Somewhere in between the lush grooves of Escort and Cameo (if a way younger Eno jumped in the mix) is where the San Francisco-based quintet Sugar & Gold hones in its magic. “Workout” makes soul fun again without relying on any kind of retro gimmicks.
London-based Simian Mobile Disco has had a stellar 2007, with the release of the much-praised Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release and a set of unforgettable live shows to accompany the album. How is the dynamic duo going to cap off the year? By re-releasing “Hustler” as a commercial single, that’s how.
Yes, the track is as played out as Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E”, but that’s where the remixes come in. Set for release December 4, via Interscope , the vinyl and CD singles will feature reinterpretations by Fool’s Gold producer/DJ A-Trak, Armand Van Helden, and Dubsided’s Jesse Rose, plus SMD’s very own extended club mix.
In addition to the new 12″, Simian Mobile Disco will also be hosting a contest via their MySpace page, for an iPod loaded with a series of tracks specifically selected by the duo.
What do they have in store for 2008? We’ll keep you posted.
Tracklisting
CD 1. Hustler (UK Version)
2. Hustler (Armand Van Helden Remix)
3. Hustler (A-Trak Remix)
4. Hustler (Extended Club Mix)
5. Hustler (Jesse Rose Remix)
12″
Side A
1. Hustler (Armand Van Helden Remix)
2. Hustler (A-Trak Remix)Side B
1. Hustler (Extended Club Mix)
2. Hustler (Jesse Rose Remix)
Oddball beat wizard Yea Big and animated rhymer Kid Static both call leftfield home in Chicago’s varied hip-hop scene, making their recent pairing so proper. While Yea Big’s 2006 solo debutwas too disjointed for most heads, his productions here jump out of the speakers with the perfect pulse for Static’s Fat Lip-esque delivery. Withstanding the warped chaos of the instrumental “Low Budget Battle Scene,” Yea Big proves to have a firm grasp on that old boom-bap, as heard on the punchy “Speak the Facts.” And to Static’s credit, he sounds equally inspired by the offbeat productions, like the glitchy “The Life Here.” Thanks to these two, Chicago just got a whole lot more to boast about.
You’d be hard pressed to find a DJ duo with as keen a sense of the leftfield as Belgium’s The Glimmers. With acclaimed mixes for the major players (Fabric, DJ-Kicks) checked off the list, Mo and Benoelie’s latest adventure finds them back at homebase with a 19-track contribution to Eskimo’s burgeoning mix series. The Glimmers have an ear for great drums, and while this may be most apparent in their trademark love for percussive, low-BPM disco, and funk (Mac Attack, Pop Dell’Arte), it’s also found here in genres as diverse as ’80s French pop, German gypsy rock, and L.A. electro. From soulful chanteuses to tweeked-out acid synths, Eskimo Volume V is a mix that’s dazzlingly unique.
Perhaps one of Seattle’s most interesting hip-hop groups to surface over the past few years, Grayskul has returned with Bloody Radio. The LP’s single “Scarecrow” mashes sinister samples with a slick booty-bass inspired beat together for this unhyped Rhymesayers success story.
Reveling in isolation–rather than rejecting it–the music of Duncan Sumpner, or Songs of Green Pheasant, has always exhibited a stark beauty. On Gyllyng Street, a reference to an old address, the reclusive British avant-garde folkie has widened the scope of his compositions,further fusing folk’s gorgeous harmonies and melancholy undertones with the ethereal qualities of dream pop. Horns or crisp, reverb-soaked guitar lines, delicately placed across the album’s seven songs, often pierce through the smoky haze of Sumpner’s homespun vocals. Touches of church bells and a children’s choir only add to the record’s beautiful, haunting sense of nostalgia.
Joe Williams’ music is fit for a sports bar and a student co-op basement party, and he rocks that odd duality on Smoke. The smooth-rock opener, “Headlines,” treads half-drunk through a swimming pool, but is catchy enough to advertise steakhouses on TV. Williams revives glam sleaze on “In the Club” and his amusing cover of “I Want Candy,” in which he mopes while using a pub’s urinal. He also has a sharp ear for groove, as shown on the Neu-meets-Bowie excursion “New Violence” and the title track’s contorted P-funk. Smoke curiously ends in discord where a Game Boy melody screeches in “Lice in the Rainbow.” Nonetheless, Williams is off to a healthy start (just avoid viewing one of the decade’s tackiest album covers).
Percee P hails from one of NYC’s toughest housing projects, hard as it may be to conceive from the slight Southern drawl he sports. After a handful of one-off singles and two decades of dues paid, Percee’s debut full-length finally arrives chockfull of choppy head-nod beats and guest appearances (Chali 2na, Aesop Rock, Diamond D, Prince Po, Guilty Simpson). With beatsmith and labelmate Madlib on the MPC, Percee slices through 19 cuts of raw fire with the voracity of a thirsty new jack with something to prove (or an old head with kids to feed). All non-believers, check the lung-collapsing flow of “Throwback Rap Attack.”
Pylon was one of America’s great post-punk bands, but unless you’re an Athens, Georgia die-hard, you’ve probably never heard of them. Hailing from the same scene that fostered The B-52’s and R.E.M., Pylon’s dance-punk jangle was almost too prescient for the early ’80s–their sound never cleanly fit into college-radio prime-time or punk rock’s rank-and-file. As such, albums like 1980’s Gyrate were forgotten gems until now. Re-released through DFA Recordings as Gyrate Plus, much of Pylon’s best material is collected here, with songs like “Dub” and “Stop It” shifting through the band’s minimal drum-and-bass pulse while singer Vanessa Hay sneers over the whole thing. It’s relentless but incredibly catchy, which begs the question: How did this band manage to slip through the cracks for so long?
The world-famous Daft Punk enjoyed a triumphant tour this year, performing some of its most epic live shows in the States, with sold-out dates at New York’s Keystone Park and Chicago’s Lollapalooza festival. December 4 marks the audio realization of the French duo’s performances, with Alive 2007. Recorded at Paris’ Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy (an 18,000 capacity arena) in June of this year, this anticipated release showcases Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo’s hits throughout their 14-year existence as Daft Punk.
In addition to the single-album edition, Virgin is also releasing an enhanced version, packaged with a bound book, five additional encore tracks, and 50 pages of photographs from this year’s tour. Not to mention, the two-disc offering is also bundled with a video directed by Oliver Gondry (Yes, Michel’s brother), which features tour footage shot by fans.
In homage to the album’s release, the duo recently hosted a live web chat for enthusiasts to get the dirt on its robotic mystique. Also in the works is a brief Australian tour with The Presets, Cut Copy, and Modular newcomer Muscles.
Tracklisting
Disc One
1. Robot Rock
2.Oh Yeah
3. Touch It
4. Technologic
5. Television Rules the Nation
6. Crescendolls
7. Too Long
8. Steam Machine
9. Around the World
10. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
11. Burnin’
12. Too Long
13. Face to Face
14. Short Circuit
15. One More Time
16. Aerodynamic
17. Aerodynamic Beats
18. Forget About the World
19. Prime Time Of Your Life
20. Brainwasher
21. Rollin’ And Scratchin’
22. Alive
23. Da Funk
24. Daftendirekt
25. Superheroes
26. Human After All
27. Rock’N’Roll
Disc Two
1. Human
2. Together
3. One More Time (Reprise)
4. Music Sounds Better With You
5. Stardust (Instrumental)
Tour Dates
12/13 Melbourne, AUS: The Arts Centre, Sidney Myer Music Bowl
12/14 Melbourne, AUS: The Arts Centre, Sidney Myer Music Bowl
12/16 Perth, AUS: The Esplanade
12/20 Brisbane, AUS: Riverstage Brisbane
12/22 Sydney, AUS: Sydney Showground
