I really think that house maestros Azari & III are destined for great things. Their songs give off a real seedy vibe, but seedy in a good way; it conjures up images of that underground club in the early 90s that plays deep and dark house music. Their new single, Manic, follows the same sound as their other tunes like Hungry For The Power and Indigo, and with their self-titled debut album out next month, you may be hearing much more about them in the near future.
I was reading Benoit & Sergio's bio on their Facebook page after discovering some of their tracks, and the description they give of themselves pretty much sums them up:
"Not content to make DJ fodder, the duo sets out to create beautifully glistening pop songs that draw from influences mostly uncommon to the house and techno zeitgeist; bands like Talking Heads, Pavement and Roxy Music are sources of inspiration, along with contemporary electronic acts like Isolee, Thomas Melchior and Ricardo Villalobos...
Benoit & Sergio grew up thousands of miles apart, in Paris and Iowa respectively. In 2008, they met at a party in Washington DC and began making dance tracks in the long winter of 2009. Right from the start, they had an insatiable artistic chemistry that kept them in the studio for ten to twelve hours at a time, riffing on each other’s ideas until they had created something even more sexy and epic than they had anticipated. Typically beginning with just a few short minimal loops, their marathon sessions inevitably result in what can only be described as a 'full-blown pop orgy.' "
What you are about to hear is 9 minutes and 27 seconds of pure brilliance, the best remix I've ever heard. Sit back, turn this up loud, and let it take you.
It's quite rare these days to find some really nice sounding vibes are closer to the 100 BPM mark that most DJs don't dare to go. Australian producer Plastic Plates bucks this trend with some remixes that really have an elegant feel about them. Although they probably would not go down well in a club (although I really think they should do), these tracks are perfect to listen to on an iPod or something similar. If you were to compare him to someone else, I'd say he's very much like The Magician, but still keeping a unique, calmer feel to his tunes.
His remixes themselves have had much coverage on the blogosphere, with his remix of Adele's Set Fire To The Rain and Body Language's Social Studies (my favourite Plastic Plates remix and it features in my new On a beach... mix) both gaining a lot of coverage. Maybe this is the start of some sort of Soul revolution?!
The 2 Bears is the duo of Joe Goddard of Hot Chip and Raf Rundell. Their new EP, Bear Hug, consists of 4 tracks, each with their own unique sound.
Bear Hug EP:
1. Take A Look Around - A minimal sounding track with a catchy chorus and melody, a very good sounding tune!
2. In My Brain Is Like A Computer (Telling Me What To Do) - This track sounds much more like an acid house tune from the early 90s, a repetitive beat and spoken vocals are complimented with handclaps and steel drums.
3. Bear Hug - The "famous" track from the EP, Bear Hug is probably my favourite of the 4 (with Take A Look Around a close second). The vocals are brilliant, the chicago house style bassline in the intro is brilliant, the whole track is brilliant!
4. Banger - This track is very experimental, taking different sounds from different genres and putting them into one song. I'm describing it like it's some sort of mess, but it really isn't.
Have a listen & see what you think, make sure to buy the EP off iTunes if it floats your boat!
