It’s long overdue for us to give some shouts over to the Binary crew’s efforts of late. Especially since they’re doing the party thang with former Kunk guest Thieves Like Us, this weekend. Exciting! They’ve also just released the Nightwaves Dreamwave Hour 2 (go pick it up here at Massive Stereo) with a whole bunch of new goodies. Exciting x2 Most readers of this blog should be pretty familiar with Binary — they’re the LA-based assembly of artists who have taken loving inspiration from the Valerie guys.

Nightwaves’ Invincible has been around for a while but this mix by Canada’s Snow Picnic is pretty stellar, and is included in their latest compilation. Keenhouse has also fairly recently made an already beautiful song by College (previous Kunk posts on College) — that much more so — drives through the smog filled LA-basin won’t be quite as annoying provided this smoothness is rocking the speakers.

This crew has been pretty active so expect to see more collabs on the horizon with Valerie and perhaps someday a trip out to Europe-land. Hope so!

Nightwaves - Invincible (Snow Picnic Remix) [mediafire] // [ysi]

College - I Think About It (Keenhouse Remix) [mediafire] // [ysi]

What a long, not-so-strange trip it’s been for the Valerie clan, once a small group of like-minded friends on France’s West Coast — a few short months later to a wider international family with several mini-tours under their belts and a collective release on Rough Trade later this month. Marking this occasion will be a pretty awesome party on May 30 in Paris, with live sets by Russ Chimes and Anoraak, and DJ sets by College, Jupiter, and Bottin.

Since regretfully i won’t be in Paris for this show, I’ll mark the occasion by sharing some recent gems related to the crew, including my fave mix of College (by 1928), a recent edit done by Anoraak, and the peanut butter, meet chocolate, pairing of Germany’s Justin Faust, and Russ Chimes.

Pre-order on Rough Trade, here!

FACT - Reborn (Anoraak Remix) [mediafire] // [ysi]

College - Can You Kiss Me First (1928 Remix) [mediafire] // [ysi]

Justin Faust - Revenge (Russ Chimes Remix) [mediafire] // [ysi]

Great times for the cross-remixing, synth loving, rising star collective of Valerie. For one, Anoraak, Russ Chimes (currently partying with D.I.S.C.O.TEXAS) and College finished their USA tour. For two, Anoraak and College are headed to Australia soon. Meanwhile, one of the UK Valerie-relatives Futurecop! are touring USA and have recently been signed by IHeartComix. Their EP is out: The Unicorn and the Lost City of Alvograth.

Cross-remixing: Anoraak remixed Class of 1984 and The Outrunners reworked the best track from College’s debut She Never Came Back (it came to my attention btw that the amazing girl vocals are done by Electric Youth’s Bronwyn). Now that’s what I call a collective! Ok, I kinda feel confused now. I bet that the USA is gonna tour The Outrunners while they are gonna be remixed by the UK and feature some vocals by Futurecop! Point is, the Anoraak remix is beautifully crafted and The Outrunners did an impressive job on the College song.

Above is a chance to catch Anoraak in this Eastern-maybe-Central-nearly-Western-Europe area and it is tomorrow! He’s gonna play at Myyy Bitch Club in Vienna. And guess what, the Brandon half of Kunk is attending so I declare this party officially a must-be-there one. Sorry for the lack of sophisticated language use, not getting enough sleep nowadays.

Futurecop! - Class of 1984 (Anoraak remix) [zshare] // [ysi]

College feat. Electric Youth - She Never Came Back (The Outrunners remix) [zshare] // [ysi]

Best Albums of 2008: 15-11

15. M83 - Saturdays = Youth

France is not only the cutting edge of electronic music but there may be something in the water there and they have a talent for tap in to the heartbeat of the pop music generation. With the themes of love, teenagers…Anthony Gonzalez manages to mush together these elements into a great shoegaze-synth odyssey. M83 songs are perfect transmitters for something transcendent that has its roots in our childhood.

M83 - You Appearing [zshare] // [ysi]

14. College - Secret Diary

Staying in France and with the aesthetics of the 80s, College aka David Greiller made the debut LP of Valerie and it lives up to the expectations. As a concept album, it is about secrets and stalking and peeping, forbidden love and its secrecy. There’s even a special edition in VHS format! How cool is that? Accompanying the theme, the music is the best retro-future synths you can imagine and when there are vocals, they are like if they sounded from another world.

College - She Never Came Back [zshare] // [ysi]

13. Deerhunter - Microcastle/Weird Era Cont.

Dancing on the edge of weird ambient sounds and the hereditary indie-noise of the 90s, Bradford Cox created one of the best chaotic/escapist pop record of the year. It’s hard to give a pop dressing gown to experimental attitude and imagination and this album (along with the M83) is a perfect example that this is not an either-or decision between art and pop but the situation is much more complex. Deerhunter kept its intergrity in opening up.

Deerhunter - Never Stops [zshare] // [ysi]

12. Jaguar Love - Take Me to the Sea

As a lovechild of two amazing bands after their splits, Jaguar Love started with raised expectations. I’m not a fanatic fan-type who weeps at the split and then curses everything the ex-bandmates do afterwards out of resentment. Take Me to the Sea is a great indie album, full of energy, screams, giant guitar-waves and tragedies. The shifts and variations between sweet-sad melodies and the explosions give band an undeniable individual charm.

Jaguar Love - Georgia [zshare] // [ysi]

11. Foals - Antidotes

Oxford 5-piece, Foals, made into the list with their awesome debut, Antidotes. The album is full of hits and tracks representing a unique fingerprint. Futuristic indie-disco along the UK lines. Strange dance rhythms, post-punk dryness and the whole sound could be described with a glass-sound allegory or something. Both sensitive and aristocratically cold, Antidotes rocks the disco balls and even touches some parts of some souls.

Foals - Electric Bloom [zshare] // [ysi]

Yesterday was the day for the secrets to come out to the sunlight and take their cover off, unfold, etc. The great conceptual universe supporting College’s Secret Diary is just one part in the artistic intergrity. The artwork (by The Zonders, you know), the music and the thought behind it results in greatness. Out on the label Futur, if the stuff I know from the guy is an indication, then it’s gonna be one of the bests this year. You know the drill: playful 80s, dance-pop brilliance, the future in the mask of retro-disco and beautifully melancholic atmosphere. To celebrate the debut, College wrote a post on Valerie blog. This remix he shared features like 2 artists we totally dig. Anoraak collaborating on the original and the remix is done by Moulinex. What a fucking cool 3-way, huh? Buy the album and download this for tasters.

College feat. Anoraak - Fantasy Park (Moulinex remix) [zshare] // [ysi]

College vs Minitel Rose. Fucking awesome pair. Now, we all know about the Valerie crew, right? College is David Greiller who’s again in love with the 80s and participated in the creation of Valerie. This winter is gonna witness his debut album Secret Diary on Futur.

The first single is The Energy Story. The brilliant Minitel Rose is cooperating on this one. Of course, we don’t wanna look like shamelessly copying Discodust, so I might mention that Valerie sent us the track and it’s so great that we can’t not post it. The synths and the rhythm makes just the right atmosphere… Beautifully sad and indifferent at the same time. I guess this is the party-closing-at-down song or the soundtrack for waking up totally hangover.

 Artwork by The Zonders.

College (feat. Minitel Rose) - The Energy Story [zshare] // [ysi]

The very nice people over in Valerie-town were kind enough last week to send us College’s Teenage Color mix. With our party madness of last weekend now behind us, it’s time to get caught up and post that shizz! The mix features another hidden gem find by my fave from the DVAS mix of a few months ago, Alden Tyrell, as well as standard goodies by Russ Chimes, Ladyhawke, Lifelike, Pnau, Pony Pony Run Run, and more. For those of you into the Valerie vibe, you’ll eat this up, and for those fortunate enough to be in Paris this weekend, you have to have to have to go to their release party for (previous Kunk guest) Anoraak’s Nightdrive with You EP release party. What a blast that’s gonna be. Next time, Fred, next time.

See our blawg action on College from last year, and on Alden Tyrell earlier this year…

The full tracklist:

01- Stephen Falken - Everything Must Go
02- Roman Salzger - Alpha Centauri
03- Alden Tyrell - Odessa Theme
04- Lifelike - High On
05- Lovelock - Love Reaction
06- College - Teenage Color (Russ Chimes Remix)
07- Pnau - Lover
08- Bangkok Impact - Bright Light, Dim Light
09- Pony Pony Run Run - Star Survivor (Russ Chimes’Drive To Survive Remix)
10- Sedat The Turkish Avenger - Sunrise (Original Mix)
11- Pnau featuring Ladyhawke - Embrace
12- Loose Shus - Total Fox
13- Xinobi - Day Off (Anoraak Remix)
14- Error Love - Top Of The Charts (Number One In The Uk)
15- Melinda Jackson - Magic (Moustache Remix)

College - The Teenage Color mix // College - The Teenage Color mix [ysi]

With band names out there like College, the Teenagers, and the Virgins…. what’s next? The Puberty? The Kindergarteners? It’s clearly a good time to be young (and when is it NOT a good time…), but no matter I digress, College is splendid no matter how old they are. How do they sound? Well, imagine if Alan Braxe had a teenage (sorry for that word again) daughter, who snuck up to his studio while he was out of the house and recorded her own private tracks. Yeah. Like that. Wonderful franco-nostalgia-synth. Can’t go wrong.

And, lest I forget because we are so lame about actually announcing our own things on this blog. You budapest readers, this friday at Vespa club, Andrassy ut 47 — it’s your latest installment of Kunk, this time in a head to head with our indie uncle, Gumipop. Cum and enjoy!

College - Teenage Color (Russ Chimes Remix)