Actually, I’m following BBYYY through Bigstereo it seems. They were off the radar for some time and didn’t create much blog hype since Fuck Friend but they are back now with a new single and video. The new single is really heavy in the bass and beat areas and the vocals are kinda sick…like The Knife and stuff. It sounds like it could’ve emerged from the 70s New York underground. So bow down to the dark disco of BBYYY once again.

Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya - Super Rick [mediafire] // [ysi]

Got a nice email from Stephan, the musical brain behind the I’m not a Band duo. The German boy + girl duo brings up some associations, some rightfully. For example, they remind me of Crystal Castles. Actually, they seem a bit nicer and the music is more laid-back, dry and don’t have the forced dancey mood. They are similar in the sense that the dark-disco atmosphere sorrounds the songs. Drawing influences from Hot Chip, Gang of Four, The Faint and Patrick Wolf, to mention a few from their myspace, they seem to be conscious of their post, disco and art punk heritage. Synths are great (the main standalone synth part in Electrolin is just super-moving), the songs escape monotony with embracing it and twisting as much as they can. The added violin is the only downside for me though I might have a prejudice (Hungarian stuff and the hate of world music). Nevertheless, the tracks could stand on their own without it. Now they should make a couple of remixes for blog-favourite bands and they’d be on their way to the top.

I’m not a Band - Trainthoughts [mediafire] // [ysi]

I’m not a Band - Electrolin [mediafire] // [ysi]

In 1999 Blank-Wave Arcade was a great underground hit. Not that I personally have this experience cause I was only 16 and listening to Nirvana back then. Same thing with Danse Macabre. In 2001 was huge and it was dominant in the club scene but who cared I was into Radiohead and Refused. I think I first heard The Faint around 2002-3 when disco-punk was popular here. Radio 4, House of Jealous Lovers, early !!! It was definetly fun. But as you know, it wasn’t supposed to last. The Rapture and !!! have made a successful career since then and after 4 years The Faint gives it a shot.

The Faint’s next album entitled Fasciinatiion is gonna come out on the 5th of August on their label: blank.wav (they left Saddle Creek). The first single The Geeks were Right is flying around on the internet for a couple weeks now and there are a some remixes for it. First the super-hip Boys Noize vs D.I.M. In my extermely humble opinion this remix sucks badly. Like the German guys just have a pattern named ‘how to make very cool and bass-driven weird-synth club-anthems’ and just forced it upon the song (okay, nice work on the vocals but that’s the least). On the other hand, the Does It Offend You, Yeah? one bangs like hell. It’s banger but a good, powerful one. The third song is another preview from the album Mirror Error. I haven’t decided about the album yet, it’s not nearly as good as the last Rapture or !!! but maybe it’s not that outdated.

The Faint - The Geeks Were Right (Boys Noize vs D.I.M remix) [zshare] // The Faint - The Geeks Were Right (Boys Noize vs D.I.M remix) [fileden]

The Faint - The Geeks Were Right (Does It Offend You, Yeah? remix) [zshare] // The Faint - The Geeks Were Right (Does It Offend You, Yeah? remix) [fileden]

The Faint - Mirror Error [zshare] // The Faint - Mirror Error [fileden]

Sexy in black, scary in black, synths in black, sedated in black… The Black Ghosts are Prince with the hair of Robert Smith in a giant disco on the other side of heaven and the river Styx. The duo from London are one of the most entertaining electro acts nowadays. With a lot of diversity and a tasteful combination of influences they are getting ready for the July 8 release date of their debut LP. Pre-order from the label.

I won’t write a lot, everyone has posted about them and clearly it’ll be hard to live up to the expectations and the hype but I have a strong feeling that they won’t dissappoint. The vocals of ex-Simian singer, Simon Lord is like the best relaxing massage which rejuvenates the body and the soul so you wanna jump back to the tranquilized dancefloor made up of stars which have sexual desires. Watch out, darkness lurks in the shadows…umm…yeah, so the depths of human soul are scary, even in the most calm situations. Neurotic stuff and the unconscious haunts in easy listening. With the music supporting the whole thing, it will dominate upcoming Valentine’s Days’ twisted mixtapes…if you know what I mean haha…pfff… Seriously, watch the lyrics, brilliant.

The Black Ghosts - I Don’t Know (zshare) // The Black Ghosts - I Don’t Know (y. s. i.)

“i don’t know what she did

but she did it to my head”

Bigstereo just came up with a new Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya track! It sounds really great. Vocals remind me of French singer-songwriter girl SoKo. This artificial cuteness. Fuck Friend (video) was a somehow like this though I can’t explain how. This song is heavy on drums and rhytm and the whole thing is quite clean. Makes me feel claustrophobia like in a hospital room or whatever. The sound is darkish disco. We await the debut on Kitsuné. Singer girl must be awesome live.

Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya - Love Beauty #1 (zshare)

Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya - Love Beauty #1 (y. s. i.)

The Presets‘ album Apocalypso is out really soon now, exactly on the 12th of April. (How awesome is this cover below?) Greatly anticipated follow-up. Remixes are already floating around. Lifelike, D.I.M., Juri Hulkkonen are working on their songs. They had a remix album out in 2006 featuring Digitalism, The Juan Maclean, Simian Mobile Disco, etc. I’m gonna post my favourite of the songs I heard so far. Might not be the most user-friendly one (that’s probably Talk Like That) but who cares

The Presets - Kicking and Screaming (zshare)

The Presets - Kicking and Screaming (y. s. i.)

Apocalypse as a theme seems to work well with the band. The expression of ‘haunting vocals’ is like instantly appliable for Julian Hamilton’s voice. They had this ‘dark side of the 80s’ image from the start and they are great adding disco sounds to this concept. Extravagance & decadence.

Of course, you’re surely aware that they are from Sydney. The French scene seems to have their eye on the aussies cause Lifelike (from Paris) grabbed This Boy’s In Love and added some nice dream new-wave base to it. Feels like CFCF. Alan Braxe picked up one of their tracks (Discopolis with Kris Menace) and he’s gonna release it with remixes, etc. In the meantime they did stuff for Cazals and Chromeo so they are pretty cool.

The Presets - This Boy’s In Love (Lifelike remix) (zshare)

The Presets - This Boy’s In Love (Lifelike 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.)

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.)