It wasn’t so long ago that we directed you to a fine pair of tracks put out by Hercules and Love Affair (DFA records). But we couldn’t pass up showing some love to Riton’s rub job on You Belong. The longtime London dj fave does a great job keeping the feeling of the original while injecting just the right level of energy. The result is a happy and bouncy tribute that is refreshingly mindless… in a good a way as that can be. H & LA have jumped the pond and are now playing some dates in the UK along with a selection of euro-festival dates. Could we see the sziget added to that? Hope.

Hercules and Love Affair – You Belong (Riton Remix) [zshare] // Hercules and Love Affair (Riton Remix) [yousendit]

It should be pointed out however that Kunk’s all time favorite Riton edit remains his stellar work on the Mystery Jets a couple years back.  Likewise we think it’s about time homeboy comes ’round Budapest for a guest set.

Mystery Jets – The Boy Who Ran Away (Riton Rerub) [zshare] // Mystery Jets – The Boy Who Ran Away (Riton Rerub) [yousendit]

Continuing our series of absolutely sick remixes from the UK. Revolte is a French duo (famous among other things for remixing Voyager by Daft Punk and being on a Kitsuné compilation). According to DiscoDust they rarely work face to face together, they do the stuff through the internet, and the two of them have completely different approaches to music. GRUM is a producer guy from the UK who had started with 80s funk stuff a while ago. So now the strangely named GRUM (after mixing Late of the Pier, Armand van Helden, Kings of Leon, Love Motel) took this already cool track and created a hybrid of dancefloor-filling electro and weird sounds, synths, chopped vocals, etc (kinda feels like a twisted SebastiAn rework). Check GRUM’s own tracks as well and the We Are Terrorists remix of the same Revolte track too.

Revolte – Ironical Sexism (GRUM remix) (zshare)

Revolte – Ironical Sexism (GRUM remix) (y. s. i.)

Remember PNAU from Sydney? Bigstereo says they’ll be huge in 2008. Does Ladyhawke (pictured) ring a bell? The girl from New Zealand moved to Europe named their favourite by The Teenagers. Basically, both of them are predetermined for a great amount of hype during this year. PNAU is one of the next generation of the Cut Copy dinasty and Ladyhawke is like a more original+rocking 80s version of Uffie. So, they did a track together together and it sounds quite cool. It was blogged a couple times and both artists will be a lot more in the future. (Thanks to Hipster Runoff for this one.) Everyone says it’s 80s disco, then it must be 80s disco, I guess. The verses remind me of electroclash without the feeling of being outdated and the chorus amazingly expresses a bit darkish tragical mood. Modular, again.

PNAU – Embrace (feat. Ladyhawke) (zshare)

PNAU – Embrace (feat. Ladyhawke) (y. s. i.)

Some genres and artists exist only on the periphery of Kunk’s usual radar — but from time to time the periphery forces itself right in the line of sight. That’s what has happened in the case of this banging track put out by French dj/graphic artist/producer/doer of all things urban otherwise known as Missill. A few versions of this track have been floating around, namely a remix done by fellow Frenchie, Tepr, as well as one featuring vocals by Berlin ragga-ravers Jahcoozi (which incidentally I played at last week’s Sanomachi party).

At 1:31 I swear I hear what sounds like a particularly wet bong hit taking place. But what do i know — sequencers can do anything these days… Enjoy the track and hold off the pretzels and Snickers!

Missill – Glitch [zhsare] // Missill – Glitch [yousendit]

Continuing the trend that sort of began innocently enough with Annie and intensified on with Kylie: the MSTRKRFT boys have outdone themselves in terms of the “let’s take the cheesiest original possible and danger it up” scale. None other than Jesse freaking McCartney. I have to admit I’ve lived outside of the US for so long that I probably don’t fully grasp who he is (then again even if I did live in the US i suppose i’d have nary a clue). Anyhow, according to wikipedia, he’s your typical multi-faceted clean cut teen star — daytime soap actor, former boy band member, and now solo, um, artist. I think he wins a lot of teen choice awards and Disney awards and stuff like that.

That all said: whatever!… as usual, shit rocks. MSTRKRFT could make the teletubbies sound badass. Hands down the most consistently awesome remixers of the last half-decade and it’s all built upon the ashes of death from above, to boot. Of late, it seems the JFK half of the pair has been holding down the remixing end of the biz…. considering their tour schedule no wonder there’s been some separation of powers.

Quick poll: Annie > Kylie > Jesse > ??? Who will they remix next?

a/ Celine Dion
b/ Jamie Lynn Spears
c/ Hilary Duff
d/ Themselves

Jesse Mccartney – Leavin’ (MSTRKRFT Remix) [zshare] // Jesse Mccartney – Leavin’ (MSTRKRFT Remix) [yousendit]

You already know how much we like Crystal Castles. You are aware as well of our love for remixers from London. The following track is around for a while (exactly from September, 2007) but I’ve just discovered it and thought that it’s so remarkably INSANE that I have to share it somehow. So get ready for the remix of Alice Practice by Futurecop! It’s sick.

Futurecop! is inspired by 80s sci-fi movies and cartoons. Sounds hip, right? They’re going to be huge so you don’t wanna miss it now. They’re a duo now but ‘Manzur Igbal’ started it alone and he learned to make music on his own! Awesome. The whole futuredisco concept was invented by a German DJ, now FutureFlashs. He coined the name ‘future disco’. Check the myspace for mix-series.

“Modern synthetic electronic Sound mixed with much Space Elements, influenced by Retro ..70 and ..80 Sounds and Samples of the TV and Pop Culture – a perfect new Sound Mix, called – Future Disco – is born. A new Dimension of ultra modern melodic but banging Space Sound rocks the whole Dancefloor.”

It’s a nice expression, I’ll stick to it. Or how post-daft sounds? Nevermind, the thing is that it’s shiny and brand new! Discodust blog parties from Germany or Valerie crew (who actually inspired the new term) from France are maybe the most well-known examples. So be prepared for artists like SymbolOne, Moulinex, Minitel Rose, and a lot of stuff from Australia cause they’ll take the dancefloor over in a short time. Kunk is on the bandwagon. We’re gonna bring future disco.

Crystal Castles – Alice Practice (Futurecop! remix) (zshare)

Crystal Castles – Alice Practice (Futurecop! remix) (y. s. i.)

Maybe the question answers itself (that is: NO), however I can’t help feeling there is some bedroom jockey out there somewhere who can hit the ‘atmosphere versus dancibility’ ratio square square on the head. You know what i mean. Bangers all start to blend together — but other stellar, more nuanced, however less banging productions lack the ‘punch’ to roll the dance floor. Good for ipod buds only. Shame. Maybe Cut Copy and Midnight Juggernauts are already there, i don’t know.

I think i’m most closely referring to the likes of Fred Falke, whom i’ve adored for years yet shun at parties. But it shouldn’t be that way. Adeyhawke, College, and many of the other awesomes highlighted at the equally awesome valerie blog are right there — so close — but again not juiced enough for the floor. Then again, maybe that’s just it, maybe it’s ‘the floor’ that needs to change. I’m more than willing to be convinced.

In the meantime, loving me some of the aforementioned Adeyhawke and a Falke track from a few years back.

Adeyhawke – Adeyhawke Theme [zshare] // Adeyhawke – Adeyhawke Theme [yousendit]

Fred Falke – Wait for Love [zshare] // Fred Falke – Wait for Love [yousendit]

The Black Ghosts are greatly admired by us here at Kunk HQ. They’re a duo from London and one of their members was in Simian (you might have heard about the ancestor of Simian Mobile Disco). They already have some pretty cool remix treatment from the likes of The Whip, Kissy Sell Out, Switch, Fake Blood, etc. Now you think you’re able to guess the music but that’s not the case. The Black Ghosts have quite a unique sound. The vocals are monumental and the whole danciness gets a twist because of the postpunkish gothic attitude borrowed from the 80s, the funky stuff and the symphonic parts.

Seems like they’re gonna have a new release out. ‘I Want Nothing’ was on the ‘Any Way…’ single (video). Now they have a couple remixes and an extended mix for it. Personally, I’m into the extended mix but Sinden’s has something to it as well. I don’t really like Sinden though I know this Count & Sinden thing is hugely hyped. Btw the Count looks a bit like Ashton Kutcher.

“I want nothing but to dissolve in the night and to feel direction no more”

The Black Ghosts – I Want Nothing (Extended Mix) (zshare)

The Black Ghosts – I Want Nothing (Extended Mix) (y. s. i.)

The Black Ghosts – I Want Nothing (Sinden remix) (zshare)

The Black Ghosts – I Want Nothing (Sinden remix) (y. s. i.)

There are these two guys called Justice. And Justice has remixed there own song, DVNO, and have called it a Justice remix. This Justice remix can be added to the minor cavalry of the other remixers who have remixed Justice. Justice also remixed another of their songs, which title uses five letters intermingled with periods. That Justice remix was also good. But that was months and months ago, Justice have since released many other Justice tracks and a Justice album. Justice have said that DVNO is short for a longer name which is a common club name in most cities. There is not telling how many other Justice remixes will be made by Justice, but we can only imagine there will be more. Justice never rests. The myspace page of Justice is called And Justice for All but it is written in their native French language. This fact about Justice conveniently fits in with the fact that their Ed Banger label sounds real close to saying headbanger with a French accent and we all know Justice speak that way. And Metallica were headbangers and they had an album title of the same name and this makes the Justice phenomenon all so self-referential and meta. I will tag this entry Justice.

Justice – DVNO (Justice Remix) [zshare] // Justice – DVNO (Justice Remix) [yousendit]

Australia, ah what a beautiful country it may be! Kangaroos, platypuses, oceans and the best new bands. Cut Copy. They started off when The Presets did, both released the debut around 2004-2005. Cut Copy had a huge impact on the development of the country’s electro-scene. Take the Midnight Juggernauts for example or Van She or Muscles. And you can check our post about Pnau. Modular is one of the best labels around nowadays.

After three long years, Cut Copy’s follow-up is here. Smooth 80s influenced, synth/electro-pop with vocals like from New Order. Great soundtrack for the warmer part of the year. Actually it really feels like something I’d listen to on a beach with waves and everything… Nevertheless, Hearts on Fire, So Haunted, and Lights and Music are the three hits that were preceeding the LP. Each is like a perfect gem of smart disco sounds. Second albums are tricky but with ‘In Ghost Colours’ Cut Copy made themselves a record that is way better than their debut was. The title is awesome and it tells a lot about their music. Not scary but gentle ghost-like feelings float around in an empty electronic space full of tension. New synth-pop is here.

Cut Copy – Feel the Love (zshare)

Cut Copy – Feel the Love (y. s. i.)