Many dance music snobs are denouncing the indie-rock and dance music crossover. I'm not talking about New Rave, but merely the more rocky and sometimes vocal-based side of electro that's been arising for a year or two (pioneered by the likes of Kitsune, MSTRKRFT, Digitalism, Ed Banger, The Black Ghosts, Does It Offend You, Yeah? and many many more). Those condemning this fusion of dance and rock are massively narrow-minded, and missing the point. Dance music was founded on innovation and experimentation and accounts for why the genre continually evolves and maintains a certain freshness. There's always those uber-conservative stiffs who write into Mixmag and DJmag, moaning about these "fuckin' indie kids" and "faggoty' rock'n'rolla's" ruining 'their' genre of music. But these are the same lager-louts who uproariously rave to The Prodigy and Chemical Brothers (who are, of course, incredible) and Pendulum (who are, of course, shite). These three, or at least the former two, are old classics, and therefore regarded as good-old-fashion dance music. But they fail to forget all three are massively influenced by rock music. They owe as much to rock music as they do to club music. They are phenomenal because of their refusal to stick to any given genre rules. The infusion of rock is just as innovative as the breakbeat, dubstep and heavy bass movements, and helps music to move in interesting new directions so to avoid any stagnation.
Admittedly the blogs, and even a few record stores, are becoming over saturated with rocky, distorted bangers, and pitiful New Rave imitators. Alot of these tunes are becoming formulaic pieces, so uninventive they could be mistaken for plagiarism. But this happens when any new and popular movement arises. For this reason I also like to post other arising genres/movements like the glitchy, bassy sounds of Dubsided; the 'fidget house' sound, the 2-steppy bassline that's seeing a revival, the heavy ghetto-tech that's worming its way into electro and all the crossovers that meld all the above together. But indie-electro and rock'n'rave also rightly deserve a firm place in dance music.
(Here ends my rant. But this just serves as an aside; something I wanted to clear up).
Anyway.......It's time for another of Pelski's Playlists: The third in a series of outstanding assemblages of brand-spankers and up-and-comers....all nestled alongside some older tunes (that have possibly slipped under the radar) that may tickle your fancy. That's right, you can call me Pelski.
An outstanding remix to start off with here from Switch.
A moody, rock-and-rollin' tune. A twanging, deep guitar riff runs throughout along to a punchy beat. People seem to be pigeon-holing Switch into this new-fangled 'fidget' genre, but he never ceases to surprise with his ever changing, eclectic style. This was actually released in 2007, but slipped right by me, and is definitely worth a listen if you haven't hear it yet. Switch remixes Jacknife Lee - an ex-guitarist, now working on electronic productions, but has also lent his technical expertise to the likes of Weezer, Bloc Party and Hadouken!'s albums. A quality little tune:Jacknife Lee - Making Me Money (Switch Remix)
Retro sounding vocals and a glitched Facteur reworking makes for an infectious tune. Come the end, the glitched snippets are seemlessly blended into a smoother sound and all out heavy blasts of bass and clubby electro. New European are a couple of electro-poppers from London, and this remix is a booming stomper that has an ever so slightly cheesy-esque vibe. Beaut:New Europeans - Dr. Rhythm (Facteur Remix)
Ratatat have been gaining a fair bit of attention surrounding their latest EP, Shiller - and their
latest tracks aren't bad, but don't really stand up to some of Ratatat's classics; those instantly recognisable tunes. These new 'uns don't stick like the old 'uns did. So here's a new remix of one of my favourite Ratatat tracks - Wildcat. E*vax (AKA Evan Mast) forges minimalist electronica, and is infact one half of Ratatat. It maintains much of the original's outstanding elements: that whining guitar, those wildcat growls; but here with added pulses of bass and a little welcome warping distortion. Ratatat's tunes always evoke a feeling of some old dusty guitar, gently and melodically twanging away and is strangely what make them so timelessly endearing. A nice, neat electro makeover here:Ratatat - Wildcat (E*vax Remix)
Miles Dyson's 'Live In Mexico' starts off darkly like a typical classical soundtrack to any horror film (the ones usually about some dark lord or satan), and then drops into a bouncy warping of electro wonk. It then cuts between snippets of the orchestra-type humming and electronic beats. This description may make it sounds strange, but it works wonderfully:Miles Dyson - Live In Mexico
I love all of Punks Jump Up's remixes and my favourite is this simple
but effective re-edit of the Swedish electro-pop band Lo-Fi-Fnk (after 2 years of listening to Lo-Fi-Fnk, I still have no idea how to pronounce that name). Punks Jump Up add a nice synth-y guitar riff and some clean electro sounds. I look forward to seeing these guys live at some point - perhaps just for the sole purpose of wearing my Punks Jump Up tshirt without looking like a complete New Rave twat (I can only imagine New Rave twats fit in pretty well at Punks Jump Up gigs). Anyway, this chirpy slice of electro-pop should get you in the mood for the Summer:Lo-Fi-Fnk - City (Punks Jump Up)
The actual original of The Toxic Avenger's 'Escape' seems to have escaped everyone. Has anyone actually heard it ( - if so, please post below). The only two versions of Escape I seem to be able to get my hands on are the superb remixes by Bloody Beetroots and LA Riots. Of course, everyone has heard the booming, rocky distortion of the 'Beetroots remix. But it's the LA Riots' (who seem to consistently turn everything they touch to gold) remix that has really garnered my affection. Maybe it's the sped-up 70s vocals, maybe the retro syths, maybe the glitchy chopping. Whatever it is, it's killer:The Toxic Avenger - Escape (LA Riots Remix V8)
Late Of The Pier are one of the few remaining indie bands that are consistently releasing
inventive and gratifying material. This is probably aided by Erol's production input (let's not forget: Erol is God). I've posted alot of their tunes over the last few months (their tracks are ripe for remixing it seems, judging by the number of remixes floating between the blogs). 'Space And The Woods' and 'Focker' have been released as a double A-Side. You've probably heard enough of 'Space And The Woods' by now, but it's 'Focker' that really takes the breath away. A neo-indie tune, filled with fuzzy synths and clattering rock. We haven't heard this much energy since the Klaxons. NME must be creaming themselves:Late Of The Pier - Focker
Next up is a tune Dave Pryde sent me: a DJ and producer who goes by the monicker Continental Breakfast Club. Continental Breakfast Club has produced some nice remixes. He tells me he's moving away from his beginnings of cheesy grime and 2-step, and moving closer to the more danceable electro-house area. He's also remixed Hearts Revolution and is currently working towards an EP of original material. Yes, this is a remix of pop-rapper Souja Boy, but it's actually terrific fun with some great electro, growling distortion and a chopped vocals snippets. He strips away all but the acapella and infuses some excellent electro into proceedings:Soulja Boy Tell 'Em - Crank 'Dat (CBC Samplerdisco Remix)

Here's one of Herve's earlier releases on the ever popular Dubsided label. Its an energetic, bass-clapping track that drops neatly into a catchy round-and-round refrain. Alot of Herve's stuff is equally as fresh as his acclaimed remixes. An astounding tune:
Herve - (I Can) Get Down
For those of you who couldn't handle the innovation of Soulwax's Rolling Stones remix (give it another go; it's a grower), here's a more conservative take on the 'Stones from Hot Chip. And a very tasty one too:The Rolling Stones - I'm Free (Hot Chip Remix)
Primary1 is a 21 year old UK electro-pop artist, who's down-tempo
synth-heavy single, Hold Me Down, has been doing the rounds on the trendy dance circuit. It's his debut and was released on Erol Alkan's label Phantasy Sounds. By now you've probably heard the funky original and Yuksek's speedier but excellent remix. Here's a less hectic take than Yuksek's, but by no means less energetic. High Wycombe's Foamo injects a vibrant, reverberating bassline and some sliced up vocal cuts. (It's also worth checking out The Shoes remix).Primary 1 - Hold Me Down (Foamo Remix)
Now, this one you're either gonna love or hate. Both hailing hailing from L.A., The Glitch Mob and Nalepa combined have created a heavyweight monster of a tune. It's a heavy mash of cutting and slashing sythns, booming bass and clattering noise. The backing tune, hidden beneath the glitchy remixing, has a slight hip-hop, almost r'n'b, vibe. But such nagging worries should be expelled by the sheer weight of this fierce banger:Nalepa - Monday (The Glitch Mob Remix)
Pinks Skull often deals in techno and house, with a distinct electro makeover.
This track is a strange electro-stomper. The first 40 seconds start disconcertingly with a screeching, discordant racket that weaves itself into an almighty drop into a deep, funky bassline. It rollocks along with great momentum and thrumming and squelching noises, interspersed with incongruent breaks, that make the chorus all the more harmonious. Excellent track. And all of his tunes are exceedingly well produced and always maintain a fresh innovativeness.Pink Skull - Gonzo's Cointreau
That MGMT tune 'Time To Pretend' is inescapable right now. It's undeniabley catchy and Tronik Youth have produced a neat, pleasant and uplifting electro remix. Another soundtrack to your summer:MGMT - Time To Pretend (Tronik Youth Shr-Edit)
In my rant (at the top of this post), I mark out why the more
rocky and indie-vocal-based side of electro shouldnt be disregarded as dance genres. Well, The Whip encapsulate everything that's great about this melding of indie and electro. They use the kind of catchy lyrics that you can shout out at gigs, while also injecting bouncy beats that you can really dance to. This remix is a heavier take on standout tune 'Trash', with a thrumming, pent up whirring, built up released and dropped alongside the hammering guitars and drums:The Whip - Trash (South Central Remix)
Si Begg often forges creative amalgams of everything - techno, dubstep, 2-step, breakbeat - and has been releasing a large array of material since 1993. His experimental style is very similar to that of Drop The Lime's and Pirate Soundsystem's. He may have three albums under his belt but he's also a masterful remixer. Here we see one of his all-times classic remixes - a rework of the now defunct Leftfield. It's underlayed by breakbeat drum patterns, obscure vocal sample snippets and blasts of warping bass. (It's also worth checking another of my Si Begg favourites - Bangin'):Leftfield - Dusted (Si Begg's Buckfunck 3000 Remix)

Proxy has been ripping up electro with his distortion that sounds both fresh and dirty as hell. Stuttering, winding distortion thrumms along in this deep pounding remix. It's similar to Proxy's 2007 banger Decoy. The likes of Erol Alkan are currently destroying dancefloors with this one:
Schwarzkopf - Dancing In The Dark (Proxy Remix)
A while back I posted Fake Blood's remix of South Rakkas Crew's 'Mad Again'. Fake Blood's remix merely added his trademark all-vibrating bassline (though I remain a sucker for it). Boy 8-Bit's remix is of a more inventive mould, with slapping bmore beats, squelching bass and some finely rearranged elements. Meant to post this some time ago:South Rakkas Crew - Mad Again (Boy 8-Bit Remix)
Now for the obligatory dose of heavy, banging electro-rock. A filthy slice of
synth-y guitar riffs and heavy basslines, build ups and drops, and dirty lyrics. Similar in style to the Lies In Disguise remix I dropped into the last Pelski's Playlist (mainly because Le Castle Vania is DJ Dylan, one half of Lies In Disguise). There, it's over with. Now you've got your weekly fix of filthy electro:Kill The Noise - Hey You (Le CastleVania Remix)
Last but not least...a sample of the project everyone is getting very excited about - the Machines Don't Care Album. I was sent this album sampler by the promotional company My Army and it's a project that really can't go wrong. If there's any justice in this world the album should rake it in. After all it's a collaboration of all these godly figures: Detboi, Drop The Lime, Fake Blood, Herve, Trevor Loveys, Sinden, Toddla T and Affie Yusuf. These are the movers and shakers of electronic music right now. All together. Sweet as a nut. The CD album is released on the 7th of July and is only the first in a series. Rumour has it the next installment will feature Kissy Sell Out and Skream. "The aim is to eventually take Machines Don't Care on the road with different DJ's for each club night." If all this doesnt make you hungry for more then your on the wrong blog:Machines Don't Care - 12 minute mini-mix
Pelski's all blogged out now.































