The Weekend Energy Preview Returns. This week's mix is is so unnerving, it’s like a mysterious swarm of tiny flying robots playing the theme to James Bond on a pile of instruments.
Highlights
Yuksek - Off The Wall - French producer Yuksek has a knack for uplifting indie-pop melodies (check out his superb remix of Always More by AutoKratz), and his newest single Off The Wall is no exception. Even when his songs have sad themes, like On A Train, the progression is really oddly inspiring. Off the Wall is a brilliant kaleidoscope of sound, but the song is best enjoyed in video:
Juveniles - Ambitions - I'd never heard of Juveniles before this week, but their song Ambition has a very 80s synth-pop style, like you opened up a window to 25 years ago. The song's really quite driving, almost unnerving in an invigorated innocent sort of way - much like youth itself. Their other big single, We Are Young, is a slowed down, chill-out anthem. They complement each other well, but you'll probably like one or the other. Here's a live video of Ambitions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtofBikbPHI
Trent Cantrelle - Night Like This - For really great progressive house at its purest, check out anything by Trent Cantrelle. A couple months ago, on The Front Blog, I wrote that this LA-based artist was one of my favorite discoveries and noted that he'd been featured on Beatport and iTunes top 100 lists with his song I Want A Freak. Well... Night Like This is just as good. It's got a rich, syrupy beat and a mesmerizing groove... it's a total floorburner that just takes over my playlist of indie dance and dubstep tunes. This is the biggest song in the mix this week! The music video for this song features some impressive and... interesting... costumes (not to mention the dancing around 1:25) apparently from an event called Insomniac's Electric Daisy Carnival Experience. Why didn't I get an invite to this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdu0QslxkGY
Basement Jaxx - Raindrops (Doorly's Dubstep Remix) - Yep. It's back. Since this is still one of my favorite songs, here's what I wrote about it in July: "I've always been a fan of Basement Jaxx, since their incredible debut album Remedy in 1999. Over the twelve long years since, they've never faltered in their unique touch on music, their delicate and creative hand in the vast, often numbing field of electronic music. This is art. Yeah, maybe I sound bias or sentimental, but the BBC called their 2009 single Raindrops "a slinky, pounding, twinkling, uplifting house juggernaut." Doorly's Dubstep mix recently came out and I'm here to say it's even better than the original mix. The frenetic pops are pared back, the voice is drawn out, the beat is rumbly and thick. The song is still uplifting, but in a more yearning way. The raindrops really feel a million miles away in this song. The beat meets the emotion, a true emotion, which feels rare in music, any music. This song will move you."
The video for this one is a bit risque, so instead of embedding it, you can click here to watch it.
Almost Made It
Jantsen, Dirt Monkey
Not much to say about Jantsen and Dirt Monkey except they produced a head-turning downtempo glitch hop variation of "Mr. Sandman" by 50s group, The Chordettes. You know the one... "Mister Sandman, bring me a dream, doo doo doo doo." This modern reworking of it is eerie, soothing, and incredibly cool. I'm saving it for a special occasion. I don't know what it'll be yet... Maybe once we reach our fundraiser goal.
Second Hour Rewind
The second hour rewind is the previous week’s first hour. Hear music by Schoolboy, Yelle, The Bloody Beetroots, High Contrast, Figure, We Kiss You, Captain Capa, and more. Why German duo Captain Capa is not famous yet is mind-boggling. Their emo-power ballad Faraday blew me away by its overall quality catchiness. There is simply so much going on in the song (emo, rock, electro, punk, power-pop, new wave, indie dance...) and it's all done flawlessly. The Timo Katze's Awesome 80's Action Mix is soaring an powerful and a pure delight.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PV5vyTLPuA
"Crank up your stereo, bust out the strobe light and kick up the bass.”
Weekend Energy has been blowing out car stereo systems, upsetting the neighbors and enhancing the night life of western Kentucky every weekend since July 2007 on WKMS. Host Matt “McG” Markgraf pours through hundreds of songs each week to create “the loudest show on public radio” featuring the best techno, dance and electronica from around the world. Weekend Energy airs Saturdays on 91.3 WKMS from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Stream it live on wkms.org Saturday nights.
