Lorde - Green Light (Hotel Garuda Remix)

By now everyone must've heard Lorde's latest release "Green Light." Maybe you even saw her kill it on Saturday Night Live (here). The rollicking keys, bumping bass and drum work while utterly enjoyable, left me wondering who would be the one to take this track to the next level with a remix?

Well I think we've got our answer. Let me present Hotel Garuda's new version, which maintains a lot of the original energy, while adding a little more bounce and grit. These two are already adept at reworking massive records (see Cazzette, Lana Del Ray, Anna Lunoe, Galantis, Kanye, Disclosure and others here), but this may be their best yet. The additional ivory tickling and wobbling grooves take the already anthemic track to levels appropriate for the club and kitchen dance sessions alike. Just like the original, it'll be nearly impossible to get Hotel Garuda's new version out of your head..At the moment there is now download available, so you'll have to survive on this soundcloud stream.

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Hunt For The Breeze ft. Josh Jacobson - Awake (LOKI Remix)

Columbus based producer, LOKI continues his furious streak of remixes, this time taking on Hunt For The Breeze and Josh Jacobson's track "Awake." This follows up collaborative remixes with Wildfire and DAZIE, flipping the likes of Lido and Galantis, respectively. His feel for future bass has been on full display since I first found him (and Far & Few) via their remix of Alison Wonderland's "Already Gone" (my post about it from January). Where that track had twisted trap influences, this latest lends itself more readily to future bass vibes, with bright bells, flutes and delicious drum flourishes. It's easy listening while not being downtempo or mindless. LOKI takes the already alluring structure, Hunt For The Breeze laid down, and converts it into a cool, climbing and courageous coup. Its light, airy feeling invokes a Super Mario bonus level in which our hero zooms past angelic creatures, collecting coins and power-ups, confidently forging towards an unsuspecting, yet ever looming boss. LOKI has empowered his listeners with the ability to collect his remix for free, via The Artist Union.

FOLLOW LOKI: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW HUNT FOR THE BREEZE: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW JOSH JACOBSON: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Galantis - In My Head (Josie Webster Remix)

Galantis have absolutely exploded into public consciousness, so much so that they've garnered Grammy nominations. With that widespread success comes the inevitable storm of remixes. Everyone knows at least one "Runaway (U&I)" remix, not to mention "Gold Dust" and "Peanut Butter Jelly," but the track that's receiving the most remixes at the moment is their "In My Head." A look at their official remix contest page reveals approximately 200 submissions. I can't imagine spending the time listening to all of them let alone a small fraction of them, that's absolute insanity. Thankfully, I haven't had to visit that page until today as I was lucky enough to have a select few mixes arrive in my email. Particularly this warm, tropical, playful and "really crazy weird" version courtesy Josie Webster. 

Aided with sultry saxophone samples, comfortable, relaxing synths and frolicking xylophone solos, Josie Webster has created a highly enjoyable experience that will not only get your toes tapping but perhaps even your fingers snapping. Her seamless use of the original vocal content helps the mix cruise along ever so harmoniously, and where she does manipulate those vocals, it never strikes you as out of place but rather as though it meant to be. The whole track glides along so easily, in large part, due to the subtle yet tremendously important percussion, flirtatiously filling in gaps and urging progression. Finally and most strikingly, it is the spirited solos on the piano and xylophone packaged around the powerful and vibrant sax breaks that set this remix apart from the others and makes it so highly consumable.

SUPPORT JOSIE WEBSTER: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD

Baauer w/ Internet Daughter B2B Eytan Tobin

With the year ending The Hoxton had few opportunities left to go out in style, but when bad boy Baauer took over Friday. He certainly brought his unique flair, as he dropped one of, if not, the best set of the year doing everything at an incredibly high level; whether it was his hype work on the mic, constant mixing, impeccable track selection or his physical involvement in the music. The night was an all around success as locals Internet Daughter and Eytan Tobin went back to back for two hours doing a brilliant job getting the crowd ready for a masterful performance. I do however have one gripe before I get to breaking down the sets (the next paragraph, so skip it if you like for videos and links to tracks played).

Upon arriving I was greeted by two Heineken girls giving away plastic light-up wristbands; nice enough, who doesn't like free swag? Before I could even get to the bar I noticed my wristband went dark, and yes it had already died, oh well I'm not one for glow sticks or flashing lights anyway. Back at the bar, I asked for my usual tall can of Coors Banquet, to which the bartender replied "It's a Heineken night," okay, I'll get a tall can of that, "Nope." Well, do you have any tall cans? "Nope." Well, what DO you have? "Only Heineken." Fine I guess I'll have one. "$8, please." Now, the reason I always get tall cans is two fold, one, it's the best bang for your buck, and two, I have to go back to the bar less often. These kinds of corporate sponsored buyouts have to stop, there's no way it gets the company any good will, I'd think it's exactly the opposite. Sure if you usually drink Heineken you're happy but for everyone else who is now forced to drink it, I'd imagine they'd be at best mildly perturbed and at worst totally boycott Heineken. I know I'm not happy about it and certainly won't be rushing to get a Heineken again. People want and deserve choices, monopolies are never alright, even the board game is of questionable merit.

2016 Grammy Nominations Revealed, Does Anyone Care?

The Grammys are fighting to retain some kind of relevance and I'm not sure they're succeeding. How long ago was it that Homer Simpson gave away his Grammy? Do people even care? What's the point?

The joke, that is the Grammys, continues to flounder and beg the question what are the criteria for these awards? Apparently, the rules call for voting based on quality alone, and not be influenced by sales, chart performance, personal friendships, regional preferences or company loyalty. Quality alone. Hmm, that's not very clear, what kind of quality? Whatever quality they are talking about, they have spoken with their latest list of nominees. There are the usual suspects and there are the usual seemingly random unknown nominees (see Al Walser's 2013 nomination). Below you'll find my take on the four categories relevant to this blog; Best Dance Recording, Best Dance/Electronic Album, Best Remixed Recording (Non-Classical), and Best Producer (Non-Classical).