[2010/Electro] Nero – Innocence (Original Mix)

Nero’s acceptance in the BBC sound of 2011 longlist is a sign of the times, following in the footsteps of commercial titans Chase & Status and Magnetic Man. And whilst the commercial world has long been aware of dubstep, drum and bass and house, it seems that critical acclaim is finally catching up with the times.

Althoguh the London based duo are famed for their imaginative remixes, latest single “Innocence” provides proof in spades that they have the grit to go down dirty with their own material. As the first of their material to chart, they have taken a significant step in fulfilling the hopes and expectations as one of the acts to watch next year.

“Me And You” is the next release on the horizon, although there is still very little indication of when we can expect their debut LP.

Nero – Innocence (Original Mix)

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[Indie] Kai – I Choose Me

From her Kate Nash-esque vocals, you would be hard pressed to believe that indie-pop artist Kai was from Toronto. While her debut single, “I Choose Me,” is a tune so catchy that it practically begs to be placed in one of those Apple commercials, and were it not for the wonderfully placed kazoo you would probably be right to confuse her with any other female indie-pop artist that has ever wielded a piano and a drum-set. But the kazoo is there, and it is magnificent.

Kai – I Choose Me

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[Cover] Sondre Lerche – Lewis Takes Off His Shirt (Owen Pallett Cover)

I was wondering when Sondre Lerche was going to appear this 2010. Better late than never as he covered a song from one of his favorite albums to come out this year. Here is Sondre’s thought process:

First I tried taking on Tightrope (Janelle Monae) but it sorta felt like covering Beat It or God Only Knows or something. Useless. Then I did a basement version of What’s My Name (Rihanna) but I drowned in a bucket of Julegløgg before seeing it through. (Also, while it is probably not entirely unreasonable for me to claim that “not everybody knows how to work my body”, it’s a tall order for a guy to pull off singing it. In the end, I returned to a song from what is probably my favorite record of the year, Owen Pallett’s Heartland, which means most of my friends know what they’re getting from me this year. And now you know too.

Happy holidays. Do stick around for 2011.

SL

A fine gift this holiday and big ups to to stereogum for keeping their tradition of the premiering Lerche covering one of the year’s most popular tracks.

Sondre Lerche – Lewis Takes Off His Shirt (Owen Pallett Cover)

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And here is last year December 2009 Cover:
Sondre Lerche – Bluish (Animal Collective Cover)

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[Electronic] Christoph Andersson – Capital

Today seems to be a day of firsts for me… I’ve made my first ever chilli con crane (yup… it was a burnt disaster!) and it’s also the first time I’ve heard the brilliant 18 year old songwriter and producer – Christoph Anderson.

Currently living in New Orleans, he’s put together some incredibly catchy melodies with a funky dose of classic French Electro – you may hear hints of Chromeo & Ratatat kicking around this track too. When this track ended, I instantly wanted to put it back on – which for me is a great sign of a catchy track.

Always exciting when someone new and as good as Christoph pops up on the radar – hopefully 2011 will be a great year for him. Check out his SoundCloud for his upcoming EP and remixes too.

Christoph Andersson – Capital

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[Fresh/Electronic] Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs – Household Goods

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs is Orlando Higginbottom, the oft headress-laden producer responsible for some of the freshest electronic sounds I’ve heard this year. My first taste was his low key “Garden”, a song that when I first heard it just felt like, for lack of a better term, a breath of fresh air. It’s tough for me to describe his music without using the word fresh, but with newer tunes like “Household Goods”, I think it’s a pretty justified description. The minimalist start of the song is a really nice contrast to the rest of the tune which gets a lot bigger and more complicated but never over the top. I don’t really have an official list of artists to watch in 2011, but if TEED keeps it up at this pace, I have a feeling it’s going to be tough not to watch him.

This post was written by guest writer Chris from dailybeatz.com

[Chill] Diamond Messages – Liquid Summer

Listening to Diamond Messages track, Liquid Summer, gives a chill downtempo soundtrack to whatever you’re doing. The hip-hop beat and the female vocalist provide substance to the ambient guitar, hi-hat and chime loops. Thes Miami producer, Jason Craig just, recently released a 4-track EP called Smoke and Mirrors, where you can find this unique track.

Diamond Messages – Liquid Summer

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Diamond Messages – Smoke and Mirrors

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Chromeo – Hot Mess ft. Elly Jackson (Duck Sauce remix)

Chromeo’s track “Hot Mess” is anything but! The song recently got turned into a completely new track after adding Elly Jackson’s (La Roux) vocals to it and this single version is set for a 1/17 release
date. Destined to turn many people onto both La Roux and Chromeo, the track was remixed by Duck Sauce who have had an incredible year with their big hit “Barbara Streisand” Adding a heavier beat to the track and focusing more on Jackson’s vocals makes for a good banger sure to turn up any Christmas party.

See how A-Track spun this fresh song this past weekend at Transmusicales in France and how ‘thumpy’ the room got soon after

Chromeo – Hot Mess ft. Elly Jackson (Duck Sauce remix)

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[Rediscovering '07] Lionel Neykov – In The Sunshine

Let’s get this out of the way first: Lionel Neykov, a Parisian troubadour, is obscenely talented and finally deserves recognition, based on this 2007-released track. ‘In The Sunshine’ boasts gentle vocals telling tales of true love that are lullaby-soft, making this the perect track for relaxing and falling in love to. With the delicate guitar strums the only accompaniment to his ethereal voice, even the stoniest of hearts will be warmed by this joyful little tune.

Lionel Neykov – In The Sunshine

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