December is upon us and soon we shall be force-fed Mariah Carey, Wham! and that Band Aid thing which, at first, will be perfectly tolerable but will eventually become about as entertaining as watching the educational tv that comes on at four in the morning while being repeatedly kicked in the back of the head by an angry reindeer. So, to help you cope, I have compiled a list of 10 alternative Christmas songs which you can refer to in order to retain your Christmas spirit without contemplating suicide or at least, without poking sharp implements down your ear holes. Enjoy.
Me and Oldsy have been discussing the possibility of an exclusive Box Musique mix series since the beginning of time. Seriously, we sat there on the council with Zerb, Vultar and the Great Creator and theorised spicing up the annual Gods meet with a bit of funky music, but just never got round to it. Well, the time has finally come and I am now proud to present the first installment in our long-awaited series, compiled (like a boss) by Astor Bell head honcho Socket Science. Dubbed the Elegant Decay Mix, it comprises just over an hour of minimal goodness that, right from the slightly unsettling vocal snippets of the introduction, will have you glued to it like you were actually glued to something. From the euphoric landscapes of Max Cooper’s ‘Heresy’ through the quirky bounce of Klatraum’s ‘Lenny’ to the melancholic vibes of Ryan Davis and Transistor’s ‘Nature is The Law’ and the genius of Pig & Dan’s ‘Haai Jack’ remix, Elegant Decay is an orgy of lush, rhythmic indulgence that you should download immediately. If you don’t I’ll tell Vultar and you know what he’ll do, I mean, look what he did to Betamax and Enron. Exactly.
To check out more Socket Science, and offerings from the rest of the Astor Bell crowd head over to their official site and be patient, for new releases are on the horizon. Also, keep your eyes open for Socket’s upcoming collaboration with Giuseppe which should surface in the next couple of months and will certainly appear here at some point.
Listen to mix via Mixcloud below or download it here. The tracklist lies after the jump.
This is not the next Minilogue album. But it’s still good news. You could even say it is… music to my ears. Sebastian Mullaert and Marcus Henriksson of Minilogue fame invited Koss to jam with them in Sweden and this forthcoming LP is the result. Apparently it runs for 2.5 hours and one track is over an hour long. If you can’t handle that, then get out of the kitchen. If you can then here be a mix to get you all hyped up like Tyson when he sees earlobes. However, If you carry on waltzing about thinking you can handle anything life throws at you, someone is going to have to take you down a peg or two and I really hope it isn’t me. Because my kidneys hurt for some reason and I’m tired.
Mule Electronic will release The Möllan Sessions on October 24th
Definitely UK Funky. Definitely some serious Techno thrown in for good measure. IDLE004 is out right now on ‘experimental electronic dance’ label Idle Hands. In all honesty I still don’t know what to make of ‘Lost Prophet’; it’s just a bit textbook spacey electronics to my disintegrating ears.
On the flip however, ‘Chasing Dragons’ is far more hard-hitting. Something I could definitely get in bed with. Or should I say ‘get in the club with’. It also does a better job at taking the eerie synths to the next level. That coupled with some lass warbling all House style and you’ve got yourself a tasty stew going.
Let’s just hope Headhunter is heading to the club to recruit some talent for adventures in unknown sonic territories. That’s right I write for the Telegraph music section now.
I like Minilogue, I like Extrawelt and I also think Leopards are pretty fucking cool. Basically, this track has all the components it needs to leapfrog the other crap I rifle through and firmly position itself at the forefront of my existence. I guess the fact that it’s an amazing tune also helps…although not as much as the leopard thing, they sit in trees a lot and sometimes they eat monkeys. Monkeys are basically stupid people with cute faces.
Anyway, spacious and impelling, the distinctive clarity of Extrawelt’s percussion enhances Minilogue’s ambient leanings, giving birth to the reason I think minimal is sick. This song is better than the time I found a bucket and spade in Cornwall and spent the day building sandcastles with my childhood friend Elijah, who definitely exists because I have lots of friends…honestly…loads…
I have no idea how old this is, chances are it’s pretty ancient but it’s still worthy of a post. Listennnn!
Lord knows I’ve been rinsing Socket Science’s insane Moon Landing Mix ever since the sun first rose in the West, so imagine my delight when another member of the Astor Bell roster dropped a new selection for my listening pleasure. Dubbed ‘Empire’, Mattias Edholm’s latest minimal conglomeration comprises just over an hour’s worth of disconcerting aural delicacies. Featuring the likes of Steve Bug, D.Diggler, Mike Wall and Mikael Stavöstrand, a distinct sense of foreboding characterises this peculiarly hypnotic mix and every time I listen to it, I feel like someone’s creeping up behind me. Nevertheless, I’ve fused it thoroughly into my stereo and it’s smiling at me via the graphic equalizer like a stoned dalek. Excellent.
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