Let's kick this, my 2000th post (!!!), off with a hearty hello and how do you do! I'm psyched to have been around to reach this millenial milestone, but more importnantly, to have you join me on this jamtastic journey. Many appreciative gestures all around!


Delphic, the "hey guess what, we're going to be huge in 2010 whether you choose to deny it or not" kids who continue to rock our bodies, recently threw together a playlist when they joined up with Mike Joyce for his Alternative Therapy show.

The lads did some chatting, Joyce did his own playlist, but we're featuring the Delphic ditties, cause it's been a constant source of repeated tuneage since falling into our laps earlier this morning. It's a free download here and the track list is as follows.

Delphic - Doubt (Riton Remix)
Delphic - Red Lights
Bjork - Dull Flame of Desire (Modeselektor Remix for Girls)
Chemical Brothers - The Golden Path (Ewan Pearson Remix)
Delphic - This Momentary (Radioproof Remix)
DIOYY - We Are Rockstars
Delphic - Counterpoint (The Chain Remix)
Delphic - Counterpoint (Woolford Remix)

Delphic's debut, Acolyte, is out January 11, 2010. Buy it, cause TRUST, it's that rad.

mp3: Delphic - Doubt (835 Remix)

La Chansons is the Atlanta-based husband and wife dance pop duo of Greg and Carson Keller. More importantly, they are the set of superbly styled singers/songwriters that make this beast smile a little easier.


La Chansons first caught my ear at the very beginning of this year when they contributed to Buffetlibre DJ's extensively excellent mixtape, Rewind Part 2. The Keller's covered Marcy Playgound's devious tale of sultrily-sucked sugar, Sex and Candy.

Now, LC are gearing up for the release of their album, King And Queen Of The Dance Floor, due out in January 2010. To celebrate the impending offering, La Chansons have delivered the track, Sparklin, for each of us to play, love and bask in all its synth-pop lusciousness.

Go get it!

mp3: La Chansons - Sex And Candy (Marcy Playground Cover)
mp3: La Chansons - Sparklin

Paging Fake Blood...paging Fake Blood? And...found! Sort of. Let's dive into a vat of platelets, shall we?


Got a rad note from the Scottish DJ/Producer, Studio Brussels, earlier this afternoon in regards to a 1 minute version of a Fake Blood track that appeared on a couple of sites earlier this year and largely went unnoticed due to its extremely short length. Well, dudeman loved the tune so much that he did an extended edit and begn dropping it in his sets.

Yep, it's a Fake Blood mix of Run This Town, as extended by Studio Brussels. You're definitely going to want to jump on this one.

mp3: Fake Blood - Run This Town (Studio Brussels 3 Min Fix)

BONUS!

Studio Brussels also provided us with 2 of his other works. Listen and love now!

mp3: Soultronix - Slam That Door (Studio Brussels Remix)
mp3: Space Cowboy - Talking In Your Sleep (Studio Brussels Remix)

Over the past month and a half, I've been so psyched to bring you the good word that is music and food, meshed as one, on IFC's original series, Dinner With The Band. Featuring guests like Sharon Jones, MEN and Kid Sister, the show reveals insight on the cookery of Sam Mason and the musicalities of today's emerging stars.


Tonight is the last episode of DWTB's preview season. The first full season will air on IFC starting in April.

This evening's season finale features the duo of Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans, known more famously as Portland's own, YACHT. When it comes to eating, as staunch vegans (meaning they consume no animal byproduct), these two experiment non-stop in their culinary laboratory. While head chef, Sam Mason cooks up Psychic City (Chicken of the Woods Mushroom) Picado and Summer Bok choy and a Lovage Sour drink, YACHT will perform a handful of their truly enigmatic songs.

Check out this online exclusive performance of Waste Of Time.

Dinner With The Band is on IFC tonight at 11pm. Check your local cable listings for channel details.

mp3: YACHT - Psychic City (Classixx Remix)
mp3: The Blow - Hock It (YACHT Remix)

Dan Black creates the kind of cosmic pop that makes our feet start flyin' and our hearts skip a beat. His spacey disco panache is one we can't, and won't soon quit. We've writ a ton about him in the past, but if you haven't yet jumped on board, then you can thank the lad for gifting us with a freebie this week.


Symphonies appears on Dan's already-out-in-the-UK and soon to be released stateside album, ((un)). It's a slice of throwback splendor with modern-day sensibilities, pairing an unmistakable Notorious B.I.G. base with Black's slick lyrics.

I you have yet to add this delightful romp to your library, it's being offered as iTunes Free Single of the Week. Go grab Symphonies for free here!

Dan Black comes back across the pond for a mini-trek in early 2010. Dates below.

February 18 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
February 19 - Montreal, QC @ Belmont
February 20 - Toronto, ON @ WrongBar
February 23 - Los Angeles, CA @ Cinespace
February 25 - San Francisco, CA @ Popscene / 330 Ritch

mp3: Dan Black - HYPNTZ

Long story short...I love everything Alan Wilkis touches, so getting emails from him always brightens up a beastly day. He takes the tunes I care not to listen to, and reworks them with a lovely disco finesse that turns said tracks into some of my most listened to jams.

And so goes the case with his latest. Wilkis, along with San Francisco's Pance Party, was tapped by Chester French as part of a special holiday exclusive. The package takes their meh-kay song, C'mon, and delivers a post-Xmas punch to the gut!

Grab Alan's slick lil' stocking stuffer now.

mp3: Chester French - C'mon (Alan Wilkis Remix)

BONUS! Grab the other two included in the gift for free now.

mp3: Chester French - C'mon (Pance Party Remix)
mp3: Chester French - C'mon (Radio Rock Mix)

Finally back to somewhat of a normalcy* schedulings of posts now that I'm back in the city, and what a way to kick things off post-holiday...with a CJ Milli mix! If you recall, this rad gal made one of our BE[a]ST of 2009 lists, and we're dead set on the fact that we're going to keep on digging her stuff in the upcoming year.

I love that she's able to take a track not so high up on the Beast-approved set [read=Drake] and make it a staple of my "New Radness" playlists. Give it a go below!

Samples used:
Nadastrom - Save Us
Cajmere - Horny Horny (Me So Horny Mix)
Tinny - Zingolo (Doorly Remix)
Drake - Best I Ever Had Drake Best I Ever Had (Grandtheft Remix)

mp3: Drake vs Nadastrom - Best I Ever Had (CJ Milli Remix)

* Pics and words might be used sparingly, cause you know, there's that whole "prepping the new site layout" thing we talked about earlier this past week that's keeping me way busy. That said, all content, as always, is still the most rad.

The Stage 4 Podcasts, curated and recorded weekly by staff at San Francisco's IRIS Distribution, showcase their favorite new and independent music in two series, one alternative and the other electronic. The end of 2009 brings big beats to the weekly electronic podcast with the electro-crunk of a Beaston favorite in Thunderheist.


Hosted by Sunny Dee and Chad Raddington, each episode features two songs by one artist as well as exclusive interviews, contests, listener mail, celebrity guest hosts and trivia. New episodes are available every Tuesday at iTunes...for free!

Other artists recently featured on the Stage 4 Electronica Podcast include Amtrak, Antipop Consortium, King Cannibal, Blende, Anton Essential, The Emergency, Mogi Grumbles, Arcane Trickster, Conya Compilation, Pal Joey, Polymorphic, Le Castle Vania and Hakan Libdo.

In this week's episode, Nothing 2 Step 2 and Space Cowboy are the highlighted tracks from Thunderheist, as well as a ton of cool facts and trivia you might not have known about. Go grab the podcast here!

mp3: Thunderheist - Sweet 16

Back in May, yes May, we were gifted a rad track from Emma, she of the vocalist lead from up-and-comers, Kite in the Air. Couch Potato still remains highly playable and mucho lovable. That said, we're super stoked to see it's resurgence today.


Fat and Ugly is an up and coming producer from Germany. He put his gnarly hands all over his compatriot by chopping and scrambling her lovely voice to turn the whole song into a new electronic excursion.

Do not adjust your speakers...it's meant to sound super glitchy like that. And we love how messily-magical it is!

mp3: Emma - Couch Potato (Fat And Ugly Remix)

Qu'avez-vous dit? Yep, I might as well be speaking French with that post title. Well, here's the deal. Going back through my archives, I've realized there's a handful of artists/dj's/producers who I post tracks from, but never really talk about. Today, we're highlighting three of them.


If you haven't figured out who exactly I'm talking about, it's So Shifty, Gentlemen Thieves, and She Is Danger. Let's roll.

So Shifty come from Hamburg, Germany. They are unsigned and frankly (Frankfurt-ly? ha!), that's a shame. They produced one of my most favorite remixes of the year when they took Major Lazer's Keep It Goin' Louder and made it a tropically calypso ska ditty that simply made us swoon.

Grab 2 more remixes from the dudes and get to dancing!

mp3: The Very Best - Warm Heart Of Africa (So Shifty Remix)
mp3: R. Kelly and Keri Hilson - Number One (So Shifty Remix)


Up next is New York City's own, Gentlemen Thieves. Another of the Beaston fave mixes of 2009 came courtesy of these 3 kids. Their take on Kiss In Cities' UR My Girl is easy and smooth, with piano and hand claps to die for. Their fix of a Monsieur Adi track, as well as an original jawn, can be all yours, by clicking the below links.

mp3: Monsieur Adi - We Are The Romans (Gentlemen Thieves Remix)
mp3: Gentlemen Thieves - Contrapasso


Last up, is London's dynamic dame duo, She Is Danger. Maya Jane and Lena first made waves with their remix of Ellie Goulding's Under The Sheets, yet the pair aren't restricted to mixing. Their orignal tracks are solid slices of electronic dub. Get a mix and a cover now, then start to smile.

mp3: Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets (She Is Danger Remix)
mp3: She Is Danger - Who's That Girl (Eurythmics Cover)

Part three in the Little Boots' laser harp series is upon us! If you missed the first two in this episodic sequence, catch them here and here. Moving on...


Design problems are encountered, but Boots gets advice from some US laser harp builders. Check out how she incorporates her costuming into the playing of the light-strument as well.

Little Boots comes back to New York on March 2 at Highline Ballroom. Tickets for the all ages show are on sale here.

Last week, her Remedy Remixes EP was released. Cop 'em here.

mp3: Little Boots - Earthquake (Celebrity Murder Party Remix)

Our favorite baile funk-rock kids, The Fire and Reason, deliver an early Christmas present...in the form of a new video for their dancefloor scorcher, Do It Again.


2009 has been super rad for the New York City duo of Bella and Steve. From winning LOGO's NewNowNext Award for the Brink of Fame artist, to having their song placed as the theme for an MTV reality show, it's clear that way back in early 2008, when we pegged them to break out this year, critics and fans were listening!

Below, you'll find the video for Do It Again, which is all rock, tons of roll...and bit of leather and lust thrown on top. The mix used is Brad Walsh's fix of the track.

Grab Walsh's mix for free below!

mp3: The Fire and Reason - Do It Again (Brad Walsh Remix)

Plain and simple, I have to get caught up. So here we go.


Enjoy...I am.

#newjacksplashfromanupcomingmixtapemakesussayheeeeey
mp3: Jack Splash - King Of The Beats

#gnarliestmixofamotownclassictojumpintoourearsallyear
mp3: Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell - Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Mikey Mic Remix)

#dubbylittledittythatscompletelyunexpectedandamazinglyrad
mp3: Spoon - The Ghost Of You Lingers (Gavin Holland Bootleg)

#funkyfreshansohsofly
mp3: K'naan (featuring Chubb Rock) - ABC's (5 Alive Remix)

#morediscodeliciousnessfromthemantheycallrubix
mp3: C-code - Burning Up In Here (Rubix Remix)

Last week, I unveiled the top 25 most beastly albums of the year, and coming in at #12 was Vitalic's Flashmob. Now, we're treated to an in-depth look at the making of the smoky imagery used as the cover art.


If you thought the album cover was just some puffs of smoke and an exercise in Photoshop, you'd e wrong.

This video illustrates how the Flashmob album cover was made. It is an oniric and contemplative journey of a man recreating the 19th century experience of Etienne-Jules Marey on fluid dynamics. Smoke lines represent the notion of stability, the triangle goes for the disturbance and incidentally for the V of Vitalic. The concept of a flashmob is illustrated here as a result of an intruder perturbating a stable environment.

Watch the video now.

Directed by //DIY & Brillantine with DP by ART10. Video is in memoriam of Etienne-Jules Marey (1830 - 1904)

mp3: Vitalic - One Above One

This reminds me of childhood, video games, rad creatures and generally speaking...pretty solid mixing. Skeet Skeet has been dominating a number of our favorite year-end mixes, and today, we're all sorts of giddy with a big ol' grin thanks to a glitchy and techy fix of one of our most cherished "back-in-the-day" programs.


Who didn't love Fraggle Rock? If you told me you didn't, I'd call you a filthy, stinkin' liar and walk away. HOWEVER, I might throw on Skeet's remix, lovingly titled as an "8-Bit Adventure" before departing, in an effort to change your mind.

Gosh, I'm digging this so much. It's just over 2 minutes of fun. Sing it with me... "Down at Fraggle Rock!" **clap clap**

Skeet Skeet's got a number of gigs in the beginnings of the coming year. Jump here for dates and details.

mp3: Fraggle Rock Theme - (Skeet Skeet's 8-Bit Adventure)

Ok, first up, I have an admission. The Dirty Disco have been throwing me all sorts of rad tunes for the past 6 months or so. For whatever reason, I always got to their emails/submissions just a minute too late before their tracks were everywhere, and I hate oversaturating an already sopping wet playing field. Today, we wait not.


The Dirty Disco are the self described "lust child of Ziggy Stardust and Britney Spears". Hailing from Guilford, London, the enigmatic and energetic troupe enlists dramatic drums and electropop frequencies to create their blend of acid trippery tracks.

Most recently, frotnman Adam dropped by with the band's cover of Florence + The Machine's irresistably lovable single, Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up).

Pairing their signature glampop vocals with an enthusiastically dark arrangement, the band covers the song in dirt and disco, and the result is definitely Beaston approved. Grab it for free now!

mp3: The Dirty Disco - Rabbit Heart (Florence And The Machine Cover)

A hotly anticipated album due out the first quarter of 2010, is the 9th studio album from the big beat electronica duo, Groove Armada. Black Light will see a proper release on February 1, and include a handful of tracks that the boys have already dropped...for free.


The third official single from the "wait, it's not even out yet" release, will be Paper Romance, a raging romp with dramatic buildup verses opening into a chorus you'll soon have stuck in your head. The song features tones from the act's newest vocalist, SaintSavior, as well as Ben from Fenech Soler.

You can hear the original track here, which will be released on February 22, with remixes by Doorly, Zombie Disco Squad, Urchins and Softwar.

BONUS!

Fenech Soler have a new jam, Stop and Stare, that is currently rocking my beastly body. Listen now.

stream: Fenech Soler - Stop And Stare

This put a smile, a grin and a huge tooth flasher on my beastly little face this morning. In a Swedish songstress "meeting of the minds", El Perro Del Mar gets the remix treatment from her fellow countrywoman, Robyn.


EPDM has been garnering the utmost praise for her mini-album, Love Is Not Pop, including being nominated for three Swedish Grammis Awards in the following categories: Best Pop, Best Composer, & Best Producer (together w/ Rasmus Hägg, her co-producer).

Additionally, her gut-wrenching tune, Change Of Heart, has been remixed by Robyn, the latter's first official mix for another artist. It serves as her premiere Rakamonie remix.

Grab the track below the upcoming El Perro Del Mar tour dates.

Feb 14 - World Café – Philadelphia, PA
Feb 16 - Le Poisson Rouge – New York, NY
Feb 17 - Knitting Factory – Brooklyn, NY
Feb 19 - Cambridge Family YMCA – Cambridge, MA
Feb 20 - Il Motore – Montreal, QB
Feb 21 - The Mod Club – Toronto, ON
Feb 22 - Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
Feb 23 - Cedar Cultural Center – Minneapolis, MN
Feb 26 - The Triple Door – Seattle, WA
Feb 27 - Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
Feb 28 - Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
Mar 02 - Café du Nord – San Francisco, CA
Mar 03 - Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA

mp3: El Perro Del Mar - Change Of Heart (Robyn's Rakamonie Remix)

Earlier this month, we brought you part one of a special series as brought to Beastonia by Little Boots. Transferring what we have on to you...we're getting all sorts of laser-y and harp-y yet again.


If you made it to last Friday/Saturday's Little Boots' gigs in London/Leeds you may have witnessed the first WORKING performances of our of the laser harp. And if you weren't there, well, you can catch a sneak peek of the beginnings of the construction below.

There will be 2 more episodes of Boots and her harp happenings...and of course, you can catch them all here.

mp3: Little Boots - Remedy (Kaskade Club Remix)

I was slightly "off the gird" per se, since last week. But that doesn't mean good music wasn't filling up the old Beastbox, therefore, we hash...we hash for you.


Yum, yum, gimme some!

#wellijustdiedandwenttoheaventhankschewfulovesheenabeaston
mp3: Rihanna - Russian Roulette (Chew Fu Black Russian Fix)

#discoperfectocourtesyofheadswedanceandjustinfaust
mp3: Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (Justin Faust Remix)

#moregagawithaddedelectrolightzisalwaysaradthing
mp3: Lady Gaga - Telephone (Electrolightz Remix)

#totallyloungeyalapetshopboysalthoughtheyarefromgreece
mp3: Liebe - Drugs and Models (MANSTA Mix)

#bestrackisbackbestrackisbackbestrackisbackbestrackisbackebastrackisback
mp3: Underhall - Digithall (Bestrack Remix)