Stefano Ritteri - The Rules Of Control

Stefano Ritteri formerly known as Solo (was too confusion and hard to search, hence he is now using his proper name) comes back even harder to Defected after his collaboration with Syron http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/05/solo-ft-syron-home-is-where-it-hurts.html on the label to bring you "The Rules of Control." Its hella good, trust me on this one!

John Dahlback - Panic

Sweden's John Dahlback released a track called Panic on Chris Lake's label Rising Music. The accompanying video clip sees the main character trying to find his way out of a building after he is trapped by the door he created. Wait what?
I kind of like how the video takes on that "lets create panic" approach and fulfill the title's name as much as possible.

Thank you Beat My Day for bringing my attention to this video!
I wonder if the director was inspired by Romain Gavras' interpretation of Justice's "Stress" which, despite its frighteningly realistic portrayal, is a fictional story of the socially deprived outskirts of Paris.

Jus†ice, Stress from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.

This video is definitely one of my favorite of all time (even better than their collaboration with Simian for We Are Your Friends that infamously beat Kanye West at the MTV EMAs)

J Paul Getto - Dance With You

California's DJ Mes keeps his Guesthouse Music label without vacancies by enlisting some big names like DJ Sneak, Gramphonedzie, Mastiksoul, and Jorge Watts to name but a few. The latest release from his label comes from J Paul Getto, who just recently released a remix for the likes of Hed Kandi http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/11/treasure-fingers-codes-feat-amy-douglas.html. Known for their funky disco style, Tony Saputo and Maurice Tamraz deliver a disco ditty that channels the 70s for a modern, present-day dancefloor.

Fake Blood - Cells

Last week, Theo Keating aka Fake Blood's debut album Cells was released by Different Recordings. After a long line of great EPs, don't expect to find tracks similar to "I Think I Like It" or "Fix Your Accent." This album ventures outside of exclusively electro beats and takes you through a journey inside Keating's head, which seems to be in a very eclectic place. My favorite record on the album is "Phantom Power" which has a little Justice-esque tinge to it. 

Sigha - Living With Ghosts

While I won't be renaming my blog anytime soon, I can't help but recently gravitate towards a lot more techno instead of house these days. Scuba's Hotflush has released James Shaw's alter ego Sigha's debut album entitled "Living with Ghosts." A mix of minimal and hard bumping beats, the album has something for every techno fan. I'm still trying to decide what my favorite cut of the album is, but it seems that "Puritan" is the frontrunner. You can stream it here at XLR8R: http://www.xlr8r.com/news/2012/11/stream-sighas-debut-lp-hotflush

Side note: I know they were trying to be artsy and all, but I could really do without the side-boob on the album artwork. Bleh

Prodigy - Fat of the Land Reissue

The Prodigy's acclaimed album "Fat of the Land" is landing a reissue December 3, 2012. Included will be a remix package entitled "The Added Fat" which will include remixes from Noisia, Alvin Risk (Firestarter), Zeds Dead (Breathe), Glitch Mob (Breathe), Baauer (Mindfields) and Major Lazer. Check out the dubstepped "Smack My Bitch Up" by Noisia here:

I am disappointed they didn't include Max Vangeli & AN21's version, which I thought was a great remix of the track:

Pretty interested to see what Major Lazer does to the same record.
Here is a preview of Zeds Dead's remix:

In any case, nothing beats the original classics of Prodigy!
Update 24/11/12: Here is the Major Lazer version:

Hot Since 82 - Planes & Trains

When Sasha talks, I listen! And lately he's been touting this track from Hot Since 82. Daley Padley joins the cat loving Suara label to release Planes & Trains (DJ travel method of choice?). I can't help but think this is such a "Sasha" track, sounding very much like something the man himself would produce. The track can be found off of Suara's Kitties Wanna Dance! Vol. 3 compilation album.

Stay+ feat Queenie - Crashed

Stay+ are a duo from Manchester, and their latest release is on the ultra-hot label Black Butter Records, which is also home to artists like Hostage and Rudimental. Their track features the vocals of Queenie (Emily Raiher). (Side note: If you are old like me, when you hear "Queenie" you will think of the made for tv movie starring Mia Sara. But I digress...). Crashed is getting regular spins on MoS Radio, and deservedly so.
It is a bit reminiscent of Kleerup's "Longing for Lullabies" albeit Crashed is a bit more revved up.

Fun fact: the singer in Kleerup's track. Titiyo, is Neneh Cherry's half-sister (of Buffalo Stance fame. "So don't get fresh with me"!)
Spoiler: the video is very "Sixth Sense" esque. Oh how I love imaginative video clips!

Treasure Fingers & Codes feat Amy Douglas - Blowin Up

Brooklyn boys Treasure Fingers and Codes have made a Hed Kandi friendly track called Blowin Up. The record features the vocals of Amy Douglas, and gets remixed by Hed Kandi A&R Carl Hanaghan with My Digital Enemy, J Paul Getto and Amesterdam's Webqueawry. Its a disco house ditty made to make you shake your groove thang.
Check out the version from my friends J Paul Getto:

Lee Foss & MK - Electricity EP

Lee Foss' new EP has been posted for preview from his label, Hot Creations. After Marc Kinchen remixed Forward Motion, Foss and Kinchen teamed up to cook up some deep house giving us Electricity and Goodnight Moon. On the B side, Foss provides Could Be and my favorite of the EP, B5 the Dinks. This track channels smooth RnB vibes, and yet is perfect for an electronic dance floor.

DJ Dan & TJR - Jacked Up Funk

After the desecration of TJR's Funky Vodka by Pitbull (to which TJR was a willing participant), I'm happy to see him team up with fellow American producer DJ Dan. Their track, Jacked Up Funk is filled with pieces of french House and electro samplings catered to make you bounce.

Wiley feat Skepta, JME & Ms D - Can You Hear Me (Ayayaya)

Resident rude boy Wiley has a brand new track featuring fellow Boy Better Know crew Skepta and JME with vocals from Ms D who was also on Wiley's "Heatwave". The UK Grime MC brings some steel drums and banging beats to the track.

DnB/jungle producer Adam F (if you don't know his track Circles check it) remixes Can You Hear Me, and the results are outstanding:

I'm skanking...

The 2 Bears - Be Strong Remixes

The lovely duo of Joe Goddard and Raf Rundell get tracks from their debut album Be Strong remixed. Legendary act X-Press 2 take on "The Birds & The Bees". I'm a big fan of the cheeky track "Bear Hug" and this remix included in the package is a fun rendition.
  The 2 Bears also have a new remix of their own out. They add a house sound to Roc Nation artist Rita Ora's Shine Your Light.

BenZel & Jessie Ware - If You Love Me

So much Jessie Ware, so little time! The UK vocalist teams up with BenZel, a Japanese duo consisting of Umi Takahashi and Yoko Wantanabe. They take on the Brownstone classic "If You Love Me" which showcases the pair's love of old school hip hop and R&B.
Here is the original:

And Jessie Ware's version:

Yolanda Be Cool ft. Arama - Before Midnight (Laidback Luke Remix)

Let's face it. There are some dance tracks you just can't get on board with. Of course, music is a matter of taste. I know Diplo shares a particular disdain for Romanian artist Alexandra Stan's Mr. Saxobeat (as do I!) and Sebastian Ingrosso was pretty vocal about disliking "We No Speak Americano". Its level of annoyance can be likened to a fly that just keeps buzzing around one's head. And of course, Pitbull sampled the track for his own use, renaming his version "Bon Bon". Shudder.
Call me judgemental but after the release of that track, I never gave Yolanda Be Cool a second look. That was until Tom Flynn remixed their track. Even so, I attributed the appeal of the track to Tom Flynn, not Yolanda Be Cool. But then, the Australian duo of Sylvester Martinez and Johnson Peterson did something that earned my respect: a recall of We No Speak Americano!

Of course it was in jest but I think they made the move because they knew it made them more cheesy and less credible in the house music world. If you read their bio on Facebook, they pride themselves on being commercial and underground, and knowing both worlds.
So then what better remixer than Laidback Luke to take the reins and create an old school meets new school remix for their latest track.  The Dutch producer has been in the dance music game for so long, and has lived through the underground and commercial worlds. Take a listen to what he does here:

The Shapeshifters - It's Alright

I've got a couple of "fav tracks of all time." One of them comes from UK duo Shapeshifters. Lola's Theme was such a seminal track for me.

The track introduced me to Positiva records, and their Nocturnal Groove compilation reinforced a long time love I would develop for Axwell when it included his track "Feel the Vibe". That was 2004. Fast forward 8 years later, and Simon Marlin and Max Reich have continued to produce quality house, often which can be found at Defected Records.
Their latest track takes us back to the roots of house, and they are jazzing it up just right. Releasing on their own label, Nocturnal Groove, the track is a bouncy house track sure to make you move.

Hot Natured - Benediction

If you've read my blog before, you would notice I have dubbed a lot of the "underground" house these days as taking on the "hot creations effect." It basically means producers who try to do the exact opposite of what has become the more mainstream house sound attached to guys like David Guetta and Swedish House Mafia, and end up all sounding the same. The Hot Natured crew, Jamie Jones and Lee Foss, are in my opinion, the first to get big on that more subdued, deep house sound. It was fresh and original, but the copycats have made some of the dance music categorized as deep house pretty darn boring.
Anyway, their latest release featuring the vocals of frequent collaborator Ali Love has made the Top 40.

The track is great and deserves to be in that Top chart. The first time I heard it, something about the synth they use reminded me of old Soul II Soul, which can never be a bad thing. Ali Love proves once again how his vocals can literally make a track.

So hey, its kind of nice to see something else from the dance community make a mark, right? Well, Jones felt the need to release a disclaimer:

Funny to see some people completely misunderstanding in the comments and thinking he is going to collaborate with Akon.

I don't know, this rubbed me the wrong way. Obviously the Akon mention is in reference to David Guetta. He pretty much calls Guetta a sell-out and states his music is not taking that direction.  To me, trying to be the antithesis of David Guetta is simply acknowledging the success that Guetta has achieved. I'd be surprised if Jamie Jones did not own a Guetta record pre-2009. And if you are really passionate about house, you will know that Guetta still used soulful vocals in his earlier tracks, and its not like the electro sound he made has changed all that much. He has gained access to "bigger" artists to appear on his records but his sound is not that much different.

I didn't comment on his thread cause I've already pissed one Hot Creations guy off, and one is enough for me http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/06/rant-on-part-2.html. I like Hot Natured, and I'm going to continue to listen to their music. I just don't see how it is necessary to please the "dance hipsters" and be apologetic for achieving success.

* * * 

I just went on Twitter two seconds after releasing this post and saw this:

Just to reiterate my point I've talked about throughout this blog, you cannot hate on commercial dance music when you may become it one day. This tweet makes me laugh cause
1) MK has been working with Hot Natured and particularly Lee Foss releasing a new track called Electricity, as well as remixing Forward Motion
2) Marc Kinchen has produced for one of the most hated pop stars to infuse house music into his records: Pitbull! (side note: Pitbull's latest desecration was taking TJR's Funky Vodka and releasing it with his rap vocals on top calling it "Don't Stop The Party." Equipped with horrible video with scantily clad women prancing around and all).
3) LMFAO being Motown legend Berry Gordy's son and grandson, I doubt they are "uneducated" when it comes to good music.
You cannot take away the mark MK has left on House music with tracks like Push the Feeling On and Burning, but I don't understand why everyone is hatin'

Update 06/11/12: Seems like House music is turning into defensive music...for shame! http://www.vibe.com/article/david-guetta-speaks-vibe-never-told-story

The times they are a changin'

National Public Radio has joined the EDM craze and weighed in on the dance music phenomenon. http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/10/26/163722918/dance-music-looks-beyond-edm-and-hopes-the-crowd-will-follow What I want to know is why is Richie Hawtin always mentioned when the author is trying to talk about anti-EDM? Has he become the official spokesperson?

Then this week Hawtin took to Mixmag's inaugural DJ Hangout and preached again about EDM, how it should be renamed EPM (the P standing for Pop) and is on a mission to spread the word about just electronic music. http://www.mixmag.net/words/news/richie-hawtin-edm-should-be-retitled-electronic-pop-music. I think some people are actually starting to come around, and start digging beyond EDM.  I actually even feel the big EDM guys are starting to scale back a little, realizing how saturated and plateaued the sound is becoming. But to think something like minimal techno ever becoming mainstream is something I cannot picture.  Only time will tell...

Mark Fanciulli - Cutoff

Wow, sometimes I can be really slow. It only occurred to me now that Nic Fanciulli's label is Saved, and his brother Mark's label is Deleted. Haha, get it?!  Its even denoted as the sister label! Speaking of sister labels, Mobilee's sister label Leena is releasing Mark Fanciulli's new EP, which includes two tech-house tracks. Body 2 Body is just nuts! An absolute floor killer (in a good way, not the floor clearing kind)!

Side note: Leena's last release was from one of my favs Tom Flynn and included the hot track "Do You Like Bass." Tom Flynn's last release was on Mark's Deleted label http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/10/tom-flynn-shadow-child-phil-collins-ep.html. Maybe its an incestuous coincidence but I think good music breeds good music!

S-Man - Zaha Hadid

What a coincidence that I had Roger Sanchez on the brain just yesterday http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/10/patrick-hagenaar-another-chance.html. The Stealth Records boss has a new Release Yourself compilation coming out, and has previewed a track of his done under the S-Man moniker. I wonder who Zaha Hadid is (besides the one who is a world famous architect, whose birthday was October 31st. Could this track be in honor of her?).  Its a mix of deep and tech house, and its pretty darn great.

letthemusicplay - Good Tonight (Analog People In A Digital World Remix)

I was first introduced to letthemusicplay by their track "So Tired." I can't seem to find any details on who ltmp is/are. I read somewhere that they were a duo but I have nothing to say that for certain. Either way, ltmp has been putting out some great music. They recently had a track remixed by the legend Todd Edwards: More recently, Italy's Analogue People in a Digital World (Matteo Esse & Sant) have taken to the remix of ltmp's latest "Good Tonight." Such a smooth vocal on this track.  
letthemusicplay are quickly becoming one of my favs. I'm so happy Ministry of Sound is backing them. I hope we learn more about them in the near future!

Ejeca - Krunk EP

Waze & Odyssey are on fire these days! http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/05/waze-odyssey-i-cant-hear-you-dance.html Their vinyl label W&O Street Tracks has a new EP, and its from Irishman Gary McCartney aka Ejeca. File under kick ass deep house.

Jessie Ware - No to Love (George FitzGerald Remix)

Who could not resist a track featuring two extremely buzzed-about artists? The UK's Jessie Ware gets remixed by George FitzGerald http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/10/george-fitzgerald-needs-you.html. I gotta admit, this remix screams Joe Goddard, but it is in fact from George FitzGerald.  FitzGerald's summer hit "Child" has made him one of 2012's breakout underground house stars. Need proof? Listen to this:  Update 20/11/12: Wowsa! Check out Todd Edwards and Ewan Pearson's remixes too. The Pearson one is pretty out of this world!

Clouds - Those Cracks In Your Face, Do They Hurt?

Tiga's label Turbo Recordings has released a "Turbo Secret SoundCloud Preview' on their SC page. I waited a bit to see if the artist would be revealed but we are yet to know it. The track is an awesome techno record, and sounds a lot like something Blawan would do. That is a lot of people's guess. I asked Duke Dumont via Twitter if it was him and he said no. Another popular guess is Turbo duo Clouds. Whoever it is, they made one hell of a track!

Update 05/11/12: So some brilliant SoundCloud user identified the track. It comes from Scottish DJ duo Clouds, and it is from their upcoming Turbo EP called Tannhauser Acid Works I. Clouds are Liam Robertson and Calum Macleod. The pair MySpaced Tiga and were picked up by his label.
Tiga will be releasing a mix compilation entitled Tiga Non Stop which will feature the track, along with other Turbo alum releases.