The Cold Cut

Ashwin here.

So guys, this week I've been making a mixtape for a friend, and I figured a good way to introduce myself would be by posting it on here for you lovely people.

But first, let me extol the virtues of the cassette mixtape over a CD. I'm sure plenty of people think cassettes are obsolete these days, but in my opinion they serve a vital role.

Practically, in some ways they're more useful. You can only store 80 minutes of music on an audio CD, but 90 on a cassette. They're also more durable, it's hard to snap a tape in half by accident. Tapes are prettier too. Case in point: the first google image result for cassette, vs the first google image result for CD...





which would you rather stick in your stereo?

The most important thing though, and I cannot stress this enough, is this:

sequential access

i.e. to listen to a track you have to have listened to (or fast forwarded past) all of the tracks before it. This is the real magic of a mixtape. With a mixtape, you can tell a story, build up to crescendos, and make the listener expect and receive whatever you want. When you can instantly skip to any track you want, this power is lost. You've gone from a musical novel to simply a group of tracks. You've lost your power over the listener forever without sequential access.

Nevertheless, here is my mixtape in all of its digital, skippable glory. Hope you like electro.

Everybody Nose- CRS/Pusher T (Official Remix) (Link 2)

Oh yes. CRS have seriously proven themselves. Transforming a piece of coal into a diamond is a neat trick, and the strength of these three artists is unbelievable. 'Us Placers' was a brilliant piece of artistry, with a nice sample, good verses and, if this any indication, just a hint at what this trio is capable of.

In the hands of Child Rebel Soldier, N.E.R.D's 'Everybody Nose' takes on a new meaning, and a much darker disposition. The main thing this proves is that Pharrell is a much more formidable artist when coupled with Kanye and Lupe. Further to this, it's nice to see that the song's subtext actually involves cocaine, not waiting in queues at clubs, a fact which didn't come across in the original.

Usher- Love In This Club (MSTRKRFT Remix) (Link 2)
MSTRKRFT have also pulled one out of the bag, with a bottom heavy remix of Usher's 'Love In The Club'. A song like this should require a light touch, but MSTRKRFT have taken the opposite approach, bucking and beating the trend. This really proven their status as kings, transforming the originally slight track into something far more weighty.

Fish Tacos- Immuzikation Blend (Link 2)

This guy is a machine. Every email from Alfredo Lapuz Jr. starts with 'just got back from work, and put this together'. If that's the case, then he's a genius, gluing together random songs to create something entirely original. If you don't believe me, check out 'Fish Tacos', effectively a remix of 'Viva La Vida' blending in Weezer, Cut Copy, The Blow, M.I.A. and Reading Rainbow. I wasn't won over by the prospect of that many songs stuffed into one track, but this is the sign of a true master. He pulls it off effortlessly.

Visit Immuzikation's Myspace.

It's impossible to catch every piece of 'hot' music flying around. Sure, the invention of The Hype Machine, Elbows and Paper Thin Walls helps, but even listening to their popular lists solidly wont give you a full flavour of the groundbreaking tracks that are released every day. I have, as always, neglected a collection of post-worthy musicians over the last few busy weeks. The Hot List will hopefully get me back up to speed! Without further ado, I present to you MSTRKRFT, portishead, cut copy and m83.

Metric- Monster Hospital (mstrkrft remix) (Link 2)
Fergie- Fergalicious (mstrkrft remix) (Link 2)

MSTRKRFT (Master-kraft, for the slower witted members of the gene pool), haven't been around for too long. Their output, however, has been getting rapidly superior and audacious in the two and half years since formation.

First things first, they are truly worthy of their welebrity (I hope to coin a phrase!), having shown their skill by ably transforming shit tracks into golden stools. Take 'Fergalicious', for example. If you haven't heard this, you're lucky. It's a truly abysmal song, made only slightly more acceptable by the video- let me give you a hint... Fergie+schoolgirl outfit? MSTRKRFT weren't going to let that get in their way, and they've actually transformed it into a half-decent pop song. Move aside will.i.am. The true masters are here!

Secondly, they have the taste and vigilance to remix legendary tracks: 'Monster Hospital', by Metric, should really be given a wide berth. It's a quintessential Metric track- big, boisterous and executed to perfection. And yet in the duo's able hands, it becomes impossibly frantic, and much more danceable.

Visit MSTRKRFT's MySpace for more information.

Portishead- Machine Gun (Link 2)
Portishead- Roads (Live) (Link 2)

Portishead were way before my time, but even minus the nostalgia factor, their new album 'Third' is still pretty damn good. Considering they all but disappeared in 1997, their popularity hasn't really waned, and the live performances are still said to be sublime. All in all, Britain has been missing a classic 90's act. No Oasis, no Blur... no Britpop, no retro, no throwback. Okay, so we have the Verve *who?*, but Portishead are trippy, brooding and great to listen to.

'Third' can be bought at Amazon.

Cut Copy- Feel The Love (Link 2)
Cut Copy- Lights And Music (Boyz Noize Remix) (Link 2)

Cut Copy are inescapable, but unlike many radio-friendly bands (you know who you are... *cough* The Feeling), Cut Copy aren't rubbish. Their music couldn't be described as anything but jolly, but whilst The Feeling set off my gag reflex, Cut Copy make me feel warm inside. Perhaps it's their apparently 80's throwback style- if this is what the 80's sounded like, then I'm sorry I missed them.

With the support of their whole nation behind them (new album 'In Ghost Colours' went #1 in Australia), these three guys are looking set to make a huge impact when they properly touch down on European/American soil.

'In Ghost Colours' can be bought from Amazon.

m83- Couleurs (Link 2)
m83- Graveyard Girl (Link 2)

m83 are named after the galaxy of the same name. Their music is similarly out of this world. Take 'Couleurs', the first single from their new album 'Saturdays=Youth'. Sounding like a B-side from the Terminator soundtrack, its really quite unsettling and eerie. Then we have 'Graveyard Girl', simaltaneously the most uplifting and heart-rending song I've heard in a long while.

Whereas m83's previous albums have shown a rich variety of sounds and textures, this- Anthony Gonzalez's fifth in 7 years!- showcased a much more focussed writing style. Whilst it's still spaced out electronica, the songs are much easier to connect with.

'Saturdays=Youth' can be purchased from Amazon.