Author: Barry Poppins

Categories
Remixes

Trails and Ways ft. Harriet Brown – Downright (Falcon Punch Remix)

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As I was half-watching Roger Federer dissect Andy Murray this weekend, one word came to my mind: finesse. It’s why Federer is the best to ever play tennis. It’s why LeBron James will never be Michael Jordan. It’s why John Stockton was better than Gary Payton. It’s why I prefer Pink Floyd to The Rolling Stones.

The ability to finesse and massage your talents and view things from not just a liner, physical line but from a more preternatural, unique way can make all the difference.

My boy Falcon Punch is no John Stockton, but the kid’s got finesse, and it’s a finesse you won’t find on generic EDM house bangaz or some recycled tropical house.

It’s why Falcon Punch is lush. The budding producer’s latest twist is another smooth, balearic one. Yes, it’s how he’s moving (give us more disco), but it’s a proper, nuanced formula with real thought and emotion.

And it’s one that continues to win:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/213667635″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Categories
Remixes

Holy Models – Lessons (Falcon Punch Remix)

holymodels

We *suffered* through about three weeks of incessant rain in Colorado until the calendar turned to June. The whole vibe of the city was unusually bleak and low-key (yes even more chill than usual).

No one was motivated to do much, and everyone I spoke to was just down in the dumps. Then June came, the sun decided to pop out, and instantly girls traded their rain coats for skirts and stopped wearing bras while guys traded pants for shorts and sandals.

Needless to say, Denver both feels and looks a whole lot better right now and the vibe is getting moist at the right time. When this spring/summer convergence hits, there’s nothing like a slice of smooth, yacht music.

And the Holy Models, an Australian outfit that produces balearic pop, has the sound of this season. Our old bud Falcon Punch placed his usual ethereal vibe on top of the original, and the result is a topless dream:

Categories
Music

Active Child – 1999

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This song came on the other day and I started crying for no real reason. Then I started thinking: it was because I was genuinely happy for the first time in a really long time, and it took hearing this song to awaken that emotion and kind of realize that my life is actually pretty good.

The power of music to awaken such emotions never ceases to astound me, and while I typically utilize music for its healing and energizing power, this experience was more like a revelation.

I’m the type of person that has notoriously bad luck and a notorious negative outlook on life. People call me a hater, but my job, as a critic, is to call it like I see it.

One of my favorite books ever is “Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me“, a modern Odysseus tale infused with much drugs and realizations on a college campus (it’s about Cornell in the 60’s and worth so long).

For the last nearly five years since graduating college, I’ve been very lost at times. The identity that I clung to for four years and my friendships that soon dissipated (the real ones lasted) threw me into the shitter. And then, towards the end of last year (‘and I can thank real friends like Hec for this’), a trigger went off in me. Less talk, more walk. Meet anyone you can, soak every bit of knowledge you can, and immerse yourself in life.

I was crying because for the first time in my life I genuinely feel like I’ve reached a modicum of success, and, through my own will. Success is a weird feeling, and one I was unfamiliar with for so long. I forget what it feels like for everything to feel “right”.

I’m not a millionaire. I’m by no means a made man. But for the first time in my life, everything looks up.

When life throws endless curveballs and a stream of seemingly endless negative vibes your way, you start to forget about the little things in life. Music brings me back to that.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/195073172″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Categories
Music

Falcon Punch – Silk

falcon art

Every night, before I go to sleep, I lay in bed in complete silence. More often than not, a figurative gnat starts buzzing in my ear or a faint police siren goes off.

That’s what living with Tinnitus is like, and it truly sucks. I think Tinnitus–a ringing in your ears–is a bigger threat to our youth than any amount of ecstasy powder.

I’ve touched on the topic here in the past, but for 10+ years, I didn’t wear ear plugs to shows nor did I even consider the level of irreparable damage I was doing to the one body part you can not fix with surgery.

My right ear is gone, and I don’t think it will ever truly come back to what it once was.But I deal with it and live through it despite the sadness–missing shows, not DJing–that comes with it.

One way I cope with Tinnitus is, ironically, through music. You see, when there’s sound in the background–preferable ambient or soothings sounds–the White Noise from Tinnitus goes away.

As much as I’d like to constantly have music on, silence is something that I (and all of us) must deal with or else I would probably lose my mind. But for the 8-10 hours a day during which music allows me to get through the day, these are the types of tracks that soothe the ears and the soul.

Falcon Punch, who should need no introduction in these parts anymore, did what he does best: extracted a very sweet and small sample and turned it into a lush piece of balearic bliss.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/187013272″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Categories
Music Remixes

Talking Heads – Once in a Lifetime (The Reflex & The Scrumfrog Rework)

I spent my last week of 2014 smoking joints on the top of St. John, sipping Red Stripes on a beach, and reflecting on the last year of my life. 2014 was probably the best year of my “adult life”, and looking back on it, I feel like I accomplished maybe a quarter of the goals I set for myself. I made some money and found a new home in Colorado.

I’m living in the future, where weed is legal and I can grow a few plants without worrying about jail. And I love it.

But I also lost some friends, people I thought I could trust and turned out to be snakes–partially because I made mistakes and partially because most people are not trustworthy. I also partied far too hard at times, and as a result, became scared that, at 27, I was trending towards the Jim Morrison path.

Since then, I’ve reigned it in, gotten back on track, and feel more confident and driven than I have since I have in a long time.

I don’t think I’ve become the person I ultimately want to be, and as I near 30 and see my friends getting engaged, I’m scared I’m not making the moves that will put me where I want to be when I am indeed 30.

As Hec inspiringly wrote the other day, it’s important to never forget the past–to remember your victories, your losses, the good and the bad times. But when you’re not day-dreaming about nostalgic memories, it’s more important to live in the moment, to set goals, look forward and get harder, better, faster, stronger.

Because as my late, wise grandfather once told me, “Only an asshole looks backward.” You can’t change the mistakes you’ve made or the people that have come and gone throughout your life. But you can use that knowledge to make yourself more impervious the fakers, the haters, and the people who will bring you down.

As I set goals for 2015, I know what I want. I want ownership. I want power. I want stability. I want the Knicks to get the #1 draft pick. I want good people in my life. I want to eliminate the bullshit. I want to perfect my craft. I want to be in complete control. And most importantly, I want to be the person I know I’m not, but that I will be.

You have one lifetime, and what you make of that lifetime is only up to you.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/183644502″]

My friend showed me this remix in The Scrumfrog’s Burning Man Set, which has immediately (along with Tycho’s mix) made me want to make the voyage to burn:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/174562010″]

Categories
Remixes

Allen Toussaint – Night People (MermaidS Edit)

dr john toussaint

Pictured: Toussaint with Dr. John

Most people want to achieve something in life that they’re remembered for. We want to be stars on the Hollywood walk and we want our names to ring bells.

But sometimes, the quietest stars and the people in the background are the most influential ones. These are the people who make an impact without the surrounding noise.

You may not have heard of Allen Toussaint, but you’ve certainly heard Allen Toussaint. Toussaint is the heart of New Orleans and its rhythm, blues, jazz, and soul scene.

Composing and producing for over 50 years, Toussaint’s beats still permeate through New Orleans. His music has been an inspiration for decades, as the Foo Fighters detail in an episode of HBO’s Sonic Highways.

Without Toussaint, there would be no Lady Marmalade. Boz Scaggs, John Mayall, Dr. John, The Yardbirds. Those are just a few of the artists Toussaint has collaborated with.

Without Toussaint, New Orleans probably wouldn’t be the funky New Orleans we know it as.

Toussaint, 76, has understandably slowed down his production the last couple of decades. But he’s remained a mentor and an inspiration for musics all over the world.

Toussaint’s reach extends all the way to Glasgow, Scotland, where the MermaidS, a very dope production outfit that you probably haven’t heard of, have re-interpreted one of Toussaint’s classics: Night People.

I had never heard the original or really grasped Toussaint’s importance until stumbling across this edit a few days ago. It’s a worthy tribute, and just another way that the legend of Toussaint will continue to live on:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/177895849″]

Categories
Music

The 2 Bears – The Night is Young

Multi-tasking is no easy task. I’m trying to do five things at once right now and I feel like I’m stuck in a bubble going up a hill. It takes patience, know-how, confidence, and of course, time. Sometimes, it feel easier to just give up on them all and rip my bong. At other times, I try to do all five at once. Neither strategy works.

So artists with two successful and innovative projects amaze me. The ability to create diverse musical sounds with diverse amounts of people is a skill I imagine you’re born with. It’s not easy being Clark Kent one minute and throwing on the cape a minute later.

And by day, Joe Goddard is best known for his efforts in Hot Chip. By night, Joe Goddard is half of The 2 Bears. The dude has skills.

Goddard’s day job (of which I’m minimally acquainted) comes with more critical acclaim and renown, but it’s the latter project’s time to shine. And with all due respect to Hot Chip, The 2 Bears’ sound offers far more intrigue and range, at least for me.

If you’re into genres, you can describe The 2 Bears sound as “Comfort House” to your friends. At its core, Goddard and partner Raf Rundell deliver relaxing house music–“house” with a knowing soul and a kind backbone. It’s a sound that’s increasingly difficult to find when discussing “electronic dance music” or as we once called it: House.

Two weeks ago, they released The Night is Young, and it doesn’t seem like enough people have noticed the stellar follow-up to Be Strong (also very nice). That’s probably because like the men behind the album, The Night is Young features a ton of exciting artists you won’t see on billboards and likely have never heard of.

It also probably definitely lacks a hardcore, major ($$$) marketing campaign from a mainstream label, as it’s out on the independent but always stellar Southern Fried Records.

But as noted earlier, this album has got what a lot of today’s electronic music lacks: roots and passion. Goddard and Rundell will take you to the wild jungle one song, the tranquil train station the next, and then to an enclaved beach party.

The iTunes description for the album notes African roots, and it’s obvious these guys draw from a wide variety of influences, from the tribal to the funky to the all-out housey.

And that’s fitting for a duo that formed as an homage to the godfathers of house.

Despite the “Bears” image portrayed, both Goddard and Rundell are heterosexual. The name honors house music’s gay roots, of which “Bear” is an associated term.

With an effort like this, you have to think the house lords like Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles (both openly gay) are smiling down upon this effort as they bop their heads in heaven.

I’m kind of amazing the title track doesn’t have more plays. Pure balearic melody and musical melatonin, it deserves your attention and more of the internet’s:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/170338496″]

This modern reggae interpretation may be the coolest track on the album:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/162954222″]

“Not This Time” is the catchiest tune on the album and perhaps the oddest music video you’ll see all year.

Categories
Remixes

DJ Agent 86 – All About the Money

Ownership: being in total control. If you don’t have ownership over yourself, than is it possible to really be free at all?

As I venture onto my next unknown venture in life,  keep asking myself this question. Without ownership and without control, it feels impossible to truly create your own, desired path in life. Both figuratively and literally. If you’re not in total control of yourself–your emotions, your body, your desires–than you’ll likely end up unhappy. Without some sort of inner peace and an internal compass knowingly guiding us, we’re all lost. If you don’t know yourself and can’t control yourself, you won’t get far in life.

And then there’s the money. Most of us can’t be our own “bosses”. We work jobs because we have to make a living, and it’s expected of us. We do it for the money, and for the luxuries that whatever that money can afford us. But without being your figurative boss, you’ll never be a literal boss. Successful people’s success often stems from supreme, unquestioned confidence. You need that cockiness to run your own ship. And if you’re never your literal boss, it will be come increasingly harder, with age, to be the figurative boss of yourself. You will find yourself questioning your existence. You will find yourself waiting for that clock to hit 6 PM every day.

You will lose ambition and the desire to stretch your wings.

To choose the course of your life, you need to know your ultimate destination or at least the route you hope to take to get there. For me, that means starting my own “thing,” because if I don’t, I know I’ll look back in 30 years and what one of my many half-baked ideas could’ve turned into. Without trying, I’ll never know. And course, we all need money. At some point and time (preferably before you turn 30), you need to look yourself in a mirror and ask what you want. Is it a ritzy pent house on the Upper East side or a quiet cottage in upstate New York? It’s just to what degree we need that money. You can run your own hedge fund and accomplish the first, or you be a personal tutor (while writing a novel) and perhaps accomplish the second. But without that control and awareness of what you want, you’ll never be in control.

And for some of us, when you boil it down, sadly but truly, it can often be all about the money. If you don’t own a piece of some pie, you won’t ever have your own pie.

DJ Agent 86 – All About the Money (Instrumental Version)

DJ Agent 86 – All About the Money (DJ Butcher’s Maguire Edit)

 

Categories
Music

Falcon Punch & Pixelated – Flying High

It’s been over three years since EMPT introduced the world to the sound of Falcon Punch. Since then, the now Boulder-based Colorado producer has made a habit of popping up a couple times a year to release re-imaginations of old school, feel good tracks.

Typically, Falcon Punch tackles really obscure tracks–or parts of tracks–and gives them a second life. This time, Falcon teams up with Pixelated and takes a song we thought we never wanted to hear remixed again– Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good”–and gives it a perfect summer makeover.

The song may be played out, but you likely haven’t heard it with this kind of funk, energy, and hope. The duo takes the typically downtrodden (Nina does sound kind of sad for someone feeling so good) vocals and puts some breezy, summery winds behind her sails.

It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day.”

And it’s a song that’s all about hope. Every day–especially on rough Mondays after a 4th of July weekend–we wake up, look at the alarm clock, and wonder if anything will change. Today, something did change: Washington became America’s second state to sell legal weed.

If that can happen in our lifetime, I have faith that one day, perhaps one of my crazy dreams will come true.