rock steady

it's a ridiculously nice day out - unseasonably warm, sunny, light breeze...the kind of day that makes me throw up a little bit in my mouth for having to go to work...

as such, here are some springtime nice weather songs, consider this a feel good bouillabaisse of sorts:

dj shadow - you can't go home again

boris gardiner - melting pot

camera obscura - books written for girls

the queers - i always knew

basement jaxx - lucky star

schneider tm - frogstears

mount sims - how we do

still don't nothin move but the money

i know i'm coming in a little late on this one, but ghostface killah's fishscale is an absolute monster. he's always one of the strongest coming out of the wu, but i think this new one even tops supreme clientele. favorite new tracks: "kilos" (maybe that "trap-hop" article wasn't so stupid after all?), "9 milli bros", and "big girl" (i'm just a sucker for those old motown samples...)

ghostface killah feat. cappadonna, trife, shawn wigs - jellyfish

and a classic:

wu-tang - cash still rules/scary hours

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don't forget about the lady sov contest that's still going on - you gots until april 3rd to send me an email (disconotdisco@gmail.com) with your mailing address and your guess of how tall she is. one lucky winner will get a bunch of free swag and music.

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there's a really great article about dirge-rockers sunn o))) in the most recent issue of artforum. in the piece, jan tumlir places sunn o))) in a lineage of avent-garde artists, specifically minimalists. great description of the sunn o))) sound:

To place oneself at the point of greatest sonic impact is an act of fetal surrender and Nietzschean bravura at once. It's all very elemental: the body, a rock, pushing against a torrent of sound or else getting swept away. Sunn o)))'s music commands you, but not through the usual exercise of masterful technique. Gaining entry from below, as it were, it rattles the cage of subjectivity that holds the reptilian nerve-center of being.

sunn o))) also have the distinction of being one of the few artists that people have asked me to turn off. in my own apartment no less.

sunn o))) - it took the night to believe

i feel space

the mylo contest is over...and the winner is...ned "dj thunderpants" from idaho! thanks to everyone who entered, i got a lot of great suggestions for music to check out, and i wish i had more shit to give away. anyways, remember to keep sending me submissions for the guess-how-tall-lady -sovereign-is contest. disconotdisco@gmail.com

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ok, now that we've dispensed with the contest pleasantries, it's time for a disco-not-disco confessional: i am completely, utterly, addicted to crossing jordan. people don't take me seriously when i demand to be in front of a tv watching nbc on sunday nights, but i fucking love this show. from the sexy, sassy medical examiners to the frazzled-but-sincere cops, i'm just plain smitten. there, i said it.

since i've come clean, did anyone else notice that at the beginning of last sunday's show jordan was listening to m.i.a. on her ipod? while i don't even think they let the vocal drop, it was definitely the beat to "pull up the people"...rad.

and now for some "medical" mp3s:

low - medicine magazines

gogogo airheart - when the flesh hits

pulp - death goes to the disco

and while i'm disclosing guilty pleasures:

kylie minogue - come into my world (fischerspooner mix)

it's a funky lowdown feeling

it's about that time...tomorrow the winner of the mylo contest will be announced - you now have until midnight tonight to email me and get in on the action!

also, you have one week left in the lady sovereign contest, entries have been pouring in for this one, don't sleep on your chance to get some free music and swag.

for both contests, email me: disconotdisco@gmail.com, with your relevant info

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i've finally got a working mixer, so watch out for the first official dj speedrail mix dropping later this week. in the meantime, let's enjoy some sunny spring day music:

kano feat. demon and wiley - mic fight

le tigre - nanny nanny boo boo (junior senior mix)

e-40 feat. teak - tell me when to go (trackademicks mix)
(fuck, can you believe this album debuted so high?)

the marvels - rock steady

miss kittin - professional distortion (modeselektor's big muff mix)

ain't no sunshine

i've been listening to a lot of reggae at work recently, which i think has put me in a good mood for the upcoming rainy weekend in brooklyn (abandoned by the L train again...well played mta...well played....)

horace andy - love of a woman

if you, like me, are kicking around williamsburg tomorrow night, make sure to check out the end times party at savalas - nick catchdubs and caps & jones will be spinning at what will most likely be a silly time.

jay-z - encore (catchdubs remix)

is it just me, or does the end bit of this remix have the beat from "sunshowers"? decide for yourself:

m.i.a. - sunshowers


ok, so why didn't i get the memo that nelly furtado has suddenly become amazing? i've been haunted for days by one track in the middle of the emynd & bo bliz lemon-red mix...turns out it's the new nelly fucking furtado single:

nelly furtado feat. timbaland - promiscuous girl

i think the only thing that has blown my mind this bad recently is this.

it's a shame about ray

excellent installment of this month in techno on pitchfork, a super intelligent discussion of the knife's silent shout. don't sleep on it

the knife - forest families

and now for three songs that have nothing to do with one another:

the clash - straight to hell

lil' kim feat. sisqo - how many licks

lassigue bendthaus - jealous guy

into the night.

they call it murder

oh lady sovereign, you minx you...can't help but love her, right? even though there have been mixed reviews of her live shows, no denying that she's put out some bangers. check out these remixes that just floated my way:

lady sovereign - ch-ching (xxxchange mix)

lady sovereign - adidas hoodie (mizz beats mix)

and since i never stop working for you, i've got the second disco-not-disco contest in as many weeks: lady sovereign swag galore. shoot me an email at disconotdisco@gmail.com with your name, mailing address, and your guess as to how tall sov is. you'll be entered to win some exclusive buttons, tees, and crazy vinyl. y'all gots till april 3rd. get on it.


please tell me that you haven't forgotten about the mylo contest...the submissions have been flooding in, but you still have a few days to email me for a chance to cop a 12" of "doctor pressure". to further entice you, here's a mashup of questionable quality:

mylo v. scissor sisters - drop the numb (2005 white label)

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in filthy bmore mix news, check out the always excellent lemon-red mix series - latest installment is from philly's emynd & bo bliz. their mix makes me ashamed to be a dj.

does diplo have to be so unstoppable?

diplo - jungle fever riddim

this is rumored to be the next release on his new mad decent label. also don't sleep on the new mad decent podcast, it's right up there with radioclit as one of my favs

calling the biz

big thanks go out to tomas barfod (whomadewho/tomboy/gomma/get physical) who just tossed me his unauthorized-but-fucking-nasty remix for the gorillaz track "kids with guns". anyone who's seen me throw down in brooklyn in the past six months knows that the soulwax mix of "dare" has been a staple of my dj sets, and i think tomas' remix might just push it out of rotation...

gorillaz - kids with guns (tomboy mix)

anyone grab tickets to the live gorillaz show at the apollo? i really wanted to check out the show, but just couldn't swing $70 for a ticket in the way way way back. if someone out there is going, definitely let me know how it was

an oldie (kinda) but goodie (completely) for the weekend:

black strobe - me and madonna (2 fairlight bitches mix)

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don't forget to enter the mylo contest! email me at disconotdisco@gmail.com to win a rare 12" of "doctor pressure"

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like your live hip hop and rock acts followed by filthy disco-not-disco, electro, and baile funk? then come see me dj tomorrow night at galapagos in williamsburg. the live show will be done around 12, and i'll be spinning until i can'ts spin no more.

rewind

feeling a little bit sick today, so here's some comfort music:

pulp - pink glove

the coup - me and jesus the pimp in a '79 granada last night

headman feat. matt safer - balearica

plastique de reve - rodeo mechanique

hayden - we don't mind

scissor sisters - electrobix (hungry wives mix)

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10 days left in the mylo contest! make sure to drop me a line at disconotdisco@gmail.com with your info so you can have a chance to get the "doctor pressure" 12"

gotta get down

(photo: terry richardson)

got a great reminder from dj paul v. that i haven't mentioned the infadels yet, a worthy addition to the crop of british electro rockers. while i've heard some of their stuff out, the only track i have in my library is from an old tank magazine comp cd. it sounds like them. i think it's them. but if it's not the same band, somebody gets to smack me in the mouth:

the infadels - waiting for the sky to shine on me

speaking of electro rockers, let's take it back a couple years:

adult. - minors at night (still sick)

good show going down tonight at don hill's, with the always pleasant a.r.e. weapons gettin all sleazy. doors at 7.

a.r.e. weapons - walking blues (thomas troelsen mix)

and since my mp3s are in such a filthy mood today, a classic:

the faint - worked up so sexual

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leader of the pack

it's contest time! for the first in what will hopefully be a regular series of contests here on disco-not-disco, i've got an exclusive mylo 12" to give away to one reader. it's a single for the inimitable "doctor pressure", and is an absolute must-have piece of dancefloor nastiness. all you have to do to snag the prize is send me an email (disconotdisco@gmail.com) with your name, address, and a couple of suggestions of bands that i should look into. alternatively, feel free to reply with a couple of suggestions of bands that i should stop talking about on the site...let 'er rip. i'll be taking submissions for the next two weeks - get on it!

in the meantime:

mylo - muscle car reform reprise

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it was ridiculously nice out yesterday, so liz and i went for a stroll through greenpoint (or, if you must be precise, it was something of a walkabout), and what should we happen upon but sonic youth doing a photoshoot down in the middle of a bunch of warehouses. the whole gang was there - including thurston and kim's kids! we felt like we had stepped into a marc jacobs ad

sonic youth - my friend goo

sonic youth - teen age riot

unfortunately it's now a grey, semi-miserable day, so i need some of this to get me going:

muddy waters - got my mojo working

and maybe a little of this:

munk - disco clown (digitalism mix)

pleasure from the bass

finally got around to seeing storytelling (solondz, 2001) the other day. even though i swore that i would never see another solondz film after happiness, i had heard the belle & sebastian soundtrack for storytelling and loved it. bottom line - the soundtrack was the best part. although the film does make me wonder, will leo fitzpatrick become the character actor of our generation? i kinda hope so.

belle & sebastian - fiction

also check out npr for a downloadable recording of the recent belle & sebastian show at the 9:30 club in dc. i managed to catch b&s in dc a few years ago, although it was something of a disaster as my friend and i got drunk, missed the opening band (fucking sleater-kinney!!) and then got "shush!"ed for requesting "judy and her dream of horses" in a loud voice repeatedly. hmm.

belle & sebastian - judy and her dream of horses

and my favorite:

belle & sebastian - get me away from here, i'm dying

speaking of soundtracks, i always forget how much i love this song until i watch basquiat (schnabel, 1996) again:

the toadies - i'm not in love

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be sure to check back this weekend for info on the first ever, extra special, disco-not-disco contest (!)

ana ng and i argue

been listening to a copy of the new album from the sounds, dying to say this to you, and while i'm not sure if i'm really feeling the overall pop-punky vibe, i'm digging this remix:

the sounds - tony the beat (tommie sunshine brooklyn fire remix)

and how can you not like a band that puts leigh lezark on the cover? the album drops in the states on march 21


i can't believe nobody thought of this sooner. simpsons intro - live!

sure doesn't feel like a thursday, let's step it up a notch:

death from above 1979 - blood on our hands (justice remix)

justice vs. simian - never be alone

dead combo - hey dusty

stars of track and field

(photo: richard prince)

can't stop listening to the new grand national album, kicking the national habit, getting excited for their show with hot chip at the bowery on saturday. just found out that grand national is doing an in-store at the union square virgin megastore on friday the 10th at 6, definitely check it out if you haven't managed to snag tickets to the sat show.

grand national - playing in the distance

grand national - coming round

i feel like kicking the national habit is equal parts the police and whitey. and i mean that in a good way.

whitey - leave them all behind

and one more for good measure:

kaiser chiefs - everyday i love you less and less (boys noize mix)

note: the first time i heard this mix i hated it, but i was listening to a dj set by tiga the other day and it was in there. worked amazingly well.

language is a virus

a quick one for the weekend - click here for a stream of new flaming lips track "the w.a.n.d.", it's silly silly good.

the girl on the train used the same hairspray

(billy sullivan)

just got back from the whitney biennial opening - i don't know why, but i didn't have super high expectations for the show. luckily, it was much much stronger than i expected. lots of highlights, but probably my favorites were the billy sullivan, kenneth anger, richard serra, and francesco vezzoli pieces. a few hipster celeb sighting as well:

lee ronaldo
sonic youth - eric's trip

and

melissa burns
w.i.t. - it kills

were both in attendance.
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i really don't know what to make of the streets. i, like everyone else, loved original pirate material, and i even liked some of a grand don't come for free, but i'm just not sure that's he's progressing as much as some other people in the u.k. hip-hop/grime game are. doesn't help that the show i saw in boston a few years ago ranks among the most mediocre i've caught. check out a track from the forthcoming the hardest way to make a living:

the streets - when you wasn't famous

and one more grime track that i like a whole bunch:

kano - p's and q's

feelgood by numbers

UPDATE: the release date for the new grand national lp has been pushed back in the states, the album is now set to drop on march 14. i got my grubby hands on an advance copy a couple of days ago, and i can say it's definitely worth the wait. very excited about this record.

grand national - drink to moving on

i was reading something a couple days ago and lawrence "la" rudd from grand national describes "drink to moving on" as "a cross between New Order's 'Regret' and The Flaming Lips' 'Race For The Prize'". not a bad comparison - decide for yourself:

new order - regret (fire island mix)

the flaming lips - race for the prize

on an unrelated note, i was worried that i had burned myself out on this song by playing it all of last summer, but, no, it's still dope:

mylo - destroy rock and roll