Under The Influence

Quite a Depeche Mode sound going on here. Rocky guitar riff, somewhat reminiscent of On The Road Again. Their own remix of the track is blessed with the kind of filthy electro bassline I really can't get enough of.

The Audion’s Donation remix is long (11 minutes) but good.

Not such a big fan of the remix of Shining Bright Star (sAd VErsiOn By [k37!]) on here. Downloaded another version (Phones Industrial) which is really cool though.

I really like this stuff - why isn't the album on EM yet? Damn nation.

I found this one when searching for Cut Copy - that much I do know about it. Just happens there's a Cut Copy remix dangling off the end of the cd, hence the discovery. I guess it's progressive house - sounds like silky electro disco pop to me. Too dark to be called pop really. I keep thinking the chorus of the title track is going to break into NIN (The Perfect Drug).

It's very cool. Got a modern 80s edge to it. Kind of like LCD Soundsystem in a way - but far less rocky, and much slicker. The remix of Girl and the Sea is probably the most upbeat track on here. Electro Disco. Love it.

There are 5 tracks on here and they're all winners. I'll definitely be looking to buy more of this.

This is Kool Keith right? Or is it MF Doom? Are the same thing? Or is that Dr. Doom? I'm in confusing territory.

I like it anyhow. I like filthy low synth bass. Earth People smacks of dirty club nights.

He's gone for a whole medical theme with this one (I guess that's probably the idea with this Dr. alias). There are some wicked bit of scratching on here. A Visit To The Gynecologyst ends with a fantastic little scratch solo. The following song, Bear Witness (a rather Public Enemy like affair), has some wicked scratch work going on too for that matter.

This is the kind of hip-hop that intellectual hip-hop heads like. Crazy to think this is ten years old. The rapping is really not so different from what the likes of Murs and Atmosphere are doing these days. I'm probably still mixed up... it's probably all the same guy.

About ten years ago (I can hardly believe it's that far distant now) I fell in love with Ruby. There's something about Ruby's off-kilter timing that I really like. Salt Petter had lots of great party tracks on - no, not party - pre-party warm up tracks. She must have released another album after Salt Petter because Waterside is the only track I recognise out of this collection of reworkings.

Queen Of Denial (Chow Remix) is probably my pick of the bunch. It almost sounds like something Air would make - the way it just kind of drifts along with those lazy trumpets. Though there are a few stand out moments. Another listen required methinks.

I've gone through several infatuations with Ratatat over the last couple of years. The last one was fuelled by their London inclusive tour. I'd been listening to their second album, Classics, fairly exclusively (though I did give the first one a brief shot). Another infatuation is eminent - this time I feel like I'm going to be all over their debut, Ratatat.

The secret is that it all sounds backwards (somewhat like Boards Of Canada or RJD2's production). I think that's what makes it so nice to listen to - each note floats over, popping just out of reach. Very pretty. Great melodies, and great beats too. Their live set up is more traditional then I'd expected; synth, guitar and bass. The use of synths instead of a drummer for the rhythm lends a lot to the sound, the beats are crisp and full.

I don't want to give you the wrong impression - it's not all downbeat, far from it in fact, the sound is generally very uplifting and these guys really know how to rock.

If nothing else it's more proof that people sending random mp3s to your email does help to sell cds. Really looking forward to hearing more from these cats in the future.

Wow. I like this. Already I'm pretty sure I'm going to be playing this at every party this summer. The original version is definitely the pick of the disc. I was actually looking for other covers of Wired For Sound after hearing the B(if)tek version the other day. This isn't a cover of the song I was thinking of at all (at least I don't think it is) but a great track nonetheless.

Mmmm... dirty electro beats.

[Just grabbed a couple more tracks off their album (via Juno) and they're really good too. Why isn't this album on EM?]

I heard a snippet of B(if)tek's We Think You're Dishy at a friend's party (a rather fine affair in a giant manor house in Devon) and have periodically hunted for a copy of the album since. Last week I managed to get hold of a copy but I guess I mustn't have been in the mood for it at the time as I just flicked through the songs and then filed it away. Listening to it now I'm pretty impressed. I guess if you were in to your genres you'd call it progressive house with a twist of breaks - not that I'm any sort of expert in that field but it reminds me a bit of Gabriel & Dresden.

There are TV/movie samples lightly dusted over the album - I can't pick where they're from but I've heard some of them before on the Kleptones most excellent Night At The Hip-Hoppera. Not just TV samples for that matter, Bedrock for example is built on a foundation of a sampled 1940s(?) horn.

Constantly twisting, turning and evolving the listener isn't fatigued by the repetitive beats that generally plague house music. It's very interesting stuff.

Oh, and you get a playful cover of Wired For Sound thrown in for free.

If you like your electro at all you have to have a listen to Vitalic - it's dance music done right. My first taste of this Italian master's work was due to the featuring of La Rock on 2manydjs essential pt 2 mix (if you're yet to hear it stop reading right now and go and get yourself a copy - I'm not kidding... essential). Most of my friends decided to skip his performance at Glade last year in preference for the typical glob-dual like fare of the Sancho Panza tent. I can tell you right now they made a big mistake.

I'd actually only listened to the album a couple of times before seeing him live so I was a little unprepared for his display. Refreshingly it was a predominantly live setup - lots of synths (just how we like it). That's probably how he managed to get it sounding so huge. Layers upon layers, up and up we went, building to insane crescendos. I guess that's what I should have expected, after all that's exactly the roll La Rock plays on 2manydjs pt 2. Those poor little djs that followed his act came out of it sounding weak and shallow. The album actually goes a good long way towards capturing that energy. And that's what it feels like - like the disc is an attempt to portray what this guy can do for you in a live environment.

It's not all club stomping beats though. The opener, Polkamatic, is a lovely playful little ditty and plenty of the other tracks are packed full of subtle production work.

If you're now getting inspired to listen to La Rock again please try not to injure yourself.

Another one of those bands that I could see coming when !!! dropped back in the day. I've always thought of the sound as being a push towards an updated version of The Clash. These guys do a pretty good job of it. Cool danceable grooves. The Van She Tech remix of Ice Cream is probably my favourite in terms of DJ material.