A-Trak Gets on Robyn, Remixing Ensues

Swedish pop jewel Robyn undoubtedly put out one of the best dance-pop albums of the year (Body Talk), and brutally talented DJ A-Trak (Duck Sauce with Armand Van Helden) decided to get back on his remix game by jumping on her song "Indestructible".  He takes her exquisite electro-pop, throws in strings for elegance and disco-funk synths for posterity and style (his style).  The result is a dancefloor masterpiece.

"Indestructible (A-Trak Radio Edit)"

It's About Time: Duck Sauce

I've been waiting a long time to post this.  The fab collab of two of my favorite DJs Armand Van Helden and A-Trak is dubbed Duck Sauce, and they have been getting some serious spin time abroad, and now they deserve it here on their home turf.  "Barbra Streisand" is a bumpin' disco house tribute to the iconic singer, and is so well done in all of its nsst's and mmmb's that no remix does it justice.  You need not memorize many lines, because there's just a lot of hoo-ooh's and a sturdy "Barbra Streisand" sung throughout the video, easy easy.  Get on their level!

"Barbra Streisand"

The video is playfully awesome, and features many fantastic and unexpected cameos.

August Dance Music Series: Sebastien Tellier (A-Trak Remix)

Featuring a roving bass line, smooth medium house tempo and singalong melodies.

Sasquatch! Music Festival @ George, Washington Part 2

Could Day 2 of Sasquatch! be better than the first? YES!
The day began with Local Natives, a band recommended to me by a friend recently. They began with some lighter tunes, perfect for a lazy afternoon. Soulful and harmony-filled songs caused the early crowd's whoops and hollers to the vocal prowess of the multiple singers. We also dug the grooves of the drummer and tom tom oriented auxiliary percussionist. “World News” was the highlight for me, constantly crescendoing and hitting chilling harmonies during the soft hook.



After wandering between multiple stages and catching bits and pieces of great music galore including an awesome set from Tegan and Sara, LCD Soundsystem was up on the main stage. This was the best show of the weekend for me. Murphy’s maniacal command of the mic invigorated the crowd as the band blasted through murderously energetic dance tunes—old and new. The entire Gorge Amphitheatre bubbled with dancing music lovers bopping heads, waving arms, spinning erratically and pissing off plenty of event staff that prayed for clear pathways across the audience area. Murphy absolutely killed it on “I Can Change”, smoothly dipping into his falsetto and leaking beautifully heartbroken crooning.



Dirty Projectors delivered an amazing set too. The musicianship they displayed impressed me more than from any other band in at the festival. I knew they loved toying with rhythmic structure but when they dropped “Temecula Sunrise” the abstractions suddenly seemed clearer and they blew my mind.



I chose to peace out of Dirty Projectors early to catch the full A-Trak DJ set simply because I think he’ll be the less likely artist to appear in my city affordably. I spent the entire show wondering why the Rumpus Room’s roof didn’t spontaneously explode from the energy of the blistering electro and screaming fans of the new dance music generation. Beginning with "Circle of Life" from the Lion King, cutting up his floor filling "Heads Will Roll" remix and finishing with "The Hey Song", I couldn't get enough.

The biggest disappoint of the weekend was not Public Enemy’s set but the fact that the sound kept cutting out. Maybe next time. After this show I hit up the main stage for the last gig of the night, Massive Attack. I wasn’t really familiar with their music other than the obligatory House theme song but since one of my buddies declared them the only artist that mattered to him I thought why not. The show did not blow me away but I appreciated the vocal talent of their featured guests and the bass rattled my bones pleasurably. They commanded the big stage with eeriness and sheer power.

Day 3 coming soon.

A-Trak

The long awaited sequel to Dirty South Dance is finally here. Dirty South Dance 2, the second installment to A-Trak's series of mixtapes with southern party hip-hop over dance beats, is chalk full of bangers for this summer. Get it for free and share it here.