Sink Ya Teeth, our favourite disco punk revivalists are back with an infectious electro stomper "Somewhere Else" throbbing with beats, synths and melody hooks which instantly get under your skin. I have been a devoted admirer of this talented Norwich duo ever since I heard their hypnotic debut single "If You See Me" back in 2017. The new single announces the release of their highly anticipated 2nd LP "Two" which drops next week! The video for "Somewhere Else" was directed by Joseph Hayes and the track is trending super high for my upcoming monthly Crème de la Shrem ranking. On repeat!
Check out Sink Ya Teeth's Perfect Party Playlist compiled exclusively for Shrem's Carousel HERE!
To celebrate the release of Hard Ton's much anticipated new EP featuring their brand new acid-house stomper "On and On" and the oldskool-flavoured and unusually downtempo gem "Whispers in the Wind", I am revisiting this enormously prolific Italian duo's entire catalogue. The occasion is rather special as 2019 marks ten years since the release of this ultra-flamboyant act's first official release "Marilyn". A decade of underground club anthems spanning across house (in countless of its incarnations), electro, Hi-NRG, synth-pop and Italo disco. All delicious. All saucy. All unapologetically queer.
Top 25 Greatest Hard Ton Tracks [2009-2019]
25 "Tessio" (2017)
24 "Dancefloor (Hard Ton Remix)" - Ricardo Baez (2013)
23 "Pretty Baby" - Dimitri From Paris & DJ Rocca feat. Hard Ton (2012)
22 "Basic Vox" - Bostro Pesopeo feat. Hard Ton (2010)
21 "Crazy" - Heels Of Love feat. Hard Ton (2010)
20 "Triple XL (Hard Ton Reshape)" (2016)
19 "Jealousy" (2010)
18 "Rise Up" (2013)
17 "Right Now (Dimitri from Paris & DJ Rocca Erodiscotique Remix)" - Hard Ton feat. Spiller (2017)
16 "You Made The World Go Round" (2015)
15 "Can You Feel The Love? (Demuja Remix)" (2017)
14 "In This Moment (Dimitri from Paris & DJ Rocca Remix)" (2012)
13 "Rock With You" (2013)
12 "In Living Colors" (2012)
11 "Party Hard Ton" (2017)
10 "Whispers in the Wind" (2019)
9 "You and I (Hard Ton Remix)" - Miss Plug Inn (2014)
8 "The Heat Is On" - Hard Ton feat. Paul Parker (2014)
7 "Shine By Night" - Hard Ton feat. Snuff Crew (2017)
The ever so prolific Johnny Jewel and his muse Ida No, the pair behind the cult Glass Candy act have just shared their brand new song "Naked City" which had premiered earlier on today during Chanel Spring 2019 Collection fashion show. Italians Do It Better confirmed the long-anticipated track to be officially released in January 2019. This is Glass Candy's first new material since their hypnotising cover of Herb Alpert's "Rise" back in 2014 promising some more sweet surprises for all the Glass Candy devotees to follow next year...
I have been rooting for this UK duo from the very beginning. Sink Ya Teeth have appeared on numerous Crème de la Crème charts of mine, stood on the podium of my Hottest Newcomers of 2017 list last December and prepared this fun Perfect Party Playlist exclusively for my blog back in January. Now Maria Uzor and Gemma Cullingford are teasing us even more before the release of their self-titled debut album with an instantly captivating, gritty electro punk gem "Substitutes". Those post-punk vibes (that somehow suddenly sound very current again!), the energy and the haunting vocals serpentined around another entrancing melody, create a unique atmosphere. I am very much looking forward to discovering Sink Ya Teeth's debut album in its entirety. Aside from "Substitutes" the record will feature the pair's previous singles "Pushin'" and the anthemic "If You See Me".
Finnish maestro Jori Hulkkonen teams up with Tiga once again for another delectable, instantly anthemic slice of electro anthem "Woke". The kind of Tiga single which we all adore the most. Carrying some entertaining "Bugatti" and "Shoes" reminiscences, "Woke" electrifies with Tiga's signature catchy spoken phrases, throbbing beats, vocoders and a rather unexpected sax solo towards the track's finale.
Mix up a little bit of new wave with a generous dose of disco-punk, add a pinch of electroclash and we arrive at Sink Ya Teeth's addictive debut single "If You See Me". James Murphy-meets-Nancy Whang-meets-Bush Tetras-meets-Peaches! The minimal keyboards, the hypnotising hooks and occasional beats make this an unparalleled treat for all the genre-bending alternative musos in the house. It's queer, it's delectably seductive and totally unique. I've had this Norwich duo's first single on repeat for a couple of days and I must warn you the more you listen to it the more addictive it becomes.
The super fun low-budget video was directed by Joanna Millington and "If You See Me" is out now via 1965 Records.
Anabel Acevedo, Cristabel Acevedo and Rachel Rojas formed MULA 2 years ago. The Dominican trio serve a tropical kaleidoscope of synth pop, merengue, reggaeton, bachata, electronica and South African Shangaan electro. This truly eclectic, energy-filled cocktail of beats, rhythms and genres put them on a musical map among the most innovative explorers of the so-called world music scene. I was looking forward to hearing MULA's "AGUAS" ever since I heard "No Hay Manera" for the first time (here it is among the best tracks of 2016 in our annual countdown) last year. Here are 2 stand-out tracks "Diamantes" and "Espejos en las azoteas (1965)" which are fittingly opening and closing the album respectively. Get your copy of "AGUAS" now on iTunes or Bandcamp.
This time last month I was praising Ibibio Sound Machine's "The Pot is on Fire" heralding the release of their 2nd LP "Uyai". Now the Nigerian-British collective is electrifying world music fans with "Give Me a Reason", not only their finest single to date but also one of the greatest dance singles of the past couple of years! This unstoppable amalgamation of throbbing afro-beats, West-African funk, 80's synths, and electro is sure to keep you dancefloor-happy. What a truly vibrant sonic explosion! Dare not to dance!
Vitalic teams up with Electro institution that is Miss Kittin for a wondrous space disco collaboration. "Hans is Driving" is an immediate stand-out track on Vitalic's 4th studio album "Voyager", taking us on a 70's flavoured retro journey where early electro, synth pop and Euro disco amalgamate.
This time last year, I was also inaugurating another year of my über-nerdy blogging with a post dedicated to my Worldly Delights thread. It was DiHaj's electronic take on an Azerbaijani folk song "Gecələr Keçir" in January 2016, and this year it is an explosion of Afro beats and the electro funk courtesy of Ibibio Sound Machine. The Nigerian collective is announcing the release of their 2nd album "Uyai" with this enthusiastically upbeat first single "The Pot is on Fire". Fronted by British/Nigerian singer Eno Williams, Ibibio Sound Machine serve a vivid blend of West-African funk, disco, soul, post-punk and electro grooves, making them a truly idiosyncratic act on the global scene of so-called World Music. "Uyai" is out via Merge Records 3rd March.
"The A&R EP" and "Endless Vacation" might have been the pinnacle of Annie's synth pop journey so far but the Norwegian electro pop artist is back with another musical surprise. This time joining forces with Gerd Janson and Phillip Lauer, better known as Berlin based house duo Tuff City Kids. "Labyrinth" dropped quietly on a 12" White Label via Permanent Vacation to instant and unanimous acclaim from the whole dance & electronica part of the blogosphere. After all Miss Anne Lilia Berge Strand has enjoyed a devoted following among us bloggers for way over a decade at this stage... "Labyrinth" is an Italo disco flavoured club stomper, a vibrant addition to Annie's catalogue of some of the most charming moments in contemporary Pop Music and another successful collaborative effort on her account following the singles with Designer Drugs, Ercola, Skatebård, The Toxic Avenger and Ralph Myerz to name just a few of her previous teamworks. A year without at least one Annie gem just doesn't count, right?
For today I've selected two tracks which have already appeared on my blog earlier on this year. Both of them however return with an added boost of energy in the shape of some of this year's most memorable remix treatments.
Fatima Yamaha is the enigmatic artist behind the 2004 lost underground gem "What's A Girl To Do", which became a complete club sensation in the electronic circles last year. Encouraged by the unparalleled success of the blogosphere's most cherished dance record of 2015, the Dutch producer dropped his brand new album "Imaginary Lines" via Magnetron Music last November. "Love Invaders" was an immediate favourite, pretty much guaranteed to become a single sooner than later. The track was remixed by Redinho, Africans with Mainframes and the French Touch maestro Breakbot. It's the Ed Banger Dj that turns this already gorgeously funky number into a summery French House lushness.
Midnight To Monaco are a Los Angeles based "nu-wop" (as they self-define their sound) duo. Their epic synth-pop moment and only 2nd single to date "One In A Million" was quite recently revamped into an erratic electro odyssey courtesy of Com Truise. Right next to Lone's 90's infused remix of Kenton Slash Demon's "Peace" among the strongest contenders for 2016 Remix of the Year so far.
So the only time previously I got to blog about ONUKA was winter 2014 when I discovered their charming slice of pop "Look". And I was already late then. A similar case with today's post. My muso friend Alex introduced me to their deliciously bizarre electro pop moment "Vidlik" a couple of months ago but somehow I am only getting around to writing about it today. Better late than ever I suppose and the more people get to explore this truly memorable track, the better. Fittingly intense in both visuals and musical production, the song apparently is dedicated to the Chernobyl disaster, its influence on Ukraine and the whole world, as I read on beehype. A sophisticated aural hotchpotch of traditional, ethnic instruments, electronica and haunting spoken word elements create a unique atmosphere, impossible to forget. If you haven't seen or heard this one yet, it will most likely stay with you for a long time. One of the 2016 videos of the year too, big time! Directed by Anna Buryachkova.
