'OLD SKOOL' OR JUST PLAIN OLD 'OLD'?

I've contributed something to Manchester Confidential on the myriad of Hacienda nostalgia parties that have been happening locally over the past few years. I'm not what you'd call a fan of them. But some people are and I did think it was worth asking Dave Haslam to explain their popularity and, more importantly, their relevance. However I'm still not convinced.

Anyway you can read that feature here if you like.

By the way, is that shoebox coffin-shaped or am I just projecting?

FIVE NUMBERS

You know how Battles are said to be ‘math rock’? Using the American version of ‘maths’ and presumable called that because it’s, like, difficult to work out and stuff? Well how about some ‘math rave’?

Take this so-called mix. [You need to click on the word 'mix' for the link - this is already a bit tricky, isn't it?] Anyway, it’s made up of five records running at 137 beats per minute for 19 minutes and 25 seconds. So here’s one for all you mathletes to exercise your brain:

What would be the average beats for each track?

1. Buraka Som Sistema feat. M.I.A. – ‘Sound of Kuduro’
2. Sinden & Count of Monte Cristal feat. Kid Sister – ‘Beeper (Detboi remix)’
3. Peter, Bjorn & John – ‘Young Folks (Phones remix)’
4. SMD – ‘Hustler/It’s The Beat (Everything Continues Fidget Hustle mix)’
5. Kid Cudi – ‘Day N Night (Crookers remix)’

Answer? Well, we’re sorry, Ms Vorderman, but there’s nothing remotely average about any of those beats.

See me.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN'

At In The City in 2006, Midnight Juggernauts played a set at Walkabout. If I remember rightly, nobody really cared. But, after hearing some material that they band had made for Cut Copy's Cutters label, I tracked down (vocalist and synth player) Vincent Juggernaut and he explained that they were actively looking for a UK deal. Had I a label myself, I'd have definitely signed them. But I didn't. (And still don't, as it happens.) I just had this option where I could write about them. So I did that instead.

I half-expected that these Aussies would show up on Modular (alongside countrymen Cut Copy and, sometime Midnight Juggernauts remixers, The Presets) but instead they put out their 'Road To Recovery' single on Paris' Institubes logo. Then - on the same day that I got the new Cut Copy album - the UK promo of Midnight Juggernauts' Dystopia album arrived last week. It was, like, serendipity or whatever. Anyway, impressively, it's coming out on Capitol/EMI and it sounds amazing. Older tracks like 'Shadows' are still brilliant while it kicks off with 'Ending of an Era' - a track that a lot of people across the Blogiverse will know from Justice's ill-fated Fabric mix. So I'm writing about them again. Right here. Just to say that if you'd like the idea of ELO being produced by Alan Braxe or Daft Punk remixing Roxy Music, then maybe you'll want hear them after all. They play Night & Day 27/03/08.

CONTEMPORARIES

We're probably not supposed to have 'favourites' around here but it's a thrill to see Sequence and Naive Melody working together for this weekend's Easter Rave. Perhaps different in their approach, both have been booking some quality guests for ages and this collaboration is no different: there's Legowelt [the video for their brilliant 'Disco Rout' is above], DJ Rolando, Alexander Robotnick, Smith N Hack, Sleeparchive and more all bringing modern club music to the former Paradise Factory.

With two rooms of cutting-edge sonic entertainment, the only problem is how to catch it all.

WORLD IN ACTION

Or what might otherwise be titled "yet another YouTube embed", here's that collaboration between Buraka Som Sistema, M.I.A. and DJ Znobia. It also provides an insight into what Strictly Come Dancing would look like if it ever hit Angola (e.g. very amazing - especially if you could get some twit like Kate Garraway involved).

THEME TUNES #7

Record-breaking 12” ‘Blue Monday’ recently turned 25.

Another song that is 25 years old is ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’’, from Michael Jackson’s record-breaking ‘Thriller’ LP.

(Unlike ’Thriller’, ‘Blue Monday’’s anniversary is not being marked by collaborations with Akon and Fergie - God only knows why, perhaps the band are too busy not DJing to get on the blower to the worst Black Eyed Pea).

‘What have these songs got in common?’, I hear you cry. I’ll tell you what.

Both were recently given 21st century makeovers by Rihanna, on her not-quite-record-breaking album, ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’: ‘Blue Monday’ (or rather Orgy’s cover of it) forms the basis for ‘Shut Up And Drive’, while ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’’ is plastered all over ‘Don’t Stop The Music’.

That’s right: this week’s edition of Theme Tunes really is “25-year-old songs that sold in record-breaking quantities and have now been sort of covered by Rihanna”.

Enjoy.

MP3: Rihanna - Don’t Stop The Music (NI's 'But Michael, Will It Blend' Harlequin-Harlequin Bzzzzt Edit)
MP3: ComaR - Shut Up On A Blue Monday (Rihanna vs. Blue Monday)

ALL CHANGE

First Mystery Jets cancelled their DJ date at the next Homoelectric party and now CagedBaby has followed suit. The upside is their replacements: the former makes way for Arctic Monkeys' drummer Matt Helders while CagedBaby - who instead will be supporting Underworld in Buenos Aires that night - has had his spot taken by Mowgli.

The latter one of the new breed of jackin', fidgeting house DJs/producers (and proclaimed elsewhere as 'The New Switch') makes his northern debut. Oh, and there's one of his mixes here.

Tracklist:

The Yank – ‘Everybody in here’

Riva Starr – ‘House music’

Mowgli – ‘This is the Remix’

Mr. Elastic – ‘Justice (Mowgli mix)’

Madox – ‘El Magnifico (Mowgli mix)’

Rocca & 5th Suite – ‘Party Bobba (Mowgli mix)’

In the club – ‘Turn You On (Mowgli mix)’

Mowgli – ‘This is the Sound

Benny Benassi – ‘Satisfaction (Mowgli mix)

Mowgli – ‘Club Life’

Chemical Bros – ‘Boot it again (Mowgli mix)’

CHARLIE FANCLUB MIX

Charlie Fanclub - who we interviewed last year - has just alerted us to a new mix that he's done. You can download it here. (The intro, by the way, is bonkers.)

Le Mix Tape tracklist:

1.Charlie Fanclub - Charlie's scissor hands Ice Dance intro.
2.Charlie Fanclub - Pleasure from disgrace
3.Charlie Fanclub - Mr. Belvedere
4.Yelle - A Cause Des Garcons (Tepr remix)
5.Charlie Fanclub - Jet
6.Trip - Who's that? (Jack Beats remix)
7.Popof - Alcoolic
8.Sebastien Tellier - Plug it
9.Charlie Fanclub - Dirty Blonde
10.Bobmo - Freak Me
11.The Vamp - Outlander (Kevin Gorman remix)
12.Burnski - Pop3
13.Paul Johnson - Get Get Down (Charlie Fanclub remix)
14.Darone - The time has come
15.Dohr Mangold - Sunrise 5:30 a.m (Style of eye remix)
16.The Chemical Brothers - Boot it again Mowgli remix
17.Michael Jackson - Wanna be startin' something (Streetlife DJ's remix)
18.WTF? - Chicken
19.Huoratron - $$ Troopers (Charlie Fanclub remix)
20.Charlie Fanclub - Frankenhooker
21.Timbaland - Miscommunication (The Bloody Beetroots remix)
22.Charlie Fanclub - Nightbreed
23.Martin Solveig C'est La Vie (The Bloody Beetroots remix)
24.Felix Da Housecat - Silver Screen Shower Scene (Thin White Duke remix)

IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE?

I've just submitted a feature to Manchester Confidential on the council's position on flyposting. It asks some questions regarding who is being targeted during a clampdown on such activity and draws attention to the effect that it has had on some of our local club promoters. You can read that here.

KEVIN GORMAN MIX

We just posted an interview with the locally-based Kevin Gorman (who - as you may know - has been releasing material on DJ Hell's International Deejay Gigolo label). This all ties in with what he's been doing with his own Mikrowave label and pre-empts his set with DJ Hell at the venue formely known as Paradise Factory this weekend.

As a taster, there's a link to one of Gorman's recent mixes here.

Tracklist:

convextion - sulphur vent
carl craig - demented drums
kevin gorman - seveneightnine
jack master - bang the box
joel mull - 6bot dub
andy stott - hostile
shinedoe - peacemaker- deetron remix
marcel dettman - blank scenario
kevin gorman - net28 compilation D2 (live version)
kevin gorman - disekt (live version)
samuel l session - off the chain drums
rino cerrone - untitled
capriati - candysucker
tadeo - net28 compilation A1
taksi - rohrbruck - rachmad remix
rob hood - strobe light
johnny arthur - evil edna - deetron remix
friendly people - net28 compilation F2
selway - solas
teknik - sonar - fabric lig remix
johannes heil - tronic
samuel l session - black fly pt 3
johannes heil - meta
adam beyer - ignition key - speedy j remix
quince - sub01
vera - in to the

MORE YOUTUBE JOY

Here's the latest Justice video. It's for 'DVNO'. Again, this promo is masterminded by Ed Banger visionary So Me and should probably be an essential part of every graphic design course's syllabus.