Sergio Fernandez - Navegare

More summer vibes coming your way. Tropical, drums and the right beats to make you imagine the sunshine, Madrid's Sergio Fernandez's latest has all the right ingredients for a heatwave hit. Out on Fernandez's Insert Coin Records

Anabatic Records - Nu-BAY$$ Vol. 1

Dirtybird member Worthy has put out his own label called Anabatic Records. The tracks are full of bass, the label out of San Francisco...you see what they did there? BAY$$!

Zombie Disco Squad - Brains

Nat Self has posted a preview to his new album entitled Brains. http://soundcloud.com/zombiediscosquad/sets/brains
Aside from the already buzzed about Twerk and Ibiza Hooligan, the album in its entirety is a gem. http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/05/zombie-disco-squad-feat-dj-funk-twerk.html
Opening track "It's Still Early" reminds me of DJ Shadow
Title track "Brains" has an old school feel
"Righteous Sound" featuring the vocals of Omar (Lye-Fook I believe) is a strong contender as my favorite track of the album. Very soulful.
"Be Down" is a more fast paced ditty designed for booty shaking.
"Timesome" samples Moby's track "Honey"
"Goodnight" is simply one of the best closing tracks I've heard in a long time.

Out on Jesse Rose's label Made to Play. This album was made to play, beginning to end. Amazing.

When did it stop being about the music?

Along with the DJ beefs, there have been a lot of accusations floating around. I want to first and foremost say that I am a fan of old school house, and have seen a lot of the commercial artists emerge from the underground scene and "make it" and therefore I would consider myself also a fan of commercial house. I refuse to separate Bob Sinclar who made "Feel For You" with Bob Sinclar who made "Love Generation" because they are essentially the same person.
Ok, here is the first thing: Mixmag ran a story "Are Top DJs Buying Fake Fans" http://www.mixmag.net/words/news/are-top-djs-buying-facebook-fans where David Guetta, Avicii, Steve Aoki, Deadmau5, Skrillex and Excision were targeted as buying their fans.

Many fellow DJs expressed outrage and spewed venom against these names. I'm personally not a fan of Skrillex and Steve Aoki, and never heard of Excision until now (its cause he's a dubstep DJ haha!) but what reason do successful DJs like these need to buy fans? The proof is in the pudding as they say, and their fans come out in droves at shows, and it is reflected in album sales...So many people are trying to discredit the big names, and what is more sad is that it works. A lot of people use the excuse of trying to "expose the truth" but there is not much to be revealed. Even if David Guetta plays pre-recorded sets, and people claim he is duping people into believing that he is mixing and paying big money as if it is some injustice, what these people fail to realize is that its about coming for the experience just as much as it is for the music. The music itself these days with technology is gaged more by production value than how well the beat matching is.
But then people say "there are ghostwriters, these people don't write the music themselves." I have no proof of that, so I cannot claim that it does not happen. David Guetta is well known for working with a number of producers on his albums. I don't think that he has no production knowledge though, which is what his critics try their best to sell as an argument.
DJ Excision released this statement in response to the accusations: http://www.mixmag.net/words/news/excision-replies-to-mixmag-i-do-not-buy-fake-fans
Avicii's manager Ash Pournouri came to his talent's defence:

I have a feeling whoever made that meme is more likely someone who has a bone to pick with "EDM" rather than someone with good intentions trying to expose a truth.
Sebastian Ingrosso made light of the situation by addressing his own issue with DJ Sneak:

In all fairness, Sneaks rise in numbers were not purchased but rather stemmed from his row with the Swedish House Mafia.
Trendy boutique Mishka in NYC gave their take on their blog: http://mishkanyc.com/bloglin/2012/05/30/dont-believe-the-hype-about-fake-fans/

Next up: laptop DJs who have been deemed not worthy of respect.

A local DJ posted this on his Facebook and did not even recognize the guys of SHM. If you're a DJ, fine, you may not be able to recognize their faces, but at least understand the context of the picture, and make the connection. I could not let the SHM bashing go, and piped up. The main argument that was presented by the person that posted it and others was that DJing is a lost art that has been replaced by programs like Traktor. Once again, old school versus new school. I would like to ask the old school then if they would trade in their iPhones for a rotary phone...pretty sure they would refuse. This is the evolution of DJing, like it or not. My suggestion is if you don't like it, take your moaning elsewhere and use your energy to do something productive rather than discredit others that use the advances in equipment to strengthen their game. I for one am very resistant to change and am so computer illiterate, but I can embrace the fact that shows are bigger and better as more technology becomes available, and to sync beat-matching with lighting and theatrics is pretty impossible.
Also, if Jeff Mills is playing somewhere for $10, someone please forward me that address and I will pay my way to get there just to spend $10 to see that legend.

Next up: who lays claim to House music
Rolling Stone wrote an article about the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/david-guetta-skrillex-and-more-kick-off-edm-high-season-in-vegas-20120529, and left Kaskade out. A fan of his brought that fact to his attention, which brought the article to his attention.

In the article, David Guetta (everyone's favorite punching bag) is quoted: "America is starting to catch up," Guetta said. "Is this is a good thing? Yes. Success is in motion."
Ryan Raddon aka Kaskade's reaction to the article:

Poor David Guetta. I truly feel bad for the guy. He seems really jovial all the time, I don't think his intention was to insult America. A couple of facts:

EDC was founded in 1997. In its first couple of events, attendance was in the hundreds. By 2007 (when EDM was gaining momentum), 40 000 in attendance. I think 2009 was the turning point for "EDM" and that year there was a 2 day event in LA with approximately 99 000 attendees on the second day. In 2012, the Las Vegas showing was about 300 000 over 3 days. Its a big event now, but that was not always the case.

House origins: definitely in the USA. Where house has been embraced the most, especially between the late 90s up until ~2007: EUROPE. By far. 

When the house legends followed the techno greats (Belleville Three) such as Frankie Knuckles, Larry Heard, Robert Owens, Paul Johnson, Marshall Jefferson, Green Velvet and DJ Sneak, they were all based out of the windy city, Chicago. Todd Terry played an instrumental role in early house from the streets of New York. But real commercial radio play for house never came to be on American airwaves until ~2010. I'm not talking about specialty shows that featured house, I'm talking house as mainstream music. In the 90s, Europe welcomed the house sound with open arms, and served as a great influence in other genres for bands from the continent. In America, house still existed in little enclaves but not it was not as overwhelming as in Europe. A lot of American DJs were jumping across the pond to spin. Ibiza became a mecca for the subculture. Yes, WMC in Miami was a long standing institution, but to compare a week of music business to a season dedicated to the hedonistic nature of the music...no comparison. That too has changed with Ultra and WMC being increasingly related to partying and less with business ventures these days.

Growing up in the early 2000s, I lived for the day I could attend Creamfields, Gatecrasher events, and of course the illustrious Ministry of Sound. A Canadian with no friends who liked House music at the time knew about these events based on how legendary they were. I could not really identify anything similar this side of the Atlantic during that time.

I understand Kaskade's frustration. He was a huge torch bearer for the House scene long before EDM was the buzzword on everyone's lips. He gets so many requests to return to his "old sound" even though it, like most things with the passage of time, has evolved. I truly think what David Guetta meant was that the fervour for dance music has come back to its roots. While it has been a huge influence in Europe impacting other genres, it is now doing the same in America. 

Kaskade posted this on his Facebook: http://www.thomson.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/infographic/interactive-music-map/index.html Its a shame Guetta's comment irked him so much.  I really hope there won't be a Kaskade vs David Guetta feud...House producers please call a truce!

Final argument: L.A. based DJ/music blogger Sean Ray posted this entry which many of the anti-EDM ilk embraced and promoted http://notyourjukebox.com/2012/05/19/why-old-school-djs-are-complaining-and-you-should-too/

While I agree with Paris jumping the bandwagon, I still disagree with the whole "fans should demand more." I have never gone to a club or big event to watch the DJ, and make sure his technique is right. Purists may do that, but if you only want DJs to spin for other DJs, you're likely going to be spinning on the street. If the song selection is good, if the tracks blend well, if I can dance, I'm happy. Lighting and smoke machines...added flair that I can live with or without. If someone is pressing play...well, as long as the songs on there are good, I'm happy. So many people saying what should and should not be. In that way I've never understood critics. If you are a restaurant critic and don't like the food, 1) its a matter of personal taste, so our opinions may differ, why should I read your critique 2) if they're so bad, lets see you do better.

Having appeased DJ Sneak, Sean Ray tweeted his last blog entry to Sneak, which earned an RT http://notyourjukebox.com/2012/05/26/hate-vs-education-lessons-from-the-old-school-pt-1/. He excuses Sneak's hateful approach for being passionate. It reads like a bad romance novel: "she killed him in a crime of passion." If she killed him, she's going to jail. End of story. No matter how passionate he is for the old school sound, he cannot lay claim to House music and continuously bash others.

I received a comment on my last blog entry about Sneak and how I am officially fed up of his antics despite his "legendary" place in House music history that no one can revoke him of. The comment accused me of "jocking SHM's nuts." Wow, and that's someone I'm supposed to take seriously?

I want to make clear that I am a true House head, I listen to old school and new school, and even if I defend Swedish House Mafia, that doesn't mean I don't love me some Kerri Chandler. I'm not all-knowing when it comes to House, but I am passionate about it, and I also prefer people getting along, concentrating on their music rather than hurling names at each other. I've said it once and will say it again, when you feel angry, just listen to MAW's Love & Happiness 

DJ Sneak at it again

Here is another post that has been in the drafts box. But it is time to once again be subjected to Carlos Sosa's bipolar behaviour. I'm not even kidding when I say that, I truly believe something is wrong with him. Such a preoccupation with making disparaging remarks about others (not just Angello, Ingrosso and Axwell but other members of the SIZE crew, Traxsource, Juno, and others (he's slagging off Paris Hilton but if you are going to put SHM in the same category that is just unjustified and obnoxious http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/05/paris-hilton-as-dj.html)) is really concerning. He says its because he's a "House Gangster" but there is no way he represents the foundation of House. Major contributor yes, sole voice absolutely not. Here is what happened so far:
http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/03/dj-sneak-versus-swedish-house-mafia.html
http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/03/oh-humanity-round-2-ding-ding-ding.html
http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/04/whos-gonna-save-us-from-us-all.html
http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/04/taking-it-personally.html

Couple weeks ago, Sneak was going in on AN21 and Max Vangeli after insulting the Electric Daisy Carnival, which hosts main "EDM" acts for the mainly fluorescent wearing, pill popping crowd:

Max Vangeli, AN21's production partner continued:

Poor Junior Sanchez, always caught in the middle:

Chuckie felt the sting of the EDC comment, and said this:

Chuckie is a very good friend of Dennis Ferrer, who came to Sneak's defense when Angello first got wind of Sneak's comments towards SHM.
Cheap Thrills boss Herve weighed in. I found his input interesting because I would consider him a pretty neutral party. His style is nothing close to that of Angello's, but he comes to SHM's defence:

No answer. He then goes on to say this:

The next day, I saw this hilarious exchange:

I have to admit was not counting on Surkin to say that. I'm sure he has a huge amount of respect for Sneak. He appreciates the old school, even featured Inner City vocalist Ann Saunderson on his track "Lose Yourself."
I really think this was the straw that broke the camel's back and allowed for H8rs to be released. http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/05/an21-max-vangeli-vs-steve-angello-h8ers.html

Sneak has been going ON AND ON AND ON about the "Swedish Fish" but with little response from SHM. Seriously, ON AND ON. Not a day goes by without a comment about them.
He then took on Traxsource, and this week both released statements regarding the situation.
Traxsource (cordial and non-inflammatory) https://www.facebook.com/notes/traxsourcecom-we-are-house/dj-sneak-and-traxsourcecom-official-statement/10150842503526608
And Sneak's response: classless and illiterate https://www.facebook.com/sneakthedj/posts/10150913640804485 
Are you kidding me? Traxsource is a great alternative to Beatport for more underground music, and Sneak just went in and tried to discredit them.

There are been other feuds going on, such as Deadmau5 vs Pauly D. This one makes no sense for so many reasons. Pauly D is not really a "house" producer. He posted the video to his latest "production" which is really pop music. Joel Zimmerman playing devil's advocate answered Pauly D's tweet for opinions on the song and video, and true to Zimmerman form, he insulted the Jersey Shore's Pauly D. Pauly D fans went crazy insulting Deadmau5 on Twitter, and after it died down, Pauly D made another reference to Deadmau5. All for publicity on Pauly D's sake. That's how the MTV machine works. He did DJ before the Jersey Shore phenomenon, so he cannot be criticized for jumping the bandwagon. He's using his celebrity to accelerate his already existing DJ career. Anyone put into that situation would do the same. Also, Deadmau5 is notorious for his big mouth, even he calls himself "professional griever." Bottom line: who cares!

I'm seeing it a lot more, up and comers slandering big names to get a rise (and publicity). Its a sad situation. If your music is good, it will get recognized, no need to insult others to get there. Like I've said before, I remember Axwell, Angello and Ingrosso at a time when they were small potatoes, working hard to make contacts like Erick Morillo and Joachim Garraud. They need to play Chris Brown's "Look At Me Now" because they really have come a long way, even if Sneak refuses to acknowledge that, doesn't like their style of house, or the way they now perform for main arena audiences.

Lee Dunn aka Ghosts of Venice mentioned to Afrojack how he didn't like his remix of Michael Jackson's Bad http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/05/michael-jackson-bad-afrojack-remix.html. Here's what happened:

Afrojack deleted the tweet, probably cause threatening someone is never a good idea, especially in a public forum. Ghosts of Venice likes to insult a lot of the big names. He does it frequently and a lot of times I want to unfollow him, but I don't because he does make good disco/classic house.

Haha the sarcasm! But then this happened:

I'm guessing this made Angello look at Sneak's twitterfeed and see what he's been up to since their last exchange.

After a while, you too would get fed up. I don't condone SHM responding to Sneak though, its like beating a dead horse. Angello has taken a lot of Sneak's aim because he has been the most vocal and because after their row came to light, people showed him the infamous Dance Valley YouTube video.

The Swedish House Mafia fans came out in full force once again, and it is sad that so many of them truly have no idea what they are saying when they criticize Sneak. Arguing with his attitude is valid, but his music and appearance is not.
Sneak supporters keep referencing the Angello video. I've tried to hold on to the last ounce of respect I had for DJ Sneak but I officially have none. His music from the 90s will always be legendary but thats where the mystique about him ends. I see Danny Daze weighing in saying how the whole row is entertaining, and of course he's backing Sneak. Well, my opinion is of him is that it is still way too early in his career to be so cocky.
Angello vs DJ Sneak:

Is that some kind of a joke? No harm nor violence needed? Are you entertained? Discrediting them as DJs and as 'house' music producers is not harmful? Sneak what is happening to you? I don't know if he uses Logic for production but he definitely does not use logic in any of his arguments.

Obviously AN21 is going to defend his brother, but he raises some valid points.

Some other DJs saw what was transpiring and weighed in:

 I truly wonder what point of school Carlos Sosa dropped out. Brighten up? The expression is "lighten up." Oy vey...

A fan of SHM tweeted this to Sneak:

So the fan had no idea that Sneak actually did do an Essential Mix for Pete Tong in 1997, which is a prime example of newer house fans not delving into the history of it all. But Sneak taking aim at Pete Tong? Oh no you didn't! Seriously, who does this guy like? Only the initial house greats? So basically no one can make house after 1995? Seriously?!

Someone from Sneak's past life, Chicago DJ Fast Eddie, had this to say...interesting to see he may not be as "legit" as he wants people to think

Sneak said he's going to make a response track to H8rs.

Funny how he thinks the track is directed at him. Probably has something to do with it, but more that they were addressing all the haters who emerged with their emerging success. Diss tracks, EDM beef...this is embarrassing!
He actually went through with it, and even supplied a diss picture to accompany the diss track
Someone tweeted asking if the Angello vs Sneak row was staged, and we know that isn't the case, but the publicity it has generated for Sneak has been enormous. Would be still have been booked at DEMF? Yup. At all the Ibiza gigs he has gotten as of late...I doubt it. He faded into the background until now, and 8000+ more Twitter followers later, people have taken notice.

My friend and I are taking bets. We believe that once the "EDM" phenomenon dies down, R&B will make a comback! I prefer it being out of the spotlight so people will CALM DOWN.

High Powered Boys - Streetwise EP

Surkin and Bobmo are the High Powered Boys. They have released their new EP, Streetwise, on Marble, which is Surkin, Bobmo and Para One's label as of 2011.

ELECTRO GOODNESS!

Gregor Salto - Azumba

Apparently this has been floating around for awhile. Sounding very tribal (to the point there are monkey screeches on the track) the drums on this track are quite insane! What is it about Dutchmen and their drums? Best link I could find:

Check out this collab between Salto and other Dutch drum masters Chocolate Puma:

T.E.E.D. - Stronger

This is going to be some album that we are currently waiting for! My intention was not to blog about EVERY single preview (http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/04/teed-tapes-money-mj-cole-remix.html and http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/05/totally-enormous-extinct-dinosaurs.html) but they are just so good! UPDATE 07/06/12: Miguel Campbell has provided a remix, and it is very good!

Adam Port - Black Noise

Sven Vath's Cocoon has released a compilation featuring some of the industry's hottest names, like Christian Smith, Rampa, Tim Green, Tale of Us and Adam Port. Port, who has been quite busy churning out tracks http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/04/adam-port-sally.html, delivers Black Noise. Check out the rest of the compilation here:

Mario Aureo - After Dark EP

Berlin's Mario Aureo has a new EP out on Sweden's Colourful Recordings. "Inside the Dark" is a self explanatory track, as a dark, deep house gem. "But Tonight" is more light hearted but of equal caliber. Remixes come from Re.You and Moodymanc to round off the EP. I think "But Tonight" (the original mix) is my favorite. Aureo also released this track called Passion, which is included on the Treibgut Sonder Kompilation for German label Yippiee. The vocals explain how if you don't do something you're passionate about, you are bound to give up, and if you don't love what you are doing, you will fail...sigh, if only I pursued my passion for music...  

Jacques Greene - Prism

So far, I've mentioned A-Trak, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Blond:ish, Botnek, Chromeo, Prince Club, and Tiga somewhere in my blog...the common link to all these artists: MONTREAL.
I read somewhere that Sweden has a lot of musical talent because of the long, cold, dark winter months that make people stay inside and be creative (think about it: Swedish House Mafia, Adam Beyer, Dada Life, Avicii, Eric Prydz, Alesso, the Knife, John Dahlback, Jay-Jay Johanson, Red One, The Cardigans, Niki & the Dove, Miike Snow, ABBA, Ace of Base, Lykke Li, Roxette, Robyn, Teddybears to name a few) and I think the same applies for Montreal. It makes me really proud! To add to that list, Max Graham (he resides here), Ned Shepard & Sultan, Paris FZ & Simo T, Maher Daniel and more...
Jacques Greene is no exception to the talented rule when it comes to Montreal artists. You may have seen him in Azealia Banks 212 video, alongside Lunice, who is also from Montreal (and signed to Diplo's Mad Decent). They befriended Azealia when she moved to Montreal for a short time. He kept tweeting about her and I was like, who is this girl with 700 followers? Few months later, she has close to 100K followers, is collaborating with the likes of Kanye West and has performed at Coachella.

A clip from Martyn's Rinse FM show surfaced on YouTube and Martyn stated the track will be released on his 3024 label which he co-owns with Jeroen Erosie.

Here is another one of Greene's great tracks called Ready. I am going to assume it will come out with Prism on 3024:

Earlier this year, Greene unveiled his label titled "Vase." Keep your eye out in case you haven't already.

Gavin Herlihy - Positive Thing

Berlin based Get Physical (cue Olivia Newton John in my head) is backing Gavin Herlihy's new EP called Positive Thing. The title track is the one I enjoy the most. I really liked his track Get Loose http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/04/gavin-herlihy-get-loose.html and I hope more people take notice.

Check out his new remix of Dan Le Sac's track too
Herlihy's girlfriend is the also talented producer Laura Jones. An interview of her with Defected http://www.defected.com/news-reviews/word/Laura+Jones+-+On+the+Horizon/1968 revealed that she has a degenerative eye condition that is going to render her blind. I wonder what that condition is because degenerative conditions are usually is seen in older people. I'm sure that she is getting the medical care she needs, but it is really sad, because she is a great, refreshing producer on the scene.

Michael Jackson - Bad (Afrojack Remix)

As with the Thriller 25th Anniversary edition, the estate of Michael Jackson is putting out a silver anniversary edition of Bad.
Not sure if I mentioned this before but I am a pretty big MJ fan (who isn't an MJ fan who is a fan of music?!) I had mixed feelings about the Thriller edition that featured Akon, Kanye West, Will.i.am (who MJ was working with for production of new material before he died) and Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. Well, since EDM is all the rage, Afrojack was enlisted to remix Bad. And while I like to mainly use my blog for education and positive promotion, I really would like to know what people think about this one. I have mixed feelings. Its not that its bad, but its actually kind of boring.

That being said, its got to be hard to remix a legend's track and worry about not desecrating it so that a lynch mob will come after you. I'm curious to see what else this "new" release has in store.
Kind of strange but a couple of days prior to the Afrojack Remix coming out, I felt the need to watch the full length Bad video, which is one of my all time favorite (Beat It is my favorite MJ video). Did you know it was directed by Martin Scorsese, and featured little-known actor (at the time) Wesley Snipes? When I lived in Brooklyn and had to travel to Queens for work, I would make a train switch over at Hoyt-Schermerhorn station, which is where a large portion of the video for Bad was filmed. I believe MJ was probably 29 around the time it was filmed, which is funny cause he plays a high school student in the video.

Bad (version longue) by unecricri

Blond:ish - In My Head

Blond:ish are Anstascia D'Elene and Vivie-Ann Bakos from Montreal (what! what!). Now based in London, they have recently caught the eye of one Mr. Pete Tong, and I think I have said this before, but I truly believe Swedish House Mafia and Deadmau5, among others, owe Pete Tong for their amazing careers. Once he gets behind an artist, they really take off. These are the kind of girls I wish I had as friends growing up in Montreal. I've seen a couple of YouTube videos of them and they always look like they are having a fun time spinning, and that is what House music is all about.
Booka Shade, DJ. T and M.A.N.D.Y.'s Get Physical label gets behind "In My Head." a brooding track with a deep, dark sound. "What do you do when your mind plays tricks on you/ How do you know when its time to let go/ What do you say when you just can't run away/ Where do you go when you're stuck in [indecipherable]." Those are the lyrics in the song, and it sounds like a female thinking in her head about a dumb boy! haha!

Washerman - Basement Chord

Should I just change my blog name to "house tracks that sound like they're from the 90s"? Swiss producer Gianni Siravo's "Kutz from the Basement" EP is out on Drumpoet, also from Zurich. 

Black I.C.E. - Stand on the Word

This is seriously such a cool song! Disco riffs, but does not completely commit to that genre. Black I.C.E., short for Black Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics, is a Spanish outfit consisting of "Xols" and "Platonov." Yup, I'm confused too. The track "Stand on the Word" is featured on Suara Showroom 17, from Coyu the cat's label.

Update 26/05/12: So I was casually listening to a mix by Stripped & Chewed artist Black Madonna, and it sounded very similar to Stand on the Word.

I subsequently tweeted two Stripped & Chewed members and they directed me to this, which is what both tracks above sampled. Man am I naive...

Christian Smith - Carambola

Christian Smith (one half of Smith & Selway) has been making techno beats for quite some time now. One of my favorite tracks of his and Selway's is Move! which was released on the techno titan Carl Cox's label Intec.

This is the stuff I believe progressive house is made of. And who better to think of when mentioning that genre than John Digweed and Nick Muir. Their Bedrock alias is also the name of their label, and they have released Christian Smith's latest, Carambola. The stuff prog dreams are made of...

Str8jackets & Sam Obernik - Love & Oxygen

Sam Obernik has a very distinctive voice. Her sound resonated on Tim Deluxe's "It Just Wont Do"

as well as Dave Spoon & Paul Harris' Baditude

She is back featuring on the Str8jackets (London trio Mark Robinson, Dave Longmore and Phil Fearon) track being released on the legendary label Strictly Rhythm.

I love how colourful the video is!

Drop The Lime - Bandit Blues (Surkin Remix)

So a couple of days ago I talked about how much I enjoyed the Miguel Campbell remix of Bandit Blues http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/05/drop-lime-bandit-blues-miguel-campbell.html. Well move over, cause there is a new remix in town! I absolutely adore French producer Surkin. The guy does not age but his music matures as the years go by. Actually, I take that back because I even love his early stuff and find no fault in it. Press play and enjoy!

John Dahlback - Take This Thing Back (Jacques Lu Cont Remix)

Sweden's John Dahlback gets the pleasure of hosting Chris Lake's Rising Music's 50th release. His track "Take This Thing Back" gets the remix treatment from Stuart Price aka Jacques Lu Cont/Les Rythmes Digitales/Thin White Duke/Man with Guitar/(part of) Zoot Woman.
The remix is so tasty:

Quivver - Think Fast

John Graham aka Quivver's latest is V3/Great Stuff Grooves on German label Great Stuff. The tech house tracks prove to be great stuff with thumping basslines and vocal samplings. My favorite cut is Think Fast but they are all extremely good.

Shenoda - On & On EP

Hypercolour has done it once again. Alex Jones and Jamie Russell really seem to have their finger on the pulse of what is becoming the new sound of dance music. Seeing a lot more chopped up samples being pieced together as melodic house tracks, Laurie Shenoda's On & On EP is no different to the quality that has been coming out of Hypercolour as of late. A1 is On & On, A2 is The Question, B1 is Chasing Clouds and B2 is Who We Are. I can definitely hear some Bucketheads - The Bomb in The Question. So many tracks sample that classic Kenny Dope track recently. It is a house essential, so I can understand why. Check out the On & On sampler here:

Hunter/Game & FreakMe - Boogie Music

Hunter/Game are Italian duo Emmanuele Nicosia and Martino Bertola. Together with fellow Italian FreakMe, they created the smooth, sultry, summer track that is Boogie Music. Part of Hunter/Game's Reckless Lady EP on Germany's Diynamic label.

Solo feat Syron - Home Is Where It Hurts

Stefano Ritteri aka Solo's latest "Home is Where it Hurts" is forthcoming on Defected Records. Using vocalist Syron who also appears on Rudimental's "Spoons," http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/04/one-to-watch-rudimental.html a track and group highly lauded by Defected, the track utilizes the young South Londoner's talent to make you really feel like home is where it hurts. Her voice evokes so much emotion, I can't wait for her star to rise.

This is one of my favorite tracks from the Congoloid label owner.
Its a more techy sound but that's what I love about this artist!

Zinc - Goin In (Royal T Remix)

Benjamin Pettit aka DJ Zinc brings his new track Goin In to Rinse FM. The funky garage track gets the Royal-T treatment from Southampton's Mark Taylor. Tracks like these reinforce why I would pick up and leave North America to live in the UK in a heartbeat. Quality

Ghosting Season - The Very Last Of The Saints

Alexander Coe aka DJ Sasha is one of my all time favorite producers and DJs. His Global Underground 013: Ibiza compilation blew me away and I was forever a fan (fav tracks: Sasha - Xpander, Bedrock - Heaven Scent, Smith & Selway - Move!, Orbital - Nothing Left (Breeder Remix), Sander Kleinenberg - Sacred).  His compilation with John Digweed called Communicate introduced me to one of my all time favorite tracks, Trisco's Musak (Wonderland Ave Remix). Global Underground came out with a special edition for its 10 years and fans could submit their favorite album, and low and behold my pic and submission of Sasha's Ibiza compilation made it into the booklet. Haha, I was a dork even then!
I finally saw Sasha live on my birthday in March 2007 and was dancing right in front of the DJ booth and my friend said he was smirking at me cause I was going mental. Haha! Embarrassing but awesome! I passed my GU 013: Ibiza CD sleeve to security and he signed it. That was a nice gift to myself.
Sasha's Last Night on Earth label has released its first album from Ghosting Season called The Very Last of the Saints. The duo consists of Manchester's Gavin Miller and Thomas Ragsdale. You can preview the album here:

Drop The Lime - Bandit Blues (Miguel Campbell Remix)

Drop the Lime is Broolyn bass artist Luca Venezia. With his slicked back hair and a style that channels the 60s, Drop the Lime's latest is Bandit Blues. With remix treatment from moombahton don Nadastrom, Miguel Campbell gets on board with his own house take on the track.
Drop the Lime went on my radar with his track "Sex Sax." The video sees a sax man working his way through the streets of Brooklyn, NY (I love NY!) and various Trouble & Bass crew make appearances. My favorite is seeing Nick Catchdubs perplexed face as the sax man walks into his office. Haha

Miguel Campbell is a busy man these days. Being part of a collective with Matt Hughes (MAM), and remixing Soul Clap's "Let It Go" out on Berlin's Wolf + Lamb are his latest efforts.

And who could forget this 2011 summertime gem, Something Special from Hot Creations:

Disclosure - What's In Your Head

After remixing Jessie Ware and their absolutely phenomenal track "Boiling" http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/04/jessie-ware-110.html the Disclosure duo consisting of brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence have released a preview to What's In Your Head which is slated to be released on June 4th on Greco-Roman for their The Face EP.
There is a video circulating with scantilly clad females I truly find it repulsive despite just how great the track is. I'm used to the half-naked ladies that are often in electronic music videos, but this is a fan-made video people think is coming from Disclosure. On Twitter, they have received praise for the track and mention that it is not their video. Phew. Here is the link cause there is no way in hell I am posting it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TCDUuAliGvk

Flight Facilities - With You feat. Grovesnor (Danny Daze 5AM Mix)

Danny Daze is Daniel Gomez, a young producer who hails from Miami and had gained a lot of attention with his release on Hot Creations entitled "Your Everything" featuring Louisahhh last year.  I will say this: as per his "social media" persona, he comes off as somewhat arrogant and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Nevertheless, the guy is talented. He has most recently remixed the latest Flight Facilities track "With You."

The video for the song is reminiscent of Daft Punk style anime. Grovesnor is the drummer for the UK outfit Hot Chip. Those are some talented guys (Joe Goddard being one of my favorite producers, also a member of Hot Chip).

A David August remix is also available and equally good. Here is the MAM remix to top off the set. MAM is Miguel Campbell (of Something Special fame, also from Hot Creations) and Matt Hughes

The remix set is out on Future Classic, the Sydney based label that carries Flight Facilities tracks. I first heard of the Australian Flight Facilities with their track "Crave You" on Ministry of Sound radio about two years ago. I was surprised when the track got a second wind last year and garnered more attention. I'm not saying it as "I knew them before everyone else did," I was just surprised it didn't get as noticed initially. I'm glad, its a beautiful track.

Julio Bashmore - Au Seve

After producing Jessie Ware's 110% http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/04/jessie-ware-110.html, Bashmore is back and bigger than ever. Expanding his musical outlets, he has created his own label called Broadwalk Records. The track is called Au Seve, and it sounds goooood. Oh baby!

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - American Dream Part II

After his excellent "Tapes & Money" http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/04/teed-tapes-money-mj-cole-remix.html T.E.E.D is back with American Dream Part II. Not sure why it is Part II but if there is a Part I, I would love to hear it because this song is great, and it is accompanied by a beautiful video (what can I say, I'm a sucker for shiny confetti!). Orlando Higginbottom's album "Trouble" will be released later this year.

RIP Donna Summer

This isn't new music but it needs to be said: I am going to miss Donna Summer. She passed away May 17th after her battle with cancer at age 63. She was a true Disco Diva, Queen of Dance, part of House music's legendary past, and her contribution and influence changed the fates of so many DJs and producers. My favorite is "I Feel Love" which I believe to be the best disco track ever made. Along with her producer Giorgio Moroder, they proved that the music had no colour, no geographical boundaries and was limitless.

Here are two of my favorite songs which sampled the track and used that amazing bassline.
Underworld - King of Snake

Moloko - Sing It Back (Mousse T Remix)

Terranova - Question Mark feat. Tomas Høffding (KiNK Mix)

Terranova has changed hands many times. This effort comes from original member Fetisch (Bergmann) and &ME with vocals from Tomas Høffding. KiNK delivers a wonderful remix adding the vocals of Rachel Row.

&Me's Keinemusik labelmate Adam Port also provides a remix with a more uptempo, tribal approach

Here is the original

  

Another Terranova track featuring Hoffding, this time using Justin Timberlake lyrics from "My Love" that I wanted to share:

Heidi Presents The Jackathon - Da Remixes

Considering the name of my blog URL it is only fitting I talk about this release on Get Physical. Heidi Van Den Amstel grew up in Canada but now is based in Germany. Often dubbed as the Queen of Jack, she created an event called Jackathon and has released Jackathon compilations in the past. The latest features Jamie Jones remixed by Eats Everything, Solomun remixed by Deniz Kurtel and Mathias Kaden remixed by Richy Ahmed. In the beginning there was Jack...

His Majesty Andre - Battle of the Spurs (Remixes)

His Majesty Andre first caught my ear with his track Peep Thong...a play on the name Pete Tong, who is the one who massively supported the track and introduced it to me. Italy's Andre Baietti released the track on Herve's Cheap Thrills, and after the same label housed his Battle of the Spurs EP last year, they are back with the excellent and eclectic remixes.

I had a hard time finding links to the EP tracks but you can sample them at Beatport http://www.beatport.com/release/battle-of-the-spurs-remixes/891274

John Roman - Reclusion

Toronto's John Roman is a self-described recluse, which would explain why his mixtapes are called "Reclusion." His techno tracks are infused with tribal, funk and garage beats. Definitely worth a listen. As a Montrealer, I have a lot of Toronto hate (really its just envy) but John Roman deserves to be lauded. Big ups for these mixtapes!

Ben Sims - Air Rage

I think I've gone into full Pr(y)da mode. I saw this on Prydz' Beatport Top 10 and it is amazing! Hard hitting techno off of Adam Beyer's Drumcode label.

   

The track is from Sims' Air Rage EP which you can sample here

Slam - Azure (C2 Remix)

I didn't want to post this because is semed too predictable. But seriously, holy cow! Soma founders Orde Meikle and Stuart McMillan aka Slam remix the legendary track from 1994 "Throw" from legendary artist Carl Craig aka Paperclip People.

Returning the favor, Craig also aka C2 remixes Slam's Azure

Strahil Velchev aka KiNK also remixes the track. I am so happy about these particular artists updating these tracks to a modern sound. Everything that is old is new again.

Sinden - Keep It 1000 (Duke Dumont Remix)

Things have been slightly quiet from Duke Dumont until now some remixes here and there but in terms of original productions its nice to hear his new material. It was this remix that made me go looking and lead me to his new stuff.

Here is the original mix so you can see the difference. Gotta love Sinden.
 Once again Tiga's Turbo is stepping up this year and releasing an impressive EP called For Club Play Only by the UK's Dumont.
The B side track is called Thunder Clap and is another Acid House goody.

Uner - Lapan To EP

Nick Curly & Marc Scholl's label Cecille Records brings forth Spanish producer Uner's new EP Lapan To. I don't really get the name, maybe it is a person, place or thing. The tracks are really heavy and nice. Enjoy!

Paris Hilton as a DJ?

Mixmag released a statement claiming that Paris Hilton has decided to perform DJ sets and tour. http://www.mixmag.net/words/news/paris-hilton-announces-dj-tour-yes-really This news has got me so riled up, I had to blog about it.

I had posted a while back about how being female and producing/DJing was something that was becoming more common, but there still were not exceptionally huge names in the biz. http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/04/i-am-female-and-i-like-house-music.html
Paris Hilton's name is notorious for a lot of things: heiress to the Hilton Hotel fortune, sex-tape, reality shows, and a multi million empire of riff raff aka any merch she can lend her name to. Her name is already big, and if she starts to spin, well or not, she could gain a lot of following. Perhaps in the same way Sneak feels slighted by people attributing "house music" to more popular recent acts, I believe the general electronic music population would feel slighted if she became a face of house music. The difference is that the people Sneak criticized started with very little, while Paris Hilton has all the resources she wants disposable to her at the snap of her fingers aka money. There are so many great female acts out there, and she has jumped on the bandwagon and will garner so much more attention than the lot of them.

When rumours started months ago of her shadowing acts like Deadmau5, David Guetta and of course, her DJ boyfriend Afrojack to become a DJ, Faith Fanzine posted a parody article which stemmed from a lot of outrage from existing DJs and electronic music fans alike. http://www.faithfanzine.com/?p=1126. A hilarious take on her actually knowing what she was talking about. Except in reality she doesn't. Those rumours of her DJ aspirations were quelled as it was later stated she was working on a house album as a recording artist, not as a DJ. I think that calmed a lot of people down, until now.

How can anyone forget the altercation at Miami's LIV nightclub between her, her then boyfriend and Steve Angello. She didn't appreciate Angello's taste in electronic music and went up to the DJ booth and asked for Daft Punk or Bob Sinclar. Considering how little she knew about House back in 2009, obviously a rising name (not really rising, he was already established as far as I'm concerned) like Angello would be offended. He was not some top 40 DJ, he was a headliner. Angello refused, she retorted "I'm f*#@ing Paris Hilton who the f*#! are you?" And he replied "I'm Steve Angello who the f@!* are you?" Hilton: "Don't you know who I am?," and Steve replied "no. Don't you know who I am" Hilton: "no" Angello: "then I don't know who you are." Rumour has it Angello's bodyguard pushed Hilton, her bf Doug Reinhardt intervened, put his hand on Angello's face and punched back, etc etc.

I'm pretty curious to know if she has been forgiven for the Angello incident by the Swedes. I've seen her tweet to AN21 about how he came from a "talented family." If I were Angello, I would not forgive her, but he seems like a pretty forgiving guy, always posting inspirational quotes. Even the Manufactured Superstars, aka the guys behind Beatport (Brad Roulier & Shawn Sabo), are quite tight with Hilton, even though this was posted in 2009 http://www.beatportal.com/feed/item/steve-angello-humiliates-paris-hilton-djs-worldwide-rejoice/ When you have a lot of big guns behind you, it will be hard to discredit her serious lack of awareness of the scene prior to maybe two years ago.

Fast forward a couple of years, and after dating Cy Waits who plays a major role in Las Vegas nightlife, she set her sights on Afrojack. Nick van der Wall was dating Dutch reality tv star Amanda Balk and she became pregnant (and subsequently engaged) to the DJ. Not sure what transpired but Afrojack allegedly left Balk for Hilton, and refused to speak or have any contact with her, despite her carrying their child. Balk makes a cameo appearance in the "Take Over Control" video as the busdriver.

The two remained quiet about their relationship with Hilton constantly stating the pair were just friends despite following him around on his international gigs. When Balk gave birth last March, it just so happened to fall on the day of Afrojack's mother's birthday. That's gotta be a weird, fate-inspired reminder for him. The baby was named Vegas which I can only imagine is where the innocent child was conceived. A couple of days after the child's birth Afrojack tweeted about always being there for his daughter. The whole situation is pretty sad for the kid. I wonder how Hilton would feel being a step-mom. They have been a bit more public with their displays of affection, but no real declaration of their relationship was made public. Drama drama drama

This? This is the type of person we want DJing. A socialite with too much money and time on her hands taking the place of hundreds of people who would kill to be booked at her gigs and actually have house music knowledge longer than 5 minutes ago. Such a shame.

I can only wish real house music fans will not attend her gigs, but I know that won't be the case. I don't wish ill on her, just kind of wish she would leave House music alone, because to her its just another part of her "empire." I once saw a clip of her dancing next to Afrojack at Cafe Mambo in Ibiza. She has zero rhythm so I take comfort in that too.

I saw this tweet and thought it was really funny. All aboard the money train...