Gotan Project – Lunático

As a follow-up to my January 30th Gotan Project post, here’s the tracklisting to Lunático (an hommage to the late great king of tango Carlos Gardel), released April 10th. We all know Calexico, but it looks like Juan Carlos Caceres is an Argentinian tango legend living in Paris, Koxmoz is a hot hip hop collective from Argentina, and Jimi Santos is a somewhat forgotten South-American guitarist. I can’t wait! (click to see the tracklist)

Oh no he didn’t!

Now Kanye West’s official tour DJ, Canada’s A-Trak just released his mixtape CD Oh No You Didn’t! (Live in Vancouver) on French imprint Disque Primeur. Part live routine, part DJ mix, with nice artwork by Akroe (check his portfolio and weep), this is one of the best things I picked up last week. Here are two excerpts for your listening pleasure, be sure to check the whole thing as these guy sure can rock two turntables and a mixer. I know mashups are so passé, but these two really caught me off guard!

• A-Trak “Rockit Bad / Da Hollaback Funk” Oh No You Didn’t! (Live in Vancouver), 2006
• A-Trak “Live Routines (Excerpt)” Oh No You Didn’t! (Live in Vancouver), 2006

[Buy A-Trak]

Nouvelle Nouvelle Vague

I just stumbled upon the tracklisting for the second Nouvelle Vague LP, further bossa nova covers of new wave classics. This looks a bit lengthy (a double album maybe?), but there might be different track selections according to territories… They better not fuck it up! (click to see  the tracklist)

Supernature Supersized

With Goldfrapp’s third studio album Supernature due out in the US next week, I thought the timing was right to look back on the remixes made widely available since the European release in August 2005. The most recent, as its name indicates, is a 15-minute modern take on leftfield disco courtesy of Scotland’s by way of Germany Ewan Pearson. Frantically sought-after when it was originally released as an extremely limited one-sided 12″, the DFA remix shies away from their blueprint, though its 12 minutes do contain a healthy helping of cowbell. Frenchmen Braxe & Falke pull a Lil’ Louis on us and sloooowwww down the shiny-synthy track midway, while the Schwarz Bros. do their deeply dark and danceable thing. Enjoy!

• Goldfrapp “Ride A White Horse (Ewan Pearson Disco Odyssey Parts 1+2)” Ride A White Horse EP, 2006
• Goldfrapp “Slide In (DFA Remix)” Ride A White Horse EP, 2006
• Goldfrapp “Number 1 (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Mix)” Number 1 EP, 2005
• Goldfrapp “Ooh La La (Tiefschwarz Mix)” Number 1 EP, 2005

[Buy Goldfrapp]

French do it better (sometimes)

Another French Friday, another French artist. Named after Messier Object 83, a far-away galaxy, M83 were an electronic duo turned one-man-army. Since their IDM-ish self-titled debut on Gooom Records (which future is unclear), they’ve gone a long way, hitting it big with a rave review from Pitchfork (9.2) for follow-up Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, bringing digital shoegazing to new heights (more like stargazing). Third (and first solo) album Before The Dawn Heals Us was less of a hit in my home, but it has its moments. Along the way, M83 have become sought-after remixers, either for big names or label mates. Here is some of their uneven remixing work.

• Depeche Mode “Suffer Well (M83 Remix)” Suffer Well, 2006
• Bloc Party “The Pioneers (M83 Remix)” Silent Alarm, 2005
• Abstrackt Keal Agram “Jason Lytle (M83 Version)” Bad Thriller, 2004
• Placebo “Protège-moi (M83 Remix)” Once More With Feeling, 2004
• Kids Indestructible “Trans-Pennine Express (Remixed by M83)” Trans-Pennine Express EP, 2003

I might do another M83 post in the near future, with B-sides and rarities, so keep (it) coming!

[Buy M83]
[Buy Depeche Mode]
[Buy Bloc Party]
[Buy Abstrackt Keal Agram]
[Buy Placebo]
[Buy Kids Indestructible]

Featuring Buck 65

Building upon the blinding success of my ‘Featuring Feist’ series, I decided to let another Crazy Canuck take the stage. This right here is Richard Terfry aka Stinkin’ Rich aka Buck 65. Just like Leslie, with whom he danced in the video for “One Evening”, he moved to Paris two years ago, which allowed him to collaborate with the Langage Computer project. He had previously worked with wonder-producers Omid and Boom Bip, and unbeknownst to him with drill’n'bass genius/fraud Venetian Snares. Be sure to catch him live when you can, I still haven’t gotten over his last performance with just a turntable and a microphone.

• Langage Computer “Echafaudage (feat. Buck 65)” Mouse Back Riding, 2004
• Omid “Double Header (feat. Buck 65)” Monolith, 2003
• Boom Bip “The Unthinkable (feat. Buck 65)” Seed To Sun, 2002
• Boom Bip “The Unthinkable (feat. Buck 65) (Venetian Snares Remix)” Corymb, 2004

[Buy Buck 65]
[Buy Langage Computer]
[Buy Omid]
[Buy Boom Bip]

Good As Gold

A few years in the making, Tiga’s Sexor threatened to become the electro Chinese Democracy. It was finally released this month, with coproduction by Jesper Dahlbäck and Soulwax, and it was worth the wait. This definitely poppy affair includes just the right amount of older singles and new tracks. My curent favorite is “Good As Gold”, 7 minutes of dripping wet sensuality… Since the brief and upbeat “(Far From) Home” was already posted at Fluxblog, instead I uploaded its devastating remix by up-and-coming German duo and Kitsuné recording artists Digitalism, their best one yet. Just for the kick, I also added two older treats of his I never tire of.

• Tiga “Good As Gold” Sexor, 2006
• Tiga “(Far From) Home (Digitalism Remix)” (Far From) Home, 2006
• Tiga “Hot In Herre (DJ-Kicks)” !K7150, 2003
• Richard X “You (Better Let Me Love You x4) Tonight (feat. Tiga)” X-Factor Vol. 1, 2003

[Buy Tiga]
[Buy Richard X]

Dear Uncle E

Ten years after signing Eels to Dreamworks and six studio albums on, E (aka Mark Oliver Everett) remains the only member of the original line-up. We all miss Butch, but E has assembled a revolving cast of characters intriguing enough to keep us interested. He also decided to have themed tours, the latest being Eels With Strings, meant to take on the road the mother of all Eels albums, Blinking Lights And Other Revelations. It has now been documented by their first bona fide live record, released yesterday on CD and DVD, which allows us to look back on the last decade and see how it shaped two Eels classics along the way…

• Eels “My Beloved Monster” Eels With Strings Live At Town Hall, 2006
• Eels “(I Can’t Get No) Beloved Monster” Electro-shock Blues Show, 2002
• Eels “My Beloved Mad Monster Party” BBC Radio 1 Session, 1997
• Eels “My Beloved Monster” Beautiful Freak, 1996

• Eels “Novocaine For The Soul” Eels With Strings Live At Town Hall, 2006
• Eels “Novocaine For The Soul” Electro-shock Blues Show, 2002
• Eels “Novocaine For The Soul (Live From Hell)” BBC Radio 1 Session, 1997
• Eels “Novocaine For The Soul” Beautiful Freak, 1996

[Buy Eels]

Coldcut’s Hottracks

The word “pioneers” has been abused to death, but it’s what Jonathan More and Matt Black truly were as Coldcut in the 80’s. Their sound collages paved the way for many other acts while they got busy with their own label, Ninja Tune. Now, nearly ten years after Let Us Play!, they’re back with a record which feels out of time. It could have been recorded 5 years ago, it could be recorded in 5 years. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, as shown by the two tracks that get the most airplay back to mine. Robert Owens’ chill-inducing contribution is on par with his pedigree, and Andrew Broder (aka Fog) allows us to imagine what Thom Yorke would sound like over a Coldcut sounbed.

• Coldcut “Walk A Mile In My Shoes (feat. Robert Owens)” Sound Mirrors, 2006
• Coldcut “A Whistle And A Prayer (feat. Andrew Broder)” Sound Mirrors, 2006
• Fog “Pneumonia (Coldcut Remix)” Pneumonia, 2002
• Eric B & Rakim “Paid In Full (Coldcut Remix – 7 Minutes Of Madness)” Paid In Full, 1987
• Coldcut “Beats + Pieces (12″ Version)” Beats + Pieces, 1987

For more Coldcut goodness, visit Girlpants and 3hive.

[Buy Coldcut]
[Buy Fog]
[Buy Eric B & Rakim]

Vegetalism

I was rather astonished to learn that March Of The Penguins, the US version of La marche de l’empereur, having grossed over $70,000,000 in theatres and over $30,000,000 in rentals, was up for an Oscar, but I was even more shocked to read that the soundtrack had been changed somewhere over the Atlantic. Alex Wurman somehow replaced Emilie Simon, and we’re all the worse for it. Classically trained and an IRCAM graduate, Emilie twists her voice and crafts her electronic pop music in painstaking details with the help of fellow alumnus Cyrille Brissot. Her new record is coming out in the first days of March.

• Emilie Simon “Sweet Blossom” Végétal, 2006
• Emilie Simon “Opium” Végétal, 2006
• Emilie Simon “The Frozen World” La marche de l’empereur, 2005
• Emilie Simon “Song Of The Storm” La marche de l’empereur, 2005
• Emilie Simon “Désert” Emilie Simon, 2003
• Emilie Simon “Il pleut” Emilie Simon, 2003

A mighty thanks to Chris at Gorilla vs. Bear for the link which put my stats through the roof! And welcome to all of you, I hope you’ll like it enough here to stick around a bit…

[Buy Emilie Simon]