Banananananas

Anyone that has been on Hype Machine in the last week or so will have picked up on Sammy Bananas' (who?) exemplary remix of Passion Pit's single 'The Reeling'. A few current big names have done mixes for the track already (Calvin Harris, Miike Snow, Burns), but for me this remix stands out as the most effective, and the most intriguingly different from the original (although Burns' version is pretty different, I don't think it works quite as well). Mr Bananas puts a very housey/tranceish feel on it (I'm thinking Eric Prydz/ WPAHP/ Deadmau5 stlye here), slowing the pace down and lowering the pitch a fair bit. The result is a great remix, if not a classic original track - it stands out more for what he's done to the original than for it's own greatness (but it is pretty effing great). Well worth a listen.

The Aspirins For My Children got a bit of attention for their (his - is it just Mr Barker?) remix of Marina and The Diamonds, and they deserve a bit more - particularly for this more recent effort: a bang tidy mix of Frankmusik's 'Confusion Girl'. Don Diablo has already lent his talented hands to this particular track, but I think the Aspirins mix just edges it for me, by virtue of being a bit more punchy and dancey (and therefore more suited to my high-impact and intense lifestyle). Frankmusik's stuff is occasionally a bit messy and fast so I like the way Aspirins have slowed it down and drawn out/sliced up the vocals a bit more. Plus the piano stabs make it a more epic and head-noddy (if that's any kind of real term or phrase). (Credit goes to We Like It Indie for putting it up originally).

Ah...remixes. They definitely make life a little better. Metric's 'Collect Call', off their new album is a good song - all Bat For Lashes type atmosphere and mildly haunting vocals, slow builds, reverbed, echoing guitary bits, etc. Tom Wrecks version, however, is all haunting vocals, atmosphere and steadily pounding drums. Which I like. He certainly doesn't 'wreck' the original ... a-ha ... a-ha ... lol? (Ignore that). It's got a bit more dynamism to it - the kind of track you listen to while driving at night: You don't want to fall asleep, but you don't want a rip-roaring electro banger doing your head in. It's nice. Like a chilled out Tiesto/David Aussi vibe with more vocals and less synthed-up chord progressions.

I have to thank the awesome Rub-A-Dub-Dubbb blog for this last one: Nero's 'Act Like You Know'. It's an absolute screamer, and a bit more intensely raw in some parts than his much-hyped (and sick) remix of the Streets - it sounds a bit more like his mix for Boy Crisis. There's also a tasty little house breakdown about halfway through - a more direct lift from his original mix - which uses that classic 'Show Me Love' dance sound without directly sampling the over-killed melody. Then it jumps back into crazy scratched up Rusko-style synths (a little bit darker sounding than Rusko, I should point out) and powerful bass punches. Insane, and highly recommended (although the vocal does get mildly repetitive).

Passion Pit - The Reeling ( Sammy Bananas' Big Choon Mix) FG
Frankmusik - Confusion Girl (The Aspirins For My Children Remix) Theirspace
Metric - Collect Call (Tom Wrecks Remix) Hisspace*
Nero - Act Like You Know (Dubstep Mix) Buy

*Like a few other artists, he's giving away some of his remixes free on myspace. Well worth getting hold of!

Pandamonium

Other than that awesome picture, this post has nothing to do with pandas. Sorry.

Anyway, I was flicking through my itunes today and I realised that the only thing more fun than that panda is Frankmusik's remix of 'Did You Wrong'. (Thats an awful link, sorry again.) The Clik Clik are quite a fun little band on their own, and the original version of the track is cheerful enough, but Mr. Frankmusik takes it and pumps it full of electro candy. The end result sounds like a sugar crazed madman attacking a 5-year olds keyboard. In a good way. It comes across a bit noisy and fast-paced initially, but if you stick with it it's actually a pretty cool tune. One from last year, but worth a listen for those who aren't familiar with it.

I've been a fan of Damn Arms since I heard their Cut Copy remix. Which, come to think of it, can't have been that long ago. Either way, I've yet to hear a bad tune from out of their camp, and the SexWax remix of 'Destination' is no exception. The original two-parter is quite a chilled out number, but SexWax (who gives away the tune free with a bunch of other cool mixes on his myspace) makes it a bit more epic. Everything is a bit more reverbed and fuzzed up (distorted), making the song a bit more filthy and club-friendly without losing too much of the original vibe. It's very good, and not too complicated.

Last up is 'In Anima Vili', by Just A Band. I glossed over this tune completely when I first got it, but returned to it by complete chance the other day. I have now managed to decide that it's flipping awesome. 'Burn It Out' was a banger, and 'In Anima Vili' is no exception. I'm pretty sure it actually says 'bang' just as it drops (about 50 secs in). Which is probably reason enough in itself to have a listen. Apart from that, it's got a massive bass kick to it, and all kinds of spaced-out synths flickering over the top. Plus it's got that Justice-style staccato piano stab all over the bass that sounds amazing.

It's been bloody sunny so far this week, I feel like I should have saved up some of my summer tunes. Ah well...

Damn Arms - Destination (SexWax Remix) Myspace*
Just A Band - In Anima Vili Buy
The Clik Clik - Did You Wrong (Frankmusik Remix) Buy

*The Daft Punk mix on his player is well worth checking out.

Soothers

Gutted.

I have no way of linking that picture to this post. So I'm just going to crack on as if its relevance is obvious.

The first song of today, then, comes from the camp of the unbelievably hot, and very talented, Marina and the Diamonds. I'm a big fan of the original song, 'I am not a Robot', so I wasn't really convinced with Starsmith's revamp when I first heard it. The tune starts pretty slowly, and the vocals seem a bit slapped together initially. However, Starsmith has actually given the track quite a summery spin and I've decided it's definitely worth a listen. It kind of has a more 'robot' feel - all floaty A-ux style synths with a hint of Aeroplane to the beat. Pretty laidback. Also, he has an Ellie Goulding track on his myspace, which makes me think that maybe he produces her incredible music, or is involved in some way?* Top marks if he is.

I haven't posted any indie for a while, so I feel like the time has come. I nabbed a copy of the new Signal Hill album More After We're Gone the other day, and its incredible. I was going to post something off it, but then I got Cascade's new EP The Pieces Of The World and listened to 'Midnight Sun'. Both bands are well in to their treble-led, soft, summery instrumentals, and 'Midnight Sun' is quite possibly the best of the bunch. It surges along at a fairly gentle pace, and is laced with sunny guitar chords and riffs that capture the summer moment perfectly. I'm pretty much in love with the song, and I spent most of yesterday listening to it whilst doing as many summer activities as possible (BBQing, Swimming, being hot, etc.) It was awesome. You can also get a free download of their single 'The Hypnotizer' here.

Time for a third genre now. Because although I thought that soft indie might be the quintissential sound for the season, I'm now thinking ... liquid drum 'n' bass. Amirite? Specifically, the brand that High Contrast and, more recently, Chase 'n' Status and Blame have been putting out. I thought Blame's remix for the new 'Show Me Love' EP was awesomeness, and he's recently been sought out by VV Brown to provide a mix for her new single 'Shark in The Water'. I love it. The vocals are perfect, and the track is filled with triumphant trumpet fills and blasts that make it excitingly epic. It's a must-have for anyone who likes Blame's other work, and it actually makes me want to hear more VV Brown, despite the fact that I've been trying ignore all the hype surrounding her since the start of the year.

Last up, I thought I'd bring back a classic from two summer' ago. The Hook 'n' Sling remix of 'Coup D'etat', which probably shouldn't need an introduction. It was on the Ibiza Annual of 2007, and it has a deliciously inordinate amount of bounce and catchingess to it, making it (probably) one of my favourite house tracks of all time. Enjoy, I hear the cold front is coming back.

Gutted.

Marina and The Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot (Starsmith's '24 Carat' Remix) Buy
Cascade - Midnight Sun Myspace
VV Brown - Shark In The Water (Blame Remix) Myspace BuyBlame

Bonus:
Bass Kleph - Coup D'etat (Hook 'n' Sling Remix) Buy

*Turns out they're some duo called Goldsmith? Exciting stuff.