Jingle Bell Rock

A few hundred years ago, the lions and tigers were kings of the jungles and then one day they wound up in zoos. In 1981, Hall & Oates climbed to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 making them the biggest pop music act in America, then one day fell off the face of the planet. It's hard to forget their mustachioed image rocking out in tight pink pants that too often appeared on TV sets and magazine covers. When I heard about the Bird and the Bee's album of eight covers - Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates, I couldn't wait to get my greedy hands on the CD. The sound strays into the realm of odd and eccentric but lead singer Inara George delivers these classics with a sophisticated bad-girl warning. If you're going to cover Hall & Oates then god damnit make extra sure it's going to be good. In fact, make that great...the pop legends deserve nothing less. Although it's not exactly a genre, I filed this alongside cocktail party music because Interpreting the Masters Volume 1 seems like a natural choice to be played a such a gathering.  

The Bird And The Bee - I Can't Go For That
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The Bird And The Bee - Rich Girl
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The Bird And The Bee - Kiss On My List
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Grab the whole songbook here.

Penned Madness

It's funny how we call it a grilled cheese sandwich when it's mostly just bread.

Lemaitre - Primeval Atom
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Lemaitre - Fossil Fuels
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Decade

The boys from Flight Facilities just got back from a whirlwind trip to Paris to play at the renowned Paris Social Club, with a twist.

"We played at a party over there called 'Decade'. The idea of the party is that each artist/act has to play music from a certain decade. We were assigned the 70's so we prepared as best we could...For now, sit back, enjoy the mix and maybe get Mum and Dad to have a listen too. They may recognize a few tunes."

On repeat forever.

James Curd - Got To Have (Flight Facilities Remix)
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The Lowbrows - Dream In The Desert (Flight Facilities Remix)
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Flight Facilities - Paris Social Club (70s DJ Set)
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Tracklisting:
1. Pink Floyd - The Wall (Dream Time Edit/DJ Agent 86 Edit)
2. The Bee Gees - Stayin Alive (Tokolshe Edit/Original)
3. Franki Valli - Grease (Flight Facilities Edit)
4. Gwen Mccrae - All This Love That I'm Giving
5. The Brothers Johnson - You Make Me Wanne Wiggle (Flight Facilities Edit)
6. Chic - Good Times
7. Chilly - For Your Love
8. The Emotions - Best Of My Love
9. Edwin Birdsong - Cola Bottle Baby (Flight Facilities Edit)
10. Breakwater - Release the Beast (Flight Facilities Edit)
11. The Brothers Johnson - Stomp
12. ABBA - Gimme Gimme Gimme (Flight Facilities Edit)
13. Cerrone - Supermature/Sebastien Tellier - Kilometer
14. The Doobie Brothers - What A Fool Believes
15. Flight Facilities - Dreams In The Edit/Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
16. Heat Wave - Boogie Nights
17. Electric Light Orchestra - Last Train To London
18. Don Ray - Got To Have/James Curd - Got To Have
19. Boney M. - Gotta Go Home
20. Carrie Lucas - Dance With You
21. Michael Jackson - Don't Stopp Till You get Enough / Crave You

Fat Noize

With a stolen car, a trip to the beach, a gun, and attempted murders of various illusory people in the clouds, the video for "Make It Better" from The Knocks fits no mold that the song creates for it. Then again, members Ben "B-Roc" Ruttner and James "J-Patt" Patterson don't really fit any mold that critics and fans try to fit them inside either. Even with good looking girls and expensive cars, it is the tune that' is the most infectious thing about the "Make It Better" video - a testament in this day and age of too much concern with image and not enough with content. Brace yourself for a fist fight with modern rock coolness.

The Knocks - Dancing With The DJ
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The Knocks - Make It Better
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The Knocks - Can't Shake Your Love
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Pleasure Lingers

The closest thing to having a midas touch would be having a treasure finger one. His songs are well written and never come across as obvious. Music like that always wins in my house. Bump this batch like a bumper car you're really angry at because the six year old driving it is incompetent and just not taking the bumper car experience seriously.

BURNS - YSLM feat. Fred Falke (Treasure Fingers Remix)
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BURNS - YSLM feat. Fred Falke
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Treasure Fingers - It's Love (Charles I Remix)
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Treasure Fingers - Lift Me
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White Lies

It's not everyday that you get banned by Google for being an alleged malware distributor. It was rather annoying actually, like couples who sit on the same side of the booth when there is no one on the other side or when you're eating candy and someone asks if they can have a red one...go get your own. None the less it led to a pretty quiet week on the hill but we're hoping we've got the problem licked. So what better way to encourage everyone to burn off that gloom and doom than by bringing Crystal Castles back with another angry addition to their repertoire.

The Cure's Robert Smith - now a 51-year old poster child - has lent his vocals for singing duties and maintains the ferocious, glitched out sound that Alice Glass and Ethan Kath are so well known for. Alice is creepy and chaotic but she makes me want to find a girl with thick black eye liner and go make out in a cemetery.

Whether you're a dj who needs a set list boost or just the kid who likes to commandeer the ipod at house parties, here are a few post-Halloween jams for you to play out.

Crystal Castles - Not In Love feat. Robert Smith
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Soho Dolls - Trash The Rental (Crystal Castles Remix)
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Crystal Castles - Baptism (Punks Jump Up Remix)
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"Not In Love" is actually a cover of the 80s new wave band Platinum Blonde. Check out this antique:

Strange But True

Even if you have never been a fan of these artists because they sound 30 degrees short from being bad 60s lounge singers, I still think it would greatly behoove you to give them a listen. I've been jiving to these for a while now and the remixes are good enough to stand on their own - all bringing something new to the table and pumping life into some year old jams. Somehow they give more homage to the Dutch than anything we've heard from these BAMF's before. This package includes reworks from Clock Opera, Edwin Van Cleef, Little Lout, Anoraak, and the Pulse's favorite, Villa.


Findlay Brown - Promised Land (Villa Remix)
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Au Revoir Simone - Tell Me (Clock Opera Remix)
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Housse De Racket - Champions (Edwin Van Cleef Remix)
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Clock Opera - Once And For All (Little Loud Remix)
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Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms (Anoraak Remix)
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Bamboleo

Let your freak flag fly.

Martin Solveig - Hello feat. Dragonette
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October's Eve

These have been languishing in my iTunes for too long. When the blogs were buzzing about Juju and Wonder I must have been napping. What awaited me following my slumber made sleeping on this all the more worth it.

King Juju - Doin My Thing
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Stevie Wonder - Downtight (Chambaland Mashup)
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Tympanometry

This will change your week. 

AfroJack - Take Control feat. Eva Simmons
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Duck Sauce - Anyway
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This will change your appetite.

In Transit

Hailing from a small town in bluegrass country, Caleb Cornett (aka Amtrac) has become Kentucky's own music star and a trailblazer for tracks sounding one part dub, two parts electro. His fans are living the American Dream through him as he's finally made it from his parent's garage in Kentucky to traveling the nation full time on festival circuits and lighting up dance floors coast to coast. 

Across the Wall is smooth as silk but who knew they had computers in Kentucky?

Genre: Unknown
Amtrac's talent: Proven

Amtrac - Across the Wall (feat. aRUG)
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If I happen to trip and fall down the same hole Alice did on her way to Wonderland, this song is a definite contender to soundtrack the descend.

Phantogram - Mouthful of Diamonds
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Belly of the Beach

Keeping it close to home with a dose of the "far aways", the soon-to-be on the tips of everyone's tongues talent, Sandhoppers, are prepped and primed for beach front exposure. York deserves fat recognition for releasing the original version that dates back more than 10 years ago - but still remains an absolutely belting track that never fails to bring me back to summer. On the Beach is a peak time monster with on the spot production and a particularly catchy bassline. For 8 minutes this song will put everything you do on hold, press play and prepare for a feast for your ears.

York - On the Beach (2007 Sandhoppers Remix)
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Also on the program, Oh Land debuts the Savage Skulls remix of "Sun of a Gun"

Oh Land - Sun of a Gun (Savage Skulls Remix)
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BrasstaSStic

Brasstronaut breathes fire. I was expecting them to sound completely different than they do but their name is a perfect indication of their sound - and I can't think of a better one for an approaching fall. The Vancouver band is fronted by Edo Van Breemen on keyboards / vocals and he is accompanied by a slu of others playing a wide range of instruments. Gobbling up genres in its path, Brasstronaut manages to fuse pop, electronica, and jazz. Cinematic, atmospheric, haunting and intense are all words that could describe them.

However loud or quiet these songs may be, just crank the volume and let Slow Knots run its course...this single does more than I have heard some bands do in an entire album.

Brasstronaut - Slow Knots
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Splittin' Spuds

California isn't just a breeding ground for silicon sluts and MBA's but a lot of upcoming unique artists and musicians. San Francisco songstress K. Flay got to dabbling in production between study halls and now can preform MIDI surgery on just about any of the industry's most enticing electricisms. She must have some pretty big lady balls to sample bits and pieces of Grizzly Bear's "Two Weeks" with shamelessly honest lyrics, but hell, if you don't differentiate then don't bother. K. Flay has a kind of voice that your ears won't forget and her tracks hold their own against most anything you might hear on the radio. For all you recessionistas grab her mash-up mixtape "Mashed Potatoes" for FREE here

But enough talking about the chef. Sample her cooking. 

K. Flay - Heavy Cross Out
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K. Flay - 2 Weak
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K. Flay - Crazytown
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Galactik Knights

I wish I was as cool as this kid. At 20 years old, Brett Ewels a.k.a Louis La Roche is being hailed as the next great house hero for the British dance music scene. It's hard to disagree with such a statement, especially after being cited with big guns like the Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, and Cassius. You will definitely break a sweat listening to his stuff

Jean Jacques Smoothie - 2 People feat. Tara Busch (Louis La Roche 2010 Rework)
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Ocelot - Beating Hearts (Louis La Roche Remix)
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TooT Sweets

Time flies. With less than two weeks left, I am beginning to reluctantly acknowledge that summer does eventually have an end to it. To escort us out of August, I present music: pure and simple, soulful if you insist. These sweets are proof in the pudding that spontaneously breaking into song and synchronized dance is still ok, even while the seasons are a-changin'

Faces - Ooh La La
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Pheugoo - Hometown Bitch
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King Charles - Love Lust
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Pnau - Baby (Breakbot Remix)
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Spiller - Groovejet (If This Ain't Love)
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Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
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Saved By Spacemen

Inspired by bands like Le Tigre, Revlon 9, or just chicks on speed, Lissi Dancefloor Disaster shines in the vein of those artists that hold the torch high for exciting indie electronic music. The high energy track is short and bustling, it leaves my ears hungry for more.

Lissi Dancefloor Disaster - Oh My God
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I almost flipped my desk over when I heard this, even my dog was dancing.

Flight Facilities - Crave You feat. Giselle (Version 2)
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Here's another off stage surprise:

End Of An Aero

Aeroplane, the former Beglian duo made up of Vite De Luca and Stephen Fasano, is now a solo act. The announcement of the band's split comes at an odd time with their debut full-length album We Can't Fly set to release next month. I'm confident that Aeroplane would have been a household name amongst us all in a few years - with multiple projects and mixes under their belt, the new album would have launched them onto an unrivaled global platform.

Like most electro wizards, Stephen Fasano still has a few tricks up his sleeve and has already resurfaced as The Magician. He has been a known admirer and collector of disco through the decades and unsurprisingly his first release - Magic Tape 1 - reflects this passion. The hour long mix is loaded with old Italo gems and culminates the epitome of lush, blessed-out disco house.

The Magician - Magic Tape 1
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Track Listing:
1. Admiral Freebee - Always On The Run (I'm guessing it's a VillA remix)
2. Midnight Magic - Beam Me Up
3. Mickey - Farfalle
4. Ali Love - Smoke and Mirrors (Bottin Remix)
5. Kim Wilde - Cambodia
6. Command V - Lost On Me (Mighty Mouse Remix)
7. Chemical Brothers - Swoon (Lindstrom & Prins Thomas Remix)
8. James Curd - Got To Have (Flight Facilities Version)
9. Alba - Only Music Survive

Don't Die Wondering

Poached.

Fake Blood - I Think I Like It (Tommie Sunshine & Figure Re-Edit)
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Culture Beat

Roisin Murphy - looking overly pregnant yet stunningly Victorian-ish - is a bad ass mom that won't be made a fool of. Despite her varied forays into musical oddity, Murphy reinvents being bad on the decades first Grade A intelligent pop song, Momma's Place. It's hip and strange to note such an aggressive retro dance track dedicated to her newborn daughter. You won't catch me complaining.

Roisin Murphy - Momma's Place
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Roisin Murphy - Momma's Place (Oberheim Remix)
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L’Oisive Thé

Something A La Mode is a rarely found combination of classical musicians fed on club culture. The duet's influences range from Justice to Beethoven, mixing assorted strings and dirty arpeggios with euro-trance  synths. SALM brings an entirely new sound to the table and is a refreshing change from orthodox electro. Listen as they take their cello and violin just about anywhere you can imagine across a city full of flavor - Paris.

Something A La Mode - 5 AM feat. K Flay
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Something A La Mode - Paris Makes Me Feel Like Dancing
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Eargasms

After so many years of listening to this music you realize what it does to you - it fills you with sadness because it takes you to such impossible places and heights. The hopes and thoughts you get from listening to it are unlikely for most, but they're still addictive, enthralling, and far from senseless. 

Deadmau5, Evermore, J. Duplaix, D. Delay - Late Strobe Bodyshine (Dirtysouth Bootleg)
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Adam K - Complicated
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Michael Cassette - Kilimanjaro (Original Mix)
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By the way, I totally want Underoos.

Your Side Of Our Story

I love happy electro - these three songs fit the bill to a tee.

Sebastien Drums & Avicii - My Feeling For You (Original Mix)
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Shinichi Osawa - Main Street Electrical Parade
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Rock Electrique - The Promise
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Truly Retro

Optimism is the first cousin of love, and it's exactly like love in three ways: it's pushy, it has no real sense of humor, and it turns up where you least expect it. Listen for the fourth in the Blow's True Affection - a complete nod to 80s new wave low-fi kickers - totally infused with hope and buoyancy. 

The Blow - True Affection
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DJ Hoppa - Passin' Affection (The Blow vs. The Pharcyde)
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Sunday Scoop

The following will echo in your ears like a drunkard's prayer in an empty church. 

N.A.S.A. - Gifted (The Aston Shuffle Remix) feat. Kanye West, Santigold & Lykke Li
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Two Door Cinema Club - What You Know (LightsoverLA remix)
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Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work (Ted & Francis Remix)
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City Shakedown

Apparently there is a baby crying festival held in Japan each year where mothers allow sumo wrestlers to scare the living shit out of their offspring (most of whom are under the age of 1) until they hysterically cry and 'ward of evil spirits'. While mothers pray for good health, the competition is judged by a sumo referee and the baby who cries the longest wins. Now granted I don't live in Japan and I don't believe in evil spirits (except for those little ghost girls who haunt sunken freighters in the Atlantic), but this 400 year old tradition is one of the most bizarre bundles of boohockey I've ever stumbled across.

Unlike babies, everything that comes out these mens mouths is pure genius. They should sell their saliva.

Wiley - Cash In My Pocket [Chew Fu Small Room Remix] feat. Daniel Merriweather
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Crystal Castles - Skewed Emapthy (Skratch Bastid Mix) feat. Outkast & Raekwon
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Sébastien Tellier - L'amour et la Violence [Boys Noize Euro mix]
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Afro Surprise

In matters of food I am French, in matters of love I am Italian, and in matters of business I am Swiss (very Swiss). I guess I'm a Fool in the matter of music.

Download Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel Here

Fight Night

"Ready For The Fight" is a triumphant cross genre collaboration between London-based electronic dance producers Hal Ritson and Cameron Saunders, aka The Young Punx. When combined with the Memphis-born king of independent Hip Hop producers, Count Bass D, expect the unexpected. Seriously, these two are not afraid to break the rules. Their unique mashpop & punkstep sound gives the track a fresh approach and humor that has won a strong following across the world. So get ready for the week, ready for the fight, and enjoy this along with two edits from Wez Clarke and Gramapondzie.

The Young Punx - Ready For the Fight (Wez Clarke Big Room Mix)
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The Young Punx - Ready For the Fight (Gramaphondzie Remix)
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Grab the Original: "Ready For the Fight feat. Count Bass D" Here

French Express

Coeur de Pirate (Béatrice Martin) is simple, sweet, and very french. She's been playing the piano since the age of three and makes excellent use of the ivories in Comme Des Enfants. Her voice is youthful and borderline childish...reminds me of warm, buttery croissants, yum. 

Coeur De Pirate - Comme Des Enfants (Le Matos Andy Carmichael Remix)
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Starring is a stand out track off the Freelance Wales self-titled debut album, Weathervanes, released back in August 2009. Due to my naivety I never took much notice of their hype however look out as they already have a fairshare of festivals prepared for 2010. The song almost makes me want to throw on lose fitting clothes and frolic through a field, skipping and picking daises along the way.

Freelance Wales - Starring
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Finally, two trancey treats that roll through like an ambient dreamscape with enough grainy edges to provide friction for the ears. It sounds as if listeners are moving through a tunnel with distant voices shouting down from above.

Chicane vs. Natasha Bedingfield - Bruised Water (Adam K Vocal Mix)
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Fragma - Tocas Miracle (Inpetto Remix)
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