This is a collection of odds and ends, of those vitamins you need in your diet but can’t find anywhere else or simply haven’t come across before. Here they are!
First up is the title track of the eagerly anticipated Salem album, King Night. Dark and majestic, this will test the bass on your speakers to the best, creating a sinister atmosphere, that whets the appetite for the rest of the album, which is due to drop on September 28.
The next track you probably will have heard, in truth we’re a couple of weeks late on this one, but I’ve been away and so I haven’t been able to bring it to your attention. Well, as they say, better late than never, it’s the Basement Jaxx remix of Vampire Weekend, a match made in heaven if I ever heard one. This mix keeps all the best parts of White Sky while giving it a more clubby/danceable aspect at the same time.
A track which I feel has potential to go absolutely massive is Barbara Streisand by Duck Sauce. There aren’t any mp3′s available which are worth listening to so insted I’ll share this tidy remix from SAUR with you.
Now my next track is a little known vitamin from 1985, but is an Italo-Disco classic. The Galactica remix of Mike Mareen‘s Dancing In The Dark has only just come to my attention and probably won’t be familiar to many of you either, but I suggest you familiarise yourselves with it as a matter of urgency.
Hailing from London, Safari are one of my tips to become one of the next big British indie bands. This track, Break On, has a good tune with a really good yet simple riff in the chorus, which helps to carry the song. Check this one out and keep them on your radar.
Also on the poppy edge of dubstep is the new Cassius track, I Love You So. Hardly any wobble and not really dubstep drums, some people are still insistent on classifying it as that anyway. It’s hard to pin down to one genre but I can see this one getting alot of radio play, it’s a nice little song.
Now here’s a real rarity, a Diplo track that hasn’t got hype from every electro blog out there and been played to death by just about every DJ on the scene. Saying that, it doesn’t sound very conventionally Diplo. Nonetheless, it sounds good, and there’s not a whole lot more I can say than that, it’s kinda jazzy/old school stuff.
Bang Bang Bang by Mark Ronson has been remixed to great effect by a couple of artists already, but I think this may be the best of the bunch, from U-Tern. This rework is smooth and flowing and pretty much guaranteed to fill the floor of any club. It’s an 80′s disco take on the track but while it does this sound excellently it also manages to sound totally fresh and new.
I’m something of a sucker for long extended relaxing remixes, St. Etienne’s remix of The Drums is among my favorite tracks of any genre this year, so it’s not entirely surprising that I’m pretty keen on the Cosmodelica Holiday Drama Mix version of Detachments track Holiday Romance. This is blissful, so stick it on the stereo sit back and chill in the last of the summer sun, with a nice glass of Pimms for refreshment, life doesn’t get much better.
If you don’t know who Bloodshy & Avant are you need to really be questioning your musical knowledge right now. As well as being 2/3 of the fantastic Miike Snow, they’re responsible for writing some of the most popular songs of the last decade, including Toxic by Britney Spears. Anyway, they’ve done this nice little remix of perennial next-big-thing Clare Maguire‘s debut single The Strangest Thing.
It seems a shame for one of my favorite bands, Jamaica to release their debut album and me not to include one track on the blog, but in all honesty it’s hard to choose one because they’re all so good! In the end I’ve settled on By The Numbers, which has all the ingredients of other good Jamaica tracks, namely it’s uber-catchy and has those sexy French electro guitar riffs and a good sing-along chorus. What more could you ask for?
Next is an awesome High Contrast track which has had little attention. Dating back to 2002, his remix of The Streets track Has It Come to This? came to my attention in a Jack Wills store. I have to say I think this is more appropriate for playtime at a filthy rave than soundtracking the shopping of upper-middle class England.
Miami Horror’s debut album Illumination has just dropped, and most people are paying attention to the originals, especially Holiday. However, I think the best of the bunch is the Punks Jump Up remix of Moon Theory. Check it out at the bottom.
I have got a very exciting new artist to introduce readers to right now. eMDeeeMA is pretty new, the oldest track on his Soundcloud is a month old, but he sounds like a real veteran. DickNasty! recently ran a remix competition on Peep My Ascot, I don’t know how well eMDeeeMA got on but his entry is certainly a good track, it’s pulsating electro with a clever little tune worked into the background. I think this would make a great driving track. Before I talk about his next track I have to say it comes with some sad news, the singer of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool, Charles Haddon tragically took his own life at the Pukelpop festival in Belgium. Our condolences go out to all his friends and family and it is such a shame for the world to lose such a talented person. Anyhow, eMDeeeMA has remixed the bands best know track Dance The Way I Feel in great style, the style is similar to the DickNasty! track. Finally I have his remix of The Bloody Beetroots Dimmakmmunication which he has sent over especially for Vacay Vitamins readers. So enjoy this exclusive, it’s one of my favorite electro remixes this year – that’s how good it is. I’m pretty certain this Michigan producer is going to be absolutely massive, so remember where you heard his name first!
- DickNasty! - Peep My Ascot (eMDeeeMA's Licky Remix)
- Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Dance The Way I Feel (eMDeeeMA Remix)
- The Bloody Beetroots - Dimmakmmunication (eMDeeeMA Re-edit)
Now this is something I got linked to a while ago and quite frankly forgot about. However I re-stumbled across the Dareni remix of Martin Skills track Sweetness, and I’m glad I did. At the very edges of dubstep this is more atmosphere than filth, just the way I like it.
Shake Aletti are an act I’m excited to bring to your attention. They produce pop/funk which has potential to go a really long way. It’s a nice mix of electro and pop but not in the traditional ‘electropop’ way. I’m told it’s very much Sheffield music in terms of the instruments it uses. Well, I have a bleeping, buzzing and wobbling remix from Sheffield’s finest, Toddla T, so you can get your teeth stuck into that one if you want something a bit more club centred.
To conclude this post, I have to cover one of the most important events this year musically. The debut Hurts album Happiness has arrived! Ever since January when I first heard the demo version of Wonderful Life I have been waiting for this album with baited breath. Well it’s finally here and it does not let down, all the songs live up to the majestic precedent set by Wonderful Life and the other leaks we’ve heard between. I’ve decided to feature Evelyn, a track which I’d never heard before. If you like Hurts you’ll love this, it’s true to their formula of the dark moody verse followed by the soaring uplifting chorus. I could quite easily post the whole album to be honest, but that would be totally against the purpose of blogging and counterproductive. What I will say is that this fits the same bracket as Jamaica’s No Problem – if you like the band you’ll love it, if you don’t you’ll hate it, because all the tracks stick to the specific sound.
That’s all from me folks, get your ears stuck into that. The results of the remix competition we’ve been running should be up pretty soon, so that’s something definitely to look forward to. Also, producers/fans can add me on Facebook & Soundcloud if you want to get in touch or share some music with me, my ears are always open.
R.I.P. Charles Haddon
By: dwayne
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