As you might not have guessed from our sedate nature, BrokenTV is perpetually in pursuit of The Groove. With that in mind, here’s a year-end rundown of a top dozen remixes of the year. Why twelve? Erm, because the number fits in with a twelve-inch record, but mainly because we couldn’t narrow it down to just ten. MP3 links included..
12. MEN – Off Our Backs (I’m Not A Band Remix)
From a band so new, they still don’t seem to have actually released anything we can buy – clicking on their band name in iTunes simply redirects to the app store page for “U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc”. A top tip for 2010 then, MEN are mainly comprised of Le Tigre’s JD Samson and Johanna Fateman (or if you prefer, the 66.7% of Le Tigre that aren’t Kathleen Hanna), and from what we’ve heard of them, they’re going to be very good indeed. This is a remix of their standout track thus far.
11. Ladyhawke – Back Of The Van (Fred Falke Valvestate Mix)
The original is from Ladyhawke’s 2008 debut, but this remix comes from 2009, with the prolific Fred Falke dirtying up an already great song to good effect.
10. Cut Copy – Hearts On Fire (Goose Flesh Remix)
Another track originally from 2008, this version seemed to appear on remix blogs in around April, so it DOES belong here. Not least because it’s so bloody good.
9. Little Boots – Love Kills (BuffetLibre vs Sidechains Remix)
We blimmin’ love BuffetLibre. Not only does it play host to some brilliant remixes, it has also badgered a lot of current artists – Frankmusik, Au Revoir Simone, Bonde De Role, Little Boots and many more) into recording exclusive covers and remixes of classic pop tracks. And on top of all that, it hosts the component parts of dozens of recent smashes (or ‘stems’, if you want to use the correct term, apparently), so you can come up with your own remixes, if you’re talented enough (which we aren’t). Anyway, pick of their own remixes is this, by Little Boots.
8. Passion Pit – Sleepyhead (Neo Tokyo Remix)
Passion Pit are one of those bands that we were sure we ought to like, but hadn’t got around to checking out for almost the entire year. By the time we did, we found that they were good, and all was well. Anyway, ignore what is probably the weakest anecdote we’ve ever typed, and listen to this remix. It’s very good.
7. Friendly Fires – Paris (Aeroplane Remix)
Friendly Fires are a band we always get mixed up with Passion Pit. Quite why, we’re not sure, as they don’t really sound alike, it’s just how our brain works. Back at the turn of the century, we kept getting The Strokes and The Streets mixed up, until we’d actually heard them a few times, which is even more inexplicable.
6. Annie – Anthonio (Designer Drugs Remix)
While Annie’s long, long awaited second album finally hit the shops in 2009 (it having already been leaked to the web in ‘08), it didn’t really live up to the lofty standard of her debut ‘Anniemal’. Standout tracks like this showed just how good she still can be, so here’s hoping for another offering from her soon enough.
5. Lily Allen – Not Fair (Annie Nightingale & Far Too Loud Electro Mix)
Billiant. While we’re not too hot on Lily Allen (she seems like a nice enough person, but none of her records have really grabbed us), and we really don’t go for the original of this song (taking a country and western approach to a song always makes us want to smash things), but this remake is tremendous, and really lets the lyrical content rise to the surface. Real shame Radio 1 have Annie Nightingale buried in a slot they normally use for DJs they’re trying to get rid of, or who are brand new to the station.
4. Dizzee Rascal – Bonkers (As Heard On Radio Soulwax Edit)
Much as there’s no show without Punch, there’s no annual rundown of remixes without the Dewaele brothers. The original version of Bonkers was great on its own (best number one single of 2009, we’d say), but the ‘Wax ramp things up handsomely here.
3. Pet Shop Boys – Did You See Me Coming? (Unicorn Kid Mix)
Chris Lowe looked at this blog once, you know. Chris Lowe! We somehow doubt he bothered sticking around for long though, so we’re probably safe to say that ‘Yes’ wasn’t quite the return to form we’d been hoping for. Someday the Pet Shop Boys will come up with another album as good as Nightlife, but that wasn’t it. Happily though, the Boys saw fit to get Unicorn Kid involved with the single release of “…See Me Coming?”, who poured the original into a cement mixer with half a dozen Commodore 64s, finally pouring out this wondrous chiptune remix. And curiously, it seems Unicorn Kid (aka Oliver Sabin) is just 18 years old, meaning most classic chiptune tracks were put together when he was about two years old. Bringing out one of the standout remixes of the year when he’d barely old enough to drink? Tsk, kids today.
2. MGMT - Time To Pretend (High Contrast Remix)
Another song from 2008, but a remix very much from 2009, as it debuted on Annie Mac’s Friday night Radio 1 show in the early months of the year. We spent a worrying amount of time on the internet trying to find a version of this remix that wasn’t simply ripped from the radio (what is this? 1987?), and finally – in about October(!) – we nabbed one. Totally worth all that effort for this marvellous piece of hot drum and/or bass action from Cardiff’s finest tune scientist.
This remix kicks off with a gunshot to YOUR HEAD, and only gets MORE AWESOME from THAT POINT ON. And yes, it’s great enough to warrant the use of ALL CAPS. Best of all, this was a free fan-made remix not even available to buy in the shops, deemed so good by the band they posted a link to it on their own website. Slightly less good is the way the surge of traffic seemed to have drowned Mr Shinoda’s website in download requests, and it’s not there any more. Not to worry, we’re hosting it here. Go nuts, The Internet.
Ed’s Note: The Top 100 TV Shows of Etc will continue later, but until then expect a LIVE BLOG on the series opener for the Last Celebrity Big Brother Ever, later tonight. Y’know, for old time’s sake
3 .:
Potentially valid nitpick: As far as I vaguely know, Johanna doesn't have much to do with Men any more (and instead is co-running a salon somewhere.) Initially, post Le Tigs, it was her and JD as a sort of DJ/electronica project; now, it's JD's band with t'other two in that picture.
Certainty: un. But I think that's more or less the deal.
"Johanna doesn't have much to do with Men any more"
*tries to avoid crashingly obvious feminist 'joke'*
Wondered why she wasn't in that picture. Hope this still means Men are still going down the same electonica-indie route. Also, I wish I'd crowbarred in a bad joke about the band being so called because they've sold the naming rights to the Manchester Evening News.
A few I haven't heard before! Must listen to those!
After seeing you put in effort, I will do one as well.... hopefully sometime this year :)
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