Saturday, January 29, 2011

Track of the week: Drop the Lime - Hot as Hell


Good friend of mine directed me to this whopper of a diddy.

I've heard of Drop the Lime for awhile but had no idea he was mixing rockabilly and dance as intense as he does here on "Hot as Hell", his first single from a forthcoming 2011 release.
Just wow, bust out the moonshine and get out yo stomping boots, we got a real barn-burner right here ya'll!

Drop The Lime - Hot As Hell (Radio Edit) by Ministry of Sound


Rating: Roman God!!!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Memorial show for Peter Moskalyk (Belladonnakillz)


Fuck, Belladonnakillz were the shit. Last year Toronto lost a great artist when Peter Moskalyk passed away. There's going to be a memorial show for Pete and you should all try to attend. Here's the press release:

MEMORIAL SHOW FOR FALLEN TORONTO UNDERGROUND MUSICIAN January 24th, 2011 (Toronto, Ontario) – Under the moniker Belladonnakillz Peter Moskalyk seamlessly married jungle, punk and ballads with thoughtful melodies and mature songwriting. Shortly after returning from his first European tour Peter passed away at the premature age of 31 last October. A kind and charismatic person, as well as gifted and classically trained pianist, his presence in Toronto's own unique music scene is already sorely missed. Belladonnakillz has released 3 albums, “Perverted & Proud” (2005 - Toronto's Dross:tik Records), “As If” (2006 - Sublight Records) and “Sorry, Try Again” (2009 - Dross:tik). Belladonnakillz was also a frequent collaborator with Knifehandchop of Tigerbeat6 Records and had his foreboding track ‘Kill Bella Donna’ remixed by German hardcore rave DJ the Panacea. "Remembering Peter" is being held on Saturday, February 19th at Neutral. Admission is $5 at the door. This will be a 19 plus event, doors open at 8pm. The lineup consists solely of Peter's dear friends, musical collaborators, and those who shared the stage with him. The full performance lineup is as follows: Ken Margoe - Illusionist, Goldie Luxx, Pussy, Famine, Cousin Dog, Ghost Television, B7, Loopsy Dazy, C64, Goodfellaz DJs and Alan Belerique. Night hosted by long time Toronto party MC Gobz the Zombie. All proceeds go to the Moskalyk family, no guest list is available except for immediate family. Key acts: Ken Margoe, C64, Goldie Luxx

It looks like it's going to be a great show and even though it's not under the best circumstances we're gonna dance our asses off.

Here's an oldie but a goodie:

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Personal top 5 dance records of 2010

Every blog and critic has been unleashing their top picks from last year and it all sounds the same. Top pick across the board goes to either Kanye or Arcade Fire and I get it. Both artists released stellar albums but what about the party records?

Sure, dance albums don't hold much longevity for most as they're usually not great for solo listening, however, I find good dance music invigorating and motivating no matter what I'm doing.

These 5 choices will be quite debatable to many especially with the omissions of some great releases from the likes of Caribou, Crystal Castles, LCD Soundsystem, Hot Chip etc. etc. etc.
These aren't the most accomplished albums of 2010, no these are the ones that made me sweatiest.

Without any further ado, here's my top 5 Dance records of 2010:

5. Daft Punk - Tron Legacy



Ok, so on a whole this isn't really a dance record, actually it isn't at all, but it's fucking Daft Punk so it has to be up here. The three or so actual bangers on here are worth the price of admission, much like how the games sequence in the film is worth the price of your ticket alone. I wasn't a huge fan of this soundtrack until after I watched the film and witnessed how the music accentuated all the scenes perfectly. Great stuff by these DJ legends.

4. Crookers - Tons of Friends


Italian dance masters, Crookers, finally released their first album in 2010 to very little fanfare. After dominating the club scene for so many years it seemed many people were already over Crookers by the time Tons of Friends hit the streets which is too bad. Many missed out on this eclectic mix of heavy dance numbers that spans many genres, from dubstep to electro-grime to euro house and more. All around a great party album and the first effort that real Crookers fans had been waiting for.

3. Twin Shadow - Forget



Not much to add after the review I posted up here the other week. An emotional record with some unforgettable dance hooks.

2. Tanlines - Settings E.P.



These Brooklyn boys took me by complete surprise. The first time I heard Tanlines I knew I was going to be addicted to their dance/pop/world music. Tanlines have an easily acceesible sound due to their various influences, it seems whenever I play any of their stuff in public people always ask "who is this?". Settings is a 6 track e.p. so the biggest issue I have with it is that it leaves me wanting much more. Turn up these guys on any cold winter night and get whisked away to a slamming island party.

1. Robyn - Body Talk


Body Talk is pop perfection, not one song disappoints. I've been a fan of Robyn for a long time and this new record just blew me away. In almost every way Robyn has improved upon her 2008 self-titled album. This is one tight record that is immensely fun yet not brain dead. Get down on it ASAP!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Twin Shadow live @ The Horseshoe Tavern Jan. 12, 2010


Been looking forward to seeing Twin Shadow live since their album Forget became my soundtrack for the winter.
Sometimes though, life has a way of getting in the way of plans. I had a family dinner that stretched to about 9:30 pm and i didn't get to the show till somewhere between 10:30 and 10:45, with the doors opening at 8:30 I was hopeful that Twin Shadow hadn't hit the stage yet.

Unfortunately, when i entered the sold out show, Twin Shadow was already a few songs into their set.

The band themselves were absolutely stellar. I wasn't sure what to expect but George Lewis, Jr. and his band played all their songs with much energy and perfection. The slower songs of Forget took on a new dance floor feel, while the faster ones became even more intense.

As for the crowd, well it wasn't as bad as say most Toronto crowds. People were definitely moving their butts but the size and layout of The Horseshoe Tavern restricted anyone from really letting loose let alone getting a good vantage point of the band.

All in all, the show just left me wanting more (although this is mostly own fault) and I hope they return very soon in a larger venue.

Rating: Pump-Action









Here's a video i took of them playing "Forget" a terrific winter anthem that's been keeping me warm lately.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Twin Shadow - Forget (2010)


I first caught wind of Twin Shadow after his album Forget dropped in October of 2010, the album was getting some great reviews and with the promise of hearing some good neo-wave tunes i decided to check it out.

Forget is not only one beautiful album it's on my shortlist of the best of last year, easily. The music of Twin Shadow is nostalgic, (i couldn't get the image of an 80's high school prom out of mind the first listen through) not only in the musical arrangement but the lyrical work is mostly based on memories and the "what could have beens".

The mix of the grooving 80's toe tapping beats and the nostaligic lyricism makes Forget the perfect winter album. With lyrics like "... I cannot wait for summer, I cannot wait for June" and "...when winter sets in it has a way of crystallizing the bad times, the fevers, the heartaches" this baby you can put on with hot cocoa and lose yourself in while the blizzards rage on outside.

As for dancability, well the record doesn't have an incredible amount of legs on the floor. Half of the songs are slower while the other half are upbeat and could easily be played at a party, just don't expect people to tear the roof off.
Twin Shadow makes dance music for the lonely, nostalgic, cold dancers.
So put on your dance shoes by the fire and tear up that bear skin rug, this one's a beaut.

Twin Shadow plays The Horseshoe Tavern on Jan. 12 (tomorrow!) and i'll be there with bells on. Keep watch for a review of that show sometime coming up in the next week or so.


Rating: Disco Queen