This week's blog playlist is one of my favourite all time bands and are most likely the most exciting band in the UK. The floor always tears up when they're on. It's the legendary Basement Jaxx!
Based in London, Basement Jaxx is usually made up of house music, but they are very versatile and can play anything in their own way. Romeo is just one example.
One of their best is the dance track Oh my Gosh. The bass line is short and sharp with a bouncy, springy feel. Listening to it, it's almost like you are compelled to burst out in an old school two step.
The next is Rendez Vous. It's not as popular as say, Where's your head at? but it's still a crowd pleaser. It starts quite smooth with the mexican-ish guitar intro, then blends into a unforgetable beat. Althought you can barely hear what they're saying, it doesn't matter, because it's a hip, modernised tune.
The last is one of my all time favourites. Featuring JC Chasez, Plug it in is really catchy and you can't help but sing along. It sounds like everything Basement Jaxx has done (before this) all rolled together in one. With the funky bassline, if you want know what Basement Jaxx is all about, this isa great starting point.
I've been looking for a new software to help get a more electro sound in some of the tracks I'm working on, especially the remixes. There are so many softwares out there, you can lose track. Then I remembered Albeton.
I'd never used Albeton live before so as usual (I do this with everything), I googled my way through it and came across this really helpfull guide. It's like spreading butter on toast.
We've reached part three (or the third week in, however you like it) of my blog playlist. Just a reminder, I'm sharing a playlist of some of the best dance and electro tracks every week in the lead up to the Lovebox festival in July.
This week it's the much loved Deadmau5!
Based in Toronto, Canada, Deadmau5 produces a mixture of electro, progressive and house, providing us with some really heavy beats that blow me away everytime. My first pick is The Reward is Cheese. This is more of a late night rave tune. The bassline is sweet yet hard and get's the heart pumping and racing in the right places, like the sound of a car speeding down the track. The beat keeps the tune sane because there isn't really a reliable melody as there are many twists and turns during the track.
My all time favourite from Deadmau5 is Ghosts N Stuff ft. Rob Swire. The pulsating house beat is hard to resist. This one's got more of a rhythm and dance feel to it. The imagery of pumping fists in the air. It's not as fast paced as their other work, and there are sections where the synth makes a calm anc collected appearance for you to grab some air. Listen for yourself, you'll know what I'm talking about. There's nothing to add to it, it's just an amazing stand alone track, with lyrics or not.
Not Exactly is more of a fun free willing track. I've put this one in for good measures. I like this one because of continuous use of the synth and then everything else is added onto it in a way that builds progression in a slight feel free way. It's not too heavy and is an easy listen.
What's your favourite Deadmau5 track and why? I'm hungry for more!
The great thing is not just that it's Friday, but the music festival season has kicked off today with the Isle of Wight, Download, and Glade setting the groove. We all know how fun festivals can be, just check out the guy in the picture above!
As I am super busy with getting this new material I have been working on perfect for you guys, I won't be able to make it to any this year (whether you like Chinese or not, I'm sure you'll dig the new track, hint hint) I'll have to catch up with it via Twitter and when they get shown on TV. The crazy thing is, the internet is such a fantastic tool, it would be great if anyone attending could share their stories, pictures and adventures with us here. So if you've got anything you want to share, give me a shout on either here, Twitter or Facebook. I'm still available on Myspace too if you're still alive over there. Incase you don't know, here's the links...
There are so many Festivals this year, with some really great lineups, could this be the best year of festivals? What do you think? To keep up to date with all of them and who's performing etc, I've fished out a sweet download from the Guardian websites which lists all the festvals, headliners, acts and so on. It's very usefull, and is up to date. See below for link...
The Guardian: 'UK music festivals 2011 mapped - download the data' - http://bit.ly/mIucIA
There's also a really fun poll "Will you be attending any Music Festivals this season?" on this page http://on.fb.me/mp0QEH
What festivals are you going to? Who are you looking forward to seeing the most? Are you camping out for the whole thing? I want to hear from you! Let's get the ball rolling and share the love!
Daft Punk are one amazing band. Originating from France, there's no doubt this french duo has been played everywhere you can think of, and not just in clubs.
Daft Punk is this weeks blog playlist!
It was really their second album Discovery that rose them to commercial fame, hitting the UK charts at number 2. This also demostrated their experimentation with the more synthpop-oriented style. Singles from this album include Harder, better, faster, stronger and the famous One more time. What was interesting about this song was firstly the video. It was like the anime meets the Jetsons in a Sailor Moon fashion. They had built their own little world to celebrate in. The other was how brainwashing it is.You wouldn't need to have the song on repeat to remember the lyrics to get the song hammered into your head. It has a groovy, summery, some what ecstasy vibe to it with a beat that's very distinctive, and that's the part you move to. There was also the interesting heavy auto-tuned compression which made it quite original and different to what was in the charts then.
Their next album Human after all contained the single Technologic which expressed their electronic sound even further. It's really just technological commands being said out loud, in the form or a song. The video is very suiting, as it's a little robot mouthing the words. If you haven't heard it before, you'll recognise it from a few adverts and parts from Busta Rhymes' "Touch it". Again, it's quite hypnotic and simple clever. It's actually the perfect song to do the robot to.
Daft Punk obviously still has it. Becoming the soundtrack for Tron Legacy has boosted them right back up where they should be. They are truely an amazing band and are one of my favourite electronic sounds.
BPM is the world's biggest DJ and electronic music production equipment exhibition which brings DJ's from all over the world together, over a three day period at Birmingham’s NEC.
Featured are all the huge manufacturing brands, and four main sections. This includes the exhibition, where you can try and buy the lastest products for DJing and and music production. Education consists of seminars, workshops and panels. There are alos performances and the chance to network and socialise meeting other DJs, producers and other professionals in the industry.
Last year, BPM attracted a record breaking 6048 visitors over the whole event. It's certainly not something you should miss. It's a great opportunity to get your ideas out and keep informed and up to date with the latests technology.
Tickets for BMP have now gone on sale. For more information and tickets, visit...
As you should all know, festival season is quickly approaching. Lovebox is one of the biggest festivals around for dance, electro-pop acts and so on. This year, headliners include Snoop Dogg, Jessie J, Groove Armada, Beth Ditto, Example, Katy B, The Wombats, Robyn, the gracious Scissor Sisters, just to mention a few. Leading up to the festival being held over July the 15th, 16th and 17th at Victoria park, I’ve decided to make my own little blog playlist.
Every Monday (also known as Music Monday) I will be posting up a blog about an artist and some of their best dance tracks. At the end of it I will post up a poll asking which one was your favourite. Also if you have any suggestions of artists and their best tracks you would like me to include, just send me a tweet @Groovervibes. If you don’t have twitter, you can find me on Facebook -“Groov’Tronic” or just simply comment on my blog.
This week’s artist is Sam Sparro.
Although his career has seemed to have died down since his huge success in 2008 with the track Black and Gold, he was able to bring forward many elements to make a fantastic track.
Black and Gold was and still is very catchy with a deep, smooth bass on it’s own at the beginning which then progresses throughout the song and builds it to a sweet melody where Sparro then enters his soulful, silky deep vocals. Picking up somewhat of a pace, the whole arrangement becomes quite hypnotic. Lyrically speaking, the song is about what the meaning of life is? This is something that everyone has thought about at some point in their lives, “If vision is the only validation, then most of my life isn’t real”.
The video was pretty slick too, limousines, suits, bow ties, canes and top hats in a parking lot with a lot of lights and synchronized dance sets.
Realistically his best release, Black and Gold wasn’t the only track blasting in the clubs of London. 21st Century Life was the next best thing, which had so much more colours and more of a Prince/Jackson-esque dance beat that you could easily groove to, unlike Black and Gold, but we always seemed to have found a way to move to it.
Cottonmouth was his technically his first single released in 2007 about smoking weed then getting really thirsty. It’s not very popular, but it’s got a really fun beat you can easily bounce to and the video’s got a sense of humour. Here’s the video… Get down and Boogie!
