Life goes on even when the banks are closed.

YAAYYY!! It's Bank Holiday Monday today and what does that mean? yes, that's right, revel in the unexpected sensation of joy as you wake up and realise...you can stay right where you are...unless, of course, you're in some compromising position, as you could well be on this monday of a long weekend. i suggest get yourself outta there - and these are the tunes that'll get you up and moving with a spring in your step. but what is is mainly that these tracks represent for me? it's just that instant of surprise holiday euphoria. enjoyjoy!

Streetlife DJs have long held a place in my mental list of essential artists and production teams. But, this had been based mainly on their punchy live sets and explosive remixes - NICE. Here, they take to spawning their own track of sorts. Ripping off the classic Peter Gunn riff (as famously used to open 2ManyDJ's' classic mixtape, As Heard On Radio Soulwax Part 2) the London-based duo mutate this central premise into mind-numbing electro-rave at its finest. Oh yeah, and it's called Gunn Crime - nice pun, guys...!

Streetlife DJs - Gunn Crime (Original Mix)

Chewy Chocolate Cookies lend their disco-insanity to electropoppers Plastic Operator, creating this absolute monster of a track. constantly teetering towards destruction, when this track blows up you can't help but go insane with them.

Plastic Operator - Home 0207 (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix)

torn apart by The Bloody Beetroots, Naive New Beaters' Live Good is given a typically forceful bassline which rams its way into your ears. overhead, the undulating synth sets the tone: that of exhilaration, euphoria and elation.

Naive New Beaters - Live Good (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)

Bobmo's 90s feel is given to this classic Jape tune. the irishman's vocals seem to search for place amdist Bobmo's conceived rhythm. but when they do settle, that's not the end of things - cue a retro-tinged eruption of 'BEAT'...

Jape - Floating (Bobmo Remix)

this track just has that 'classic' sound. i don't know why and i don't know what it is, but i find this sound almost life-affirming. perfect for that extra day you never thought you had.

DJ Mehdi - Signatune (Thomas Bangalter Edit)

MONEY IN THE BANK
The Chemical Brothers - Elektrobank

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sundays in SP_CE.

welcome to Sundays in SP_CE: the home of music that completes your whole and takes you to another place...

no descriptions here, you'll just have to dive in and find out what this music's made of for yourself...

Midnight Juggernauts - Intro

Benga & Coki - Night

Franky Rizardo - Sensei (Original Mix)

Joakim - Drumtrax (Radio Slave Remix)

Lindstrøm - I Feel Space

Chaim - Don't Panic

Sweetlight - Le Grand Sommeil


INTERGALACTIC WAGER
Simian Mobile Disco - Live in Osaka, 21st November

------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Rémois Explosion (of talent...)

what is the city of reims in northwestern france famous for? for being the capital of the champagne region? for its striking and monumental cathedral? for some people maybe. but, in my book, it's famous for one thing alone: for being the origin of the some of the finest french music talents around today. namely, Yuksek, Brodinski and The Shoes.

Yuksek seems to have emerged at the forefront of this new, young talent and he's showing them by example. this track from his 2007 It Comes EP is one of my favourites. an alluring first half paves the way for around three final minutes of mayhem. not to be missed.

Yuksek - Kontraul

Yuksek's also a master on remix duty. here's his latest warped, relentless offering for bordeaux project Adam Kesher.

Adam Kesher - Feel You In My Arms (Yuksek Remix)

Yuksek's sparring partner, Brodinksi, seems to be getting better and better. having released his well-supported track in Bad Runner, the young producer and DJ has now been releasing a string of great remixes. his disctinctive minimal edge works wonders on D.I.M.'s stomper, Is You, and really lures you in before descending and ascending in cascades of musical water (complete with birdsounds and everything!)

D.I.M. - Is You (Brodinski Remix)

meanwhile, Ottowans Jokers of the Scene add their flavour to that Brodinski classic.

Brodinski - Bad Runner (Jokers Of The Scene Remix)

Alphabeat have been showing up quite a lot recently, and this joint remix venture between Yuksek and Brodinski doesn't disappoint. i like how in these remixes you can always tell which are the Yuksek elements and which are the Brodinski ones. and together, they can create a whole lot more.

Alphabeat - 10.000 Nights (Yuksek & Brodinski Remix)

The Shoes seem to have been getting a lot of hype recently as well. and i can see why: all of their tracks and remixes are filled with a kind of youthful energy which is just plain fun at its best. here, Brodinksi takes the reins of their bonafied hit America, sampling the voice track and adding a bassline which is beyond insane whilst being cheekily minimal.

The Shoes - America (Brodinski Remix)

london grime posterboy Wiley now gets the Shoes treatment, turning a track which i didn't think was anything special into something which can really get me moving. the remix begins with a bouncy drumline thundering under Wiley's vocals before a wonky bassline is unleashed, carrying the rest of the track to whole new heights.

Wiley - Wearing My Rolex (The Shoes Remix)


CHAMPAGNE PAYOUT
Oasis - Champagne Supernova

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Favela Blast!!

after all this bauhaus business, i've been getting a bit fed up of all the linear(-ness?) and i feel like shaking things up a bit! and what could be further from the bauhaus than this: the jumbled, the raw, the downright gritty. this is it - the soundtrack to the latin backstreets..but not really...let's be honest...

Bonde Do Rolê - Marina Gasolina (Buraka Som Sistema Remix)

Azzido Da Bass - Dooms Night (Crookers Remix)

Shy Child - Noise Won't Stop (Buraka Som Sistema Remix)

MixHell - The Kids Are Alright

DJ Blaqstarr - Shake It To The Ground (feat. Rye Rye) [Jokers Of The Scene Remix]

Alphabeat - Fantastic 6 (Radioclit Remix)

i've always thought that 'Favela' would be a cool theme for a party..but maybe i'm wrong. i mentioned this on a recent trip to portugal and was just given weird looks and people were forever alluding to my inappropriateness and suggested racism. i'm not sure...maybe i didn't express it right at the time...i still think it would be cool, no?

LATIN GAMBLE
Mercedes Sosa - Vientos Del Alma

------------------------------------------------------------------------

BAUHAUS.

today, as my Google toolbar is so happy to remind me, it's the 75th anniversary of the closure of the Bauhaus school of art (1919-1933). Walter Gropius and his followers are attributed with changing many of the existing preconceptions in european and world architecture, art and ceramics by extolling themes such as simplicity, clarity and, above all, functionalism in their finished pieces and ideas.

with this in mind, perhaps exacerbated by the increasingly dank and heavy weather, my mind and my music taste has been wandering into the realms of the clear, linear dance rhythm. where better to look then than the homeland of the Bauhaus movement itself: germany?

for the purposes of this investigation, i have turned to the dream team that is PUZIQUe (www.myspace.com/puzique), made up of Printed In Gold favourites Alex Ridha (Boys Noize) and Andi Mead (D.I.M.). their sound fits all the hallmarks of the bauhaus movement: deceptive simplicity, understated clarity, BUT, most of all, it serves its function - to get people dancing.

THOMAS EP

(c) 2006, Boysnoize Records

the tracks on PUZIQUe's first EP, Thomas (2006) contain all the raw power of their two producers respectively, but the energy levels have been compressed and contained somewhat to create these three tittalising bundles of potential kinetic energy. ENJOY!

Thomas, as the name suggests, is something of a tribute to the output of the legendary Thomas Bangalter, with that hi-hat drumline reminiscent of the one found on TB's own Spinal Beats.

PUZIQUe - Thomas

the next track, Relaxe!, has got a definite D.I.M. accent to it. could it be a new electro-techno maximised gem along the lines of Vitalic's seminal La Rock 01? all i'm going to say is.."just..maybe...maybe....!"

PUZIQUe - Relaxe!

PUZIQUe show their minimal edge here, and i like it! centering on a rolling bassline, crossfaded effects carry the simple tune to new levels. interesting. bewildering. i can't get enough of it.

PUZIQUe - Chemie

DON'T GO EP

(c) 2007, Boysnoize Records

their second EP, Don't Go (2007), takes on more of a 'filter-house' flavour with its eponymous opening track. the soulful, oldschool vocals are supercool and the kind which get stuck in your head and just won't go away..ironically...

PUZIQUe - Don't Go

Cissor takes the record in a different direction, with its relentless analogue techno sounds swerving and diving over persistent snares.

PUZIQUe - Cissor

again, there is something of a change of tone and pace in Suite 9. don't be fooled by this one, it may start sweet enough, but wait for the break(s) and you won't be sorry - this one's a catchy builder of a track: ENJOY!

PUZIQUe - Suite 9

one release a year doesn't seem too bad for two guys with such heavy schedules, who would probably have to take time out just to meet, let alone sit down and produce sweet sweet mewzick together. but, if the trend continues, should we expect a new EP sometime later this year? all reports suggest "YES", and i'm eagerly anticipating a September release. but, what form it'll take, we'll just have to wait and see...

(c) September 2008???, Boysnoize Records

i know i can't wait...so here's a PUZIQUe remix for your fine, fine ears!

Villeneuve - Oh No (PUZIQUe Remix)

THOMAS FLUSH
Thomas Bangalter - Spinal Scratch (BIG thanks to Solid Goldberger!!)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rain Dance

the brief good weather spell seems to be over...for the moment, ominous clouds turning the sky into a sheet of grey. has the summer been jeopardised?...the mood's certainly dampened. but that's no reason to listen to crap music!
so here are some tracks that reflect the weather. a heavy air...deeep sounds...like if you were listening to an electronic orchestra underwater. profundity is key...how long can you hold your breath for...?

from his Gizmode EP, munich-based dj and producer Florian Senfter (aka Splank!, John Starlight, and Zombie Nation) has created a filtered gem in Filter Jerks.

meanwhile, Flamingo feeds you tribal beats from danish producer Tomboy via Trentemøller. an awesome builder...enjoy...

Zombie Nation - Filter Jerks

Tomboy - Flamingo (Trentemøller Remix)

Bullet is a typically good remix from techno goddess Ellen Allien: Covenant never sounded so great...!

love this next track. released on Kitsuné in 2006 before Alex Ridha (aka Kid Alex, 909d1sco, Einzeller, Boys Noize and one half of PUZIQUe) had amassed such a global following, Feel Good (TV = Off) seems to me to be a bit of an Arcade Robot prototype...with a driving, deeply distressed bassline and a beat that you can almost feel more than you can actually hear...fun for the senses...

Covenant - Bullet (Ellen Allien Remix)

Boys Noize - Feel Good (Tv = Off) [Original Mix]

london man Hervé exploits and tears apart Michael Jackson's classic Thriller to devastating effect. it may be cheap...but it's big, it's bad and it's so so good...

Hervé then teams up with Trevor Loveys to make the dreamteam Speakerjunk. On Switch's Dubsided label again, they take on another old master. this time it's Jimi Hendrix and, once again, it's a bit of a beast...the original's great, the Speakerjunk remake kicks it kicking and screaming into the 21st century, but it's the Switch remix that just gives it one extra level of spunk...

Hervé - Cheap Thrills

Speakerjunk - Foxxy (Switch Remix)

despite still being young, the mysterious russian, The Proxy, is already a master at giving the musical pain. whilst appearing somewhat afraid of him, Tiga seems nevertheless to have taken The Proxy under his wing at Turbo Recordings and he's been releasing some great tracks and remixes. (CAN'T WAIT FOR HIS DANCE IN DARK EP, which is coming out in june some time...!!!) the Riot In Belgium re-edit maybe just gives the track a slightly more accessible edge...but don't worry, i'll have the originals on here at some point i'm sure...(i'll find an excuse...)

STRONG UNDERTOE AHEAD. DANGER OF DROWNING. another favourite artist of mine, D.I.M. (Andi Mead), is also a master of the brutal bassline. perhaps most famous for the electro weapon that is Airbus Baby, he also debuted on Tiga's Turbo Recordings imprint. his first release, featuring the track Syspiphos, shows D.I.M.'s ability to push the limits of his sound....and the result is an elasticated electronic soup which breaks over your head and immerses...submerges you. be careful though...once under, it's difficult to resurface...

The Proxy - Destroy (Riot In Belgium's Serious About Dance Edit)

D.I.M. - Sysiphos

DROWNING INSURANCE
Max Berlin - Elle & Moi (Joakim Remix)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fake Moustaches

continuing the hair theme...

london's been experiencing some kind of heatwave recently and everyone's thinking that summer's finally on its way...and what summer is complete without a fake moustache?..seriously...(or maybe not)...they're this season's must-have accessory. so why not go and pick yourself up one from your nearest purveyor of all things moustaki?
OR if you're really strapped for cash..you could just go around and compile all your old photos and skilfully manipulate each one on photoshop to make it look as though you've had one all this time and you're well ahead of the game...you fashionista, you..! as you can see, will's already done a whole batch of his old facebook profile pics...wow! it fooled me...

...in the mean time, have a listen to some tunes to get you in the mood for the (hopefully!) long, hot summer ahead...

"some things i see, i don't understand": whilst i can't say that i entirely 'get' what he's going on about in some of his lyrics, the title track from rémois producer Yuksek's It Comes EP is a punchy and fun-filled little number. despite its frequent allusions to all "the dying" which is presumably his subject, the upbeat bassline helps carry the song into less murky territory...the perfect accompanyment to one of these warmer nights...

Yuksek - It Comes

a highlight of Danger's 2007 debut release on DatA's Ekler'o'shock label, 09/14 2007, was his own boss showing him how it's done. the epic electro sounds of the comic book enigma from lyon are given that brash DatA edge, resulting in a dancefloor killer to be reckoned with...

Danger - 11h30 (DatA Remix)

belgium...belgium...supposedly one of the most boring places in the world...perhaps that's why it's spawned some of the globe's most prevalent and influential ravers, notably in the dance/electro rock category. Soulwax are perhaps the prime example, but Goose aren't far behind. here, their track Everybody, from their debut album Bring It On (Skint), is ripped apart by the storming The Bloody Beetroots. they seem to be remixing everyone at the moment, but this effort is so full of an insane energy that it's perfect for getting into that euphoric summer mood...

Goose - Everybody (The Bloody Beetroots Chipmunk Remix)

another thing that's great about summer is that sense of calm...lying on the green grass under a clear blue sky. tranquil. content. enter Cut Copy via the munich funkers, Moulinex...

Cut Copy - Lights & Music (Moulinex Remix)

if i'm honest, i'm not the greatest fan of The Teenagers...the words "incipid" and "nyeeuur" (not in a good way) spring to mind whenever i hear one of their tracks. but this remix from clubbers Gentlemen Drivers breaks this trend. it's uplifting euphony makes you feel like you're floating in some sweet-smelling electric bubble and sets you soaring. bring on the summer...

The Teenagers - Homecoming (Gentlemen Drivers Rave Mix)

HEATWAVE JACKPOT

Daft Punk - Robot Rock (Daft Punk Maximum Overdrive Mix)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laugh Cry Mullet Die

The mullet: fun for all the family!

the mullet is, i'm sure, something which we'd all like to leave behind in that oh-so-chic decade which was the 80s...
fortunately, hair styles have moved on...however, one place where we can be glad that the 80s still lives on is in Neil Parnell's music. Going under the name of Tronik Youth (www.myspace.com/tronikyouth), Parnell creates driving, rolling basslines that are enough to get any party going, whilst at the same time often being oddly reminscent of 80s new wave dance. this is no bad thing. in fact, it's bloody brilliant!

Tronik Youth's debut EP (We Are) - which epitomised this signature sound - went down a storm, along with the excellent remixes from Punks Jump Up and Franz and Shape amongst others...

Tronik Youth - We Are...

Tronik Youth - We Are... (Punks Jump Up Mix)

Tronik Youth - We Are... (Franz and Shape Mix)

remixes from Tronik Youth are also highly sought after, with efforts for Jape, The Gossip, Late Of The Pier, Headman and, more recently, MGMT being highly praised...

Jape - Floating (Tronik Youth Remix)

The Gossip - Standing In The Way Of Control (Tronik Youth Remix)

Headman - Catch Me If U Can (Tronik Youth Remix)

Late Of The Pier - Bathroom Gurgle (Tronik Youth Mix)

MGMT - Time To Pretend (Tronik Youth Shr-Edit Remix)

basically, expect great things from this man in the future...just take a look at his fortchoming track! it's called Laugh Cry Live Die and this second single (released on 2nd june) also features a blitzed-out remix from GRUM. check it out...

Tronik Youth - Laugh Cry Live Die

Tronik Youth - Laugh Cry Live Die (GRUM Remix)

Now you've heard it -- go out and buy yourself one!

80s DOUBLE OR NOTHING
Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) [Performance Mix]

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Preface (I'm sorry, we haven't met...)

i found this guy in Hyde Park today. he seemed to have started some kind of hippy free-for-all by the Serpentine. some 40 people were in a drug-fueled / religious euphoria trance, all shaking tambourines or hitting sticks against each other in a vain attempt to keep up a rhythm for this guitar-clad 'ringleader'. my first impressions were that this papa seemed pretty cool, even though he was giving me the evil eye for unexpectedly pulling out my camera on him during one of his "manu chao-esque" renditions...
but then something happened to disrupt this perfect balance of music, free love and lunacy...

he had this pasty assistant guy with him, sitting cross-legged at his feet as though the guitar man was some sort of jesus figure...with a guitar. but, unfortunately, when he broke out into his latin chorus for about the twelfth time, it was too much for him to handle and he began to snigger uncontrollably into his chubby arm...

eventually, he couldn't take it any longer and, with an air of intent about him, reached greedily for the console...presumably to put himself and the small crowd that had gathered out of their misery...

"oh no you didn't": having made the mistake of touching the console, the summer santa claus was forced to stop mid-chorus and shot him (or his hand) a killerlaserninja type glance thing...

gasps from the barefooted crowd and the hippy throng could be heard all around as the bearded maestro leant over and swore something at him in spanish. most of the crowd had to look away - either out of embarrassment for the hapless assistant or out of horror from the ferocity of the attack. either way, noone's disgust matched that of the indian woman behind him, who turned to the mexican in the blue cap next to her (who was loving it) before realising that she had nothing to say and began to look through him blankly...

humiliated and excommunicated from the group, the assistant was forced to leave. the man with the guitar didn't even look up as he enthusiastically pursued a reprise of whatever the hell he had been playing before he had been so rudely interrupted. meanwhile, his former buddy collected the sandals he had left in the orderly pile that had been made by the really tidy revellers. He presently left...

i've often thought that one of the hardest things in life is to start something...

like, say, when you need to write an essay or a project, the starting's the worst bit. will what i'm about to do end up being crap..? and there's always the thought that, really, it's going to be a bit of an effort once you've put pen to paper in the first place...however, this isn't an essay and i'm not dreading the prospect of it. in fact, i'm actually quite excited about this. but, as you can probably see, i still had the problem of deciding how exactly to start this thing. anyway, this is where i'm biting the bullet and publishing my very first blog post...

so, welcome (!) to the inaugural post of Printed In Gold!

but then there's also how to start...do you, like so many others, begin with some semi-appropriate quotation from some supposedly-famous poet or a cultural arbiter from times passed which has been manipulated to seem relevant to the theme of your blog? do you make an introductory post along the lines of "hello...*watch this space*"?

probably neither...this blog is all about movement, momentum, creating a stir...through the medium of music...which is why i chose an incident from today for the first post which, importantly (albeit loosely), had something to do with music...

so, anyway, here are some tunes for your listening pleasure that i've been enjoying recently (and over the last couple of years). i hope it'll give you an idea about what i'm into and what Printed In Gold is going to be about.

you've probably heard these before, but anyway

enjoy...

Revolte - 150hz

HeartsRevolution - C.Y.O.A. (Brodinski Remix)

Para One - Dudun-Dun (Boys Noize Remix)

Teenage Bad Girl - Hands Of A Stranger (Massacred By JohnLordFonda)

Bonde Do Rolê - Marina Gasolina (Fake Blood Remix)

Simian Mobile Disco - Sleep Deprivation (Club Mix)

Passions - Emergency

BONUS
Les Petits Pilous - Elise (96 kbps - but so much fun!)

------------------------------------------------------------------------