KISSY SELL OUT WE ARE ROCKSTARS REMIX

Today, a blast from the past. Well a few years ago anyway. Glastonbury stuff coming soon.



Kissy Sell Out's remix of the Does It Offend You, Yeah? classic 'We Are Rockstars' brings his strange electro style out into the cold light of day and is arguably the best example of his productions. At around the 3:00 mark the near-nauseating fuzzy slide whistle synth rocks back and forth with a uniqueness that is ironically common for Kissy Sell Out.

The heftily distorted sounds throughout are also very typical of the popular electro sound of 2008, which is when I first heard this song anyway; it's a perfect example of the progression of electro music, showcasing a virtuosity in both technique and substance with more solo additions than original samples, which are used incredibly sparsely. No doubt if this were to be done this evening or last week or something, it'd be a dubstep remix complete with an overdose of wobble. It's just nice to look back and take in a gulp of fresh music that still sounds like it's breaking boundaries even now.


• Here's a YouTube playlist for Kissy Sell Out if you care for more fuzzy electro from the eccentric DJ.
• And/or check out his Myspace.

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CARIBOU AT GLASTONBURY

Playing at 10pm today, Caribou (aka Manitoba, aka Daniel Victor Snaith) will be setting the mood for the night ahead with his electronic indie dance sounds. Leaving his native London, Ontario (Canada) for another London (UK) for university and then staying put, his music combines the energy and raw sound of a live band complete with guitars and percussion, with moody electronic sounds. I like Caribou, but without having explored his discography I only know a few songs - the below, 'Odessa', is my favourite thus far, and you probably would've heard it before.


The funky bassline eschews the usual cheeriness found in funk for a much bigger, darker, emptier sound, and is the backbone of the entire song, providing a powerful foundation for the soft vocals that are cut with a start stop high-pitched noise throughout. A really great song, and something that's going to sound great as night has just set in at the Park Stage, where it's just too easy to lose yourself.

Listen to more Caribou on Myspace and check the official site.

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TROPICS AT GLASTONBURY

The superchilled stylings of Tropics are gracing the Pussy Parlure at Glastonbury today at just after midday. Within its decadent 1920s interior, the Pussy Parlure has been a feature at Britain's biggest festival now for about 5 years, and is famed for hosting acts that are definitely far left of mainstream: perfect stomping ground for Tropics.

Chris Ward is the brains behind Tropics. Just 22, he takes influences from pretty much every type of music to create ultra ambient tracks that just melt your brain and slide down from the skies to settle on your brain like liquid sunshine. Mixing 70's funk drums with ghostly vocals and smooth, watery synth, this new track 'Mouves' (out 18th July) is a perfect example of the vibe that drives Tropics to create such beautiful music. Enjoy.



It sounds a like some parts of Fourtet, and is just as good. I'll be trying to see this today. If the sun's out, it'll be the supreme soundtrack to the festival.

Check Tropics on SoundCloud for more, including 25 minute mixes that have almost put me in a trance as I write this.

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†‡† RITUALZ LIVE @ CAMP LONDON

I think perhaps my favourite witch house artist, Ritualz (†‡†), is playing live tomorrow (Monday 20th June) at the CAMP Basement, London. I have a ticket already, but I am feeling so ill today that I might not be able to make it tomorrow, which would suck big time. I would miss the first time he's playing in London and that would be a shame. There are still tickets available, so if you'd like to go and see this amazing artist alongside Design A Wave, The Church Of Synth, Story Of Isaac (DJ) and BITE DJ, get on it. If you need an idea of what this fantastically unique gangster-cum-conjurer might be like live, here he is playing his song 'Ghetto Ass Witch' live in Bucharest on 9th June:

I'm sure the colour effects were added post-production, but despite that, it fits the song perfectly. This is the kind of thing you'd be anticipating if you fancied going along tomorrow. As you can hear, Ritualz creates music that is kind of like trance put in a blender, heavily reliant on fat kick drum and sharp claps to make up the beat. Generally, the music is hypnotic in all its distorted synth glory, rent with twisted rave horns and high pitch, screaming synth rocketing up and down - as best demonstrated by the widely-loved song below, 'Goth Bb'.

The lo-fi, brutally intense beat makes this song, whilst ear-splitting synths battle above it, dive-bombing your brain every now and again. There's a distinctly videogame soundtrack vibe around this, mixed of course with the dark, shadowy overtones to create something utterly unique, and borderline anthemic. Listen:


What do you think? Just a lot of noise, or something closer to genius?

Don't forget: CAMP Basement, London - tomorrow, 20th June.
He doesn't use Myspace anymore.
He does use SoundCloud.
And he is on Twitter.

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WHO WORSHIPS THE DEVIL

First of all, Chris Brown can't hold a candle to OFWGKTA so whatever shit they're apparently talking, for me, is meaningless. It's banter. Chris Brown is just an absolute nutter for beating up Rhianna, and along come Odd Future with their weirdness, controversiality, religious symbology, and naturally they are met with suspicion. Chris Brown on the other hand is populist shit, utter tripe, so equal parts naturally a lot of people are going to agree with him and be utterly unable to even begin to comprehend the actually quite simple fact of the uniqueness of Odd Future.

Taco is another from OF (Odd Future) - he's in the picture at the top of this post. Worship the devil? Really? How is it that someone so clearly ignorant and touchy gets the most famous? Well, I have a theory. I think it's because he gives a fuck. In fact, I think it's because he gives too much of a fuck. So he builds his image, makes some bad music, beats up a superstar (see? he's touchy), and lives his millionaire lifstyle. Odd Future couldn't be more opposite. They don't give a fuck. They couldn't give less of a fuck. They do what they do because out of sheer fun. Chris Brown does it for money, no doubt about it.

And here's Taco defending himself again after Chris Brown cries, throws his toys out the pram and starts threatening to deck to nearest female performer, and tweets. He meets this stupidness with a quite valid point. Kanye, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj - all featured in 'Monster', which I wrote about, which itself is very dark, touching on murder, zombies, cannibalism. And these artists are all very well known; why would they put their reputations on the line if they thought the song and video would be taken the wrong way? It's quite possible that these guys also don't give that much of a fuck. Maybe not. Who knows.

Odd Future are doing what they want to do; they do a lot for shock value, but hey, it obviously works. If you can get your creativity out there to the masses with a thousand upside down ††††s, a 666, and some cockroach eating, nosebleeding, snakes-in-coffin videos, then good for you. It's clever more than anything else. What people are mistaking as Satanism, is probably more atheism, and who cares.

But check out this amazing Chris Brown song omg it's so good. See the women at the start he's frolicking with? Those are the good times, before he starts getting paranoid and aggressive... but what a tune though. You'll probably have to watch it on YouTube though, cause it's Vevo and all. I wouldn't even bother. What a waste of time. Sorry.

Chris Brown deserves it. Here is some more informed news of what is now being called a feud between Odd Future and Chris Brown.
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