MP3: Balam Acab's "Video Games" Remix

So, am I now on the bandwagon even if it's via a remix-side car? I haven't been a fan of Lana Del Rey from the beginning--the music and video for "Video Games" were more boredom inspiring than, I don't know, blog worthy--but Balam Acab's recent remix is sincerely great, bringing out the best in Rey's pigtailed crooning. Acab's effort, along with Jamie Woon's treatment, has gotten me as hooked as Chris over at GvsB.

Cover me in backlash honey and feed me to the hipster bears...

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Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Balam Acab Remix)
Lana Del Rey - Video Games (Jamie Woon Remix)
Lana Del Rey - Video Games

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How to Dress Well Covers Elite Gymnastics and Vice Versa

Pop quiz: Who remembers those dual EPs from Elite Gymnastics? Y'know, the ones that dropped in July? And what about How to Dress Well's Just Once EP? Of course, you all do.

Well, How to Dress Well decided to cover the Elite G'z ("Here in Heaven") and the hip duo returned the favour by remixing "Suicide Dream 2." Both tracks feature How to Dress Well's ethereal vocals and while the cover is expectedly haunting, the remix adds some much-appreciated pep. Friends helping out friends, you guys.

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How to Dress Well - Suicide Dream 2 (Elite Gymnastics Remix)
Elite Gymnastics - Here, In Heaven 3 (How to Dress Well Cover)
Elite Gymnastics - Here, In Heaven 2
How to Dress Well - Suicide Dream 2

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MP3: Lindstrøm Remixes Best Coast

Well this is a pleasant surprise: Lindstrøm did your summer a favor by dropping a twinkling remix of Best Coast's "Boyfriend." The Norwegian producer applies his best ABBA impression onto the lovesick track and the results are slinking and shimmery.

Grab the remix and the original down below...

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Best Coast - Boyfriend (Lindstrøm Remix)
Best Coast - Boyfriend

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MP3s: A Pylon Cover + Remix + Favourite

In 2008, I got my hand's on Pylon's Gyrate LP for the first time. As a big B-52's fan, I was pretty blown away by the New Wave, art-rock on display and heard how big an influence Pylon had on Fred Schneider and co. (not to mention the rest of Athens, GA).

I (obviously) still spin the record to get my dance-pop kick, so I was pleased to learn of the new single DFA put out: a double-a-side cover by Deerhunter and remix from Calvinist. Both are natch and as a bonus, I'm hosting a favourite Pylon jam, "Feast on My Heart."

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Deerhunter - Cool
Pylon - Yo-Yo (Calvinist Remix)
Pylon - Feast on My Heart

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Download Now: Mount Kimbie's New Carbonated EP

Mount Kimbie's Crooks & Lovers was an LP I slept on for most 2010, but having now listened to it ad nauseam, I can easily call it one of last year's most underrated records.

So then, you could imagine my pumped-up-ness when I got my hands on the dubstep duo's new Carbonated EP half a week early. While the release is a mere six tracks long, the three original cuts are up to snuff (especially the title track) and remaining three remixes aren't half bad--though not as good as James Blake's re-work from last year's Maybes EP

MediaFire Link:

Mount Kimbie - Carbonated EP

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Mount Kimbie - Carbonated
Mount Kimbie - Maybes (James Blake Remix)

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MP3s: How to Dress Well's New "Just Once" EP

Yesterday afternoon, bedroom R&B revivalist How to Dress Well put up a new EP on this Bandcamp page. You could stream it for free, download a copy for a few bucks and/or pre-order the physical release.

Well I'm glad I acted when I did, because HTDW has since put an end to all the streaming and downloading business; pre-ordering is now your only option.

Along with being good, the EP is also pretty unique. Just Once is "comprised of 4 orchestral versions of HTDW tracks - a one-time-only approach to HTDW's sound." So what you're getting is three stringed re-imaginings of songs from last year's Love Remains (my second favourite record of 2010), as well as one new song, "Suicide Dream 3." Get 'em while you can...

EDIT:// Tracks removed by request.

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How to Dress Well - Decisions (Orchestral Version)
How to Dress Well - Suicide Dream 1 (Orchestral Version)
How to Dress Well - Suicide Dream 2 (Orchestral Version)
How to Dress Well - Suicide Dream 3 (Orchestral Version)

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MP3s: Jamie xx's "Far Nearer" + His Adele Remix

A couple of weeks ago I posted my March mixtape, closing out the proceedings with Jamie xx's "Far Nearer." The tune's slick production deserves a post all on it's own, partly because it sounds like Burial in the Bahamas, sipping on a Kalik, and partly because I've been playing it (and Jamie's Adele remix) nonstop.

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Jamie xx - Far Nearer

Adele - Rolling In the Deep (Jamie xx Remix)

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RAC Remix Surfer Blood, Put on Yr Sunglasses Bros

This new RAC remix of Surfer Blood's "Take It Easy" is the just what the doctor ordered, the indie-pop remix doctor that is! LOLZ.

But in all seriousness, the remix is pretty solid. And its release coincides nicely with all the sunshine New York's getting hit with today. I'm not sure if it holds up compared to the Blue Album vibes of the original, but it adds enough beats, bells, and whistles to make it on a playlist or two.

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Surfer Blood - Take It Easy (RAC Maury Mix)

Surfer Blood - Take It Easy

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Gold Panda Remixes Chip tha Ripper, Loves Steel Drums

Gold Panda, peanut butter. Chip the Ripper, jelly. Gold Panda remixing Chip tha Ripper, a peanut butter & jelly sangwich.

Mmmm...

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Chip tha Ripper - (Bitch I) Feel Good (Gold Panda Remix)

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Free Gucci (Again)... The Burrrtish Edition

Sometime last year in-between stints of Gucci Mane's jail-time, Diplo co-opted a bunch of friends to release a remix LP of their favourite Gucci tracks. The results were aptly-named Free Gucci and half the tracks were forgettable. As for the other half? Pretty solid, especially that Emynd remix.

Earlier this month Mad Decent released a second volume of icy remixes, Free Gucci 2: The Burrrtish Edition. This time around, some fine British talent injected dupstep flavours behind Mr. Radric Davis' raps.

Again, the results are hit-or-miss, but if you like Gucci and/or bass music, there's something here for you. That, and the These New Puritans remix is the closest thing we'll get to a Gucci Mane/Thom Yorke collaboration (for now).

Grab some Burrrtish highlights below or click the links above to download the respective Free Gucci effort.

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Gucci Mane - Brand New (Rustie Remix)
Gucci Mane - Party Animal (Hudson Mohawke Remix)
Gucci Mane - Dollar Sign (These New Puritans Remix)

Also awesome...

Gucci Mane - Frowny Face (Emynd Remix)

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Panda Bear Joins Ducktails, Awesome Obviously Ensues

Ducktail's Arcade Dynamics is only ten days old and it's already a contender for my 'Best Albums of 2011' list.

As if you needed a reason to seek out this album other than its jangly, lo-fi pop stylings and homemade charms, Panda Bear hopped on the LP's "Killin' the Vibe" and the results are sublime.

Grab the Panda Bear "remix" + one of my favourite tracks of last year.

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Ducktails - Killin' the Vibe (feat. Panda Bear)

Ducktails - Hamilton Road

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These New Four Tet Remixes Sound Pretty Great

Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet has been a having a solid 2010. Way back in January, Hebden released There Is Love in You, a near-perfect record that I'm still spinning regularly. If that wasn't enough, the electronic-wizard recently dropped two long-form, chill remixes, one for Lindstrøm and the other for The xx.

The xx remix ("VCR") is the stronger of the two, but they're both solid, easy-going tracks. Grab them and a few other Four Tet favourites down below.

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VCR (Four Tet Remix) - The xx

Lovesick (Four Tet Remix) - Lindstrøm & Christabelle

Sing - Four Tet

Money Folder (Four Tet Remix) - Madvillain

As Serious As Your Life - Four Tet

Stick to My Side (Four Tet Remix) - Pantha Du Prince

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Whoa, Kanye West Is All Over the Place These Days

Last night Kanye West tweeted the above image, the proposed (then rejected) cover for his upcoming LP, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. According Mr. West's tweets, the label banned the cover because of its... questionable nudity? ("So Nirvana can have a naked human being on they cover but I can't have a PAINTING of a monster with no arms and a polka dot tail and wings?"). Bummer.

Anyways, if you haven't been paying attention, Kanye's been releasing new cool-jams every Friday. To catch up and download 'em, click this link.

Other than collaborating with everyone on his own site, Ye recently teamed up with La Roux to remix "In for the Kill," a track where he literally ends phrases with moaning: "A little teeth marks / Blood on the collar / That's real love / Mmmm aghhh ahhhhh." Whatever you say Kanye.

Grab the unreleased remix, the La Roux original, and "Lost in the World," the first unofficially leaked track from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It features Bon Iver, so that's a clear win. Oh yeah, and "Runaway" is still solid.

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In for the Kill [Remix] (feat. Kanye West) - La Roux

Lost in the World (feat. Bon Iver) - Kanye West

Runaway (feat. Pusha T) - Kanye West

In for the Kill - La Roux

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Neon Indian's Mind Ctrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed

In case you missed it last year, Neon Indian's chillwave classic, Psychic Chasms, has been reissued/remastered. While I still can't wrap my mind around remastering the intentionally lo-fi album, the LP is being packaged with Mind Ctrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed, a group of remixes from acts like Toro Y Moi, the Antlers, YACHT, Javelin, DNTEL, and Bibio.

I've been pimping Neon Indian for awhile now and Psychic Chasms is one of my favourite releases from the past few years, but this remix record is so good, good enough to stand on its own. Each aforementioned artist (plus a few more) brings something new to the table, pumping fresh life into Neon Indian's now year-old, hazy, electronic jams. I've posted some highlights down below.

P.S. Both albums are now available digitally at your web-vendor of choice, but if you want a physical copy, you're going to have to wait until the end of the month via FADER Label.

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Should've Taken Acid With You (Body Language RMX) - Neon Indian

Ephemeral Artery (The Antlers Fresh Breath Remix) - Neon Indian

Psychic Chasms (Anoraak Remix) - Neon Indian

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Tensnake Want's Everybody to Dance... Now

For those of you who have their fingers on the pulse of electronic music trends, this recent 90s resurgence isn't something new. But for the rest of you, it may come as a surprise that ancient 90s house jams are becoming pretty chic.

Even if #90sDance wasn't already trending, this new Tensnake remix is hot.

The German producer has already thrown some original works into the revivalism pile (see his Coma Cat EP), but his remix of Azari & III's "Reckless (With Your Love)" is better than everything you've heard on any Jock Jam CD.

Taking cues from Snap! and La Bouche, Tensnake's remix brings back everything you remember about the electro-dance boom -- For me that's turning up the radio in my mom's Chrysler Town & Country, wearing a pair of L.A. Lights and a Charlotte Hornet's Starter jacket.

Re: The ending... Yes, that familiar sample jogging your childhood dance memory is C+C Music Factory's "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now."

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Reckless (With Your Love) [Tensnake Remix] - Azari & III

Coma Cat - Tensnake

Need Your Lovin' - Tensnake

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Kanye's Got the Power and His New Remix Slays

Whoa now. So, the Kanye jam that is "Power" has already been well documented here, but this new remix featuring Jay-Z, Swizz Beatz, and a Snap! sample everyone recognizes is a huge win.

The new cut features Jay-Z rapping over the standard "Power" beat, with a few production flourishes courtesy of a tinkering Ye, but then shifts into a whole new bass-heavy, 90s-referencing beast at the 3:15 mark.

Check out the remix and the original down below to experience the awesomeness.

By the way, Kanye's "new" blog has been so solid lately.

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Power [Remix] (feat. Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz) - Kanye West

Power - Kanye West

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