[redthreat]

pics by clayton hauck: everyoneisfamous.com

Sorry for the semi-hiatus state I’ve been in. Ugh. Holidays are always so taxing… There’s been so much going on. FlossyD has been all over the place, Pase Rock, Treasure Fingers, Johnny Love, man.. the list goes on. I tried to post up on it all, but it’s all me over here and these mornings aren’t getting any better. And there’s new years tomorrow.

I’m going to go to the Spoon show at the Metro and bypass all the stupid hassles usually associated with the holiday. Switch will be bumping downstairs afterwards, so you really can’t go wrong with that lineup. Plus, I’ve never seen Spoon. I’m pretty excited. There aren’t too many big gigs in Chicago this upcoming month, so that means that I will be doing a lot of digging around on the internet to find music to occupy my time. I get distracted very easily. Send me some tunes, yours or somebody elses. I don’t care. Let’s get a dialog going! Yeah!

Let’s start this off with a mixtape by my man DJ Cherry Cola. It’s mental. Here are the cover and song listings. Somewhere in there is the best Paul McCartney remix I’ve ever heard, too. The “Temporary Secretary” Radio Slave edit. Classic.

DJ Cherry Cola’s Off The Hook Mixtape Part 1.mp3

Ok, We Are Terrorists have crafted one of the most forthcoming and groundbreaking electro rock hybrids I’ve heard in a long time, formed out of a Revolte single. Take a listen to this one real quick.

Revolte - Ironical Sexism (We Are Terrorists Remix)

Pfunkt! Woah!! Where does all this hostility come from?? I can smell hair burning and feel brain cells exploding when that Miyagi remix kicks on. You have to hear this to believe it! Baby! If PBR doesn’t make a commercial tailored around that track with drunken hipster kids fighting and fucking in a basement then I don’t know who’s running the ad department over in Milwaukee.

Mr. Miyagi - Pick Your Posion (Pfunkt Remix)

Pfunkt - Sexercise

Yuksek has been around lately. Here and there kicking up dust with some more remixes. It’s nice to hear some more Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya, throw in Brodinski and you have yourself a pretty killer little track, no? Not necessarily your killer pounding electro track- more relaxed for a synth riddled vocal blend until the drop towards the end. The Teenage Bad Girl remix is off of the Cocotte Picture EP- a single I’ve somewhat overlooked until recently. Sort of has a SebastiAn feel to it.

Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya - Fuck Friend (Yuksek & Brodinski Remix)

Teenage Bad Girl - Hands Of A Stranger (Yuksek Remix)

Just dug up this dEsigner Drugs remix a little bit ago. These remixes of Thieves Like Us just keep getting better and better. You always need the party anthem right before huge new years celebrations, right? Well here it is.

Thieves Like Us - Drugs In My Body (dEsigner Drugs Remix)

I expect this year to be one full of Boy 8-Bit. For the last few months the English DJ has been popping up with remixes from every angle. From electro to idm, dub,8bit, whatever- the man’s been all over, lately gaining plenty of recognition since the Burial explosion across the boards. Are you really surprised?

Burial - Archangel (Boy8-Bit’s Simple Remix)

The Black Ghosts - Any Way You Choose To Give It (Boy 8-Bit Version)

Chromeo - Needy Girl (Boy 8-Bit’s Talk Box Dub)

[redthreat] Awards ‘07: Best of the Rest: Singles & Remixes

Despite what the news may have been telling you, ‘07 has been an exciting year. So much great music to distract you from what other people deem as important. So much so, that this has all been quite the agonizing process. But below I’ve listed all of the singles and remixes that demand their recognition. This will be the second & last of my year-end summations of greatness.

If you feel that I’ve missed something important, don’t hesitate to comment and set me straight. No worries. I left some tracks out because of the best albums post- obviously the list would be different had I not taken that into account. Also, there are always different songs for different times, and you also may notice that most of these tracks are electronic & that most of the songs are reposts. That is because I post what I like, not what people tell me to post. Call me crazy, that’s just what I do.

01. Good Books - Leni (Crystal Castles Remix)

02. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - We Are Rockstars

03. The Black Ghosts - Any Way You Choose…(The Whip Remix)

04. The Futureheads - Hounds of Love (Phones Remix)

05. Walter Meego - Wanna Be A Star (Walter Sees Stars Remix)

06. Tepr - Minuit Jacuzzi (datA Remix)

07. Daft Punk - Around The World (Villain’s More Cowbell DJ Edit)

08. Danger - 11H30 (DatA Remix)

09. Health - Crimewave (Crystal Castles Remix)

10. Cazals - To Cut A Long Story Short (autoKratz 80s Heartthrob Mix)

11. Midlake - Roscoe (Beyond The Wizards Sleeve Remix)

12. The Shins - Sleeping Lessons (RAC Mix)

13. Klaxons - It’s Not Over Yet (Blende Remix)

14. The Teenagers - Homecoming (Gentlemen Drivers Rave Remix)

15. Shitdisco - Ok (Yuksek Remix)

17. Shinichi Osawa - Star Guitar

18. Bonde Do Role - Solta O Frango(Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya Remix)

19. Fergie - Glamorous (Treasure Fingers Remix)

20. Villains - Thrilla

21. Cassidy - Drink & My 2-Step (Cousin Cole Remix)

22. Big Face - I Wanna Be A Style Crusader (DatA Remix)

23. Asobi Seksu - Thursday (The Twelves Remix)

24. Telepopmusik - Breathe (Ultra Tiger Remix)

25. Timbaland - Miscommunication (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)

26. Snowden - Anti-Anti (Treasure Fingers Remix)

27. Mr. Oizo - Patrick 122

28. Klaxons - Gravity’s Rainbow (Kavinsky Remix)

29. Dragonette - I Get Around (Van She Vocal Mix)

30. Photek - Love and War (LA Riots Mix)

31. Yelle - A Cause Des Garcons (TEPR Remix)

32. Plimsouls - Rebecca (Re-Edit)

33. Eskimo Joe - London Bombs (Sneaky Sound System)

15. New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom (Buy)
mp3: New Young Pony Club - The Bomb

14. Radiohead - In Rainbows (Buy)
mp3: Radiohead - 15 Step

13. Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City (Buy)
mp3: Bloc Party - Hunting For Witches

12. Chromeo - Tenderoni (Buy)
mp3: Chromeo - Fancy Footwork

11. Teenage Bad Girl - Cocotte (Buy)
mp3: Teenage Bad Girl - Cocotte

10. Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position (Buy)
mp3: Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position

09. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Buy)
m4a: LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum

08. Midnight Juggernauts - Dystopia (Buy)
mp3: Midnight Juggernauts - Aurora

07. Feist - The Reminder (Buy)
mp3: Feist - I Feel It All

06. Simian Mobile Disco - Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release (Buy)
mp3: Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler

05. Daft Punk - Alive (Buy) : Did you see the show? Did you see that??!! There are no videos, descriptions, recordings, picture diagrams, or even sign language expressions that can begin to halfway describe how awesome that show was. Though this excerpt would be much better suited for a best overall concert award, the live album is pretty damn good- so I feel no shame combining what would be two awards into one. I saw the Parisian duo donning their robot suits atop a glowing pyramid, blowing fifty thousand minds at the Sports Arena in LA one weekend over the summer. It was on their North American leg of their worldwide tour. Though the album doesn’t have any *new material*, it serves as a recap and a reminder as to how amazing those two robot gods are, and resuscitated a career that was built over ten years ago.

mp3: Daft Punk - Human After All / Together / One More Time / Music Sounds Better

mp3: Daft Punk - One More Time / Aerodynamic

4. Digitalism - Idealism (Buy) : Digitalism released an electro masterpiece this year, a beautiful journey through a 53 minute piece of time that once ended demands a second listen. Grouping together the singles of prior releases, the album could be considered one of the best mixes of the year, but the orchestration and the finished works stand as monuments of an electro-rock hybrid that is nothing short of astounding. There is no singluar consistency that is aimed for or achieved, the group leans towards each of the splintering fragments of the indie and electro house scene, complete with outros and even retakes of the classics like The Cure with “Digitalism in Cairo” and less obvious influences of groups such as New Order in “Anything New”. Idealism truly has something for everybody with their dance oriented electro garage band feel, fit for a dancefloor, a car, a treadmill, or anywhere.

mp3: Digitalism - Pogo

mp3: Digitalism - Idealistic

3. M.I.A. - Kala (Buy) : “I fly like paper, get high like planes.” was the phrase of the year. The Sri Lankan pop-queen, MIA, came back with a sophomore release that was hot enough to set blocks on fire across the planet. After the critically acclaimed ‘05 release of Arular, to witness the success of MIA has become something bittersweet. Like setting something you love free. It’s been thrilling to see how she was embraced! Her focus so far has been on the less fortunate, politically charged, underprivileged & forgotten peoples. She herself has become an anthem. Fantastic Timbaland style production, with schoolyard stomps, revolutionary chants, messages of unity & division, and later, some of the hottest remixes of the year. M.I.A. has been one of the popular searches on the blogosphere for months now, leaving people clawing for every version of a track available. I threw in The Tweleves remix below for emphasis.

mp3: MIA - Paper Planes

mp3: MIA - Boys (The Twelves Remix)

2. Boys Noize - Oi Oi Oi (Buy) : Alex Ridha came out swinging this year with this premiere full-length release under the title of Boys Noize. Where previous projects and aliases gained some attention, little could have prepared us for this. Big sound & big influences, similar to many contemporaries that have had the limelight this year. This record holds up to the previous releases by Soulwax, LCD, Justice, Daft Punk, Simian Mobile Disco, Digitalism, etc.. Powerful dancefloor bangers, meticulously arranged leaving everyone with differing favorites. One thing to pay attention to in Ridha’s technique is his preference of the analog rather than the digital, leaving the listener with the sharpest & cleanest spine shattering sound-quality possible. Seeing this set live only hammers in this point, literally driving you into the floor. Having the sickest logo & album cover art doesn’t hurt either..

mp3: Boys Noize - Lava Lava

mp3: Boys Noize - Let’s Buy Happiness

1. Justice - † (Buy) : Like it or not, there is no denying them their title. † was easily the biggest leak and the most anticipated album of ‘07. And if it weren’t for Daft Punk’s wildly successful Alive tour, they would probably take the category for best show as well. The album has it all, epic introductions bearing names of religious zeal, Jackson Five electro-disco-house singalongs with a music video that made So-Me’s career, a pinnacle bass driven Uffie single, an earth shattering Phantom follow-up, the list goes on and on. Not to mention the remixes! Oh! The Justice remix crusade has been like the best easter egg hunt ever, turning more and more people on to music that they had no idea that they liked. Justice have been called “The Next Daft Punk”, and though the comparison is lacking in substance, an evaluation of stature might hold that quote to be true: Justice easily rose to the forefront of their genre and have as recognizable of a following. Take another listen to “Waters of Nazareth” and try to tell me that their sound wasn’t one of the most powerful forces in music that we’ve seen so far this century.

mp3: Justice - Waters Of Nazareth

mp3: Justice - Phantom II

Tonight we have something worth posting. No Christmas deals with songs that you don’t want to hear. If you want to hear that, turn the radio on- any channel. Bah Humbug! No, but tonight! Tonight we have New York’s Lauren Flax in town tonight playing over at the Funky Buddha Lounge for another Outdanced! party. And along for the ride comes Rand Sevilla to help open it all up. So drink your eggnog swill and bundle up because there’s somewhere to be this evening. Outdanced! gigs are always a ton of fun.

Lauren Flax - Dark Somewhere (Feat. Chantal Claret)

Le Tigre - Much Finer (Lauren Flax Flaxdatass Remix)

Here is where I’ll be the day after X-Mas. Guns’N'Bombs in the haus with Johnny Love dropping in town alongside our neighbors from the north, The Glamour, straight out of Milwaukee. GNB’s last mixtape is solid as stone. Tight flier, too. I think I saw Britney Spears chasing around a dinosaur on it. Look at that lineup! There’ll also be Cobra Snake & EveryoneIsFamous snapping away pictures, so bring your game face and try to look a little decent, eh? 3 dolla rum, too. Yeah! Check out the Smash&Crunch myspace for further details.

The Glamour - Fly By Night

The Teenagers - Homecoming (Guns’N'Bombs Mix)

Junior Senior - Can I Get Get Get (Guns’N'Bombs Jak The Tab Remix)

Guns’N’Bombs - Mix 3

01. Harddrive - Deep Inside
02. Boys Noize - My Head (Para One remix)
03. Junior Senior - Get To Know You (Guns ‘N’ Bombs Jak The Tab mix)
04. Samuel L Sessions - Flipmode
05. Green Velvet - Flash
06. Bonde Do Role - Office Boy (Brodinski remix)
07. Zeus - Zeus
08. Curses! - This Is The Way (Drop The Lime remix)
09. Sal Basile - Feel Inside (Live Element remix)
10. Sluttt - Stop Copying Me (Jokers Of The Scene remix)
11. Armando - 100% Of Dissing You (Warehouse remix)
12. Patrik Alavi - Hell Yeah (Jaimie Fanatic remix)
13. Lethal Bizzle - Selfridges Boy (Boy 8 Bit remix)
13. Electrocherrie LK - Schnall

You might find me at Crobar tonight. Not really my scene most of the time, but I make exceptions for acts that truly break the mold. Tonite we have an artist of that caliber all the way from Toronto. Deadmau5 five will be dropping by to grace Chicago for our Saturday night and I think I’d be willing to fork out 25-30 bones at the door to see this guy.

If you’re not convinced, watch this video and tell me that you’re not even slightly impressed. Plus, with this the festive nature of the weekend before Christmas, I’m sure people will be going bananas at such a large venue. That- and I’m loving the mask. Loving it.

Daft Punk - Harder Faster Stronger (Deadmau5 Edit)

Hybrid - Finished Symphony (Deadmau5 Remix)

Calvin Harris - Merrymaking At My Place (Deadmau5 Remix)

This post may be a little late, but I’m just as guilty as anybody else of the ‘wait until the last possible second to shop for Christmas’ syndrome. Yes. Lot’s of brainstorming & heavy traffic, heavy drinking and family. However, tonight we have a pretty good show on our hands.

Young Americans are throwing a set down over at Sonotheque. This is the last set they’ll be doing in Chicago after playing at both Subterannean & The Vic with Kill Hannah. Here’s your last chance. Peep “Cold Act Ill” and tell me that it won’t be out of control. And what fun would Sonotheque be without Dark Wave Disco? Not as much. “We came here to get started. Cold act ill or get retarded.” Sick!

Scanners - Bombs (Young Americans Terrible Fuss Remix)

Young Americans - Cold Act Ill (Radio Edit) [removed by request]

Tonight should be a festive start to the weekend. With so many people traveling home, taking off time from work, finishing classes, etc. - there are many ways orchestrated to spend your time this Holiday season. Here’s a rundown of the lineup for tonite.

Peanut Butter Wolf is returning to Chicago once again to throw a set over at Sonotheque. If you’re looking for one of the founding fathers of turntablism, look no further. Nobody can dice the wheels of steel like Wolf. Legend has it that this cat invented the DJ mixtape. What else needs to be said than that?

Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf - Just Like A Test

Charisma & Peanut Butter Wolf - My World

Curt, of the Chicago duo Flosstradamus, will be playing tonight alongside the Vancouver partier, My!Gay!Husband! over at the Evil Olive. Should be a damn good time. Flossy-D always know how to get a party jumping. What I’m excited for, however, is the Chicago debut of My!Gay!Husband!- I did a post a little while back on his music (hence the 2 last tracks below are reposts) and the events that his crew throw in Vancouver. Though I haven’t been to Evil Olive yet, there’s plenty of reason this weekend to explore new territories.

Kid Sister - Damn Girl (Flosstradamus Remix)

DJ Autobot - Laffy Taffy (Curtified Flosstradamus Remix)

My!Gay!Husband! - Spank Rock Hearts Nirvana Rave

My!Gay!Husband! - Indie Rave Fall Edition

One of the greatest hip hop groups Chicago has seen is playing tonite over at the Abbey Pub. All Natural has been around for years now, showing Chicago that you don’t need to be a gangster or totally sell out to make it in this city. The event tonite is thrown to celebrate the drop of One Be Lo’s album R.E.B.I.R.T.H. The ticket also includes Iomos Marad, 5th Element and Eulorhythmics. These guys are all classics, using knowledge to promote our city rather than tired and shallow conventions. The songs below are from All Naturals album “Second Nature”- an album that still gets heavy rotation years after the release. Capital D is amazing.

All Natural - Rennaisance

All Natural - Ill Advisory

In other news, Darkroom is featuring the Assasins, Brock & Trancid. Jeff Mills & Frankie Vega are playing over at Smartbar. The Office, the 1900s & the dope, up&coming punk group Mannequin Men are over at the Metro. There’s some great stuff going on tonite.