Sander Kleinenberg Wants To Rock You All Night Long

The inimitable international DJ, producer and label boss Sander Kleinenberg is back with his latest release R.Y.A.N.L (Rock You All Night Long) on Little Mountain Recordings.

R.Y.A.N.L is a peak-time disco fuelled future anthem. It's robotic devastation designed to whip a crowd into a frenzy. Throbby, banging, and groovy as hell the song is the sound of a 1000 Terminators on a rampage. As if to prove the point the breakdown alone is the aural equivalent of a mushroom cloud. It's simple and effective stuff that's destined to cause dance floor devastation.

R.Y.A.N.L is the follow-up to Sander’s 2009 summer anthem This Is Our Night which is also taken from his highly anticipated self titled debut studio album 5K (release expected in Summer 2010).

The release is available as a Beatport exclusive from 29th March with the rest of the download world to follow two weeks later on 12th April.

Download: R.Y.A.N.L.

Watch

Turn On The White White Lights

The White White Lights are a violent bunch from Austin, Texas that bash you over the head with a broken keyboard and then serenade you with twisted love songs. Off kilter and potentially off their rockers, this is a band in love with the melodic as much as they are in love with all things demented and they're only to proud to sing about it.

Their layered songwriting entangles the delicate and violent in equal parts, creating vivid and potent songs that both seduce and destroy. Fans of Sonic Youth, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Pixies, Butthole Surfers, and similarly iconic bands will likely appreciate what The White White Lights have come up with.

Experimentation, diversity, and a penchant for the unusual all serve as a foundation of their creativity which has ultimately lead to an an uncommonly large catalog of songs which highlight their ability to tame chaos and charm string theory int some for of raw beauty and musicianship.
Their debut EP is currently available in special edition CD and digital format as well as a 7" vinyl and cassette single that leads up to their full-length album in April 2010.

Download: Space Invaders

The Fog Rolls In

Fog is a DJ and producer form Dublin, Ireland. He has been DJ for over 11 years and has held residencies in a plethora of top Irish clubs. Right now he holds residencies at the Twisted Pepper and runs the ThunderBots club night in Good Bits.

As with most DJ's after caning it for years, it only made sense for Fog to actually start creating his own tracks. Having been at it for about year now, he's starting to make more of an impact than the Euro exchange rate. As if to prove the point, Fog has a forthcoming EP on Bualabeats entitled The Concrete EP' that will be available in early April through most of the major download sites. In addition to that he has also recently remixed 'Deathstar' for Cut La Roc, which will also be available in April through the Roc Star record label.

Fog's tracks are somewhere between breaks and dubstep and it really comes down to how he feels at the moment when he produces. He's got his bases covered and whichever direction he chooses at the time, you can be sure that the tunes involve punishing bass lines and more wobbly bits than a super model. He rocks the beats and rocks them hard. It's all good stuff as you'll see below...

Download: Fuzzy Dice
Download: Charly Says Bass

Schooner Sails on For A Good Cause

Hailing from Carrboro, North Carolina, Schooner is a four-member band currently comprised of Reid Johnson (whose sister, Kathryn, played and recorded on all of the band's material until recently), Billy Alphin (The Ashley Stove, The Rosebuds), Maria Albani (Organos, Pleasant), and Chris Badger (Hotel Lights). Together they create an understated, disheveled pop sound that ranges from narcotic sad-eyed tunes to erratic rock numbers highlighted by boy-girl harmonies and impressionist lyrics.

Schooner has released two full-length albums, You Forget About Your Heart , and Hold on Too Tight, along with a few limited edition EP's. The band's latest EP release, Duck Kee Sessions, recorded at the legendary Jerry Kee's Duck Kee Studios (Superchunk, Kingsbury Manx, Polvo) will be released exclusively on Cytunes.org, a music downloading site that donates all proceeds to brain cancer research.

Download: Feel Better

Bear In Heaven Trudges Across The Globe

Bear in Heaven have trapped echoes, tremors, winds, and fading light. They've redefined time, and folded it. They've unbuttoned sound, and realigned it. Within four walls in Brooklyn, Jon Philpot, Adam Wills, Sadek Bazaara, and Joe Stickney mined the democracy of their collaboration, plus the endless hours of stream-of-consciousness recorded documentation of rehearsals over the past years, to conceive the crystalline form of Beast Rest Forth Mouth, their second album, their exaltation.

Now, with the album out, Hometapes recording artists Bear In Heaven are out on a massive North American and European tour in support of the group's recently released and critically praised second full-length, Beast Rest Forth Mouth. The tour kicks into high gear in this month as the band joins up with Cymbals Eat Guitars and Freelance Whales for over a month of North American dates.

Those dates...
03.22 • Rhythm Room • Phoenix, AZ
03.23 • Casbah • San Diego, CA
03.24 • The Echo • Los Angeles, CA
03.25 • Bottom of the Hill • San Francisco, CA
03.27 • Berbati's Pan • Portland, OR
03.28 • The Crocodile • Seattle, WA
03.29 • The Biltmore Cabaret • Vancouver, BC
03.31 • Kilby Court • Salt Lake City, UT
04.01 • Hi Dive • Denver, Co
04.02 • Replay Lounge • Lawrence, KS
04.03 • Turf Club • St. Paul, MN
04.04 • Schubas • Chicago, IL
04.05 • The Blind Pig • Ann Arbor, MI
04.06 • El Mocambo • Toronto, ON
04.07 • Il Motore • Montreal, QC
04.08 • Middle East Downstairs • Cambridge, MA
04.09 • Music Hall of Williamsburg • Brooklyn, NY
04.15 • Razmataz 3 • Barcelona
04.16 • Moby Dick • Madrid
04.18 • Teatre LLoseta • Mallorca
04.20 • The Lexington • London
04.21 • Freebutt • Brighton
04.22 • The Deaf Institute • Manchester
04.23 • Captain’s Rest • Glasgow
04.24 • Sneaky Pete’s • Edinburgh
04.25 • Brudenell Social Club • Leeds
04.26 • Windmill Brixton • London
04.27 • Point FMR • Paris
04.28 • Cave Aux Poetes • Roubaix
04.29 • Vera • Groningen
04.30 • Pop Revo Festival • Aarhus
05.01 • Bergenfest • Bergen
05.02 • Bang Bang Club • Berlin
05.04 • Molotow • Hamburg
05.05 • Debaser • Malmo
05.06 • Jazz Huset • Goteborg
05.07 • Hornstull Strand • Stockholm
05.08 • Loppen • Copenhagen
05.10 • Paradiso • Amsterdam
05.11 • Trix • Antwerpen
05.13 • Merleyn • Nijmegen

Download: Whitehearted Mess
Download: Lovesick Teenagers

Ten Tracks You Need #61

Ah...Spring. A time of renewal, a time of growth, and a time of epic yard work. If you're like me and were anywhere not in the Southern Hemisphere than chances are you've had a pretty brutal winter. Mother Nature hasn't been very nice to mankind this past season and there have been more freezes here in FLORIDA then I can ever recall in my lifetime. Even Miami wasn't untouched this year as the temps dropped to below 32 (0) down there. It actually "snowed," in some parts of the state and if that isn't the definition of a harsh winter then I don't know what is. (I'm supposed to be in shorts in January, not 15 layers of clothing, the heater turned up to 180, and the inability to even think of going outside).

Now after months of brutal weather, we've leapt into Spring. As the first day of Spring is upon us, it's now raining and rather warm, and things are starting to bounce back. This is a good thing! None-the-less, most of my neighbors and myself will probably end up spending the next two to three months cleaning up and replanting.

As horrifying as that sounds to most of hipsterdom, I rather enjoy being out there amongst the pollen, wood chips, plants, and mulch. I suppose I'm old, but it's much more gratifying to see something you own look amazing after your hard work then to spend a night face down in vomit. Call it a personal choice but I'll take plants over puke any day.

Anyway, this week's Ten Tracks You Need has been my soundtrack to the start of that recovery and even today's rainy day. As per usual it's all over the place but that's the general idea.

Enjoy.

Ten Tracks You Need
1) Future Islands - Tin Man website

2) Power Animal - Female Wrestler website

3) Mystery Roar - Mayhem website

4) PB - The Violin website

5) Napoleon - Baghdad, Me & The Hitman website

6) Golden Filter - Hide Me website

7) Illus Ocean - Gum Drop website

8) Lectro Lips - Superhuman (Edit) website

9) This Car Is On Fire - Early Morning Internazionale website

10) Struboskop - Can I Never (Simeks Dub Mix) website

11) Kingdom - Mindreader (ft.Shyvonne) (CFCF Remix) website

12) Gordon Voidwell - Disco Afternoon

13) Don Diablo - Teen Scream Machine

14) Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union

15) Holy Fuck - Latin America


Bonus Zips (Left click on these)
Kandid McFly - Stage Fright

Luke Walker - Mixtape/Mix/Excursion Into Bangerama

CHLLNGR - Islands (Remix)

Evil Nine - No Manners (Dannoso Remix)

Markus Lange vs. Baltimore Club - Elmo Song

Brooklyn Minimal Science - Winter Tech Mix" website

ARMS - Heat and Hot Water website

The Record Machine - SXSW Sampler 2010 (submit your email address)


RCRD LBL (opens in seperate window)
Richard Morel - Shoegazer Disco (Roberto Rodriguez Vox Edit

Lady Chann - Sticky Situation (Toddla T Remix)

Asher Roth - She Don't Wanna Man (Yes Giantess Remix)

Miiiiiiiiiiiiiike Snow - Syvia (Ernestamz Remix)

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Cassette Club Remix)

Nosaj Thing - IOIO

Hesta Prynn - Can We Go Wrong (RAC Mix)

Hortlax Cobra - This Time That's It

Videos
Heartbreaks

Kidd Russell

Luke Walker

Rasmus Faber

Time For The Uber Glitterati

Uber Glitterati are a two-piece electropop act from Belfast. Their influences include OMD, Royksopp and MSTRKRFT and they are regularly compared with Dubstar, Saint Etienne, Eurythmics, Kate Bush and The Cocteau Twins.

When they're not recording their own stuff, they're busy making a name for themselves as Belfast's go-to duo for remixes, remixing recent singles 'God Says' by Escape Act and 'Seconds Out' by Strait Laces, for those singles.

Sounding a bit dramatic and a bit chilled, Uber Glitterati are a frigidly cool duo that take elements of trip hop, mix it up with lush atmospherics and get something in love with the 80's that sounds like it' from the mid 90's. It's gorgeous chilled pop that uses Dubstar as a perfect reference point.

Download: Resolutions
Download: Out of Mind

I Love A World Atlas

Lost in a metropolis of noise, dance music and indie rock, proper indie pop still manages to find a way to shine in New York City. With influences from the likes of Donavon and The Smiths, Brian Broux found a way to fuse these influences into an orchestral parade of pop goodness in his new project World Atlas.

Joined by Fred Thomas (Saturday Looks Good To Me) and The Umbrella girls, World Atlas had recently released their debut EP on classic indie-pop label Magic Marker Records (The Manhattan Love Suicides, Fred Thomas, All Girl Summer Fun Band, The Bats, Voxtrot, B.O.A.T., etc). The EP is a pop atlas steeped in nostalgia and allegory that exudes an aesthetic of a library of weathered books, stolen glances and faded colors.

Classic indie pop then and the perfect soundtrack to spring.

Download: Winter Stories

Lions In The Pacific Theater

Sometimes arty pop comes from the strangest places. Buried beneath all the hipsterdom of Brooklyn, and New York for that matter, resides Pacific Theater. Not your typical New York band by any stretch of the imagination, Pacific Theater probably has more in common with Doves or Elbow then anything on this side of the pond.

This is a band that's dramatic, artful, and moody while maintaining a sense of flare and pop about them. They're most definitely a different band then most of their peers and that's one reason why they stand out, the other of course are the songs. These guys apparently went to the Tindersticks school of songwriting and have learned to write emotionally draining songs as if their lives depended on it.

One listen to, "Lions," and you'll see what I mean and why they're so damn good.

Download: Lions

Night Driving In Small Towns

The members of Night Driving In Small Towns are land dwellers. Having moved from small South Georgia towns to the city of Atlanta in 2008, the pair have seen their share of topography, and so has their music. Having navigated the spaces between artsy folk pop and brazen indie rock, the duo's sound is sometimes gutsy, sometimes reserved, but always premeditated.

Andrea Rogers and Colby Wright have written and performed together for almost a decade, getting their craft down to a weird science in the process. Wright provides a lush musical backdrop for Rogers’s intimate lyrics, an amalgamation that has been described as a “potent cocktail” of sound.

"Come and Tell Me," is a breezy spring-like flourish of lazy pop. It's effortless and sweet and tender and sounds like it should be in some sort of David Lynch movie while something bad happens. As potentially disturbing as that sounds it's because this song has a HUGE heart.

Night Driving In Small Towns, release, Serial Killer, on April 20, 2010 via Lower 40 Records in the mean time download "Come and Tell Me," below.

Download: Come and Tell Me

Mi Ami Steal Your Face

Mi Ami's second full-length, Steal Your Face, is due out on April 6th and the band is going to be hitting the road in support of it both here and abroad.

They're also giving away the track "Latin Lover" as a first glimpse of the new album. Sounding like BIS stuck in a disco if said disco was in your two car garage and used a blown stereo as it's PA, the band dances itself into a sweaty frenzy of distortion and noise. This must mean that live the following will happen 1) one band member will fall off the stage breaking a limb 2) the venue's PA will blow up in a fit of exhaustion and 3) punters at said venue will lose approximately 20 lbs from doing more dancing than they have ever done in their entire lives resulting in their skinny jeans fitting for the first time ever.

For these reasons you should first download, "Latin Lover," and then second drive, fly, hitch, walk, run to the venue closest to you and see Mi Ami live.

The dates...
Mar 24 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop w/High Places
Apr 9 Chicago, IL The Hideout w/Forest Juziuk (DJ), Running
Apr 10 Detroit, MI Lager House w/Forest Juziuk (DJ), Child Bite
Apr 11 Pittsburgh, PA Gooski's
Apr 12 New York, NY Cake Shop w/Soft Circle
Apr 13 Baltimore, MD Open Space w/Thank You
Apr 14 Philadelphia, PA Danger Danger Gallery w/US Girls, Hot Guts
Apr 15 Washington, DC Velvet Lounge w/Steve Summers, Max D,
Apr 16 Ann Arbor, MI Arbor Vitae Loft w/Peaking Lights
Apr 29 San Francisco, CA Amnesia
May 18 Kortrijk, Belgium De Kreun
May 19 Amsterdam, Netherlands Studio
May 20 Koln, Germany Tsunami
May 21 Leipzig, Germany Conne Island
May 22 Berlin, Germany Volksbuhne Theatre w/Liars
May 23 Krakow, Poland Club Re
May 24 Prague, Czech Republic Klub 007
May 25 Vienna, Austria Fluc
May 27 Bologna, Italy MX24
May 29 Geneva, Switzerland L'Usine w/Wolf Eyes
May 30 Lyon, France Grnd Zero w/Wolf Eyes
May 31 Paris, France La Chaufferrie Du Moulin Rouge
Jun 1 Lille, France La Peniche
Jun 2 Brighton, UK Prince Albert
Jun 3 London, UK Barden's Boudoir
Jun 4 Leeds, UK Nation of Shop Keepers
Jun 5 Glasgow, UK Sleazys w/Divorce
Jun 6 Manchester, UK The Ruby Lounge

Download: Latin Lover

Heart of Wye Oak

Less than a year after their acclaimed, dark triumph The Knot, Baltimore’s Wye Oak offer My Neighbor / My Creator, a vibrant EP that brims with melody and creative detours over five new recordings. My Neighbor / My Creator will be released today via digital download in the Merge store. The EP will be available at all other digital outlets on April 20 and the CD will be in stores on June 8. You can also buy the CD from Wye Oak at their spring tour dates.

Collaborating with outside producers for the first time, Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack’s four new songs feel loose and direct, from the tumbling opener “My Neighbor” to the propulsive “Emmylou.” “My Creator” and “I Hope You Die” begin like ballads but soon reveal unexpected layers of saxophone and percussion over Wasner’s cascading vocals.

It's sweet and charming stuff that's in no hurry at all. "I Hope You Die," is a lush, sweeping, non non-violwnr little song with emotionally draining vocals that call for you to shuffle off your mortal coil. It's traumatically beautiful stuff that subtly mixes horns with an organ and brushed drums to achieve heavenly results.

Judging by that tune alone, My Neighbor / My Creator is anything but a stopgap, My Neighbor / My Creator is yet another significant step forward for this young and impressive band.

Download: I Hope You Die

Funking Mayhem from The Void(well)

Will Johnson and his alter-ego, Gordon Voidwell, are a lot things – a trained vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and even published fashion writer. Just like the man behind the moniker, Voidwell’s retro-futuristic pop is a unique yet unified blend of various styles. He combines the silky vocals of 80’s funk and R&B singers with infectious electro beats and a hip-hop swagger that flows effortlessly from the native New Yorker.

This concoction is immediately apparent on Voidwell’s brand new track, “Disco Afternoon,” which has a hook that nods to the Hall & Oates classic, “Method of Modern Love.” The song is such a pure funk motherfunkin jam that Bootsy Collins is considering retirement because of just how good this tune is. Chilled out, laid back, and STILL funky, "Disco Afternoon," is a blissful, glittery, trek across the Winter Music Conference dance floor. This tune will be a summer anthem...it's that good.

Download: Disco Afternoon

Download: Voided Checks Mixtape

DJ Donna Summer Feels Love

Nightshifters label head Jason Forrest is back with a vengeance as DJ Donna Summer! He’s here to shake asses and even make you think a little bit. Raw, his first Ep for Nightshifters and first release in 2 years, is filled with syncopated drums, far-out bass, and hybridized house organs to take you well into the next morning.

The title track “Raw” is an expansive bass tune with enough sexual innuendo to keep a nun awake for a week and sounds like a deep wobbly 70's porn film soundtrack. Throw in a bunch of samples and you have one heck of a dirty little tune that's just waiting to explode all over the dance floor.

Download: Raw
Download: Back (Yobkiss Remake)

Pattern Is Movement On Tour...Forever.

After Pattern Is Movement's 2008 album, All Together, and near-constant performing along side the likes of St. Vincent, Shudder to Think and The Roots, the Philly duo is ready to give fans a hint of what's to come with its new tour-only EP, Light of the World. The handmade EP features new Pattern Is Movement songs as well as awesome covers and other unreleased gems, and will only be available at the band's merch table on the upcoming tour.

Which of course means the band is heading out on the road yet again...Here are the dates...
03.12 • The Record Bar (Kansas City, MO)
03.13 • The Blue Fugue (Columbia, MO)
03.14 • Dan’s Silverleaf (Denton, TX)
03.17 • SXSW (Austin, TX)
03.18 • Hometapes Showcase at SXSW (Austin, TX)
03.19 • SXSW (Austin, TX)
03.20 • Hometapes Friend Island SXSW (Austin, TX)
03.22 • Alabama Music Box (Mobile, AL)
03.23 • The Whig (Columbia, SC)
03.25 • Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar (Charlottesville, VA)

Download: Light of the World

Kiki Pau Conquer White Mountain

Finnish band Kiki Pau return with 2nd album White Mountain. The follow up to the well received debut Let’s Rock displays an impressive and more guitar driven Kiki Pau channelling the spirit of Mr. Marc Bolan, T REX, Velvet Underground and slacker gods of the past such as Pavement and Guided By Voices.

An "Old Song," has been floating around for a little bit now and it's a good stompy tune that's crossed the Atlantic now and is destined to sweep across the country on a ray of spring sunshine. It's as if Morrissey and Pavement was fronting the band through a tribute to T. Rex and this is what they came up with. Fun stuff indeed.

Download: An Old Song

Why Write?

Why Write? is Danish songwriter Jacob Faurholt's new project, formed after the dissolution of Sweetie Pie Wilbur.

Armed with a 5-song EP that features fuller instrumentation than his other band and with help from several Danish musicians Why Write? has taken the plunge once again. The intimate vocals and acoustic guitar of his previous work was traded for a spacey sound that sends you back to the early 90’s. The EP was mixed & mastered by American producer KRAMER (Daniel Johnston, Low, Galaxie 500), which is most definitely a nod to the past, and was released by the Canadian based label What A Mess! Records, in the fall of last year.

Noisy indie pop in it's purest form this will bring back visions of late 80's and early 90's British pop. Think of bands on Sarah Records meeting tinges of the Mary Chain, and recorded on about a $10 budget. Why Write? embrace this aesthetic and runs with and the results are simply fantastic. It's awesome indie pop dressed in an anorak and Doc Martens with NHS glasses. It's geeky, shy, and absolutely lovely and a refreshing proper blast from the past. Why Write when you can listen to this all day?

Download: Burning Holes
Download: Jesus On a Stamp

Venice Is Sinking Again...

I'm a bit late on getting this post up, but Venice is Sinking is so worth it that better late then never definitely applies.

Venice is Sinking has had a busy year. In March of 2009, the group released its acclaimed second LP, AZAR, which garnered good notices from NPR, Magnet, Venus, and PopMatters, not to mention Album of the Year honors from Fensepost.

In September of 2009, Venice is Sinking released the Okay "maxisingle," which featured alternate recordings of AZAR songs as well as covers of two songs from San Francisco band Okay. As exciting and active as the last year has been for Venice is Sinking, all of it has served as a precursor to the Sand & Lines experiment, the band's most open-hearted and vulnerable work yet.

Venice is Sinking's third full-length, Sand & Lines, is a document of the sound of a beautiful space that no longer exists: 10 songs, presented in order, recorded live at the now-defunct Georgia Theatre using only two mics. Set for a June release date, it is the culmination of a marathon four day session on stage at Athens, Georgia's historic Georgia Theatre, which was destroyed by a fire in June of 2009. This, the band's third LP, will be released by One Percent Press on vinyl and via online retailers.

"Falls City," is a moody tune that's as smoky as it is gorgeous and you can hear just how good this band has gotten in such a short time. Oozing with maturing, this is what Stars would sound like if they were depressed. The song is fantastic and hints at just how great Sand and Lines is going to be.

Download: Falls City

Graduating From Air Conditioning School

Air Conditioning School is the latest project of Chris Heidman, formerly one half of indie-electro band Sukpatch, whose releases on Grand Royal, Moshi Moshi, and the mighty Sub Pop garnered much critical praise.

The beauty of ACS is the fact that Chris is no longer hiding behind the veil of collaboration. What's left is Heidman being exposed to the world by himself and the fact that the guy can actually write a pretty decent song.

While ACS is nothing like his former band, ACS is like listening to a long lost Yo La Tengo meets Beck record in love with the Silver Jews. It's a classic sound that's destined to be a classic itself. Air Conditioning School plans on graduating and then releasing a full length album sometime this Spring.

Download: Wake Me Up
Download: Busymore

Timo Maas Takes On an Infected Mushroom

I don't really need to tell you who Timo Maas is. Unless you've lived under a rock since the turn of the decade you've pretty much been exposed to this UBER DJ somewhere in your travels. Of your tits or in a shop you've heard something this guy has done.

Of course, Timo Maas is no stranger to reinvention. In a DJ career that he estimates has now spanned “a good 27 years”, Timo’s musical palette has taken in epic breaks for Perfecto (‘Ubik’), the globe-straddling, still ubiquitous remix for Azzido Da Bass known to the world as ‘Dooms Night’ and a solo artist album for Warner which saw him work with r n b princess Kelis (on ‘Help Me’) and Placebo front man Brian Molko.

Ask Timo where his sound sits and where he is going and the answer will be more lateral than literal, a feeling rather than a carefully-thought out specific answer. “Essentially, what I love is the possibility to experiment. We can work spontaneously and some days we just listen to 70s psychedelic rock – it’s totally open minded In 2010, we will release a few albums – a Mutant Clan album and a few collaborations in the pop direction and sophisticated direction. And scores – but that’s the future, that’s the target.”

As if to prove a point, he's just remixed, Infected Mushroom and given them this gothy sort of industrial feel that would have been massive circa 1992. It's as if Ministry was still one of the biggest bands on the planet and Timo had joined them. That's not a bad, thing and it's intriguing to hear a guy who is more known for creating super huge trance anthems give a tune an industrial edge. It's impressive stuff indeed.

Download: Smashing The Opponent

Give PEACE A Chance part 2

A few weeks ago, we posted the announcement by Buffetlibre DJ's about their latest offering PEACE Aside from the obvious what is PEACE all about?

PEACE is conceived as the first musical atlas online, with more than 150 brand new songs by artists from more than 50 countries/territories. PEACE will be available digitally worldwide on April 12, with buyers needing to make a minimum donation to Amnesty International through a specially-designed website. All donations will go towards Amnesty International's campaigns on human rights.

The list of participating artists spans the globe and covers the continents. From the US to Burundi and everything in between, PEACE, is a massive undertaking. As per usual, the effort that Buffetlibre put behind these things is awesome. As a gesture of good will they've even provided us with more tracks from the upcoming release.

Download: Plushgun - Mixtapes (USA)
Download: Bonde Do Role & DJ Chernobyl - Dolphins (Brazil)
Download: The Toxic Avenger - NU 1553 (France)
Download: Ryuichi Sakamoto feat Christian Fennesz - PEACE (Japan)
Download: Jeremy Fowler - Lost In This Garden (Australia)
Download: Wanlov The Kubolor - Just Like You (Ghana)

Previous Post: Buffetlibre Give PEACE A Chance

Optimistic Relations

Andrew Leary and Oliver Keech aka Relation met as children in Essex. Though they both played in bands throughout school and university, the discovery of dance music heroes Orbital and Jeff Mills plus a shared love for the electronic pop giants of the 80s, was the catalyst for the duo to come together and form Relation.

Now on their fifth release, Relation have pretty much got it down pat. Their latest single, Optimistic is a slice of blue eyed soul run through the 80's. The tune has so much in common with The Style Council and Depeche Mode that Paul Weller and Martin Gore must be jealous. Truth be told, Optimistic is a perfect slice of pop in the purest sense of the world.

Radio friendly and a bit up-beat despite having lyrics like this..."How can we play the rent when the money's spent?" Optimistic is about as realistic and relatable as any artist can be today. They're the real deal even if they're thirty years late to the dance.

Download: Optimistic (The Diogenes Club Remix)
Download: Optimistic (Laserdisco Remix)

Shark Speed, John Glenn.

Shark Speed formed in the winter of 2008 in Provo, Utah. Brothers Jared Christensen (drums), Joe Christensen (lead guitar) joined with longtime friend Thayne Fagg (vocals, trumpet, guitar) to play straightforward, energetic rock and roll. Growing up playing the Vegas scene, their sound evolved into jangly guitar riffs, driving math-rock rhythms, danceable electronic melodies, and anthemic pop-rock hooks. Heating up snow-covered Utah houses, they packed sweaty crowds in basements, living rooms, and whatever spaces they could play.

In April 2009, Shark Speed self-released its debut album Sea Sick Music with help from producer Bob Hoag (The Format, The Ataris, Dear And The Headlights, Scary Kids Scaring Kids). Sea Sick Music quickly became a local favorite and received positive reviews nationally and abroad. Compared to The Long Winters, Ra Ra Riot and Minus the Bear, Shark Speed maintains an earnest musical blend of its own.

Now, Shark Speed is set to self-release a four song EP, Education, on April 6, 2010. Judging by the single, "Killing Kind," they're destined for good things. Shark Speed play good old fashioned "alternative," the way bands used to when I was in school. Filled with guitars that jangle, vocals that are filled with yearning, and songs that you can't forget, Shark Speed take all the fluro trendiness that's around today throw it out the window and come up with something that's completely refreshing. These guys are good in that classic indie pop way.

Download: Killing Kind

Reaganomics 1986 Style...

If you thought the music business was running out of ideas, wake up because 1986 has just proven that there are still creative people out there and whether it's the music or marketing or both ends of the stick some people just get it.

The long-awaited sophomore release from 1986, Everybody Is Whatever I Think They Are, releases tomorrow, March 9, 2010; and they're giving it away for free! Kind of.

Influenced by the seemingly infinite cases of pyramid schemes that riddled the headlines of global news papers in 2009, 1986 thought they would take a page from the play book of the likes of Bernie Maddoff to service the record to the general public. After all, if he was capable of swindling some of the richest and brightest that the world had to offer, beguiling the youth of America seemed highly achievable.

With a dash of irony, a heavy helping of satire, and a brief study of Terry Gilliam’s early work, here’s how the site works:

In order to get the record for free, you must exchange the email addresses of like-minded friends. The record is only delivered (digitally) once at least three of your friends click back through the site through the link the website sends them. Please visit the site for the full animated experience. Welcome to the Rock & Roll Ponzi Scheme!

If a pickle can get more fans that Nickelback then I'm pretty sure we can all find three people that want free music in their lives...better yet they don't even have to buy a bottle of Mona Vie to be part of the club.

Download: Black Spring

Download: Undertow

The Bang Bang Club Prepare To Explode

The Bang Bang Clubwill open for business on 3 May, with the release of their debut single, Chemistry.

The Bang Bang Club, in fact, is not a real club, but if it was, it’d be a bloody good one. It’s not a tribute to the group of apartheid photographers with whom they share their name. In truth, they just liked the word ‘bang’.

The band’s long gestation began when John (vocals) and David (synths) met at auditions for another act. Instantly becoming friends, within months they’d formed the band Protocol, been signed by Polydor at their first gig, and toured with the likes of A-Ha and Hard-Fi. Their ill-advised half-shaved/bleached hair made them resemble “a gay Nazi fashion designer”, but the less said about that the better. After the band split, John and David went it alone, and The Bang Bang Club was born.

By night, the band formed part of The House of Blue Eyes - a Warhol-esque collective of artists, performers, and designers, spearheaded by stylist-to-the-stars Johnny Blue Eyes. Yet by day, the band would still show up quite diligently at work, with David in particular opening his then-branch of Ask Pizza in all sorts of states. The Bang Bang Club, then, is as much a band as it is a philosophy of sorts; fusing fashion, music and art without the pretence often gained when you have forgotten where you’ve come from.

Chemistry is a shiny polished gem of a tune. It takes all the groundwork laid by their previous band and ups the ante by about ten. Produced to the nines and with hooks the size of Texas, the band is clearly onto something that could have only come with the trials and tribulations that they've gone through. While it might feel a bit commercial, the band's unabashed love of pop music is what shines through and as they say, it's all about chemistry. The Bang Bang Club is about to go boom.

Download: Chemistry

Download: Chemistry (Seamus Haji Radio Edit)

Man of Mystery...Rektchordz

Sometimes you don't get a lot of information about an artist. Sometimes you get two sentences, like below, and the music does the talking. Sometimes it doesn't work out and some times it does work out, in Rektchordz case it does, as the guy is an epic talent and knows how to construct a tune and a half (check the link to the Calvin Harris remix below). If that wasn't enough, the guy also knows how to spin as well.

Rektchordz (aka Jamie Smithson) has been a busy boy! Aside from penning a massive new single 'Speaker Bump' for his primary home, U&A Recordings which is due out in the first week of April with remixes from The Loops of Fury, Pete Jordan and dubstep hero Vaski, he's also just launched a brand new Website.

So that's it...that's the pitch and while it's not a lot, the mix below pretty much writes his biography for him.

Download: Filthy Inspiration Sessions 2

Visit HERE for the Calvin Harris Remix (email required)

Damien Jurado Heads to Arkansas

Saint Bartlett opens up with a grandiosity yet unheard on a Damien Jurado album. It strips away the many layers of paint from the house down the street where we know Jurado has occupied for the last decade. The new coat is exhilarating. It makes the whole neighborhood shine. It's a modest grandiosity; still homegrown. The mellotron swells, heavenly handclaps ring in stereo and big drums create a sky for the songs to fly in. And the words. Words spring forth from within the volcano of Jurado, full of hope. There's so much hope, in fact, that album opener "Cloudy Shoes" turns into a call-and-response with himself, as though it were a dialogue between two halves of himself.ado and Swift as the performers.

"I wish that I could float up from the ground / I will never know what that's like"

Heavy stuff. Richard Swift's Spector-esque production is spot-on. He ferries Jurado across the river, where the metamorphosis occurs. He then ferries him back, and it is through Swift's lens that we see Jurado not as a folk singer, but as a mystic — somewhere between Van Morrison, Scott Walker and Wayne Coyne. Saint Bartlett was made entirely at Swift's National Freedom studio in Oregon, in just under a week with only Jurado and Swift as the performers.

Saint Bartlett will be released by Secretly Canadian on May 25th in North America (May 24th in the UK).

Download: Arkansas

Malachai Voyages West

Malachai is Hebrew for ‘angel.’ It was also the name of the red-haired bloke from Children Of The Corn. From which the band’s name is derived, we’re not exactly sure and neither are they. Strictly speaking, Malachai’s a duo. There’s a mysterious figure lurking in the background supplying beats and tunes. But he’s a shy sort, preferring the music do the talking, happy to let Gee, the outspoken front person, take the limelight.

Malachai’s origins are in Bristol, UK on the West Coast of England and are indicative of the kind of artists that originate from Bristol: dubstep running through their bones, hip hop in the fingers, ‘60s psychedelia in the heart. It’s only right, then, that Portishead mastermind Geoff Barrow has a thumb in this project. Barrow’s a kind of a mentor for Malachai and released the album on his own Invada imprint last year.

Malachai will be making their maiden voyage to the United States around SxSW as well:
3/19 13:00 Austin The Onion/Canvas Media Party @ The Mohawk
3/20 12:55 Austin Domino Publishing/Press Here Party @ French Legation
3/20 20:30 Austin SxSW official showcase @ Antone's (with Big Star)
3/24 21:00 New York Le Poisson Rouge (with Hudson Mohawke)
3/25 22:00 Brooklyn DJ set @ Treehouse

Download: Snowflake

El Diablo and Sidney Samson Rises Up

What do you get when the two hottest Dutch producers of the moment finally get together in the studio? A monster of a track that levels the dance floor.

Actually, I lied you get two monsters to be precise! Holland's globetrotting Hooligan producer, Don Diablo, teams up with Sidney Samson of 'Riverside' fame to deliver the classic in the making...Monster EP, which consists of two massive weapons of dance floor destruction, "Monster" and "Rise Up".

The Monster EP has already found early bird supporters from every big name on the planet and more than likely every DJ at WMC. The record is literally a monster of a tune and something tells me this is the start of a beautiful friendship...whenever they find the time. Don and Sidney unleash the Monster EP on March 8

Download: Rise Up
Download: Live From Somewhere Mix

You Can Fukkk Offf

I'm a little late getting to this...I blame Comcast. But keeping the momentum going after Fukkk Offf's much lauded debut release Love Me, Hate Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, the team is back with Remix IS King, a full length overview of the hottest Fukkk Offf remix projects.

Remix Is King brings you bin shattering Fukkk Offf remixes of other top artists like Zombie Nation, The Dance Inc., Monosurround, & Midfield General and the hottest remixers like Zodiac Cartel, & Markus Lange putting their stamp across devastating Fukkk Offf originals.

There's one new Fukkk Offf original as well, Utopia, riding in at the end of the release with a full
disco beat down plus unreleased mixes from Gooseflesh, Dirty Disco Youth, La Clope AuBec & Frederic De Carvalho.

So is it worth finding and cherishing...what do you think? You can find it right HERE.

Download: Utopia...three remixes all zipped up
Download: Album Megamix

This Machine Eats Tapes

Super fun Eats Tapes are a duo that animate antiquated synthesizers and coax them into creating crazy bleepy bliss. The do this by taking things that were salvaged, fixed, fetishized and formerly fashionable machines and returning them to their past glories.

They're so good at their restoration work that they have become a household name in the San Francisco Bay Area. Eats Tapes bridge the gap between dance and video game pop-culture by redefining MIDI.

Dancing or playing your Intellivsion is irresistible when the beats and beeps come a poppin'. Eats Tapes are hyper glitchy goodness that's the best thing to come along since the Commodore 64.

Download: Live Snippet One

Download: Live Snippet Two

Download: Live Snippet Three

Welcome To Fang Island

Fang Island began, oddly enough, as an art school project while the band members were attending the prodigious Rhode Island School of Design (also the foundation for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Les Savvy Fav, Six Finger Satellite, Lightning Bolt and some band called the Talking Heads.) According to guitarist Jason Bartell, the goal was to "make music for people who like music." That is, music without irony that harnesses its uplifting qualities. Just like a classic rock song or classical symphony can stir us emotionally, Fang Island exists to unlock that spirit.

Judging by their recently released debut album, Fang Island they've pretty much succeeded in unlocking it. Fang Island is what the Oxes would sound like if they were perpetually happy. They are what metal would have sounded like if it were institutionalized and given lithium. Fang Island is all about god guitar solos, riffs of the gods and hooks that pummel you over the head for maximum impact. In other words, Fang Island are musos it's ok to like.

Fang Island is guitarist Jason Bartell, bassist Michael Jacober, guitarist Chris Georges, guitarist Nicholas Andrew Sadler, and drummer Marc St. Sauveur. They all share collective group vocal harmonies and the occasional hand claps. While Sadler is also known for his role in the debauched rock band Daughters, it is only his fretboard skill that translates between the two groups.

Download: Daisy
Download: Life Coach

Who You Calling A Twit...

Pitch Twit is the pseudonym of Yorkshire musician and producer Tom Sidebottom. This young producer's music is about melody and energy and when he's not making it, he's issuing it. You see Tom is also co-founder and producer of Exceptional Records.

Tom comes from a highly musical family; three of his direct family play or are still playing the violin in professional orchestras (auditions for these generally last between one and two years!) He even plays himself. In fact, you can check out "Knives" by Black Diamond Bay to hear Tom's violin.

Violin aside, synths are obviously Tom's real love though, and the synthesized bleeps and wobbles squeezing out of the speakers is like pure heaven to him. His latest track, "Bulletproof," is evidence of this. Pitch Twit’s knack for electronic dance music and twisting sounds and melody to accentuate his percussive thumps are his signature and one listen to "Bulletproof," and I think you agree that Pitch Twit is far from being like his namesake. In fact, he's anything but.

Download: Bulletproof (original mix)

Air Waves Drift Out On The Road

Nicole Schneit's is a Brooklyn based songwriter who first found solace in her guitar, composing escapist songs with fantastical stories and catchy choruses. Not wanting to be tagged as strictly a singer-songwriter and desiring a full-band sound, in 2007 Schneit teamed up with a few other Brooklynites taking on the name Air Waves.

A few band member changes later, Air Waves is hit the road with Dan Bryer and Jordan Bernstein in tow. Creating a medley of folk, rock, pop, and country, Air Waves serves up fantastic imagery with unforgettable melodies with named influences such as Neil Young, The Clean, and the Velvet Underground.

Passive towards trends, image, genre and all things on the periphery of being in a rock band, there is a genuineness in Nicole's voice that echoes throughout every aspect of Air Waves, cutting straight to the essentials of communicating something larger than words.

Just days after returning from their debut European tour, Air Waves are hitting the road for their Spring U.S. Tour including dates with Seattle's Past Lives (featuring ex-members of The Blood Brothers), and performances at Austin, TX's SXSW Festival and an appearance at Monterrey, Mexico's MtyMx Festival.

The Dates post SXSW...
Mar 22 Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico @ MtyMx
Mar 24 St. Louis, MI @ Firebird w/ Past Lives
Mar 25 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge w/ Past Lives
Mar 26 Milwaukee, WI @ Bayview Legion Hall w/Past Lives
Mar 27 Grand Rapids, MI @ Daac w/ Past Lives
Mar 28 Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick w/ Past Lives
Mar 29 Cleveland, OH @ Now That's Class w/ Past Lives, City Center
Mar 30 Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar w/ Past Lives

Download: Sweetness