This isn’t exactly timely, but I’ve been spinning a lot of Bent tracks lately and thought I should share it with the masses (if you don’t already have them on your iPod). They’re a duo, they’re from England. You’ve probably caught a track or two from the myriad ads on the tube. Here’s some Bent material I’ve snatched from the grab bag. And the “Magic Love” track? Maybe one of my favorite tracks of all time–definite top-10 material. I feel like it belongs in a James Bond credits scene. 

Bent_The Everlasting Blink_09_Magic Love.mp3

Bent-Always-mIGHTY-mOUSE-remix-FINAL-MP3-112.mp3

Bent – To Be Loved_mr B Remix.mp3

Oops. Almost forgot what day it is (the answer: Thursday [ie. Throwback Thursday]). I’m not sure what to make of this track by Brick. Not really R&B, as the tempo is a bit too jaunty and brisk. It almost sounds like showtunes, but I’m pretty adverse to musical theater in general, so I’m gonna block that aspect out of my brain. Think: Sesame Street meets Sly Stone. Yeah, there you go. 

Brick – Happy.mp3

It’s come to my attention that Phoenix is the most remix-able band still active (as far as guitar-based bands go). I mean, has there ever been a passable rendition of a U2 song? Fred Falke came close with his effort on “Magnificent,” but it wasn’t anything to write home about.  Oh, and let’s not forget that widely-panned rework of “Let Love Rule” done by Justice (the music video [and yes, it has a music video] is pretty clever though). 

Anyway, I have an entire army of Phoenix remixes, but my favorite comes from the venerable Alex Metric. I think there are a few Metric mixtapes floating out there somewhere. I highly recommend them, and am far too lazy to find them for you. I do, however, have the aforementioned Phoenix song. 

Phoenix-Lisztomania (Alex Metric Remix) 1.mp3

Celebrate this glorious weekend with a track from Kimouts. It’s given a facelift from The Diogenes Club, who are making their first ripples through the Rod Blogdagosphere. For you literary types, The Diogenes Club is a reference to the fictional gentleman’s club that Sherlock Holmes would occasionally frequent. The club was founded by Holmes’s brother and had a reputation of harboring steely and unsociable men. Lucky for us, The Diogenes Club (the band) doesn’t share the same anti-social inclinations (at least not in their music).

Sometimes- Kimouts (The Diogenes Club remix)

I talk about the weather often. I think this puts people off a bit, for they think I’m uninterested in sharing a meaningful conversation with them. But really, the weather has a discernable effect on my psyche and somatic states. For instance, when there’s an abrupt shift in the seasons, my allergies go off the grid. And when its hot and muggy, I’m sluggish and lazy. 

So, after what seems to be a monthlong curse of heatwaves and unreliable weather reports, I’m giddy about the perfect day we’re having today: sunny, a high of 80, the skyline clear (or as clear as a skyline can be in LA). It’s a fuck-king amazing day, I tell you what. Anyway, enough of that. Here’s Linus Loves’ new single. 

Linus Loves – European Vacation.mp3

Yet another heat wave in LA. This Summer feels a bit clingy, like a toddler unable to depart with his safety blanket. But then again, no toddler in the world can make me feel like my eyeballs are melting. 

Recourse? Another edition of Throwback Thursdays, of course. Cool down with this remix of a Bill Withers’s tune. 

Bill Withers-Lovely Day (DJ Eleven Remix Do-Over).mp3

1. What’s up with my bronchial tubes?

2. Has the Kanye “Ima Let You Finish” meme gotten stale already? Either way, this Alan Braxe remix of “Broken Hearted Girl” isn’t “one of the best of all time,” but I’m sure it’s better than anything you can do with a Taylor Swift song. 

Beyonce-Broken-Hearted Girl (Alan Braxe Dub)

Meet Bestrack. They’re from France. Their productions are heavily tinted with a shade of 80s. Think aviators and pushed-up sleeves. Just check out their Myspace (the pastels! the dancers with leg warmers!)

Here’s my treatment for the Wishmaker music video: it’s a prom, set in the late 80s, the rallying cry of the yuppies is down to its last trumpet. Everyone shows up to the gym in garish, ill-fitting suits. The girls sport big, billowing hairdos clouding with chemical fumes. Somehow a killer has broken out of the nearby state penitentiary. What ensues is a 4 minute-slasher flick along the lines of “Sleepaway Camp” meets “Save By The Bell.” Michel Gondry will direct. Call my people. 

Bestrack-Do it All Night.mp3

Bestrack-Wishmaker (Worship Remix).mp3

This weekend has been one hell of a whirlwind. On Friday I had a last minute call-up to DJ a party. Said party turned out to be at a sorority beach house in Santa Barbara. I was worried that the mist from the ocean air would cause some problems on the tables but it went off without a hitch. 

Then yesterday I headed up to Ojai (this would make it my second trip to the SB area in two days) for my first non-familial wedding. It was held in a quaint, quasi-mansion with a saloon and horse ranch in the back. At nightfall, the saloon was filled with the hazy fog of cigar smoke and the ribald of men glazed over with cognac. There was even a pool table, on which I laid it out and stuck it to a couple of fools (sidepocket). 

As for today, I’m going to have to fix a hole in my wall. It’s a long story, but I’m certain that my Sunday won’t be as merry and spontaneous as the previous escapades. And all of this is going on while I fight the ongoing battle against bronchitis. Bummer. But hey, here’s a Fred Falke remix to keep the weekend-spirit young and alive.  

Burns-First_Move_Fred_Falke_Remix.mp3

Has Classixx ever produced a track that was more than 120 BPM??  I can’t really qualify this as a complaint though, as their library of work has been a fairly even and solid one. Their remix of Yacth’s Summer-Jam-Deluxe, “Psychic City,” has all the hallmarks of  a Classixx production: delayed vocals, saccharine choruses, jittery synths, etc. The centerpiece, however, is the bassline that plows ahead like a warship. I’ve been hitting the “replay” button all day. Check it. 

Yacth-Psychic City (Classixx Remix).mp3