Swedish-Canadian soul singer Amalia has released her debut album Art Slave on Tokyo Dawn Records. The 15 tracks pay tribute to some of her favorite female singers, such as Chaka Khan and Sheila E. The sound combines elements from 80s electro funk and boogie with nu jazz and soul - produced by Swedish beat master Opolopo.
The album is a statement of "the need for funk in all stages of life," and appearantly Amalia has got all the funk she needs...
Cut Copy find their musical inspiration in 80s synth pop and 00s electro. My favorite CC jam is the Flight Facilities remix of last year's Take Me Over.
Another favorite is the Copy Cut remix of Brazilian electro pop band CSS - Move...
Be sure to check out the rest of the Forward Festivalwhich will go on until Sunday April 3. Among the club venues to check out are U Street Music Hall, Eighteenth Street Lounge, Warehouse and the Loft. A full list of venues and artists can be found here.
New York based Holy Ghost! aka Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser are playing at the 9:30 club tonight and tomorrow night with Australian electro popsters Cut Copy.
Alex and Nick met in elementary school and have had a life-long love for old school synthesizers, 80s electric funk and catchy pop music. Check out their latest tune Jam for Jerry at Pitchfork. Here are some earlier jams...
Tokimonsta aka Jennifer Lee makes dreamy electronic beats. She will perform live at U Street Music Hall tonight (March 29). She is also scheduled for two live appearances at the Coachella Festivalin California, April 15-17.
Look out for the EP Creature Dreams on May 17. As a pre-taste, check out the song Bright Shadows.
The 1980s ushered in plenty of cool electric disco tunes. The compilation G.I. Disco captures some of the sounds of the period. The songs are selected by Berlin-based DJs Kalle Kuts and Daniel Best who have chosen to present some of the favorite club tunes brought to West Germany by American G.I.s during the last decade of the Cold War.
The Brooklyn Bronx & Queens Band (BB&Q Band) started out in the early 1980s. It was created by Jacques Fred Petrus, a Milan-based producer who was also the man behind the Italian-American disco group Change. BB&Q released what is probably their most dance friendly tune Riccochet in 1987.
Timex Social Club hit number one on the Billboard R&B Chart in the summer of 1986 with Rumors.
Cashmere a.k.a. Daryl Burgee and Dwight Ronell Dukes released Let the Music Turn You On in 1983.
British band Freeez started out as a 70s jazz-funk ensemble. In 1983 they recorded I.O.U, an electro dance tune produced by Arthur Baker.
Get ready for the third installment of Axel F, the club event that brings you the illest in jheri curl funk, champagne soul and nu wave from 1977-1987 (and some new stuff that sounds like that). It all takes place at LIV on U Street and 11th every last Saturday of the month. In other words, tomorrow night, March 26.
Mark Ronson, the British producer who gave us the down and dirty remake of Britney's Toxic as well as the Amy Winehouse gem Valerie, has brought out his 80s synth drums to give us Bang Bang Bang.
Mark Ronson featuring MNDR and Q-Tip - Bang Bang Bang
Mark Ronson getting the U-tern retouch...
The Bang Bang Bang artwork looks like something outta Miami Vice - 80s pastel perfection.
The Norwegian electronic duo Röyksopp aka Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland is touring the states and making an appearance in DC tonight at the 9:30 club. Unfortunately, the concert is sold out.
The band was formed in the late 1990s as part of the wave of fresh-sounding house and electronic artists coming out of the West Coast Norwegian music scene in the town of Bergen (though both Svein and Torbjørn originate from the Northern town of Tromsø).
Other amazing Bergen artists are house producer Bjørn Torske (another northerner), electric pop diva Annie (who used to be the girlfriend of Norway's infamous Satan worshipper Bursum, the Count), electronic indie pop duo Kings of Convenience (consisting of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe) and electro funk post punk group Datarock (who recently visited the states, including the SXSW in Austin, Texas).
Röyksopp released their first album Melody A.M in 2001 on Wall of Sound, a highly esteemed British electronic dance music label. It made it to top ten on the UK album chart, resulting in instant fame for Svein and Torbjørn. The single Poor Leno features the vocals of Erlend Øye from Kings of Convenience.
Röyksopp - Poor Leno
Röyksopp has kept themselves busy, producing two full albums during the last couple of years - Junior (2009) and Senior (2010). The first single released from Junior was Happy Up Here. It comes in several repackages as well, including remixes by Breakbot and Holy Fuck.
The single This Must Be It features the lovely vocals of Karin Dreijer Andersson from the Knife and Fever Ray.
Their latest album Senior was released in 2010 and contains the singles The Drug and Forsaken Cowboy.
American disco diva Loleatta Holloway passed away yesterday. Her top disco anthem is Love Sensation, produced and written by Dan Hartman. It made it to number one on the U.S. dance chart in 1980.
Loleatta Holloway - Love sensation
Loleatta Holloway (November 5, 1946 – March 21, 2011) R.I.P.
British electronic folk artist Ellie Goulding is appearing at the Rock and Roll Hotel in DC tonite. Unfortunately, the gig is sold out and has been for a while, as this is one of the definitive "don't miss" musical events this spring.
Ellie Goulding won over her home audience with the debut album Lights that went straight to number one on the UK album chart last year. She's now set to capture an American audience as well, releasing her album in the U.S. this month and going on an extensive tour of the states.
The first U.S. single released from the album is Starry Eyed, an upbeat tune combining electronic sounds with folksy chords and vocals.
Ellie makes a welcome guest appearance on Passion Pit's Sleepyhead.
Penguin Prison aka Chris Glover is a NYC based producer with a feel for the poppier side of electronic music. He's delivered some decent remixes over the last years. Here are a few.
1) Dharma - Plastic Doll - Instrumental (ZYX 1982)
2) Klapto - Mister Game (Teldec 1983)
3) Alexander Robotnic - Problemes D'Amour - AH OO AH Version(Sire 1984)
4) Paul Hardcastle - King Tut - US Remix (Chrysalis 1985)
5) Newcleus - Cyborg Dance (Sunnyview 1985)
6) Charlie - Spacer Woman (ZYX 1984)
7) Jago - Im going to go (Full Time 1983)
8) Fallout - The Morning After (Fourth Floor Records 1987)
9) Tyree - Acid Over - Piano Matey Mix (DJ International 1988)
10) Charles B - Lack of Love (Desire Records 1988)
11) Man Parrish - Hip Hop Bee Bop (Importe/12 Records 1982)
12) Nexus 21 - Self Hypnosis (Network 1990)
13) Only Child feat Niko - I Love You So (Grandcentral 2003)
14) Liaison D - Future FJP (Music Man records 1989)
15) Booka Shade - Night Falls/Wont Back Down (Mash 2007)
16) Tom Vek - Nothing But Green Lights (Tummy Touch 2005)
17) Le Club - Un fait divers et rien de plus (Durium 1983)
18) Amnesie with the Nicolosi Family - Turas (Proto 1983)
19) Kano - Cant Hold Back (Full Time 1981)
20) Vivien Vee - Destiny (Banana 1983)
21) Lionel Blair - Cool Down (Conifer 1983)
Fatback DC is one of the most popular club events/DJ collectives in the DC area for those who like the soulful side of dance floor music. The fatback crew team up tonite at LIV on U Street (corner of U & 11th). They are all about “funk, soul, boogaloo and more from around the globe.”
Fatback recently celebrated their 3 year anniversary, releasing a list of their top 30 jams:
1. Outstanding (Gap Band)
2. Lean On Me (Bill Withers)
3. Gimme Some Lovin (Spencer Davis Group)
4. Age of Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In (5th Dimension)
5. Shotgun (Jr. Walker & The Allstars)
6. I Love Music (O’Jays)
7. Million Dollar Bill (Whitney Houston)
8. Real Love (Mary J. Blige)
9. Bounce Rock Skate Roll (Vaughn Mason & Crew)
10. Galaxy (War)
11. Can You Feel It (Jacksons)
12. Rock the Casbah (Brad Shitt Casbah breakdown)
13. Doing it to Death (Fred Wesley & The J.B.’s)
14. Cry To Me (Solomon Burke)
15. Twenty-Five Miles (Edwin Starr)
16. Italo Nitro (Fela v. Kano, Afrodisiac Soundsystem)
17. Love TKO (Teddy Pendergrass)
18. In the Basement (Etta James and Sugar Pie DeSanto)
19. All I Do (Stevie Wonder)
20. Law of the Land (Temptations)
21. Sunshine of Your Love (Spanky Wilson)
22. 96 Tears (? and The Mysterians)
23. Get Down on It (Kool & The Gang)
24. Pow Wow (Manny Corchado)
25. Ignition Remix (R. Kelly)
26. You Bring Out the Best in Me (D.I.T.)
27. Zorba the Greek
28. Stuck in the Middle with You (Stealers Wheel)
29. Firecracker (Mass Production)
30. Respect (Aretha Franklin)
South African ninja rave rappers Die Antwoord is back with a new installment of their next level beats. The video Evil Boy delivers a mish mash of dance and trashy rave all topped off with explicit rap lyrics.
Die Antwoord - Evil Boy
The band describes their music as futuristic rap-rave and label it ZEF. The video ZEF Side became a major web hit in 2009 and features the song Beat Boy as well as short interview clips with rap master Ninja, rich bitch Yo-Landi Vi$$er and beat monster DJ Hi-Tek (who does a Silent Bob act).
Die Antwoord - ZEF Side
For more f'ed up shit, check out the video for Enter the Ninja.
The British 80s synth pop band Human League is back with the album Credo, out on March 21. First single from the new album is Night People, released late last year.
Human League - Night People
The second single is just out - Never Let Me Go. Not to fond of the vocoder thing, which reminds more of cheesy contemporary pop than of cool 80s synth pop. Still, the video is kind of amazing.
Human League - Never Let Me Go
A welcome escape from the cheesy vocal productions of the original can be found in the remix by the Italian-Belgian producer Aeroplane.
Swedish singer Lykke Li is back with her second album Wounded Rhymes. She will tour the states in May 2011, kicking it off at the 9:30 club in Washington, DC on May 15.
Here's the brand new video Get Some.
The song can be freely downloaded from Lykke Li's web site. Go and Get Some.
British synth pop band Play released the amazing minimalist You Don't Look the Same on Survival Records in 1983 - recently re-released as a digital EP.
Paradise Garage was the pivotal nightclub in the transition between 70s disco and later garage and house music. The club was started in 1977, at the end of the classic disco period, and stayed open until 1987. It was located on 84 King Street in New York City in a former parking garage.
Paradise Garage was all about the music and at the center of attention was its foremost DJ - Larry Levan. Here's a recorded session by the master spinner, put on tape at the very end of the Paradise Garage era.
Ain't Nobody is one of the most cherished songs by soul diva Chaka Khan. It featured in the movie Breakin' and has since become an iconic 80s tune. Last year Brooklyn based DJ and producer Alex Epton aka xxxchange released this edit of the original Chaka tune...
Greg Wilson started out as a DJ in the 1970s playing soul, funk and disco. In the early 1980s he moved on to the Manchester electro scene, becoming a resident at the legendary Hacienda club. He pioneered the style of mash-ups, blending the acapella of Rockers Revenge - Walking On Sunshine with New Order - Confused Beat. The mash-up appears in this mix from 1983.
During the last decade, Wilson has released a series of high quality re-edits of 80s style dance floor jams. He also has his own electrofunkroots website tracking the rise of this 80s underground movement in the UK.
Norwegian electro funk/dance punk/new new wave band Datarock kicks off their U.S. tour tonite at the Santo's Party House in New York City. The rest of the tour will mostly take them along the West Coast before ending up in Austin, Texas on March 17.
The band has just released their latest video Catcher in the Rye which captures them live on stage.
Datarock - Catcher in the Rye
Favorite jams by these computer geeks ("data" means computer in Norwegian) are Computer Camp Love, which comes with a cool video, as well as the Talking Heads inspired tune Fa Fa Fa.
Datarock - Computer Camp Love
Datarock - Fa Fa Fa
Tour dates
March 7 New York - Santo’s Party House
March 8 Chicago - Bottom Lounge
March 9 Portland - Wonder Ballroom
March 10 San Francisco - Bottom Of The Hill
March 11 Los Angeles - Echoplex
March 12 Pomona - Glasshouse
March 14 Costa Mesa - Detroit Bar
March 15 San Diego - Cashbah
March 17 Austin - The Parish
ESL was started in the mid-80s as a haven for music lovers and is still running strong as one of DCs finest clubs. Since the mid-90s it has been home to beat maestros Thievery Corporation. The club offers an eclectic mix of electronic jazz beats, latin rhythms and soulful dance tunes from the 70s up till today.
Jahsonic is one of DCs finest DJs and the creator of Axel F - the monthly club event for those who love the cooler, funkier side of the 80s.
B'more label T&A Records, run by DJs Tittsworth and Ayres (T&A), and U Street Music Hall are throwing a release party forTorro Torro tonite featuring the Canadian duo as well as Tittsworth himself. Should be worth checking out.
AMC is airing the 80s classic gangster movie Scarface tonite. It features Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer in some of their best roles. The TV chanel lists ten reasons why we can't get enough Scarface:
1. Al Pacino (as a raging Tony Montana)
2. "Say Hello to My L'il Fren!" (Tony's showdown equipped with an M16 with a grenade launcher)
3. The chain-saw scene (where Tony goes totally crazy)
4. Hip-Hop style 101 (gold, champagne, expensive watches - bling-bling)
5. Michelle Pfeiffer (as the sexy Elvira)
6. Screenwriter Oliver Stone (before he turned into a human conspiracy theory)
7. Tony's mound of cocaine (best cocaine scene ever)
8. F-word overload (word count appx. 200, almost once per minute)
9. Eighties Miami (the neon pastels, white sands and palm trees of Miami Vice before the TV show was created)
10. Tony's accent (it's not Cuban, it's not Italian - what is it?)
Rush Rush and Shake It Up with still pictures from the movie
Scarface soundtrack
1. Scarface (Push It To The Limit) - Paul Engemann
2. Rush Rush - Deborah Harry
3. Turn Out The Light - Amy Holland
4. Vamos A Bailar - Maria Conchita
5. Tonys Theme - Giorgio Moroder
6. Shes On Fire - Amy Holland
7. Shake It Up - Elizabeth Daily
8. Dance Dance Dance - Beth Andersen
9. Im Hot Tonight - Elizabeth Daily
10. Ginas And Elviras Theme - Giorgio Moroder
Love this video. It's sooo simple. And the song is really great. Crowhead aka Christian Wood is an English producer and DJ signed to ATIC Records. The Bends stems from his debut album Born With Teeth.
