Mickey Valen | The Music Ninja

[Future] Seinabo Sey – Pistols At Dawn (Lucian x Mickey Valen Remix)

Posted by Mitch Marzuola - January 23, 2015

Seinabo Sey
Pistols At Dawn (Lucian x Mickey Valen Remix)

Being a newcomer to all of the artists involved in this tune, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Needless to say, after giving it a whirl, I was floored. Preserving the clear and crisp vocals of Seinabo Sey, Lucian and Mickey Valen shape a pop infused, futuristic masterpiece that could be just as much of a radio single as it is a SoundCloud gem. The piano offsets the huge, sawed off drops nicely and give the whole track a nice balance between every ebb and flow. Pop sensibilities face off with the new, transformative and exciting styles that have dominated the SoundCloud community and the winner every time is the listener. If you’re looking for a good segway track from more mainstream material, this remix courtesy of Lucian and Mickey Valen is a great place to start this fresh transition.

Posted by Clayton Warwick - June 11, 2014

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Say Lou Lou
'Everything We Touch' (Mickey Valen Remix)

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Just three months ago, honey-voiced duo Say Lou Lou took the blogosphere by storm, amassing over a third of a million hits … Continue reading »

Noosa – Wildfire [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - May 20, 2014

Noosa
Wildfire

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Photo Credit: Myles Pettengill

As we close out a full week of premieres from Los Angeles based indie-pop goddess Noosa, we’re sporting a big toothy grin as we start to write up what’s always been our favorite song from this album (released today). If you’re sitting down, be prepared to start grooving in your seat. If you’re standing up, give yourself plenty of room to frolic around the room. In fact, you might want to put the dogs away for this one. Well, unless you have a dog big enough to have them stand on their back legs and dance with you. In which case, grab those front paws and get ready to move.

We digress. When we first agreed to premiere each song from Wonderland one by one, we were anxiously awaiting getting to write this one up. Not that we didn’t love the entire album, but this song has undeniable charm. Charged up with space-like fluttering synths (courtesy of production wizard Mickey Valen) ‘Wildfire’ crackles with infectious incantation.

Boasting a upbeat, pop-driven sound that we fell in love with on tracks like ‘Sail,’ this song showcases Sky’s often intoxicating lyrical imagery. It won’t be long before ‘Wildfire’ is populating all kinds of playlists, including some that will carry names like “Summertime,” “Happy Place,” and “Favorites.”

Even though iTunes messed up the artist listing, we still encourage you to head out and pick it up today. For only $8.91, you can’t go wrong purchasing this stellar indie album.

Noosa – Walk On By (Album Version) [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - May 19, 2014

Noosa
Walk On By

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Photo Credit: Myles Pettengill

Now that we’re fully rested from a glorious weekend, we’re ready to bring you yet another song from Noosa’s upcoming album, Wonderland. Dropping tomorrow, we’ve already shown you almost everything from this stellar nine song collection, but we still have two more posts to go.

Before you get started with your comments on how ‘Walk on By’ has already been released, take a moment to listen carefully. This version has been edited a bit for a music video cut. So, while it might not be something brand new, we all have a music video to look forward to soon, which is always a plus.

Originally released back in 2013, this song caught the attention of the blogosphere rather quickly, racking up nearly a half a million plays. Not to mention it also had absolutely stunning remix that came along later via Sound Remedy, which amassed over 1.5 million plays.

It’s to the point now where people can easily identify this song within the first five seconds, based solely on the powerful piano chords that walk the song in. When paired up with Sky’s powerful lovelorn lyrics, this song is one that has made it’s way into the hearts of many, and with good reason.

That wraps it up for today. We’ll be back tomorrow with the last (and our favorite) song from the album!

Alternative/Rock

Noosa – Golden One [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - May 16, 2014

Noosa
Golden One

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Photo Credit: Myles Pettengill

As we approach the end of the week, we’re putting the breaks on dropping two premieres a day, in an order to give you something to look forward to throughout the weekend. If you have no idea what that means, click here to check out the first six songs from Noosa’s upcoming LP, Wonderland, which we’ve been premiering all week long.

Today we’re serving up a cinematic and melodic tune from this LA-based vocalist. “The Golden One” reminds us a lot of what we’ve heard from Noosa in previous works, providing us with a memorable chorus that cascades across a twinkling piano and uplifting sections of strings. It definitely follows the same vein as the rest of the album as well, which we realize was very well thought out by both Sky and producer Mickey Valen. While it’s not a concept album by any means, it’s still a very cohesive effort.

Alternative/Rock

Noosa – Sail [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - May 15, 2014

Noosa
Sail

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Photo Credit: Myles Pettengill

When it comes to capturing the true essence of summer, few songs can match the effervescence of Noosa’s “Sail.” After first captivating our hearts back in the summer of 2012, the single has been re-tooled and re-mastered in preparation for the release of Noosa’s upcoming Wonderland LP. Sharing the same whimsical charm as the version we fondly remember from two years back, Sky’s delightfully airy vocals will having you begging for release from your daily 9 to 5, and racing to grab the first seat on a ship bound for paradise.

So why not abandon what you’re doing, and join Noosa on a trip to Wonderland when the LP drops on May 20th. Just make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen when you do.

Noosa – Forest Lane [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - May 15, 2014

Noosa
Forest Lane

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Photo Credit: Myles Pettengill

As you slowly rolled out of your bed today, we were already hard at work planning out the next two premieres from Noosa’s upcoming album, Wonderland. Today’s first feature brings you a slightly more up-tempo take in comparison to what we’ve been sending your way the past few days.

Producer Mickey Valen did a bang up job on this track, giving it a soundscape that’s familiar, yet stands apart from the rest of the album. Experiencing both the calming vocal verses from Sky paired perfectly with luscious layers of strings, and the driving percussion work during the choruses, we’re left quite fond of the varying soundscapes in “Forest Lane.”

Check back later today to catch the other premiere from Wonderland!