Jetpilot Music Reviews

Down here in the ass-end of the world we are experiencing what some might describe as an ‘Antipodean summer’. This means that while most of the globe’s bounteous population would be going through the tail-end of their White Christmas, we have sunshine and mosquitoes.

Glorious.

On the subject of glorious, I’ve found myself awash in a song that has really been helping me get into the holiday mood. I can’t remember when it went up on myspace (maybe a month ago?) but it is swiftly becoming one of my most-played songs of this summer.

Ladies and gentlemen, the song is Back Of The Van by the very-international Ladyhawke.

It is an achingly 80s tune that brings to mind a dizzying array of singer-songwriter references, and that’s a good thing. After all, summer is all about stumbling into new experiences through a haze of the familiar, along the well-trodden path, all the while adding to the collective understanding of what summer is all about.

Cerebral, I know, but work with me people.

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Ladyhawke – Back Of The Van.

My first experience of Pip Brown aka Ladyhawke was through her collaboration with Pnau’s Nick Littlemore on a little something called Teenager. I remember listening to the radio while holidaying in Melbourne when Teenager’s song Alone Again emerged. I’d bought their album less than an hour later (amen for Polyester Records). I’ve waxed lyrically before now how good they are but here’s a reminder for you (of how good they are) and for me (of where my summer experience began).

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Teenager – Alone Again from album Thirteen [ buy ]

Ladyhawke’s myspace says she splits her time between Sydney, London and of all places Wellington. I’m insanely curious to know why she counts Wellington among her ‘places I go’ (more the ‘why’ than anything else), but to be honest I’m more interested in knowing if and wishfully when she might next perform here in our nation’s capital.

Fingers crossed it won’t be too long. I’m an only child. I wasn’t built to wait.

Ladyhawke @ myspace

Teenager @ myspace

I’ve been listening to this for most of this afternoon and it left me lying contentedly on the floor with the biggest grin on my face. That may not be much of an endorsement of a dance/electro mix, but it’s hot and I’m on holiday.

Sydney-based group Bang Gang Deejays released their Grey Disc in advance of their appearance at the myriad of Never Ever Land events across Australia in recent weeks. The follow-up to their debut double-CD (Black and White Discs respectively) effort Light Sound Dance, the Grey Disc showcases their slick transitions perfectly. The tracklisting is fairly derivative for anyone into electro, but the way they weave them all together is what makes this a great listen.

I’m with DiscGoIsUm in thinking that this mix is better than the other two.

So head on over to the Bang Gang Podcast and download their Grey Disc here.

Tracklisting after the jump:
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I know it has been almost three weeks since either of us have posted anything new on here, but to be honest we’re both still getting over the Daft Punk experience that is Alive 2007. Oh and young Mr JetPilot-sir is still gallivanting around the warmer parts of the South Pacific.

To tide you over until I’ve had a chance to digest the hot tunes that have emerged in the last few weeks, and until JetPilot returns to the land of the long white cloud, here’s a couple things that might just whet your appetite.

First up is the dreamy video for Sébastien Tellier‘s Sexual Sportswear, the first single off his soon-to-be-released Daft Punk-produced album Sexuality. Sébastien’s myspace says we should expect the album out around February 2008.

Sexual Sportswear

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Sexual Sportswear has also had the remix treatment from Ed Banger Records’ SebastiAn that remakes the dreamy song in his own inimical way to one of irregular rhythms and thumping beats that render the remix almost unrecognisable against the unadulterated original.

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Sébastien Tellier – Sexual Sportswear (SebastiAn Remix) from EP Sexual Sportswear [ buy ].

Colour me really quite smitten, albeit slightly disappointed he didn’t spin this in his Melbourne set with Kavinsky.

Next up is the latest offering from UK duo La Grève Générale.

Firm favourites after releasing their Cheese on toast and sambuca mixtape, they’re back with the ominously-titled Blog House is Dead. A healthy stew of club bangers, hip hop wonders and tracks just dripping in nostalgia, this is a mix made for the Antipodean summer.

Download it here and as per instructions, La Grève Générale recommend that listeners turn up the bass before listening.

Tracklisting after the jump
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Well these remixes have already been dropped on various blogs, but Blamma! Blamma! were kind enough to send us links to all three, and what can a poor boy do except pass the generosity on? Plus it’s a chance for those of you who missed them individually to pick them up all at once. It’s like it’s Christmas.

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The Teenagers – Starlett Johannson (Blamma! Blamma! Remix) *Jetpilot recommended*

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Scanners – Raw (Blamma! Blamma! Scanner! Remix)

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Rival Joustas – Clarity (Blamma! Blamma! clear as mud mix)

Ladies and gentlemen, Culture Prophet have been seriously floating my boat the last month or so. Like seriously floating my boat.

Culture Prophet are Michael and Shaun, two guys from South Carolina in the US of A who also happen to generating a fair amount of interest in the blogosphere. Aussie blog The Kids From Trashbags for one, have been showing them a fair amount of love and rightfully so.

I first came across these guys around the same time as my impatience for the release of Danger‘s now-released and self-titled EP. They provided the first remix of Danger’s material and when everyone was posting demo versions of 9h20 and 11h30, these guys kicked out something new for the ravenous hordes to huddle around.

Their remix of Danger’s 9h20 didn’t veer too far from what made the original a thing of beauty for the ears, like glasses that make a hot woman look even hotter.

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Danger – 9h20 (Culture Prophet Remix).

For all I knew at the time, that was all these guys had come out with. In hindsight, I’m almost ashamed at how wrong I was. It turns out they’ve been around since at least 2004, churning out killer tracks like these two beauties.

I originally thought this was a cover version of the now-well-worn-if-always-enjoyable track of the same name by Simian Mobile Disco, but boy I was wrong. Watching the live performance of the song at a place called Gypsy G’s, I thought the audio had got screwed up in the filming.

Culture Prophet – hustler (live at Gypsy G’s

My luscious Altec Lansing speakers became a torrent of distortion that soon became a deluge of distortion on top of distortion. I really didn’t know what I was listening to, but I couldn’t help but listen. I wouldn’t call this a car crash of a song that leaves your ears slowly watching the carnage as you slowly amble past. What I would call it is something you really need to play loud and try not to pray that your speakers don’t melt from the aural fury.

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Culture Prophet – Hustler.

Like a kid who has discovered a new favourite food, I ravenously searched for more. More, more, MORE!!! And so I found Touch You. It sounds very different from Hustler. Don’t take that the wrong way, because thats a good thing. Touch You kicks along with a tricky little keyboard rhythm underpinned with a dead-sexy bassline. Sure there is a fair amount of distortion, but not so much that your ears will ring for hours. No, just enough to drag you off your ass and onto your feet.

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Culture Prophet – Touch You.

It was about this time that a number of their remixes of other people’s work started to surface here and there and in no particular order I heartily recommend you check out…

… Michael’s remix of a nice song Shaun wrote as his alter ego Backseat Dreamer.

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Backseat Dreamer – Gold Dust (Culture Prophet Remix).

… one of the better remixes out there of everyone’s favourite Arab-Jew disco electro duo.

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Chromeo – Bonafied Lovin’ (Culture Prophet Remix).

… a mad remix that kills so hard the original is made almost irrelevant. Now how many songs can you say that about? Hmm?

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Digikid84 – B.Boy Underground (Culture Prophet Remix).

… Culture Prophet’s hairy bitch of a treatment on Digitalism’s glorious Idealistic (from their album Idealism – well the song is, not the remix).

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Digitalism – Idealistic (Culture Prophet Remix).

… one of Justice’s lesser-blogged tracks getting the Culture Prophet treatment. The song has been jammed so full of distorted tweaks and lashings of grit that it clocks at twice the length of the original. Hot shit.

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Justice – New Jack (Culture Prophet Remix).

… Culture Prophet’s latest remix for Double Dragon. This would absolutely kill in a club setting.

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Double Dragon – Danger (Culture Prophet Remix).

I’ve heard from the horses mouth that they’re working on new material and have even had the privilege of checking out early versions of two songs. Expect greatness people.

I know I do.

Culture Prophet @ myspace

Danger @ myspace

Simian Mobile Disco @ myspace

Backseat Dreamer @ myspace

Chromeo @ myspace

Digikid84 @ myspace

Digitalism @ myspace

Justice @ myspace

Double Dragon @ myspace

Another song from the sophomore effort of Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan has recently had the remix treatment and by God is it good.

The album is Hourglass, the song is Use You, and the remix is by New York’s halfway-hirsute (it makes sense once you check out the profile pic on their myspace) Kap10Kurt.

Enjoy.

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Dave Gahan – Use You (Kap10Kurt Remix).

Once you’ve doused yourself off from the remix, feel free to compare and contrast with the original taken from the album.

You’ll notice it starts off slow and brooding with the rhythmic thump of the bass carrying it along and Dave’s vocals kicking along like something sinister moving about beneath the waves. For me, I love how the menace gets thrown up a notch as the chorus snarls just like DM’s I Feel You (from their album Songs of Faith and Devotion). It has a much cleaner sound than I Feel You, benefiting no doubt from more modern production technology, which gives it an air of sparseness that suits it just nicely.

Hope you like it as much as I do.

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Dave Gahan – Use You from the album Hourglass [ buy ].

It isn’t an accident that Kap10Kurt found themselves remixing one of Dave’s tracks as it seems they manned the Roland10 in his band for the recording of Hourglass. It is a small world after all.

Apparently Kap10Kurt have done an extended remix of Kingdom, but I can’t for the life of me find it floating around cyberspace. If you have it or know where one might be able to get their hands on it, hook a brother up.

Depeche Mode @ myspace

Dave Gahan @ myspace

Kap10Kurt @ myspace.com

Summer solstice was fun times. Here’s a track list for those curious (there were a few people asking me about the tracks I played…). I got quite housey and progressive after a grungey electro start. Here’s a picture of me doing the moonwalk and pulling attractive faces:

from biggie.co.nz

Tracklisting
Zombie Outbreak - Harrison Schaaf
FUNK (Bloody Beetroots remix) – Etienne De Crecy
Prostitutes – Crookers
Cheap Thrills – Herve
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I’ve landed a gig called This is NOT a Melbourne Party in Melbourne, put on by my friend Dr. Hitchcock.

Sunday 16th December @ Platform 3, Richmond, Melbourne [ map ]

Featuring:
Jetpilot
Dr Hitchcock
Apex Beat
Lad Down Under

from 4pm. [ event @ facebook ]