine. i'm really excited about this new opportunity, and i've got some great stuff lined up for that too. be sure to have a look at the other areas on iinsight, and check back weekly for each of my new interviews! this week i have a brilliant one from justdima, which i'll have on here before long. next week i have something good planned as well. so even more reason to come back and check it out!
anyway, sorry about the lack of anything of substance here today. hopefully my first article on iinsight will do for you, and i'll be making it up with the material that i have coming. some absolutely incredibly upcoming producers, great interviews lined up, a couple of mixtapes and some bastardly banging tracks! all coming soon.
according to his myspace; yes, geraldisgrowing. gerald being "just a composer with international tastes. his influences range from french electro, the british invasion of new wave synthpop to classic rock and funk with a punk/ hiphop spirit."
these influences are prevalent in the tracks that he sent over. the first, pressure in the city, has funky overtones and a kind of 70s and 80s disco vibe to it, which i find really enjoyable. there's a repeated guitar riff that wouldn't be out of place in the intro to a song by some cheesy hair-metal band from 'back in the day.' the track, as a whole, for me has a kind of feel-good thing going for it as well, as in i find it pretty uplifting. i can imagine it'd be good to dance to as well. i've not had to chance to test it out on a decent soundsystem yet, but it's played out well through the setup i have in my room and my friend's car system.
rise above insanity, the other track gerald sent me, has a more typical electro sound. in this one, the french electro influences can be heard a lot more easily, and he manages to bring in some nice 8-bit sounds, giving this track a kind of retro feel as well. this one mellows out as it progresses, which the other didn't, and i really like this aspect of it. the energy continues, but slowly dies down and chills everything out, making it, i think, a great track to end a night with. check it out.
and now i have something i'm really happy about, and that is that i am now a resident writer for the online magazine iinsight. it's my job there to keep the music section updated with articles, interviews and the like. one new one every week. i am really psyched to get going with this, as it looks like a brilliant project, and will hopefully help me promote the music i love even more. for my first few submissions, i'll probably be adding a couple of interviews already up on here, but i have a few new ones lined up. be sure to bookmark iinsight magazine as well! and take a look at the other sections; there's some awesome stuff on there.
on top of this, i'm also selling off a load of things i collected over the years and that i now never really used, in order to fund all the stuff i've got planned for the summer. and i'm bloody happy with that as well, as i've currently raised, i think, just over £400, maybe £600 by the end of this month. and my god, i'm hoping so, as i have a lot i'd love to get done!
just an extra little note, but sharebee seems to be down at the moment. i'll add the alternative links as soon as it's up again, but the direct links are working fine, so you can still download the tracks.
as was promised back when i first got the blog up and running, i do have an interview with vektorkat for you all! it's taken a while, but it's here, and it's quality.
us:Hi there VEKTORKAT! Would you care to introduce yourselves? Lionel: Hello ! Antoine: We are three guys from france, who love electronic music and cats! Reynald: Miaou.
us:VEKTORKAT is a trio - how did the three of you meet and come to decide to DJ and produce your style of music together? Antoine: We were in the same graphic design school. Reynald: … and we are friends and we are fond of electronic music. So we decided to playing music together, under the name of Vektorkat, just to have fun.
us:Your productions include remakes of riffs from artists such as Nirvana. Musically, who are your largest influences? Antoine: To me, the main influences comes from rock'n roll. Lionel: French touch, and dance music .. but our itunes contains many other great things like pop, rock, funk, disco… Reynald: When I was a teenager, I used to listen to rap music. But the first CD I bought was the single from 2Unlimited.
us:We can see you've had gigs across France and you've come to the UK and played in London. What, so far, has been your favourite gig? Antoine: Every gig is a great pleasure for us, but to sum up I would say Lyon last summer, on a boat with a lot of crazy dancing people! Reynald: I remain of a guy who apologized to us: he enjoyed our music a lot but unfortunately, he couldn't dance… He was too fat.(true!)
us:If you could play any single venue or gig in the world, which would it be? Antoine: I dream of "I love techno" in Belgium, or Coachella! Reynald: To me, I'd like to take the plane for free to play abroad. To make travels and playing music at the same time! C.O.A.C.H.E.L.L.A!
us:You've been supported by various DJs worldwide, including Fake Blood. If you could work or gig with any other producer or DJ, who would it be and why? Antoine: Maybe with Blatta & Inesha because I love their music! Lionel:Thomas Bangalter, because I think he's far away from this "sidechainfidgetsaturatedclubmusic", like us. He's a perfectionist producer and a simple guy too!
us:Speaking of producing, are you currently working on any new material? Antoine: We're always working on something... : ) Reynald: Yeah, generally we never stop. Music, graphic design or facebook... The computer is always on!
us:You have a great deal of original productions. What about remixes - anything in the pipelines? Antoine: We don't remix a lot, but we're working on a non official remix of Yuksek's track "Tonight", and on some other secret stuff to be released soon!
us:What is your current setup for producing? Antoine: Definitely Ableton Live! Lionel: With cheap loudspeakers! Reynald: Beers & saussage.
us:How do you manage working with the three of you? I can imagine it'd get difficult at times to all agree on certain synths and beats and the like. Antoine: We work alone, but we're always sharing our track while working on it to improve them and make them follow the rest of our tracks. Lionel: Even though we seldom agree, it's still a pleasure!
us:Have you ever had a serious falling out over music, or any crazy stories from working/partying together? Antoine: There are plenty of stories concerning our bad luck on stage, or about parties... Lionel: "If a black cat crosses your path, you will have good luck". Really? Reynald: I think we have to write a book.
us:You three are definitely an up and coming act - is there anyone else you think we will be seeing a lot more of in 2009? Antoine: Maybe Blatta & Inesha (again) or Cecile (another italian!)
us:Who are your current favourite producers/artists? Antoine: ER2, Datraxer, Designer Drugs, Knuckles, Don Nola, Chewy Chocolate Cookie, Le Matos... Lionel: DatA, Hostage, Breakbot, Cecile, Axel Le Baron, The Third Wave ... Reynald: Autokratz, Yuksek, Sebastian, French Fries, Pierre Busson
us:What are each of your top 5 current favourite tracks? Antoine: Coeur de pirate - Comme des enfants (Le Matos remix) Chewy Chocolate Cookies - Apocalypse Keatch - Dirty And Hard Keatch (official remix) Kiko - So Time Daroc feat DW - Hypnotic France
Lionel: Cecile - Una Domenica Italiana Dizzee Rascal & Armand Van Helden - Bonkers Sparks - Tryouts For The Human Race Axel Le Baron & Julien Kourbatoff - Music Is The Danger Touché - Vampires
Reynald: Heartbreaker - Metronomy JanBon - Koko von Napoo Sunglasses at Night - Tiga & Zyntherius We danced together - The Rakes (Sebastian remix) Imagination - Rogerseventytwo
us:We've not heard any mixtapes from VEKTORKAT yet - would a summer tape be a possibility do you think? Antoine: Yes! We've juste released a new one, you can find it here. Reynald: Thanks & enjoy!
enjoy i did! check out the beastly track list:
Motor - Death Rave Renaissance Man - Haarlem Wolfgang Gartner - Bounce From Monument To Masses - Beyond God And Elvis (Felix Cartal remix) Blake - What I Like (Knuckles Insomniac remix) Heartache - Temptation (Gigi Barocco remix) All Leather - I Don't Hate **** God Does (Congorock remix) Djedjotronic - Dirty And Hard (Keatch remix) Chewy Chocolate Cookie - Apocalypse Major Lazer - Hold The Line (Coin Operated Boy remix) Muscles - If I was Wonderman (Bobmo remix) French Fries - Rebola Kiko - So Time Data - Verdict Redial - Terror / Frequency remix Missil - Glitch (TEPR remix) Major Lazer - Pon De Floor (Ernold sane remix) Moderat - Les Grandes Marches (MMMathias remix) feat. Spank Rock - B.O.O.T.A.Y Afrojack - Show Me Love (Afrojack remix) Armand Van Helden - Retro Kidz New Era
and even give the tape a listen!
to compliment the tape, i've also got a couple of my favourite tracks by antoine, lionel and reynald. the first is an original mix called end run, which if you haven't yet heard then i suggest you download now and get it played!
this one is another fun, fidgety and very danceable track. it's a complete mix up of mr oizo's track, positif. i actually prefer this version to the original, which was damn good as it stood! this, though, i think just transforms it into something i bloody love.
the last track i'll be posting up is another original mix, which has, as the title suggests, glitchy vocals, backed up by some rough and blaring synths, a deep kick and some lovely sidechaining. i love this one too.
and, to conclude today's post, i have another apology. i forgot to update the blog yesterday. again. i'd love to be able to say i have some kind of fantastic excuse, but i don't. i was out during the day after my biology paper, playing football and cricket in the amazing weather we finally have, then ended up driving round with a couple of friends for ages trying to find some place to eat. after going to about four different pubs and either bricking it after seeing the menu prices, the kitchen or the fact that we turned up after they stopped serving food, we gave up and split a kfc bucket between us. one of the greasiest things i've ever eaten, but i was so hungry by the time we got it, it was absolutely beautiful. then i stopped at someone else's, got pissed and fell asleep watching memento. which is the most confusing film i've ever sat down and started to watch.
but i finish my exams on wednesday. i've got a maths and general studies paper on monday, philosophy and ethics on tuesday and then biology on wednesday. after that, i'm free! plus i'll be more than making up with some incredible new material for you on here.
it's taken me quite a lot longer than i wanted to get this post up, but today it is finally here. and what a post. i got some banging new material in my inbox a couple of weeks ago from a lad called giovanni coppola from, if the name and insanely fidgety sound didn't give it away, italy. the man produces music that is fidgety to the extreme. the basslines are filthy, the kicks hard and the lyrics cut up almost beyond recognition.
to try to best describe elektropusher's sound, i'm going to have to ask you to watch a scanner darkly. and then rewatch the scene where the guy is smacked up and is imagining he has the bugs crawling all over him. and cannot not stop scratching. these tracks sound like the soundtrack to that feeling. i don't think it is possible to listen to them and sit still. my fingers are bouncing everywhere while i'm typing this, and my mind is all over the place. crazy music.
the first track i have for you is an upcoming remix of satellite by the snipplers. the vocals are fucked. some have been synched up to play as an arpeggio and it confuses the hell out of me. i can't quite make sense of this track, but i'm pretty sure that i really do like it.
this is an original mix by giovanni, and the chronically grimey bassline persists throughout, but this time broken up with some nasty 8-bit sounds and ever more confusing vocals, that at times almost sound like muffled and distorted whimpers. another bizarre, fidgeting and catchy track.
i'd keep an ear out for more from elektropusher. he has some more releases lined up, listed on his myspace, and i can say that, having heard a couple, you will be impressed. and inclined to move. a lot. which puts me in a good mood, since i'm one paper closer to finally finishing my a levels and the summer of a lifetime. five more papers to go across the next four working days, and then i can finally call myself a free man. which means i'll be dancing. a lot. and hopefully to music like this!
