Thursday, March 26, 2009

Be Heard #1

First things first. If you haven't joined the official Fancy Sounds facebook group... do it! Second thing, there's a section in there on the discussion board where we want you to recommend artists or tracks. Well as a little incentive to actually participate in that discussion, we've decided that will take all the recommended tracks we like and put them in a post. We'll do it whenever we get enough tracks for a solid post, but the important thing is that you join, and tell us about the music you like. You learn from us now let us learn a little from you. 

Some people have already started, so here's one really cool track that's been recommended already. 

Scion CD Sampler Vol. 24: Discobelle

Electronic music's leading car company (Ha!), Scion,  has been killing it for the last couple of years with their remix EP's and CD Samplers. They've worked with several great record labels and artists, but never before have they given a blog their own CD Sampler. In my opinion this is a big step for the music blogging world in general, but I want to especially congratulate the guys at Discobelle specifically. Nice! The tracklist is crafted of a ton of great tracks from some great artists. Most of the artists are Swedish, because Discobelle guys = Swedish themselves, but there are also a few non-swedish artists for some diversity. Overall it's a great compilation of well made tracks. It was no surprise to me that my two favorites were the Don Rimini and Dada Life tracks, but I wasn't expecting that I'd find this gem. A fun clever track from Jamtech Foundation that I think you guys will enjoy too. 




And the tracklist for the whole CD Sampler...

1. Top Billin – Playboy Anthem
2. Oh Snap!! – Bill C*sby Sweater (Kazey and Bulldog Remix)
3. Maskinen – Bränner
4. Emynd featuring Kate Pascoe – Don’t Say Goodbye
5. Jamtech Foundation – The Youths Need Bass
6. Don Rimini – Karaté
7. Familjen – Socker
8. Stockholm Syndrome – My World
9. Dada Life – Smile You’re On Dada
10. Pets On Prozac – Tan, Still Unhappy
11. Boeoes Kaelstigen – Marsa
12. Dmitry Fyodorov – Leisure (Dmitry’s Armageddon edit)

Bonus:

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Track Of They Day (3/25/09)


Tuesday, March 24, 2009

You Girls Never Know

There's something about Dances With White Girls' music that makes me enjoy it so much, despite its simplicity and (often times) repetitiveness. He's always great with making his tracks really funky and interesting. This latest remix for Franz Ferdinand was rejected by the label, and I could see how it might not have been what they were looking for, but in my opinion it's a great edit. The vocals work better under a bassy beat than the original guitar riff in my opinion, but that's just me. Check out the track, you might just feel the same.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Get Ready Coachella

Buggin Out '09

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Track Of The Day (3/19/09)


Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Topic of the Day: Small Dicks with Mr. Oizo

Monday, March 16, 2009

Track Of The Day (3/16/09)



La Flamme

There seems to always be some really cool music going on in Portland, and even though I'm sure I miss out on 90% of it, the stuff I hear is always great. I got sent this track a few weeks ago, and saw that Gejius had remixed it, who we've posted on before. Knowing his previous work, I was interested to hear this, and I'm glad I took a listen. The original track is some very nice indy/synth-pop, and the remix adds a little more flavor and spice that gives the track a nice complexity and chilled-out feel. The echoing vocals and funky beat will have you moving your feet along before you know it.


Sunday, March 15, 2009

PETIT BATEAU X KITSUNE MAISON EN VRAI ! TV

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Big Bills Remixed

"Big Bills" really impressed me with it's layers and layers of joyous synths, and fun vocals from Caroline Polachek. With a track like that there are bound to be some good remixes. This is really my kind of remix EP. Take a few artists with different style, al known to do great remixes, and just let them go at it. Awesome. Jokers of the Scene deliver one of their long, mesmerizing, and powerful remixes that are now expected from these boys. Flosstradamus also take a shot at remixing their own track and they did a pretty nice job. I don't always agree with artists remixing themselves, but when they do it right I'm fine with it.



Bonus:

Underrated Track #1167


Get Fresh

A while ago I told you guys that "Get Fresh" was easily my favorite Kid Sister track, and nothing has changed. The fresh beat and her nice flow make for an excellent track that you can dance to or just chill out too. I had heard the track was going to get some remixes, but I didn't know what to expect. Guess what! The first one to appear is form none other than Alex Gopher. The combination of these two artists is unexpected, interesting, and works perfectly. Alex Gopher only adds to the already electric vibe of the track. Courtesy of RCRD LBL, because as usual they get the best stuff first...


Bonus:

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

HAHA!

Monday, March 9, 2009

Joe And Will Ask? Interview

Joseph Ashworth and William Green make up the brilliant duo of Joe And Will Ask?. They have just released a 2 track EP on the respected Kitsuné label, and aren't stopping there. There previous work has gotten incredible acclaim, and it just keeps coming. We got a chance to interview Joe, and we think you'll really enjoy it.

Thanks a lot for doing this interview. Let's get started.

How old were you guys when you first started making music and what was the reason?

I (Joe) remember buying 'Music' for the Playstation 1. I must have been 11 or something like that. I just used it to try and copy my favourite dance songs, although it taught me the basics of sequencing. Once I finally got my PC, I got a copy of Cubase and just started messing around. There was never a point where I decided I wanted to be a producer. Will hadn't produced until we met. 

How did you two meet?

We met through a friend. We were both studying at the time at different universities, but we got on well and shared a common music taste. 

Who are some of your main musical influences?

Leftfield, Kraftwerk, Richie Hawtin, Chemical Brothers, Amon Tobin, and we are always being inspired by the music around us; techno/tech-house/electro/some pop.

How would you describe your music?

Well it varies quite a lot, but I would say energetic, bass-driven, melodic, dancey!

I'm sure you are asked this a lot, but how did you guys come up with the name Joe And Will Ask?

Haha we are as it happens! And the answer isn't very interesting - it was just a silly name we came up with before we decided we wanted to make anything serious - it was going to be like "Joe and Will ask"... "what is electro?" - kind of making fun of ourselves. It stuck and we quite like it now. 

Were you guys brought up with music or was it something you guys later adapted?

I (Joe) took piano and saxophone lessons from quite young, although I never especially enjoyed them to be honest. The same goes for Will and his cello! Haha. But I was always around music from a young age. I listened mainly to reggae when I was young!

Do you approach a remix differently than an original, and if so how?

Yeh totally. We like every remix to be different - to have more than just noises from the original. I like to capture the atmosphere, and more subtle elements. Often though, we will start a remix, then scrap the parts from the original and end up making a new song, and the way the other way around. 

What do you to make your music and to perform live?

We produce with Cubase and tons of plug-ins (our favorites being z3ta, Absynth, and the Moog and Korg Legacy emulations). For performance, we both use Ableton Live on 2 computers, and sync up so that we are both adding different elements of the songs.

I am aware that you guys used to be associated with the Drum & Bass scene. How did you switch over to making electro music?

It was just me actually. Will was more of a hard-house fan. Haha. There was a period of about two years where I made more experimental music in different time structures and with recorded fucked up noises in between the drum and bass phase and this project. The transition was a weird one, but it's an entirely different way of putting noises together. Our music now definitely has elements of drum and bass and ambientness to it though.

From a DJ standpoint do you know intuitively what songs to play to certain crowds based on the first song you play or does it take you time to really know what the crowd wants to hear?

I'm sure many essays have been written by many DJ's on this. You can learn a lot from turning up a few hours early before your set and watching how the crowd reacts to the other DJs. Knowing what to play is a balance of a lot of factors.

Is there any track that you guys can play anywhere and know will always really get the crowd going?

We seem to have one for a few months, then another. It was the Popof remix of "John Starlight - Road Rage" for Autumn/Winter, "Funkagenda - What The Fuck" or "Kevin Saunderson - Bassline 2008" before that. Right now our next single "Mongozo" is getting the biggest reactions of everything we play. 

Who is the coolest or most exciting person you've gotten to meet or play with so far?

Brodinski is a lovely guy. He has done a lot to support us. We have supported Eric Prydz a few times. He is an awesome guy.

You guys just put out an EP on Kitsuné. How does it feel to have a release on a big label that contributes a lot to electronic music?

It's great. It has switched a lot of people on to us who didn't know us before.

What's going on in 2009 for Joe And Will Ask?

Our next single "Mongozo EP" is coming out at the end of March. That's going to be huge! Aside from that, we have spent the last few months in the studio remixing for Hockey, Kris Menace, Sharam Jey, Acid Girls, Franz And Shape, and loads more. All of these will be out soon. We have www.joeandwillask.com going live soon, with new t-shirts, and we are in the studio with Micachu working on a song which is awesome!

What is it that Joe and Will are asking?

It's something different every time. Right now we are asking what to have for lunch. 

What is one thing you guys really want people to know about you?

That we are so grateful to anyone who buys any of our songs, or comes to any of our gigs.

Can you name a few artists you think everyone should be keeping an eye on?

Basti Grub, Jesper Dahlback, Arrow, Noob, Italoboyz.

What are your top favorite tracks at the moment?

Milton Channels - Black Is Black

Reboot - Vandon

Kolumbo - Sniff

Pryda - Loaded

Thanks again. Any last words?

Just a reminder about Mongozo EP. It's going to be up on our myspace in the next few days. And thanks for reading!




Underrated Track Of The Day

I was thinking today about all the tracks I love so much that seem to be loved by so few others. Tracks that didn't get nearly enough attention, despite their greatness. So I decided to make a new little section here at Fancy Sounds: the Underrated Track of they Day. I won't post one everyday, but I will whenever I notice one of these tracks.

The first one I thought of is a Bloody Beetroots remix from a few months ago that they did with Cécile. I haven't been to big on the Beetroots lately, but this one was something special. They took their usual sounds, and applied them to a slower and less intense effort. It's a pretty beautiful track.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Act Yo Age

So on March 13 if you can't be here with me and the rest of us at FS, then you may as well just sit at home listening to the new Act Yo Age EP. Their new "Lucky 13" EP cleverly comes out this 13th, and is stirring up just as much noise as their last EP. On this one they got some production help from Bot (1/2 of Crookers), and I can definitely hear the influence. Also included on the EP will be Scuola Furano's remix of their last single "The Flash". This EP looks like more of the same from Act Yo Age. The same being fun, pump-up electro that'll have you bouncing out of your seat.



Bonus:

Going To Miami

Well I may not actually be going to Miami, but now I've got quite a nice soundtrack for the trip if I do ever get to go. Database's new single, "Miami",  features some nasty grinding electro with a feel-good beat, and vocals from Bonde do Role. The EP for "Miami" will be on Beatport pretty soon, and it should be great. They sent over Midnight Martyn's remix of the track for us to post. Midnight Martyn is in fact 1/2 of Database himself so it's interesting to here his edits to the original track. Check it out.


Bonus:

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Beatburger - Latest Stereoheroes Remix

It seems as though Stereheroes are really getting back on their game after a little streak of not so good tracks. Interestingly, I've found that these boys are very good with rap vocals which I usually don't enjoy in electronic music. I think what I like about this remix is that it stays fairly simple. Good bass work with a nice beat and some fun vocals. Good work Stereoheroes.


Bonus:

Sunday, March 1, 2009

New Trumpdisco/Daze of Thunder

Hello again everyone. How was your weekend? Good. Unfortunately you probably have to go back to school or work tomorrow morning, but that shouldn't stop you from checking out some awesome new tracks from these great new artists. 

First up is a new Trumpdisco remix. "We Want Your Soul" hasn't been remixed much, and I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw that they had remixed it, but it's pretty dope. It's a slightly new direction for Trumdisco. Nothing mind-blowingly new, but they tried a few new things, which is good because it's always nice to know that an artist/group has a range. I'm enjoying the softer piano part at the end of the remix too.


Next up is a new remix from Daze of Thunder. We've posted their tracks a few times already, and if you've listened to them you probably noticed that they love distortion and heavy basslines. Hard to argue with that. However, when I saw that they remixed "Riddle of Steel" I thought there would be no way for them to add distortion or heaviness to this one. They didn't quite add to it, but took a different approach and pretty much remade it. With just a few samples from the original they created their own ridiculous bassline that rivals the heaviness of the original. I'd call this one somewhere between a remix and a cover, but either way it's a fun ride.