Tuesday, March 29, 2011

The XX


So if you hear of The XX, you immediately realise that it doesn't take sophisticated production to make great tracks. They have such a simple formula yet it seems to work perfectly. It's no wonder that pretty much their whole debut album is being remixed by artists left, right and center. I have included the original along with some solid remixes and covers by various artists.

The XX - Crystalized
The XX - Crystalized (Gorrilaz Cover) (JThunder Mix)

The XX - VCR
The XX - VCR (Matthew Dear Remix)

The XX - Stars
The XX - Stars (LAZRtag Remix)

The XX have also done covers of Womack & Womack and Florence And The Machine which are incredible. Both of these tracks are relatively known but I think they are brilliant covers and deserve a mention.

The XX - Teardrop
Florence And The Machine - You Got The Love (The XX Remix)

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Mash That Shit Up!


Mashups have gotten a bad rap and with good reason. Every Tom, Dick and Harry tries to make a mashup but every now and then a mix comes along worth the listen. The three songs below are my favorite mashups at the moment, my favorite being Poppa's Teardrop.

Tone-E - Golden Ghostwriter (Jurassic 5 vs. RJD2)
DJ KPAC - Poppa's Teardrop (The Notorious B.I.G. vs. Massive Attack)
The Hood Internet - Freeze, Barbra (Young Dro vs. Duck Sauce)

The following two songs are also great but then again, anything with Passion Pit or Phoenix usually is.

The White Panda - What You Know About That (T.I. vs. Passion Pit)
Basic Physics - Stuntin With A Milli (Lil Wayne vs. Phoenix vs. Pretty Lights)

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Why Don't You All FFFFade Away!

The Who's plaque in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame reads: "Prime contenders, in the minds of many, for the title of World's Greatest Rock Band". Still not sold? Well you've probably listened to The Who's music without even knowing it. All three versions of the American forensic drama CSI have theme songs performed and written by The Who i.e. Who Are You, Won't Get Fooled Again and Baba O'Riley. Behind Blue Eyes is also relatively famous as Limp Bizkit covered the song (not very well though). There are other songs of The Who however that one has to hear in order to fully appreciate how badass this band was. I have listed a few of them below.

The Who - Love Reign O'er Me

Roger Daltrey shouting in this song is incredible. Love It. Now go to the DVD store and rent a movie called Reign Over Me with Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle. This movie is not only brilliant but the soundtrack is excellent.

The Who - The Seeker
The Who - Eminence Front

The above examples just show The Who's versatility. They have brilliant lyrics, funky riffs, unbelievable drumming...You get it. I like these guys.

The Who - My Generation

In this performance of My Generation, The Who destroyed their instruments at the conclusion of their performance, with the usual addition of mild explosives for light pyrotechnic effect. Prior to the taping, however, a "sloppy" stage hand, at the request of drummer Keith Moon (who allegedly bribed him with a bottle of whiskey), had overloaded Moon's bass drum with gun powder. When Moon detonated it, the explosion was so intense that a piece of cymbal shrapnel cut into Moon's arm; Moon is heard moaning in pain toward the end of the piece. Pete Townshend, the lead guitarist, who had been in front of Moon's drums at the time, had his hair singed by the blast; he is seen putting out sparks in his hair before finishing the sketch. Allegedly, the blast contributed heavily to Townshend's long-term hearing loss.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Iggy Pop And The Stooges

If you haven't heard The Stooges' music, listen below and educate yourself. Then weep and realise what you've been missing out on.
 
The Stooges - Search And Destroy
The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog
The Stooges - Gimme Danger
The Stooges - Loose (Take 2)

Whilst Search And Destroy and Gimme Danger are my favorite songs of theirs, most people might know I Wanna Be Your Dog. This classic was played in Guy Richie's Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels as Tom loses all his money gambling and starts walking out of Hatchet Harry's place. Moving On. Loose probably has some of the steamiest lyrics I've heard but I dig it.

Iggy Pop was the inventor of the stage-dive which he started at a concert in Detroit. His on stage persona derived from Jim Morrison's of The Doors. He is a pioneer of the Punk movement and his raw punk is popular to this day. As a little added bonus, I have added one of his classic solo songs below.

Iggy Pop - The Passenger

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

All Hail High Contrast

I think High Contrast is incredible. He can take any song and turn it into a Drum and Bass masterpiece. In the list of songs below we have genres of music like Pop, Rock and Hip Hop and he's managed to remix all of them with clean editing and no glitches. Enjoy!

Kanye West - Flashing Lights (High Contrast Remix)
MGMT - Time To Pretend (High Contrast Remix)
Adele - Hometown Glory (High Contrast Remix)

The songs above are sure things without the remix by High Contrast even needed but he remixed them regardless and they turned out siiiiick!

Calvin Harris - Ready For The Weekend (High Contrast Remix)
The White Stripes - Blue Orchid (High Contrast Remix)

Whilst I don't really like the original from Calvin Harris, High Contrast has resurrected it superbly. Also enjoy the remix of The White Stripes' Blue Orchid; a solid remix of a solid rock song.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Lazy Sundays


The absolute perfect few old school songs for Sundays or any day that you feel like doing absolutely nothing but be lazy. This will put a smile on your face. Enjoy the lounging!

Air - La Femme D'Argent
Groove Armada - At The River
Moby - Porcelain
Daft Punk - Something About Us
Telepopmusik - Breathe
Thievery Corporation - Lebanese Blonde

The reason I haven't commented on any song in particular is the fact that I don't want to ruin the simplicity of the little playlist I have come up with here. Listen to them all in one go!

Friday, March 4, 2011

Ellie Goulding vs. The World

I've already raved about Ellie Goulding in a previous post but what can I say, she's good. I thought it would be a good idea to list some of her songs that have been remixed. There are numerous remixes of Ellie Goulding floating around on the web but these are my current favorites.

Ellie Goulding - Lights (Bassnectar Remix)

Amazing! This song is my favorite remix of an Ellie Goulding song. No doubt. Bassnectar has remixed Nelly Furtado, The Pixies and now Ellie Goulding and all of them bangers.

Ellie Goulding - Your Song (Blackmill Dubstep Remix)
Ellie Goulding - Black & Gold (Slick Werk Dubstep Remix)

Her covers of Elton John's Your Song and Sam Sparro's Black & Gold have been remixed and both are brilliant. Also listen to the originals from her. They're just as good.

Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Penguin Prison Remix Ft. Theophilus London)
Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets (Bright Light Bright Light Boys Remix)

Stepping away from dubstep remixes we find two great house remixes. Theophilus London makes another appearance in one of my posts. Seems he's one to look out for.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Did I Just Dub All Over Your Face?



Below is a list of some older dubstep songs I enjoy. Most of them are pure face melters with the exception of the last two songs which are a little bit more relaxed but still just as enjoyable. Some posts on Ellie Goulding and High Contrast to follow shortly. 

Fuski And Dodge - Pornstep Ft. Highbury Whores
Freestylers - Cracks (Flux Pavilion Remix)
Rusko - Hold On Ft. Amber Coffman (Sub Focus Remix)
Pony Pony Run Run - Hey You (Jeuce Rework)
Radikal Guru - Kingston Town
Nero - Innocence (Original Mix)
The Streets - Blinded By The Lights (Nero Mix)
Imogen Heap - 2-1 (Murdok Dubstep Remix)