Jetpilot Music Reviews

You may have noticed that this blog hasn’t seen much in the way of updates in the last wee while.

Well for my sins, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to stretch my views on music between this fine blog and my own. After all, there is only so much one can say about an act / genre / release before it becomes unnecessary churn in the blogosphere or repetitive syndication (something I really shouldn’t have indulged), and the quality of the posts here and there had started to suffer as a result.

So, it is with a heavy heart that I’ve made the conscious decision to focus my attentions on my own online home, Straight From The Whore’s Mouth.

As for the JetPilot himself, he seems to have his hands full with the real world, but please do feel free to hassle him for an update on the tunes that float his boat and make it onto his live sets.

And with that I bid you so long… farewell… auf wiedersein… goodbye… sans retch-inducing Sound of Music montage.

For giving far too much credit to acts like the atrocious Arctic Monkeys and diabolical Sandi Thom. For dragging us along one profile to the next only to find ourselves somewhere quite unrecognisable from where we started. For the terrible layout and enabling so many myspacers to throw together profiles so garish that soldiers are actually turning in their graves from the fruit born of their brave sacrifice.

On the upside, myspace means I can more easily keep an eye on a lot of the acts that really float my boat and come to find out more about the acts I’d like to get to know better. Myspace also sees the occasional treasure pop up and one that has smiling from ear to ear is Cheb AstiAn’s Marakech Edit of Kavinsky’s seminal Testarossa Autodrive.

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Kavinsky – Testarossa Autodrive (Cheb AstiAn’s Marakech Edit) ripped from his myspace.

It brings up memories of Damascus and Aleppo and Istanbul, of plump belly-dancing women, of shisha pipes and weird little men in suits, of large hairy men in music videos seen warbling along the rippling edge of some anonymous waterway, of music blaring on tinny stereos and so distorted from being the fourth copy of a copy of a tape someone had 18 years ago.

Suffice to say I love it.

As a basis for comparison, here is SebastiAn’s remix of Kavinsky’s Testarossa Autodrive…

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Kavinsky – Testarossa Autodrive (SebastiAn Remix) from his EP 1986 [ buy ]

… and Kavinsky’s unadulerated original in all its glory.

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Kavinsky – Testarossa Autodrive from his EP Teddy Boy [ buy ]

Now I know the Cheb AstiAn sounds almost unrecognisable to the SebastiAn and the original but give it a couple listens and you’ll feel it nestled behind the thick plumes of shisha smoke that suddenly fill the room.

Kavinsky @ myspace

SebastiAn @ myspace

Apologies for the extended hiatus but it seems neither of your hosts have felt particularly willing or able to post about the music that moves and excites us. For my own sins I’m afraid I’ve been suffering under the tyranny of choice what with all the new and not-altogether-official releases that have sprouted from the blogosphere undergrowth and onto my ipod. How do you choose between hot tracks that suit the summer we’re currently living through here in the Antipodean South Pacific? How do you move beyond Daft Punk after gazing upon the electronic pyramid and its many-splendoured light show?

And so here we are. Yes. Hmm.

Ok!

The Kids from Trashbags scored quite the coup by bringing French DJ (and future father of my children) Danger over for a few live sets in Sydney this week. Although Sydney seems so close, it turns out my less than prudent fiscal ways meant Sydney was so very very far away. Ladies and gentlemen, dear readers, I am afraid I wasn’t able to sort my shit out in time to make it across to see the masked man drop his tunes, blow my mind and break my body.

Thankfully the internet has come to the rescue with those brave boys and girls (I assume their group is heterogendered, and no I don’t know if that is a real word) at Trashbags popping out from their virtual womb a recording of his live set at last weekend’s Trashbags. This set is 58 minutes of deliciousness and you really don’t know how difficult it is for me to sit here and type with it blasting in the background.

Head here to grab his live set, and while it is downloading you really should head here to read all about the night he made Sydney his own.

To tide you over in the time it takes you to download the live set, and for those who have yet to fall in irrational aural lust with Danger, here is the better known of his time-coded tracks 11H30…

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Danger – 11H30 from his EP 09/14 2007 [ buy ]

… but I would argue that 14H54 is the best of the songs he has released thus far.

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Danger – 14H54 from his EP 09/14 2007 [ buy ]

Hat-tip and hella thanks to the Kids from Trashbags for bringing the man over and sharing the Danger love with those of us who couldn’t quite make it to see him live.

UPDATE : It seems Danger is making a one night only appearance in my favourite Australian city, Melbourne, so head on over to Fashion Keyboard this Friday night. The flyer looks fairly budge(t) but hey, it’s Danger!

Danger @ myspace

I’m REALLY sorry but it seems I may have tapped out my download cap for the month and I don’t quite know when it will tick over to the next month’s allocation of tasty tasty bandwidth. Until then I’m rather hamstrung in what I can post.

Our captain is similarly indisposed so please bear with us.

We’ll make it up to you. You can be sure of that.

Following on from the awkward fawning over Ladyhawke earlier, I’ve since managed to dig up from the vault a couple more Ladyhawke songs that I thought you might enjoy.

First up is Paris Is Burning. This is arguably the song most of us have come to know and love while it sat for so long on her myspace, almost as a herald of good times ahead.

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Ladyhawke – Paris Is Burning

It just screams carefree summers spent in continental climes, of happy 60s films and summer dresses. Every bit the summer anthem. I love it.

Next up is Manipulating Woman. This is a more recent addition to her myspace page and what an addition it is too.

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Ladyhawke – Manipulating Woman

I could wax lyrically about how this sounds more modern and more immediate than Paris Is Burning, but that doesn’t matter quite as much as simply knowing that this is really quite good. Simple as that.

I remarked in another post that we’re starting to see the blogosphere mark their picks of “artists to watch in ’08″. Well, ladies and gentlemen, Ladyhawke is on my list of artists I’ll be watching this year.

Watching to see if she performs live the next time she’s in Wellington.

Watching to see if she busts out any new material.

Watching to see if she rekindles her collaboration with Pnau‘s Nick Littlemore in Teenager.

Expect greatness people. I know I do. On the basis of her work so far, how can you not?

Ladyhawke @ myspace

Pnau @ myspace

Teenager @ myspace

It seems being on the other side of the world has its advantages after all. Upon hearing Culture Prophet would be handing out CDs at their NYE set in Spartanburg (I have no idea where this is other than somewhere in the US of A), an immediate if plaintive cry for help from down here in the deep dark bowels of the South Pacific saw a little treasure arrive in my inbox almost anon-like.

Ladies and gentlemen, Culture Prophet have just dropped their latest homegrown effort and it is rather good. The song is Here Comes Nasty.

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Culture Prophet – Here Comes Nasty.

You can taste hints of their earlier song Hustler, the familiar hand clap-thump refrain in their remixes of other people’s work, and the lashings of distortion we’ve come to know and love. I really quite like this. I really do.

I’ve been sitting on this for a few days now, not really sure what to do with it. Its a good song and I’m really enjoying it, so it wasn’t through damaged pride or disappointment. I guess I just didn’t want it to get lost in the thunderous torrent of fairly-banal end-of-year lists that have stricken the blogsophere in recent weeks.

With attention seeming to have since shifted to “artists to watch in ’08″-type posts and with so many of their remixes getting more and more attention on the blogosphere, I’d say the time is right for more of their own work to be given a chance to shine.

Culture Prophet @ myspace

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:
Read the rest of this entry »

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
Read the rest of this entry »

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