Saturday, December 31, 2011

Ende und Anfang

My very rusty German spells out 'the end and the start' as my 2011 closes in Berlin. It has been a wild and different year for myself as i am sure it has been for everyone else - what does next year hold? (normality, stability, structure and sensibility?) i certainly hope not, but have a feeling it may. However for everyone and myself included tonight looms (or has finished) and so do heartwamers/heartbreakers, inebriated  success'/sober regrets and pure ecstasy/the pits.

So as for 2011 it was a conquering and ruining year for bass heavy music as dubstep gods were seen for their true 'brosteppin' talent, whilst for disco and funk it still is growing and missing that edge of acclaim. Ozzies can lift their head high with Cut Copy being nominated for a grammy whilst some fresh and revived talent rocked it at home... many building the already solid scene we have a reaching new heights as far a festivals and gigs!!

Speaking of the top releases in the eyes of drunkfunk here are our top ten albums of 2011...

10. Audio, Video, Disco - Justice
Although the much anticipated album did not fulfil the acclaim and was the target of many criticism's it still remains to be an awesome album that it is diverse amongst vast festival fields or simple bedroom banging (just a little below Justice's super high standard).

9. Living on the Edge of Time - Yuksek
A big change of pace for Yuksek who was previously known for some great dancefloor anthems and has now proved he too has the power of electro pop as he has released an 'on the road' themed gem.

8. In the Grace of Your Love - The Rapture
The multi-talented and genre cross dressing group have put out another great album which will see them give it a work out on the road with trips to Australia already announced and a huge tour schedule across America and Europe - one packed with variety and some pure funk!

7. Total - SebatiAn
The Ed Banger wizzkid dropped his massive first full length release which embraces his thrash heavy and gritty early style with some added rhythm's and hooks that gives his new sound some depth far above his years - the title track Embody is the absolute antithesis of this!

6. The English Riviera - Metronomy
A summer-breezy release that has got a big European workout even though it peaked in the cold winter. This English group keep on growing and getting better with their bass slapping, synth-heavy release also getting a very big and superb remix workout.


5. Pala - Friendly Fires
Although unlike the others it is only an LP - it is a fun packed, full paced release that channels some deep house piano riffs and sees the British trio experiment even further with more sampling in their unique style of electro-pop... this one is sure to build their fan base above the majorly teeny-bopper crowd as it casts some new wise production quality into their groovy sound.

4. Making Mirrors - Gotye
Deserving of many more awards in Australia, every Boy and his Bear is a fan of the massively successful title track 'Somebody That I Used to Know', however this album has much more depth then that and is probably the most versatile i have heard this year. Skipping across genre's and using an array of different instruments the efforts and influences that went into this Belgian born Aussie boy's release. This video shows just that level and creativity which has given birth to one of the best Australian albums to date - and a sure Hottest 100 winner.

3. SBTRKT - SBTRKT
A premier release which has answered the call and saved dubstep from internal 'brostep' destruction. The man who DJs behind a tribal mask uses various influences in his post-dubstep thriller of an album and has rapidly built a huge following all around the world. Some smooth vocal appearances on the record put together this years best debut album!

2. Zonoscope - Cut Copy
The grammy nominated indie release is a superb follow up to their hugely successful 'In Ghost Colours'. Cut Copy fly the Australian flag high and lead in the way of homegrown talent. This album although not being as popular in oz as overseas has lifted the trio to all new levels, playing Coachella, being announced in the Virgin Concerts from a peoples vote and of course winning many awards and stealing many hearts with their intimate live show.

1. Hurry Up, Were Dreaming - M83
This album is best described through a full listening, start to end. Containing a lot more then the french touch, M83 takes you on a journey through dreamy synth pop to some ambient electro sounds. Due for a trip to oz with SBTRKT for the Laneway Festival, his sideshow is looking like it will be one of the hottest tickets on the 2012 calendar. The rest is best left heard, not talked about - grow yourselves some ears mutants and get this one inside of you!!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Mr Jack Union


As the winter bite of Britain’s weather sinks its teeth further in some warming and relaxing tunes have surfaced for consumption with the standard tea & scones diet. Chad Valley has created some more soothing tunes to tantalate the ears of many. Away from his solo moniker Hugo Manuel has also released an EP with his collective band formation Trophy Wife, called 'Bruxism' – who are getting some very big reviews and props all through the industry. Trophy Wife are ones to watch in 2012 as the potential they show has enough vigour to have brought big hitter James Yuill on to produce many of their tracks. In a review of their EP BBC noted that their sound has "the irrational twitch of Talking Heads and the propulsive pulse of New Order". The overall versatility of Trophy Wife and Chad Valleys tracks mean it can be well absorbed for the melancholy mood of European winter or the dreamy bliss of summer Down Under. You may not find yourself grinding away to 'Bruxism' as the title actually infers, but rather ecstatically and safely enjoying some quality tunes with your pearly whites.


Saturday, November 5, 2011

you-ess-ay


As the grunge and grime of Budapest's nightlife looms, the fitting glitchy and thrashy tunes of funkadelic frenchman Surkin seem very fitting. With his much anticipated second album 'USA' just released from his own label (founded with Para One & Bombo) 'Marble Records' - it currently under the iTune and Blogosphere gang-rape. 'USA' is full of great collaborations and an excellent range between his original take on slamming electro and the more club/radio worthy tunes; made listenable to the fainthearted by some soothing vocals and samples. All in all Benoit Heitz has pulled out the goods on this one - and just in time for an ozzie summer df slamming!!

P.S. Get your music-scene supporting slacks on and make a purchase you will not be disappointed. 


Friday, November 4, 2011

junior gems



New Beginnings and new experiences have been rampant for me in the last few months – and within this new music, discoveries and some fresh beats have been invading my eardrums of late. Of these none are more impressive then the young talent which is starting to emerge on the scene. It is scary for me as a DJ and very amateur producer to hear such tunes popping out of these kids, but overall very exciting for the music scene!

One who is more widely known and shall be a prevalent industry name after his upcoming shows (I Love Techno in Belgium for me – and Stereosonic for those in OZ) is Madeon. Still not legally able to smash a beer, he has instead turned his focus to smashing out poppy, feel-good electro and one helluva crazy Mashup that you can catch him live sampling here and download below… prepare to feel outdated.





Of equally impressive production quality and youth is the new member of Boys Noize Records; SCNTST. With only a year of DIY Ableton jamming under his belt, this kid is jamming out some modern tech-house tracks which would hold there own in any Berlin nightclub at 5am. Unfortunately it is said on signing that he “has only been to a club once underage and hated it”, so I guess he has a bit to get used to and probably a few years before he will hit ozzie shores.


Saturday, October 29, 2011

Trippin'



The constantly evasive ‘check-in’ with the world left behind in Sydney today reminded me to update upon my trip. For those to whom I have become a bit of a Jason Bourne in Europe – my current whereabouts lies between Turkey and Bulgaria. I have been here so far for 67 days, I have stayed under 31 different roofs, caught 23 regional trains, crossed around 14 borders – and amongst all of this only vomited once! I have written a travel journal which contains some absolute gold and other stories that shall be taken with me to Davie Jones Locker… however I thought that a good way to sum up my trip to offer a song which is has a lot of meaning towards each countries I have been in.



Spain:

Portugal:

France:

Monaco:  

Amsterdam: 

Germany: 

Croatia: 

Bosnia: 

Serbia: 

Bulgaria: 

Turkey: 

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Hungry Like A ****


Apologies for those who are tune malnourished, due to my most recent lapse in posting - however i am preparing for a eurotrip, on which stylised posts will be frequent.
A couple more feed's until then however and on the menu today is only one dish, yet its a biggun!

Duck Sauce (A-Trak + Van Helden) have followed their viral success of 'Barbara Streisand' with an array of well sampled and disco/funk infused jams such as; 'Grand Steppin', 'Your Nasty' and 'Goody Two Shoe's'. Now this wolf pack has produced another humorous yet groovy track - which instead of poking fun at past celebrities has targeted a refix on a child nursery rhyme.


peace!
Dick Sawce

Monday, June 13, 2011

Monday Roast


ola amigo's!
My deliriously brain-fried and extremely scat Sunday recovery sessions have recently consisted of coffee, bananas, action movie's, tar and the occasional hair of the dog brewske.
However.... as the always chaotic long weekend was just upon us - i find myself wedged in a mish-mashed delirium of Mondayitis (manic/monday ~ syndrome) and Scatrrhea (sunday/brain ~ roast).
My saviour this time being an extensive session of 203 new downloads.... and a fucking good omelette! :)

So upon serving you up some main course tracks to 'munch' into - i have centred the appetiser's upon a very promising Ozzie act. Yet again the land down under has produced another excellent indie-electro live act!! Any who know me personally may have heard me raving about this melbournian 4 peice - and making big comparisons to Aussie acts such as The Preset's and Cut Copy. However rash these may be the depth and fine tuned sound they have already got put's them in such a league - Although factors of the changing electro music scene and their overall swagger may not see these 'strangies' stoop to commercial and eventually 'apocolypso
tic' levels. I shall let their tracks do the talking for you and i am crossing my toes that they keep up the production quality and great indie hooks in future songs!!

As always also the main course selections follow below also....

Entre's
An irresistible hook of 'like a chainsaw' companied with some great multilayered synth pop

Repeated dish on the drunkfunk menu... if you missed it then chow down


Main's
Jumpy, bass-slapping, pure nu-disco which waters the mouth and pumps the rollercafe

Sweat It Out freshface punches out a top dancefloor beat - topped with some rad sampling

a precise and quality track which you expect from A-trak and Armand Van Helden

some tantalising mild wobbles and drops, garnished with some raw vocals


As always enjoy your meal.
peace!
nicK

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The Great Pyramid of Lyon


French electro & pyramid's - unheard of.
Well maybe not Daft Punk, but certainly a fresh face on a very familiar and always impressive French electro scene. Pyramid produces some great synthy and melodic electro then slow's the bpm and add's the deep tech house French libido, to tracks which at times float you through Neil Armstrong's spaceboots and at other moments have you a cruising Moscow street's in some string enhanced brilliance. I am not often blown away by premiere EP's of straight out electro acts these days - who are somewhat replicating movements and similar beats of the so called French Touch movement... however this has done the number on me.
Repetitive and slow progressing synth and drum loops (which ache of a middle ground between Justice, Daft Punk and Cassius) reflect a very refined production quality which many young-guns simply yearn for.

Make up your own mind on this new French phenomenon with original tracks and a doozie remix.


BONUS

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

skunk or funk?


"Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live" - Socrates

To accomodate for those who'd prefer not having their ribcage exploded by rude and heavy basslines - but then again for those who are simply not satisfied without beats tarnishing their liver or eardrum... i have decided to offer a musical menu which holds a variety of thrashed angst to tropical bliss meals - open for your consumption each week.
So....

Entre's

A classic and elegant sample moulds well with a very fucking heavy thrash line

SOlid electro/indie pop which seaming back up vox and light electro synth line channels 'Klaxons', 'Cut Copy' and 'Passion Pit'.


Main's

A timeless rock-ballad is given a crank-a-dank and hit heavy with churning dirty basslines

Tropical horns and an array of retro samples are given a nu-disco and bass heavier remix to create whats better than the 'boy from oz' original [reference?]


Enjoy your meal...
peace out!
nicK

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Seafood Sensation



Pablo Calamari; According to his label 'Sweat It Out' grew up "on crayfish and olive oil... before being washed into the world of Caribbean riddims, sun-washed dreams and ghetto booty flava..."

The multiculturally 'riddim' infused Pablo Calamari is not just another top producing toy for Ajax and his banging Australian label, but he is also releasing what i presume to be some BIG clubbing and acclaimed tunes.

He may have slightly missed the boat as many of his cranking beats are summer suited to afternoon corona's and beach trips. Nevertheless with a line of other chart topping producers in the same label (and many lending a hand on remixing his stuff)... Pablo Calamari is set to be a firm favorite in the Australian electro scene some time in the future!

Enjoy the tracks homeboys and girls!
peace!
nicK


Monday, March 21, 2011

Back on The Food Chain!


Making a return from the animal kingdom (my updating and forever shuffling iTunes) and getting back in the eye of drunkfunk are Zebra & Snake. In case you missed it we featured this mammal and reptilian combo a while back and the tunes this Finish pair put out on their EP 'Nighttime' still are being favoured by the millions of tiny hair in my ear's. So i do not like to be too repetitive but i do believe these guys deserve another listen and I tip their debut album (whenever it may be released) to tickle the testicles of indie and electro kids world wide.

Along with a tune + remix pair their is also a trippy video to a new track of theirs!
peace!
nicK



Sunday, March 13, 2011

FUTURE... It's a time to think about the past


The fitting words of a Cut Copy jam lay out the post reflection (whether any sleep occurred or not) on what truly was a massive Future Music Festival 2011 (SYD)!!! As some sceptics may have criticised the logistics of the event prior to yesterday - namely the amount of stages and the usual snares and clashes of the set-times - they were all silenced, turned or beheaded by what the day turned out to be.... showing the potential that 'hype' can have, but is often not witnessed on the sporadic and wavering sydney club and music scene!!

The Good's:
--> the weather pulling together
--> turnout of people in relation to space/layout etc
and the overall vibe of the crowd/artist's and event!!

The Grouse:
--> to see presets can still jam and mix up a two year old set (new stuff on the horizon for mid to later this year)
--> the man who always delivers on his continual world tours (not sure does he stop?)... anyway the coolest asian since Confucius, absolute entertainer and head of DIM MAK Records - Steve A fucking oki.
--> The Chemical Brother's closing and incredibly impressive set, a big fan came back a bigger one - and much of this credit much go to the visual show which cannot be payed homage by dodgy youtube recordings or pictures.... so so f'ing rad!!

The Dirty Minga's:
-->a 400 dollar alcohol consumption on public transport fine
--> being the only one to notice that within the reworked and tweaked Preset's set... they used the instrumental and almost verbally performed Tom Middleton's remix of their track 'If I Know You'

The songs below encapsulate a great day for me and hopefully others! i have chucked in a couple of ripe tracks as well for those who wish not to mull over missing out on what i believe topped Field Day & Big Day Out... and currently leads my favourite event, festival and general experience for 2011 - the munted expression's, ecstatic outburst's and childish grins from gates open to gates closed tell me many more will be agreeing!!
peace
nicK!!


Sunday, February 20, 2011

seasons change & tunes resume




The above incapsulates this Australian summer!
(it was not summer it was some Ozone raped season of musical and partying bliss)
Crystal Fighter's massive and well-known tune 'In The Summer' has a cool yet very random and cool video that does not do very much for matching with the song title!

The autumn leaves are now falling people! Although with belated summer heat and the ensemble of parties/festivals continue so do the tunes. Below are a couple of tracks from Cut Copy's highly anticipated and eventually leaked (even though its out now and has been for a while) album 'Zonoscope'. It is slightly more somber than 'In Ghost Colours' and touches more into their dark indie rock side rather than the dance. However overall its an awesome melancholic album with some very solid tracks - and most importantly it was not released in sync with (and the effective shadow of) 'Apocalypso'. For more indie-kids i have chucked in a cool cover of Yeasayer's huge track 'O.N.E'!!
Will be back shortly with some bigger beats and huge drops so don't reach for the tissues just yet crankers!
peace!
nicK

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

emphasis on the M!


Hiyo!!!
So super chiller MMMatthias has released a sweet new mixtape which sits in between festival shades and golden gaytime's on the "Smooth Summer Checklist"!!! The mix includes a dope tracklist which will get you more crunk then Charlie Sheen.
Enjoy it.
peace!
nicK

MMMatthias CHORDS Mix by MMMatthias

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

tw20ty t10n


Good morrow strangers!!!
After many difficulties with our account and posting/receiving on it, drunkfunk is back!

It may be well into the new year but i figure i would share with you a belated summary of drunkfunk's favourite tracks, remixes, albums and compilations of the year gone by -- 2010.

OUR TIPTOP 10 of 2010 -->

10. Rock It - Little Red
9. The Island - Pendulum
8. Odessa - Caribou
7. Let's Go Surfing - The Drums
6. Swoon - The Chemical Brothers
5. Holidays - Miami Horror
4. Way Back Home - Bag Raiders
3. After Dark - The Count & Sinden feat. Mystery Jets
2. Teenage Crime - Adrian Lux
1. Crave You - Flight Facilities

We will be back more regularly from now on...
so keep your eyes 'peeled' for 'sawcy' new tracks and some stuff of our own!!
peace!
nicK