Modern Amusement Wednesdays Week 4

The first group I wanted to mention is Jackpot, a disco producer coming out of the Sweden. I can't find to much on this guy/girl but I do like what I've heard so far and if you like darker sounding disco that's a tad experimental this could be right up your ally. "Jungle Gym" is pretty dark in tone almost sounding like an intro to a 80's action film. The next track "Brief Encounter" has disco drums, handclaps, sexy 70's chic female vocals and backup vocals, trance type effects on the chorus vocals, disco bass, and latin influenced congas. It's almost a perfect song. If this is a real band playing, they're killer. I feel it might not be. 

Jackpot - "Jungle Gym"

Jackpot - "Brief Encounter" 

The next artist is a man named Larry Levan who puts out high quality, authentic disco remixes. Larry is from New York and is known for introducing dub into club music. He also was a big part of the Paradise Garage. The owner of club actually hired Levan to bring in white collar gay males to kind of bring in a Studio 54 type crowd, but Levan's eclectic style brought in street wise minorities and punks. Every song by Levan I've heard so far, I've fallen in love with. The song selection alone is great and the vibe is equally as great. If more DJ's were like this, clubs would be a more fun place to go. 

The Joubert Singers - "Stand On The Word (Larry Levan Remix)"

Instant Funk - "I Got My Ming Made Up (Larry Levan Remix)"

Here's a video I saw on Pitchfork that blew me away. I use to listen to this group a few years ago but now I'm going to take the album a little more serious. 

Dirty Projectors - "When The World Comes To An End (video)"

Sit through the ad. It's worth it. Believe me. The back up vocals blow me away. We are truly coming into a new era. 

Questlove after the performance asked the group to open for the Roots at an up coming show. HOLYSHIT! 

My first trip to NY I was listening to a lot of Bibio. I don't really listen to too much indie rock nowadays, but I heard this record and shit. The diversity and production on this recording have gone way beyond the laid back music I knew of Bibio before. This is a new found maturity. Sometimes I hear Mali style guitars, sometimes it's funk and soul, then out of left-field it's a J Dilla style track and some Boards of Canada style productions. Truly a music geeks dream. 

Bibio - "Lover's Cravings" a true fall song

Bibio - "Fire Ant" the Dilla style track 

Special Treat:

Since I'm going to see Mayer Hawthorne tomorrow, here's 

another EXTRA BONUS!

Mayer Hawthorne : "Green Eyed Love (Classixx Remix)"

Modern Amusement Wednesdays

Some friends and I got together in Gainesville and created a new music night. I'm pretty stoked because I'm playing music I love instead of playing bullshit music that I might like 10% of. Here I actually like everything being played Wednesday night.

My friend Matthew who owns a clothing store called Wolfgang, my friend Vishal who works for Grooveshark (an online music streaming database) and my fellow DJ friend Ernie, run the night at a place called Lux. Lux is one of the nicer bars in town. You could dress up or dress down. 

We start the night off with some nice Disco/House and work our way into B-more and Dubstep as the night gets more intense. If you know my sets, you know when I've had a few drinks, I like to play rowdier shit. No difference here. I'm just keeping it a little classier.

I'm going to put a few tracks here that'll I'll must likely play tomorrow but who knows. Maybe I'll find some tracks in the next few minutes that I like better.

The first group is The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band from NYC, based out of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. It's a 8 piece collective or DJ's/artists/musicians who got bored and needed an outlet of disco and psych-rock. When I first read their name, I had already fallen in love. The sarcasm and fun related to their name is just the kind of stuff I look for in music. The band seem like a bunch of hip ass kids from the city who know classic music/modern music but still have a pretty good time.

NPR says this about them. 'The Phenomenal Handclap Band fills venues with a mesmerizing sound and eight-person stage presence. The band is equal parts psychedelia, proto-disco, heavy rock ‘n’ roll, ‘60s soul and hip-hop – what NPR Music calls “a perfect mix of everything from the past 40 years of popular music.'

- NPR ‘All Songs Considered’

Phenomenal Handclap Band "15 to 20" Official Video from friendly fire recordings on Vimeo.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band: "You'll Disappear (Horse Meat Disco Remix)"

The Phenomenal Handclap Band: "15 to 20"

PHCB is also on tour right now with Simian Mobile Disco. Check the dates out.

Upcoming Shows ( view all )

Sep 21 2009 8:00P Night & Day Manchester Sep 22 2009 8:00P Hoxton Bar & Kitchen London Sep 23 2009 8:00P The Farmhouse Canterbury Sep 25 2009 8:00P Academy 2 Dublin Sep 26 2009 11:00P The Rescue Rooms (Stealth vs. Rescued) Nottingham Sep 30 2009 7:30P Le National w/ Bajofondo Montreal, Quebec Oct 1 2009 8:00P Paradise w/ Bajofondo Boston, Massachusetts Oct 2 2009 7:00P Governor’s Island w/ Man Man & The Brazilian Girls New York, New York Oct 4 2009 8:00P 9:30 Club w/ Bajofondo Washington DC, Washington DC Oct 16 2009 8:00P Irving Plaza w/ Chromeo New York, New York Oct 30 2009 10:00P Webster Hall w/ Simian Mobile Disco New York, New York Nov 1 2009 8:00P 9:30 Club w/ Simian Mobile Disco Washington DC Nov 4 2009 8:00P Metro w/ Simian Mobile Disco Chicago, Illinois Nov 6 2009 8:00P The Mod Club w/ Simian Mobile Disco Toronto, Ontario Nov 7 2009 8:00P SAT w/ Simian Mobile Disco Montreal, Quebec Nov 13 2009 12:00P Making Time at Pure Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The next producer I want to write about is Loco Dice. He is a German electronic producer/DJ. He actually use to be a hip-hop DJ/Rapper. He opened up for Usher, Snoop Dog, R. Kelly and Ice Cube. Now he makes minimal-house with the likes of Ricardo Villalobos. This track I'm going to post is actually from 2006 but I just heard it again and fell in love. This song's more on the tech-house side, but still excellent. Loco Dice is known also as a talented Tribal-house DJ and the sound comes out in his producing. Listen to the shakers and congas. They're barley audible but I think that makes the song so much deeper.

If you see a photo of this guy, he looks hard as fuck. Looks like he'd kill you, full sleeves and all.

Loco Dice: "El Gallo Negro"

Loco Dice: "Pimp Ryan is Talkin Now (Gold Ryan and Tapesh Dub)"

Still Going is one of the newer DFA additions and are a lot of fun to play out. They're like a playful disco treat. That's 2 playful disco tracks in one blog. Maybe I'm depressed and the only way out is silly disco tracks. I really hope not.

I've only gotten to hear 3 songs from the duo out of NYC, Still Going but I'm really excited for the full length. If you like what you hear, they just did a DJ podcast for Resident Advisor. Click the link the hear it.

Still Going: "Spaghetti Circus (radio edit)"

Still Going: "Untitled Love"