Howard You Like It

Classixx established themselves (arguably) as the sound of Summer '09 a while back, by releasing a whole bag of awesome mixes of stuff and making the blogging world wet themselves collectively in excitement. A few month' back, a video of their single(?) 'I'll Get You' sprang up on youtube, Radio 1 got all excited about it, so did I, and since then I've been waiting to grab a decent copy of the track. Which I now have. Aeroplane played it when I saw them on Saturday and pretty much made my day, despite all the rain and ketted-up nutters. The chorus of the song, for those who don't know it, goes 'Do you like bass, do you, do you like bass?' which I think should pretty much sell it to any doubters.

Listening to Classixx has put me in a pretty chilled type of mood, which probably explains why I chose the next song. The Time And Space Machine remix of Bastila's 'Ghosts' sound like a track that has been custom-made for a MoS 'Chillout' compilation. The guitars are heavily reverbed, trebley and wah-wahed up to the hilt, giving them a very relaxed, floaty feel. Signal Hill-esque, but with some sampled old-school hip hop drums and a deep, funky bassline thrown over the top to give it a nice bit of rhythm. A good one for watching the sunset.

Next up is a Lifelike remix, courtesy of Hyperbole. So far I've heard 3 different mixes of Killa Kela's 'Everyday', and I reckon Lifelike's is the best of the three. He basically takes the insanely catchy chorus on the original, turns it up, and loops it for the best part of six minutes. In a good way - kind of like his 'Cross The Dancefloor' remix. It sounds epic, very summery, and good for dancing or barbequing. Obviously that sounds like a bit of a contradiction, but I think it just depends how loud you play it. Probably the best remix I've heard from Lifelike in a long time, but well worth the wait.

Last, but definitely not least, is another one from my new favourites Y A L L. Following up on my last post, I've been searching everywhere for some more tunes from these guys' back catalogue. Their remix of the classic 'At Night' is the pick of the bunch, just edging their La Roux edit off the top spot. Massive kicks and snares, fuzzy sub bass snippets, and (standard) party synth stabs make up a very powerful track - think Sidechains, Grum, etc. A must-have for the electro rave-up animals.

Classixx - I'll Get You (Feat. Jeppe) Buy
Bastila - Ghosts (The Time And Space Machine 'Summer of Love' Remix) RCRD LBL
Killa Kela - Everyday (Lifelike Remix) Myspace
Shakedown - At Night (Y A L L Mix) Web

Euphoric

Madcon made a bit of an impact with their single 'Beggin' (which used that awesome Pilooski edit of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons), but I wrote them off fairly quickly, assuming they would be a bit of a one-hit wonder.

Whoops.

Although they might not be the best rappers in the world by any means, they definitely know good production when they hear it. The sexy electric guitar in '2000'n AA' is pretty much one of the best used samples I've heard in a long time. The drums are also great, really funky, and it's all mixed in with some horn stabs and a few electronic sounds. It sounds very smooth. And the lyrics aren't all bad, though they seem a bit aggressive for the track. (The way he sings 'we Madcon' sounds awesome as well). 'Liar' and 'The Sweetest Drug' are done in the same kind of style and are worth a listen as well. I think 'Liar' is quite possibly on a few BBC playlists... You can count that as a good thing or not depending on personal preference.

But it can't be all commercial hip-hop on this blog. In fact it hardly ever is. Because that would be no fun. So I turn to commercial dance instead - meaning the new Calvin Harris track in particular. I can't be the only person who spent the last week searching for a non-tagged version of the song, or one that wasn't horribly distorted by (non)virtue of being a radio-rip. Alas, I can't find one. To make do, I've listened to my less than ideal versions of the song about 50 times a day. I love the new direction he's gone in, moving from a 'disco' revival to some good, old-fashioned, mainstream house - possibly because he's trying to jump on the hype surrounding 'Pjanoo' and 'Infinity '08'. Not that I'm cynical. Regardless, 'I'm Not Alone' is a great song, it builds up nicely and it's about as euphoric as you could possibly want. Can't wait to hear it on a night out.

I won't put up the song, because it's on his myspace and all over the web anyway. I've put up an old remix of 'Dance Wiv Me' by Shazam instead, because it's pretty much amazing.

Sticking with the trance theme, I've linked an old Lifelike tune as well. I'm pretty sure he doesn't need any introduction or any hyping. Which is good, because I've already written far more than necessary.

Also, Damn Arms are quality. They've been getting a lot of attention recently, courtesy of their new EP. Their remix of 'Far Away' is one of my favourites, and I think I may have linked it before. Nevertheless, it's worth a second mention. The grainy electric piano in particular sounds fucking brilliant, and the treatment of the vocals is perfect.


Madcon - 2000'n AA Buy
Cut Copy - Far Away (Damn Arms Remix) Buy
Geyster - Under The Fuse Of Love (Lifelike Remix) Buy
Dizzee Rascal (feat. Calvin Harris and Chrome) - Dance Wiv Me (Shazam Remix) Buy