By accident I discovered the Pacemaker website and since they offerd a free download of their software I decided to give it a go. It’s a simple yet effective program that enables you to mix your favourite tunes into a massive club-banger.

The French Electro Mix

Album Artist: Channelflicker
Release: 2009
Genre: French/Electro House

Tracklist:

1. The Funk Phenomena – Armand van Helden
2. Spinal Scratch – Thomas Bangalter
3. Twist [Original Mix] – Leonardus
4. Chrystal City – Alan Braxe & Fred Falke
5. Happy Hour – Felix Da Housecat
6. Take it to the Street! – The Buffalo Bunch
7. Moondancer – The Phantom’s Revenge
8. High Fidelity – Daft Punk
9. Golden Slinghots – The Exo
10. Roulé Boulé – Thomas Bangalter
11. Patrick 122 – Mr. Oizo
12. Kirk – Mr. Oizo
13. Space Out – Play Paul
14. Now that the Love has Gone [Extended Edit] – We in Music
15. Hysteria – Le Knight Club
16. Coral Twist – Le Knight Club
17. Gator – Le Knight Club
18. Mad Joe – Archigram
19. Unplugged – Dj Falcon

Give it a listen on mix.pacemaker.net !

A couple of weeks ago I was browsing the Last.fm pages as usual to find new music I could listen to. What I got was a group called the Starlifters. Their style is a mix of french/filter house and electro and was formed by Daniel Chelan (Beat Gates) and Zvonimir Garashich (Switch). They have so far released two EP’s as well a 50 minute classic techno/french house mix.

Starlifters EP

Album Artist: Starlifters
Release: 2009
Genre: French House

Tracklisting:

1. Starfloor
2. Hold Tight
3. Club Night
4. Discostar 3000
5. Wawes
6. Lift me Up
7. Stop me Now!
8. Lasser Travellere
9. Faces
10. Computer Romance

http://www.last.fm/music/Starlifters/Starlifters+EP

Rocklectro

Album Artist: Starlifters
Release: 2009
Genre: Electro House

Tracklisting:

1. Burn
2. City Lights
3. The LegacyCity Lights
4. Megatron
5. Black Porsche
6. Metropolis

http://www.mediafire.com/?vwttiwzymvb

Nach dem Synthie-80s-Electro-Kram kommen die guten alten Funk-Breaks endlich wieder. Der holländische Produzent und DJ Rubix hat mit Baiser Sur La Disco einen typischen French-House-Hammer abgeliefert. Good Stuff!

Hinweis: Einige Szenen im Musikvideo sind nicht bürotauglich.

.. NOT TO GOOD. It’s been a while since I first wrote about Louis La Roche. Since the last post some things have happened. But not as much as I want to. I am really surprised that so few take any interest in this guy, his first track did after all get confused for a Thomas Bangalter tune. Here is why this guy is cool you ignorant RnB obsessed jerks:

Louis La Roche  – Love download/listen

Aha – Hunting High And Low (Louis La Roche Remix) download/listen

Del Marquis – Runaround (Louis La Roche ‘In 1995′ Remix) download/listen

VV Brown – Shark In The Water (Louis La Roche Remix) download/listen

fuck Rn’B

In 2004 Needy Girl came out. The funky sound was completly new to me but yet so… so awesomely great. After that Chromeo has always had a special place in my heart.

The group (David Macklovitch and Patrick Gemayel) comes from Montreal, Canada and was formed 2002. Influnced by eighties disco and sententies funk they released the album She’s In Control in 2004. After great reviews and even videos on MTV it took them three years to create their next masterpiece, Fancy Footwork. This album was remixed by big names such as Etienne de Crezy, Laidback Luke and MSTRKRFT. Not to mention the king Philippe Zdar, the man behind the french artist Cassius, who made a great job mixing the album.

So now, 2009, Chromeo releases Night By Night with remixes by Skream and Siriusmo. Funny thing is that the original mix will work great on a dancefloor, Siriusmo remix you can drink a few beers to and Skream’s is a real laid back track for, say, relaxation…

All of these are made available for free on their labels website

Night By Night download

Night By Night (Skream Remix) download

Night By Night (Siriusmo) download

Olle the fox

Pop Quiz (or should that be Electro Pop quiz?)

French guys in robot suits bangin’ out some intense synthesized electronic funk?

Sold millions of records?

Way ahead of their time?

Did I mention they were French?

What you say? Who you say? ‘Daft Punk’? Well, I am sure they had ‘Da Funk’ at age 3, even if it was just in their diapers, but this tune actually comes to us courtesy of a different group of pioneering Parisians.

20 years before Da Daft boys went ‘Around the World’, Didier Marouani took us to Space and back with one of the finest, purely instrumental electronic dance music tracks of all time: Magic Fly. A monster hit, this peaked at #2 on the UK chart, and went gold everywhere. It’s easy to get distracted by that video, but the production is arguably more complex than almost anything DP has ever done (and I worship at the altar of Bangalter). Just listen to that progression! The bassline, the lead, the pads, those juicy stabs (tasty!)- it’s got more hooks than a pirate convention. Arr…

Take a bow Didier Marouani, Roland Romanelli, and Jannick Top. You sirs, are legends…

Ooh, what a cutie…(the girl that is)

Read last week’s entry featuring Giorgio Moroder’s ‘From Here To Eternity’

Download bei French Express

[Hinweis: Der in diesem Post eingebundene Audiolink (Youtube) enthält eine fälschlicherweise runtergepitchte Aufnahme. Daher bei Interesse die richtige Variante von French Express runterladen.]

One of the biggest problems I had with my last blog (this is the last time I’ll mention it. Because, well, fuck it to be honest) is that I seemed to do a lot of pissing and moaning about a whole bunch of things that didn’t really merit the time it takes to pen (type) a scathing diatribe. Sure, we all have our own pet-peeves and aggravations, but they have to go hand-in-hand with the things that we love. It’s about balance people.

So in the interest of addressing the aforementioned balance, which veered toward the morbid in previous now defunct editions (Shit, mentioned it again. Arrrggghh.. I must stop), here’s a few things that always put a smile on my face.

I’ll start with The Dark Knight. I’m sure the observant amongst you will have noticed the picture of The Joker that’s sitting pretty on top of my blog, and it’s there along with the others to symbolise a few of my favourite things. I love that movie for so many reasons. I love it because it’s the single-most fantastically well executed comic-book movie ever created and I doubt it will ever be surpassed. I love the dark element of comics, and I love those that take the fantastical and ground that concept in reality. The Dark Knight does that with such brilliance that it more than holds its own against the great crime movies out there and admirably encapsulates the line between good and evil and the extents travelled by either party. Most of all I love it for the fact The Joker is the first screen character that’s articulated a feeling I’ve always had; “The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules”. I found myself jaw-to-the-floor when I watched on the big screen the day it was released with my then girlfriend (someone who incidentally would rather sit through ‘Twilight’… Yeah I know, that’s what I thought too.) and I remember walking out of the cinema as blown away as I think I’ve ever been. Only the film Irreversible has affected me as much, but that was for different reasons. You’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen it.

I love stupid humour or spectacular put-downs. A few of my friends have the gift of delivery, meaning some things that they say have me a drooling mess purely because of the way they say them. I’m an unabashed sucker for anyone that can make me laugh. You could burn my house to the ground and dispose a years supply of your Cat’s fecal matter into my record collection, but I’d forgive you that and pretty much anything if you can make me laugh.  I love laughing until my eyes fill up with water and I can’t get a coherent word out due to stomach convulsions. I love having a good piss-take battle, I love people who don’t take themselves seriously and turn their humour inward.  I love the banter at my workplace.

I love music. I love French dance and electronica, I love really obscure little acoustic numbers, thunderous electro records and old-school Hip-Hop.  I love Disco and Funk. I love when every hair on you body stands on end that first time you hear something spectacular, or those moments in a club when a classic comes on and you become overwhelmed with the desire to throw shapes in the church of dance and reach skyward for the lasers.

I love girls who are different and know what they want. I love intelligent girls with an opinion that’s their own and not one handed down to them by a group of banal friends or years of enforced conformity. I love boobs, but what heterosexual man doesn’t? I love sexy midriffs and legs. I love gorgeous eyes and a pretty face. I love girls that are sexy in their own way. I love girls that like to cuddle and watch a movie and go explore places. I love girls that are happy being who they are and don’t give a fuck about who may not like it.

I love the sheer euphoria of nights out with my friends and whilst they may be few and far between these days, I love the memory of the past gone days where we really shook things up and let people know we were there. I love the fact that even if I’m in my thirties now I know there are still a good few of those nights left in me. I love the girls who, on those nights out, take a peculiar interest in the amount of hair I have and the fact that invariably I’m wearing a headband to keep it from taking the room over. In fact I love my hair cut. It’s fucked up and all over the place and suits me down to the ground.

I love a lot of things, and if you’ve taken the time to read my blog, I love you too.

In my headphones:

• Too Cool For School by Revolvo
• Hallucinex by Stereolab
• Odyssey by Pryda
• Lady Venom by Swollen Members
• Fresh by Daft Punk

Toulouse-Lautrec, 'At the Moulin Rouge'

Ironically, Louis hails from England. That’s close enough to France though, right? (Terrible American assumption) but I have to roll with it because Louis’ sound is so, well, français. I drool disco whenever I listen to his stuff (mmm, vinyl and polyester). But seriously, he is amazing .

For example:

Be Brave – Louis La Roche

Me & Her – Louis La Roche

Sunshine Hotel – Louis La Roche

Thriller – Michael Jackson (Louis La Roche Remix)

Sooo, get at him!

Manet, 'Un bar aux Folies Bergère'

I think I hit the french house motherload via Pierre de la Touche.

The motherload awaits.

Courtesy of the shit ass Grauniad (I haven’t forgiven them yet for their disrespectful treatment of Rafa Benitez- especially you McCarra- albeit admittedly, they have an astounding Arts section, particularly in the Observer), an article about my favourite band and the nascent yet burgeoning interest in  their music withing the Colonies.

Phoenix rising in the US

Phoenix ... from the palais to Caesar's Palace.

They may hail from Versailles but a love of American popular culture has propelled Phoenix to the brink of a very unfrench transatlantic breakthrough, writes Andrew Purcell

Growing up in Versailles, an affluent suburb of Paris, the four boys who would eventually form Phoenix bonded over their love of American pop culture. They adored the movie Risky Business They heard Kenny Rogers on the radio and thought he was cool. They had no interest in French music at all, and instead swapped cassettes of Prince, Lou Reed, Hank Williams and My Bloody Valentine. They paused videotapes of live performances to learn the chords and resolved to write songs in English. Rock stardom would be their ticket out of a cultural backwater that was last fashionable when Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette still lived in the chateau.

“The best thing Versailles gave us is that it made us feel different,” says singer Thomas Mars. “Right from the beginning we knew that we didn’t want to please everybody because we couldn’t relate to anybody.” “We saw all the American shows, the foreign music, with French eyes,” says Guitarist Laurent Brancowitz. “We had a filtered vision of what was going on. So we filled the rest with our fantasies and it shaped our sound.” Not understanding which acts were hip, they borrowed wholesale, lifting a Cars riffs here, a guitar sound from Hall & Oates there. They tried country chord progressions with disco basslines – anything, as long as it wasn’t French.

That affinity with American music may explain why Phoenix are on the verge of succeeding in the US, where so many French bands have failed. Their latest album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, entered the iTunes chart at No 2. At their sold-out gigs in New York’s Central Park, tickets were going for double face value outside.

“Before you go on stage, you feel something. It’s electric,” Mars says of playing in America. “When we played Las Vegas, someone told us they’d heard one of our songs blasting in Caesar’s Palace. We feel like we’re part of the culture and it wasn’t like that before.”

Phoenix have returned to the United States again and again, to build a fanbase the old-fashioned way, in half-empty clubs and on college radio. They’ve never performed in Phoenix, Arizona, but they’ve played its twin city, Scottsdale, many times. In Lawrence, Kansas, two girls begged to get on the bus, complaining tearfully that they’d never seen the ocean.

“In America, there is a culture of welcoming musicians,” says Brancowitz. “In France, if you play music you are a Gypsy – they check your ID and your belongings. Even in the midwest, if you say to Grandma that you are playing a gig, she wants to hug you. In France, she will be afraid.”

It took them a decade to be accepted back home. Writing in English led to accusations of selling out and made it harder to get airplay, owing to the Toubon law, which mandates a certain percentage of French-language songs on the radio. Gigs were such shambolic affairs that they were accused of hiring session musicians to play on their discs. But finally, with their fourth album, they have become part of their own culture, too.

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, despite the intentional hubris of its name, is an unlikely breakthrough record. The opening track, Lisztomania, is about the hysteria that pianist Franz Liszt caused at his recitals, previously the subject of a Ken Russell film starring Roger Daltrey. The big US radio hit, 1901, apparently concerns the art nouveau movement in Paris, but Mars won’t confirm it. What is certain is that it has an utterly shameless chorus – “it’s 20 minutes ’til last call, you’re going hey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey-ey” – that has ruled college dancefloors all summer. Live, it’s their final encore.

There are at least three towns called Versailles in the United States: in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. They all pronounce it Ver-Sales. Despite their enthusiastic embrace of all things American and disdain for their own pop culture, Phoenix are as exotic here as foie gras and socialised medicine. “If we came from Versailles, Kentucky, we would not like bluegrass,” says Brancowitz. “We would think it was backwards music, sung by racists. But we love bluegrass. For us it has very mysterious harmonies.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/oct/22/phoenix-versailles

(Article copyrighted by author and the Grauniad).

Regie: Rhett Wade-Ferrell
Track Release: 23.10.09
Label: Virgin/Emi

Great video and a must for any French House fan.

Tym razem na tapecie rozmaitości w obrębie muzyki elektronicznej. Brennnessel to polski, coraz śmielej rozwijający skrzydła netlabel założony przez muzyków Kamp!. Oprócz produkcji najbardziej znanej formacji, katalog wytwórni stanowią nagrania także innych, początkujących artystów, a – co może stanowić dodatkową zachętę – cały materiał zamieszczony na witrynie Brennnessel’a jest do odsłuchania/pobrania całkowicie za darmo i legalnie.

AXMusique „AXMusique” [EP]

Notka od wydawcy zajawiała bardzo smakowity, muzyczny kąsek, ale wiadomo, że takowe trzeba zawsze dzielić przez trzy i faktycznie, ciężko dopatrzyć się na EP-ce łodzian obecności wszystkich gatunków, o których mowa była w mailu. Nie zmienia to jednak faktu, iż „AXMusique” zawiera dawkę przebojowej, trzymającej przyzwoity poziom elektroniki, która jest w stanie wprawić ciało w taneczny pląs. W szufladkowaniu tych rejonów muzyki nigdy nie czułem się mocnym zawodnikiem, ale generalnie rzecz dzieje się na styku breakbeatu, minimalu i house’u. Najznamienitszym reprezentantem wydawnictwa jest ponad siedmiominutowe „Lane” z fajnym bitem i zapadającym w pamięć zaśpiewem, ale pozostałe trzy kompozycje – „STS”, „Tore nade” oraz „Faith” – wiele mu nie ustępują. Przyjemna EP-ka, choć swoich szefów, puszczających w świat kolejne hity nie przebili.

Michell Phunk „My electric emotion”

Tu już nie jest tak dobrze. Na longplayu, który zapowiadany był jako kombinacja electro i french house’u brakuje wyróżniającego się od reszty kawałka, przeboju, „My electric emotion” to raczej zestaw mniej lub bardziej (z przewagą tych pierwszych) wpadających w ucho melodii. Co jednak jeszcze bardziej odznacza się in minus to fakt, iż niektóre ścieżki za bardzo przypominają części składowe utworów dużo bardziej znanych wykonawców, np. „Tonight” a „Spacelab” Kraftwerka. To wszystko razem sprawia, że przeszło 48 minut muzyki zgromadzonej na albumie wolę puścić w niepamięć i życzyć na przyszłość, kryjącemu się pod pseudonimem „Michell Phunk” Michałowi Biernackiemu bardziej owocnych sesji z komputerem.

Fast schon ein Klassiker diese Frenchie-House-Klatsche.

It doesn’t just hit the fan, this one hits me like a TRUCK! Wie geil ist es bitte, den K.I.T.T.-Swoosh (slo-mo) als Intro in einen Track einzubauen?

Promo-Download bei French Express / Kaufen bei Beatport.

If you missed last night’s Moneypenny show @ Sonotheque, you fucked up.

Guest DJ set’s from Frankmusik, Miike Snow, and Hey Champ! made this night a memorable one to say the least.

Don’t worry, check out their latest mixtape ”Spandexx.009″ and single “Say No” (download links below).

http://www.myspace.com/moneypennyofficial

-Matt

Moneypenny – Spandexxx.009 Mixtape

Spandexxx.009

Moneypenny – Say No (Hey Champ! Remix)

Say No (Hey Champ! Remix)

I am about to take off to the cottage for the weekend but before I do I wanted to post up a few tracks that I’ve been digging this past week…

Grum made his way back to me with this heavy take on Tommy Sparks’ Miracle.  This track is terrific. The combination of the chorus with Grum’s talented ability to provide a fitting backdrop speaks for itself.  I love the bassline.  This will be played a few times at the cottage I’m sure.  The producer/remixer kicks off an Australian tour just after Christmas so if you’re in the area hit it up.

Tommy Sparks – Miracle (Grum Remix)

The latest from Gloves was worth the wait.  Too Much To Dream is a b-side brought to us by Discodust and hones the dreamy synth filter sound that I love so much.  Soft and sensual, kick back and easily relax to this beauty.

Gloves – Too Much To Dream

This next track caught me off guard.  The SONIXX lightened up the hard hitting Bloody Beetroots for four minutes to make one stellar combination of traditional Beetroot mashing and light innovative music.  The vocals pop out the song a bit and help it reach that dreamy atmosphere I seem to be in for these last two songs.  It’s not your usual mix which is why I think I like it so much.

The Bloody Beetroots – Second Streets Have No Name (The SONIXX Remix)

BONUS!

This one’s for the cottage.  Maybe a little too melodic for some but I really dig it.  Love the vocals.

The XX – Shelter (Them Jeans Drum Edit)

Anyway, off to celebrate the 23rd in style.

It’s taken weeks but I finally have a Heavy Rotation with an actual theme. And what a theme!

As you read on, feel free to take the exclamation point off the previous sentence at any time. But musical tastes being subjective and whatnot, I’m going to head off to the club and spend a little time discussing French House.

House music being very much an offshoot of disco, usually featuring a somewhat milder tempo and more vocals than your average techno genre, has enjoyed immense popularity in Europe. However, the French have actually taken the idea and run with it (rather than from it, like so many other ideas, like defending your country).

The positives they’ve added are: fewer vocals (for me, this is a positive), more filters and some of the funkiest basslines ever etched into vinyl.

Previous versions here:
Heavy Rotation Archive.

Alan Braxe – Rubicon
Release in 2004 to much fanfare (I would imagine), Braxe’s lovely slice of funky French house travels pleasantly along with some tasty pads and synths and, of course, a little de rigeur electro-cowbell. Almost works in a verse-chorus-verse structure except for the noticeable lack of vocals.

Note to Claire Collins: this video does include parallel parking.

Bob Sinclar – Gym Tonic
Fantastic tune from another French House player. Sinclar stole the greatest sample ever, hooking some vocals from a Jane Fonda workout album. Funky as hell, and after a few virtual spins I guarantee you’ll be walking around counting out loud. “2-3-4-5-6-7-8 and back…”

Sinclar was forced to delete this from his catalog thanks to Ted “TNT” Turner, whose explosive temper and fat wallet intimidated the penniless Frenchman into acquiescence. However, the version I have uploaded has the original “vocals” as does the video below. Enjoy.

Daft Punk – Around the World
While not my favorite track by the helmeted duo, it was the first track I heard by them. Another “gets stuck in your head” sort of track that is greatly aided by Michel Gondry’s (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind). Featuring the appearance of another trademark French House staple, the vocoder.

This is off their monsterously awesome debut album Homework. If you are going to buy only one French House album, make it this one. Understandably, most people will only need one French House album, if any at all. Again, make it this one.

Embedding for the kickass video has been disabled by EMI. For more information on EMI, consult the Sex Pistols.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9MszVE7aR4

DJ Mehdi – Signatune (Thomas Bangalter Mix)
French electro producer DJ Mehdi gets all Housed up by Thomas Bangalter, one-half of Daft Punk. This track is all kinds of fun. The synth lines get stuttered, dragged around, shuffled and ground to a halt. A prime example of the French filter fuckery that is Bangalter’s trademark.

Note: while I enjoy these noises and distortions, I realize that many of you will not. My partial apologies for that. However, give it a shot and perhaps you’ll see things my way and presumably seek help immediately.

Justice – Phantom Pt. II (Soulwax Remix)
The new face of French House, although the face is French, the house is not really house. More of a high-energy electro-pomp combining everything bombastic about soundtrack music and thumping 808 beats into an arena-filling monster. Belgian producers Soulwax up the ante with one of the greatest remixes done anywhere at anytime. Brace yourself for the sudden drop about 2/3’s of the way through the track. This track has killed more dancefloors and turned on more houselights than anything since Black Strobe’s Fireflies.

All tracks in one zip file (link opens in new window):
Heavy Rotation Vol. 11

-CLT

[All music posted on Fancy Plans... is kick ass and too awesome to be contained. All music is also posted temporarily and, due to it's high level of ass-kicking, should not be distributed without a prescription and care should be taken while operating heavy equipment or dancing around the living room (clothing optional, but do remember that the blinds are open/kids are still awake).
Should you wish to have your brilliant artistic statement forced back into confinement, please email me at 2timegrime@gmail.com. Feel free to leave a comment, as that will probably be noticed sooner.
By all means, if you like what you hear (and you will), please support the totally rocking artist(s) by purchasing some music or heading out to see them live.]

Who likes intense rhythms and dirty instrumentals? Loverboy brings both in these next two tracks. I can’t say enough about the music flowing through my speakers right now. Impulsion Cosmique definitely delivers and Loverboy sends his music with love!

Loverboy – Impulsion Cosmique

Loverboy – Loving You More

Drinks and dinner in Soho with smooth James. Smooth talker, smooth kisser & smooth all over but more of that later.

We met in Bar Italia, very funky – funkier than the places my regular friends visit anyway, a bottle of red in the French House and then Ronnie Scotts, very cool. James is tall, 6′2 ish I guess, dresses well (actually a bit like a med sailor, light trousers, white shirt) and has that broad chest, flat chin thing going on. A first for me, I don’t normally attract the James Bond type.

Back at mine I though I’d try the skirt hoist/wine pouring act from the previous night and it seemed equally effective. He pulled my knickers to one side and was inside me in record time. A good fuck too, strong, slow and hard, pulling my head back with my hair. I came in five minutes, he carried on, harder and I came again. He hadn’t so I got down on my knees and sucked away at him, actually it was more like a face fuck but I knd of like that and he filled me up soon after.

Post coital conversation revolved around his smoothness, smooth back, balls, arse and chest. Definitely waxed and definitely cool, no annoying pubes in my mouth. He left pretty soon after, I almost felt used but then I reminded myself: ‘casual encouters Lucy’.

I drank a glass of wine and watched some TV, feeling all warm inside, glowing almost.

Think I’ll try Craigslist today.

Tuesday – it’s the day of the week I definitely find the hardest.  It’s neither the beginning or the middle, let alone anywhere near the weekend.  It quite literally keeps me in limbo. 

Thankfully, French DJ Laurent Wolf has encapsulated my feelings and shaken me out of my cyclical coma with his uplifting and rather fittingly titled track No Stress.  Spot on lyrics, on the money bass line – it’s the perfect antidote to the nothingness of Tuesday. 

Now if only YouTube would lift that ban on music videos…

Enjoy.

another bootleg, and this one fits perfectly.

daft britney indeed.

and to think this was pre-dangerous driving, k fed, self-imposed baldness, hooking up with journalists, miming on the x factor…

daft punk – i’m a slave for daft britney (2003)

oh my god i love this track. it doesn’t matter if it’s raining, this song will always make me smile. is there still any good french house track out there? hopefully.