Over the past several years we’ve come to know Ed Banger as fine purveyors of dirty electro-infused dance tracks. The label has kept us energized into the wee hours of the morning freaking out to songs from Justice, SebastiAn, Uffie, DJ Mehdi, Mr Oizo, Vicarious Bliss, and label founder Busy P. However, with the Parisian imprint’s new signee, Mickey Moonlight, the label seems to be taking a new direction from the heavy dance vibe for which they’ve become renowned.

Mickey Moonlight, the UK producer/remixer also known as Midnight Mike (aka Mike Silver) is the newest addition to Ed Banger and from the very little I’ve heard, he already sounds like a breath of fresh air to the label. Silver’s interpretation of Sun Ra’s “Interplanetary Music” is catchy disco-pop ride through the outer fringes of the cosmos with layered female/male vocals glide over miniature twisting polyrhythms and a sturdy beat. The other two tracks I’ve heard from Silver are “Music For Responsible Reprogenetics” and “A Big Ship Passing,” which are much more drone-y, floating, and ambient than his current single.

Word is that an album is due out in the near future, but for now that’s all we have. Check out the video for “Interplanetary Music” below and keep your eyes on the stars.

[MP3]: Mickey Moonlight  ”Interplanetary Music”
Single, Ed Banger; 2008

This mixtape pulls together a collection of some of my favorite French music from the 1960s through today to celebrate Bastille Day. The French national holiday (which was celebrated in Philadelphia over the weekend at Eastern State Penitentary), commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took place on July 14, 1789, marking the beginning of the French Revolution. The largest celebration of the holiday, which is like July 4th to us Americans, is in, you guessed it, New York City. To celebrate in a low-key style, grab yourself a nice bottle of Beaujolais, along with a Godard or Truffaut flick and download the mix below.

Stream the entire mixtape HERE

[MP3]: Edith Piaf  ”Non Je Ne Regrette Rien”
C’est Pour Ça, Companion; 1960
[MP3]: Françoise Hardy  ”Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles”
Françoise Hardy, Disques Vogue; 1962
[MP3]: Chantal Goya  ”Tu M’as Trop Menti”
Masculin Féminin Soundtrack, RCA/Victor; 1966
[MP3]: Michel Polnareff  ”Love Me Please Love Me”
Love Me Please Love Me, Disques Vogue; 1966
[MP3]: Jean Jacques Perrey  ”Mary France”
Jean-Jacques Perrey, Vanguard Records; 1968
[MP3]: Jacques Dutronc  ”Le Responsable”
Le Responsable, Disques Vogue; 1969
[MP3]: Stinky Toys  ”Plastic Faces”
Plastic Faces, Polydor; 1977
[MP3]: Ruth  ”Polaroïd/Roman/Photo”
Polaroïd/Roman/Photo, Paris Album; 1985
[MP3]: Marie Möör  ”Pretty Day”
BIPPP: French Synth-Wave 1979/85, Born Bad; 2006
[MP3]: April March  ”Laisse Tomber Les Filles”
Paris in April, Sympathy For The Record Industry; 1996
[MP3]: M83  ”Run Into Flowers”
Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, Mute; 2004
[MP3]: Joakim  ”I Wish You Were Gone”
Monsters & Silly Songs, !K7; 2007

It’s not everyday that you hear a sexy disco-pop song about a mysterious religious relic that was used to wipe the sweat off Jesus’ face on his way to crucifixion. One of the Stations of the Cross is dedicated to the event and apparently it’s a pretty big deal, up there with the Shroud of Turin, as his image is supposed to have transferred onto the cloth. Sounds like a History Channel documentary in the making – round up some extras and get ready for some killer reanactments.

If Chromatics are the purveyors of dark after-hours club music that sends us off into the cool night, quickly chilling the remaining beads of sweat clinging to our bodies, then Fan Death is the sound of that late night giving way to the early rays of dawn. The warm and bouncy “Veronica’s Veil” lays down thick slabs of synth grooves a la Glass Candy, over which a pulsating sythesized-string section is stretched, capped off with high-powered female vocals. “The Son Will Rise” with its exuberant faux horn fanfares and tribal beats along with other tracks on the band’s MySpace page are must haves for those digging on the current releases from the Italians Do It Better imprint.

[MP3]: Fan Death  ”Veronica’s Veil”
Single; 2008

Thanks to everyone who made it out to FRICTION at Cake Shop on Sunday night. Many thanks to Crystal Stilts, Tickley Feather, Rings, PWRFL Power, and Anicet DJ for putting on such a great show. We loved the vibe of the night and venue, so keep an eye out for future shows at the shop. For now, you can catch FRICTION (as announced on Monday) at The Mercury Lounge with Crystal Antlers, Chairlift, and Religious Knives on July 8th. Photos from Sunday night are up on our Flickr page.

With a lineup that’s a little bit Philly and a lot of New York, FRICTION returns to its roots in Manhattan with a cast of “local” acts this Sunday at Cake Shop. Crystal Stilts, who have recently been buzzing in NYC, bring their unique brand of of moody, catchy, and upbeat surf-inspired tunes to the Shop. Mischevious outsider-folkie PWRFL Power, Paw Track signees Rings, and Philadelphia’s mysterious Tickley Feather, with her lo-fi blend of psychy bedroom pop, round out the lineup. Anicet spins between sets.

Tickets are only seven bucks and available at the doors, which open at 8pm. Full show details here. GET HYPE!

[MP3]: Crystal Stilts  ”Bright Night Nursery”
Crystal Stilts, eMusic Select; 2008

It’s been nearly two years since we last checked in with French electro pop act, Poni Hoax, who caused a buzz around that time with the single “Budapest.” Following the Involutive Star EP and “Antibodies” single last year, the five-piece jumped into 2008 with their excellent sophomore effort Images of Sigrid, a collection of thirteen songs inspired by everything from post-punk to piano solos to Krautrock to Italo-disco.

Producer Joakim Bouaziz can be credited for some of the success of the record. Like Joakim’s own work, Sigrid maintains a leftfield air about it from start to finish. Take “Antibodies” for example, it sounds like a concoction burped up from the depths of the 70s after being washed down with a dose of classical sweeping symphonies. It’s like throwing Jim Morrison in front of a disco-funk group and backing them up with a full orchestra. Throughout the track there’s little electronic distortions and deviations that keep the song more interesting than your typical run of the mill pop song. “Crash-Pad Driver” pairs a chugging motorik beat with cheesy 80s pop crescendos while “My Own Private Vietnam” visits dance-rock territory.

Where Joakim’s dabbling is felt most strongly is on “Pretty Tall Girls” that begins with warped electronic notes, the constant pluck of a guitar string, and heavy garbled bass before exploding into straightforward punk backed by a banshee-like harmonies, that fall off into a murkey valley, before peaking again. Sort of like that whole start and stop thing that made grunge so fun back in the early 90s, except a little weirder. “The Soundtrack of Your Fears” is a subdued, softly sung, female-fronted track that’s probably the most standard song on the album. No single song sounds quite alike on this record, with the results being near perfect contemporary pop music. Sigrid strength lies in the way the Poni Hoax and Joakim take mismatched genres and blend them into a smooth and sexy sound.

Images of Sigrid is out now on Tigersushi and Poni Hoax plays New York on July 5th at Studio B. It’s their only U.S. date scheduled in addition to some Canadian dates.

[MP3]: Poni Hoax  ”Antibodies”
Images of Sigrid, Tigersushi; 2008

Bewildered, I woke up to this song as my trained rolled into 30th Street Station in Philadelphia late last night/early this morning. As I struggled to focus my sleepy eyes on the platform station sign to determine my exact location I heard deadpan vocals singing catchy a ditty about “black rice” or at least that’s all I could make out at that point. I pulled myself together, snatched up my bags and exited the train. After I made my way up the stairs, gradually coming out of my grogginess, patting my pockets to make sure I didn’t leave anything behind, I checked my iPod and saw that I was listening to “Black Rice” by Calgary, CA troupe, Women.

It was a fitting song for the night. I had just returned to Philly after meeting up with friends for dinner and drinks in “the big city.” For the first time in a long time, I was finally able to properly catch up with some of those closest to me in a dark and chill little room over refreshing beers as the warm sun threw its last rays of the day on the brownstone facade outside. The summery and breezy “Black Rice” couldn’t have introduced itself in a better way, or on a better night.

[MP3]: Women  ”Black Rice”
Women, Flemish Eye; Out July 8, 2008

It all started with the sale of a bike. After moving from East Africa to East London in 1999, Esau Mwamwaya ran a second-hand furniture store down the street from ghettopop duo Radioclit’s studio. The story goes that one of the Radioclit guys bought a bike off of Esau and later invited him to one of their housewarming parties, where they “made friends” and the rest was history. Nearly a year later, Esau is primed to release his debut Radioclit-produced long player on a label TBA.

Growing up in Malawi’s capitol, Lilongwe, Esau played drums in a variety of bands including Masaka Band and also played with the legendary reggae singer Evison “The Prophet” Matafale before he died in late 2001. Prior to his Radioclit collaboration, Mwamwaya sang only cover songs in his previous bands, mostly traditional Malawai tracks. He now writes his own songs inspired by life experiences and nature. Mwamwaya’s work with Radioclit brings together chopa, African reggae, and his angelic traditionally-styled Malawian vocal harmonies spiraled into waves of Radioclit’s synths and everything from house, krunk, and 80s music. The resulting sound is uplifting roots-based funk.

Prior to the release of the Mwamwaya’s LP (which includes collaborations with M.I.A., Vampire Weekend, Santogold, and Bonde Do Role), he’ll release a mixtape which includes a cover of Architecture In Helsinki track “Heart It Races” titled “Kamphopo.” Check out the cover below, along with “Chalo” a demo from his studio work with Radioclit. Those of you living in London can see Mwamwaya this Friday at Notting Hill Art’s Club for Radioclit’s new jungle/bongo dance party “Secousse.”

[MP3]: Esau Mwamwaya  ”Kamphopo”
Mixtape, TBA; 2008
[MP3]: Esau Mwamwaya  ”Chalo”
TBA, TBA; 2008

Have you ever been in mid-flight just before sunrise? Gazing out of the little porthole windows as the deep blue sky above the cloud canopy is painted with a swath of orange when the sun crowns on the horizon. The once dark clouds take on hues of cool blues and warm reds, yellows, and oranges, as the sun glistens off the metallic wings of the plane. It’s one of the most gorgeous views, and for a moment all your stresses and worries float away like the water vapor beneath you. Fitting music further enhances the experience drowning out the rumble of the jet engines and those pesky air vents. With the release of No Way Down, Gothenburg, Sweden’s Air France may have just created the perfect soundtrack for such an event. The duo’s six-song EP sounds like a party in a tropical paradise filtered through a haze of gauzy, atmospheric dreampop. It’s a bit in the same line as the new M83 record, but with more of a tropical punch. The appropriately titled “June Evening” invokes imagery of a stumbling on a dance party in the middle of a balmy forest in, you guessed it, June. Ethereal vocals are penetrated by marimbas, samples of various birds, a thumping beat, and sweltering synths perfect for keeping you feet firmly planted on the ground while your head may otherwise be in the sky.

Stream and buy Air France’s No Way Down EP, out now on Swedish Imprint Sincerely Yours.

[MP3]: Air France  ”June Evening”
No Way Down, Sincerely Yours; 2008

Lucky Dragons remind me of a West Coast version of Brooklyn’s High Places on their new album Dream Island Laughing Language. The Los Angeles duo of Luke Fischbeck and Sarah Rara (and the occasional collaborators) has been making music since 2000 and has seven albums and something like 18 releases under their belts, so maybe the comparison should be the other way around.

Dream Island marks one of the unusual instances in the group’s discography where the band made the decision to craft and album consisting of “conventional” songs. I use “conventional” lightly, Dream Island as compared to their free-form past, stacks up more as a traditional album. It may be a step in the conventional sense for Lucky Dragons that the record’s twenty-two tracks are built on the frenzied elements of pop, but for the listener, it’s like stepping into a trippy dream set on a deserted island in the southern Pacific. Handmade meets digital as primitive sounds from instruments including rocks, poppies, hands, necklaces, and bowls, along with basic sounds of mbiras, bongos, flutes, bells, and jagged electronic interruptions are cut and pasted into delicately woven experimental pop songs.

With their handmade aesthetic, Lucky Dragons knit themes of ecstatic language, folk melodies, messages of unrest,and AM radio rave-ups into this genre transcending record. The live incarnation of Lucky Dragons breaks down the barrier between audience and band where audience members may find themselves physically interacting by complimenting each other or generating sounds via skin to skin contact, causing those of us squeamish about audience participation to duck for cover.

Dream Island Laughing Language is out now on Marriage Records. Check the band’s MySpace page for upcoming area shows. There are four scheduled in New York City in the next couple of weeks.

[MP3]: Lucky Dragons  ”Givers”
Dream Island Laughing Language, Marriage; 2008