d balls

i guess that the *disco* whispers have turned into a dull roar.. its funny how music cycles work..
i suppose if you wanted to analyze the whole thing, it makes sense.. after 2 or 3 years of getting their ears blasted off by electro and fidget, people want a more chilled, yet equally dancey alternative... hmm..

(i hate to be someone to do a new bandwagon blog post but anyhoo..)

there are many ways to look at the new disco charge, and many facets within it to be aware of.. first and most obviously is the old school 70's and 80's disco that has been revived.. secondly are the old-school italo disco beats which have been so nicely brought up to speed lately.. and thirdly is stuff that can pass as modern disco- perhaps stuff like fred falke/alan braxe, lifelike, and some miami horror..
but what im gonna try and focus on now is the new wave of disco s**t coming through from thw swedish crew..

im sure many of yall would have heard of Sally Shapiro.. i reckon she i probably the figurehead of this new wave of pure disco with her innocent, porcelain-like voice and ice cold beats made by superstar Johan Agebjorn..

Sally Shapiro - I'll Be By Your Side

Sally Shapiro - Find My Soul (Norweigan Electrojazz Mix)

Sally Shapiro - I Know Your My Love (Juan Maclean Remix)

i think the production in these songs is awesome.. really brings the whole disco thing into the '08.. the only thing that seems a little weird are the lyrics.. am i the only one that has picked up on this?? sure she has a nice voice that matches the music really well but don't they just seem really cheesy? or maybe the sheesy lyrics make the songs better and more.. pure? or am i just seriously un-rad?
dont get me wrong though- two thumbs up to sally and johan..

cloetta paris is another very disco-ey group that i have discovered recently.. they have a very similar sound to Sally Shapiro. despite what i said just then, i think that that i might like their music better because the lyrics seem much more well thought out and written. Sally Shapiro's

Cloetta Paris - Young Girls In Town

Cloetta Paris - Already Missing You

there have been no interwicked remixes done or cloetta paris yet though which is upsetting.. haha on further listens much of this music would totes win Eurovision.. haha

this disco sound is one that ive loved for ages.. i guess my friends call this sound 'subtle shrub system'.. music that sounds good on the d-floor, at work or out of your speakers in your bedroom.. music that you can chill to or get smashed to.. will be so awesome and interesting (awesomely interesting) to see what comes out of this phase

mix friday oh yeah

so my week in melbs is coming to a close.. my legs are sore, my eyes are heavy and my head is throbbing. so much fun. and i still have tonight and tomorrow night to go. yikes.

i felt like propping myself up on some beats from the tech-house end of town today, but seeing as though my music is still located in sydney, that mission was destined to fail.
instead, i had to "settle" for these next two mixes which i must say soothed my hungover ears and even got my weary toes tapping (as much as they could)..

i hope (and am sure) that most of you will be intimately acquainted with caribou and his latest album 'swim'- it really is an absolute gem.. off the back of it, the live caribou band is heading off on a highly anticipated world tour, accompanied by an ep which features six unreleased tracks and this quirky dj mix..
the eclectic, world-music flavoured track choice seems to remind me of the avalanches dj mixes (which is definitely a good thing).

Caribou Tour Mixtape mediafire link

caribou are slowly making their way around europe and the us (no australia yet).. check the tour dates here..

winter in sydney is rapidly approaching which means a whole lot of cold, cranky people patrolling the city streeets on a saturday night. everyones favourite label/party starters future classic have decided to do their bit to prevent weekend shivering by throwing open the doors of the civic every saturday as part of what they are calling 'adult disco'..

the launch party will be taking place on may the first (thats next weekend).. no word yet as to any headliners, but the strength of the local future classic djs (jimi polar is a master) is easily enough to get me there. expect disco done in a calm, collected and thoroughly adult(erous?) way.

to drum up some support, the fc crew put together this mix which is an absolute pearler and goes from the funky right through to the chinstroking end of disco.. tensnake makes a couple of awesome appearances, as does holy ghost!, azari & ill and joakim (just to name a few).
that escape from new york track is an absolute banger..

Adult Disco Mix by Future Classic DJs soundcloud link

if you head on over to the adult disco site, you can get free entry to the launch by simply signing up to the mailing list.. hope to see you there!

oh and a quick plug for fellow sydney blogger andy (from disco delicious) and a party that his new label death strobe are throwing this sunday at bondi social club..
if you are in the area on sunday, you should definitely get in there and show some support - death strobe is one of the most exciting things happening in sydney at the moment, and mr webb sure knows a thing or two about jumping on the ones and twos.. if you are looking to have some fun this anzac day, this will be the place to have it.

Odeiyolaoo Mambo

Mixtape blues. Fuck.

Finding suitable tracks, putting them into order and then mixing them is proving to be an extremely frustrating process. Who would have thought?

Introduction songs, ending songs, build up songs, banging songs... GAH.

The single positive that I can take out of this whole experience is that I have managed to reconnect with the world of disco.
After a period of intermittent-at-best disco following, it was nice to see that things have been bubbling away nicely while I have been gone.

(read more...)

bumpy

i would probably say that the friday just gone was one the most unsatisfying nights ive had for a long time. you know those sort of nights that see you wandering the streets arguing about where the f**k to go and s**t? so wasteful and cold.

however, what was more disappointing than the marathon that we ended up walking was the music that that was being played..
i dont know how djing got to the point its at now but i think its a bit of a joke.
sure, putting a few funny or unexpected tracks into a set is fun, but (poorly) mixing together novelty track after novelty track is taking the piss isnt it? if i wanted to hear a mix of the best of the 80's and 90's i would probably stay at home and listen to triple M or go to the tea gardens.
i was relieved when the misshapes left the country because i thought that they would have taken their lack of skill and stupidity with them but it looks as if they left it behind.

its mind boggling to see these fools playing these crap songs when there is so much good music going around at the moment- whatever you listen to.
...well actually i cant really back a statement like that up.. i guess i only really know about like 5 or 6 genres.
and out of those genres, today i only feel like posting about 1. so ya

if you've read blouse before, you probably already know that im a big fan of this whole indie disco thing.. it really is so versatile and funky. im probably a wee bit late on the whole thing but im trying to make myself feel better about that by telling myself that tracks like these are my interpretations of this nu-disco thang..

one nu-disco group ive recently discovered are fujiya and miyagi who have recently released an album called "Lightbulbs"..

Fujiya & Miyagi - Hundreds and Thousands

at first glance, their little bass-driven tracks on seem rather light hearted and fun, but further listens reveal more layers in both lyrical and musical structure.. this however cant help the fact that the songs on the album sound markedly similar to each other and that actually listening to the entire album through requires you to be firmly in the mood for it.

Fujiya & Miyagi - Uh

sure, fujiya and miyagi might not be ideal for a rockin' dj set but i think that they would still be pretty rad party songs.. and to be honest, i would rather hear songs in this LCD soundsystem-ish vein than hanson or mariah carey (please take note misshapes and crappy oxford art factory djs)..

a group called 'The Model' also recently sent through a track of theirs called 'What Does It Look Like I'm Doing?" which has grown on me heaps in the last few days or so

The Model - What Does It Look Like I'm Doing?

this track is glamourous indie disco at its best.. somewhere between van she and the scissor sisters, this track perfectly represents my vision of what dance music will(/might) become. haha and it may well become a bit of a gay anthem this summer as well

other awesome indie disco bands have been slaughtered on the blogs of late so i wont waste yours or my time going over them but i will chuck them up here just in case you missed them. thats how much we love you

Friendly Fires - White Diamonds

Late Of The Pier - Broken

if you havent come across Friendly Fires or Late of the Pier yet, please do yourself a favour and go and check them out- both really good artists with really nido first up albums

and as an added bonus addition

Popular Computer - Lost & Found (Shinichi Osawa Remix) - hes proving himself to be quite the diverse producer with recent tracks ranging from banger to disco.. what a dreamboat

freezing city

wow melbourne turned winter on quickly. hate how weather snaps like that. its only 4pm but outside looks like night. perfect disco ambience.

to be frank, it feels awesome that black devil disco club is back with a new lp. it is called 'circus' and it is pretty much what i expected.. an awesome collection of quirky, claustrophobic, italo disco channeling quality that will have you happily squirming at home or on the d-floor.
'fuzzy dream' is typical 'circus'' sound.. heavy reverb, muffled percussion, italo disco synths and a eerie, almost tribal vibe:

Black Devil Disco Club - Fuzzy Dream

you can pick up 'circus' right here.

i vaguely remember watching a baseball capped dj t blowing holes in the roof chinese laundry at some point in 2009. i dont think that i appreciated the full gravity of who i was seeing at the time, but i sure have gained that appreciation since.
he has just dropped his new album 'the pleasure principle' and while it may not be as jacking as that set, it sure is a smooth treat to the ears.
the tech house elements from his live sets are certainly present on this record, but they feel restrained amongst the the dark, expansive, yet readily accessible idm sounds.
rarely topping the 110bpm mark, this album is full of slow burning jams - so so good to have on at work..

DJ T - Sense

'the pleasure principle' can be had here.

i have no doubt that 95% of you have already heard this track (and are probably listening to it right now), but i just wanted to make sure that the other 5% get in on the action as well.
the track im referring to is the latest holy ghost effort 'wait and see'.

Holy Ghost - Wait and See

like everybody else, i have been so totally impressed with what holy ghost have managed to achieve in the past few months. they have really taken the step up from indie disco extraordinaires into something much bigger.. boy do they know how to make the shit out of a classy synth-pop song.
its just been brought to my attention that their self-titled album is out now. i havent had a chance to check it out as of yet, but if you want it badly enough, you can have your chance right now. just go here.

as a little footnote - i discovered this track at the end of friendly fires' mix for bugged out.
soulful, stylish, classic deep house from back when house was still a relatively new, unique sound. before it got all cheap and nasty.

Round Two - New Day (Club Vocal Mix)

it features on the round one - five mainstreet records compilation from '99. grab it here.
grab friendly fires' bugged out mix here.

holy balls

with my work being as crazily busy as it is, i often find it hard to give new releases and singles the time and attention they deserve. that is why dj mixes have become such a staple in my everyday listening habits.

of late i have found myself sticking to the more minimal and techno side of things, as most of the disco offerings have been lacking in any real excitement. then along struts disco not disco honcho vi with the untouchable 'summer workout program' mix to commemorate their fifth year in the business.

i dont think i have heard a mix this awesome in quite some time.. each track is brimming with a certain cheekiness/spunk that is really refreshing.
with song selection like this, it is no wonder that he has played alongside (and even brought over) the likes of mike simonetti, metro area, in flagranti, kolombo and rub n tug. if i heard this mix in a club, i would go very crazy.

disco not disco: 5 jahre punkfunk! by VIVI.

vi has been quite the busy lad over winter.. you can expect remixes for in flagranti, catcall and cosmonaut all in the not so distant future.
keep an eye on this space for sure - with dj skills and an eye for fine disco production like he has, you will be seeing much more of him very soon. scope out his soundcloud here.

floating and shining

nu-disco/weightless space disco/blabla disco is a genre of music that i thought i had gotten sick of. after believing for so long that most nu-disco producers made boring-as-shit music cos their heads were stuck too far up their asses, along came the new tirk compilation like a dip in nice chilled water on a hot day.. it really reminded me of the appeal in this genre.. namely that it is cool as fuck.

D-Pulse - Highway To Saturn

having the sunshiningly sparkling side of nu-disco playing into my ears at my new job has been amazing. seriously this music is so effortlessly cool, yet also so unashamedly happy.

Drrtyhaze - Lazer Sex

these three tracks really show the diversity and surprises present on this cd.. uplifting pianos and funky basslines sit alongside middleeastern style drum things and distorted laser (lazer) synths. so interesting

Chaz Jankel - Call Me (Toby Tobias Remix)

ok so if you need a new work soundtrack or feel like being cool go and download this album right away.

2009 According to Steve

writing a personal 2009 music summary is really hard. it feels a bit stupid to say that i avoided all party music, but it is actually the truth.. instead of nodding away to bangers, i found myself chasing the more refined sounds of disco and chillwave. which was ok cos it was apparently a great year for the more chin-strokey and misty-eyed beats anyway:

Washed Out - Feel It All Around

some people might say that 2009 was the year of dubstep. i on the other hand would argue that it was the year of dream-pop and nu-disco.. boat club, toro y moi and memory tapes may have all flown that dream-pop flag high with some amazing releases, but the simplicity, reverb and "oooooooo's" put forth by washed out's 'feel it all around' managed to cradle me into misty-eyed bliss more any of them.

Telefon Tel Aviv - Helen of Troy

i had this song jammed solidly on repeat for basically the entire start of '09. their album 'immolate yourself' may have been a fantastically whacked out prog-journey in itself, but as a single, 'helen of troy' was like the soundtrack to my dad and i discussing the meaning of life. an absolute standout.

D-Pulse - Highway To Saturn

the disco genre apparently decided to take in the intergalactic scenic drive in '09.. cosmic tracks were plentiful, and i have to say that the mateship of strong funky basslines and echoey, soaring vintage synths really floated my boat. big time. to me, d-pulse's 'highway to saturn' epitomises this cosmic '09 sound. funky, classy and oh-so-cool, this track may be more 'logan's run' than '2001: a space odyssey', yet definitely does not suffer for it.

Space - Just Blue (Ichisan's Quatro Diversion)

sitting proudly alongside lindstrom & prins thomas, d-pulse, acos coolkas et al as the solar crown princes of this cosmic sound is ichisan. powerful, all-encompassing productions are ichisan's game and in '09 he certainly played well.
this remix that he turned in for the space remixes project pushed my buttons in every way.. epic, pounding pianos, rolling basslines and more drama than your nye with the phantom of the opera.

Lindstrom & Prins Thomas - Gudene Vet + Snutt

where to start with a duo like lindstrom and prins thomas? 2009 again presented these guys with a commanding view of the lush disco landscape after several top-notch remixes and a couple of impressive lp's between them.
it is hard to pick one stand-out track from them, but the hammock-inspiring "gudene vet + snutt" was an absolute standout from the majestic "II".. rocking a distinctly relaxed air-air, this track is truly all orange sunshine and yellow sand: summery disco at its very finest.
i know i talk about songs being soundtracks to things very often, but if this song was the soundtrack to anything, it would be this.

DOWNLOAD STEVE'S 2009 (zip file)

DOWNLOAD ENTIRE BLOUSE BEST OF 2009 (zip file - 187mb)

Honourable Mentions:

Miike Snow - Silvia
Siriusmo - High Together
Tesla Boy - Neon Love
Toby Tobias - In Your Eyes (Tensnake Remix)
Memory Tapes - Green Knight
Junior Boys - Parallel Lines
Fever Ray - Dry & Dusty

shades

after a many a listen recently, im still not 100% sold with this full on disco stuff... i do love listening to it- but would it fill out a d-floor? i know that in a few months such a question will seem stupid in one way or another but after so many moons of bangerszszsz can people get as pumped up about disco???
(i guess people will get pumped about whatever everyone else is getting pumped about)
i really have no idea, and for now i think that it would be good to play/hear 'transitional' or new-wave disco..
i think that i actually like this kind of disco a little more anyway..

The Rapture - Sister Saviour (DFA Dub)

The Faint - Mirror Error

Cobra Dukes - Airlight (Aeroplane Remix)

i know that many of you will probably just think that these sort of tracks are just indie dance tracks but i do think that there is a lot of crossover with the floaty highs, funky basslines..
if you dont believe me check out these primo O-S disco traxx and compare..

Escort - Love in Indigo

J Walter Negro And The Loose Jointz - Shoot The Pump

hmm maybe they would pack out a club.. maybe the indie vocals arent as passionate or.. black as the O.G. tracks but i still think there are similarities.

this is really a nice refreshing direction. and maybe this will see peeps busting out old vinyls as well..!
definitely a good thang

see ya bye

hola from south america! today im doing it in style and typing a post from an internet cafe.. oh la la.

i dont really know if its the backpacker lifestyle, the buenos aires nightlife or the two combined, but i have never partied this hard in my life. i think its pretty much standard practice around here to walk out of a club at around 7am.. we havent really been in any state to "check out the sights".. but i hope that will change soon.

anyway, with all these late nights/early mornings and attempts to sleep in swelteringly humid conditions, my music choice has been somewhat chilled.. this track by tensnake is one of the sexiest chilled songs i have heard in a long time.. it is an early-morning/just-woke-up bed burner that builds slowly slowly and ends with the most subdued, sophisticated fireworks ive heard in a while.

Tensnake - Congolal

its a shame that i didnt get to fire off a post before i left australia.. being disorganised is apparently something that im good at.

my last weekend in sydney was pretty choccers with amazing music..
friday night was the sydney festival future classic night which featured personal favourites aeroplane and trevor jackson.. i dont particularly feel the two sets gelled, but both were fun in their own way. trev jackson brought some tough, slinky tech house while aeroplane packed their usual bunch of party starting disco and filter house.. so much fun

Low Motion Disco - Love Love Love (Aeroplane Remix)

saturday night saw onthefly and deep impressions joining forces to bring dfa stalwart shit robot to goodgod.. jimi polar started proceedings for me incredibly with a motley collection of disco, tech-house, and indie dance.. i dont claim to know everything about music, but the fact that i knew hardly any of these amazing songs really surprised me.
shit robot came on a little later after much jimi polar buttering, and i have to say that his swirling, sometime tickling/sometime stabbing tech-disco went down a treat.. he didnt look at all like i thought he would, but by this stage i had wandered a little too far down the "farewell sydney - let celebrate!" path to care.. good god may be a little smelly but the night was again, so much fun..

Dondolo - Dragon (Shit Robot Remix)

so anyway, i wont be back for a few weeks.. have fun without me.. ill try and have fun without you

viva la zevolution

happy new years everyone! sorry its taken me so long to get a new years post out.. i thought id start the year in style and quickly go over the excellent re-edit compilation put out by the infamous ze records late last year..

a bit of background: ze records was an incredibly influential label from the early 80s who led the way with their combination of disco, post-punk and pop sounds.. ze records disbanded in the mid-late eighties, but reformed in the early naughties to reissue and revive some of their iconic sounds.
their latest project is a re-edit collection that sees many of their finest artists (like was (not was), alan vega and kid creole & the coconuts) revised by current style-setters (like todd terje, pilooski and leo zero). disco on disco. yess
uk luminary greg wilson was the curator of this project and he really did well in collating a bunch of tracks that stayed faithful to the original deep-chequered-fun, late-night tango-esque vibe that ze records were all about. good job!

these two edits by fat camp and new york scenesters rub n tug are particularly tickling my fancy at the moment..
the extended axe-shredding in rub n tug's material edit made me want to whip out the air guitar more than any other disco song i have ever heard, while the thick funk in fat camp's version of dave gamson is pretty damned irresistible..

Material With Nona Hendryx - Bustin' Out (Rub N Tug Edit)

David Gamson - No Turn On Red (Fat Camp Version)

grab your copy of "zevolution: ze records re-edited" right here

ps: i would really like to get all stabby with the person that stole my shoes.

monday: new email address day

wow! happy mondays!

just thought i would drop a quick line to let everyone know that the blouse email address has changed to blouseclub{at}gmail{dot}com.. we became a little irresponsible with our previous addy and weren't monitoring it nearly as much as we should have been.
this new email address is like a fresh start - please send us music and other misc goodies!

to celebrate, here are two tight, monday brightening disco jams:

you can always trust the prolific toby tobias to be the creator of swanky, strutty glam disco like this. it might take a couple of minutes to find it's feet, but when that extra bit of snare slips in, 'crocodile slippers' really comes to life. very classy, classic sounding disco.

Toby Tobias - Crocodile Slippers

'crocodile slippers' is the b-side to the excellent 'macasu' from earlier in the year. grab it here. the motor city drum ensemble remix is worth the price by itself..

this is another cut from luke vibert's 'kerrier district' project from '04.. this one has been a favourite of mine since hearing a snippet of it in one of the old, old bang gang podcasts. this full version really covers a lot of ground and visits many different areas, but that makes it all the more charming. especially with a slap bassline/piano foundation like this:

Kerrier District - Disco Bus

so in summary, please send stuff to us via our new email addy. we promise to be more diligent in our checking.

disco disco hump day

what do you need in your life on this mighty fine hump day? probably some tight disco jams.

first up is the new release from editainment.. you might remember them from the mysterious tiger & woods project from earlier this year. their latest output is the equally mysterious cleo & patra.. i dont know too much about these guys, but like tiger & woods, they sure do know how to make a mean disco edit. 'marcus antonius on the run' gives lenny williams' classic burner 'you got me running' a massive high five by bringing into '10. tres bien.

Cleo & Patra - Marcus Antonius On The Run (alt)

grab the full 'on the nile' ep here.

ashley beedle recently handed over this serious-yet-funky remix for hungry ghost's 'illuminations/don't eat the apricots' ep. i love the disparate nature of many of the song's elements and bassline. fun and funky bass offset by synths, fills and guitars. winner!

Hungry Ghost - Illuminations (Ashley Beedles Dub The Light Remix) (alt)

grab hungry ghost's 'illuminations/don't eat the apricots' here.

i don't really know a whole lot about norwegian marius vareid, but i recently came across his release 'skumle planer' from '08. i got into 'tropisk storm' straight away because of its hardened balearic intensity and hypnotic keys. it somehow feels like a fan blowing directly into my face.

Marius Vareid - Tropisk Storm (alt)

check out more marius vareid stuff here.

this last pablo bolivar track is a step back in a more techy direction.. it may take a little while to kick off but when it does, it really does go all tribal and deep. the added percussion fills really add a lot to this sweaty, yet painfully cool number.

Pablo Bolivar - Dynamo (alt)

grab bolivar's dynamo ep here.

merry humpdays to you all: "its all downhill from here".

piano house is back, baby.

hola!

you're staring right down the barrel of the latest addition to the blouse yacht crew. my name is vi, and some of you sydney crew might know me spinning records at the disco not disco parties or lost baggage - where we got to steal cdrs from dudes like optimo, in flagranti, rub n tug, tiefschwarz, ewan pearson blah blah blah. disco and techno is my thing, and it's definitely going to be your thing when we're finished here. got it? great.

first up is a total classic - italo disco - some dudes called mr flagio doing a synthed up, slightly cheesy but ever so amazing cover of a material tune called TAKE A CHANCE. this is the extended 12" version.

a bit more of a mod take on things is noze. these crazy french lads are signed to get physical (dj t/mandy/booka shade tech-house label du jour) and are totally unlike their labelmates. it's like piano house mixed with a 5am drunken singalong in an afterhours club somewhere, and it's 100% awesome. it's called REMEMBER LOVE.

finally, a track from oblio. oblio is sasa from inflagranti and zeb from cosmic grooves - a new york thing - and it's... well... it's beautiful. if you like a bit of melancholy in your day, getting washed away on a soaring synth and pulsing bassline, then this piece of music will blow your mind. buy the full EP. you will not regret it. it's A RADICAL CHANGE IN ORIENTATION.

buy the full OBLIO ep here.
buy NOZE's songs on the rocks here.

xx

Nightflight to Trinidad

Photo: © David Tribby

am feeling pretty damned ill today, so ill try to keep this short.. am trying to pep myself up as well, so i'll also try and keep it festive.

sometimes i feel like bottin's style of disco errs a little on the heavy-handed house side of things.. at other times i feel like it is just perfect. after listening to "bottin's coup d'etat" mix of his track "discocracy", my bottin-o-meter is definitely leaning more toward the "just perfect" side.

nothing too subtle or challenging here, just a whole bunch of fun with great driving synths and a "whoa-oa" laden chorus that will get under your skin.

(read more...)

dos days

most of us now have only two or three days left in our working year.. how exciting is that! just need some nice weather and my life will be complete.
this ease into the break is really quite enjoyable. the only thing i have been doing at work (except playing games on my iphone) has been chilling to smooth as shit disco and electronica.. yeah!

one artist that i would not have expected smooth as shit electronica from is siriusmo. i am slowly learning to not try and put him into a box.
in contrast to the last track of his that we posted on here ('die rockwurst' which was a quirky, floor shattering electro-step bangor), 'mbox' has a refined veneer. its smooth, slightly urban feel and dam-funk flavoured bassline have really provided a great soundtrack for my work 'plants vs zombies' session today.

Siriusmo - Mbox (alt)

i tried to find more info on the 'hot box/mbox' release that 'mbox' was lifted from, but couldnt really see much out there. if you should somehow encounter the other side from this release, 'hotbox', i would heartily recommend giving it a go as well. slightly more upbeat and probably more suited to your christmas festivities.

im not sure how 'lina' - aka the lead single from toro y moi's side project 'les sins' - found its way into my itunes, but im sure glad it did. sheer disco wizardry from the chillwave man.
'youth gone' is the b-side from 'lina' and is a track that i have really been enjoying today. after a bit of an offbeat start, it takes turn for the good when its scuzzy, atmospheric and sample heavy face is revealed. i actually find it quite reminiscent of the avalanches.. which is pretty much the best endorsement i can give a song.

Les Sins - Youth Gone (alt)

i have to admit that i was initially attracted to trujillo's "baby you're still the same" for the mark e remix, but the original really got in there and stole my love. songs like this seem to be to turning up on blouse all too often these days: smooth, yacht-disco that slowly grows into itself with some nice, subtle instrumental work. a bad thing? i think not.

Trujillo - Baby You're Still The Same (alt)

grab the rest of the 'baby you're still the same' release (including the sweet mark e and social disco club remixes) here!

im attempting to brew up my top 5 songs of the year, and will try to have them up by the new year.. hope to speak soon!

backwards

the craziness of the last couple of weeks has somehow caused me to ween myself off my usual diet of nu disco & electronica and onto material of a slightly older variety. weirdness.

i shouldn't need to tell you just how instrumental larry levan was with this whole modern day djing/disco/music thing. he was the man.
i have spent the last few days basking in live recording glory from back in his paradise garage days.. these sets are an unbelievable collection of 70's and 80's funk and disco (among many other things) and the influence that these artists had on their modern day contemporaries is very clear..
take this crown heights affair track for example - remind you of lifelike at all? or holy ghost?

Crown Heights Affair - I Don't Want To Change You

one levan edit that popped up in the live sets was this one by instant funk. im pretty happy that there was/is a group out there with a name like that. can you pick where this track has been sampled?

Instant Funk - I Got My Mind Made Up (Larry Levan 12" Remix)

far out. this is turning into some kind of spot quiz.. sorry about that.
im pretty astounded by how relevant and fresh sounding these tracks from three decades ago are.. music really does travel in circles doesnt it?

before i sign off, i just wanted to share this gil scott-heron track which i initially picked up from a floating points xlr8r mix from a while back. it may not be in keeping with a lot of the stuff you hear on blouse, but i think its pretty damned classic. and anyone out there into disco should recognise its forebears.

Gil Scott-Heron - Lady Day and John Coltrane

outcomes

so.. parklife is over and done for another year and everyone seems to be nursing sore heads and mouths.
i guess that this means that some parklife reflection is in order hey?? damnnnn

i think ive heard some really mixed reviews about the day, but luckily my reviews are far from mixed.. (in a good way)

sitting pretty atop the pile o' artists that i enjoyed on the day are the effervescent soulwax.. i was most looking forward to seeing these guys live and luckily (for them) they didnt disappoint.
seeing dance music played with instruments is always a nice gift and these lads were seriously like santa..
when they played robot rock and then went straight into phantom pt2, i think everyone lost their respective shit(s). everyone was either saying or thinking OMG:

Daft Punk - Robot Rock (Soulwax Remix)
into
Justice - Phantom Pt 2 (Soulwax Nite Version)

OMG OMG OMG LOLOCOPTER

or something along those lines.

when they took the stage again later on that evening as 2 many djs it was really very good.. by that point everyone had lost their shit so many times over that there seemed to be a very 'desperate to keep dancing' vibe in the air which wasn't helped by the breaks and drum & bass that crept into their set toward the end.
however, them playing

John Paul Young - Love Is In The Air (Ballroom Mix)

was beyond genius. i have never seen as many people smiling or hugging in my entire life. tinglicious yo

moving away from Dewaele related matters now.. another good act to play were Metro Area.. having only heard a remix of theirs on a DFA compilation, i didnt really know what to expect. to be honest, i have no idea how i ended up at their stage (and for a long while i didnt even know who they were) but im really glad that i did because they played the funkiest and most upbeat brand of disco and disco house that i have ever heard..
one of the first post-parklife things i did was to go and get their self-titled album which although containing some very very good lo-fi indie disco numbers like this,

Metro Area - Pina

Metro Area - Square-Pattern Aura

was very different to their dj set at parklife.
i looked for any dj sets that they'd done in the past and managed to track down this mix- which may or may not have been done as a promo for a bacardi b-live event (or something)..

Metro Area B-Live Mix

very funky and chilled but i have a sneaking suspicion that it would sound very nice on some large speakers.. if this is how this whole disco thing turns out when/if it does turn big then i would be very happy..

diplo was the last dj that i wanted to praise.. i must admit that i dont really remember a whole lot about the set except that i was made very happy by it and danced a good dance to many of the songs that he played.. i had pre-thought that he would play a lot of hip hop and real MIA-ish b'more but it really didnt come across like that (too much)

The Pack - Vans (Diplo's Vans 'Til Infinity Remix)

Spoon - Don't You Evah (Diplo Mix)

The Pixies - Hey (Diplo Mix)

ok ow now ive been looking at this screen for too long and my head is aching. time for retreat

***PS*** i dont think that i got to see much of fake blood at parklife, and im really sad that i missed them cos i just recieved word that they were rather good indeed.. our friend dj AKA milo firewater has put together a nice dubby/breaksy flavoured remix of 'mars' which im sure absolutely destroyed things at parklife..

Fake Blood - Mars (Milo Firewater Remix)

in bed

well i hope you all had fun at mardi gras - it sure was a crazy night.. unfortunately i missed a large portion of this craziness after being detained against my will on a "party" bus..
no use in whinging.. i think im going to have to just cry in silence as i write this post.

various versions of this phreek plus one burner seem to have found their way onto nearly every disco compilation made in the past few months.. russian mystery-man/spook sportloto hooked the world up with this epic disco banger that retains the galactic 'astro' from the original but drops in an airbus-a380 sized load of funky basslines as his interpretation of the 'boogie'.. sooo good.

Phreek Plus One - Astro Boogie (Sportloto Alpha Remix)

prins thomas' mix of freeland's 'morning sun' has been floating around for a while but seems to have somehow slipped under the radar.. starting off as a smoky little indie-dance remake, this number doesnt really get going til around the half way mark, when the melody commando rolls its way under some pretty intense wailing to take this track by the scruff of its neck.. typically amazing composition and arrangement from prins thomas..

Freeland - Morning Sun (Prins Thomas Discomiks)

last up is this classic piece of disco gold from the sos band. it is lifted off their album 'III' from '82.. although seemingly laidback and melancholy in tone, there is an almost-frenetic undercurrent that really makes for compulsive listening.. this track is probably a must-have in the lead up to the next australian installment of horse meat disco (oh yeah!)

The SOS Band - Looking For You

can you believe that summer is already over?? and there wasnt even any easing into autumn. one second it was hot, and then boom - a week of rain and cold days. worst ever.

BLOUSE BLOUSE BLOUSE

the time has come.. blouse has finally decided to throw a blog party!! kicking off tomorrow night at THE CROSS (above the Bourbon), it shall be funtastic indeed.



finally you can put faces to names and we can show you what this bloggg thang is about by playing you some of our favourite tunes and artists.. spectacular

helping us to rock the spot along the way will be Andy Webb from disco delicious, nad from stand-c, jesse from havefunclub and our new writing friend, vi from disco not disco..

doors open at 8 and $3 drinks run from 10-12.. yummo!

to help get us all in the mood here is a very preset-ty sort of remix from london rocker Padded Cell..

Heidi Vs Riton - Vejer (Padded Cell Remix)

despite the tough bassline and percussion, this track manages to maintain a very uplifting vibe..

it was lifted from the 5 year Get Physical celebration CD which you can pick up here