Don't Just Walk All Over Broken Hearts

Icona Pop are Stockholm-based electro fiends Caroline Hjelt & Aino Jawo. The pair are currently being touted as rising stars by trendy French boutique label, Kitsuné but, even if global domination eludes them, they've certainly conquered my affections.

There are sparse details about the pair, who are presumably pursuing that 'endearing' strategy of shrouding themselves in mystique, and I've only been able to track down a couple of tracks. Even so, I've heard more than enough to know they're very much 'my bag'. I'm particularly fond of 'Manners'.

Manners (Extended)

Still Don't Know



Icona Pop - Manners (Elof Remix)

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

Lykke Li's sophomore effort is shaping up to be quite something. First single 'Get Some' was one of my favourite tracks of 2010 and now comes another gem in the form of 'I Follow Rivers', which features more of the tribal beats and sensual delivery that made its predecessor such an intriguing listen, albeit with fewer references to solicited sex.

The track comes flanked by a disco-tinged remix courtesy of The Magician, which works surprisingly well.

Lykke Li plays Dublin's Tripod on April 16th. Book tickets here.

Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers

Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix) (Radio Rip)

Running Even Though My Mind Says No

One of the best gigs I had the pleasure of attending this year was when madcap Icelandic troupe FM Belfast played at the ABSOLUT Fringe in Dublin.

During the Summer, I posted this remix by Copenhagen-based producer Brynjar Bjarnfoss of my favourite of their tracks, 'Underwear', and I've been meaning to post about Brynjar's own musical venture the past couple of weeks.

Kúra sees Brynjar teaming up with his cousin, Reykjavik-based vocalist Fanney Ósk Þórisdóttir.

Their names may be a bit of a mouthful but their brand of glacial electropop goes down nice and easy. Their Multicolor EP was released this month and it's provided the perfect soundtrack to my snowy incarceration the past few weeks.

Here are a couple of choice cuts:

Kúra - Gógó by Kúra

Kúra - Gógó (Lulu Rouge Remix) by Kúra

Kúra - Einstein by Kúra

A New Kind Of Piece Of Machinery

Spark has debuted the video for her excellent single, 'Revolving', which is being released on Neon Gold on November 15th.



The fact that the video's makers haven't done more with the lyrics about wind-up toys and mechanics strikes me as something of a missed opportunity but, simple as the treatment they've opted for might be, it works reasonably well.

Although it's not quite on par with the stunning Monsieur Adi re-working, I'm also quite enjoying the Warrior One remix of the track:

Spark - Revolving (Warrior One Remix)

Cold As Ice Cream But Still As Sweet

Sunday Girl is showing little sign of surrendering her claim to this year's Most Remixable Lady In Pop award. It's a highly coveted title, with previous winners including the likes of Ellie Goulding and Lykke Li.

Her latest endeavour is a track called 'Stop Hey'. Based on the snippets I can hear here, the track itself sounds is passable if not a little dull. The Rusko remix, however, is swoon-inducingly brilliant and, tellingly, is the subject of its own music video.



As much as I have the souped-up remixes of her singles to the originals, I do, however, quite like this pared-down version of Ke$ha's 'Tik Tok' that Sheena Beaston recently posted:

Sunday Girl - Tik Tok (Ke$ha cover)



Sunday Girl - Stop Hey (Rusko Remix)

Imagine None Of This Is Real

Last weekend, at the Pukkelpop festival in Belgium, a misjudged stage-dive by Charles Haddon of London-based synthpop outfit Ou Est Le Swimming Pool resulted in the serious injury of a female fan.

It's been reported that, following the incident, members of the band were embroiled in a furious argument backstage. Hours later, Haddon was found dead in a car park, having commit suicide.

As a tribute to the late singer, whose promising career has been cut cruelly short, Frankmusik recorded this impassioned acoustic cover of the band's debut single, Dance The Way I Feel.

Frankmusik - Dance The Way I Feel



The dubiously-monikored eMDeeeMA have re-jigged Frankmusik's cover, setting it to some bleeps and squelches. The raw intensity of the acoustic version is blunted somewhat, but it's still pretty lovely.

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Dance the Way I Feel (FRANKMUSIK cover) (eMDeeeMA Remix) by eMDeeeMA

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool will release their debut album, The Golden Year, in October.

I Live Among The Creatures Of The Night

Every now and again, a frothy female pop singer comes along that captures the imagination of the remixer/producer elite.

We've seen the likes of Ellie Goulding, Lykke Li, La Roux and, more recently, Florrie re-swizzed by some of the big name beatmakers. Now, it seems, it's the turn of 21-year-old Jade Williams, aka Sunday Girl.

Her recent singles, 'Four Floors' and Laura Brannigan cover 'Self Control', are understated pop gems, but it's these remixes by the likes of Diplo and Fenech Soler that have really piqued my interest:

Sunday Girl - Self Control (Fenech Soler Remix)



Sunday Girl - Four Floors (Diplo Remix) (Free download via RCRD LBL)



Sunday Girl - Four Floors:

Round Robyn

I really love what Swedish alt-pop princess Robyn is doing with her Body Talk triple album. Although recent efforts by Janelle Monáe and The xx are strong arguments for preserving the 'album' format, it's true that the traditional 10 - 12 track LP, spanning approximately an hour, is becoming increasingly redundant in the digital era.

Robyn's approach of releasing digestible batches of songs every few months, allowing her to avoid long gaps between releases or singles becoming 'stale' by the time they're ever officially released.

The first installment, 'Body Talk Part 1', was a triumph and early reports suggest that 'Part 2', set for releases in September, is shaping up quite nicely. The first single will be 'Hang With Me', which appeared on 'Part 1' in an acoustic form.

A simple but effective video to accompany the track has materialised and, already, the remix artists are getting hot and heavy over this slice of electropop.



Robyn - Hang With Me (Reset! Remix)



Robyn - Hang With Me (Avicii Remix)

Takes One To Know One

I'll admit to being a tad underwhelmed by Sky Ferreira's Big Debut Single™ 'One' initially but, over the past few weeks, its nestled into my brain and set up residency there.

The Rankin-directed video is clearly pandering to those who see Ferreira as a style icon, looking like a shoot from a high-end glossy, with plenty of gratuitous hair-tossing:



A couple of days ago, a sneak preview of a glorious dubstep mix of the track by BAR9 surfaced. Utterly. Hooked.

Sky Ferreira - One BAR9 Remix by BAR9

Keeping An Eye On... Tom Molloy

I'm back apparently. Today, I finally got to trawl through my blog e-mail and discovered some real gems among the glut of PR bullshit.

One of the better finds was Athenry-based producer Tom Molloy, whose club-friendly electro mixes of established hits are very much 'my bag'.

The mixes are very much along the lines of stuff I play while DJing, so it's kinda cool to know that somebody close to home has produced them.

These are a couple of my favourites but, if you like what you hear, I'd suggest checking out the rest on his SoundCloud.

Lady Gaga - Alejandro (Tom Molloy Remix) by Tom Molloy

Rihanna - Rude Boy (Tom Molloy Remix) by Tom Molloy

Fair and Fowl

I've probably posted about Penguin Prison far too much given the sparse amount of material in the public domain but, honestly, I'm obsessed.

His latest release 'Something I'm Not'/'The Worse It Gets' has inspired all manner of wonderful remixes, some of which I've already posted. And they keep on coming.

This funk-flavoured mix of 'The Worse It Gets' by Shook is the latest to land in my inbox and aggravate my infatuation.

Penguin Prison - The Worse It Gets (Shook Remix) (free download)



Here's a couple more mixes I've been hooked on:

Penguin Prison - Worse It Gets (RAC Remix)



Penguin Prison - Something I'm Not (Friends Electric Remix):

Rude Remixed

I've never had particularly strong feelings about Rihanna and, frankly, thought the most interesting things about her were her domestic difficulties and bizarre pronunciation of the word 'paper'.

However, I will gladly concede that her recent single 'Rude Boy' is one of the best pop singles of the past twelve months and has, deservedly, been inescapable the past few months.

The song is notable also for the fact that it seems to lend itself extremely well to souped up, dancefloor-destroying reswizzes. These mixes by Rude Crew and Debauched, that landed in my inbox a few days ago, are prime examples of this:

Rihanna - Rude Boy (Rude Crew Remix) by thebubbleboy

Rihanna - Rude Boy (Debauched's Fashionably Late Remix) by thebubbleboy

Also worth a spin are the Cosmic Dawn and DVW remixes:

Rihanna - Rude Boy (Cosmic Dawn Remix)



Rihanna - Rude Boy (DVW Remix)

Keeping An Eye On... Collidoscope

I've recently become a little besotted with the work of Dublin-based duo Collidoscope. A DJ/VJ duo sharing a sardonic sense of humour, Collidoscope only been working together for the past few months but have already been making waves in the city's pub/club scene.

Their live shows are well worth catching if you get a chance but, in the meantime, you'll have to make do with these glorious mash-ups, which I have a sneaking suspicion will soon be a source of mild blogospheric hysteria:

M.I.A. vs New Order vs Dizzee Rascal - Hooky Done Gun (Collidoscope Mashup) (free download)


Jason Mraz vs Shaggy vs Jay-Z - It Wasn't Your State Of Mind (Collidoscope Mashup) (free download)


Babar vs Mr. Oizo - Babar Beats (Collidoscope Mashup) (free download)


Beastie Boys vs Alison Krauss - O Brother, Thou Art Intergalactic (Collidoscope Mashup) (free download)

Baby's Got A Temper

I'm not altogether fussed on the song itself, but I really love the new video for The Temper Trap's 'Love Lost' for reminding me of some of the ordeals I endured on the junior cross-country circuit:



My love for the band's signature tune 'Sweet Disposition' has been tainted considerably by the sheer level of over-exposure (and lack of imagination of TV and radio execs). However, this latest blissed-out RAC mix of the track has helped re-ignite my passion somewhat.

The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition (RAC Remix)