DOWNLOAD: Red Foxx - Live atLovelife, Providence 5/9/08 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Joee Irwin - Decks, Box & MBP (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: LA Riots - Remixes, Volume 1 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: LA Riots - live at I Love Techno, 11/15/08 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: BM LINX - 123CAT (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Twelves - When You Talk (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Friendly Fires - Paris(Aeroplane Remix) (MP3)

After spending 3 relaxing, but tame nights in suburbia over Thanksgiving I was more than ready to hit the floor this past Saturday night. I arrived to a pretty full Studio B (especially considering it was only 11:30), that was already getting down to the beginning of 2020Soundsystem's set. The live electronic band from Leeds started off with some mellower, techno sounds which seemed to progress as their set went on, becoming richer and more upbeat with each successive track.

As I was getting more and more into their set, two thoughts kept coming to mind: 1. I really wish the drummer would get going on those drums. It was puzzling to see a live electronic band using programmed drum beats while their drummer sat calmly, quietly adding subtle taps on the drums and cymbals. and 2. I really wish they had somebody singing.

After a while I spotted Dominique Keegan in the crowd which reminded me that he had done some vocals for 2020. A few minutes later Ralph Lawson (dj,beats, etc.) called Dom onstage, where he lent his vocals for the last few songs of their set which included 2020soundsystem's remix of "Won't Bother Me" by the Glass as well as what I assume was "No Order" (one of the tracks they had collaborated on prior) and some others. Dom's vocals and presence coupled with drummer Danny Ward finally pounding on the drums really brought everything together into the live electro-techno dance party I was hoping it could be.

The fun continued from there as JDH & Dave P took the crowd into a great, varied deejay set of some awesome, recent tracks I hadn't heard played out much (if at all). You can download one particularly notable one, Aeroplane's remix of "Paris" by Friendly Fires' (who will be here next week!) at the top of this post.

Before I knew it JDH & Dave P surrendered the booth to excellent Berlin deejay/producer Ewan Pearson. Despite producing & remixing loads of acts over the past ten years, and creating an equally impressive amount of his own tracks, Ewan has flown under my radar save for a handful of remixes. I had very little idea what to expect from his set. From 1:30 until the lights came up at 4, Ewan treated the enthusiastic Studio B crowd to a set that started off on the techno side of things and gradually got deeper and more techy as the night went on. Ewan's set was one continual build-up that ended with him touching on a variety of genres from electro to disco to house while somehow still maintaining the deep, techno feel. I would love to provide a setlist for such a great night of music, but my limited familiarity with Ewan's tracks combined with the amount of new material a friend told me he was playing made that impossible. He played a great, very stripped down version of Tiga's "Mind Dimension" toward the end and that was literally the only track I could identify the entire night - a pleasant change from hearing deejays play the same 15 songs which inevitably make you lose it on enough floors until they eventually bore you.

If you didn't make it out that night or if you did and want to hear more, Ewan was on Beats In Space on Tuesday and the show is available to stream/download. 2020Soundsystem will also be back in the states in March.

Things don't really seem to get going until Friday(12/5) this week, so that's where we're starting:

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (2020Soundsystem, Ewan Pearson, the Rub, the Martinez Brothers, more...)"

Mr. Brownstone, Patti Smith, Les Savy Fav, The Virgins, Earl Greyhound, The Dresden Dolls, Dean & Britta, and a few others were all part of my first big 'New Years Eve in NYC' rundown this year. Then came news about Gogol Bordello, Dirty Projectors and Nellie McKay. We even heard about Velvet Revolver (which has since been reduced in price) and Chris Rock (which since had Jill Scott added to the bill). Here are some more NYC choices:

• Studio B New Year's Eve Celebration featuring Slick Rick the Ruler, Moby, Frankie Bones , Kudu, Holy Ghost!, Jacques Renault, The Bangers, Eamon Harkin - only $20.
• "What happens when you cross NYC's top burlesque night with a monster New Years Eve dance party? Burlesque + Discoteque = BURLESQUE - O - TEQUE!" @ Galapagos - tickets are on sale.
• "NYE Official Radiohead Album Release Party with Young Love, 33HZ and VHS or Beta Deejays" - tickets are very expensive and so are drinks @ Hiro Ballroom.
• DJ XXXchange from Spank Rock is playing at the Annex
• The Y2k8 Dance Party @ Silent Barn is all ages and will have free Sparks and is only $5.00 to get in - 6 live acts and/or DJs, presented by Famous Friends & Big Stereo.
• A Place To Bury Strangers is playing the RATED-X & TRASH! New Years Eve Extravaganza at Don Hill's (sort of this year's Motherf*cker party since there isn't Motherf*cker anymore)

Studio B is my first choice of that new bunch, but Galapagos and Silent Barn sound great too - and Don Hill's will probably be good too (if you liked going to Motherf*cker). Hiro Ballroom I can definitely do without.

WIN STUFF: I have one pair of tickets to give away to Mr. Brownstone, and another pair for Nellie McKay, and I still never gave away that pair to the Dirty Projectors, AND I have two DVD copies of The Ten to send out as well. The Ten is related to The State. More details on all of this below.....

Continue reading "New Years Eve in NYC, win tix & The Ten on DVD"