Friday, January 28, 2011

MIXTAPE: Moustache



With a pile of tracks sitting around my hard drive and a free night to piece things together on the fly, I finally decided it was time for a heavy 2011 kick-off (after the three months of mixtape silence) with this retro-future blast of indie disco/italo/house.

This mix could fall under the Disco Desire series, but with the indie & house elements I wanted it to stand on its own. By the way, if you haven't heard the A-Trak's Robyn remix, wait 'til your ears get blown away.

Made in the night, Moustache was made for your night. The title of the mixtape memorializes the shaving of my mustache and, additionally, I visualize it as a soundtrack for a mustache'd dude (or chick, I'm not gender-biased), time-traveling between the last three decades to all the hippest, legendary underground clubs. Cheers!

Tracklist
1. Nicolas Jaar - Come N' Get It
2. Linkwood Family - Piece Of Mind
3. Apiento & Co. - She Walks (Pete Herbert Remix)
4. Domeyko/Gonzalez - Eschatol (Rio Lobotomy Remix)
5. Johnwaynes - Get Up (Just John Mix)
6. Aeroplane - Without Lies (Breakbot Remix)
7. Discodeine - Synchronize (Feat. Jarvis Cocker)
8. Tensnake - In The End (I Want To Cry)
9. Cut Copy - Take Me Over (Midnight Magic Remix)
10. The C90s - Shine A Light
11. Bot'Ox - Blue Steel (Still Going Remix)
12. Hercules & Love Affair - My House
13. Azari & III - Into The Night (Prince Language Remix)
14. Scissor Sisters - Invisible Light (Siriusmo Remix)
15. Grum - Through The Night (The Swiss Menergy Remix)
16. Robyn - Indestructible (A-Trak Remix)
17. Poka - Still Don't Wanna

Download Moustache
MediaFire or zSHARE
(39 min | 55 mb)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Cannonball Sundays @ Drai's (Hollywood) w/ DJ Funk, DJ Aero, Dj Metric & Special Guest

It's MLK Weekend! In honor of Dr. King (and I mean this is the least disrespectful way), come out to Dim Mak's Cannonball Sunday party at Drai's (at The W Hotel in Hollywood) and get mad cray with us!

No work or school on Monday (for most of you) means you need to check the night out to see all the surprises in store. Just added: DJ Funk to close out the night. We have a special guest coming through, on top of resident DJ Metric and myself (long time attendee, first time DJ'ee!) to open up the night with a set of disco/funk and indie dance jams (10-11:15p). Check out the flyer for more info:



and don't forget to RSVP here before the list closes: dimmak.com/sundays

Monday, January 3, 2011

Best of 2010: My Top 25 Albums



It's been a few months since I've posted anything on here, but as I've been doing every end of the year for the last 10 years (granted over about 5-6 different blogsites) here's my top 25 favorite albums from 2010:

1. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker
Parts cosmic & psychedelic, superb stoner-esque indie rock from Australia. The vocals, guitar reverb and overall vibe of this record sends my mind to a different plane of consciousness. (Check out: "Alter Ego")

2. Best Coast - Crazy For You
Not a fan of their earlier EPs that mostly lacked percussion & proper production, but this album blew everything else before of out of the water. More stoner rock but on a throwback, lo-fi & surf rock tip. (Check out: "The End")

3. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
This band never puts out a bad record. A few updates to their sound, but the band's latest masterpiece in crafting epic albums. (Check out: "Ready To Start")

4. The Black Keys - Brothers
The albums this blues-rock duo puts out keep getting better and better. Sharp production, great guitar work and melancholy vocals. (Check out: "The Only One")

5. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
A little more softer than previous albums but providing a super-eclectic journey into orchestral, choral, hip-hop, rock, dub & electronic compositions. Awesome arsenal of guest artists to boot. (Check out: "Empire Ants feat. Little Dragon")

6. Vampire Weekend - Contra
Still can't knock on this band. I'm a sucker for afro-pop and indie rock marriages. A close second to their debut. (Check out: "Cousins")

7. Grum - Heartbeats
Highly underrated electronic/dance effort (or too quickly forgotten?). Heavy italo-influence with a retro-future vibe. Equal parts Giorgio Moroder, Mylo, Les Rythmes Digitales, Discovery-era Daft Punk. (Check out: "Can't Shake This Feeling")

8. Owen Pallett - Heartland
I jumped on the Final Fantasy/Owen Pallett bandwagon a little late, but it's obvious Pallett has a great knack for vocal & string arrangements. A very lush & pretty album. (Check out: "Midnight Directives")

9. Here We Go Magic - Pigeons
Much more accessible than the last album in terms of a more recognizably rock record. Lots of lo-fi, psychedelic folk & rock throughout. Dreamy, other-worldly music. (Check out: "Collector")

10. The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack
Catchy garage, punk & rock from San Diego. Great record to sing along too. A nostalgic yet totally fresh sound that makes me feel like a teenager again. (Check out: "C'mon")

11. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
Melodic surf-rock with a tinge of '90s indie rock vibes, a sound from a band all the way from Florida no less. Why this band is not any bigger is beyond me. (Check out: "Swim")

12. Two Door Cinema Club - Tourist History
One of the best new bands on the scene, doing dance-rock right where others have so often failed at as of late. Youthful, energetic and highly infectious tunes. (Check out: "Undercover Martyn")

13. Toro Y Moi - Causers Of This
A wide melange of eclectic urban & electronic sounds, inspired by the past and future. Dreamy, electronic indie-pop. (Check out: "Talamak")

14. Wavves - King Of The Beach
Another band I jumped on late in the game; with a new rhythm section (ex-Jay Reatard), clean production and a (hopefully sober) frontman brimming with potential, this is one of the best poppy, lo-fi, punk & rock records I've heard all year. (Check out: "Post Acid")

15. Caribou - Swim
Another artist who also could not put out a bad record, this time attempting to create organic dance music. The such unconventional sounds (for dance/electronic music standards) used on this record and its results are phenomenal. (Check out: "Sun")

16. Sleigh Bells - Treats
If a team of only two can make arena-size, noise-rock anthems with swag like this, I'm totally in! Sonic guitar stabs, drums with marching-band intensity, sweet but bratty vocals...this is how pop music should aspire to sound like. (Check out: "Run the Heart")

17. Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
Like countless other hip-hop albums in the past decade, this one was on the shelf for a few years. 2007 or 2010, this album would've definitely made my list regardless. Super 808 elements, dirty southern twang & heavy bass corralled by Big Boi's great delivery and off-beat flair. (Check out: "Shutterbugg")

18. Twin Shadow - Forget
Do believe the hype; if I didn't for this artist, I wouldn't have discovered how much I surprisingly enjoyed this album. Musically and vocally channeling '80s (English rock) revivalism. The tempos & moods shift back and forth between tracks, but for a one-man band, mighty fine compositions. (Check out: "Slow")

19. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Not my favorite James Murphy record, but for his last (and since I'm a huge admirer) this is a pleasant farewell. Much more rock-based this time but with equal intensity and attention to detail that is expected from Mr. Murphy and his endless musical influences. (Check out: "I Can Change")

20. She & Him - Volume Two
One of the few (more classic-sounding) country/rock records I can stand. And I'm also a huge fan of M. Ward in general. With my Zooey Deschanel infatuation, the vocals always grab me by the soft spot in my heart. (Check out: "Thieves")

21. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
With the prospect of a collaboration between The Shins' singer and wonder-producer Danger Mouse, it's a no brainer they would knock it out of the ballpark. More of a low-key album, but each track is well put together and emotional. (Check out: "Mongrel Heart")

22. Hot Chip - One Life Stand
I got a more tongue-in-cheek vibe from the band with this record (though of course this has been part of their agenda from the start). A bit heavier exploration in electronic/house sounds, but you can tell they had fun putting this together. (Check out: "Hand Me Down Your Love")

23. Tobacco - Maniac Meat
I wouldn't even know where to begin with describing this album, but if you're familiar with Black Moth Super Rainbow (this being a side-project), you'll know what to expect. Short but sharp bursts of electronic/noise with punchy beats and funky electro vocals. (Check out: "Fresh Hex feat. Beck")

24. Holly Miranda - The Magician's Private Library
Superb dream pop & indie rock from a very talented songwriter & vocalist that I sadly do not know much about. With production by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio, this album is a tight, lush package as a soundtrack for your dreams. (Check out: "Waves")

25. Shit Robot - From the Cradle to the Rave
Last but not least, I was drawn to this DFA release because it shows how subversive the artist & label remain in the dance music game (and at the same time not trying to mimic everyone else). A combination of classic techno, house, rave, electro, kraut-rock & synth music with a touch of playful kitsch. (Check out: "I Got A Feeling")

Previous lists:
Best of 2009
Best of 2008

Happy New Year!