Jamie Jones returns to Crosstown Rebels with a EP featuring a new single titled “Moan & Groan” and two remixes to his 2012 hit “Tonight in Tokyo.” With “Moan & Groan,” you see Jamie’s classic production styling emerge with the bouncy disco keys over a groovy and deep bassline. “Tonight in Tokyo” was released last year on Crosstown Rebels and was a staple track in many of Jamie’s sets, but Ben Westbeech’s Breach alias (riding high on “Jack” success at the moment) takes the reigns on the remix, adding a timeless vibe with faint piano flicks and mellow synth work. Cassius dials things down a bit on his rendition with crisp chords and larger-than-life synth lines. (more…)
If there’s one thing Hot Natured excels at, it’s making deep house tracks into memorable moments in dance music. The experience of Jamie Jones, Lee Foss, Luca C, and Ali Love (plus a good vocal from the temptress Anabel Englund) seems to be a fool proof combination these days. Some may criticize Hot Creations for selling out, but the way we see it is that sometimes when music is popular it’s well deserved.
The second release off Jamie Jones’ newly founded HOTTRAX imprint comes from UK newcomer Patrick Topping. The focus of the label (as proclaimed by Jamie) is to dive into the darker and deeper realms of underground house and techno while maintaining a proper dance floor aesthetic. This release features two well-rounded tracks that define the effort of the label. (more…)
Hot Natured‘s remix of Phoenix’s “Entertainment” — off their highly anticipated album Bankrupt that’ll be released on Monday — is a dream for dance fans wishing indie rock tracks would play to synthetic sensibilities a little bit more. “Entertainment” is classic Phoenix, but given the opportunity to remix, Jamie Jones, Lee Foss and the rest of their supergroup put their heads together for a well-crafted astral indie dance tune. They loop and stutter Thomas Mars’s vocals, replace guitars with playful and off-kilter synths, and of course add in their own four-on-the-floor bass line.
The xx released their second album Coexist in September of last year to critical acclaim, but despite its success the group’s restrained ambient style isn’t for everyone. Fortunately, Jamie Jones lends his remix talents to “Sunset” and perhaps sprinkles enough extra oomph on the Coexist track to please the skeptics. The Hot Creations labelhead reworks the bassline and introduces added drums to create an increasingly eery vibe. If you’re keen on “Sunset,” head over to Jones’ SoundCloud for a free download of his booty mix of “Crystalised” — also orginally by The xx.
Verboten has teamed up with HARD events to bring together an all-star lineup of underground talent. Jamie Jones, Lee Foss, and Infinity Ink will take the stage at Terminal 5 on July 6th, marking the US debut of their live show. The deep house super group currently has fans on their toes waiting for the impending release of “Reverse Skydiving,” a track you’re sure to hear played out at the event. Although we’re not sure what kind of surprises the Hot Natured crew have in store, we’re hoping a live Anabel Englund performance is one of them.
On Thursday evening, Jamie Jones and his band of merry DJs took over downtown Miami’s Ice Palace Studios for a marathon evening of the best representation of vintage-tinged deep house. The announcement of Hot Creations returning to Miami Music Week for their legendary Paradise parties further cemented the Balearic representation for the melding of dance music’s greatest minds this week.
Once the set times were solidified, I was ready to see what kind of party these dudes could pull off here in Miami. As I crossed back to downtown for the first time in four days, I thought to myself: how will Hot Creations get this party going in a neighborhood far less accessible than the clubs and venues of South Beach? Turns out, this was no problem at all. Upon arriving to Ice Palace Studios (which is actually a film studio by day), I approached a frenzied and disorganized line at the front gates. People were clamoring to enter, offering upwards of $100 in cash for access to the party replicating one of DC-10′s most famous evenings of the last few years.
Last week, Damian Lazarus’ global Rebel Rave tour stopped by SRB in Brooklyn and alongside Verboten, created a ten hour party experience lasting well into the morning hours. The night featured Culprit label owners Droog, recent Essential Mix inductee Amirali, the Infinity Ink duo, one half of Art Department, and rising underground talent Subb-an. The stacked lineup drew in hundreds of fans and packed out the miniature warehouse space for hours upon hours of the best techno and house music around. With beefed up sound and visual effects, the party will resonate as a memorable occasion for New York house heads. I had the chance to sit down with Lazarus later in the week to discuss his label, the world tour, and some special surprises he has planned for this year’s Beyond Wonderland festival.
Best of Instagram is a feature from Dancing Astronaut that showcases our favorite pictures from our favorite DJs on Instagram each week. This week, we’ve got gems from Chuckie, Diplo, Axwell, Seth Troxler, and more.
Highly-regarded Canadian label No. 19 Music is out this week with the third installment of their Social Experiment album series. Following up Soul Clap’s boogie-down selections from February 2011, Art Department dive head first into the terrific world of spacey house and out-there dance floor techno. Members Kenny Glasgow and Jonny White had been doing their thing quite well before merging into Art Department under Crosstown Rebels in 2009. Now, with several years as a duo — performing both live with Jonny’s vocals and in DJ sets — the pair are very much established among the underground’s titanic talent.
