Monday, July 28, 2008

more than real.


image: sandra croft

through the haze of countless days...eventually
things will get to where we want them to be.

digital love.

caught in a wave.


photo: sandra croft

sometimes it's just the simplicity of summer that lingers
in memory and nags with longing through the dead of
winter. from lazy afternoons to slow nights, this is a song
so simple and welcoming like a fresh breeze on a steamy
summer's night. the sound of ocean waves that begins
"beach baby" is an indication of the ease at which it will
roll over you; the vocals so seamless and dreamy that
you can almost imagine phil spector nodding in approval
at the modern, clean pop aesthetic. the beach boys will
inevitably surface as a reference, but it's all done in great
admiration for those original boys of summer. for all the
spaces between the wild nights, this is a reminder that
summer at its best is sweet, easy and smooth.

miracle fortress - beach baby

Thursday, July 24, 2008

perfect sound always.


photo: robin lacambra

why do all the kids on the west coast hate us? would it still
be that way if we headed out to the open sky, did acid all
night waiting for the rising sun, then after that we'll drive
into the setting sun? well, the future looks bright, so come
on, let's go.

history itself has revealed very little about the lives of
girlsareshort, other than their 2001 debut contact kiss
was written and recorded while alex lived in brooklyn and
daniel remained at home in missisauga, ontario, a suburb
west of toronto. but they were kind enough to leave us a
legacy of some of the most exhilaratingly relentless, and
ridiculously catchy electronic indie pop ever made, and
for that we'll always be thankful. when it rains (take note,
pacific coast kids!) this is how we keep dry - it's also the
sound of a busload of kids skipping school, running home,
pressing 'record', and shouting for joy. it's tough to decide
what to do when you're drenched in sunshine, and this is
not going to make it any easier, so let's go back to where
it all began (in more than one sense, since alex is now the
other half of MSTRKRFT) to the sound of an endless summer
when our biggest problem was just that - deciding.

there's your headphones, there's the door, there's the sun:
you know what to do.

girlsareshort - lovecal

postcards from the edge.





Monday, July 21, 2008

01: the great escape.



heartbeast/wolfgang takes off in style and with force
towards the new era with 01: the great escape. a
journey bound for clearer themes, greater precision
and higher ambitions. take a deep breath and jump in.

HBWG01: the great escape

Saturday, July 19, 2008

everybody gets a little lost sometimes.





photos: sandra croft

with hearts on fire i reach out to you tonight.



when your sense of self-consciousness has evaporated into
thin vodka or you start getting the urge to bring your
hands together and touch the clouds, it's time to DANCE.
just in time for the weekend and always in time for the
great escape, we give you 19 tracks of razor-sharp candy-
coloured electro glass, from our friend owen meyers over
in barcelona. it's not the first time he's done this, in case
you're wondering, so wonder no more and go over here
to see what else he's mixed up.

so, now that summer is back and making partying more
urgent, more crazy, more "i know what you did last night"
"yes? please tell cos i don't", you can go hard with all the
boys noize your little heart desires, but still have one of
the classic moments in quality house music, jean jacques
smoothie avec 2 people, for when the sun comes up the
next morning. it's a very generous helping of sparkly
euphoria, and damn, does it make you just wanna dance
hard. so what are you waiting for? oh right, here, let's go.

tracklisting:
1. st. jordi day drum corps, barcelona
2. deadmau5 vs. jelo - the reward is cheese (jk remix)
3. boys noize - arcade robot
4. heartsrevolution - switchblade (la riots rmx)
5. fischerspooner - danse en france (d.i.m. remix)
6. crystal castles - knights
7. alan braxe - addicted
8. darkel - be my friend
9. the whip - trash (afrodigiscrache mix chopped by doorly)
10. boys noize - & down
11. cut copy - hearts on fire
12. simian mobile disco - i believe
13. van she - kelly (alan braxe and fred falke remix)
14. jesse mccartney - leavin (mstrkrft remix)
15. chromeo - fancy footwork (guns n' bombs remix)
16. jean jacques smoothie - 2people (mirwais extended mix)
17. kylie minogue - 2 hearts (the twelves remix)
18. little boots - stuck on repeat (fake blood remix)
19. M83 - couleurs

fire in your blog house, oh what's that?

owen meyers - bcn mix

Thursday, July 17, 2008

stories from the city.



hello, barcelona. it's the city that shuts down for three hours
in the afternoon, but with fun waves, blue skies and a desire
to always feel the sand between your toes, wouldn't you? it's
definitely somewhere you want to stay for a little bit longer.
at night, things only just get sweeter. the sun barely has time
to vanish before the dancefloors start to rock and altogether,
you start to wonder if you've arrived somewhere in music
heaven.

the days were getting longer so we thought it was just the
right time to introduce you to the first heartbeast/wolfgang
issue: the great escape. say goodbye to the endless winter by
perfecting the art of getting into deep waters with a big smile
on your face. or you could just visit barcelona and leave with
a big smile on your face, it's alright by us too. owen meyers
(barcelona resident and also half of circuit flow & the bird)
contributes a dazzling slice of electro goodness with his latest
bcn mix, and you can spend even more time getting to know
our favourite band at 36, 000 ft. we're sure you're wondering
when all the hype about air france will cease, but let us assure
you that there's never been hype between us and them, but
rather, pure love.

01: the great escape...COMING SOON.

modular landscapes.



so you no longer care if there's another day. fred falke coaxes
erlend oye out of his shell, and in the process contributes to a
more beautiful world. this concentrate of pure bliss might just
be the track you are looking for to watch the sun go up and
down again, or simply just to roll around on the grass so you
tan evenly. you don't have to go very far or even to the beach,
to be absolutely honest. soft dance-inducing dizziness coated
with the sparkle of celestial synths is all you need to not be
cynical anymore. everyone in this house is hypnotized by
this track, when it comes up we stop what we are doing and
our heart skips a little, nicely.

the whitest boy alive - golden cage (fred falke remix)

transistor tropics.



wolfgang:
we could fly to kingston tonight? high life like
everything's all right.

heartbeast:
maybe in chamonix i'll find peace of mind, simply
cruising down the hills in the sunshine.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

in the karibien.



our dearly beloved air france have finally resurfaced again
with the fantastic
no way down ep on sincerely yours. it's
more aerial than last year's aquatic
on trade winds, but still
with the same end product: 6 meticulous pop postcards from
a holiday so perfect that it could never realistically exist. but
that's ok, you still get 23 minutes of unspeakable loveliness
to dream along to, whether you're 6 or 36, 000 ft from the
ground.

since we're incurable romantics, we're going to take you back
to the winter when our love affair with the gothenburg boys
first began. it started with the usual coy glances, love letters
via sincerely yours and whispered invitations to tropical
hideaways. but it took only a single gesture of tender elegance
and unbridled wanderlust to win over our hearts completely.
before we knew it, the words were true: "i don't know why i'd
get sad when i had you". so hold on to me, baby.

air france - hold on to me, baby

deep into the waves we go.



"sometimes the aim for reality feels too unrealistic. sometimes
you just have to indulge in sweet distractions, gentle escapes,
and beautiful illusions to be able to stand this excuse for an
existence."

tta escape the concept of a remix with a fleeting yet precise
touch, turning sweden's grandest 21st century anthem by the
embassy into a day spent in the waves. the sound of innocence
won back, or the only music you'll need this summer? it's up to
you to decide. now that's what i call indulgence.

tta - now that's what i call indulgence

Sunday, July 13, 2008

the ambient century.



"congratulations, you have reached the myspace page for the
greatest band in sweden. we're so good there's not enough bees,
pluses, lighthouses or whatever grademarks journalists use to
celebrate our records. the radio stations refuse to play our songs
lest an euphoric sense of class war should spread across the nation.
fuck you, be happy, that's the ticket."

air france - never content (video)

we own the sky.



"no one understood how we possibly could circle round the
world, averting catastrophe, averting the sunrise..." can you
believe, we just caught the breeze? it's the dreamiest synth
line you could ever think up, light like a feather and deep like
an ocean. floating overseas through the seasons of change,
things will never be this good again...

midnight juggernauts - dystopia (cut copy remix)

setting sail.



heartbeast:
i don't think i can take another day of this!

wolfgang:
why don't we run away somewhere?

heartbeast:
where?

wolfgang:
i don't know. san siro? reykjavik? barcelona?

Saturday, July 12, 2008

here with you.



warm like the sunshine and just as fleeting. time's passing by,
we're moving slow. all you need is this year's calendar, dear.
watching vapour trails, losing track of time...are you ready?