PARIAH

All Christmas related activites have finally come to end, snow has been officially declared a massive pain in the arse, and reality returns for all. This post can either be taken as calm before the storm material for those of you that splashed out for big nights tomorrow, or for those of you who got it all wrong and are doing nothing or didnt get invited anywhere it might level you out enough to stop any wrist slitting at midnight. I was toying with which of the recent Pariah remixes to put up but have decided to go with all three. Whilst each has its own individual and specific feel, they are all haunting yet dreamily beautiful. The remix of The XX, in particular, has that Burial-esque atmosphere of finding yourself walking deserted urban streets in the rain in the early hours of the morning. All 3 definitely worth a listen.

The XX - Basic Space (Pariah Remix) (192kbps)
Bombay Bicycle Club - Always Like This (Pariah Remix) (128kbps)
Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets (Pariah Remix)

MIX AND MATCH

First track of this post is going to stick out like a sore thumb but I haven't got anything that fits very well with it that I want to put up too. Bar 9 comes back with yet another tune that will smash you straight out of the ballpark. He consistently produces massive tracks that roll along so well, all the while bellowing deeply offensive insults in your ears. I find the 'loads of cheese' vocal sample inexplicably funny too. Right at the other end of the spectrum come the efforts of Max Cooper and Voodeux. Ideal minimalistic tracks for the late afterparty environment, Cooper's remix of Extrawelt drips all over you, and has a strangely warm feel to it, whilst Voodeux's leaves you floating around in a strange and wonderful techy dreamworld.

Foreign Beggars - Seven Figure Swagger (Bar 9 Remix)
Extrawelt - Mit Liese Auf Der Wiese (Max Cooper Remix)
Voodeux - Just A Spoonful

BRACKLES

After a full 24 hours of countryside life I've already passed through the physically cleansing stage into the bored stage, so a second post for today. Captivated as I am by the dulcet tones of everyones favourite mare Stacey Solomon in the background, I'm staying focused on this Brackles track for the time being. Having heard his excellent remix of Mstrkrft a couple of weeks back, which seemed to fit well with the relaxed 2-steppy variety of music which I've been enjoying so much of late, I was very excited to see this one turn up. Every man and his dog has had a crack at remixing the Crystal Fighters latest offering, but this is definitely my favourite. Jinder provide excellent remix material in general, but that takes nothing away from the excellence of this 12th Planet and Flinch's rework, which combines a melodic bassline and vocal with some penetrating synths on the drops. Lovely.

Crystal Fighters - I Love London (Brackles Remix)
Jinder - Youth Blood (12th Planet and Flinch Remix)

DIGITAL MEMORIES

I meant to make this post this time last week, but the inescapable end of term frivolities ensured that my daytimes have been spent looking and feeling like a vandalised scarecrow. Now back and home and with a dangerous amount of time on my hands, so time for an update. Last weekend I went up to Newcastle to see the legendary gleaming German that is Sven Vath in action. Now I don't pretend to know a particularly large amount about techno, but after one of the best nights I've had in a while I will certainly be learning. These two tracks were the two I remember most clearly from the night, and thankfully were also caught on video by a friend so I could get their names. The first contains some excitable trumpet work, and kept the crowd bouncing around with its powerfully buoyant bassline. The second is a fair bit darker, the first half of the song you just feel that something big is coming. Then in the second half it does. Again and again and again. It hits you with a series of big build ups and drops. I haven't seen a dancefloor get quite so blown apart in a while.

Die Vogel - Blaue Moschee
Dustin Zahn - Stranger to Stability (Len Faki Remix)

CIRCUS

Circus Records, joint run by Doctor P, who I have previously posted here, have really exploded on the dubstep scene in a big way recently. Doctor P and Flux Pavilion in particular seem to have mastered blending some catchy, even melodic, hooks up in the treble section, without losing any of the primitve madness down in the bass. Their trakcs maintain that huge impetus, which you can never really explain, to get a crowd moving without due care and attention. This one has been getting played all over the place lately, definitely worth a download if you haven't already. Additionally, this remix from Boson definitely has that same quality about it, didn't know much about this guy before and seems to be worth keeping an eye on.

Doctor P - Badman Sound
Genuwine - Pony (Boson Remix)