Crystal Fighters

photograph by Kirsty Mitchell

Crystal Fighters have announced the release details for their debut album! YAY! It's called Star of Love and it's due out on September 13th. In the meantime (cause after all, September is still rather far away) they're giving away a free track from the album called 'In The Summer'. It's a totally sun and synth drenched track accompanied by their signature Basque instrumentation - though they sit back in the mix - supported by a frenzy of airy electronic drums. Verrry cool.

Have a taste of the track in this sweet little stop animation preview video before joining their mailing list and grabbing the track for freeee.

I'm not so sure of the art work, it's a little too hippie/Bali souvenir-ish/tie-dye/pseudo-tribal for me. Though having just said that, at the same time it kinda really suits them somehow, not that I think Crystal Fighters are too hippie/Bali souvenir-ish/tie-dye/pseudo tribal in any shape or form...Boo me, anyway, I cannot wait for this album to unleash.

Watchu think?

Go cop 'In The Summer' via the below:

via and via

Crystal Fighters live/love London

photograph by yours truly

Crystal Fighters have been one of my faves lately with both their own tracks and remix capacity. Their latest single 'I Love London' has been minimally and rather classily remixed by Zombie Disco Squad.

This re-touch immediately gave me Fruit Salad feelings in the intro, then gets down to cutting the vocals up and throwing in a steady finger snap sample. I do enjoy that almost organic sound that Zombie Disco Squad have; that comes alongside their Afro and baile funk influenced beats.

Zombie Disco Squad

Lucas Hunter and Nat Self of ZDS are a great compliment to Crystal Fighters' sound. Y'all know I can be a total cheese whore, but Zombie Disco Squad are renowned for being of the hold-the-cheese variety. In fact, if Zombie Disco Squad were some kind of edible item, I'd say they'd be a subtle marinade, particularly in the case of Crystal Fighters; still able to taste the meat of the track whilst pickling 'I Love London' with their own distinctive flava flayyyyve.

Oh and P.S. Crystal Fighters are one of Levi's Ones to Watch, and they're hitting Hoxton this week on the 17th of Novs to play it out before heading to NYC for a few dates; and the single drops on the 30th of this month. So go check 'em.

AND P.P.S. I was just informed that it was the super mad skillz JAYNE HELLIWELL the very first artist to design a background and flier for IM//UR who did the cover art for 'I Love London'. And here it is:

WE <3 LONDON/JAYNE/CRYSTAL FIGHTERS

Girl gets around, innit! <3

Two Door Cinema Club's 'I Can Talk' has been remixed by fellow Kitsuné kids Crystal Fighters (who seem to be colliding musically with everybody lately) and our friends French Horn Rebellion to some awesome effects.

Crystal Fighters live at Cargo, London

Lending their trademark Basque instrumentation and percussion to the syncopated guitar driven Foals-like track 'I Can Talk', is Crystal Fighter's super wicked edit.

The French Horn Rebellion bruvs

Our friends at French Horn Rebellion also took their hand to 'I Can Talk' resulting in a finger snapping, synth-poppy beep fest, more laid back than the original; built around an interesting breakdown using chopped up vocals in ascending scales. Some nice work from FHR.

Pony Pony Run Run

In the tumult of bands that always seem to emerge at the same time with similarities in their name (maybe because Google will throw up all of them when one is searched), I have a bad tendency to pass over bands that have any kind of lupine or equine references in their name. It's the only thing I can think of that would explain how I missed this little gem of a track. Only now with recent favourites Crystal Fighters' remix of 'Hey You' have Pony Pony Run Run garnered my attention properly.

Discovering now that Pony Pony Run Run have, according to their press release, "had huge success across Europe playing with the likes of Katy Perry, Calvin Harris simple minds and appearing on talk shows with La Roux", might be another reason as to why I missed them. Hmpf.

In any case, if you, like me, missed the original single, 'Hey You' is a piano based bit of synth pop with Chromeo feelings minus the cheese and vocal effects. Check the original track and the video below:

So then Crystal Fighters have come in to give Pony Pony Run Run the remix treatment, adding in their signature Basque sounds; dynamically moving the track to another level by cutting the vocals, throwing in a swirling house buildup and electro rave break down in an almost haphazard layering of sounds to make it even more danceable. Awesome.

DO's:

Photography by yours truly

The Village Underground had all manner of hipster kids fiercely posturing and loitering about outside, perhaps some hoping to be snapped by Mark the Cobrasnake who I bumped into at the door. He was exiting as I was entering (an hour later, spotted: Mark the Cobrasnake and friend nestled at a diner a few blocks down in Hoxton) to the throb of Crystal Fighters onstage.

Crystal Fighters

Not realising it was them, I was decidely unimpressed with the song that was playing as I walked into the cavernous exposed brick warehouse space. The song was AWFUL. Thankfully though, it turned out very much to be a blip and I was totally won over by the rest of their set. They reminded me a lot of CSS for some reason; but a more ravey, pounding version of the Brazilian band - perhaps the reason why Lovefoxxxx was DJing later on in the night.

In case you missed it last week, here's the Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs mix of Crystal Fighters 'Xtatic Truth':

I had actually intended to catch Leeds based band Pulled Apart By Horses, as I heard at the last gig they played at The Old Blue Last that front man and guitarist Tommy Hudson (incidentally big bro to Jack Hudson - apparently mad skillz run in the family) had vommed onto the trendy shoes of the Shoreditch crowd. I missed their Vice set unfortunately, but I did manage to nab Tom in between gig-goers congratulating him on the band's set to question him about the incident.

Tommy Hudson from Pulled Apart By Horses

"I'd been stealing people's drinks all night, and I just felt ill onstage. I was looking for somewhere to puke and it just happened to be onto the crowd. They were not impressed."

Oh dear.

"Later on we were walking past the park and a bunch of girls called out to me. I thought 'Oooo! I'm going to get chatted up!'. Then they said 'Come here and lick the vomit off our shoes, you idiot!' "

We then came to the conclusion that perhaps next gig he might up the ante and do a camp little poop onto the audience's shoes. Fashionably speaking though, Tom was sporting what I thought was a mythical t-shirt depicting Tommy DM from Dinosaur Pile-Up that I had been hoping was real and now need to have even more than before.

Anyway, Pulled Apart By Horses have just finished recording their album, so that will be released into the wilds soon enough. Cop 'The Crapsons', the AA side from the PABH single 'I Punched a Lion in the Throat' below and go download the rest of the release for free here.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

Photograph by Chris Mathews

Here's another remix of the powerful rave anthem that is Crystal Fighters 'Xtatic Truth' that we told you about a while back. As filtered through the vision of the awesome Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, the track begins with a rolling snare drum that beats out a syncopated, Buraka Som Sistema feeling beat. This near 7 minute journey builds in an oddly uplifting fashion somehow reminding me of Fleetwood Mac's 'Seven Wonders' on ecstasy. I actually wish it was longer. With some of those dirty bass synths I love as well as playing with the Basque strings of the original, it takes the lyric of "Standing on the world alone, learning how to stand alone, and always to be alone, we'll be alone forever" and makes it a party proclamation of independence.

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs make ridonkulous tracks. If you don't know who these guys are yet, get onto them! This duo hailing from Oxfordshire roll with mayyyjah label Greco-Roman; and are also the DJ-cum-producers of new school UK bass movement Tomb Crew. T.E.E.D. rumbled into a wider audience when their insane 'Ducks' video got picked up by Diplo (really, go check it out).

In the meantime, here's a mad remix they did of the Sugababes track that was floating around the interwebs for you to enjoy. Suga-rush ahoy!

The best new band in Kitsuné's catalog since La Roux circa 08, Crystal Fighters are finally releasing their amazing debut single, 'Xtatic Truth'. Think of an electro song created to be listened at the night, a song that was born to be a rave anthem - if they played good songs at raves that is. Strong fuming synths, a hypnotic chorus spiced with a delicious Spanish accent, classic Basque instruments and the girls contributing with delicate vocals - basically a song that everybody needs to start playing at the clubs as soon as possible.

Auspiciously, a track with such strong personality got an equally stunning  video as unique as the song. It's not something to describe, just turn off the lights, put the player on full screen, turn the volume up to the max and enjoy. You shouldn't ignore the lyrics on this one either: "Standing on the world alone, learning how to stand alone, and always to be alone, we'll be alone forever."

You know it wouldn't be Kitsuné if the single didn't come with loads of remixes. Even though all the five of them (Xtra loud , Maybb, Magistrates, Renaissance Man and Micromattic) are good reinterpretations of the original, none have as much impact as the original - although I do like the Magistrates one. We also heard that the single will be released in the USA via Steve Aoki's Dim Mak and will feature another remix, this time by L-Vis 1990.

It's about time we had some news from Magic Wands. The owners of two great EPs from 2008 are finally announcing the release of their first 2009 release and it's a compilation of their best material released so far. So if you didn't get the chance to listen the first time, you might want to treat your ears to it this year.

Magic Love & Dreams is crafted with soft, hazy and hypnotic melodies that are made to improve the coldest, rainiest days of the month. The lyrics are simple yet effective, hooked with some catchy choruses and a blurry atmosphere. 'Black Magic' and 'Teenage Love', the two standouts tracks, are both a synthetic rock affair that dance with a gloomily introspective pop soul.

The Spanish band Crystal Fighters (a recent addition to the Kitsuné's family) add fuel to 'Black Magic' with some hot beats and spicy bass lines in their remix, unfortunately it's not a part of the EP. Magic Love & Dreams was recorded with Santigold/Lykke Li producer John Hill and was released on the 25^th of May.