Tag Archives: daft punk

Musical Memory

3 Jan

After leaving a club tightly packed with sweaty people and before walking a street with only one, whose main mission was to harass me until I said “hi,” I was on the train. With my black hood covering my eyes, my gold hoop earrings and my mouth the only visible reminders that my face was there below the fabric, I had a moment. I was alone, just my music and me, and had time to think about what laid the foundation for my love of music.

A few nights ago, a good friend asked when was it that I had discovered my love of music and dancing, and I responded “infancy.” My first experience with music took place when I was only a few months old, crawling instead of walking my way to the stereo and turning the volume up full blast. Suspended by my own surprise, I screamed and cried, but couldn’t move. Something about the music held me there, alarmed yet frozen, until my mother came to my rescue. The rest was history really, with music being a constant figure in my childhood and for the rest of my life.

Tonight, on the train, as I searched for music by Homework the group, I came across Homework the album, Daft Punk’s first full LP and my first house music purchase. There were cds that came before, of course, such as Moby’s “I Like to Score,” The Prodigy’s “Music for a Jilted Generation,” and Fatboy Slim’s “Better Living Through Chemistry” that influenced my taste, but I can easily say that Daft Punk’s “Homework” changed my life.

I urge you, in this new year, to think back on your musical memories. What made your musical taste what it is today? What was a pivotal moment or period for you as you began to develop your own musical aesthetic?

- Retail DJ

Retail DJ April Podcast

25 Jul

Alright folks, the Retail DJ April Podcast is finally up! My apologies for the delay. Things have been really busy with all the interviewing and party planning around here :-)

This podcast is mainly electronica (house, techno, a nod to breakbeat) with a touch of dance rock, so it’s definitely for folks who want to do more dancing than sitting. Enjoy this mix and remember to play AND download if you want it to be yours forever.

Retail DJ April Podcast

Retail DJ May Podcast by RetailDJ

(Click to play; Click the small arrow on the right to download)

tracklist:

Anonym – Trust Me (Original Mix)
Daft Punk – Technologic (Lebatman Rework)
Max Sedgley – Something Special
Leonardus – Can You
Detachments – Circles (Mighty Mouse Remix)
Lo-Fi-Fink – Marchin’ In (Silver Columns Remix)
Siriusmo – Discosau
Alan Braxe & Fred Falke – Chrystal City

Special Event: Bootie Brooklyn!

28 May

The “Bootie” parties have become a worldwide sensation, and Public Assembly is fortunate enough to be hosting the first ever Bootie Brooklyn! I am super excited about this, mainly because a) I heard about it first through DJ Leo Justi (who will be playing for the Rio branch of the party, Bootie Rio, June 11th), and b) I caught wind of an amazing mix that the Bootie Rio crew posted on their SoundCloud page. I’ve included the tracklist ABOVE the jump this time so readers can get a good sense of all the hard work that goes into putting together a set like this. Beatmatching is one thing, but keymatching, melodymatching, and mixing are quite another.

This mix, which was done by Brazilian DJs André Paste, Leo Justi, Faroff,  Brutal Redneck,, Lucio K and João Brasil, gets to all the fans–from folks who like rock and roll, to rap, to funk carioca, to electronica; there’s something there for any and everyone. I am truly impressed.

BEST OF BOOTIE RIO 1 by bootierio

tracklist:

1 – House of Pain vs Amsterdam Klezmer Band vs Pa Brapad – House of Klezmer (FAROFF)
2 – Get pet – get back beatles vs. é o pet – João Brasil
3 – Missy Elliott ft. Dança do Canguru – Canguru Gossip Folks (remix mashup by Leo Justi)
4 – Daft Punk vs MC Colibri – Colibri around the world (André Paste
5 – Lady Gaga vs Chico Science – Gaga Science (Brutal Redneck)
6 – Beatles vs Amy Winehouse – Come Together good (DJ LK)
7 – Marvin Gaye vs Nirvana – I heard it through the Kurt (Brutal Redneck)
8 – Tira a camisa and clap your hands (André Paste)
9 – Seven Tapinhas (André Paste)
10 – The Beatles vs LCD Soundsystem vs The Kinks – The Brits are playing at my house (FAROFF)
11 – Los Lobos vs Radiohead – Creep Bamba (Brutal Redneck)
12 – Metaleiras da Amazônia vs Nirvana – Lambada Teen Spirit (DJ LK)
13 – Louca por humps – Calypso vs Black Eyed Peas – João Brasil
14 – Tchau toy – João Brasil – La Roux – I’m not your toy X Banda Calypso – Tchau para você – João Brasil
15 – Metallica vs Bob Marley – Sandman Jamming (DJ LK Mashup)
16 – Nirvana vs Dead or Alive – Spins Like Teen Spirit (FAROFF)

****

Faroff will be here for the Brooklyn edition spinning an ALL-VIDEO mashup (amazing!), so DO NOT MISS IT!!!

Bootie Brooklyn @ Public Assembly, featuring DJs Faroff, DJ Adrian + Mysterious D (aka Plus D) [the latter are the Bootie party founders!]

5/29, Front Room, 10 pm
10pm-4am
$5 before 11pm w/RSVP: rsvp@bootienyc.com
$10 after
free Bootie Brooklyn mashup CDs to the first 100 people!

Get Dressed to This: Carte Blanche

27 May

The term Carte Blanche, when translated, means “blank check” but the expression means the right to do basically whatever you want. . . Entrusted with extreme authority to exercise your power in a way that you see fit. . .

That said, Carte Blanche is the perfect name for the duo that has formed between two phenomenal DJs, Riton and DJ Mehdi, who exercise their power as musical greats to create tracks and mixes worthy of stopping time for a listen or two.

I am a longtime follower and fan of both, so it’s no surprise that I loved what’s come out of their collaborative work. Riton is probably best known of late for the tracks that he’s done with British pop star Primary 1 and Mehdi best known for his participation under the umbrella management group Ed Banger Records. Both, however, have been making amazing music for a very very very long time, their individualsCVs overflowing with years of experience in both DJing and producing a variety of genres from hip hop and soul to  house and minimal techno.

A few weeks back, they blessed the world with a mix that I honestly could not get out of my head. Every song has such meaning for me, as one track or another reminds me of some period in my life, of my own musical awakening and growth. Much like the Quinten 909 mix I featured yesterday, this Carte Blanche “House Party Mix” delivers the goods for heavy duty music connoisseurs AND newbies. I hope you enjoy this mix as much as I do. . .

But going back to the concept of Carte Blanche, every now and then, we need that creative license in our fashion too. We need to be able to feel like we can get away with wearing WHATEVER,a nd what better a place and time than the parties of tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday? That’s why today’s “Get Dressed to This” is solely a mix. I want the music to inspire you to create something amazing – your own blank check if you will – for the weekend of parties ahead.

Get dressed to this. . .

Carte Blanche – House Party Mix

(follow the link above to play, click here to download) 

tracklist after the jump

(more…)

Oldies But Goodies: Lazy Bones

26 May

One of the things that I have realized about a lot of people these days is that they are generally musically lazy. Most people listen to what they hear when they go out or on the radio, but don’t really do their homework. The same can be said of fashion, actually, with most folks wearing whatever the magazines say is cool without looking for new designers and putting together unique outfits. The problem could be a result of media overload, the aftermath of our being so frequently exposed to new things (be they music or fashion or anything, to be honest) by way of the infinite sources of communication and news proliferation. People sometimes become so overwhelmed that they just throw in the towel. There is no possible way they can keep up, so they just surrender altogether.

Yet on the flip side, there are still people out there who dig around on a frequent basis to expand their knowledge, music being one of those pursuits. Being one of those people means I am often exhausted, every club outing becomes an aural game of Jeopardy (oh, this is that sample from X or this is a remix of Y), I run through portable hard drives like rolls of toilet paper, and my iPod, though it’s huge, is always too full. Ultimately, I find myself in a place of constant downloading, listening, reviewing, and recommending of music, but it’s a happy place, and one that gives me the opportunity to recognize when others out there are doing the same.

One such example is Quinten 909, a Dutch DJ who has put together a great mix for the blog Too Many Sebastians that combines his tracks with a ton of old school French house and nuevo disco tracks. This mix is fun and light, but also perfect for someone who is as music-obsessed as I, being that it travels so deeply into an old sound that may not be familiar to all. So be a little lazy for once, and just listen with an empty head. Let your ears do all the work for you.

Quinten 909 – Mix for Too Many Sebastians

TooManySebastians Mix /0510 by Quinten909

tracklist after the jump

(more…)

Oldies But Goodies: French Revolution

4 May

War Zone or Rave Space?

I can’t quite say who started it, but somehow over time, French DJs came to dominate the house scene. Once controlled by the warehouse bumping DJs in Chicago, Detroit, and later New York, house music has seen many a transformation. But one of its longest lasting incarnations is the one brought to us from France.

Revived by artists like Daft Punk and its two members, Guy  Manuel de Homem-Christo (who went on to found Crydamoure with Éric Chedeville) and Thomas Bangalter, in addition to Cassius (formerly known as La Funk Mob), Motorbass (a collaborative project between Philippe Zdar and Etienne de Crecy), DJ Falcon, Modjo, and Bob Sinclair. The infinite collaborations, projects, labels, and groups that came from just this set of performers is pretty amazing, but if we look at the other groups that emerged at the same time, we’ll notice even more musical crossbreeding to create what we now know as French House. What’s so funny about this set of artists is that initially, they were not even considered house, but a new form of disco, which makes me wonder what the artists we now label as “New Disco” will be called in a few years.

Most of the aforementioned artists now create music that is a far cry from their musical origins, having delved into rock, techno, hip hop, and straight up pop, but they will always hold a special place in my heart for being some of the earliest electronic artists I cut my teeth to.

Here’s one of my favorites: a remix of Daft Punk’s “Around the World” by Motorbass that takes this song to a whole new level [rare]:

and another favorite by Motorbass, “Flying Fingers”

- Retail DJ

Retail DJ April Tracklist: Rainy Day

30 Apr

My sincerest apologies, dear readers, for just getting this to you. As I expressed on my Twitter and Facebook pages, there was little out there this month that compelled me to add it to the April tracklist. Most of the new indie bits I came across were a little lacklustre. Fortunately, thanks to the folks at Discobelle, Too Many Sebastians, and God knows where else because they have been on my iPod for a while, I was able to put together this month’s (albeit late!) tracklist for your listening pleasure. The theme for this month’s set is “Rainy Day.” April showers, afterall, bring May flowers, right? That’s how the saying goes of course, but I felt like adding a little more to that idea.

Most of the songs on this mix are a little more mellow than my usual. What’s great about them, though, is that all together, they combine to make one partake in a little light dancing while stuck inside during the rain. When I was little, I used to do exactly that on rainy days. I’d stay indoors, playing my 35s and 45s in my Fisher Price record player while sprawled out on the floor drawing and coloring. I actually enjoyed the rainy days more than the ones that were sunny and nice because they allowed me to be at rest and really find the source of my creativity. Not only that, they allowed me to be fully engaged with my first and most solid love: music.

All that being said, I hope you all enjoy this April Tracklist. It’s made with the rainy day in mind, but certainly can be co-opted for even the sunniest of days. Enjoy!

*click to play; click the small arrow to download*

1. Proxy – 8000 (John Roman Lost Tourist Dub)

Retail DJ April Tracklist – Track 1 by RetailDJ

2. DJ Wool – Watch This
Retail DJ April Tracklist – Track 2 by RetailDJ

3. Anonym – Trust Me (Original Mix)
Retail DJ April Tracklist – Track 3 by RetailDJ

4. Detachments – Circles (Mighty Mouse Remix)
Retail DJ April Tracklist – Track 4 by RetailDJ

5. Little Majorette – Bite the Bullet (Le Prix Remix)
Retail DJ April Tracklist – Track 5 by RetailDJ

6. Max Sedgley – Something Special
Retail DJ April Tracklist – Track 6 by RetailDJ

7. Siriusmo – Discosau
Retail DJ April Tracklist – Track 7 by RetailDJ

8. Leonardus – Can You
Retail DJ April Tracklist – Track 8 by RetailDJ

9. Daft Punk – Technologic (Lebatman Rework)
Retail DJ April Tracklist – Track 9 by RetailDJ

10. Lo-Fi-Fink – Marchin’ In (Silver Columns Remix)
Retail DJ April Tracklist – Track 10 by RetailDJ

11. Alan Braxe & Fred Falke – Chrystal City
Retail DJ April Tracklist – Track 11 by RetailDJ

Now Playing: Volume 1

23 Feb

As I mentioned previously, I planned on featuring a few new regular posts on the page. This is one of them. Welcome to Now Playing. In Now Playing, I (or friends and special guest artists) will leave a few tracks, what they are listening to at the moment that are worth checking out.

This is what I have on heavy rotation this week, thanks to the folks at Discobelle and Too Many Sebastians:

1. Cecile & Venice – Rimmel (click here to dl)

This was featured in the January Aeroplane monthly mix. I fell in love. Now I can’t.stop.listening.to.it. It’s groovy, disco-y, and will make you dance even when you don’t feel like it. Turns out they are managed by Gomma, which now makes sense . . . because Gomma is a label that seems as if it is allergic to putting out anything but awesome music.

video: This video features clips from an old Czech New Wave film . . . random, though typical Gomma (see: video for “Rat Race” by Munk)

2. Matt Van Schie – Saturday Night (G.L.O.V.E.S. Remix) (click here to dl)

At parts, this song reminds me of music from Daft Punk’s Discovery. If you know that album well, you’ll know what I am talking about when you hear the track.

3. Polargeist – Home from the Can (Tensnake Remix) (click here to dl)

Oldschool house feel mixed with a little chill. Best for motivating you as you go out or while having drinks. It’s danceable, but only in that “I’m a model, I do not sweat” kind of way. :-)

4. Savage Snobs – GLOBAL  (click below to listen/dl)
GLOBAL by Savage Snobs

Luuurv this song. It’s cute, ’nuff said. It’s a hip hop song in the vein of the Cool Kids (of “Black Mags” and 90s revival style fame) and N.E.R.D.

5. Ali Love – Love Harder (Mighty Mouse Remix) (click here to dl)

Ali Love, who dropped Diminishing Returns, has yet another awesome song out: Love Harder. This track was also featured in Aeroplane’s January mix, and thank goodness for it. This track is mellow, yet danceable, sexy yet fun, and makes you feel like  you could stop traffic.

6. Chaos dans le CBD – Cheese’s Christ (original mix) (click here to dl)

Heavy groove track. It starts off slow, but then speeds up and gets a little more depth. Reminds me of something I’d probably have heard in that old store Lounge on Broadway (which was one of the coolest stores ever, actually) that is now a Mango or a Victoria’s Secret or some major.corporate.label.store at which I never shop, so I can’t remember its name. There is a part in this song in which there is so much of a “shhh” sound, I initially thought my furnace was coming on or someone was entering my room with a smoke machine. Yet I like it.

7. Delphic – Halcyon (L-Vis 1990 Remix) (click here to dl)

I like this song primarily because it starts off sounding like some typical British pop joint, but then L-Vis 1990 just…wrecks it. It turns into something else entirely, and I mean that in a good way! He makes it sound much darker and aggressive, which I know I sometimes need when I am walking around in the city or on the train and need a little boost of toughness. But then he brings back the sad, sentimental voice of the artist right when you least expect it. And, somehow, it just works.

8. Metronomy – Trick or Treatz (click here to dl)

This song has been stuck in my head for the longest. It’s an old-ish Metronomy song that came out before they straight blew up in the States, but it had been heavily sampled enough for people to be familiar with it if they were into electronica.

- Retail DJ

Disco Nuevo

12 Jan

In case you haven’t heard, there has been a resurgence of two types of music as of late in the electronica/club scene, and no, i am not talking about dubstep. Both house and disco have risen from the speaker death they experienced when trance, techno, electro, and UK garage/grime/dubstep/niche took over. There have been several incarnations of house in recent years, including “fidget house,” which Crookers and Congorock made famous, in addition to the equally party-friendly tech-house, made popular by folks like Jesse Rose and Riva Starr. Yet another sound that pre-dates the electronica scene is disco, and it’s been given an entirely new face for the contemporary clubgoer/music listener.

What I like to call “Disco Nuevo” has been floating around the music scene in creamy mixes from the likes of several Canadian DJs including Matty C and DJ Neoteric, and Belgium’s Aeroplane, all of whom have taken the 70′s favorite genre and turned into something more fitting for the present. While some of the old disco elements are still there,  like the heavy bass, tinges of gospel, and sassy vocals, the general sound is smoother, more finessed and has light infusions of house and soft rock that provide music that’s good for lounging or dancing, if one sees fit.

Bearing in mind that it’s only Tuesday, I felt like these mixes would be more appropriate for easing you into the week, without overwhelming the senses. These mixes are from the White Light Mix Series, which is a compilation of disco nuevo mixes by a set of talented DJs you may already  know and love. Hopefully you all will appreciate these as much as I do. I have chosen some of the standouts of the bunch, but they are all honestly worth a listen, and a dance or two. Enjoy (to download, right click the link and  ”save target as”):

White Light Mix Vol. 1 – Matty C (DL)

tracklist:

The Whitest Boy Alive – Golden Cage (Fred Falke rmx)
Architecture in Helsinki – Debbie (U-Tern rmx edit)
Cazals – Somebody Somewhere (Lifelike rmx)
Holy Ghost! – Hold On
WSGM – You Should Be Someone Else (Moulinex rmx)
PNAU – With You Forever
Shapeshifters – Pusher (Lifelike rmx)
Lifelike + Kris Menace – Discopolis (A Hundred Birds rmx edit)
Fiasco – Happy Hour (The Scar rmx)
DJ T + Booka Shade – Queen Lucid
Fred Falke – Love Theme
Daft Punk – Voyager
Alan Braxe + Fred Falke – Intro/Running
DJ T – Funk On U
Leroy Hanghofer – Pin
Juan Maclean – Happy House
Global Communication – The Way (Secret Ingredients rmx)

White Light Mix Vol. 3 – DJ Neoteric (DL)

tracklist:

01 – B.e.l.l X.1 – Flame (Chicken Lips Mix)
02 – F.r.i.e.n.d.l.y F.i.r.e.s – Paris (Aeroplane Remix)
03 – A.l.a.n P.a.r.s.o.n.s P.r.o.j.e.c.t – Wouldn’t Want To Be Like You (Twelves Rmx)
04 – T.h.e P.l.u.g.s – Imaginary Friend
05 – B.e.n.i – My Love Sees You
06 – H.o.t C.h.i.p – Like We Breakdown (DFA Remix)
07 – J.a.p.e – Floating (D.I.M Remix)
08 – P.r.y.d.a – Rakfunk
09 – D.V.A.S – Society
10 – M.i.a.m..i H.o.r.r.o.r – Make You Mine
11 – L.e.s R.h.y.t.h.m.s D.i.g.i.t.a.l.e.s – Dreamin’
12 – L.a.d.y.h.a.w.k.e – My Delerium (JBag Hot Pop Remix)
13 – M.e.t.r.o.n.o.m.y – Heartbreaker (Kris Menace Remix)
14 – L.y.k.k.e L.i – Lit Bit (Autoerotique Bootleg Remix)
15 – M.i.d.n.i.g.h.t J.u.g.g.e.r.n.a.u.t.s – 45 and Rising
16 – R.o.l.a.n.d C.l.a.r.k – Music Talking (Fred Falke Remix)
17 – T.h.e H.o.u.r.s – See the Light (C.a.l.v.i.n H.a.r.r.i.s Remix)
18 – The A.s.t.o.n S.h.u.f.f.l.e ft Tommie Sunshine – Stomp Yo Shoes
19 – C.a.s.s.i.u.s – Feelings For You (Les Rhythms Digitales Dreamix)
20 – O.c.e.l.o.t – Our Time (Treasure Fingers Remix)
21 – E.m.p.i.r.e of the S.u.n – Walking on a Dream
22 – L.a.d.y.h.a.w.k.e – Back of the Van
23 – F.e.l.i.x D.a H.o.u.s.e.c.a.t – Ready 2 Wear

White Light Mix Vol. 6 – Curtis Vodka (DL)

tracklist:

1. Julianna Barwick – Cloudbank
2. Walter Jones – I’ll Keep On Loving You
3. Low Motion Disco – Love Love Love (LSB Remix)
4. Phoenix – Lisztomania (Classixx Remix)
5. Full Moon Fashions – Happy Shades
6. LCD Soundsystem – 45:33 part 1 (Apt One Edit)
7. Stevie Nicks – Stand Back (Eli Escobar Disco Mix)
8. DJ Kaos – Love The Night Away (Tiedye Mix)
9. Downtown Party Network – Days Like These
10. Federico Conti – Suono Piano
11. Jitterbug – Speakers Corner
12. Burial & Four Tet – Wolf Club
13. The Juan MacLean – One Day (Lazaro Casanova Dub)
14. Kid Sister – Get Fresh (Alex Gopher Dub)

- Retail DJ

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