Let’s go out with a BANG!

Late Of The Pier – Best In Class (Soulwax Remix) by Scottish Friction ←♥♥♥♥♥
Tiga – Mind Dimension 2 (Soulwax Remix) by Scottish Friction ←♥♥♥♥♥

Preview these tracks and give some ♥♥♥s on Hype Machine!

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p.s. I took that photo

Here are my favourite songs of 2009. I seriously could have went into the hundreds on this one but I seriously cannot be holed. Besides this top 20 took me fecking ages. Enjoy!

20. Major Lazer – Pon De Floor

To me this song sounds like it should be released in 2015, it’s THAT ahead of its time. As it is, it ended up sending dancefloors into chaotic frenzies whenever it was played in 2009.

Listen: Major Lazer – Pon De Floor ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Major Lazer – Pon De Floor

19. Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings

The first half of this song  I imagine myself cycling along an old cobbled street Hovis-stylee, the sun hot on the back of my neck. The second half, the street turns into a grassy hill and I’m speeding down it, racing my giggling friends who all look like they’ve jumped out of a T-Mobile ad. I’m wearing GAP obvs.

Listen: Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings

18. Tiga – Shoes

Why did this song not blow-up chart-wise? I swear to god I was so sure Radio 1 would be playing the shit out this banger. Not Tiga’s fault – I blame marketing. WTF were they thinking. Such a catchy track with funny lyrics that should appeal to Joe Public. Fuck them, Tiga, it’s the sound of your talent.

Listen: Tiga – Shoes ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Tiga – Shoes

17. Wilco – You Never Know

First summer anthem of the list (well it’s my favourite season after all) and out of the stalls runs a fucking camel with a party hat. Yes Wilco are brilliant – I don’t even need to exlain why this song rocks my cocks.

Listen: Wilco – You Never Know ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Wilco – You Never Know

16. Javelin – Lindsay Brohan (12″ Mix)

There’s something missing on the album version of this song, hence why I’ve picked the 12″ Mix as my number 16 track of 2009. I love Javelin because all I can hear when I listen to them is potential.

Listen: Javelin – Lindsay Brohan (12″ Mix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Javelin – Lindsay Brohan (12″ Mix)

15. Royksopp – The Girl And The Robot (Feat. Robyn)

One of the best pop songs of 2009. Robyn is absolutely stunning on this track. The melody sounds so familiar to me too but that’s how good Royksopp are I guess. Stop playing mind games on me, fuckers.

Listen: Royksopp – The Girl And The Robot ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Royksopp – The Girl And The Robot

14. Gucci Vump – Sha! Shtil! (L-Vis 1990 Remix)

Hypnotic as hell, I think I played this song about 20 times in a row after the first listen. Starts to worm away at your conscious state after about 2-mins. Cracking remix.

Listen: Gucci Vump – Sha! Shtil! (L-Vis 1990 Remix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Gucci Vump – Sha! Shtil! (L-Vis 1990 Remix)

13. Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky

The good bit doesn’t shimmy in until about 3-mins in but this song still makes me have the ‘YES feeling’. Sampling the Grateful Dead was a masterstroke. I’ve heard the song they pinched “What Would I Want? Sky” from and the lyrics are actually “Sky! Whoa, I walk“. My mind boggles at their talent.

Listen: Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Animal Collective – What Would I Want? Sky

12. Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer

Of the songs on this list, this song probably best summarises my life in 2009. I wasn’t a deadbeat (although I did try like hell), but I think the world was. Global recession, climate catastrophes and the death of MJ. Did we care? Did we fuck. We were deadbeats.

Listen: Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer

11. La Roux – Bulletproof

THE catchiest chorus of the year I swear I even heard the cast of Greggs the bakers singing this when I went in for a sausage roll. More than that though, this is a fucking fantastic song. What a nerve La Roux has to think she can sing “Bulleeeeeeeetproof” and get away with it. If only more songwriters had the confidence to extend a word like that.

Listen: La Roux – Bulletproof ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: La Roux – Bulletproof

10. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance

“Ra Ra Ah Ah Ah, Roma Ro Ma Ma, Ga Ga Ooh La La” She’s a filthy bitch eh, but she’s only gone and nailed the pop single of the 2009 for me. People, we’re in the early (and extremely talented) stages of this bint’s career. Think Prince/Bowie/MJ. Cherish it while it lasts – she’ll soon be seen wearing nout but a merkin to the Grammys 2012, marrying Susan Boyle in 2016 and replacing compare the fucking meercat dot com in 2020. “Seemples Ro Ma Ma“. Or not.

Listen: Lady Gaga – Bad Romance ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Lady Gaga – Bad Romance

9. Tiga – What You Need (Proxy Remix)

If a dance floor ever needed to be quickly turned into a pit of writhing bits, tits & clits then just hit them with this. Out-doing most DJs this year in my opinion, Proxy had a cracking year for his original material as well as his remixes for other people. This Tiga remix is my favourite by a country mile. Proxy got what we need, babe.

Listen: Tiga – What You Need (Proxy Remix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Tiga – What You Need (Proxy Remix)

8. Grum – Heartbeats

This song is to blame/thank for one of the most euphoric moments of my life, followed by one of the most hungover days of my life – hence the blame. Yet I’d happily go through a week of hangovers just to experience the pure joy I felt when hearing Grum play this when I saw him a couple of months back.

Listen: Grum – Heartbeats ←♥♥♥♥♥ (Removed By Request)
MP3: Grum – Heartbeats

7. Phoenix – 1901

Forget Lisztomania, lets bring it back to 1901. Why are there less remixes for this song compared to Lisztomania? I’ll tell you – because it’s hard to top perfection – and with a chorus made for kings who could possibly contemplate mashing this up!? Indie discos were lit up with the sound of Phoenix in 2009, and so they should have been.

Listen: Phoenix – 1901 ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Phoenix – 1901

6. Lily Allen – The Fear (Duke Dumont Remix)

“Fuck!” Duke Dumont, along with being a super duper talented DJ also shows to me that he’s got a sense of humour – and I love that. Chopping this song up so much that he’s basically diced potty-mouth Lily Allen into a million pieces and reassembled them – Transformers-stylee - into something bigger and better.

Listen: Lily Allen – The Fear (Duke Dumont Remix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Lily Allen – The Fear (Duke Dumont Remix)

5. VEGA – No Reasons

The final summer anthem on this list and one I feel would sound good sound-tracking the End Credits to my life. Just look at the cover of his ‘Well Known Pleasures’ EP. If the camera were to pan around 180-degrees, I imagine it would see a beach full of sun-kissed twenty-somethings dancing their hearts out listening to this song and it would be the best moment of their lives. Now how’s that for hyping a song?

Listen: VEGA – No Reasons ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: VEGA – No Reasons

4. Royksopp – Happy Up Here (Boys Noize Remix)

One of the very first posts on Scottish Friction (back when I was still using blogspot – hi old fans!) was this song. Sounding like a bomb blast stuck on repeat, this track absolutely kills when I’ve heard it on the dancefloor. Absolute genius. Oh and p.s. Royksopp’s album should have probably got an honourable mention in SF’s Best Albums Of 2009.

Listen: Royksopp – Happy Up Here (Boys Noize Remix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Royksopp – Happy Up Here (Boys Noize Remix)

3. Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo

Although it takes about a minute and a half to get into it the pay-off is worth it. Gloriously chopped up vocal samples slide alongside soul-beating bass notes. You won’t be disappointed. He should rename himself dub-steppenwolf. That’s not even funny. Definitely one to watch on 2010.

Listen: Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo

2. Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

So much more complex than they make it sound (seriously, listen again), ‘Two Weeks’ blew me away when I first heard it – and it has held up to repeated listens amazingly. Plinking keys, angelic harmonies and drums that are out of this fucking world (that school bell smashing at the end makes me play air drums every time). This should be played to everyone.

Listen: Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Grizzly Bear – Two Weeks

1. Florence And The Machine – You Got The Love (The xx remix)

Yeah I know it’s a remix of a cover but it is by far the best version of this song. It’s comparable to when Bob Dylan said that Hendrix’s version of  ’All Along The Watchtower’ was “Jimi’s song”. ‘You Got The Love’ now belongs to The xx as far as I’m concerned – they just perfected an already great song. The stuttery drums, the wayward bassline, the sexy interplay between the kids xx, and as if to add insult to injury they go and chop up Florence + The Arsehole’s vocals to buggery. If I was Candi Staton/Flo now I’d be howling in pain after getting my arse handed to me by a bunch of brilliant 20-year-olds.

Listen: Florence And The Machine – You Got The Love (The xx remix) ←♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Florence And The Machine – You Got The Love (The xx remix)

Right?! Agree? Disagree? Let me know while I take a fucking week off please! That was a monster post!

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So here it is as promised – the Boys Noize debriefing. Before you start though, click on ‘Click To Play All Audio Posts‘ at the bottom of the screen. Wow. How does that feel? Feeling woozy yet? Yeah thats exactly what my brain sounded like as I was trying to get to sleep after seeing Boysy Noizey! We’d had it planned for a while that we’d go full NEON RAVE stylee, but that didn’t prepare us for when we got into the club. Two minutes after we arrived (literally in the cloak queue) we got asked “GOAT ENNY PULZ MATE?” haha. To be fair, we did look like a bunch of pill-popping eck-heads LMAO!

He played a cracking set, sprinkled with tracks from his new album ‘Power‘ and ‘Oi Oi Oi‘, as well as the odd remix. My favourite was when he played ‘Jeffer’. Me + my crewz all attempted the crazy dancing seen in the fan-made video. Best drop of the night for me though was when the Soulwax remix of ‘Mind Dimension‘ landed. I think I almost exploded. I’d say the biggest cheer of the night was for ‘My Moon My Man‘.

Listen: Boys Noize – Gax (Preview) ←♥♥♥♥♥♥
Listen: Tiga – Mind Dimension 2 (Soulwax Remix) ←♥♥♥
Listen: Feist – My Moon My Man (Boys Noize Remix) ←♥♥♥
MP3: Boys Noize – Gax (Preview)
MP3: Tiga – Mind Dimension 2 (Soulwax Remix)
MP3: Feist – My Moon My Man (Boys Noize Remix)

Yeah, thats him in the picture. It’s quite far away eh. We partied til about 4am (Boys Noize finished about 3am) bustin-a-groove to my main man Hostage then left soon after.

Listen: Kid Alex – Ja!
Listen: Hostage – Hangin
MP3: Kid Alex – Ja!
MP3: Hostage – Hangin

BTW Kid Alex is Boys Noize. Alter ego. Three men and a little ego. NapolEgo dynamite. Eternal sunshine of the spotless ego. Ego Vs. Kramer. Big ego in little china. Also, I’ve heard ‘Power’. Good stuff. Very good stuff.

I actually made this for a chill girl – but I like it so much I’ve decided to share it with you.

Runtime: 79 mins
Tracklist:-

1. One Tooth Henderson – Lucie Goes Up! (1:20)
2. Woolfy – Odyssey (4:17)
3. Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer (4:02)
4. Wilco – You Never Know (4:21)
5. Javelin – Trick Bikes (0:10)
6. Javelin – Susie Cues (1:54)
7. Javelin – Play A Slow Jam (0:19)
8. Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings (3:54)
9. Darondo – Didn’t I (3:29)
10. Kid Sister – Life On TV (3:13)
11. Tiga – What You Need (The Proxy Remix) (3:30)
12. The Bloody Beetroots – Warp 1.9 (Feat. Steve Aoki) (3:22)
13. The Whitest Boy Alive – Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix) (8:28)
14. Neon Indian – Terminally Chill (3:29)
15. Frankmusik – Confusion Girl (Don Diablo Loves To Slow Dance Remix) (5:04)
16. CSS – Rat Is Dead (Rage) (3:18)
17. It Hugs Back – Unaware (3.24)
18. Telekinesis! – Foreign Room (3:29)
19. The Hood Internet – Two Weeks Of Hip Hop (Dead Prez Vs. Grizzly Bear) (3:34)
20. M83 – Run Into Flowers (Midnight Fuck Remix By Jackson) (7:31)
21. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – Working My Way Back To You (3:04)
22. Little Joy – Don’t Watch Me Dancing (3:35)
23. Catty Catterson – Goodbye My Love (0:13)

Download M.L.I.A. (Complete Mixtape RAR file) ←♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

p.s. I saw Boys Noize last night. Fucking mental! I’ll tell you more about it soon.

I have a dilemma. My big MSc year hand-in is due on August 20th but I just recently found out The Proxy is coming to Edinburgh! The question is ‘should I go?‘

Of course I’m gonna fuckin go! Gonna get my ticket this week. So excited I could shoot some trees with a machine gun…

Listen: The Proxy – Indian Film ←♥♥♥♥♥♥ *dies*
Listen: The Proxy – 8000 [Live] ←♥♥♥♥♥ *goes to heaven*
MP3: The Proxy – Indian Film
MP3: The Proxy – 8000 [Live]

Thanks to Kid City for this excellent live rip of ’8000′ from Tiga‘s DJ set.

Like this track from A-Trak and Armand Van Helden a.k.a. Duck Sauce. Very funky. I ♥ the funk.

Listen: Duck Sauce (A-Trak & Armand Van Helden) – Anyway
MP3: Duck Sauce (A-Trak & Armand Van Helden) – Anyway

This Lifelike remix caught my ear too! Very dark. Very 80s. Very Gary Numan. Very good.

Listen: Moby – Mistake (Lifelike Remix)
MP3: Moby – Mistake (Lifelike Remix)

Saw this over at Gorilla Vs. Bear. Exactly what you’d hope a collaboration between Deerhunter and Animal Collective would sound like.

Listen: Atlas Sound (Feat. Noah Lennox) – Walkabout
MP3: Atlas Sound (Feat. Noah Lennox) – Walkabout

I was perusing the RAKETA blog (well, as much perusing you can do when you can’t read Russian) and found this really great summer mix from a Russian group called 7he Myriads. I know what you’re thinking. I love the use of 7 instead of a T as well. Aaanyway, was deciphering the tracklist and trying to work out what I was listening to and found this band called Cassette Club (the song in the mix was ‘Living In A Video‘). Decided to check them out for myself (hi google) and discovered that they’ve had literally no blog coverage. WTF!? Songs this good should not go unheard. Well fret no longer my love, help has arrived in the form of a 23-yr old Scotsman. Whodathunk eh?

Listen: Cassette Club – Talk To Me
Listen: Cassette Club – Living In A Video
Listen: Cassette Club – Number Seven ←♥♥♥ (All removed by request)
MP3: Cassette Club – Talk To Me
MP3: Cassette Club – Living In A Video
MP3: Cassette Club – Number Seven

Number Seven is my favourite out of this selection. Crying out for a remix too.

Listen: 7he Myriads – Megapolice
MP3: 7he Myriads – Megapolice

Lets big-up 7he Myriads, then, for letting us hear this new band. Megapolice sounds like the soundtrack to a 70s car-chase movie (yeah, yeah i know Bullitt was 1968). Really good actually.

I feel like I’ve gone off point.
What was the point of this post?

The Proxy!

Yeah, you guessed it. Scottish Friction regular Boys Noize.
..And I’m not gonna be there. Instead of smashing shit up I’ll just let The Proxy completely annihilate this Boys Noize track… in the best way possible of course. It’s not really payback at all, is it. It’s just making me even more jealous.

Listen: Boys Noize – Let’s Buy Happiness (The Proxy Remix)
MP3: Boys Noize – Let’s Buy Happiness (The Proxy Remix)

At least there’s no one else there worth seeing eh…….Wait…… WHAT??!?

Yup. Thats right. It’s like the Holy Trinity. Back-to-back FFS!

Listen: Tiga – Beep Beep Beep (Punks Jump Up Remix)
MP3: Tiga – Beep Beep Beep (Punks Jump Up Remix)

This Punks Jump Up remix is a cracker. I’d say this and the JUPITER remix of Chew Lips (another Scottish Friction favourite) are the best remixes I’ve heard for, ooh at least a week, which is like a year in blogtime. Plus they sound nice played one after the other

Listen: Chew Lips – Salt Air (JUPITER Remix) ←♥♥♥
MP3: Chew Lips – Salt Air (JUPITER Remix)

I’ve been to T in the Park twice now (2006/07) and each time was fantastic. Think it only rained a couple of times. Thats me on the left incase you’re wondering – looking like a twat in my Kamikaze bandana and Devo t-shirt hahaha. I don’t care. Look at our faces. We’re practically glowing. Good beer to man ratio. Great weekend.

So excited about the new Jay Reatard album. I think I worn out Blood Visions within a week of first hearing it. I even started a Jay Reatard myspace page with my favourite song of his at the time because I wanted to add it to my myspace profile but nobody had it! Hahahhaa. How sad is that. I’ve not been on my myspace for aaages. 6,222 plays though! RESULT! Anyway, I really like this new song of his.

Listen: Jay Reatard – It Ain’t Gonna Save Me
MP3: Jay Reatard – It Ain’t Gonna Save Me

Before I forget I got a great email from the Polaris Music Prize-nominated Elephant Stone. I gave their song ‘I Am Blind’ a listen and I think it’s great. T’otherwise I wouldn’t have posted it. If you like it, apparently the album’s streaming at the Indiecater website.

Listen: Elephant Stone – I Am Blind
MP3: Elephant Stone – I Am Blind

Bassline at the start sounds a bit like Jackie Wilson‘s ‘Higher & Higher’ eh? And that song reminds me of the end scene in ‘Death To Smoochy‘. You have to see that film. Hilarious.

Listen: Jackie Wilson – (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher
MP3: Jackie Wilson – (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher

p.s. this video, although added more than a year ago,  seems quite moving now

I’ve been so busy lately I’ve not had a chance to update this but I’ll give it a go. I saw Brodinski last Friday at Sugarbeat!!! He played an absolute stormer. I was supoosed to meet my flatemate there but he eventually couldn’t get in due to his friend being gloriously inebriated (i.e. steamin’!). Nevermind though, the night had a turn up for the books when I met a couple of old/new friends and had a total blast. I think I may have found new gig buddies. Oh yeah, and he dropped this bomb…

Listen: Tiga – What You Need (The Proxy Remix) ←♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
MP3: Tiga – What You Need (The Proxy Remix)

Complete change of tone for Bibio. This summery pluckfest (and his album for that matter) has been hogging my eardrums this week. Lovers’ Carvings hooked me within the first 5 seconds.

Listen: Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings
MP3: Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings

This Don Diablo remix of Frankmusik‘s ‘Confusion Girl’ is just a really great remix/rework of a so-so song. Kind of like that Duke Dumont remix (read: total annihilation) of Lily Allen‘s ‘The Fear’.

Listen: Frankmusik – Confusion Girl (Don Diablo Loves To Slowdance Remix)
MP3: Frankmusik – Confusion Girl (Don Diablo Loves To Slowdance Remix)

Finally, apart from Bibio, the Cryptonites‘ ‘Night Drive Mixtape’ has been on basically non-stop. Really really good mix and exactly my kind of taste at this very moment!! I’ve taken the liberty of posting a couple of tracks from the mixtape because they’re very good.

Listen: Cryptonites – Boots Electric (Saint Pauli Remix)
MP3: Cryptonites – Boots Electric (Saint Pauli Remix)

MP3: Cryptonites – Night Drive Mixtape ←♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ thanks to Too Many Sebastians

Tracklist:
01 Pony Pony Run Run: Hey You (sayCet Remix)
02 Benjamin Diamond: We Gonna Make It (Alan Braxe Remix)
03 Van She: Changes (Vemixed)
04 Carl Hanaghan & My Digital Enemy: Leyenda (Bass Kleph Remix)
05 Phonat: Set Me Free (Extended Mix)
06 Beyonce: Me, Myself & I (Laidback Luke Bootleg) (zshare)
07 Housemeister: Beach Control Berlin Stadt
08 Bag Raiders: Turbo Love (Spruce Lee Remix)
09 Housse De La Racket: Synthétiseur (Remix) (zshare) ←♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
10 Good Luck At The Gunfight: Puma
11 Autodidakt: Ghetto Nonsense (Hostage Remix)
12 Phoenix: Lisztomania (Yuksek Remix Edit)
13 Acidkids: Callahan
14 Zombie Nation: Mystery Meat Affair (Shadow Dancer Remix)
15 La Roux: Bulletproof (Midfield General Remix)
16 Boys Noize: Jeffer (zshare)
17 Cryptonites: Boots Electric
18 Empire Of The Sun: We Are The People (Sam La More Remix)
19 Peaches: Lose You (Yuksek & Brodinski Remix) (zshare)

Bonus (from here):
Listen: Lindsey Buckingham – D.W. Suite
MP3: Lindsey Buckingham – D.W. Suite

“Goethe’s final words: ‘More light’. Ever since we crawled out of that primordial slime, that’s been our unifying cry: ‘More light’. Sunlight. Torchlight. Candlelight. Neon. Incandescent. Lights that banish the darkness from our caves, to illuminate our roads, the insides of our refrigerators. Big floods for the night games at Soldier’s field. Little tiny flashlights for those books we read under the covers when we’re supposed to be asleep. Light is more than watts and candles. Light is metaphor.” Chris Stevens, Northern Exposure (1990)