Culture Greyhound

Once every three months I list the best of what I heard in albums/songs/remixes for the quarter. I do this to personally keep up with all the awesome music I hear, as it ultimately helps me at the end of the year when I do my overall listing for the previous twelve months. I also do it to introduce you cool cats to tunes you may have missed independently.

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Diplo’s Express Yourself EP (above) drops June 12th, and this excellent new track is the first track available for your dancing pleasure. Crank it.

This year’s Free Press Summer Fest has been announced, and, wow, I must say I am impressed. Snoop Dogg, The Avett Brothers, Primus, Big Freedia, Danny Brown, Jeff the Brotherhood, Willie Nelson, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Flaming Lips (performing Dark Side of the Moon), Wavves, Diplo, Best Coast, Major Lazer, Turquoise Jeep! I’m gonna have a hard time avoiding the miserable Houston heat this summer!

Once every three months I list the best of what I heard in albums/songs/remixes for the quarter. I do this to personally keep up with all the awesome music I hear, as it ultimately helps me at the end of the year when I do my overall listing for the previous twelve months. I also do it to introduce you cool cats to tunes you may have missed independently.

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Compared to the past couple of years, I was underwhelmed with the number of awesome remixes I heard in 2011. Not that they weren’t out there, I just didn’t mosey upon them. So if by chance you don’t see one of your favorites listed here, send it my way or comment, by all means.

Regular readers will not be surprised to find a plethora of Star Slinger on here; he’s one of my favorite current producers. There are others here as well, and he doesn’t get the top spot. Also it should be noted, for those uninitiated, that I’m a big club and house fan, so other styles are likely under-represented here. I enjoy dance music, but I’m not going to pretend I know a lot about it. Like most of my year-end lists, this is basically just a ranked list of remixes I heard that I enjoyed. YouTube links are provided, and listening to these tracks loudly is highly encouraged.

20. Star Slinger – Dumbin’ (Diplo Remix)

19. The Rapture – How Deep Is Your Love (A-Trak Dub aka Dub For Mehdi)

18. Escort – Cameleon Chameleon (Club Remix)

17. Trombone Shorty – Do To You (Star Slinger Remix)

16. Jamie Woon – Lady Luck (Hudson Mohawke’s Schmink-Wolf Refix)

15. XV – Swervin’ (Clams Casino Remix)

14. Tyson – Out of My Mind (Star Slinger Remix)

13. Star Slinger – How Will I Copulate (Moranis Mashup feat. Whitney Houston)

12. Aaliyah – Are You That Somebody (Hudson Mohawke Remix)

11. James Vincent McMorrow – If I Had a Boat (Star Slinger’s R ‘n’ B Thug Mix)

10. Gold Panda – Marriage (Star Slinger Remix)

9. Ra Ra Riot – Too Dramatic (The Kids Are Radioactive Remix)

8. Pony Pony Run Run – Hey You (Star Slinger Remix)

7. Alex Winston – Sister Wife (Star Slinger Remix)

6. The Go! Team – Apollo Throwdown (Star Slinger Remix)

5. Rizzle Kicks – Down With the Trumpets (Star Slinger Remix)

4. Coldplay – Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall (Swedish House Mafia Remix)

3. Childish Gambino – Freaks and Geeks (Star Slinger Remix)

2. Bingo Players – Cry (Just a Little) (Kids at the Bar Bootleg Remix)

1. The Joy Formidable – Whirring (Innerpartysystem Remix)

A friend of mine and I were discussing the awesome awesome lineup for Fun Fun Fun Fest this year, and recently, they announced their schedule for our viewing pleasure. My friend was excited, but admitted he knew only a few bands. Where, he wondered aloud, could he find a comprehensive rundown of each band, a sampling of their musical chops, so he could further educate himself before the finest weekend of his year? I assume the Fun Fun Fun website has such a playlist, and they do, and it’s cool, but I wanted to make my own. So every Friday, from now until the fest (that’s nine weeks), I will be posting a playlist for your educational purposes for each stage and day, excluding the Yellow stage, which is mostly comedy.

This week’s playlist covers the bands playing on the Blue (Hip-Hop/Dance) stage on Sunday – Soul Khan, SPEAK, Bird Peterson, G-Side, Grimes, MNDR, Austra, Baths, Del the Funky Homosapien, Flying Lotus, Diplo, and Odd Future.

Listen to the playlist on Spotify.

My Stage Pick: Baths

Saw this guy last SXSW, and it was pretty phenomenal for just a guy, a laptop, and some knobby board thingy. Baths chops up his songs to a degree that make them constantly engaging, but still utterly danceable. His album Cerluean is one of last year’s best, and his live show is not to be missed.

With yesterday’s lineup announcement from Transmission, my heart is still a-flutter.  Though I’m not crazy about the move to Auditorium Shores, this year’s roster of talent has eviscerated any worry I had that this year might not be so fun fun fun.  The lineup is crazy good; though I’m not familiar with the Black stage as some of you (as is the case every year), I do have some picks from the other stages that you will most likely find me at come November 4-6.

M83

This is the one I’m flipping out over.  I’ve been dying to see an Anthony Gonzalez show for about three years and there’s no way I’m missing this one. Highest priority.

Hum

I’m a big fan of “Stars” and the rest of that seminal, yet somehow forgotten album You’d Prefer An Astronaut, and the kids at Transmission are like daytime talk shows for bands – they always can make a reunion happen.  I’m there expecting some spaced-out shoegaze rock.

Childish Gambino

Community might just be the best comedy on television, and Donald Glover’s Troy might be my favorite character.  But when Glover isn’t making me laugh (he’s also doing a stand-up routine on the Yellow stage), he’s wowing me with crazy wit rhymes.  Dude is a solid rapper, and this show should be nothing but fun.

tUnE-yArDs 

All I keep hearing is how amazing this girl is live, and I finally have the chance to witness it for myself.  Fest-goers and critics called her the indisputable highlight of Pitchfork in Chicago this year, one to not sleep on.  And as awesome as that new album is, you can bet I won’t.

Cold Cave

I saw them in 2009, but since then they’ve dropped the Depeche Mode/New Order thing for the most part – now the vibe, at least on their latest album, is more of a Bauhaus feel, and I’m curious to see how it translates live.

Radio Dept. 

One of my favorite albums of last year – Clinging to a Scheme – had that sweet, jangly shoegaze electro that I love so much down to a high-minded science.  This group has been around for a while, but they’re finally getting the hipster love they deserve, and I’m pumped to see the show they put on.

Cloud Nothings

If you’ve never seen Cloud Nothings kick out the jams, you’re in for a treat.  Just be prepared – you will not be able to stand still. At all.  Show is a rapid-fire blast of percussion and sweet hooks.

The Joy Formidable

One album most people have slept on this year is the surprisingly rock’n’roll Big Roar – I’m curious to see if these newcomers can translate their loud studio sounds and big choruses to a big ol’ park in downtown Austin.  I’ve got high hopes.

Public Enemy

This is probably the festival’s entire highlight – the one for the newspapers and bloggers and whatnot.  Austinites, riddle me this: if you had the chance to see one of the most influential, seminal, and downright badass hip-hop groups of all time, you’d go, right? Of course you would. Believe the hype.

Diplo

America’s Producer is gonna rock your world, along with his Major Lazer crew on the Blue stage.  And I thought I was getting spoiled when I saw A-Trak last year!

Neon Indian

I’m gonna hold off on this one until I hear the new album in October, but if it’s good, you can bet I’ll be wanting to hear those new tracks live.

Spank Rock

Fuck yes.  If any band can bring the fun x3, I’d place my bet on these guys. Sex jams and x-rated hip-hop.  Someone had to pick up where 2 Live Crew left off, and these guys do it properly.

Baths

One of the most legit producers I’ve seen in a long while, the beats and collages this guy cooks up just blow my mind, take a listen to Cerulean if you don’t believe me.

Purity Ring

I’ve been raving about this group for awhile – their music is encompassing of great pop and subtle sounds thrown in to create a pretty progressive, yet undeniably infectious, feel.  I’m very curious to see how they bring that studio texture to the stage.

WTF Award – Turquoise Jeep

I’ve slept on this, mainly because I’m not an Internet meme-chaser or whatever, but apparently these guys are a YouTube sensation and have been for a year or so.  Turquoise Jeep is a mysterious record label, headquarters location unknown, featuring a strange roster of artists that put out hilarious R&B/rap songs and post super-low-budget videos for them.  With a straight face…it’s hard to tell if these guys are in on their own joke or not, but I’m willing to bet they are.  Anyway, they’re booked for Fun Fun Fun, which is….well, it’s not the strangest thing Transmission has ever done, but it’s likely up there.

There are a ton of other bands on the lineup that I’m excited to see that I didn’t list here – these are just the ones that rank as high priorities for me (except for that last one, which I just thought was pretty damn funny.)  Once the schedule drops in September, there’s sure to be some nail-biting conflicts.  Like I said, I’m not too familiar with the Black stage roster, which is usually the case every year – not a big metal/punk/Danzig guy.  What are your picks for the fest?  What did I miss? What Black stage bands are you pumped about that I can’t miss? Educate me!

Legitmix Empowers Artists from Legitmix on Vimeo.

I know I’ve been posting a lot recently about new developments in the Internet music world, whether it be the social networking/competitive music discovery tool Turntable.FM or the now-domestic Spotify.Com. My newest discovery isn’t necessarily for the average music consumer, but it certainly will have an audience, and on the business side, an impact.

The above video pretty much sums up what LegitMix.Com is all about – giving credit and compensation where it’s due, and without all the hassle and time constraints of getting samples cleared.  And anyone can participate, and it’s all legal.

To help promote the new site, still in beta testing, LegitMix has teamed up with the one and only Diplo, who has provided a mix for sale – Mad Legit.  You pay a small price for the mix itself, plus the price for the copyrighted samples it contains, which are included….and because you paid for them, you are free to do whatever you want with them – remix, mashup, etc.  Everyone on all ends earn their share, including bloggers when they promote the mixes (which I particularly like, obviously.)

I’ve been very excited to see all the new technology being developed to help progress the music business into a more practical 21st century model, increasing the ease of use for consumers and the ease of production and compensation for those behind the scenes, especially the artists, DJs, and producers.  Though I may not necessarily have much use personally for LegitMix.Com currently, I might one day, and I certainly support new ideas in this ever-changing world of music commerce.

Peep the new Beyonce track (via Fader), produced by Major Lazer’s Diplo, if you dare. It just uses an old Lazer beat, throws in some terrible Lil Jon yells, and passes over what most great Beyonce tracks have…..melody. Hopefully this isn’t a taste of things to come from Miss Fierce.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Playlist:

Lil Wayne feat. Cory Gunz – Six Foot Seven Foot
Daniel Markham – Across the Water
The Go! Team – Apollo Throwdown (Star Slinger Remix)
Mind Spiders – Don’t Let Her Go
Sleigh Bells – Tell ‘Em (Diplo Remix)