If your one of the lucky ones who has a ticket for the Thunder Disco Club, Itch!, Vitamins, One More Tune, Hogmanay spectacular in little over a week then I highly suggest you get locked in to this two hour special weigh in that went out on Subcity Radio last night. Each club faction involved had roughly half an hour to throw down a mix representative of their own night and the result came as a mega mash up of future Garage-Electro riddims, Dubstep danger-donks, early noughties RnB grinders and super-smooth Disco grooves...
There was also some nice interview material with a member from each club, so if you've always wanted to meet the men behind your favourite disco party then here's the next best thing.
Once again Friday rolls round and once again we have more steaming hot cuts of bang-tidy local music to hit you with.
LOCAL HERO:
It's always nice when I open my inbox to find a shiny, new promo package from Mia Dora, the super-talented production duo comprised of Itch Dub fanatic Gnarly Face and Tech House connoisseur Rob Etherson. Here, elements of their respective genre's clash in a rolling Garage hybrid which fuses addictive vocal chops, pulsing techy undercurrents and a seriously smooth breakdown. Sounds like Hot City sparring with Joris Voorn.
Mia Dora - Random Romantics
Next up Mausr returns with a slamming hit of cataclysmic future-tech which comes on like the soundtrack to an underground rave on the Death Star. We're talking pounding kicks, driving basslines and a breakdown which will leave you clinically disturbed. Just to add to the madness, Thumper himself makes an appearance warning you of the out and out insanity to come. Follow the link for a free download:
Ok, providing you made it through Mausr's attempt to aurally kill you then you might appreciate some funkier vibes to ease you back into society. Here, Slow It Down bring the good times with another diamond re-edit of 1980's soul maestros Orlando Johnson & The Trance. This is silky smooth, mirrorball magic for the dancefloor so grab it while it's hot!
Finally, Synth favourite Hahaha has provided a wee stocking filler in the form of a 320 kbps mp3 of his new remix for Aluna George (better than a Toblerone any day). If you like swelling basslines, schizophrenic synths and vocals reminiscent of T2 then get stuck into this. It has all the trademarks of a classic Hahaha production which translates as uncompromising quality.
The hype surrounding Mighty Mouse has been steadily building for some time now, their remixes have become instant trademarks of unwavering quality, taking a song far beyond what the original artist could have envisioned, while their own productions have a mature musicality which elevate them far beyond the 'nu-disco' tag so many people attempt to brand them with.
Ever since I heard their gorgeously Balearic mix of Bent's 'Always' in the summer of 2009 I've been engrossed in their animated, psychedelic and often eccentric soundscapes. Sometimes I've even bought a Mighty Mouse production without listening to it first, purely for the surprise of discovering what sound, vibe, style & atmosphere they've opted to create. Now, with 2011 quickly approaching they've released their first full length artist album, a concept record entitled 'Song With No Word'.
As the title suggests, the album is fully instrumental, each track simply granted it's own 'movement', a place within a hierarchy of flowing grooves and basslines. The whole point of the album is to listen to it as a body of work, it's intended to create an atmosphere, take you away, let your mind run free and over an hour of uninterrupted listening I find the sounds emanating from my speakers to be weird, wonderful and in some cases, inspired. It's a journey from start to finish, the cosmic exploration of 'Movement 2' melting ever so smoothly into the quite tense introduction of 3, the jazz fusion of 'Movement 5' creating visions of smoky late night speak-easies in New York while the sparkling climax of 10 sees you gently returning to earth after floating with the clouds.
Ultimately this would be best listened to in the dark on some chemically enhanced trip, but obviously since we don't condone that sort of behaviour I'd try listening to it while wandering the streets of Paris or thrashing out post-apocalyptic art with your last thread of sanity while making love to the world's most famous super model. The point is, Mighty Mouse have created an experience, it's up to you how you use it.
Mighty Mouse - ‘Song With No Word’ – Limited Edition CD and Vinyl Out now on History / Disco Circus Records
Check out and download (click black arrow to the right of player) 'Movement 5', plus the latest Mighty Mouse mixtape below:
1. apiento & co 'she walks' (original mix) 2. count jackula 'africa' (golden bug remix) 3. jay shepheard & tad wily 'a sopot connection' 4. blamma blamma 'beyond 17' (mighty mouse lost in space instrumental) 5. floorman 'ossum boogie' 6. kindness 'swinging party' 7. morgan geist 'most of all' 8. mighty mouse 'smiling faces' (vocal version) 9. arcade fire 'the sprawl' (mighty mouse dj edit) 10. zola jesus 'poor animal' (mighty mouse's not so official edit type thingy) 11. chilly gonzalez 'you can dance' (cosmonaut grecho remix) 12. florence & the machine 'you've got the love' (the xx remix) 13. dwight trash 'san salvador' 14. alternative car park 'please don't leave me joanna' 15. the aikiu 'just can't sleep' (mighty mouse instrumental) 16. bob holroyd 'african drug' (four tet remix) 17. boy naughty 'miss quenada'
Finally, as part of this Mighty Mouse mega-post we caught up with the intergalactic sound sculptors as they give us further insight into 'Song With No Word':
S: It seems that as a production duo the last two or so years have really seen you establish an ever-growing and admiring fan base, but for people that don’t know, can you start by painting a picture of Mighty Mouse? How the project began, the origins of your sound, the people & things that have inspired you?
MM: Well to be honest, Mighty Mouse has always been more than a production duo. From the start Natalie (our singer) has always been a part of us, she just hasn’t been as involved until the beginning of this year when we starting writing tracks for the main album coming next year. It all started with a remix, we’d all been friends for years and the first year of Mighty Mouse we spent remixing and working out what our sound would be and how we work together. We’re still working that one out and have allot of fun in the process. Musically we’re inspired by so much, but there is definitely a disco/80’s/psychedelic influence in the music we’re doing.
S: Having followed your productions for a few years it would appear that your style, and approach to remixes in particular can vary wildly, from your rather euphoric mix of Bent to the bouncy fun of Gorillaz. What do you think defines a Mighty Mouse production & do you have a favourite sound in particular?
MM: That’s a tough question, I think we never really wanted to be pigeon holed and we always approach a remix individually and think about the song and how we want to interpret it. What we probably like the most about the music we make is that we don’t have any rules, something we try to put across in our mix compilations ‘Disco Circus’. No rules, and complete musical freedom.
S: Your debut artist album ‘Song With No Word’ is comprised of ten tracks, each a different ‘movement’. Can you tell us about the concept of the album and what you want to achieve with it?
MM: It actually started with ‘Disco Circus (Volume 1). We needed a track to fit in the mix and couldn’t find what we were looking for. That’s when Movement 3 came about and we decided to make an EP, so we made Movements 1, 2 and 4 too. We made them all as a single piece so musically they flow into each other. The EP was received really well and we had allot of fun making them. We always said we'd make more Movements so as we’ve been writing our main album with Natalie we made Movements 5 to 10. We probably wouldn’t get another chance to write this kind of album where it’s not focused on singles though so now is the perfect time to get it out. The concept is that it’s meant to be listened to as a whole.
S: Although your sound is a lot broader than the nu-disco tag some people associate with it, the wider genre is definitely going from strength to strength. Are there any peers who you particularly admire or up and coming producers we should be listening out for?
MM: We’re really into what Janelle Monae is doing right now, Four Tet probably made our favourite album of 2010 too, The XX are amazing too.
S: Finally, you’ve been earmarked as one of the most exciting prospects for 2011, what do you have planned for the new year? Do you have intentions to develop a live show for example?
MM: Wow that’s very flattering thank you! In 2011 we’ll be releasing our main album with Natalie this time and we go on the road with the full live show. We can’t wait.
Few things I want to get down today so I'm just gonna throw it altogether in one big mega post! Firstly, it's our last show of the year on Subcity Radio tonight and we're doing a chronological review of the year! This translates as 60 tunes over two hours, leaving two minutes per song and ten minutes a month. That's right, we're doing January to December in a quick fire cascade of 2010's best tunes...
Here's a tracklisting of the first twenty minutes to give you a taste of what's to come:
January:
Sub Focus - Could This Be Real Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Jakwob Remix) Yeasayer - Ambling Alp Louis La Roche - Supersoaker Deadmau5 - Strobe
You can check out the remaining 50 songs and listen to the show here from 6pm tonight: http://www.subcity.org/shows/synth/36746/. Subcity goes off air during the Xmas period but we'll be back on January 12th for more nonsense!
Next up, another cheeky video from viusal wizard Betawaxx at Naive's massive winter extravaganza last Friday. As a precursor to the definitive visual review, here we have Busy P bigging up the party crew before he hit the decks. I'll bring you the full version as soon as it's available:
Finally, just had to bring you this as soon as we heard about it. MGMT may have failed to follow up the commercial success of 'Oracular Spectacular', but the majority of people quickly realised second album 'Congratulations' was all about creating the album they wanted to make, regardless of the fan reaction. Anyway, album highlight 'Siberian Breaks' - a beautiful, psychedelic soundscape spanning nearly 12 minutes in length has been given an equally impressive re-rub by the Ed Banger all stars aka Breakbot, So-Me & Busy P.
Much like the original, they succeed in melting what sounds like three entirely different songs together over the space of 10 minutes. Starting with deeply soothing piano chords and reflective strings, the song eventually breaks into a disco beat which is more reminiscent of the Ed Banger sound we've come to instantly recognise, before breaking into a digital wig out which mirrors the original version. An essential listen:
MGMT - Siberian Breaks (Ed Banger All Stars Remix)
Ok, it's been a while since we blasted you with some fresh mixtape action so here are three which our annoying our neighbours at the moment. Firstly, Mixed Bizness head honcho, Boom Monk Ben has released this heavy-skanking, sub-strangling, riddim-riding mix which features more booty busting action then I care to mention. Straight from the drop, this is a relentless grime wave of Funky, Ragga & Dubstep which will leave you desperate for more. From the familiar bashment of Redlight & Seiji to unreleased monsters from Duda & Hostage this is straight bass-bending fire. Catch Ben this Saturday at Radio Magnetic's Winter Rave at the SWG3 warehouse with fresh talent like FOUND, The Blessings & S-Type.
Next up, one of our favourite grime spinners, Jinty has come correct with this 'best of...' mix for 2010. If your yet to catch Jinty's 'Gutter Riddim' show on Subcity Radio, then we suggest you get on it immediately. This Friday he'll be bringing a review of the year, with some of the hottest dubplate drama from the street to the embarrassing converts who have gone mainstream weak. That's right. As for the mix, expect only the finest UK grime straight from the 1's & 2's. 'Street Fighter Riddim' still kills it....
Finally, on a completely different tip, our favourite disco diamonds Slow It Down have brought together all their finest re-edits of the year into one rather neat, super-grooving package. Opening with our personal favourite 'Change Of Heart', the mix takes in all types of irresistible basslines, contagious vocal cuts & head-nodding rhythms. We can imagine this being the perfect soundtrack to a hot day in 1980's Miami, cruising South Beach in your Delorean while girls in hotpants give you the eye. Oh yes, I can see it now....
Based in Glasgow, Synth is a hub for one of Britain’s most thriving clubbing communities. We pride ourselves on getting in on the ground level, whether it’s reporting on an incredible party in an abandoned warehouse, putting the spotlight on an up and coming local producer or bringing you interviews with some of the key players on the scene, Synth is your guide to one of the best party city's in Europe.
Glasgow producers, promoters and DJ's: We want to hear from you! If you've got a hot new track that needs to be heard, a brand new mix which you think should be featured or a big club night coming up that you want listed or reviewed hit us up on info@synthglasgow.com and we will get back to you. We're also currently looking for writers to contribute to the Synth blog. We have a lot of guest list opportunities for exciting new clubs and established nights. We need people to go and review them, so if your interested please get in touch on the above email address. All audio featured on this blog is for promotional purposes only, if you want a song removed please contact us on the above email address and we will remove it immediatly.
