Figured I'd sneak one more in before the annual pilgrimage home for Lolla and since the dance tent there is routinely one of the best parts of the weekend, thought I'd throw one down for the electroheads and offer a medley of stuff from that side of the aisle. My daily fourteen hour shifts at the dick punching machine have been taking their toll lately, so I could use a dance party like no one's business, and these have helped gin one up, even if it's just from the confines of Sunshine palace.
First up is a track from French DJ Gesaffelstein who I'd gotten into the last few years based on a bunch of his remixes. I hadn't realized he'd released a full-length so recently stumbled upon his debut, Aleph, and it's a solid mix of slinky, heavy tracks. Similar to Cuba and its cigars or Russia and its shirtless, bear-riding emirs, some countries are indisuputably better at producing certain things, and for whatever reason French DJs are always the epitome of this genre. Gesaffelstein upholds the mantle of fellow countrymen Daft and Justice well, producing a effortlessly cool and invigorating batch of tracks that showcase his sound, which melds equal parts 80s video game bleeps and thudding beats.
Similar to Kavinsky and Crystal Castles, his stuff could form the soundtrack to almost any movie of that era and sometimes sounds like your Nintendo took over the DJ booth, but what sets him apart is how he funnels that signature French slinkiness to the beats, which he girds with steel they hit so hard. Tracks like "Obsession," "Duel," "Hate or Glory," and "Trans" are all bangers, and "Out of Line" and "Destinations" both crackle with vocalist Chloe Raunet's matter of fact spoken lyrics. Nothing tops "Pursuit" for me, though. The beat is a sledgehammer once it drops in behind the "moo cow" sounding chant, and he then ping pongs it back and forth over the next four minutes. This one's a high speed chase through the night as you fly from the law in a stolen car -- check it out here:
Next is the latest release from UK legends The Chemical Brothers, Born in the Echoes, their first in five years and a pretty solid return to form from the unevenness of that outing, Further. The Chems have always been able to get things going, almost single-handedly ushering in the age of the big beat nearly twenty years ago with their classic debut, Exit Planet Dust (for the second post in a row, I feel like a fucking dinosaur for statements like that), and those skills haven't rusted at all in the intervening span. This one gets off to a fast start as the first five songs blast away, and the album does a good job of hitting the notes of the duo's previous offerings. Tracks like the opening of "Sometimes I Feel So Deserted" and "Under Neon Lights" wouldn't sound out of place on their debut or Dig Your Own Hole, the Q-Tip driven "Go" calls to mind Push the Button, and "I'll See You There" would be right at home on Surrender. Several of the latter tracks evoke Further or We Are the Night, and not coincidentally that's where the album loses a little steam, but overall it's a solid effort that showcases how varied an attack these two wield. Top note goes to "EML Ritual," another one that wouldn't be out of place on that debut, and another that just builds to a freak out at the end on the heels of another killer beat. Check it out here:
Third spot is a trip to Jamaica courtesy of Diplo, who continues his Sherman's march across the landscape, demolishing everything in his path including your ability to stand still. His insane hot streak rolls on unabated, and he's already thrown out two albums this year that are sure to make the year end list -- one with the usually uninspiring Skrillex (the aptly named Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack U) and the other with his coterie of island Rastafarians as Major Lazer. Taken together, they highlight Diplo's knack for collaboration and his seemingly endless sources of inspiration, as both albums are chock full of guest stars and genres, cramming everything from hip hop, dancehall, moombahton, and crazy revenge of the robots style tracks together with appearances by Ellie Goulding, 2 Chainz, Pusha T, and even the Bieber for a rowdy good time. (Missy's verses on the remix version of "Take U There" are bananas and make you desperately miss the M I Double S Y E.)
What he also does -- primarily on the latter album, the third Lazer offering, Peace is the Mission, but also occasionally on Jack U -- is show his mastery of the downtempo track. Not known for slowing things down, as anyone who's gone and had their face blown off at his wild DJ sets can attest, Diplo shows the power of taking things down a notch and letting your heart rate slow below triple digits here. A far less rambunctious affair than normal, this one is nearly half top notch half steppers -- from the opening "Be Together" to the closing "All My Love," with the monster twin bill of "Lean On" and "Powerful" propping up the middle, this one's built on a foundation of these four tracks. And it works -- each of those tracks smolder under the four female vocalists and their lyrics of love, and they make the uptempo tracks in between hit all the harder for the juxtaposition. None moreso than "Too Original," which is three and a half minutes of mayhem and a gonzo encapsulation of everything that makes this guy so irresistible. Check it out here:
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We'll close with one more single, a track off the latest Boys Noize album, and one more plug, for the killer documentary Shut Up and Play the Hits. For the former, it's a trip to Germany for the high point off the uneven, Boys Noize Presents Strictly Raw, Vol. 1, which is unfortunately characteristic of DJ Alexsander Ridha's previous offerings. For every stellar turn (Oi Oi Oi or his Fabriclive DJ set) there's an erratic mixed bag (this, Power). It can be vexing because of how good he can be -- hopefully he's got another ace up his sleeve soon. In the interim, enjoy this track, "Cerebral," which rolls into town on a thudding buzz and keeps going on the staccato ride and Pilo's vocals. Check it out here:
For the latter, I happened to catch a showing of the aforementioned documentary last week, which captures the final concert of the great LCD Soundsystem, and I was surprised how enjoyable it was. Part behind the scenes conversations with frontman James Murphy in the days before/immediately after the show and part selections from that final night's setlist, it captures his quiet thoughts and reflections, as well as the raucous scene inside Madison Square Garden that night. LCD always maintained an arm's length distance from things, channeling a diffident cool or snarky judgment to their lyrics and performances, and it made them tough to embrace. When they dropped the NY attitude, though, and focused on getting the party started, they could be amazing (the climax of "All My Friends" remains one of the greatest payoffs in song) and they were in rare form here. It's a fantastic watch, chock full of guest stars Last Waltz style (Arcade Fire shows up and actually gives the film its title) and great songs, and it will get you moving on the couch. They play all the ones you want, as well as a few surprises, including this one from their 45:33 EP -- it proved they could do no wrong that night, with comedian Reggie Watts showing up and crushing his half of the duet. Check it out (before you immediately go watch the whole movie) here:
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