Egyptian Hip Hop

As much as I adore videos with massive budget and production; the kind that pulls out all manner of fireworks, cameos, wardrobe and big dance numbers  (I'm sure y'all know what I'm talking about), I really really love that Egyptian Hip Hop have gone down the straight forward, un-fussy route for their first video of 'Wild Human Child'.

It's simple. The EHH lads are jamming out the track (which is a super cleaned up, polished version of the demo I have, grab it below, from back when it was called 'Fresh') - which, in actual fact, now sounds really really great.

And if you haven't already, go check the piece and interview (and drawing!) we did on them a while back and cop some more tracks too. Now check the video and listen to 'Fresh' turned out as 'Wild Human Child' below:

The only concession to even vaguely camping it up being the atmospheric camera angles and lighting - well, there are a couple of spotlights beaming at the camera from behind the drums. Otherwise, it's all pretty po-faced, except for drummer Al P's numerous face obscuring accessories and his use of mittens, a blankie and poor little plant as part of his drum kit. I'm really starting to feel the youthful, pimply and hopeful (yet otherwise deadpan and perhaps quiet) joy about their future as perfectly exhibited by the opening (and unmasked) shot of Al P:

Ah the joy of youth!

The label that brought us new songs from the likes of Holy Ghost!, Chromeo, Matt and Kim and more might be facing their biggest release so far. That's because the first single of the year from digital label Green Label Sound is the first release of lo fi sensation (feel free to laugh at this definition) Neon Indian since his spectacular debut album Psychic Chasms.

'Sleep Paralysist' is your typical underwater-psychedelic-synthpop number from Alan Palomo that could easily fit onto Psychic Chasms; the only difference here being that the production is much more clean and precise than the songs on his debut. And that's due to 'Sleep Paralysist' having been co-produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor in his Terrible Studios in Brooklyn (where else would it be?).

As of all the other releases from Green Label Sound, 'Sleep Paralysist' is freely shared on the internet. Don't you just love these new labels? If you happen to be in Austin during SXSW, they throwing a party on March 19^th with Ra Ra Riot, Theophilus London, Tanlines, Solid Gold, Classix and, of course, Neon Indian.

Work by Mrzyk & Moriceau 

Any article mentioning Sébastien Tellier needs to have the word sex somewhere in it. Not because he is beautiful - or even hot - but because he, an odd, bearded, forty something French man, is way sexier than any old Megan Fox type wearing shorts humping a motorbike. Of course this isn't necessarily true if you're a eighteen year old boy who can't wait to the see the third installation of 'Transformers', but as time goes by you might agree with me. There isn't anything sexier than someone who knows their business.

After going through his releases, reading his interviews, watching his live gigs and seeing how he turned down a DJ set because he wouldn't be allowed to smoke a cigar during it, we've decided we're on Team Tellier. And Monsieur Sébastien has proved us right again with a new video for the post coital tune 'Look'.

The video directed by Mrzyk & Moriceau shows a semi-erotic animation about a perfect ass (not a donkey). Yes, an ass. An ass that slinks around the world farting diamonds and phasing through a range of different clothes and dimensions. Just too creative to ignore.

'Look' is part of the 10^th anniversary celebrations of the Record Makers label.

When you are in one of the biggest electronic duos of the past decade you can do anything. You can release a collection based on clothes you already wear (no creativity necessary), you can record a staged tour DVD to impress other DJs (yes, you party harder than them), you can remix bands that you and your fans don't actually care about anymore just for the cash (I've heard U2's label pays lots and lots of money)...Yes, basically anything.

But the best way to spend your free time - after you've made yourself a tidy bit of money of course! We all like money - after all of that, is to take a year off and get interesting again.

That might have sounded a little dry, but in fact, I really admire the career choices that Justice has made (okay, so I don't *love* the U2 and Lenny Kravitz remixes) and now the French producers are at it again with a new move. From all the rumors about them releasing music under a new name et al, there's one project that really caught my eye: Jamaica.

Xavier de Rosnay, half of Justice, helped the boys from Pony Pony transition to Jamaica - only after they promised not to use any synths in the studio. And after reworking some songs from Pony Pony (which was probably scratched because of the band Pony Pony Run Run), they released their first single, 'I Think I Like U 2'.

Although we are not huge fans of the use of numbers instead of letters, we are totally into the sunny vibe proposed by the song. In fact, it's probably the freshest song we've heard in a while:  It's the sound of teenagers who weren't too bored to form a band like The Teenagers. Another example, Jamaica is basically what Van She should be (minus the looks. Let's be frank, the boys from Van She are way prettier).

As remixers, Jamaica are also quite interesting. They took the new Flairs single, 'Radio', added a helluva funky bass line, played with some scratches and spiced it up with reggae elements. I don't wanna say it, but I think I like it better than the original.

Ed Banger's new darlings are going to release the video for 'I Think I Like U 2' soon (guess who is going to direct the colorful and animated video?) and already found a place on the new Kitsuné Compilation. We expect fun things for them, and hopefully won't be disappointed.

As soon as Azari & III's remix of HEALTH's 'We Are Water' kicked in, my first thought was of 80s Ghostbuster fabulousness - kinda cartoony and cut with a little bit of Thriller. I'm not sure if it's cause I'm feeling all the Tron hype today, but I'm vibing this suuuper sick remix in all it's crunky, industrial, electronically thick and bouncy glory.

The track kinda stalks like on a catwalk for it's 5mins 39secs, in a flamboyantly tough and decidedly camp fashion, oozing a little bit of that icy-ness of Health I know and love, but totally fattened out. It's like some beefcake of a ghetto tranny werking it real hard to execute a Jen Beals Flashdance moment in a games arcade. Is that weird? Or just awesome.

via

Anand

The new video for Yeasayer's latest single 'O.N.E.' makes me giggle so much. It's high budet, kinda new-new rave, and a big mixed bag full of other seemingly random hipsteryishy stuff.

The video sorta follows this guy - firstly borrowing a little from Alex Mac and the Matrix's Agent Smith's copying technique - who gatecrashes a warehouse party full of East London looking dress up types and a caged Yeasayer fronted by an artfully ghetto netted Anand, who, incidentally, reminds me of Sati (from the third installation of the Matrix trilogy) with his cute little bob-style 'do.

Also featured are a trio of supremely enthusiastic dancers glad in rainbow warrior drop crotch trousers, a Lady Gags-esque figure crying into her martini glass and a game/test scenario, played with neon lights and colours and 3-D shapes.

This track is really cool, and though I don't have much of a clue as to what any of the video means, it sure is fun to watch. Check it below:

Wolf Gang

Seeing as I didn't really dig the original of 'The King And All Of His Men' from Wolf Gang (though what I did love was the super cool Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaur remix of it), his latest demo called 'Back to Back' came as a bit of a surprise. In fact, I quite love what the London School of Economics drop-out Max McElligott is doing on this track.

It's lovely, clean and refreshingly 'real'. I enjoyed his falsetto in the chorus, the piano is deep and quite dramatic, I like how the vocal sits back in the mix, I like that little noise that occasionally arcs across the song. Check it:

AND McElligott makes a pretty sick video too, check it below - it's a flickering montage of curated images saturated with colour, like a tumblr on crack. I'll be interested to see where Wolf Gang is going with all this...

I'm digging the Douster and the Style of Eye remixes of Kid Sister's latest track, 'Daydreaming' - which I've been listening to alongside the single on repeat for about half an hour, because 1) I really like the track and 2) I can't quite put a finger on any of them right now.

I think perhaps the reason for this is because both remixes keep most of the original elements, like the spirit of the beat and the euphoric atmosphere that makes the original track so addictive, before stripping it back a little bit and and veering 'Daydreaming' into their own individual domains.

I really enjoyed the single, which kinda sounds like a remix in itself, with it's super hooky line of 'Like I'm daydreaming again' plus Cee-Lo's uplifting bridge.

Style of Eye takes you on quite a seven minute journey, utilising Cee-Lo's hooky vocal, and implements a rubbery bass in some ravey territory.

Kid Sister - Daydreaming (Style of Eye remix)

Douster kicks it with some of those funk cadence in the horns coupled with misty synth action. 

Kid Sister - Daydreaming (Douster remix)

'Daydreaming' hits the UK on April 19th - check it.