This Thing – multi launch @ Phoenix Public in Pictures

‘This Thing’ launched a bunch of artist releases at the Phoenix Public House to a pumped up crowd of excited punters. A night of cool beats by a diverse group of producers floggin their wares and ripping up the house with five live sets. I caught four and they were very good.

Naps – http://whothehell.net/zVU

Crumbs – http://whothehell.net/X8l

Wooshie – http://whothehell.net/0at

Andras Fox – http://whothehell.net/66a

More pictures after the jump. … Continue Reading

World’s End Press – ‘Second Day Uptown’

World’s End Press – ‘Second Day Uptown’

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Lighten your Monday with happiness delivered from Melbourne’s World’s End Press. Driven by their live jammin and disco party sound, W.E.P. have a dapper new single on digital release. Despite working on a new record for some time, it seems the boys aren’t ready to make any full length release dates just yet. I don’t think they’re playing hard to get, they just haven’t quite distilled their live sound into a recording yet. ‘Second Day Uptown’ represents what W.E.P. do very well and that is to get your ass dancing. It’s got that distinct bass groove and familiar vocal with a little gospel style, praise the lord keys that have you waving you hands in the air with smiley face joy. This is a tune to go out big on so enjoy lovers.

Check their Facebook for details about a physical release – http://whothehell.net/oEm

DZ Deathrays – ‘Brutal Tapes’

Known also as ‘those dudes who make killer filmclips’, Shane Parsons and Simon Ridley/DZ/DZ Deathrays’ Brutal Tapes marks the second EP for the thrash punk (thrush?) dance DUO.

I bold/caps duo as they make more noise than that plane Snoop Dogg piloted in one of his acting career ‘highpoints’ if it cut laps on [insert relevant street] on a Friday. In a good way.

Compiled of studio recorded, house party (complete with rowdy bro crowd vocals) recorded and remixed tracks, Brutal Tapes is a polished, harder, sexier offering of dirty-glorious guitar riffs and belting drums from the Brisvegans.

It is about 5/7ths killer, though, with the two remixes taking some punch out, but to be fair it’s a tough ask to make it any more danceable. To be unfair they should’ve left it at five tracks.

The filler isn’t unlistenable, but the remixes seem limp compared to the rest of Brutal Tapes, really just showing that these two don’t require anything else added to their formula.

They even slip in bongos, and it fits. It fits so damn well you won’t look at bongos the same way. Amazing.

And live? Fuck. They’re even better in all their ear smashing glory.

Dananananaykroyd picked them up for another bout of Splendour sideshows when they get back to our shores after tearing the UK a new one, so if you haven’t already hit that then make it happen.

I’mma go ahead and put Gebbie St. up for the sexiest song of 2010/11. This (NSFW) fan made clip captures all of that.

Bag Raiders: ‘Shooting Stars’

Bag Raiders - ‘Shooting Stars’

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It seems like our upcoming festive season is shaping up to be one of sublime summer jams; the kind of tunes that sound just as good on your car stereo as you cram in on your way to the beach or a festival as they do in a dark dirty nightspot after 3am.  A slew of these gems are emerging from some of our favourite home-grown beatmakers i.e Empire Of The Sun, Miami Horror, and Damn Arms – but I think my favourite so far is the new Bag Raiders production Shooting Stars. The Sydney duo have been kicking parties into high gear for a while now - see last year’s ubiquitous stomper Fun Punch – but this release transcends the club and manages to be that rare thing – a truly brilliant pop song.  The electrified power cheese of their earlier work is abandoned in favour of a more mellow approach, with swirling melodies slowly building to one of the most joyously bouncy choruses you’ll hear all year.  Rhys of Like Whoah/Ted & Francis lends his vocal talents to this track and wouldn’t sound out of place on a Backstreet Boys record, but underpinned by that kickin’ disco bass it’s a deliciously pop combination that you can’t help but grin and nod your head to.  Get this now or miss out!

Turbo Love is the other single that’s been thrown onto the web, and it’s more typical munter fuel.  All thick, juicy synths, robot voices and a whole lot of Bang, it sounds a bit too much like a disposable Van She Tech remix from last year to get too excited about, but the ’Raiders typically slick production talents make it well worth a listen.

The Turbo Love single with both of these tracks is out now on Bang Gang 12 inches and the boys are heading to Japan in December, so make sure to catch them before the year is out.

http://whothehell.net/Vd

Beni

Beni – ‘My Love Sees You’

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Sydney producer Beni is best known as one half of Riot In Belgium, the club destroying duo who gave us 2007’s lip – contorting party jam La Musique. You know the one – with the excitable french girl moaning over lots of ridiculous buildups and bleepy fuzz?  It was just about inescapable if you spent any time in the clubs or even turned on your radio last year.  Anyway, it’s been many blog decades since then and with the Belgium bangers on the wane, he has turned his talents to this self-titled solo project.  My love sees you is Beni’s first official cut, and it combines the charged peaktime vibes of his earlier work with punchy bass guitars, highly strung synths and plenty of euphoric vocal samples.  The funked-up bass and disco influences sit nicely with Beni’s intense production – and will ensure a whole lot of slamming silliness on the floor.

Beni has just been picked up by international tastemakers Kitsune and appears on their new compilation (along with fellow Sydneysiders Ted & Francis), so this looks like another Aussie track to dominate overseas.  Hear this one now so you can throw your hands up and dance when you hear it out this weekend!
www.myspace.com/listentobeni

The E.L.F.: ‘Boucne Bounce Bounce’

The E.L.F. – a.k.a Darren Cross – has been evoking the DIY spectre of the electro-indie zeitgeist ever since he dropped his lo-fi debut release Stevie Nicks Hearts last year. The filmclip for the disc’s first single, ‘Cockroaches’, was made for a measly throwaway ten bucks.

Now The E.L.F. is set to launch the follow-up to Stevie Nicks Hearts, and ‘Bounce Bounce Bounce’ is the first taste of the new material. And this filmclip was made for nothing. Nada. Zilch. Intimating rave nights with the help of garish sirens, cowbell, a skull-thumping beat and synths galore, ‘Bounce Bounce Bounce’ is pure hedonistic dance floor fodder. Cross overtly announces his intentions: “If you’re not gonna dance I’m gonna go home.”

“More DIY spirit than Thurston Moore on a shopping spree in Kmart,” is how The E.L.F. describes this one.

Indeed.

http://whothehell.net/78K