Th OXD Mirror: New Music for 5.24.13

 

BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / TADEU MAGALHÃES

The OXD Mirror is a weekly music column brought to you by the boys of OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD), a New York City based movement created by three music lovers, Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum, and Tadeu Magalhães, who want to share their love for disco, house and dance music with the world.

Today we celebrate the one year anniversary of The OXD Mirror on Towleroad. We want to thank Andy for giving us the opportunity to share our love for music with Towleroad readers. Music is the centerpiece of social functions for many gay men and we are lucky to have the chance to expose readers to great new music they perhaps would not hear otherwise. Our goal is to elevate the gay musical palates beyond the pop world and re-ignite interest in disco and house music for our community as it has played such a strong role in our cultural, sexual, and political revolution. Thanks to everyone for reading and for all the support! 

Nick Monaco: 'Freaks Edit'

While Nick Monaco has had only one official release so far (which we featured in March), his refined production skills hardly pass unnoticed. Monaco's most recent track, an edit of Digital Underground's 'Freaks of the Industry' is a great example of how hip-hop and house music can be seamlessly combined. The jazzy elements of the original track are still present on top of the more uptempo beat in 'Freaks Edit'. And, although the vocals have been stripped down to mere moans and background whispers, Monaco manages to keep the song's soul intact. This track (and the entire bootleg EP Nick Monaco has put out with fellow Californian Navid Izadi) is available for free download.

 

Ripperton feat. Hemlock Smith: 'Tape Hiss'

Raphaël Ripperton is a Swiss producer whose career has been on the rise since the release of his debut album 'Niwa' back in 2010. For his sophomore effort, A Little Part of Shade, which is scheduled for release later next month, Ripperton has invited a series of artists to collaborate on most tracks, including Swiss folk/rock singer Hemlock Smith, who has provided vocals for four tracks. The first single and one of the songs to feature Smith's vocals is 'Tape Hiss,' a mellow, yet powerful piece of work that leaves it up to us to decide whether we should dance or solely appreciate its beautiful melodies with closed eyes on our own.

 

Say Lou Lou: 'Julian (Lancelot Remix)'

Lancelot has been on my radar for a bit over a year now as he slowly releases some great original tracks and a few remixes every once in a while. The Sydney-based producer's latest venture is a re-work of Swedish girl duo/sensation Say Lou Lou's 'Julian.' It is interesting to see an artist like Lancelot seeking a darker path, especially when his most notable productions are clearly geared towards a bright and happy mood. This track is available for free download on Say Lou Lou's website.

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The OXD Mirror: New Music For 5.17.13

BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / RU BHATT

The OXD Mirror is a weekly music column brought to you by the boys of OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD), a New York City based collective created by three music lovers, Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum, and Tadeu Magalhães, who want to share their love for disco, house and dance music with the world.  

 

Avec feat. Jake Shears: 'Disappearer'

Just because Scissor Sisters announced its indefinite hiatus last year doesn't mean its members have stopped making music. We've already showcased Del Marquis' Slow Knights project (which, by the way, is performing live this weekend), and now Scissor Sisters lead singer, Jake Shears, is featured as the guest vocalist on Avec's debut single, 'Disappearer.' Consisting of UK's Doorly and Dave Spoon (Shadow Child), Avec is a new collaboration that's sure to make waves on the house music scene. The toe-tap inducing, infectious track is laden with house pianos and Shears' signature falsettos that only enhance the frenzied production.

 

Holy Ghost! - 'Dumb Disco Ideas'

DFA duo Holy Ghost! are putting the finishing touches on their sophomore effort, Dynamics, which releases this fall and 'Dumb Disco Ideas' is the lead single from this hotly anticipated album. The song’s quirky lyrics, hyper-electronic synths and cheery cowbell is in line with their signature nu-disco sound. This eight minute dancefloor ditty is chock-full of dry drums, a two-note bass line, percussion, hand claps, and unexpected arrangements making it one of their most sophisticated productions and a promising sign of things to come.

 

Hurts - 'Blind (Frankie Knuckles Remix)'

UK-based Hurts has been on my radar ever since French label/tastemaker Kitsuné featured the Arthur Baker remix of their first single, ‘Wonderful Life,’ on one of their esteemed compilations. Their 2010 album Happiness, released to much fanfare, is blissfully sublime. Naturally, the world has been eager to hear new material from them as their recently released sophomore effort, Exile, does not disappoint. ‘Blind,’ the second single off of the critically acclaimed album, is a somber, haunting ballad that plays to Hurts’ strengths: namely lead singer Theo Hutchcraft’s vocals. The song is given a classic house rework via Chicago house music legend Frankie Knuckles and his frequent collaborator, noteworthy producer and keyboardist Eric Kupper, as they add massive piano chords and a fierce kick drum that will ignite the dancefloor.

 

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The OXD Mirror: New Music For 5.10.13

BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / JOSH APPELBAUM

The OXD Mirror is a weekly music column brought to you by the boys of OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD), a New York City based movement created by three music lovers, Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum, and Tadeu Magalhães, who want to share their love for disco, house and dance music with the world.

We are on Spotify!  Subscribe to our 'As Featured on Towleroad' Playlist to listen to tracks posted from past weeks.

 

Slow Knights vs Coleco: 'Shame'

Derek Gruen, better known as Del Marquis, has kept quite busy since his band The Scissor Sisters went on hiatus at the end of October, 2012.  His new project, Slow Knights, has begun to take off with their recently released debut record Cosmos, and their first official show in New York City on May 18th along with Midnight Magic.  'Shame' is a track that features Mykal Kilgore (from the national tour of Book of Mormon) belting out some serious soulful inspired vocals.  Canadian disco-house producers Coleco, who we've been following on OXD since they released a slew of free EPs last summer, give this song a shot of energy to make it a true dancefloor anthem.

 

Softwar: 'Believe'

Sydney's own Softwar saw the release of their Believe/One Day EP this past week.  The duo have been traveling around the world bringing their brand of house music alongside acts like Mark Ronson, Horse Meat Disco, Greg Wilson and LCD Soundsystem when they're not headlining at various clubs around Australia.  They've also produced remixes for Groove Armada, Azari & III and Two Door Cinema Club.  'Believe" is a "late night ode to the time when music was the answer, a true moonlight-maker," according to the band.  This rich track has a sound that evolves and changes, starting with a heavy bass found in many deep house bits and moving quickly into the drum breaks and synths found in classic house production.

 

Close: 'My Way feat. Joe Dukie'

Tad featured Close's first single 'Beam Me Up' a few weeks ago and now the British producer is back with his follow up single, 'My Way.' His debut album, Getting Closer, drops on June 3rd, and this particular single only appears on the album as a remixed version by Tanner Ross and Slow Hands.  The original version is a simple yet beautiful jazz-inspired song, featuring smooth vocals from Joe Dukie, minimal drums and light bass.  Although often we tend to gravitate towards heavy production on this column, this particular track struck a chord with me and I am equally as excited to hear the remixed version on the album as well.

 MORE NEW MUSIC, AFTER THE JUMP...

The OXD Mirror: New Music For 5.3.13

BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / TADEU MAGALHÃES

The OXD Mirror is a weekly music column brought to you by the boys of OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD), a New York City based movement created by three music lovers, Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum, and Tadeu Magalhães, who want to share their love for disco, house and dance music with the world.

We are now on Spotify!  Subscribe to our 'As Featured on Towleroad' Playlist to listen to tracks posted from past weeks.

 

Sébastien Tellier & Caroline Polachek: 'In The Cew of Tea Time'

Aside from being one of my all-time favorite artists, Sébastien Tellier has a special place in my heart when it comes to his ability to combine powerful productions with beautiful visual experiences. His extremely work-unfriendly video for 2012's single 'Cochon Ville' was impactful and did a great job showcasing the sexual appeal of disco music. After touring the US in 2009 with Chairlift as the opening act, Tellier expressed his wish to collaborate with the Brooklyn band's lead singer Caroline Polachek. Four years later, they finally released 'In The Cew of Tea Time,' a slow-ish but grand electropop work that naturally accompanies another graphic and masterfully art directed video. Polachek's sweet whispered vocals are a great match for Tellier's unique pitch and I'm loving this track even more with every listen.

 

Boris Dlugosch feat. Róisín Murphy: 'Look Around You'

Last week, Ru hinted that a new Róisín Murphy + Boris Dlugosch collaboration was in the works, but little did we know that only a few hours after his column was published here on Towleroad, the new song would be available for our listening pleasure. The track, 'Look Around You,' is everything we hoped for: stylish, sexy and lush house music with a strong pop appeal. As Ru stated, this is not the first collaboration between the Irish disco diva and German producer, and judging by the success of their tracks, it is unlikely this will be the last time the two work together.  Murphy is rumored to have further collaborations in the works with producers like Luca C & Brigante and Solumun.

 

Sh*t Robot: 'Feels Real'

DFA Records is on a roll lately with their recent releases. After featuring Man Tear's 'Outside Amore' on my last column and The Juan Maclean's 'You Are My Destiny' right before that, I was hesitant to include yet another release by DFA on this week's column. But I had to be fair – their newest release by Irish producer Sh*t Robot, titled 'Feels Real,' is a massive track that blends Bee Gees-like falsetto vocals, a Lil Louis-flavored energetic bass and gospel inspired keyboards. It might just be impossible to keep still to this one on the dancefloor.

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The OXD Mirror: New Music For 4.26.13

BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / RU BHATT

The OXD Mirror is a weekly music column brought to you by the boys of OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD), a New York City based collective created by three music lovers, Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum, and Tadeu Magalhães, who want to share their love for disco, house and dance music with the world.  

 

Boris Dlugosch feat. Róisín Murphy - 'Never Enough (Drop Out Orchestra Remix)'

Germany's Boris Dlugosch, known for his funky and deep house tracks, made quite the impact with his 2001 hit collaboration with Róisín Murphy, 'Never Enough.' In a somewhat suprising move, Dlugosch is re-releasing the massive tune 12 years later with a collection of new remixes. On this rework, Sweden's Drop Out Orchestra turns the hard hitting club banger into more of a subdued, daytime disco affair by including space age synths and the heavy strings that inspired their namesake. While the impetus for this re-release may not be that altruistic (a new Dlugosch and Murphy collaboration is supposedly in the works), it's quite exciting that Dlugosch (via his label, Peppermint Jams) sought out many of today's finest producers to update this classic hit. Dlugosch has even gone as far as to crowd source the next remix of this classic song, with a contest live on Beatport soliciting fan-made works. Murphy fans like myself have practically been begging for new material since her fantastic 2007 record, Overpowered, so we'll take anything we can get.

 

FCL - 'It's You (David Morales Remix)'

FCL's 'It's You' is somewhat of a controversial tune. The song is a remake of a track made in 1986 by a Chicago house duo called ESP. FCL's Red D & San Soda were inspired by the original in 2003 and created the 'San Soda's Panorama Bar Acca Version,' which was only available on vinyl and had a very limited press run—reserved for D, Soda and some of their friends. The song's haunting vocals and stripped down production made it an instant hit on the dancefloor, becoming the essential tune for DJs to play. After the records were found being sold online for ridiculous prices (€500!) and after hearing many accounts of DJs playing low quality versions of the the track in clubs around the world, the Belgian production duo recognized the the need to turn to Defected Records and give the song a proper digital release in order to preserve the quality of their art. With the advent of the Shazam app and and the internet, it's impossible to create a limited release these days. And there's the lament: the duo went to great lengths to preserve exclusive access to their art, but, in this digital era, they were practically forced to give the public what they wanted so they would hear it in the quality that the artists prefer. Luckily what that also means is that uber house producers like NYC's very own David Morales are given access to create their interpretations as well. In this instance, Morales adds considerable weight to the original, turning the wonderful acappella track into a floor filling summer house anthem.

 

Disclosure - 'You And Me feat. Eliza Doolittle'

Hot off the heels of the successes of 'Latch' and 'White Noise,' the brothers Guy & Howard Lawrence (a.k.a. Disclosure) recently debuted the third single from their hotly anticipated debut album, Settle, and have performed quite the hat trick!  'You & Me' features vocals by English singer-songwriter Eliza Doolitle and stays true to Disclosure's successful formula of vocally driven Chicago House / U.K. Garage tracks. Tad and I had the pleasure of seeing the brothers live at NYC's Bowery Ballroom (where they previewed much of the new album to our considerable delight) and were absolutely blown away by this song. It's interesting that brothers refer to this slick and breezy jam as pop music, which certainly may be true in the U.K. but it's a far cry from what's considered pop here in the states. Perhaps they're just ahead of the trend?

 

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The OXD Mirror: New Music for 4.19.13

BY OCCUPY THE DISCO / JOSH APPELBAUM

The OXD Mirror is a weekly music column brought to you by the boys of OCCUPY THE DISCO (OXD), a New York City based movement created by three music lovers, Ru Bhatt, Josh Appelbaum, and Tadeu Magalhães, who want to share their love for disco, house and dance music with the world.

Below is a recent interview we did with Logo TV's New Now Next that describes who we are and what we do in a bit more detail. Enjoy!

And now onto the new music!

Logo: 'Cardiocleptomania'

The title of French electronic production duo Logo's latest track, 'Cardiocleptomania,' seems to suggest the song is about someone who steals others' hearts incessantly.  With it's pulsing house beats, intense piano and strong musical progression, the song certainly took my breath away at first listen.  According to thier label, Kitsuné, the accompanying video is "designed to challenge and condemn homophobia in sports as much as it is the story of opposite impulses...willing to fight one of the most painful and taboo subjects of nowadays."  The progression of the video is timed neatly with the drops in the song to create a chilling cinematic effect.

 

Kisses: 'Air Conditioning'

There's something particularly irresistible about the sweet, summery electronic pop that has been coming out of L.A. lately from the likes of Goldroom, Classixx and of course this song's artist, Kisses.  Evoking serious visions of warmer weather, Kisses' aptly titled single 'Air Conditioning' has a sound that reminds me of The Cure's 'Lovesong'. Singer Jesse Kivel's smooth vocals paired along with the hearty bassline and ethereal instrumentals make this song a "must have" on my early summer poolside playlist.

 

Satin Jackets feat. Patrick Baker: 'Only You'

Satin Jackets have been on a roll this past year - and clearly we are big fans since we've featured them three different times on Towleroad before. Their latest, 'Only You', is a deep house track with vocals from up-and-comer Patrick Baker.  Smooth and slow is how Satin Jackets likes to record their music, and this track is certainly no exception.  They stick so steadfastly to this theory that on their Facebook page they go as far as to claim they will never put out a track above 120 beats per minute.  I'm continually impressed with their production skills with every subsequent track and look forward to more releases from this talented group.

MORE NEW MUSIC, AFTER THE JUMP...