The Digital Outhouse

Sleigh Bells “Demons (Diplo Remix)”

Sleigh Bells already has a sound that has an edge sharper than a razor.  Add in Diplo’s touch and you have a weapon of mass destruction. 

TOBACCO + Air “Sing Sang Sung (Remix)”

Unsurprisingly, TOBACCO and the rest of Black Moth Super Rainbow blew my mind at their show in San Francisco a few weeks ago. It was a smorgasbord (what a funny word) of aural  wonder, splattered with hints of hip hop, rock and psychedelia.

I once read that BMSR’s music was “the missing link between Daft Punk’s cosmic kitsch and the wistful bliss of ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’”, and I couldn’t agree more. I mean, doesn’t this excite the pants right off of you?

Because my pants are definitely off. 

Anyway, TOBACCO’s remix of this Air track is one of the most appropriately stunning remixes I’ve heard in a long time. I’m almost inclined to say it’s better than the original. 

Really though.

Charlotte Gainsbourg “Anna (Moonlight Matters Remix)”

“Moonlight Matters is what happens when the sun goes down, The mood is right, and creativity is set loose…”

So reads the first line in Sebastiaan Vandevoorde’s biography for his alter ego, Moonlight Matters. For those lazy to read further, Vandevoorde has remixed tracks by artists such as Lana Del Rey, Metronomy, The Drums and of course, Charlotte Gainsbourg. They’re all pretty great, and add a touch of “smart-witted melody” (as he himself would say) to the original versions of the songs.

In general, I’m not too fond of remixes but this? I can live with.

Keep an eye out for his new EP (which was announced on his Facebook page last month) due out sometime in late May.  

The Ting Tings “Great DJ”

Well, I’m (physically) back from Coachella.  I’m still trying to get a grasp of what went down this weekend.  I mean, Hologram 2pac.  Yeah, I saw that and my head nearly exploded.  It seriously was one of the craziest things I have ever witnessed.  2012: WE’VE MADE IT.

Anywho, I missed out on seeing Calvin Harris’ set, but I’m sure I’ll catch him again in the near future.

MGMT “Congratulations (Erol Alkan Rework)”

We find ourselves in a very precarious time for music folks (though, isn’t it always?). 

There’s more music floating around the universe now than ever before, and to make matters worse, society is moving at such a fast pace that musical relevancy has transcended historical conventions to the point where keeping up with the “scene” takes about as much time as a fulltime job.

It doesn’t end there.

On top of all the musical love that continually slams against our delicate little head’s are a steady stream of remixes, mashups and (in this particular case) reworks. For the most part, these are pretty terrible. We don’t need another dubstep remix of Bob Dylan. In fact, we never needed one to begin with.

Every once in a while however, we are actually treated to a fusion of artists that magically produce something greater than their original parts.

MGMT & Erol Alkan. It’s Psychadelic folk-house, bro.