I’ve been a huge Classixx fan ever since the undeniable “I’ll Get You” which featured the silky smooth vocals of Jeppe. The L.A. based duo have made quite a name for themselves doing remixes for several years now, and are finally set to release their debut full-length album on May 14th. The lead single “Holding On” is streaming on soundcloud now, and will be out officially on Feb. 19th. Do yourself a favor and take a listen below. It’s full of shiny synths, a smooth house beat, and sunny uplifting vocals. Dudes, throw this track on and watch your girlfriend grab your hand and drag you to dance. 😉
I’ve also been keeping an eye on Australian nu-disco outfit Mitzi for a while now. They’ve done some DJing/remixing/etc… but are now ready to release a full-length album that shows their true colors- a full-on electro/nu-disco band capable of writing great songs that you can dance to. Sure, it’s obvious they’re following in the footsteps of similar Australian acts such as Cut Copy and Miami Horror, but that’s not a bad thing at all in my book. Check out the track “All I Heard” below, and grab the album via Future Classic on Feb. 19th.
I can’t get over this rad new video for Punks Jump Up’s new smokin’ boogie-funk jam “Mr. Overtime” featuring vocals from Dave 1 of Chromeo. Slick, sexy, and artfully animated. Directed by Maxime Bruneel, it’s the perfect fit for the song’s 80s italo-disco influence- an 80’s throwback vibe involving sports cars driving fast on the highway at night. But the animation style has a much more current feel- a very successful juxtaposition. If this track is totally new to you, fix that by heading over to the Moda Records Soundcloud and checking out the single and all the many awesome remixes. It’s out officially on April 30th.
BURGERS Winter 2011/2012 Mixtape is out!
December 20, 2011
The Burgers Winter 2011/2012 Mixtape is here and available for you listening/downloading pleasure. I kicked it off with some classic deep cuts, then took it to a chill/sexy/moody vibe, then finished it off with some great new discohouse. I’m kinda proud I managed to crank out a mix that didn’t involve Breakbot or Bit Funk. Those two dudes make pure gold out of everything they touch. It’s really hard to resist. But right now my DJ hard-on is all for Gigamesh. Seriously- that dude’s been busy making amazing remixes and golden original tracks. Check out his EP called “Space Dinosaur Stuff.“
LOL. It’s actually just “Gigamesh EP.” Anyway, here’s my mix:
Tracklist:
Prince-Controversy
Gino Soccio-Try it Out
Madi Diaz-Trust Fall (Jensen Sportag RMX)
Niki & The Dove-Mother Protect (Goldroom RMX)
Gigamesh-When You’re Dancing
The Magician ft. Jeppe-I Don’t Know What to Do (Fabian RMX)
Knight One-Hearts of Oak
Girls Generation-The Boys (Robotaki RMX)
Database-New Disco
P Money and Dan Aux-Kinda Lovin’
Caravan Palace-Clash (Jupiter RMX)
Fridays @ the Wine Loft: Vitalic Noise presents CRAVE
September 8, 2011
Last week I blundered in failing to mention the debut of Vitalic Noise’s new weekly dance party CRAVE, happening every Friday night at the Wine Loft in the Gulch. I was there, though, and a spectacular debut it was. This is gonna be THE place to be every Friday, because 1) it’s FREE, 2) there will be a rotating cast of great DJs spinning the best disco/house/electro/funk, 3) it’s centrally located in the Gulch and goes till last call, so you can be there all night OR stop by for a little dancing after the other show you attended earlier in the evening, 4) did I mention it’s FREE?
Now that I’ve properly plugged the event itself, I will plug this Friday specifically because the DJ lineup includes yours truly. Official lineup is: Losici (Josiah Lester), Burgers (me), Dali Drama (Jenn Harbin). So come on out, have a drink, and dance with us for FREE. (There are also drink and appetizer specials.)
As a special treat, enjoy the video for Craze’s new bangin’ track “Dance Alone”:
Makeup & Vanity Set: Never Let Go
August 11, 2011
Nashville’s own ski-masked, bit-crushing, electro-master Makeup & Vanity Set is back with a brand new EP- Never Let Go. Grab it now on his bandcamp digitally for $6, or get the limited edition (as in only 50 copies!) for $15.
This new EP offers a lot familiar sounds- lots of 8-bit leads and swooshes/swirls layered over driving basslines and thick beats. Video games in the 80s. Robocop. Expolsions. Mr.T. This shit is tough, and I still say there is no better music to punch-dance to that MAVS. He is punch-dance master, and you should buy all of his material right now.
BURGERS presents: Winter 2011 Mixxxx
January 4, 2011
Surprise! My new mix is here and it’s ready for your consumption. Like the fall mix, this one is short and to the point. I’m releasing this now as a taste of what’s to come at the next La Paz Late Night presents. This one is next Sat. Jan. 15th and it’s called FREEZE OUT! It’ll be me, Vitalic Noise, and Myrryrs (formerly known as Justin Kase) spinning the same disco/house/electro you grooved to last month at the the tacky sweater party. “Like” us and check out some pics from that party on our Facebook page. Also, you can follow us on twitter: @lapazlatenight.
Tracklisting:
Michael Jackson-Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough (Gigamesh RMX)
Mark Ronson & The Business INTL- Bang Bang Bang (Russ Chimes RMX)
Miami Horror-Holidays (DCUP RMX)
Black Strobe-Me & Madonna (Twelves RMX)
Supermen Lovers-Starlight
Silver Convention- Get Up & Boogie (GoGo Bizkitt RMX)
Radio INK-Physical (GLOVES RMX)
Kraak & Smaak-Dynamite (Boogie Funk Version)
Download/stream below:
First, I must point you to the official Next BIG Nashville schedule. It’s up, and it will probably change, but it’s there so start planning which sacrifices to make. Planning your schedule at these types of music festivals is always a delicate balance between seeing people you know and like, and branching out to see some new acts you might not get to see otherwise.
Secondly, I have some exciting news that some people know about, but others don’t. I will be doing a photo documentary project with Those Darlins next week; joining them on a week-long leg of their tour with Strange Boys and Gentleman Jesse & His Men. I got the idea after the death of famous rock photographer Jim Marshall last year. News of his death got me thinking about his photographs, and how a lot of the truly iconic shots are very casual, candid, off-beat images taken off the stage. I thought about how I could do more of that type of behind-the-scenes work (not that my images will ever be as iconic as Marshall’s shots of Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, and the like), and I thought of Those Darlins. I’ve known them for years, they’re some of the best people I know, they have room in their van, and after some discussions with their awesome manager John “JT” Turner, this idea is now becoming a reality. They’re what most would consider a mid-level act, but they’re headed for higher places and I think it’s the right time to do this type of project with a band like them. Those Darlins know how to party, and I think the results of this little experiment will be interesting. So, if you’re in Chapel Hill, D.C., New York, Cambridge, or Brooklyn, I hope to see you at one of the shows! Obviously, I may not be posting much next week…
My other news is simply that Miami Horror is awesome and you should go buy their album now. Seriously, I’ve been seeing mp3’s from these guys popping up in the blogosphere for a few months and I kept thinking “oh, this is an awesome track… nice…” But just yesterday I saw my friend Joseph’s review of their debut album on his blog Nashville Nights and it finally clicked in my head that these guys were different than your average “3 or 4 singles a year” DJs/producers. I urge you to checkout the quality interview Joseph did with them as well… I totally agree with his sentiment that it’s hard to find a good, quality dance floor album these days. There really are no sleepers or filler on this album- pure quality all the way through. Honestly this material is exactly what I personally want out of electronic/dance music: it’s got a great disco-ey, funky groove to it, smooth bass lines, and most of all the songs are songs, not just a bunch of loops layered together that build and fade (via trancewave). If you like Cut Copy, AIR, or Neon Indian, you will love this record. This is the best thing to come out of Australia since Silverchair. J/K J/K J/K
Miami Horror-I Look To You (Ft. Kimbra)
Oh, and the link to buy the album goes to Amazon. Fuck iTunes and their non-mp3/non-DJable formats. And while I’m at it, fuck their new ugly skin/layout for iTunes 10, too.
New Makeup & Vanity Set- The Final Fire
September 1, 2010
Makeup & Vanity Set (aka Matt Pusti aka DAAS) has been busy lately. Just last March he released the epically awesome self-titled album that marked the return of MAVS. (The project had been on a bit of a hiatus for a few years.) Now he’s released a new 6-song EP The Final Fire, and well, Pusti’s own description, “THIS RECORD IS AN 8-BIT KNIFE FIGHT” pretty much sums it up better than I ever could. He goes on to say, “EVERYTHING RECORDED ON CASSETTE TAPES. OLD SCHOOL NOISE. EVERYTHING AT BREAKNECK SPEED. THESE SONGS WERE WRITTEN IN BEDROOMS. ON LAPTOPS AND SAMPLERS.”
Yep, that’s about it. Now go get the EP!
From the self-titled ablum, “Putay’s Back”:
Features afterpary @ La Paz/Majestico tracks
February 5, 2010
The big story today is also an act of shameless self-promotion. Tonight is the sold-out Features/Majestico/Cortney Tidwell show at Exit/In, and I’m DJing the official afterparty at La Paz along with Fan Fiction. La Paz is literally only 3 doors down Elliston from Exit/In, and given the fact that A) there’s NO COVER and B) well drinks/margaritas/wine are all $3 and PBR cans are $2, you’d be CRAZY not to come over after the show (if you’re going). Since the show sold out in one day due the rumor of Kings of Leon opening (which proved to be false), you may not have a ticket. In that case, I suggest simply coming straight to La Paz, because we kick things off around 9-10pm and you know the party will really get hoppin’ later on anyway. In case you hadn’t realized- this is the new incarnation of BFF. It’s simply whenever/wherever Fan Fiction and I DJ together. And trust me, we’re bringin’ the bangers. The resident La Paz DJ for whom we’re covering, Potamus, will be hitting the decks down in M’boro at SWAG, so if you’re in that neck of the woods and wanna dance, 527 Main St. is the place to be.
Speaking of Majestico, they’ve got 2 brand new tracks up on their bandcamp for free (unless you give your email address monetary value). Together they comprise the Bright White Lady single. What the hell are you waiting for? Go get them now. Oh, and there’s another great track called “I Like You” on there as well. These dudes might just be my favorite “new” Nashville band. (Via a star to sail her by, AKA the new blog from Andrew J. Smithson)
D. Patrick Rodgers of Nashville Cream did an interesting interveiw with Daniel Pujol as a part of this week’s Scene cover story “10 Artists to Watch in 2010.” Pujol’s answers are rather hilarious and quite cryptic at times, but that’s the main reason it’s a good read… You can also grab 2 free mp3s of Pujol’s solo work, which are hard to come by since most of his solo material has been released on cassette tape.
Other stuff this weekend:
Saturday is a major dilemma for sure:
Of Montreal/James Husband @ Cannery Ballroom vs. Girls/Magic Kids/Smith Westerns @ Exit/In…
Personally, I’ve seen Of Montreal 4 times and much prefer their mid-career material (Coquelicot through Sunlandic Twins). That, combined with my Scene photographic assignment will likely land me at Exit/In, because I haven’t seen any of those bands, and want to see all of them, especially Magic Kids.
On Sunday the party doesn’t stop, because Tristen will be at the 5 Spot, along with Murfreesboro’s The Only Sons, and Action!.
Have a great weekend!
Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger/Benefit show in M’boro
January 26, 2010
I’m not quite sure whether to breathe a sigh of relief, or still be worried about the Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger. I haven’t really had a chance to fully think the outcome through yet. But the news is: the merger is on, but with special provisions mandated by the government to prevent a full-on monopoly on the entire live music business. Basically, AEG Live will get to use Ticketmaster’s software, and Ticketmaster’s Paciolan ticketing and software services unit will be sold to a division of Comcast or another possible buyer. I guess the biggest worry here was that the merger would go on unchecked and that did NOT happen, so I guess we can all sigh a breath of relief… for the time being. More details at Business Insider.
There’s a pretty cool fundraiser/benefit show happening in Murfreesboro this Thursday 1/28/2010 for YEAH. (If you’re unfamiliar with YEAH, which stands for Youth Education through Arts & Humanities, please click on the flier to visit their website and learn more about their AWESOME program.) The show lineup is Shoot The Mountain, Hammertorch, and How I Became the Bomb, and there will also be Yazoo and New Belgium beers! (The beer part is a big deal because normally this space is alcohol-free because it’s an all-ages venue/hangout.) It’s obviously an 18+ event, and your attendance will help out one of the best local causes I can think of.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of local electronic/8-bit wizard Matt Pusti. We went to MTSU together and he was mostly responsible for my introduction to electronic music in general. Before that, I thought drum machines were evil and anything not made by a “real” instrument was terrible. I recently mentioned his newer, more experimental endeavor DAAS and was quite glad to see him getting back to producing that genre of electronic music. (His material before Makeup & Vanity Set sounded much more like the DAAS material.) His Makeup & Vanity Set project has been somewhat idle for a couple years, but that has just changed with the release of his new Jambox EP on Bandcamp. GO GET IT NOW FOR NOTHING MORE THAN YOUR EMAIL. This is apparently just a taste of the goodness to come on his next full-length, due out later this year. I will probably do an interview with him as my first “official” interview on here… one of more to come.
steve cross loves music and science 