rmx mon: "When It Feels This Good (MAJR edit)" - Richard Vission v. Luciana

Luciana really is the queen of electro/club dance.  The London songstress returns with a vengeance.

She has returned in a very Dragonette-esque track with Richard Vission.  If this collaboration sounds familiar, it is the same one that brought you one of late 2010/2011's biggest dance jams, I Like That.  Check out their "new" one (it was dropped in Europe in late May), below.  Special thanks to DJ MATT BAILER back home, in DC, for throwing this my way.  I edited it up a bit to play it live in heavy dance sets.  I hope you dig it.



Luciana has really been hitting it out of the park this year.  Her Bodyrox track Bow Wow Wow is one of my favorite dance tracks of the year, her track Jump with The Cube Guys is right up there, as well.  And, lastly her club-killer track We Own the Night, with the duo of none other than Wolfgang Gartner and Tiësto, is being blasted everywhere there's a house beat.  She has also, in the past, been responsible for some MASSIVE club hits, such as her previous Bodyrox collaboration, 2006's Yeah Yeah, 2007's Super Mal track Bigger Than Big, 2008's Come On Girl (the only good song Taio Cruz has ever produced), 2010's I Got My Eye On You (by Nari & Milani with Cristian Marchi) and Figure It Out (a track she did with Dave Audé under a pseudonym Isha Coco).    All ELEVEN videos are below.

Oh, and she wrote Kylie Minogue's Cupid Boy, perhaps the best song on Aphrodite.




song of the summer #4: ELVIS LIVES!

So, this is not exactly new (came out in late 2010), but I recently discovered it, and it is ruling my world (not to mention workouts).  This JXL take on Elvis's A Little Less Conversation is the kind of dance song that makes me immediately cut it loose.  Everything about this take on The King is stupendous, especially how the swagger of the remix complements the lyrical content.



A little less bark | A little more BITE

fresh: "The Puritan" - blur

Oh, glorious blur (they maintain the lower-cased 'b'), you have finally returned.  G'bless you, child.  I should have posted this on Wednesday or Thursday, but I was busy getting my life in order.  In any case, they return with a little EP called Under the Westway.  The interesting thing about this EP is that the better song on the 2-song record is not the namesake.  The supporting track, The Puritan, is simply fantastic.  It's the direction we expected Damon and his lads to take (without sounding too much like Gorillaz).  Check out the awesome distortion laced behind the chorus... delicious.

So, for all you brit-pop fanatics, enjoy the glorious return of one the best bands the UK has produced... period.

Favorite lyric:
Because the flash of the blade is one less getting paid, there in the line.


essential: "Wake Up" - Arcade Fire

Wake Up is a song that brings so many emotions to the table, that I am not sure which one to embrace.  In such cognitive dissonance - meets - emotional instability, I wind up just imploding into a sense of joy that only the top songs of my life can evoke.  This ranks quite high (favorite songs ever) within such cherished company.  Arcade Fire are at their best here.
You should own it.  You should love it.  And, if all else fails, you should really connect with this song. It is simply... beautiful.

weekenditty: "Ode to the Bouncer (Fear of Tigers remix)" - Studio Killers

One of the more hilarious songs of the year, so far, has been Ode to the Bouncer by Studio Killers.  I'm beginning to learn that Studio Killers are one of the more hilarious bands in existence.  In their newest single, Eros & Apollo, my favorite line was "all the boys turn gay wherever he goes... wow!"  I. Just. Can't.

In this track, the lead vocalist in the virtual band (like Gorillaz) complains about waiting outside a club to the bouncer.  Best lyrics I've heard in a while, and the first time I have ever heard an act write about a subject matter to which so many of us can relate.  Check out the videos below, as well.  Definitely enjoyable.


Fear of Tigers, once again, have delivered a solid remix.  This is perhaps my favorite remix of theirs, and definitely worth adding to your dance collection.  Below are some little delicious tidbits for you:


Song of the Summer #3: "Rocket Ship" - Dragonette

I really enjoy the direction Dragonette is going with this new record.  The tracks and teasers I've heard seem like a nice balance between their first and second records, Galore and Fixin' to Thrill.  

This track, release not too long ago, was divulged as what one would assume is a "we're so sorry our album was pushed back to September, here's a free song."  So, check it out, and enjoy your holiday.  


essential: "YCAGWYW" - The Rolling Stones: the euphonious embodiment of my 20's

Today I turned 30.  The glorious Big 3-0.  We do not, in this society, get to really revel in too many birthdays: 16, 21, 30, 40, 50... and in ten year increments thereafter seem to be the ones of note.  It has been nine years since my last 'big' birthday, and to say that I have some reflecting to do is a massive understatement.  I can happily say that I, from a superficial standpoint, look better than I did when I turned twenty.  I can report that I am a lot wiser than when I entered this decade of life, as well.  And lastly, as a whole, I must divulge that my twenties changed everything head-to-toe, mind-to-matter, and mess-to-slightly more organized mess about me.  Let me do this by showing a few photos with the only friend (Casey Mather) I've had during this entire tenure.

For this day, a big day by any standard, I provide your Essential Tuesday track.  This is a song that has been very close to my heart for a very long time.  It is essential for any music lover's collection, and hails from one of the quintessential albums of in the history of recorded music, Let It Bleed.

So, here we go...

When I turned 20, I was experiencing one of the toughest times of my life.  When you recollect really rough experiences, especially those that span about 18-20 months, I have learned that one must focus on two things: how hard it hurt (so not to repeat it again) and the major lessons learned (in detail).  The rest is simply fodder.

Age: 20

My mid-twenties saw me enter into my most significant relationships: 1 romantic and another platonic.  Like all things of quality, these each had their life cycles: the former 2.5 years, the latter 7.  I regret very little from these experiences; I learned most of who I am in relation to others mostly because of them.  And, in the end, I realize that each cycle ends (like any evolution: through abrupt change or gradual dissipation), life is not always ideal, and if you do not appreciate those that cross and diverge from your path (in lieu of mourning), you missed the point.

Age: 26
After a very difficult 2010 (ages 27-28), in which I quite simply broke down into a state of disarray, I started the final evolution of my 20's: the overhaul.  I started to gain the patience and humility which I desperately needed in the previous decade, in this process.  I moved 2000 miles from home to pursue the improvement of my life, started a new path toward reconciling childhood dreams and future realities, and (unlike previous moves) held onto the aspects of my previous identity that mattered.

Age: 30 minus 2 weeks

This decade saw me connect with the people who would help mold me; friendships for which I'm incredibly grateful.  It saw me fall apart and dive into dark personal places which I cannot justify with descriptors.  It saw me live in seven major cities: Lexington (KY), Orlando, Baltimore, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Tucson, and Chicago... in which I have made a habit of attracting some of the most amazing beings as friends.  All places have challenged me to sharpen the blade that is my perspective; all have forced me to overcome what is temporarily insurmountable to build what is eternally reinforced.

I am no success story.  No one is.  I am a mess.  A wonderful, awesome mess.

The past decade was, quite simply, a series of lessons learned:


Embrace people for who they are, not for who you want them to be.


Be bold, daring, deliberate, and always willing to scare yourself into where you should be.


Realize that 51% of your life is within your control; that 1% is what matters most, and the remaining 50% goes a little like this:


You can't always get what you want.  But, if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need. 



[If you know anything about me, you know that the one television character with whom I have always connected most was Californication's Hank Moody.]

GET THE SONG

MARINA: "How to Be a Heartbreaker"

Marina and the Diamonds returns with (FINALLY RELEASING) "How to Be a Heartbreaker,"  which is going to be on the American version of Elektra Heart, which is about to be released.  For those of you fanatics who have had her European version since late March, and are a little annoyed that she's changing shit up for the U.S. version... deal.  Or, rather, enjoy: 
PS: If you had this before and try to pull some hipster passive aggressive shit on me, I'll cut you.