Sometimes I really dislike Sunday. It's the one day of the week where I inevitably know my fate before I've even woken up. My Sunday's are usually full of a whole lot of nothing because I'm hungover. And this morning was no different - especially because DPC was drinking our Virginia Tech loss away in the form of Natty Boh and whiskeys.*
But I was pleasantly surprised after coming home this morning and seeing that Aeroplane dropped his September mix. On October 1st. Uh, it makes me wonder if he realizes that yesterday wasn't September.
The mix starts with Toro Y Moi's slow mo track, "All Alone". I really like the song, but if you ever listen to the lyrics, it kind of sound borderline stalkerish. Definitely my kind of song. And around the 11:53 mark, Tensnake's (!!!!) remix of Runaway's "Chapter IV" drops and segues perfectly into Moon Boots "Off my Mind" at 17 minutes. I may or may not have listened to that part about 4 times already today.
The tempo really starts to pick up at Edwin Van Cleef's "Triton" (28 minutes in), and a personal highlight for me is towards the end around the 44'ish minute mark when Fifteenth's track drops. The subtle (not a huge DDP in your face) but amazing bass lines during that track made me forget how hungover I was, and Aeroplane's transitioning into Villa's remix of "Someone Like You" had me singing along like I was belting out a ballad - karaoke style.
So....What are you waiting for? Grab some Tylenol, a bloody mary, and some headphones before the Football games today because you have some dance parties to attend to.
What are you doing this Sunday afternoon? Dance parties and baking. Duh.
Yesterday I had high hopes for my Thursday night evening. It all began when I left my desk to venture to the Farmer's Market to grab basil and some veggies. I realized I didn't have any cash on me, so I decided to head to an ATM quickly. I inserted my debit card and immediately blanked on my pin number. Seriously...I wish I were joking. I also wish I was joking about the next phone call that immediately followed this revelation between myself and a Navy Federal representative.
Me: Hi. I know that this sounds crazy, but I forgot my pin number to my check card. Is there any way you can give it to me over the phone?
***Pause***
Representative: Ms. Thomas, we can't give you your pin number over the phone. You'll have to come into a branch to get that. Your pin number is on the magnetic strip of your card, so we don't know it. I can send you a new card, but that will take you 7-10 business days.
Me: Well... how many times can you technically get your pin number "wrong" before the card is automatically canceled?
Representative: Well, it looks like you've done it three times already...
Me: Yea. I tried it a couple times and realized I need to give up because I can't remember it. I'm seriously so tired I can't remember my pin number. Crazy right?
I don't know what's worse though. The fact that I forgot my pin number, or the fact that 15 minutes later when I was walking to the metro, it was like the clouds parted, and a light shone down on me because I remembered my pin number!
Moral of the Story? Someone who works for Navy Federal Credit Union probably thinks I'm some kind of idiot.
I wanted to rage the kitchen last night while listening to Faze Action, but after realizing that I didn't even have the mental capacity to remember my pin number, I decided it would be best to hang up my apron for the evening. I'd probably end up mixing up the sugar with salt - which you should not do. Ever. Trust me.
So, you get one of the mixes I was planning on listening to by Faze Action, two brothers by the name of Simon and Robin Lee. Their rise to fame can be attributed by DJs Harvey and Francois K in the mid 1990s. Faze Action are the first group to really have their name associated with "Nu Disco". (source) I love their disco podcasts but today I'm featuring one from Dummy Mix Magazine. I always enjoy the Dummy Mixes because not only is there a mix, but a great article/interview with the artists themselves.
The article/interview and the stream is available here.
And here's their most recent podcast via Soundcloud. Because let's be real, you're not actually doing work today. You're staring at your computer screen waiting for dance parties.
There's a lot of things that come together to make a great mix. It's not just tracks and transitions. An important and often looked over aspect is pacing (pretty sure there's a more technical term, but I'll go with it). I've said it before, but there's no shortage of people who can string together a set of fantastic tracks. Fewer can mix them together smoothly. But what I think sets apart the "elite" from the rest is combing those aspects with great pacing. A DJ mix should take me on a journey, so to speak. There should be high an low points. And by the end of it. I should either be completely satiated or want to start the thing over again.
So, like any form of music, a mix should be dynamic. DJ's can do this in a few ways. They can adjust the tempo/BPMs of the tracks they are playing. They can play more/less mellow/energetic tracks, or switch up the genre. Some will even add effects and loops. This is far from a comprehensive list, but just a few of the things that catch and keep my attention when it comes to a great DJ mix.
This new one from Pharao Black Magic for Disconnected does a lot of those things. Hence why I was felt the need to rant about it first. Listen for the stuff I mentioned above. PBM do lovely job blending Nu/Disco/House tracks while incorporating a number of those aspects I feel make a great mix. Be patient with the first half, the energy is low but fun. You'll have a hard time keeping still come the second, when get kicked up a few notches. Enjoy!
Tracklist:
01 - Almunia - New Moon
02 - Out Of City - Whirlpool Of Youth
03 - Runaway - Indoor Pool (Slow Hands Half Full Remix)
04 - Kon & The Gang - Sunlight
05 - Munk - Can I Have Your Attention (King DJ Edit)
I thought that today would be a good time to share with you an article I wrote for my friends' music blog in November of last year. And by "a good time to share" I mean that I am waaaaayyyy too busy doing things like scouring stores for cans of pumpkin puree and not realizing the warm setting on a crock pot does not equate to actually cooking something. Don't believe me? You probably should - given my history of fails. But here's a text conversation between one of my roommates and myself:
Text from Roommate: Did you mean for your soup to be on warm all day?
Me: Yea! I'm going turn it on low or high when I get back because the directions said low for 4 hours and I didn't know how long I'd be at work but I wasn't going to eat til later so I was going to adjust accordingly when I got home.
Text from Roommate: But do you think you needed to leave it on warm all day?
Me: I figured warm all day instead of low for 4 hours cause you usually cut the time in half of the highest setting and I figured I'd be gone all day so it would work since I do low for meats anyway. So in my head it made sense to me.
1. That makes no sense at all. 2. I'm pretty sure I made up that fact about cutting the time in half on a higher setting? Possibly. Maybe. Yes. 3. I'm an idiot.
Because I ate dinner at 10:30pm at night, all you get is a re-directed post to another website with my interview. And a mix from Tim Sweeney himself on his Beats in Space show! Giddy up.
This time I'm sorry (and I really am sorry, woof) that I don't know how to use a crock pot. Mainly because the crock pot is like the easiest kitchen appliance to use. Ever.Moral of the story? You should always know the warm setting on a crock pot doesn't actually cook anything - it merely keeps ALREADY cooked items warm. Wow. You learn something new every day! You're welcome.
Tracklisting: 1. The Laughing Light Of Plenty - The Pulse - Whatever We Want 2. KZA - Le Troublant Acid - Endless Flight 3. DJ Nature - Destiny Reprise - Golf Channel 4. Arthur Russell - How We Walk On The Moon (Youth Rerub) - Foot + Mouth 5. Mim Suleiman - Nyuli - Running Back 6. Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar (Tensnake RMX) - Stones Throw 7. Soul Clap - Extravaganza - Wolf + Lamb 8. Maxxi Soundsystem - Criticize - Kojak Giant Sounds 9. Shit Robot - I Got A Feeling - DFA 10. Jayson Brothers - The Game - Drum Poet Community 11. OOFT! - Ride In To The Red Zone - Foto 12. Lauer - H.R. Boss - Live At Robert Johnson 13. NDF - Since We Last Met - DFA 14. Nicolas Jaar - Mi Mujer - Wolf + Lamb 15. Benoit & Sergio - Midnight People - Spectral Sounds
I am really sorry. This is a day or two late, it will probably be a snoozefest for you guys to read, but I felt like I needed to address Identity Festival in one way. We did hype it up somuchlastweek.
I don't want to go into the details because I don't have too many great things to say about the overall festival. But I hate lying. Mainly because I'm really awful at it, but you'd also see right through my 'glowing review'.
The timing never seemed right. DJ Shadow was completely canceled cause storms/downpour of rain, and the outdoors stages ended up getting shut down for the duration of the festival.
I was also asked a few times to buy beer by underage girls. I was probably the wrong person to ask because I'm a girl - that was your first mistake.You always ask boys first, duh. Your second mistake was wearing (insert any highlighter color that could blind you) tank top and orange hats that said, "RAGE".
**taken by Rashad**
I can't say much for myself though; I was running around the festival in an "I Love You But I've Chosen Disco" shirt, and people probably were actively judging me too.
Please take what I'm saying with a grain of salt because everyone should have their own opinion about music. I'm certainly not judging anyone (but really I am), so don't take my review and think it's the end all, be all. Cause it's not. Even though I wish it was because then disco dance parties would reign supreme and cupcakes would be considered a meal.
I had a great time overall (despite what you're about to read below), and I can't leave this post without also thanking our gracious hosts. You guys rule and you took us to the best places in Philly!!
Our asses were late to the party (Identity Festival being the party, and our asses were late cause we missed these twoacts - womp womp), so here's a good rundown of our experience at Identity Festival.... in numbers.
Cups of coffee consumed by yours truly in the 3 hour car ride - 4
Minutes it took to crack open our first beer when we got to Philadelphia - 2
Whiskeys taken before we left for Camden - 4
Set time changes that occurred before we left to head to Camden - 3
Employees at Festival who had no idea where Booka Shade was playing - all of them
Employees at Festival who had no idea what the different stages were - all of them
Shirts that made me confused and slightly offended - 1
*taken by Rashad*
Beers consumed while Steve Aoki was playing - not enough
Beers consumed before realizing no matter how drunk we got Steve Aoki would still suck - too many
Times I was actively judging people in the crowd - too many
Times Rashad had to tell me to stop actively judging people in the crowd - three; once during Rusko, once during Aviici, and once when we were taking pictures in front of the main stage.
Neon hats I saw with the word 'RAGE' on it - too many
Times I heard Rashad ask people (the ladies) "Who Wanted to be Internet Famous" - too many (haha sorry!)
Creepy cars we saw in Philly - 1
People we fit in a cab ride from Camden to Philly after the show - 6
Crabs we ate at the crab and beer festival on Saturday - take a wild guess
Showers taken by yours truly while in Philly - 1 (gross, right?)
**And I'm sorry about the crappy photographs by me - clearly I was more interested in other things** And by interested in other things I mean I liked beer too much.
I am currently experiencing a running coma. I've attempted writing two different blog entries for this specific post and failed. Not only did I fail, but my legs are sore, I'm tired, and I almost had a 13 year old boy beat me today.
So, let's get to the good stuff, shall we?
Identity Festival kicked off in Noblesville four days ago and hits up Charlotte, Bristow, and Camden this week.
We'll be in attendance at The Camden show on Friday and I can't freaking wait. More importantly though, we're visiting some friends (hint: one of their names rhymes with pagan) and spending some QT in Philadelphia - something that I have never really done. I can't wait for cooking dance parties, bbqs, great friends/company, and great music!
Rashad and I will be posting some acts we are excited to see, and acts you may want to check out if you happen to be hitting up any of the 20 cities Identity Festival is invading.
Holy Ghost! (DFA Records) consists of the duo, Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser. I have seen them twice live (band), and once when they did a DJ set. I will be honest (remember, I'm an honest person!) when I say I have been more receptive to their DJ sets, as opposed to their band. You know why? Because I hate hipsters*, and the Cut Copy and Holy Ghost! show at the 9:30 Club brought more bros and hipsters out than I have seen throughout the DC area - in one room. Gross.*
Their DJ sets are full of energy, variety, and they have this funky, disco-vibe that permeates throughout their mixes that makes me smile, which may or may not be alcohol induced as well. Holy Ghost! goes on at 7pm (so their website says) so be sure not to miss them. And if you 'spill' a beer on the hipster nodding their head in front of you at the concert, I won't tell anyone.
*Note: No hipsters were injured or harmed during said concerts.
The following is a mix from Tim Sweeney's Beats in Space show. The playlist has some classics, and favorites of mine (and probably yours!) and at the 10 minute mark, you may recognize a track that's from the Beat Broker mix that has been featured before.
BIS Radio Show #506 - Holy Ghost! Part II 13. The House Girl - Bessie Smith (Farley Jackmaster Funk) - Farley Music 14. Holy Ghost! - On Board (featuring The DFA Celestial Choir) - XL 15. Ray Mang - Tatoo Me - Mangled Records 16. Faux Love - Be With You - Faux Love 17. Tiger & Woods - Deflowered - Tain 2 18. Maserati - Inventions (Justin Van Der Volgen's "Enjoy Your Prog" Remix") - Temporary Residence Limited 19. Jackpot - Night Flight - RVNG 20. Lindstrom & Christabelle - Baby Can't Stop (Aeroplane Vocal Remix) - Smalltown Supersound 21. Robert Owens - Visions (MK Mix) - 4th & B'Way 22. Eleanore Mills - Mr. Right (The Right Mix) - CDJ Records 23. Simian Mobile Disco - Cruel Intentions (Greg Wilson Edit) - Wichita 24. Eli Escobar - Glass House - Plant 25. Jacques Renault - Piano On The Beach - Unreleased 26. Jee Day - Like A Child - Unreleased 27. Rogue Cat - Magic Journey (Todd Terje Remix) - Tiny Sticks 28. - Rocket (Babytalk Remix) -
29. Jacques Renault - Can't Nobody Love Me - Hole In The Sky
The second mix is from the KCRW Radio Show (it's a shorter mix, about 33 minutes), and I'm partial to using it for a quickie at the gym.
And finally, this is their Australian Tour Sampler, that includes two of their songs, and some remixes that they have done for other artists.
I like perfection. I also don't like it when things don't go my way. Unfortunately for me, this happens a lot. Uhmmm.... yea.
I attempted to re-number the tracks on my iTunes for a playlist I made to share with everyone. Unfortunately, after a friend explained to me via GChat what to do (read: I thought I understood, but really did not at all), I somehow ended up with all of the artists names dubbed as "Crazy Penis". The first thing that went through my head, "OMG. This is awkward." And then I laughed a little. Until I realized I had to manually go back through and change all of the artists.
iTunes: 1
Becca: 0
The playlist above is strictly for dance parties at the gym. You know, when you're on the treadmill. Or maybe you're ellipticalling your little heart out. Perhaps you're a biker? Don't worry, this playlist doesn't discriminate. It's for everyone.
So after I fixed the names of all the artists, I tried finding a medium that I could put on the blog so you could stream this mix, or even download it (uhmm, help?). Second fail of the night. The mix is pretty much played at random when you stream it. So I spent like an hour trying to perfect, upload and stream this stupid mix. UGH.
Moral of the story? Don't try and make your playlists with an artist's name that begins with "Crazy Penis".
Edited to Add: Some people have been texting me, chatting me, etc and asking who the HECK "Crazy Penis" is. They are also known as "Crazy P", and consists of Chris Todd (Hot Toddy) and Jim Baron from the United Kingdom. The particular song I was trying to put first on the playlist is from their 2002 album, 'The Wicked is Music', and is called "There's a Better Place". It features samples from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
This playlist is for cardio and my 10K on Sunday. The goal of it is easy: make me keep moving. It's supposed to be a progression, so when you're working out/racing/etc, you don't burn out the first 10 minutes, and then by the end you won't even want your workout to end!! So yea, listen to it at random - cause what you see is what you get folks. And maybe this will teach me to let Rashad do all of the 'fancy' blog stuff from now on.
And now I feel bad. Cause what's above isn't exactly what I envisioned. And really, who knows if anyone will actually like it. So here's a Zimmer mix that I enjoy whenever I need a little pick-me-up. Like this morning, when I realized how huge of a fail this post was.
Zimmer - Bright City Lights | June Mixtape by Zimmer Jeremy Glenn - New Life
Goldroom - Morgan's Bay
Laberge - Million Dollar Party
Luke Million - Arnold
Popular People's Front - Party Over Here (Gigamesh Rework)
Tiger & Woods - Kissmetellmemore
Laydisco - More Tigers
Oxford - Holy Moon (Kartell Remix)
Munk - Can I have Your Attention ?
Madonna - Into The Groove (Kolombo Rework)
Golden Bug & Mustang - Soap Opera
Cordova - Paradigm
Peter & The Magician - Twist
Processory - Nightfall (Aeroplane Remix)
Tensnake - Something About You
Cosmic Kids - Reginald's Groove
Laid Back - Bakerman (Soul Clap Remix)
George Duke - Brazilian Love Affair (Zimmer Edit)
Classixx - Into The Valley (Julio Bashmore Remix)
6th Borough Project - If The Feelings Right
This Sporting Live Mix by Tosh Ohta kept me so entertained and focused while baking that I almost forgot my attempt at baking banana nutella cookies was a failure.
Todd Tejre's remix of Shit Robot's 'Simple Things' + The edit of Love Shack segued into Mark E's R&B Drunkie (approximately 48:15) = Happiness. Check out the track listing, and you will see why this Tosh Ohta mix is one that I love and listen to over and over again.
This Sporting Live Mix - Sept 2009 by Tosh Ohta Happy Mondays - Wrote for Luck (Tribute edit) / Tribute
Moloko - Sing It Back (Mousse T's I Feel Love dub) / White
Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Breakers Break remix) / Virgin France
Shit Robot - Simple Things (Todd Terje remix) / DFA USA
Kate Bush - Running up that Hill (Ashley Beedle edit) / White
Chamboche - Feverish (The Revenge remix) / Under the Shade
The Revenge - Night Flight / Jisco Music
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer (GW edit) / Disco Deviance
Kiki & Silversurfer - Shake Off / Crosstown Rebels
Liz Torres - I Can't Get Enough / State Street Records
DJ Mehdi - Lucky Girl / Ed Banger Records
Cori Josias - Taking it Straight (Dub) / Metropolis Records
Quando Quango - Atom Rock / Factory Records
B52's - Love Shack (Losoul Bitshit edit) / ?
Mark E - R&B Drunkie / Golf Channel
Wade Nichols - Boogie / Mindless Boogie
Psychotropic - Hypnosis / O2 Records
Truffle Club - Gone Blue / Dissident
Mr Fingers - The Juice / Ammnesia
Bauhaus - Kick In The Eye (Fernando's Cover Version) / Redux
Fleetwood Mac -Everywhere (Jellybean Benitez 12" extended mix) / Warner
...And now I'm left with three mini loaves of banana Nutella dessert bread that should be cookies and half a cup less of perfectly good Nutella.
They don't dance. I just made that up. Is that offensive? I'm not sure if it is or not, cause I literally just picked the first inanimate object that popped into my head. I'm sorry I'm not sorry if I offended anyone who just read that. Although, if I did offend you, I can only guess that you either have this weird obsession with lamps, or you're a hipster. I digress.
Welcome to The Dance Party Chronicles. Why? Because we like to dance! (.....Sorry if you don't). God, that's really going to get old. I must admit, my judgment cannot always be trusted. (Full disclosure: I'm usually at the bar, commanding jager bombs). I'm also easy to please (Full dislclosure: give me a cupcake and I'll be happy). I love a good beat. I love anything that makes me want to tap my feet. Maybe twirl in circles, or even bust out a 'carwash' move every once in awhile (Full disclosure: that's my dance move. Come pick me out of a crowd. Trust me, it won't be hard).
Anyway, back to the 'substance' of this post. I just got home from an awesome concert. Actually, my co-author did, too. And I'm pretty sure we both can agree on a few things...
The 9:30 Club is so much more appealing when beer is free for an hour. Especially when you can get four beers at a time. Seriously. I don't know what was better; the look I got from the bartender as I awkwardly tried to carry four beers away from the bar, or the music.
Hipsters don't dance. I think if there could be a math equation that could fit what happened tonight it would be hipsters^squared = I've never seen so many heads nodding.
When going to concerts, you can't ever expect anything like a jam band concert. And this is something I just cannot get over. Wait. You're not playing for 3 hours? With two sets?! How dare you!
Okay. So all jokes aside. Yeasayer was great. If you know me, I love dance parties. I love disco. And I love anything with soulful, deep undertones - and this was not it. I'd like to consider myself (after tonight) a more musically open-minded human being, so I will give myself a pat on the back.
I think the best part about this concert was in the middle (so this means about 20 minutes in...), my friend looks over at me and goes, "ugh, this is the exact same as the Cut Copy show." And it's like Yeasayer knew what we were thinking, "Come on, more energy!" Soon after, the tempo picked up. Our bodies started moving, and we slowly realized that seriously, this band can get weird. I heard something between animal, tribal cries, and undertones of synthy beats (I can't make this shit up - though maybe the four beers in my mind can).
I left feeling rather satisfied. And happy. Because if you didn't already know from reading about three times - I freaking LOVE dance parties.
Please stay tuned for another post. I assure you most of the posts will not be solely 'reviews'. Because let's be honest, and I am a very honest person.... I like to have fun. And my co-author does too. Therefore, most of the time, while we can analyze and appreciate the music, we're there to let loose, and not stress. And that in turn means we're having a blast with some of our closest friends, dancing and drinking the night away. This also gives opportunities for awesome stories. If you know me, I am like the awkwardest person...ever. So I'm pretty sure some embarrassing, awkward, yet hilarious stories will surface at one point or another.
This blog will also feature tons of mixes that are listened to, and other music that we deem appropriate. Disco, funk, soul, deep house, etc etc. You like it, we'll probably feature it. So please, grab a seat, some popcorn, and your headphones. Cause it's about to get weird.
And just because you've read all of this nonsense, I'll leave you with some parting music. This mix features one of my favorite DJs who surprisingly hails from the United States. This mix is very dancy, hence the name, and can get you going through that 2 PM snooze fest you want to take. Around the 13 minute mark it starts to pick up, and it can also be a great motivator whilst on a run! But most importantly, this mix can be enjoyed while changing a flat tire in the suburbs of Washington, DC (**cough cough** HA).
Sometimes I really dislike Sunday. It's the one day of the week where I inevitably know my fate before I've even woken up. My Sunday's are usually full of a whole lot of nothing because I'm hungover. And this morning was no different - especially because DPC was drinking our Virginia Tech loss away in the form of Natty Boh and whiskeys.*
