popround / free mixtape collective » kiterae

State of independence

kiterae — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:15:11 +0000

Scouring through the blogs once again on this mix. It’s summer so leaning more in the direction of trance and blissed out beats, setting the scene with an airy reworking of a Florence and the Machine track before traversing a path towards Agoria’s strung out Grande Torino. Tom Stephan beefs things up a little (twiddling Laidback Luke’s knobs) before making a b-line for one of my guilty pleasures: Pryda. Not a big fan of his more effusive chart-aimed offerings (often under the Eric Prydz moniker), I’m surprisingly drawn to his more drawn out tribal journeys. Blaze were a New Jersey duo that came to prominence on the deep house scene in the early 1990′s. I never really took the time to explore them, but ‘Lovelee Day’ is throbby uplifting house at its best.

Once again I turned to the simplicity of Mixmeister Fusion, occasionally turning to mixing by chords but really having fun with the one-touch looping and channel knobs. One laptop and a pair of headphones was all this took. Hope you like the results…

Tracklisting

Cosmic Love (Short Club Remix)- Florence and The Machine
Superhero (Luke Solomon Dub Mix) – The Glass
Raw – DJ Donna Summer
Jungle MCs (Original Web Version) – MarkLam feat MCFreeFlow
Grande Torino – Agoria
Mingpark – Art Konik
My GOD (Tom Stephan Remix) – Laidback Luke
Let’s All Say Hey! (phantim mashup) – Dennis Ferrer vs. Laidback Luke & Diplo
The Kids (feat. Janelle Monae) – B.o.B/Janelle Monae
Dancemachine – Recast DJs
A War Zone (Club mix) – Maestro
Wakanapi (Original Mix) – Pryda
Jeffer (Modeselektor Remix) – Boys Noize
Lovelee Dae – Blaze
BRKLN CLLN – Joy Orbison
I Get Lifted – George McCrae

(BTW, this photo is from our first night in New Orleans wandering down verdant other-worldy Magazine Street. I tell you, you never quite know what to expect in this city. Oh, and the blog post title is a tentative nod towards July 4th… a holiday with mixed emotions for an English man in the US).

Have you caught the June bug?

kiterae — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 03:21:47 +0000

Feeling that the year is disappearing inordinately quickly? Life slipping you by? One minute you were toasting in the new year and next it’s June?

Take a deep breath and if you can’t make it to your local watering hole, slip on a pair of ear buds and take this mix around the block. I’ve thrown together a mix of new and old using the wonderfully, elegantly simple Mixmeister Fusion (thanks Natalie for the suggestion to bin Ableton – way too powerful for my humble needs).

It’s been a tough week, but be-bopping around Lake Merritt in Oakland to this selection helped me usher in the weekend with a fresh glow. Along the way I managed to catch this fabulous mural hanging out in an underpass.

Let me know how this mix works for you…

Tracklisting

Harry Flowers – William Orbit
Molten – Digital Mystikz
The LSD User – Stagga
Warrior (The xx REMIX) – Magic Wands
Anything’s Possible (Xrabit Remix) – Zero dB
Stories – Izit
Rock The Bells – LL Cool J
Makeout Stakeout – David Last
Let’s Start (Messengers Remix) – J.Period & K’NAAN
Rockit – Herbie Hancock
Acperience 1 – Hardfloor
Ondulation – Shonky
Justify (Will Saul And Mike Monday Remix) – Ramadanman And Appleblim
The Magician (Thomas Schumacher Remix) – Johannes Heil
By Your Side – CocoRosie

Sety in the mix at Kontrol SF tonight

kiterae — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:55:42 +0000

Not sure if I’m going to make it down tonite. My excuse is too many tasters among the fine wines of Calistoga.

And just in case you don’t make it, you can listen to Sety AKA Circus Company doing his thing on Resident Advisor. Expect a mix delving into the jazzier end of the techno spectrum. Clocking in at over 2 hours, this mix is a true smooooth journey through steamy dubby otherworldy beeps/clicks.

Sit back, light one up and relax. Or shadow dance like it’s 1994.

Strange love in Moscow

kiterae — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:16:38 +0000

Well, it all started with this remix of the MJ track ‘Stranger in Moscow’ which was unfamiliar to me as by the time History came out, I’d largely lost interest. Well, that track didn’t even make it onto this mix in the end. I ended venturing a little further leftfield into more tribal territory. Don’t despair, black heart day is only around the corner and I couldn’t resist the Sandcastles remix of that old Robin S Euro-thumper ‘Show me love’. Forgive me, all you purists out there.

For the trainspotter:

Mind Reader (L-Vis 1990 Remix) – Kingdom + Shyvonne
Burning Up – Skream
Trollsta (Egyptrixx Remix) – Dubbel Dutch
Timewarp Dub – Stagga
This Sound Is (Homework Sound Bootcut) – Kid Kaio & Lucky Charmes
Kill 100 (Carl Craig Remix) – X-Press 2
Lucy & Ercolino – So the Nothing Grows Stronger
T’a surdou Dakunt (Lorcan Mak remix) – Dakunt
Radio Slave – Orchestrating Maneuvers in the Dark (M.in & Patrick Lindsey Remix) – Radioslave Patrick Lindsey M.in
Flonko – Version 1 – Steve Angello, AN21
Summertime [Extended Vocal] – Jamie Jones
Grand Central, Part I (Deep Into The Bowel Of House) (MCDE Bassline Dub) – DJ Sprinkles
Love Dub – Cooly G
Sandcastles vs Show Me Love – BORN TO FUNK Edit
1992 – Original Mix – Mendo
Flutesnoot (Brodinski’s B-Live Mix) – Edu K
Erupting Light – Hildur Gudnadottir

Best of the blogs for 2009

kiterae — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:00:01 +0000

Here it is – getting on the 2009 teary nostalgia tip like a bunch of other Poprounders (thug wife, doc and yari, who covered the whole noughties).

Most of these tracks have been hacked off the blogs I monitor. Definitely veering on the side of taught electronic production, and me like all the other bloggers is a sucker for the crafty remix so there’s more than a few featured here.

Chelonis R Jones – Rehabilitation (Excerpt)
Kleerup – Until We Bleed (With Lykke Li)
Can you feel it – Barack Obama mix
Vancouver – Felix Cartal
I Remember (Caspa Remix) – Deadmau5
Mr Oizo – Gay Dentists
M.I.A. – Death to the throne
WTF (DJ Wool remix) – Tittsworth
Bot (Original Mix) – Deadmau5
Black Music (One Kitten vs Chris T-T Remix) – Chris T-T
Jack got Macked – Julio Bashmore
Tanya Stephens – “It’s a Pity” (Lulu Rouge Bootleg)
Bigmouth Strikes Again (David Starfire remix) – The Smiths

If you’re interested in more like this, check out this listing of mp3 downloads from time to time.

What’s in store for 2010? Looks like dubstep is fragmenting yet still enjoying a share of the hype/limelight. Personally, can’t wait to get to SXSW in Austin!

Long faded shine of summer

kiterae — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:15:47 +0000

So, this mix started some months back under the glow of an Indian summer. Finally it sees the light of day – just in time for what these Americans call The Holidays.

I’ve been digging back into the past with wisps of drum and bass and old skool trance (303 workouts), mixed up with some new found numbers culled from the wonderful blogosphere. Enjoy…

Tracklisting

Kadebostan – Spirit Soldiers
Sweet Surrender (Roni Size Mix V2) – Sarah McLachlan
Warhead – DJ Krust
Life In Minds – Life On Mars
Kings Of Spain – Agent Purple
When I Grow Up (Bassnectar Remix) – Fever Ray
Sisters, I Don’t Know What This World Is Coming To – Terre Thaemlitz
Psylodub – Transequence
Katouka – Tony Hunt
Reptil – Synesthasia
Vancouver – Felix Cartal
Cicada (Pedro De La Faydro Birth Mix) – Justin Martin
Fucking Boyfriend [Peaches Remix] – The Bird And The Bee
Tira’s boot – DJ Tira
Bot (Original Mix) – Deadmau5
Tom’s Diner (Bingo Players Bootleg) – Suzanne Vega
Wighnomy Bros. – Lampatee (Nick Curly Remix)
IC19 (Deathface Remix) – Buraka Som Sistema
Water From A Vine Leaf – William Orbit

Better days ahead

kiterae — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:30:09 +0000

So said Jimi Polo all the way back in 1989 over the top of one of dance music’s most memorable piano riffs. But then house music in those days was all about gay black kids coming up with funky piano snippets on their Utopian search. Oh, how far we’ve come.

So, here it is, my latest mixtape, after much procrastinating (in part brought on by an interest in listening to the mixtapes of others over on the Harry Covert channel. As always, there are a smattering of offerings lifted from other music blogs, but I’ve also been dipping back into past tracks – some from Beatport, others from Netlabels.

I Remember (Caspa Remix) – Deadmau5
Dreamy ethereal house gets a dubstep retrofit courtesy of Caspa

The LSD User – Stagga
Deeeeep bass workout

Pon Da Floor (Vinnie, Donnie & Sjakie remake) – Major Lazer
Mindless football chanting from Diplo and Switch under the Major Lazer guise

Acid Machine – Mike Mind
All these years have passed and I’m still a sucker for acid squelching and burps

Sweeter Than (Original Mix) – Audiofly
Audiofly tech workout with a liberal dose of funk

Better Days – Jimi Polo
“There’s gonna be…”. Here’s hoping it all worked out well for Jimi Polo in the end

Jack got Macked – Julio Bashmore
What a beauty. laidback groove overlaid with delicate piano riff and that falsetto ‘jack’ statement

Aundy – Claude VonStroke
Claude Von Stroke continues on that blissful vibe

All Of My Heart – ABC
dug up some old vinyl i’d burnt and lo and behold I’m singing in the shower

Say U Will (Cajual Records) (Original Mix) – Cajmere, Dajae
serious slab of trademark chicago house

Foonky – René Breitbarth
another fine riff. credit the electric guitar this time round

Egypt Egypt – Egyptian Lover
i’m afraid this takes me back to breakdancing round my bedroom to the bemusement of my poor ailing mum

Let It Roll – Doug Lazy
there will forever be a place in my heart for hip house. and doug lazy was one of the finest purveyors. “i’m like the porche and not the yugo” – a piece of motor history right there

Dusty Dream (Dub) – Snowcone
italo house rip-off (although fair do’s, wasn’t most italo house ripped off?)

A Volta (feat. Sizzla, Amanda Blank & Lovefoxxx) (Database remix) – N.A.S.A
A maximal workout that keeps references to the original to a minimum

Bless You (Trentemøller Remix) – Lulu Rouge
A perfect pairing in the world of deeeep house music

Gazebo (Joe and Will Ask? rmx) – Fairmont
Masterful 4×4 glitch updated

The Messiah – Le Castle Vania + Computer Club
Screaming for attention

Bigmouth Strikes Again (David Starfire remix) – The Smiths
I’ve been dying to get this into a mix for a while now

SXSW and thereafter

kiterae — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:28:01 +0000

What a surprisingly delightful place Austin turned out to be. Not exactly sure why I have this latent distrust of Texas; after all you’d have thought I’d have lived through enough racism not to fall into the trap of tarring all with the same brush. But yes, for some strange reason I expected all Texans to live on ranches and spend their spare time regaled in cowboy boots and sturdy hats.

Austin was different. We stumbled into a gay cowboy bar but that was about the extent of that metaphor. The kids were all goth, punk or hip hop. That reflected the live music just about everywhere you turn. And thrown in the mix were a smattering of dance acts, many of whom I’ve featured here…

AA 24/7 (Diplo Remix) – Dance Area
You’ll hear more from Diplo later but this was just a little snippet of what happens to banal acapellas in the hands of a bootie maestro.

Positif (Pink is Punk Remix) – Mr Oizo
He warbles and he’s messy. Welcome to the tripsodasical mind of Mr Oizo. Oh, and watch him turn the tune in a direction you just couldn’t have dreamed when the French woman screams ‘arrêt‘.

Bounce Up – Kyle Watson
Funk + fidget = some quite serious ‘bounce’.

She Got It (Cheap As Chimps vs HeavyFeet Remix) – HeavyFeet
Touring as a three-man DJ/MC combo, these guys cite influences as diverse as Jesse Rose, Timbaland and Old School Rave – all of which are papable, even after Cheap As Chimps have been involved in a thorough scrubbing.

High Roller (iamxl remix) – Ice T
If you do tune into these mixes, you’ll probably know that I’m a sucker for a remix. This time Ice T gets a royal dust-off.

They Live! (Felix Cartal remix) – Evil Nine
The break beat stomper from Evil Nine gets some high throttle disco slapped on top.

Missing You (Howard Who Remix) – Everything But The Girl
See, I told you I was a sucker for the remix. There’s more to come, so just get used to it.

Muscimol (Joachim Spieth Remix) – Bjîrn Scheurmann
Just a little patch of going in deep.

Bot (Original Mix) – Deadmau5
And here the the techno/trance maestro shows how seemingly different genres can come together.

Congoloid (Minimow Remix) – Solo
African rhythms are everywhere these days. From Township Funk through to Diplo you cannot escape. The same here.

Tanya Stephens – “It’s a Pity” (Lulu Rouge Bootleg)
Spellbinding accordian-led dancehall 2-step. Tanya Stephens is new to me, but Lulu R has set me on a track to find out more.

LIL WAYNE – A MILLIE (NADASTROM REMIX) – Lil Wayne
Nadastrom lay down chunky maximal beats on top of Lil Wayne going off on one.

Syrupsniph – Flunk
Dubby, twangy, electro.

WTF (DJ Wool remix) – Tittsworth
I know you shouldn’t have regrets but do wish I’d caught one of T’s SXSW shows.

Must Be A Devil (CSY remix) – Diplo
Here he is again – just couldn’t resist it. This time CSY is pulling the levers.

My Teenager Gang – Minilogue
I actually didn’t realize this slab of techy funk was Minilogue til’ the mix was done.

Darkness.2 (Edit) – James Zabiela
Driving harder, interspersed with as great little ‘pop’.

Black Music (One Kitten vs Chris T-T Remix) – Chris T-T
Anti-folk like you’ve never heard it before.

More info

the pics that made it through Picasa
thug wife’s favorites from SXSW

The parentals in town: best of the blogs, mix 5

kiterae — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:59:18 +0000

February meant visits from all the family – both sides descended on our small flat. Quite a horde. San Francisco showered them with rain and I regressed back into my teenage past. And talking of my teenage past, for this mix I’ve resurrected some hip house hits of yore. Beware, I’ve been excavating more classics so this theme is set to run in future mixes.

Tracklisting

The D.O.C – Portrait of a Masterpiece
An old Dre-produced number refurbished by the great CJ Makintosh. Not quite sure what happened to that guy.
Kellerkind – Natural Juice (Original Mix)
Clippity tech funk with a nice clean bassline.
Chelonis R Jones – Rehabilitation (Excerpt)
Gospel acapella suffused with warbling undertones.
Ladyhawke – Magic (Cates &dpL Make Magic Bootleg)
Ladyhawke has been cutting across both the indie and dance scene. This remix places the track firmly in the big room dance scene lifting just light touches of vocals.
Motor City Drum Ensemble – Lonely One (Original Mix)
Ah, deep house/Balearia moment of sheer brilliance. These guys are the shiz…
The Modest Theme – Tiefschwartz Remix
Dark rumbling beats sliced with horns.
Radio Slave – RJ
Just wait for the baseline pitch shift and see what happens to the hairs on the back of your neck.
Ritmo del Sol – Captivity (Cito’s Quechua Solo mix) (Scott Wozniak edit)
Boom boom boom. And then she croons.
Robert Boogert – On My Knees (Dubbel Dutch Remix)
Simmering African rhythms.
Seduction – Free your body
“I get dumb”. Wendell Williams does vocal duties on this C&C Music Factory-produced stomping B side.
Mr Oizo – Gay Dentists
The Flat Eric man is back. And he’s still not afraid to bend genres.
Milton Jackson – Backwards Disco
What it says on the packet.
Hardfloor – Melorec
One of the 303 don’s lesser-known numbers.
Can you feel it – Barack Obama mix
The comparisons between Barack and MLK have been swirling for a while now. Switching the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech for Barack’s inaugural outing really shows just how similar are the oratory styles of these two greats.
Congorock – Exodus (Boy Boy remix)
Some more crazed synchopated African drumming.
Dj Cleo – Mind Ckuf
Similar vein although the melody line hooked me on this one. Haven’t I heard that before somewhere?
Audion – Noiser (Mary Velo Remix)
Matthew Dear’s other, more boisterous guise.
Lionrock – Packet of Peace (Chemical Brothers Remix)
Justin Robertson’s Balearic romp welded into a heavy dub vehicle.
Frankie Knuckles – Your Love (Dusty Kid Remix)
A lesson in how to play with a dominant theme yet still build drama and excitement.
M.I.A. – Death to the throne
Apparently 3 vocal segments are the building block of this bruiser from a Lil Wayne associate.

Matthew Dear’s (minimally) awesome Body Language mix

kiterae — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 06:35:34 +0000

The wonderful Square Productions (no, I have no idea what that means) really do go in-depth when they cover something. Recently they highlighted some of their choice picks and plumped right in the middle was that man Matthew Dear. I missed him when he recently passed through San Francisco, so matching the expectancy of his 12 minute epics as Audion, I guess I continue to wait, baited breath and all (is that really how you spell ‘baited breath’?)

Still if you enjoy the funkier side of minimal (or if you didn’t think that was possible), check this out. And for those of you in the dark,

“Dear is best known as Audion, the remix king who makes any track his own with a stuttering techno funk and wicked clean style. “

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