Jupiter - United Summer of America Mixtape

Festival season (and summertime concerts) brings out the best and worst in me. My inner-hippie, fun-loving, and irresponsible self just wants to do it all. My young professional, upstanding citizen in the District screams at me to stay put. Please, Becca, be normal. Remember that you have that thing called a job... so don't drive three hours, seven hours, or however far it is, to go see music. Just stay home, bake some cookies and shove them in your face. Remember how much fun you have organizing your closet?

But if I were normal, I wouldn't be able to say I finally saw Oliver and Yacht this past weekend in upstate New York, which was pretty freaking fly. Yea, I drove seven hours with friends to go to a festival for one day of music. Trust me, you read that right.

I know I say everything is "fly", "freaking awesome" or "best thing ever" way too much on the blog, but hear me out: this time it is warranted. Between the screen set-up, crazy dancers, and 90 minute full-on dance party that Oliver provided - it was truly something that I won't forget. It is impressive and a feat within itself for an artist to hit on what felt like every genre of music in one hour and thirty minutes.

Exhibit A (start streaming at 01:11:35):

djcntv on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Exhibit B:
 

After the jump...



So after a whirlwind of craziness that ensued the last seven weeks, I think it's time that we get back to our roots. And by roots, I mean good old fashioned disco dance parties because it just totally feels right. It's time to recharge ourselves and get some semblance of normalcy around here because I think everyone needs it.

Today's mix comes from the French-English duo, Jupiter. Amélie and Quarles met in 2008 on an empty dance floor and the rest is pretty much history. Influenced mainly by disco and electro-funk, the two also draw from artists such as Beach House, Sly & Robbie and even the Beastie Boys. If that didn't catch your attention, perhaps some of their more well-known tracks probably have.

Their single, “Saké,” was released by Kitsuné in March 2011 and is a fun, electro/disco pop track that is ridiculously catchy.

About four months ago, they released their "One O Six" EP, and the track has a disco-vibe with hard-hitting synth waves that leaves you bobbing your head with the bassline. You've probably heard the A.N.D.Y. remix a few times on different mixes, along with the Superman Lover's one.


The duo has been busy this past summer after releasing their debut album, "Juicy Lucy" in June. They are also gearing up for their North American tour slated to begin at the end of July. I'm pretty bummed they will not be hitting up DC, but in the meantime, this "United Summer of America" mix tape will do the trick until I'm able to see them live.

This 40-minute dance party with a summer vibe is solid from start to finish, including a mix of new and old tracks and their newest remix for Midnight Magic's song, "Calling Out".

It kicked off with the popwave track, "Cruel Summer" by Bananarama which pretty much gave me flashbacks to my awkward 5th grade self jamming out to Ace of Base. Right then, I knew this mix was going to be good. It segued seamlessly into Zimmer's feel-good remix of "Aretha" at the 2:35 mark. I've had Midnight Magic's remix of "Magic", by Panama, on repeat (which makes an appearance around 8 minutes) since this mix was released two days ago. This is where I interject to tell everyone why mixes rule; you can follow the track list and immediately have tons of music that you may have overlooked in the music overload that we are inundated with every day.

 At the 11:50 mark, the mix takes a turn from feel-good tropical vibes to a heavy-hitting electro dance party courtesy of Hey Today!, an artist from Hamburg, Germany whose EP, "83" was also recently released on Kitsuné. Halfway through, the anthem for my entire life, Little Boots' "Headphones" remix by Moon Boots appears, and between the catchy vocals and ever present disco vibe with keyboards... you'll also be singing along "la la la la la".

Around the 31 minute mark, Jupiter's latest remix, "Calling Out" segues in and I can only imagine the track will be in heavy rotation for many DJs in the coming months. Midnight Magic was one of my favorite live disco acts to see in 2011, and Jupiter did them a solid by making this ballad dance floor friendly for disco dance party lovers everywhere. The mix rounds out with Michel Polnareff's jazzy-slow number, "Holidays," to signal the end. It was a great way to end a summer time mix, and left me feeling satisfied and happy.

You should add this mix to your Friday afternoon playlist, and if you want more, you should buy their album here, and stay up to date with their tour dates by following their Facebook page.


Tracklist:
Bananarama - Cruel Summer
Moon Boots – Aretha (Zimmer Remix)
Thomas Bangalter - Club Soda
Panama - Magic (Midnight Magic Remix)
Hey Today! - 83
Azari & III - Into The Night
Little Boots - Headphones (Moon Boots Remix)
Echo Park- Go
The Supermen lovers ft. Herr Styler & Christine - C'est Bon
Stuck In The Sound - Brother (Yuksek Remix)
Midnight Magic - Calling Out (Jupiter Remix)
White Shadow - If You Like It (Rick Rude Remix)
Michel Polnareff - Holidays