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Sunday, December 16, 2007
metababble '07...
I've been busy this week compiling and creating the 2007 almanacs. I'm real happy with how it's all coming together. This year's playlist is a bit less eclectic than previous years, a bit more guitar driven. But that's not a bad thing.
Here are two tracks that I think are splendid (yeah, splendid), but didn't end up on the almanac as they didn't fit the flow of playlist:
The Axwell track sounds like parts of every electronic song ever released between 1987 - 1997 (but melted together and released in 2007) . The Pharoahe Monk track is sharp and a contemporary hyper-political take on the original Public Enemy track (he even updates the opening MLK sample!)
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Favorite gig in 2007: Hands down, Daft Punk in Seattle. But 6 billion other people might have already told you that. The New Porno's show with Dan and Niko performing as a full team was gorgeous (in some sort of sweaty, loud, beer soaked sort of way). St Vincent was my favorite "discovery".
The most painful crowd I dealt with this year was at the LCD Soundsystem show at the Commodore. Just because the floor naturally bounces it doesn't mean you're entitled to be a pushy/punchy douche bag... does it?
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Favorite album in 2007: The Apples In Stereo - New Magnetic Wonder.
New Magnetic Wonder is the perfect pop album. The normally obvious 60's influences found on Apples In Stereo tracks are dialed way down and the fuzz is turned up. Everything sounds optimistic, tight, and punchy. Oh and for me, the instances of vocoder, Mellotron, and Hilarie Sidney randomly on lead vocals are just extra gravy.
elsewhere
this is just offensive to lobsters and to rollsLabels: daft punk, mp3, new pornographers, st vincent, vancouver
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Thursday, December 6, 2007
promise: this will be the last talk of robot rock this year...
Have you got yourself a copy of Alive 2007 yet? No, not that torrent of the Japanese release that popped up weeks ago... but an actual physical copy of the real thing? It's a book! A wonderful picture book, that just happens to come with 2 CDs worth of wonderful music.
Maybe it's because I've already heard the disk, maybe it's because I was fortunate enough to see Alive 2007 performed live, but I just can't get over the 50+ photos bundled with the disk. I look at them with the same kind of glee a mother would at their child's baby photos... except, of course, I had nothing to do with creating the band, the show, or the projection screens. But I'm certain that this summer I witnessed something fantastic and this package is a pretty compelling souvenir.
The best part is that while the photos/video clip included with Alive 2007 are great, they really don't capture the energy of the show. Recently, there was a web chat with Daft Punk and someone asked why they didn't release a full video of the show. Their response compared the idea to putting an IMAX film on a postage stamp. I couldn't agree more. And that might be why this disk/book rules so much... it tells the story, but those of us who saw the real thing are in on so much more.
This is the part of the post where I stop gushing and provide an mpthreve sample:
I realize that posting the encore is kinda like showing someone The Usual Suspects right from the part where Verbal leaves the station... but I can't resist, the track is flawless.
elsewhere
Freeload: Shala Esquire's Immortal Movement Radio MixLabels: daft punk, mp3
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Monday, November 5, 2007
you're kinda ruining piracy for the rest of us...
A quick FYI for those of you jumping at the soon to be released live Daft Punk album Alive 2007: all those torrents popping up claiming to be advanced copies of the disk aren't advanced copies, rather mislabeled/repackaged copies of the infamous Coachella 2006 bootleg.
The thing I don't understand is why the number of seeders on these torrents seems to shoot up by the hour. Downloading for the sake of hoarding doesn't make sense to me.
The ironic dumb thing about all this is that I haven't - and - have no intention of getting my hands on an advance copy of this album. I'm waiting until the actual release day, going to the nearest record store, buying a copy of the CD (!) and giving the subs in my car workout. Why? This is the first time in forever (since Neon Bible?) that I'm genuinely overjoyed about a release. Childlike wonder, here we come. Hell, when I listen to those hit and miss bootlegs from this year's tour I still get goosebumps. This is a good thing.
Related: Because I'm not the completest I used to be, I didn't realize that the basis for the Alive 2007 tour encore was a ultra-sublime Thomas Bangalter side-project track:
I always though this was a custom made loop for the show... you gotta admit it nicely ties up the whole Robot vs Human theme used through out the set. With that said, the bass line on this track is beyond blissful. Someone really should play with it a bit... hmmmmm, this could be a fake DJ project.
elsewhere
how to tell if a web page sucks | so veryLabels: daft punk, mp3, wtf
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Tuesday, July 31, 2007
this is not a fansite, really...
Not to beat a dead horse into the ground, but I spent the better half of today day waiting for a torrent of Daft Punk's live performance in Paris in June of this year. Hey, I'm still coming down from Sunday's Seattle show... I needed a fix and shakey youtube vids can only get you so far. Anyways, because no one should have to wait half a day for music, I'm sharing the bootleg and offering direct http download:
A few things:
- the best part of the bootleg is listening to the crowd go nuts. night after night, these shows are one big joyfest.
- the set is, obviously, very similar to the Seattle set. there are differences though, for example, if you listen to the encores they play out quicker.
- the last 5 minutes of the set is cut off from the recording, I have no idea why.
- this will be a very limited time download offer... the file is huge, and between this and the fake dj sets, and other random concerts and media I've got up on the site, the servers will be getting a work out. Hey, I even delayed posting the August mixtape... and it's really good this month!
Rest assured, this will be the last I talk about Daft Punk for a while... unless I see you in person, and them I'm gonna tell you about the awesomeness until I'm blue in the face.
elsewhere
jason lee's coasting point looks like thisLabels: daft punk, mp3
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Monday, July 30, 2007
reviewed: daft punk at the wamu theatre in seattle...
This one of the harder blog posts I've ever had to write.
Every review of every Daft Punk show in the last year can pretty much be distilled down to 3 words: best show ever. Every blog blathers off the same points: the show ruled, and you had to be there.
Guess what!? Hands down this was one of the best shows I've ever witnessed. The best ever stadium show for sure. The whole thing was perfect and euphoric, every detail was immaculately put together. I often find live electronic rigid and reduced to repetitive 4/4 beats. This wasn't the case... the DP set was an endless ebb and flow of every sample and every loop from every song in their catalog. Even better were the visuals. The pyramid set up was phenomenal it was a rapid fire of imagery and lights that I can still see burned on to the back of my eyelids. Despite the millions of photos taken by everyone, the static images don't bring the awesomeness out.
You really did have to be there.
As far as the actual set itself, there were a lot of similarities to the now infamous Coachella set... but this isn't a bad thing. The two (!) encores last night were brand new... and insane. As Pinder said, once the stage went dark and the robot suits lit up red... your brain starts to melt.
Also, the crowd 100% ruled at this show. Everyone was focused, everyone was on the same page. We were in the second row in a room of 7,000+ people and there was zero pushing & shoving or general douchebaggery (that's a word, right?). Just one big sweaty dancey collective freak out. You could actually see the joy on peoples faces. It kinda felt as if it was the last party on earth and people were going for broke... myself included.
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realted:
- what are Daft Punk actually playing inside their pyramid?
- download: my Daft Punk fake dj set
- download: live at Coachella
- quinn's review
elsewhere
reviewed: Ryan Adams & The Cardinals at the CommodoreLabels: daft punk, reviewed
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Saturday, July 28, 2007
adventures in fake dj'ing: robot rock edition...
In case the 374 previous posts on the subject didn't tip you off... Guess what?! We're off to Seattle to see Daft Punk perform.
I'm a relatively jaded calm guy... but I gotta tell ya, I'm pumped (yes, italics) for this show. Like, little kid full of chocolate on Christmas day pumped. The funny thing is everyone else I've talked to about the show fees the same way.
Because I'm a huge fan of overkill, I put together a mix consisting entirely of Daft Punk tracks. I attempted to evenly sample from everything they've done over the past 15 years. The result: 26 fantastic robo-tracks in 38 minutes. Actually, I really had fun putting this mix together... I had forgotten how insane some of their Homework-era stuff really was. Anyways, the track listing:
Robot Rock
One More Time
Oh Yeah
Revolution 909
Face to Face
Voyager
Music Sounds Better With You (Stardust)
Work Is Never Over (Diplo/Kanye Redo)
Phoenix
High Life
Technologic
Crescendolls
Indo Silver Club
High Fidelity
Around The World
Da Funk (Armand Van Helden Remix)
Harder Better Faster Stronger
Aerodynamic (Daft Punk Remix)
Rollin' & Scratchin'
Digital Love (Red Foxx's Bmore Suprise Mix)
Human After All
Superheroes
Burnin'
Too Long (Acid Girls Edit)
Teachers (Soulwax Cover Version)
On Off
*Download the mp3 here* [44MB, right click & save-as]
Or better yet, subscribe to the fake dj set podcast here. (full details can be found here).
elsewhere
kitsilano's richest person? | today's music depresses meLabels: daft punk, fake dj'ing, mp3
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Monday, June 18, 2007
Work Is Never Over...
First look at Daft Punk's Alive 2007 tour... and it looks (uhhh... sounds?) fantastic.
I was tempted to do a round up of all the video footage that's beginning to float around teh internets, but I just (like, 5 seconds ago, really) decided that I'm gonna try to keep away from that stuff so there'll be surprizes galore for me at next month's Seattle show.
With that said, I'm pumped that they're bringing "Music Sounds Better With You" - which is essentially 1/3 a Daft Punk track anyhoo - into the set. Besteverness?! Yup.
Related: I've still got that "Daft Punk - Live At Coachella" set available for download here. Highly recommended, if you like awesome things.
elsewhere
ny times interviews ryan adamsLabels: daft punk, mp3
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