It’s been a hot minute since we last checked in with efficacious Brooklyn house duo Walker & Royce, but today Gavin Royce & Sam Walker have returned to the hallowed grounds of TMN armed with a proper funky house remix premiere for polyrhythmic alt-pop troupe TEACHERS‘ malleable single “Ocean”. After a solid history of original releases for notable institutions like PETS, Dirtybird, and Nurvous; Walker & Royce have tacked their sound to the remix world and come up aces.
Equal parts club-funk, house and straight up funky house, the pair’s take on “Oceans” holds its listener’s attention from the jump. A structural blend of modal harmonies, house roots and prevalent groove holds together Walker & Royce’s transporting of TEACHERS to the dancefloor, and with that subtle use of Kraftwerk tipping vocoder, they’ve crafted a highly addictive remix for our Ninjas to scoot to on this fine Thursday. For our proper house heads, we have a feeling this one will hit you hook, line, and sinker; so do yourself a favor and hit that little play button above before anyone else.
In the relatively short expanse of two years or so, Aaron Maine’s Porches project has undergone quite a rapid transition in nearly every facet of singing, songwriting and production development (such a rapid acceleration of prowess in fact, that Maine also recently released the first wave of Pool demos, as a completely separate LP entitled Water, just a few months back). Just one listen from both 2014’s Slow Dance in the Cosmos to this year’s excellently crafted Pool, and it’s clear that the New York based Maine & co. have caught lightning in a bottle with their current iteration. In the process of constant evolution, Porches have become a magnetic live presence as well, gaining the notice of discerning listeners, critics, and labels alike, and this past Monday we were able to witness them in live glory at one of our favorite intimate indie venues in Denver, the Larimer Lounge.
It’s that time again Denver! The amazing Seattle/L.A. club night turned nationally touring dance party, Dance Yourself Clean, is touching down again this Saturday, October 1st at the Larimer Lounge, as part of their Fall ’16 tour,and we’re beyond prepped & stoked for yet another raucous night of depravity, beautiful people and plenty of amazing tunes. For our friends that were out for DYC’s first ever Denver stop earlier this Spring at the Marquis Theater, they can surely attest to the truly positive, palpably sweaty, and infectiously frenetic energy generated by the foggy, laser-filled indie-pop party. Bringing back the indie-dance-punk-pop days with a beautiful vengeance, DYC patrons are typically seen singing along on the dance floor, slow dancing to the latest Blood Orange or jumping up and down to their favorite LCD Soundsystem song. In their own words: “Anything goes at Dance Yourself Clean, all we ask is that you leave your expectations and inhibitions at the door, come in take a shot and get on the floor.” That sounds just about right, and we are chomping at the bit to be a part of the latest Dance Yourself Clean festivities.
So, in great anticipation for DYC’s latest Denver iteration, we’ve teamed up with the DYC crew and put together quite the tasteful little playlist in anticipation of Saturday’s party. Not to mention! We will be giving away not one but TWO pairs of tickets, simply by clicking on the header of this post, and commenting with your favorite indie-pop track that you think should receive a rinse at Dance Yourself Clean. That’s it! And for those Ninjas who’d rather not try their luck and just want to have their tickets in hand, you can pick them up for just $12.00 here, and more event info can be found here as well.
There are a few rules, of course:
– The event is 21+ S, be of age, and be sure to tell all of your friends to increase chance of winning!
– You are responsible for your own transportation.
– You must bring a valid form of ID to pick up your tickets at the Larimer Lounge door.
Check out our preview playlist featuring selections from some of the artists listed, start commenting below, and best of luck ninjas!
Dance Yourself Clean, Featuring Music Inspired by: LCD Soundsystem | CHVRCHES | Miike Snow | Haim | Charli XCX | MØ | Empire of The Sun | Purity Ring | Twin Shadow | Icona Pop | Grimes | Bag Raiders | Kate Boy | Holy Ghost! | Cut Copy | Neon Indian | Capital Cities | The Knife | St. Lucia | French Horn Rebellion | Goldroom | Cherub | STRFKR | Is Tropical | RAC | Beat Connection | Sleigh Bells | Miami Horror | Tigertown | Blood Orange | Roosevelt | Penguin Prison | Chromeo | Holychild | and many, many more.
It’s been a hot minute since we’ve last checked in on House purveyors Thee Cool Cats, but that doesn’t mean the Mexicali based project has lost any steam even slightly. With massive releases for the likes of heavy-hitters including Toolroom & Cuff under the TCC banner, the latest slice of bass-fueled, dancefloor cutlery from Thee Cool Cats, “Thee Weekend”, carries on in a new direction of sorts for one of our favorite club outfits. Formerly a duo, the club rumbling house single “Thee Weekend” which finds its home on surging underground imprint Monotonik; marks the first release as a solo project for Thee Cool Cats, and its got us hooked all over its sticky groove. In that same tasteful Thee Cool Cats aesthetic, but uniquely new as well, “Thee Weekend” sits on shuffled hi-hats, crushing bass swells and a hypnotic vocal to create yet another earworm for our Ninja faithful.
About the latest tune, Thee Cool Cats shared with us: “This is a track I have been sitting on for some time and has really been causing a ruckus in my sets, it’s what I like to call house music with attitude and can’t wait for people to finally hear it…”. It seems like his prophecy was on point, as “Thee Weekend” already boasts an impressive slate of artist support from Vanilla Ace, Croatia Squad, Sander Kleinenberg, Vintage Culture & Sharam Jey just to name a few. For our DJ family, you can pick this one up now on Beatport as well. So, get a leg up on your weekend (get it?) and listen to “The Weekend” above.
Ever since first cropping up on our Ninja radar back in 2014 with the underground sweeping single “Thinking About It”, Just Kiddin’, the British House duo comprised of Lewis Thompson and Laurie Revel, have held down a tender place within many of our writers’ hearts. Formed in 2010 and originating from the small town of Kettering, Northamptonshire, England, Just Kiddin’ have quickly become one of the hottest acts in all of Club-Land over the last few years, and for good reason. We had the chance to catch up with Lewis & Laurie not long after wrapping up their most recent North American tour & behind the release of their latest music video for “Fall For You” (see below to watch the entire piece); and as always the two brought a smile to our face while dropping some insight into what’s been going on with them as well. Read the transcript of our entire conversation below, and be on the lookout for more music from Just Kiddin’ very soon.
The Music Ninja: First off, thanks so much for taking the time to sit down and answer a few questions on behalf of TMN. We’ve been following you guys pretty closely since all the way back in August of 2014. So thanks again, we’re very excited to pick your brains. Let’s just get right after it! After a bit (read: a lot!) of background research on you guys, we came across some interesting arcs to the Just Kiddin’ saga. Lewis & Laurie, you both grew up in the same town of Kettering, and from what we understand, were near the same social circles, and both grew up with more traditional music backgrounds as well. With those rich musical histories, how did you both manage to fall in with each other in a musical capacity, and what led you both towards the world of club & electronic music; and also why did you decide to apply your talents in that direction?
Just Kiddin (Lewis): Good researching! Laurie & I have been friends since we were about 13, from a young age we got into electronic music together really, hence why our tastes are so similar. We tried to go down the band route originally, but got frustrated with organising band practise and how long things can take. I think this impatience made us grab copies of some music production software, and there’s been no looking back ever since!
The Music Ninja:You guys had early releases as Just Kiddin’ on Nurvous, HK & Exploited before becoming an Eton Messy staple. Obviously, Eton Messy has released and pushed some of your most notable tunes. How did you guys end up getting involved with the YouTube page turned club night, record label and electronic industry leaders? We assume you guys have a pretty solid relationship with the number of releases you’ve had under their banner.
Just Kiddin’: We love the guys at Eton Messy, they’re our good friends and we’ve had some wicked times together. We originally met them at a club night we played at in Bristol after they had been supporting our music on the channel, we hit it off and then decided to release “Thinking About It” with them.
The Music Ninja: Do you both consider Eton Messy to be a home of sorts for Just Kiddin’?
Just Kiddin’: Yes and no really. Like we said, we love the Eton Messy guys and really appreciate the help they’ve given us along the way. But we don’t want to state one place as our home and sounds & styles can change.
The Music Ninja:Your last release was the original record “Fall For You”, for which the official music video recently dropped as well (watch the whole thing above). It’s got quite the buoyant, summery feel to it. Do you think of Just Kiddin’ as maintaining a certain aesthetic and sound, or do you feel you both can go in any number of directions with the project?
The Music Ninja: We last featured your collective talents back in February on the heels of your Don’t Clock Me Out EP on Psycho Disco Records. Thus far you guys have really been one of the premiere acts in taking that label into more of a national tastemaking spotlight. Do you both consider Psycho Disco to be a permanent home of sorts for 909 or are their plans to release on other labels down the line as well?
Chris: Yes. Psycho Disco has become our family for the 909 project and we couldn’t be happier. Ashley aka Treasure Fingers aka The King Of The ATL is like a big brother and always has our back. We always keep an open mind to our music, and do like a lot of different stuff, so some music may actually not fit the label, but a lot of our music will totally be busting through the scene with that Psycho Disco logo!
Brennen: I mean we might do some stuff with other partners depending on how the songs come out after we make em.. but family is family. Ashley has been so awesome to work with and I don’t know if anyone gets us more visually. His vision for the artwork is always SO on point. It’s just a perfect match.
READ THE REST OF OUR INTERVIEW WITH 909 TIL INFINITY AFTER THE JUMP!
If there’s one great thing about Summer, it’s the seemingly endless supply of craftily curated pool, daytime & rooftop parties. Of course, there are plenty of not-so-tastefully created parties, but we’re not here to talk about those. We’re here to highlight Corona Electric Beach‘s (which has held events in Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami and more) foray into the Mile High City of Denver, CO this Saturday from 2 – 8 p.m., which is armed to the teeth with quality artists. Headlining the bill is TMN favorite and international trop-house superstar Thomas Jack, who will no doubt look to wrap things up quite boisterously, while attracting more than a few Hawaiian shirts in the process. Most recently, the Australian wunderkind dropped the collaboratively anthemic house single “Rise Up” with Jasmine Thompson and is riding high on the heels of that one, so once again we’re getting geared up for another fun set from the global phenom of all things tropical.
Rounding out the rest of the bill are a slew of our favorite up and coming producers & DJ’s. Denver’s own option4, who has held down an artist residency with us while becoming one of underground dance music’s favorite personalities as well. The proper house artiste has released on some of House music’s biggest labels including Nurvous, Sweat It Out! and Ninja Tune, and looks to be a brilliant way to get things going. Rounding out the rest of support at Denver’s Lincoln Street Station will be opening acts Lost Empire, JLEET, and KEEZ. Check out our preview playlist below, get ready bask in some Summertime debauchery, crack a few Coronas, and revel in six hours of beats from some of electronic music’s finest. Corona Electric Beach’s Denver event is 21+, and will be free with an RSVP e-mail to info@findyourelectricbeach.com. We’ll see our favorite Denverites this Saturday!
