[digiraatii]

I'm not usually the type of guy to pay attention to any local acts, as I'm usually glued to what's going on half way around the world when it comes to music. But I was pleasantly surprised to stumble across DIGIRAATII, a DJ trio which happens to be from Cleveland (OH, not UK). I met two thirds of the group at a MSTRKRFT show last year, and in a twist of fate, here I am blogging about them, cool. Speaking of... the influence MSTRKRFT has had on their music is upfront and in your face, just like the bass in their music.

The first track up is their remix of Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "Heads Will Roll" I know there have been a ton of YYY remixes out there since their album dropped, but this one sticks out as one of the better ones I've heard. The vocal skipping into the banger beats works oh so well. Expect this one to get passed around a bit.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (DIGIRAATII Dance Til You're Dead Remix)

Next up is their original track "Digital Nghtmre" which is a tad less in your face as their remix. But still, they've made it known they are going for that banger feel, when the heavy bass creeps back in.


DIGIRAATII - Digital Nghtmre

Lastly, this trio try their hands at Hard Fi's "Hard To Beat". You can really tell these guys work their music for the clubs. This track is ripe to be assaulting your eardrums on the dance floor.


Hard Fi - Hard To Beat (DIGIRAATII Remix)


I know this is late, but if you happen to be in the Columbus area, they will be headlining a showcase for their record label JETBLACK EMPIRE @ Bristol Bar TONIGHT .. so yes, hurry! You still have a few hours to make it. Sadly I'm going to have to miss it tonight, but I'll be following these guys to see where they go from here.

While you're at it get on over to their Myspace and introduce yourselves, I'm sure they'd love it.

[mashepest]

Ok I'm pretty stoked about this writeup, this dude's one of the top upcoming producers right now in my opinion and he's been gracious enough to send us a lot of his tracks. Oh yes, some of these tracks are making their premier exclusively right here and now. word.

Making his DiscoHands debut and essentially his first blogosphere feature, let me introduce Mashepest, an upcoming producer from the UK. You might recognize him from what I consider last year's remix of the year when he remixed Lemonade's track "Real Slime". I'm a fan of Lemonade, but the sick transformation he did was uncanny, turning the tame original into his own psych-disco freak out, single-handedly putting them on the map.

Lemonade - Real Slime (Mashepest Remix)

Mashepest has been been doing music for a while now, and although classically trained, he says he was a big listener of 90's chart music which has been a big influence on his current music. Mashepest has also been producing grime music for years under his moniker Grime Reaper. And although he produces two separate brands of music, you can still hear faint hints of grime in both.

The thing I really dig about the music Mashepest is making, is that it's his own style. The music is extremely eclectic, and he's not out there mimicking the rest of the scene like so many others. Instead he's making his own scene and doing what he wants, not trying to share someone elses spotlight.

Keepin it rollin' here's a debut of the track "So Young" which has Mashepest's quick but chilled beats layered between some oh so lovely synths. The heavy synth action in this one at first put me to thinking Valerie Collective, but that quickly faded as the track progressed. Mashepest stays true to his own unique style.

Debut! Mashepest - So Young

Where "So Young" hints at being chill but still fast enough to keep your dancin shoes on, "Million" dives in head first. Although the track is chill as a penguin, there is much more going on here to keep you interested. Sounds like: µ-Ziq meets The KLF.

Mashepest - Million

"Technical Hitch" is another previously unreleased track which builds upon Mashepest's ability to use transformed vocal loops and package them with catchy uptempo bursts to create an intriguing track.

Debut! Mashepest - Technical Hitch

Mashepest continues to work his magic with his "O'Ryan Concept Remix", keepin it droned out with some off tempo beats. Again, he finds a way to remix something that others might not have the skills or imagination to. Sounds like : Bjork meets High Places.

Mashepest - O'Ryan Concept Remix

I think the sky is the limit for this dude, and surprised the blogosphere hasn't caught onto him as much as they have to some others out there. Mashepest wants you to lend him your ears, so here's the rest of his tracks for you to get your discohands on.

We Got Wires - Eye For An Eye (Mashepest Remix)
Mashepest - Fundamental
Mashepest - Mineral
Debut! Mashepest - Amstrad Rebellion
Debut! Mashepest - Eureka Sounds Good

Be some cool cats and mosey on over to his Myspace to buddy up and give some appreciation for this budding star.

[ahllex]

Meet DiscoHand's newest friend, Alexandre Doré AKA Ahllex, a 19 year old electro musician from Quebec, Canada. Ahllex has been putting out music already for over 7 years, starting when he was only 12 years old. He is also a man of many names and projects, having put out music on the side for his projects Kid 90, Le Discoboy, A Man Called Ahllex, Doremi, and Do It At Home, his most recent Electro Trash collaboration with Marc Rémillard (also of Doremi).

He's done remixes for Thieves Like Us, Fourplay, Ravage! Ravage!, Traumasick, Marc Rémillard, and Pop Inc. only to name a few. Ahllex's remix of "Looking for the KLF" was chosen as the runner up for Pop Inc's remix contest. As well, his remix for Marc Rémillard's "Feeling Fresh" will be on the illustrious So French Records with a special remix from none other than Xinobi, so stay tuned for that. Check this shit out!

Ahllex - Ghetto Blaster (Original Mix)
Do It At Home - Milk Bottles
Le Discoboy - Loving Night
Ravage! Ravage! - Oh My Beau Gigolo (Ahllex Remix)
Thieves Like Us - Drugs In My Body (Ahllex Remix)


As always, show this dude some love and support by visiting his Myspace and Twitter.

[data]

datA is due to release his new single "One In A Million" on April 28th featuring remixes from Tomboy and Drixxxé. The track features Sebastien Grainger of the now deceased Death From Above 1979. datA never ceases to amaze me as he's mastered the electro pop genre. The club remix adds a good amount of grit, staying true to the French Banger scene.

datA and Grainger have worked together before, remember "Rapture"? I think this cements it that datA needs to be a duo, not relying on Grainger's voice for limited guest appearances. As much success as he enjoyed with "Rapture", I'm hoping there is even more with "One In A Million" because the track is fuckin' ace.

datA - One In A Million
datA - One In A Million (Club Mix)
datA - Rapture (Pacific! Remix)

If you love datA as much as I do show him some <3 on his Myspace and drop in to BeatPort and iTunes on April 28th to grab up "One In A Million". Props to Death Electro for hooking a dude up with the Club Mix.

[Stephen Falken]

One half of The Outrunners AKA Stephen Falken of Valerie Collective just put out a new piece titled "The Deal." Falken takes us on a masterful synth fueled epic in the same way WORSHIP has done before. The piece is much more mellow and tame than Falken's "Shadow of the Wind" which is in more typical Valerie fashion.

I'm really glad someone is embracing this type of sound and giving us something to counterbalance the upbeat chorus heavy disco pop which I've recently started to overload on. I'm not complaining by any means, but let's not forget, variety is the spice life. :)

Stephen Falken - Shadow of the Wind
Stephen Falken - The Deal

[flashmen]

I know another blog beat me to the punch on "debuting" Flashmen. But hey, I think I can claim that I spotted Flashmen first. I blame this on my inability to party and post simultaneously (I'm learning). Bradley D! of Flashmen sent me over these two tracks and a bit more info about the band so I could get acquainted with them. Well I've really dug it and think you should give them a listen. So here it is.

Born out of a love for disco string hits and 80’s teen movie soundtracks, Flashmen bring a futuristic blend of vintage synthesizer lust and feel good vibes. The group began as a dream to move to the city and take back Armed with a knack for catchy melodies, the duo of Bradley D (DJ from New York’s Famous Friends) and Daniel E (singer/songwriter) tie together the Brooklyn and Chicago music scenes.

Their music takes you back to the days when you were young and idolized Don Johnson and Tom Selleck as they drove around town making witty quips before taking a beautiful woman home. Bradley describes their sound as “blending the soft romantic 80’s ballads of our childhoods with a little bit of funk.”

The first track to be released is Flashmen Theme which features Bradley D on vocals. The song is a great introduction to Flashmen, and slowly brings you into a world of leisure suits, bad hair, space ships, spies, and martinis. “Can you feel it in the air?” Johnny Quest would be proud.

The B-side to this quickie is Little Wildkat, a ballad with a driving arpeggiated bassline that keeps the groove throughout. Disco string hits and lasers abound and Daniel E’s voice goes a bit raspy to bring out his Indiana farmboy roots.

Give it a listen, dance a bit, shed a nostalgic tear, and embrace Flashmen!

Both tracks are really great, but I have become really intrigued with Flashmen Theme, it's golden.

Flashmen - Flashmen Theme
Flashmen - Little Wildkat

Thanks Bradley D! Looking forward to watching you guys grow and get the respect you guys deserve. Flashmen Myspace <3

[new tiga video]

Oh man have you guys seen Tiga's new video for "Shoes"? It's directed by Alex & Liane, and it's fuckin' strange. I was going to post this sooner, but I had to wait for the video to be created, sorry guys who think I need to be the first person to post everything.

"It imagines a horrifying dystopia in which people other than myself are interviewed," says the Man of Music Future, "I had to calm myself down by staring at my MySpace photos for a couple of hours."


Tiga "Shoes"

Shoes has been remixed by a shit ton of people so far, but Ed Banger's Mr. Oizo gives us one of the best. Spencer & Hill's remix is a bonus.

Tiga - Shoes (Mr Oizo Remix)
Tiga - Shoes (Spencer & Hill Remix)

Canadian dude Tiga will release Ciao! via Last Gang Records on May 26th and it's digital release will be on May 19th. So stay tuned! Show Tiga some Myspace <3

[little boots + the golden filter]

Ok I was going to go to sleep (sooo tired), but when you come across two in house favorites The Golden Filter AND Little Boots making music together, sleep can wait. Aleks over at discodust was generous to share this currently hard to come by remix, which is in glorious 320 might I add. The Golden Filter slow down the track to their own surreal and spacey style, but still keep it building up with the danceable chorus. Perfect for when the night is dying down and you want to go to sleep, and dream of Little Boots with The Golden Filter. ;)

I don't know if I can compare it to Fred Falke's remix of the same song because it is one of my favorite remixes this year, but this will definitely be playing non stop tomorrow. And while I'm at it and can't seem to stay away from Valerie Collective, check out the Russ Chimes Remix of The Golden Filter's Solid Gold, it's golden (I can't help myself).

Little Boots - New In Town (The Golden Filter Remix)
Little Boots - New In Town (Fred Falke Remix)
The Golden Filter - Solid Gold (Russ Chimes Remix)

*worships and loves*

Support the artists yall! Little Boots, The Golden Filter, Fred Falke, Russ Chimes.

[pegase]

There are 3 things that are a given in life, death, paying taxes, and France pumping out some of the best electronic music at a mind numbing pace. It seems like every day there is a new French genius producer dropping a sick track. Segue complete, France's Pégase gives us two new spacey tracks. As if Valerie Collective wasn't already hogging all the good acts, add Pégase to their lopsided roster. "Wherever You Are" has been compared to MGMT a bit, yes, yes I sorta hear it (No hatin, it's a compliment). "I Try To Be You" is my personal favorite of the two, much catchier and easier to dance all shoegaze like.

Pégase - Wherever You Are
Pégase - I Try To Be You

[Poney Poney + Pacific!]

We have a few new tracks from Poney Poney, French electro rock band extraordinaires. This Parisian duo continue to represent Institubes well. Their upcoming album has plenty of hype behind as it is produced by label mate Para One and *gasp* Xavier de Rosnay of Justice.

Disco Hands favorites, Sweden's Pacific! lend their hand to improve upon Poney Poney's third Institubes' single with their signature piano loop synth attack. A more upbeat Ariel Pink comes to mind here. Grab up the Pacific! remix of datA's Rapture if you don't have it already, classic.

Poney Poney - When Do You Wanna Stop Working?
Poney Poney - When Do You Wanna Stop Working? (Pacific! Remix)
Pacific! - A Tree (Poney Poney Remix)
datA - Rapture (Pacific! Remix)

You can get Poney Poney's new When Do You Wanna Stop Working? EP at Arcade Mode. As well as Pacific!'s Number One EP at Hot Stuff.

[valerie party + college - the secret diary mix]

DH favorites Valerie will be putting on their Valerie Party in La Flèche D'Or with label acts College, Anoraak and Maethelvin. As a bonus, The talented Canadian electro group Electric Youth will be performing their first European live show here, so if you are lucky enough to be around, I suggest emailing valeriejetaime@free.fr as the first 20 emailers get put down on the guest list, score!

Electric Youth will be selling their special edition EP exclusively at the the event, so yeah (buy buy buy!).

College Featuring Electric Youth - She Never Came Back (Russ Chimes Remix)

College Featuring Electric Youth - She Never Came Back (The Outrunners Remix)



And if this isn't enough great news, Valerie has put up'a sonic adventure' dubbed "The Secret Diary Mix" by College. This mix is a follow up to College's "The Teenage Color Mix" and is a nice tease to get you pumped up for Tthhee Ppaarrttyy .

tracklist:

01 - College - The Golden Messenger
02 - I.M.S - Dancing Therapy
03 - College feat Anoraak - Fantasy Park (Loose Shus Remix)
04 - Sneaky Sound System - When We Where Young (Breakbot Remix)
05 - Live Element - Something About You
06 - Clio - Eyes
07 - V.U.L.V.A - White BMW (Legowelt Remix)
08 - The Hasbeens - Make The World Go Away
09 - College feat Minitel Rose - The Energy Story (DVAS Remix)
10 - Miami Horror - Make You Mine
11 - Fred Falke - 8:08 pm @ The Beach
12 - Coeur de Pirate - Comme Des Enfants (Le Matos Andy Carmichael Remix)

College - The Secret Diary Mix

Just a reminder, don't forget to grab up College's first CD album "Secret Diary" over at La Baleine. Mintel Rose, Electric Youth, and Anoraak all contribute (noice!).

[surkin remixes the juan maclean]

I had to debate putting this one up because it's been blogged about a little bit by now. But then I came to my senses and realized IT'S SURKIN DUDE!! The Golden Child lends his talents to remixing The Juan MacLean's "One Day" and it's fuckin' ace as usual from the Institubes genius. Surkin turns the track into a full fledged electro house love fest. Boy's got the Midas Touch, 'cause this shit is gold.

Oh yeah, if for some reason you don't have Surkin's Gloves Off Mix, grab it up. It has one of the best intros built around Fred Falke's 8:08pm @ The Beach and Dj Ayres' Mr Kirk's Nightmare, and for some reason finds a way to make Nu Nu boss.

The Juan MacLean - One Day (Surkin Remix)

Surkin - Gloves Off Mix

Make sure you grab up Surkin's One Day remix at TurnTableLab. And show all these guys some <3 at their myspaces (links above as usual).