Photo courtesy of ThunderballDC.com

Thunderball- 12 Mile High

FADE IN- A small, private jet floats above the brilliant city lights of Dubai, approaching for landing.  Our hero, the ultra secret agent is ready to begin his mission to find stolen jewels, bring the thieves to justice, all while doing so with a smooth, debonair style.

The new single “12 Mile High” by Thunderball, like most of their music, invokes the previous cinematic imagery perfectly.  It also would be a nice fit with a remake of the James Bond classic “Moonraker” as a result of the voice samples from what seems to be some sort of space mission. Thunderball is the brainchild of Steve Raskin and Sid Barcelona with Rob Myers being added into the mix later on and are out of the same Washington, DC as The Couch Sessions!  Their previous efforts “Ambassadors of Style,” “Scorpio Rising,” and “Cinescope” all encompass the cinematic dub/electro-lounge style they have perfected by now and this track is a culmination of all of their previous works so far.

A groovy, bass-driven disco beat starts off the track with the aforementioned space mission voice samples (hence the title of the song).  A sitar part provides the middle eastern feel of the track and the electronic keys part together provide an excellent melody that accompanies the steady groove perfectly. Sometimes sitar parts can be a bit overwhelming when added to music but in this case it fits quite nicely.  Also fitting in nicely is some funky guitar and a few quick hitting horn parts that seems to work well to pull off the retro 70′s disco feel to the track.

The track ends with the sound of a rocket taking off, but that could be substituted for the private jet picking up our hero after another case solved.  Thunderball’s new album drops November 9th on Thievery Corporation’s ESL Music (ESL being an acronym for “Eighteenth Street Lounge”) label.  If this preview track is any indication of the quality of the rest of the album, you are going to be in for a huge treat!

Photo courtesy of Bara Bröst MySpace page

Cool as ice and red hot!

In anticipation of their forthcoming BBE Records album release “Elephancycle,” Berlin producers Benjamin Quint and Markus Schwarzbauer have teamed up as “Bara Bröst” (which oddly enough means “just breasts” and the interesting meaning of which is fully explained on their MySpace bio) and have released two sneak preview tracks which are red hot on one and cool as ice on the other.

There are two tracks on the preview release.  The first “Fraulein Lea” is the “cool.”  It starts off with a thumping bass line and some melodic guitar surrounded by a mid-tempo dance beat.  Periodically, a breakdown section intervenes with some vocal samples and some very rapid acoustic guitar strumming which then turns into an improvisational and bluesy melody.  Then, a jazzy saxophone part builds on the guitar and dance beat along with a more varying bass part to make for a delightful musical ensemble.  I got a bit of a St Germain vibe from this track, which is quite a compliment from me since I believe he is the premier producer of dance tracks incorporating jazz elements, yet Bara Bröst still produces a sound that is uniquely their own.

Photo courtesy of Bara Bröst MySpace page

Another thumping bass intro (according to their bio this is a trademark of theirs) kicks off the HOT Madame Mila.  Some jazzy synth adds off-notes to the beat.  My favorite element of this track was the frenetically paced piano that was mixed in with very fast Roaring Twenties/Charleston-type sounding horn parts (trumpet, trombone, and even clarinet).  There are even some breakdown sections that seem to be direct samples of music from that era.  It all builds and builds until the horn parts combine with the bass beat to form an insatiable dance groove that is quite unique due to the genres they are mixing.

If it sounds like there are a lot of things happening in these tracks that is because there are!  The multiple layers of sounds combine to form irresistible music you cannot help but dance along to. Definitely cannot wait for the album to drop!

Crystal Fighters – In The Summer

Crystal Fighters is a relatively new group emerging more and more in the UK dance/electro music scene. Gaining steam last year from a couple singles, their lined up to play at a lot of summer festivals across the pond. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy their latest, very appropriately titled In The Summer. Now, this is the first I’m hearing of the band, and among the dissonance of electro, bass and vocals that start the song  In The Summer hit me as a pretty interesting experience. Crystal Fighters also describe themselves as incorporating elements of Basque music, something I’m not at all familiar with but that’s not something you hear every day. ‘Basque country’ is a particular region that encompasses Spain and southern France. Entranced by Basque folklore and music, Crystal Fighters apparently also got their name from part of a Basque opera. Anyway, connoisseur on Basque or not, check out this band, with their debut album yet to drop Crystal Fighters are bringin’ it this summer.

Skeet!

ABCLA:”DJ Skeet Skeet” from Kevin Boston on Vimeo.

Daft Punk – Something About Us

Like most electronica heads I am a big fan of Daft Punk. The French duo is known for their tight electronic beats few vocals, dope videos and incredible yet mysterious live performances.  There are not too many songs that people have probably missed.

You have songs such as Da Funk, Around the World, Veridis Quo, Harder Faster Better Stronger, One More Time (the list could go on & on) that could be considered Daft Punk staples. But for some reason, when I speak to friends who are fans, I always notice there’s one song that seems to escape their top Daft Punk songs list: ‘Something About Us’ off of their second album, 2001’s Discovery.

Something About Us was definitely not one their most commercial or successful songs. It didn’t rank high on any music charts or wasn’t nominated for any major awards. Actually the song was the last single they released off of Discovery (and not until 2003) and it wasn’t even really to promote the album but to promote their animated feature film, ‘Interstella 5555′.

One thing for sure ‘Something About Us’ took a slightly different turn from some of their previous work. This song (along with the album) is a little more 70’s 80’s influenced compared to their first album, 1997’s ‘Discovery’ which was heavily dance oriented. There is a more chill and laid back vibe here that is not at all underwhelming. A simple song about an imminent break up accompanied with a soulful, funky, slightly Jamiroquai-ish (think Morning Glory or Falling) back drop. The lyrics, which Daft Punk doesn’t provide songs with often, are heartfelt and relatable and the video (from Interstella 5555) tells a cool and romantic story in an animated form.

As a whole Daft Punk is an awesome group and one thing I love most about them is that their music is as versatile as their fan base. From rappers, rockers R&B singers, high fashion industry execs and DJ’s: everyone at some point has bit a piece of the ‘Da Funk’ and somehow incorporated it into their own mix. I guess this isn’t really about ‘in case you missed’ a certain song; – this is more about in case you missed Daft Punk.

Azari & III are a from Toronto, Ontario, and consist of Dinamo Azari and Alixander III. They just released a video for their single “Hungry For The Power”,  a ferocious  old school house inspired track that definitely reminds me of the New York club scene back in the late 80′s, early 90′s. The video itself is pretty intense, and while definitely NSFW, it is a must see. Just not when your boss/kids/95 year old grandmother is around. I don’t want to spoil it by telling you what to expect, but wait till the end…it’ll throw you off completely.

Check out their MySpace page to listen to more songs (Reckless (With Your Love) is a good one). These guys are definitely worth keeping an eye on…their album is gonna be fierce.

(Spotted via Different Kitchen)

If you have lived under a rock for the past year, 2009 has taught the musical universe one key lesson. DC is up next. From the sounds of Wale, to the up and comers like Phil Ade and Don Juan, the Capital City is making giant moves. As well, in the dance music scene, the Couch Sessions has featured Steve Starks, Nacey and Will Eastman this year to much fanfare. However, arguably the most deserving of a close critical eye from those in the know in the musical vanguard, and hopefully a duo I’d love to nominate as Couch Sessions approved artists, Micah Vellian and Outputmessage, Dmerit.

Imagine Daft Punk dipped even further in sweet, soulful vintage disco funk. Imagine synths that reach for the moon, with basslines that are so deep that aim for the sixth circle of hell, creating an otherworldly groove that will delight even the most hardened musical heart. Dmerit, comprised of totally underrated DC producer Micah Vellian, and internationally recognized 80s synth pop remixer and DJ Outputmessage, have taken a love of French house, disco, soul, pop and funk, and synthesized it into this most confectionery of collaborations. The guys played a live PA set at Will Eastman’s 9th Anniversary of Blisspop party last Saturday as the openers, featuring Outputmessage with live synths and Micah Vellian laying down funktastic basslines, and like Kanye says on “Jesus Walks,” it was enough to “turn atheists into believers.” Simply phenomenal.

On Tuesday, the duo released their Stuck on You EP on iTunes, and the remix of the eponymous track by Phantom Revenge has already been featured on BBC1, and local DC legend DJ Stereo Faith stated, “Easily the hottest shit to come out of our city ever.”

Definitely take a listen, and get in on the ground floor. This train is leaving the station, and is moving fast.

Kid Sisters album, UltraViolet is dropping soon and the first single, Right Hand Hi is here for your listening pleasure. Right Hand Hi is produced by Sebastian Ingrosso & Steve Angello of the Swedish House Mafia and you can just see/hear a random European Music Festival just screaming out of this song. Definitely has dance music breakdowns, hip hop sensibilities, and sweaty hipster energy embedded in the song as well. Download Right Hand Hi and BUMP the hell out of this for the rest of the summer.

The fact that Washington, DC now boasts a seven day a week underground party scene is fairly amazing, all things considered. For the numerous taunts and teases the city receives, from being a city of transient non neighbors, to that of being so polarized along racial and socio-economic lines that unity of any sort, on much of anything is virtually impossible, DC’s ability to persevere, namely in the DIY dance and electronic music community is commendable. Friday’s Blisspop Summer Extravaganza event at 9:30 Club wasn’t even so much a celebration of the talents of the DJs, so much as it was a notification of acceptance of our city on a national and international landscape. Nadastrom and Tittsworth, the closers, are INTERNATIONAL superstars these days that get namedropped in the same breath as globetrotting party starters du jour like Diplo, Steve Aoki, Rusko and so on, and so forth. It must be noted that in the mind of this author that it seems as though every time Nadastrom or Tittsworth comes back to the DMV after an extended absence, namely at a Blisspop party, the crowds are larger, louder and more knowledgeable of not just the music of the headlines, but of the culture in general, and that’s nothing but a positive. Will Eastman, a cultural curator of sorts of the Capital City, does well at these parties to support our “superstars,” while at the same time surrounding them with our city’s top stalwarts and rising talents as well, which was more than apparent as Dmerit, with their funky French electro, Bobby Jae and Ken Lazee’s populist mixing, and Eastman’s stellar ear as a selector proving that DC is not just a two horse city.

Miniature water pistols? What's a dance party without a parcel of water pistols?
Photo credit Max "max_imus" Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

What's a birthday without a candy filled Little Mermaid pinata to hang?
Photo credit Max "max_imus" Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

If DC is going to make any waves on the national forefront, it will be due in large part to crafting an identity, or giving the nation a sense of what DC parties are all about. This is where DC’s transient and cold nature comes in, as, if you read the Washington City Paper, we abuse lots of drugs and alcohol, which says nothing about really having a good time, unless, well, that’s your bag. Blisspop reflected a great DC party angle, that of ribald and outlandish debauchery, as, between Dave Nada and Will Eastman, and a great number of other local DJs, there’s a strong indy and punk rock background, which lends itself well to the type of anarchy loosed upon the event.

You had Dave Nada dancing while swaddled in a DC flag while throwing down Nadastrom’s Beatport #1 single, the Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life” sampling “Pussy.” Then, there were all manner of soccer scarves, ketchup, or pickle juice or mayonnaise filled condoms, as well, there were pocket water pistols filled with water spraying the throng, and the coup de grace, in celebration of Dave Nada’s birthday, a pinata, filled with candy, that Nada savaged like a madman with a stick, a moment certain to be frozen in this observer’s memory for quite some time.

Will Eastman with pickle juice filled condom as Tittsworth murks the DC faithful.
Photo credit Max "max_imus" Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

Dave Nada with soccer scarf.
Photo credit Max "max_imus" Freed (http://www.twitter.com/max_imus)

Musically, what can I say. Dmerit, Bobby Jae and Ken Lazee played the role of able openers, a difficult one in the DJ world, as you just can’t throw down hard, rattling basslines or 140 BPM manic jams, but you’re playing solidly, rubbing the sticks to start the flame, Dmerit really showing tons of promise, Micah Vellian heavily involved as a producer for Will Eastman’s debut solo effort and the work of himself and Output Message definitely worth a listen. Bobby Jae and Ken Lazee got busy and even threw in Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” for good measure in one of those congruous incongruity moments that we can thank Girl Talk for. Will Eastman’s Ruby Isle “So Damn High” remix is always a winner (director Kylos who provides Blisspop’s fetching visual backdrops promises a complete video VERY soon), and he, from a technical standpoint was really on point to be point of being phenomenal on Friday night.

And the closers. I tend to believe that Dave Nada, Matt Nordstrom and Jesse Tittsworth turn in the kind of performances they turned in in DC on a fairly regular basis. That’s what makes them who they are in the dance universe. Making the commonplace memorable is the type of thing that a chain restaurant strives to do in their credo when they serve you spaghetti and meatballs. The energetic, musical firebrand, crowd murking, wall rattling raucous mania associated with Nadastrom and Tittsworth, when accepted as commonplace, makes memories that if commonplace, you’re either living life quite well at the edge of a lighting bolt, or completely nuts. There’s a love of music apparent in the productions crafted by both performers. There’s a joy of being DJs, of having no real limits, of being able to use wobbling, drunken dubstep basslines that can wake the dead, of sampling just about anything and with some deft turns of talent making it INTENSELY musical, or having at your fingers the world of music, and in Tittsworth’s case dropping Drake and Trey Songz’s collaboration from Drizzy’s So Far Gone mixtape “Successful” as a soulful, melodic and even ponderous dance break in the midst of his three hour piledriving powerslam of music.

At the end of the day, Blisspop didn’t reinvent the wheel. Even better, if you’re full of hate for the entire hipster, DJ adoring community, it probably didn’t rate as important on your radar. But, if you’re a lover of music, and a believer in it’s power to producer such positive concepts as love, peace, happiness and unity, then this was a celebration of that. We’re all broke, we’re all struggling, and, let’s face it, times just ain’t right. Friday night, a slew of uber talented made things a little bit better. And that’s wonderful.

Kudos.

If you didn’t know, Will Eastman is one the DMV’s most prolific DJs. The name is in your consciousness, because Eastman has been on his grind in the city for a hot minute, opening for such acts as Moby and MSTRKRFT. This FRIDAY marks the annual Blisspop EXTRAGAGANZA this FRIDAY with Tittsworth, Nadastrom, Dmerit, and SPECIAL GUESTS. Check him at Blisspop.com or @willeastman on Twitter. Buy tickets here.

So yeah man, you’ve been in the game for a while, doing indie rock and such, how did you get started DJing??

I played in bands and spun music at house parties in high school, did college radio, etc. but didn’t really step behind the decks until grad school when I started hosting parties with bands and DJs at the old Black Cat. The notion was to pair like-minded bands and DJs. I picked up DJing duties and quickly fell in love with it. Since 2007, I’ve been a full-time DJ.

Are you a vinyl or Serato man? And why?

I use Serato because it’s the closest you can get to playing with vinyl and still having 10,000 tracks at your finger tips.

You started Blisspop over 5 years ago, and it’s become one of the mainstays on the DC party scene. What was the idea behind that party? How has it evolved?

The basic notion behind Bliss is a no-attitude, no velvet rope party that merges DIY punk spirit with dance music. The musical format has changed over time as my own tastes and abilities as a DJ have evolved. The party has a free-form format and it’s not uncommon to hear house, hip-hop, indie, and classic punk in a night.

What was it like to open up for Moby??

He’s an incredible artist. I mean, Play alone. It revolutionized dance music. He has tremendous presence. He played hard and deep, as one would expect from someone with as much experience, but he also played a really “now” set, not resting on his laurels. I admire that alot. Frankly, I didn’t expect my set to go over as well as it did warming up for him, but I’m thrilled it did. People still come up to me and say “Aren’t you the guy who opened for Moby?” During his set the power went out and we ended up banging on beer kegs and plastic garbage cans on stage for about 15 minutes. It was surreal. There’s a video of it on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8eQw1yDoUE)

What do you think about the DC DJ Scene in General?

There are a lot of really live events happening now, and, more important, a lot of DJs are getting into the production game and doing it well. It’s a welcomed trend and I see it blossoming further next year.

What is your favorite spot to play in DC?

9:30 Club has one of the best sound systems in the county. I’ve been fortunate to play some really fun Blisspop parties there with Tittsworth, Nadastrom and a ton of others and great shows with the Ting Tings, Ghostland Observatory, etc. The Black Cat back stage is always fun and I like that you’re so close to the floor and you get a real feeling of connection to the crowd.

So I know you’re stepping your production game up this year. Can you share with us what you’re doing with Baltimore’s TT The Artist and the DMV’s Helix Queen? Also, I hear that you’re working on an album soon?

Yes, I started working on the album last winter with Micah Vellian from Dmerit. A single, “Feelin” is coming out in September on Plant Music with remixes by Tittsworth, Nadastrom, and Dmerit. I hope to release that and at least one more single before the end of the year, and the album will drop when it’s ready. There’s an electropop/Hip-Hop track with Helix Queen and T.T. the Arti$t called “If U Like” and a funk/house song, “No Sleep In Brooklyn” that T.T. raps lead on. We debuted those songs live last week opening for Thunderheist and are doing them again this Friday at 9:30 Club for the DC Summer Extravaganza. T.T. and Helix are on point and it’s great fun working with them in the studio and on stage. I’m also currently working on a remix for Outputmessage.

We all know that last year’s Blisspop Summer Extravaganza popped off real well. What surprises do you have in store for Blisspop this year?

If I told you, homey, they wouldn’t be a surprise! Hahahah, well I just mentioned one, which is the live vocal performances by Helix and T.T. Y’all have to come out to find out what else is up. It’s Dave Nada’s birthday so you know some crazy things are gonna happen.

If someone were coming to DC from, let’s say NYC, where would you tell them to go?

It depends on where their interests lie. If they’re cocktail fans, I’d tell them to go to The Gibson. If they like house music or reggae I’d tell them to go to ESL Sundays and Wednesdays respectively for Sam Burns and See-I. If they like records, I’d tell them to visit Neal at SOM Records and if they like wearing flip flops to clubs I’d tell them to go to Arlington and stay there.

And finally, what are the top 10 songs on your iPod right now??

Oh snap, I guess I can’t fudge it! According to my Top 50 Most Played automatic playlist:

1. Friendly Fires “Paris” (Aeroplane Remix Feat. Au Revoir Simone)
2. Wale “Sweating Out Weaves” (ft. UCB)
3. Van Morrison “Sweet Thing”
4. Major Lazer “Pon de Floor” (feat. VYBZ Kartel)
5. Catherine Wheel “The Nude”
6. Classixx “I’ll Get You” feat. Jeppe
7. Outputmessage “Resurface”
8. Ryan Adams “When The Stars Go Blue”
9. Little Boots “New In Town”
10. The Glass “Wanna Be Dancin” (Nadastrom Dub Edit)

There you have it. The iPod doesn’t lie.

If you didn’t know by know, Major Lazer is the latest collaboration between “Paper Planes” producers Diplo and Switch. The concept revolves around “a renegade commando with a lazer arm and a rocket-powered skateboard who fights the spoils of Vampires, Zombies, Pimps, Mummies and other unsavory forces of evil.” Yes, even if you might have to light a spliff to get down with the concept, their first single, “Hold The Line,” featuring Santigold and Mr. Lexx is a straight banger.

The video has that Saturday morning cartoon feel to it, don’t ya think?