Throwback Thursday: Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb

Every time I'm reminded of Scissor Sisters, my heart fills with joy and optimism. Their glamorous style (both musically and visually) is so undeniably inspiriting. When I was first able to explore the seemingly infinite world of music upon entering university, I immediately fell for their then-recent singles "Any Which Way," "Invisible Light," and later "Only The Horses." However, it was their earlier cover of the 1979 Pink Floyd classic "Comfortably Numb" that had me in pieces. Hearing it again in DJ Touche's 2004 Essential Mix yesterday, I figured it was time to return the spotlight to this sublime, energetic and disco-inspired affair.

Staying close to the original both in the lyrics and structure, albeit less on the latter, Scissor Sisters flip "Comfortably Numb" into a fabulous fever dream. Where the story of the original Floyd offering sees its protagonist Pink taking tranquilizers to make it through his show, the injection in the Scissor Sisters version is anything but a downer. Hallucinatory either way, the Grammy-nominated 2004 version sees Jake Sheers and the accompanying vocals take on the role of ostensible sprites singing a psychedelic siren song from the unexplored recesses of the mind. This fallacious fairy-godmother-like guidance takes the place of both Waters' and Gilmour's vocals, leading the newly lush, bouncy and euphoric electronic odyssey to new heights. And while I keep on about the Scissor Sisters take being the high, with the Pink Floyd being the low; the brilliance of both is that they are not exclusively one or the other. "Comfortably Numb" finds its timelessness in part thanks to that duality. It is empowering in its painkilling, sedative strength yet frightening thanks to those very same qualities. Like any high, it must be enjoyed sparingly and safely with respect paid to its power and addictive nature. That said, we could all use a little extra strength these days, so go ahead and enjoy this power-pill now, below.

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Enlightened Listening for October 25

Compiling this week's Enlightened Listening was an epic task. Seemingly every new release I dug through had at least one standout track, and that's if the whole thing wasn't worthy in itself. This led to perhaps the largest edition of this weekly playlist, showcasing 25 releases, 75 tracks and reaching over five and a half hours. As usual I've tried to make it flow as smoothly as possible running through some brilliant cohesive longer form releases, through disco and house to DnB, trap and bass before a rock finale. Yes there's rock in this week's edition as Pink Floyd recieve a remix, Mura Masa leans that way and Wolfmother makes a triumphant return. Listen below and find a quick hit of highlights next.

StayLoose opens with an exceptional album, filled with its fair share of beauty, bangers and transportive power. Qrion and Newman (I Love) follow with deep, lush, entrancing EPs. Pete Tong delivers another insight into his forthcoming album with HER-O. Joey Negro rebuilds a classic. warner case completes his debut EP. Then remixes take over with necessary nods to EDX, Alex Metric and Paul Woolford. London Elektricity unleashes his uber cool album as does Benzi who compiles a killer list of talents for Pressure Points Vol. 1. Kotek and TNGHT give a taste of their upcoming EPs. Solomun stamps his sound on Adriatique after a trio of remixes of Botnek joint "Jiffy." Finally, I don't think I'll ever grow tired of either David Gilmour or Andrew Stockdale as both Pink Floyd and Wolfmother soothe my soul.


StayLoose - Bad Star

Qrion - Waves

Newman (I Love) - I Love Therefore I Am

Pete Tong & HER-O - Symphony Of You (ft. Boy George)

Doug Willis - Dancin' 2020 (Joey Negro Disco Rebuild)

NICOLAAS - Shot In The Dark (ft. Nicholas Allbrook)

warner case - dance music for dancing, vol. 1

Charli XCX - White Mercedes (EDX's Miami Sunset Remix)

Moon Boots ft. Black Gatsby - Whisper In The Wind (Alex Metric Remix)

Jay Pryor & Steve James - Finding Our Way (Friend Withing Remix)

Hayden James - Between Us (The Remixes)

HERO - CRY BABY

London Elektricity - Building Better Worlds

Wilkinson - Machina

Various Artists - Pressure Points Vol. 1

Kotek - Constellation

TNGHT - Dollaz

PhatCap! - Slide

Sean Paul - When It Comes To You (AC Slater Remix)

Average Gypsy - Purgatory

Botnek - Jiffy Remixes

Adriatique - Nude (Solomun Remix)

Pink Floyd - One Slip (Remix 2019)

Mura Masa - No Hope Generation

Wolfmother - Chase The Feeling (ft. Chris Cester)

Pink Floyd - One Of These Days (Soul Machine Remix)

Mondays are so blah, especially when it's cold, rainy and your SAD is kicking in. I scrolled through Soundcloud looking for something to jump-start my day but nothing was taking. None of my usual tricks were working. I just couldn't find anything to whet my appetite. That was until the third shot through my Facebook feed showed a video of David Gilmour's 2016 performance of "One Of These Days."

An obvious draw considering the title, I had to press play on one of the most underrated offerings of Pink Floyd's catalog. Almost immediately I realized this would make for one hell of a remix. All the pieces are there, but has anyone actually done them their proper service? The answer a resounding yes, and Google's algorithm had Soul Machine's masterful remix atop a long list of tributes/retakes.

While there may be more obvious or classic Pink Floyd tracks to flip, "One Of These Days" has just the right amount electronic allure to slay. Maintaining the menacing, behemoth of a bass-line and playing with the atmosphere of unease, Grenoble's Soul Machine absolutely nails this new version.

Of the more major differences in this mix, the drums and additional backing bass design are the most apparent. More fills and filtering-interplay allows for more dancing. That said this is no four on the floor techno stomper. The out of this world atmosphere breaks through on multiple occasions ushering the unholy groove back to the fore after sending tingles down your spine. Again, all that awesomeness aside, the cherry on the top, at least for me, comes in the drizzles of the Doctor Who theme and killer callback to Meddle's signature track "Echoes." While there are goofs that will comment "Sadly overworked. Doesnt [sic] need repetitive bass killer" this is indeed a masterclass in remixing, leading to comments like "first Floyd mix I really approve of." Stream below and enjoy the rest of your day.FOLLOW SOUL MACHINE: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

bluedot - Say It

If there's one theme in what I cover here on this blog, and always strive to find in electronic music, it's a human heartbeat. Electronic music is incredible in the infinite possibilities it allows, but no matter how cool or unique the sounds you create, if there's no soul, your track is vapid, and indeed lifeless. This is decidedly not the case with Oregon Coast producers bluedot and their latest production, "Say It." Perhaps I'm being unfair in ascribing a human touch to the organ's lively reverberations, but maybe it's in the denomination of the instrument itself, as it is organ-ic. Puns aside, these organ notes lay the foundation for the bloated bass, and subsequent glib, guitars. After all this is a triphop track, and smooth, billowing energy is essential to its easy feel and enjoyment. And personally I find "Say It" to be supremely serene and sonically satisfying, but maybe that's just because I get a pinch of Pink Floyd feels with this "psybient" delivery. But back to the life-force this track exudes. One of two images come to my mind's eye when I close my own: 1) a five piece band in the midst of a jam session, and 2) some kind of massive modular synth, wires everywhere, operating on its own as if alive. "Say It" is a bit of a trippy track, in that it can most certainly take you places, but it's always a beautiful one, full of soul soul.Pick up the high quality, aif download absolutely free here.

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Mabiisi - Pagba (Swing Ting Remix)

Music, especially of the electronic variety, always has a mysterious foreign feeling, which for me is part of its appeal. Anything that's too familiar is boring. Although it's not that simple, I'm always looking for something new and intriguing. While I've been surrounded by music from an early age, the concept of most was very formulaic, but since electronic music exploded at the same time as the internet those rules were shattered along with their boundaries. Suddenly I was able to consume all kinds of ideas and sounds, from the world over. While lyrical content is nice and is often thought-provoking (see Pink Floyd, still my favourite band of all time), it isn't necessary for me to derive enjoyment. In fact one of the more foundational bands in my life has been Rammstein, whose lyrics I never understood. This is all to say that there's something underlying (a magic if you will) in good music that speaks to you on a more fundamental, essential level.

This is why I enjoy Swing Ting's remix of Mabiisi "Pagba." It's entirely foreign to me. I have no idea what the lyrics are about, but that doesn't and shouldn't matter. The two vocalists play off each other extremely well, as do they with the musical production. It reminds me of Sean Paul, whose lyrics are notoriously misunderstood, but still widely enjoyed. Like Sean Paul, the vocals here are delivered with incredible rhythm and allure; the energy of which is impossible to avoid. While the original version can still boast this playful vocal delivery, Swing Ting's reconstruction does a brilliant job in combining the African influences with a more typical electronic construction. This bridging is exactly what inspires me to start each day by looking for new music that expands my musical tastes. Enjoy "Pagba" below. FOLLOW SWING TING: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Seven Hours in Funkingham

Last weekend I came across London's Pied Piper, becoming inspired to write about his remix of Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" (read it here). I enjoyed it so much that I decided to follow him on Twitter, which behind Soundcloud is my top music discovery platform. He hasn't really tweeted anything aside from links to music, I'm actually alright with that, because it led me down a wormhole of wonderful remixes. Just as I was about to start putting together my playlist for this week's Bump In The Hump, I saw his tweet showcasing his remix of Yaz(oo)'s classic track "Situation." Of course I had to listen, and one thing lead to another and boom, I'd downloaded over a dozen remixes, and added another 35 more to the playlist below.

I knew I had a lot of digging to do because the many pages associated with Pied Piper are absolutely overflowing with tracks, but I set off into Funkingham (the most populated page), and compiled as many of my favourite remixes as I could find. We already know about the Tears For Fears remix, but there's takes on Rick James, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Gloria Gaynor, New Order, Sade, Boney M, and even Pink Floyd, Ghostbusters and Star Wars that will leave your head spinning and have you dancing for days. Seriously some of the coolest stuff I've ever come across, so be sure to give a good scroll through the playlist, pick up some of the free downloads, and follow Pied Piper for more magic.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but rather a selection of my favorite remixes. I can only imagine his originals are just as fun and funky as his remixes, however nothing beats the familiarity of this fantastic list of remixes. Press play and get lost in the magic of Funkingham.

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Tobtok - Aber

Genre tagged 'Deep House,' Tobtok's latest track "Aber" features tropically tuned guitars and rhythmic bongos combined to create an awesome atmosphere, absolutely ideal for summer listening. Full of energy, the Swede's track is set to be released Friday July 8th on Perfect Havoc. Not being the biggest fan of either 'deep house' (whatever that means) or tropical, in large part because of the over saturation of mediocre tracks trying to copy Kygo, Matoma and others I've literally wiped from my mind, I was immediately apprehensive. Those kinds of guitar led, warm and wavy tropical tracks so often seem hollow and essentially valueless kitsch. However, what sets Tobtok's "Aber" apart from the hoi polloi is its constant progression, and playfulness. I was absolutely awestruck by the first drop (2ish minutes in), the melody flutters and picks up steam, tying all loose ends, painting an exquisite picture.

I'm all about the humanity in music, which can be difficult in a technology focused form, but it is that contradiction that gives it such vitality. That's why play and the act of playing is so fundamental to my enjoyment of electronic music; a computer does not play it merely executes action. In "Aber," specifically in the drop, Tobtok is able to inject the existential freedom that warms your heart and urges you to spin in this infinity we call life. It is those quick little licks on the guitar, cascading like a waterfall that at once imbue "Aber" with refreshing tropical vibes, as though drinking from the fountain of youth.

I always try to listen to the track I'm writing about on constant repeat, and often I'm left running, trying to end the post as quickly as possible. In this case however, I've been listening to "Aber" for nearly a half hour, and could easily listen another 30. It's composition reminds me of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon, in that the beginning could easily be the end and vice versa. Having "Aber" on a true loop, not only works but succeeds in showcasing the progression that makes it a five star, must have summer track. You know I'll be streaming it a whole bunch until tomorrow, at which point it will arrive in my iTunes. Join me by pre-ordering your copy, and get in to the swing of summer.

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