Plauge Top Choons November
By nikolatesla | Dec 1st 2011 | Blog Series, Monthly Top Choons
Here are the top tracks the Plauge Boyz have been feelin’ lately. Yeah we’re late, sue me.
Okay, everyone has seen Drive, right? Yes, with Ryan Gosling. The movie. Where he… drives, I suppose. I haven’t seen it (darn) but this track is apparently on the soundtrack. So judging by the tune, Ryan Gosling plays a car-driving robot who’s in love with a girl and he wants to give the girl a ride. Maybe ends with them driving to the sunset while this song plays? Yes? No?
wispy: Robert Manos – Madness
YouTube
This guy Robert Manos goes kinda emo with “Madness”. It’s a drum’n'bass tune sure, but it’s really soft and he’s being all sincere and emotional on the vocals (i.e. trying to get laid). So no fat blunts, dubplates or a furious Jamaican dude on the mic for you, eh, Robbie? Whatever, bro. There’s no reason why we can’t listen to some drum’n'bass while sippin’ on some lattes and wearing cardigans.
Åke Kanaria: Tom Trago feat. Romanthony – Steppin’ Out
YouTube
I gotta say, this tune really lives up to it’s name, it sounds like a perfect soundtrack for that moment when you’re at home on a Friday with a bunch of friends, about five beers deep, you suddenly notice its eleven o’clock and know the next move is out the door and towards the club. That’s a beautiful feeling. As Cee-lo said, you don’t want to say what you won’t do, cause you know you just might.
Okay. The pre-party is done and we’ve arrived at the clooob. This song segues quite nicely from that anticipating mood of the previous track to an early night floor-filler-type of atmosphere. It’s plenty bouncy and hella danceable in a way that only those old house tunes are. Maybe something for the ladies to get their boogies on while downing a few more Cavas (yes, Cava, fuck Cristal, we’re in a depression) while all the dudes get their ogle on and act like it ain’t nuttin’.
Dalion: Wretch 32 feat. Etta Bond – Forgiveness (Todd Edwards remix)
YouTube
Keeping with being in the club idea, picture this: there’s people on the floor and the DJ drops a song by Wretch 32 (nice name, guys), reworked by the one and only Todd Edwards. Almost everyone goes nuts, some go bananas. Todd did his usual thing with this, turning a Drake/Kanye-influenced grime tune (you can’t tell me these guys haven’t listened to My Dark Twisted Fantasy a lot before making the original) into his signature jerky, jazzy, French-y, bouncy house/2-step number. Nice work.
drS: Tony Awake & Free Mind – Fiji
SoundCloud / BeatPort
Okay, time to get another drink but let’s not stray too far from the dancefloor. What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is a progressive house tune. But please don’t be alarmed. This one is located strictly on the sunny and groovy end of the street. Sure we got the percussion loops and some glitchy bits, but if this song doesn’t make your head nod ever so slightly and reach for a beer (that probably isn’t there right now, because you’re sitting on your computer), well, I honestly don’t know what your major malfunction is.
Well, my extended club night metaphor goes right out the window with this track. Unless the club is suddenly infested by vampires in Thriller-style leather gear, all boogieing down like nobody’s business. This Goblin tune is pure proto-electro and just a few months late for the Halloween season. This tune was made something like 30 years ago but damn if it still doesn’t sound fresh and topical. I wouldn’t be surprised if this track (or something very much liked it) would sneak its way to a Ramadanman, French Fries or even a Justice (who are pretty well acquainted with this particular Goblin soundtrack) DJ set.
Esmuntutu: ASAP Rocky – Peso
YouTube
I trust everyone’s familiar with ASAP Rocky’s previous effort Purple Swag? Honestly, I wasn’t too impressed with that track. I mean, haven’t we all heard it all before? Slow beat, weed/bitches/coke raps, some DJ Screw-type slurry shit, whatever. So color me pretty surprised when I caught myself nodding my head steadily to “Peso”. Maybe it’s that beat, extremely breezy and mellow, that oh-so-fitting chorus or that properly nice snippet of ragga vocals thrown in. It’s the small details, y’hurrd?
Jukola: Heikki Sarmanto Band – Marat
YouTube
Okay. Have some jazz.
Some Finnish jazz, that is.
Some really nice Finnish jazz.
Lars Palmas: King Krule – The Noose of Jah City
SoundCloud
Here’s a lovely bit of… chill wave? I can’t honestly keep up with all these microgenres these damn kids are coming up with. Why when I was young we had three kinds of music, Rock, Jazz and Other and I don’t remember anyone complaining, dagnabbit! Anyway this tune sounds like a young, reborn Joe Strummer gone solo. The relative mellowness of the tune is contrasted by the badly sung and harshly accented vocals and the end result is as lovely as it is confusing.
Nikola MMI/Tesla: Lana Del Rey – Video Games (Joy Orbison remix)
YouTube
This track is the current blog darling, getting remixed by everyone and their mom (I am not exaggerating) and I can’t blame them. The original track is minimal and plain and Lana’s slightly slurred, yet angelic croon is lovely (also: she’s singing about drinking beer and playing video games, my kinda chick). Joy O comes extremely correct with his effort, turning the song into a mellow, yet pumping and even darkly atmospheric house number. Too bad you can’t get it anywhere, which is par for the course for Joy-O. I don’t get that. Joy, we like your music, why won’t you give it to us? C’mon. We’ll give you money.