Really excellent pair of mixes from the guys in Poolside. As you may have guessed, one is a daytime disco set, great for the beach or (believe it or not) the poolside. The second is a little dancier, a great transition from dusk to evening. Both easily get the seal of approval. No track lists, but you probably know a lot of these jams already. Stream/download them here:
More lazy balearic and electronica jams for seaside sunsets. Stream and download it below, and then check out the tracklist by clicking the “read more” link.
Everything You See Is A Reflection Vol. II by chrishires
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A few of my disco and house favorites from the first half of the summer. Nice and tropical to begin, heavier down the stretch. Stream/download it below, and check the track list after the jump.
Loving the summer vibes on this one. Southern Shores are from Nova Scotia (via Berlin), and “Night Is Young” is set to be released on their Atlantic EP on July 12th on Cascine (a label that’s been after my own heart lately). It pairs well with the sound of crashing waves and the smell of sunscreen.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the new Friendly Fires album. I was hot and cold on their debut LP, but I liked the bits and pieces I heard leading up to Pala‘s release, so I gave it a shot. As it turns out, Paul Epworth’s production has helped their sound immensely (you may also know him as Phones, or as that guy that produced Adele’s juggernaut of a sophomore album), and Ed Macfarlane’s voice has somehow gotten even stronger. Doesn’t hurt that the cover art is awesome, either. The excellent summery disco track “Hurting” is below, but the album is solid from front to back and definitely worth a listen.
Friendly Fires – Hurting (right click, save as)
I’m sure this record is getting/will get all the hype it deserves, but it’s been damn-near on repeat for me so I’m gonna throw it up here anyways. Washed Out’s two EPs were staples for me last summer, and helped inspire a whole mix of hazy songs that was designed for poolside listening. This is taken from his upcoming album Within And Without, and it’s great to hear that he hasn’t lost a step since being crowned the Chill Wave ambassador (kind of kidding about that last part, but mostly not). Sometimes you just want to hear songs that make everything shimmer, you know? I’m really looking forward to the full length, but this single does the trick just fine in the meantime.
So, this one showed up on the internet a few weeks back, alongside the announcement for diskJokke’s next album, Sagara. The story here is that Norway’s Oye festival comissioned diskJokke for a one off project, for which he could travel to any location in the world and study a particular type of music. He chose Indonesia’s Gamelan music and jetted off to Java, and the results of his time there will be released on Sagara on June 14th. In the mean time, check out a little preview below. It’s got a sound that’s a bit like an ambient John Hughes score, which is about as up-my-alley as it gets.
This month’s mix for Capital is a collection of songs to welcome the warm weather back into our lives (those of us that live in the northern hemisphere, anyway). Download it and check the tracklist, complete with my random info nuggets for each song, right over here.
Shout out to Nick and the crew at Fool’s Gold for putting me up on this one. Basically, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis produced some of the illest funk, disco and R&B of the 80s under the name Flyte Tyme, and Sparkle Motion (aka DJ Yoda and Tobes) compiled a whole host of their best tracks into this excellent mix. The transition between Janet Jackson’s “Miss You Much” and Cherelle’s “Saturday Love” just made me stand up in my bedroom and scream “WHOOOOOOO!!!!,” and I haven’t even been drinking! This one is definitely a must for 80s disco fans. Stream/download it via the Soundcloud player above, and check the tracklist here.
Nice abridged history of the New York apartment from this week’s New York Magazine. I never get sick of this kind of stuff. Bonus recommendation: reading long form articles on the web in their printable versions. It’s really so much nicer to read without all of the ads, sidebars and other bullshit getting in the way. Web designers might be mad at me for saying that, but whatever.
Sardine Life [New York Magazine]