Tag: Empire Of The Sun

Categories
Music Remixes

EMPT Presents — S U M M E R: a n t i – w i n t e r 1 e by Ryan Radler

artworks-000050754382-kn684i-t500x500

Whether we like it or not, a new month approaches like a long lost relative, familiar out of necessity but still foreign with the possibilities that it brings. August is one of my favorite months of the year, and in the summer, because it’s absent of annoying holidays and tedious celebrations that all really commemorate the same things. Not to be cynical or anything, I’m really not, it’s just that my brother is born in August, and Ramadan for the past couple of years has ended in August, which makes it a really spiritually happy month. It also makes the start of September feel like a new year, which puts me in a clear head space, prepared for the remaining months in 2013.

For this month, my musical selection and soundtrack to my everyday routine has been picky. More picky than usual, actually. I want something that speaks to the end of a beautiful nostalgic time, while simultaneously fueling my energetic brain for the ambitious future that lies ahead. Which is why I was pleased to hear this edition of Ryan Radler’s beloved mixtape series. I think something that we like to talk about, and something that I am always aware of, is the power of a well crafted, finely curated mix-tape. While we tend to love mix-tapes that tell a story, I have a vast appreciation for those that successfully transition in and out of songs in a way that matches the flux and wavelike movement of my moods. I think I listen to mix-tapes because I want the feeling of letting go and allowing something else to take hold of my emotions, while not consciously doing so.

What I love about this edition of S U M M E R is the nostalgia and innocence that strings each song together. The vocal samples are what inspire my feelings of nostalgia. Innocent, because the emotion that each selection of song brings is raw and unabashed. It’s telling me to forget about my troubles for an hour and do good by me.

I’m doing just that. Today, just do you. Every day, really. But especially today while you embark on this journey of a mix.

S U M M E R : a n t i – w i n t e r 1E

1. TEEEL & SUMUO – Cosmic Collision (Melancholia Mix)

2. EMPIRE OF THE SUN – Country and Without You (VinnieBeats Remix)

3. LEONARD NIMOY & WILLIAM SHATNER (SPACED OUT) – Music to Watch Space Girls By

4. SHINY TOY GUNS vs. FLEETWOOD MAC – Fading Listening (Ryan Radler Edit)

5. JOSE GONZALEZ – Remain (Fear of Theydon Dub)

6. MILES DAVIS – Cocoa Cigarettes vs. Blue in Green (Lobotomy Remix / Ryan Radler Edit)

7. HIGH HIGHS – Open Season (Dan Spence Remix)

8. MT. OSSA – Love Jam

9. KOOL & THE GANG – Summer Madness (Cicada Edit)

10. XXYYXX – About You (Verby Edit)

11. KISSES – Air Conditioning

12. PET SHOP BOYS – Leaving

13. HAERTS – Wings (Wildcat! Wildcat! Remix)

14. BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB – Shuffle (Leo Zero Remix)

15. EMPIRE OF THE SUN – Alive

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/97179801″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Categories
Music

Empire of The Sun – I’ll Be Around

I think I’ve finally realized why New York City is called The City That Never Sleeps. We’re always searching for the next big thing, the next break, the next trend; one foot in the door, and even when we’re out to dinner with friends, we’re constantly watching out the window because something in you believes that something more exciting might pass by and can’t possibly miss it. Living in New York City is like living in Twitter — even instant coffee isn’t instant enough. Those of us who went to school here have hardly had a break in over four years: college, internships, part-time jobs, find an apartment, more college,  land a full-time job before graduation, graduate, and then what? Continue moving forward with that job because it’s all you know how to do, move. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love this city and can’t imagine living anywhere else, but if you’re not careful, you’ll lose your head. The word “break” stresses you out more than a deadline because deep down you know you’re going to have to deal with yourself for once and not some silly 9-5 business and manic boss. You learn to think for yourself here, but you don’t really know how to confront yourself. It’s a paradox, really, and one that I’ve chosen to avoid.

This is only a recent decision, though. You know when you sense that something’s going a little haywire, but you’re too busy to address it? The smart person slows down, the New Yorker masks it with more things to do — “bettering” themselves when really, we’re running on a track destined to crash into ourselves in due time. So, I left — for a weekend. Returned home, and getting my head back on. I hesitate to use the word “roots” because of it’s cliche and wannabe romantic sound, but it’s kind of like that. One thing that this track does is bring together the vibes of my musical roots and mixes it with the future and the now. I’m not particularly keen on Empire of The Sun, but when I like a track of their’s, I tend to love it. “I’ll Be Around” is a mellow, summer jam without the haze. There isn’t a sense of laziness to it; the beat is light and floats through time and space, gets under your skin and invigorates your drive. It grounds you but keeps your head in the clouds — which is, the best place I think one can ever be, especially in a town like New York.

Empire Of The Sun – I’ll Be Around

Categories
Music

EMPT Presents – S U M M E R N I G H T S: a n t i – d a y 1a by Ryan Radler

I’m a hundred miles and running right now so I have no choice but to make this a quick one.

Ryan sent me a brand spanking new mixtape over the weekend and talk about perfect timing! My BB won’t stop buzzing with emails, I have music to produce, restaurants to curate, DJ sets to finish and all in the before Friday when I fly out to DR to spin at a beach party. Life is going fast right now and I have no intention on slowing up. Anyways, Ryan says this is a pensive tape but for those of us in the fast lane it’s more like the perfect balance. Gotta run but here are the notes I was sent regarding this tape, pretty much says it all, enjoy.

For all those who live in the fast lane, the new Anti-day series

THE HARD SELL
Ok so this week, I was hoping we could drop my SUMMER NIGHTS MIX: anti-day 1a. It’s a departure from the norm and could be a nice way to “mix up” the feature/series. The theme is a little more pensive and dare I say even a bit sensitive? I would suggest a WARNING to only play this thing at night when the mood is right. It’s sort of like in the movie Gremlins but opposite I guess. LOL. And anyways- Space Age Bachelor Pads only really come alive at night right? Mine does! HAHAHA!
Below is a short anecdote about my own personal experience with the mix:
MOONLIGHT DRIVE
I recently took my girl out in my 1983 Gold Datsun 280zx (“Goldie”) for a moonlight drive all over the hills and valleys of Los Angeles. I couldn’t think of a more appropriate moment to kick on my SUMMER NIGHTS MIX 1A.
It was a very hot day in LA so we also had the luxury of an unusually warm evening. We drove up the 110 freeway from Downtown  to Pasadena and beyond, weaving in and out of side streets and neighborhoods unknown. The bright, white moon was low in the sky, drifting behind the tall palm tree silhouettes- sometimes disappearing behind a hill of pine trees- only to reappear across a valley of orange street lamps and blinking buildings.
Halfway through the mix I realized that my acceleration and turning were being less directed by me and more by the beats and melodies of the music. The mix completely took over the steering wheel just like in Knight Rider or Iron Eagle!

s u m m e r n i g h t s: anti-day 1A

1. I Look To You – MIAMI HORROR (TIM FUCHS MAKE OUT REMIX)
2. Arcadia – APPARAT
3. Blood Bank – BON IVER (DUOSSEUDO REMIX)
4. We Are The People – EMPIRE OF THE SUN
5. Roll On – DNTL (FT. JENNY LEWIS)
6. Golden Age – BECK
7. The Night – FRANKIE VALLEY
8. A Fond Farewell – ELLIOT SMITH
9. E-bow The Letter – R.E.M.
10. Codex – RADIOHEAD
11. Life Is A Gamble – MARVIN GAYE
12. To The Lighthouse – MEMORY HOUSE
13. Was – VINCENT GALLO
14. I Wanna be Adored – STONE ROSES
15. I Cried Like A Silly Boy – DEVOTCHKA

EMPT Presents – S u m m e r N i g h t s 1 a by Ryan Radler by Et Musique Pour Tous

Categories
Music Soundtracks

Coachella 2011 Recap – Mixtape

Earlier this week I returned from my mecca in the desert, Coachella. This was my 2nd year attending as the people were beautiful, the weather was blazin, and the music was blissful. With such a loaded lineup, it’s impossible to see every artist you want to catch, as I missed plenty of good acts due to time conflicts or the stage I was at, but here are the sets I was able to catch a good portion of:

Fri – Warpaint, Cee-Lo Green, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, A-Trak, Afrojack, Cold War Kids, Brandon Flowers, Interpol, The Black Keys, Sasha, & The Chemical Brothers

Sat – Freelance Whales, Foals, Joachim Garraud, Chuckie, Cage the Elephant, Yelle, Bright Eyes, The Swell Season, Mumford & Sons, Fedde le Grand, Steve Angello, Empire of the Sun, Arcade Fire

Sun – Jack’s Mannequin, City & Colour, Angus & Julia Stone, Jimmy Eat World, Nas & Damian Marley, Foster the People, Ratatat, The Strokes, Leftfield & Kanye West

If you have the funds or the time to make it next year, I can’t recommend it enough. I set high expectations for the festival each year and the festival  has surpassed them every time. Here is a bunch of video highlights put together by JamBase – Coachella Highlights

Below is a mixtape of songs I enjoyed the most at the festival. Hopefully these tracks can already generate a flashback to those who were there. I’m assuming you’ve heard most of these tracks by now but just in case you haven’t. . .

Freelance Whales – Generator First Floor

Empire of the Sun – Standing on the Shore

Arcade Fire – Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

Ratatat – Mirando

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Belong

Yelle – Comme Un Enfant

Foster the People – Houdini

Cage the Elephant – Shake Me Down

Kanye West – Can’t Tell Me Nothing

The Chemical Brothers – Swoon

Mumford & Sons – White Blank Page

Angus & Julia Stone – Yellow Brick Road

– Joel

Subscribe to our newsletter

Categories
Music

PNAU – The Truth (Sam La More Remix)

Ok so Nick Littlemore and Pete Mayes aka Pnau is back with a new single called The Truth and it’s pretty damn good. The version that everyone is listening to is a remix by Jump Jump Dance Dance and it’s pretty good but the version I’ve been stuck on is the Sam La More Remix and it’s a dream. Sam Littlemore made this bittersweet love song an epic 4am banger. When EMPT was doing our Noctambule parties at Le Souk we had a bunch of kids that literally wouldn’t stop dancing till we took the needles off our records. 3 am would come around, some of the room would clear out but these cats were just getting started. That’s when we would bring out those big beats custom made for that breed of party people. Those are the records with epic arrangements, dramatic build ups, sudden stops, and pretty much orgasmic climaxes. I don’t this remix quite fits that description but the arrangement certainly reminds me of those summer nights. Alright, I really could say a bunch more about this song but I’ve got some meetings and hustling to take care of so peace fools, enjoy.

I thought your were the truth…”

PNAU – The Truth (Sam La More Remix)

PNAU – The Truth (Jump Jump Dance Dance Remix)

Bonus:

PNAU – With You Forever (FM Attack Remix)

Subscribe to our newsletter

Categories
Music

Empire Of The Sun – Walking On A Dream (Treasure Fingers Remix Remix)

I was at the W Hotel last night for the final installment of their “Symmetry: DJ series” and I have to say, I’ve never been to a more bumping yet smooth low-key event in my life. Treasure Fingers DJ’d the event with an eclectic song selection, flawless transitions, and a perfect sense of buildup and crowd interaction. The event is very laid back in nature but Andy was doing such a great job with the tunes that it kinda got to the point when people were looking at each other wondering “is it ok to dance now? ‘Cause I wanna dance.”
I was talking EMPT plans with Jeronimo when a song came on that stopped me mid-sentence. When I say he had a perfect sense of build up, I mean it. Ever read the tipping point? This was it. Being fooled by the idea that I was listening to the original, within a few bars of the song I realized it was actually his own remix of one of my favorite songs of ’08, Empire of the Sun’s Walking On A Dream.

We are always running for the thrill of it, thrill of it
Always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it
On and on and on we are calling out and out again
Never looking down I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me.”

Anyways, thanks to the good folks over at Think PR who do a fantastic job putting this event together, I can’t wait to see what they have in store for next year, enjoy.

Empire Of The Sun – Walking On A Dream (Treasure Fingers Remix)

Categories
Mash-Ups Music Remixes

The Twelfth Hour

The Twelves

Will someone please explain to me the phenomenon that is time while at work? Doesn’t it feel like right before you get to work time is flying and you can’t move fast enough but the second you sit down it’s like you go into some alternate world and it takes an hour for 5 minutes to pass. Work sucks huh? You know what, I really like the concept of that new Bruce Willis movie. We should have robots that represent us at work while we do important things like thinking of more ways to use robots and not do anything. That probably won’t happen today so I’ve got a little something to help you day dream and procrastinate more than you already do…

The Twelves released a new 60 minute mixtape two days ago and I think my friend Ben’s facebook message describes it best: “new 12s mixtape = predictable amazingness.”  This is the followup to their previous mixtape Episode II, which I never got around to posting but will in the next week or so.  I’ve been listening to this all morning and it rocks, there’s really nothing else to say.  These guys just get it when it comes to song selection and production. The transitions from song to song are seamless, the mash-ups and remixes are top notch and the overall flow and feel is energetic and entertaining all throughout.  it’s quite good.

The Twelfth Hour (Download)

Zeigeist – Humanitarianism (The Twelves Remix)

Zeigeist – Humanitarianism (The Twelves Remix)

MP3

Groove Armada – Drop The Tough (The Twelves Remix)

Drop The Tough (The Twelves B-Live Remix Edit)

MP3

Here’s the set list:

Continue reading “The Twelfth Hour”
Categories
Music

Empire Of The Sun – Standing On The Shore

Ever try to convince a girl to do something by asking directly? You may have had small successes here and there but the strategy is flawed and usually doesn’t work. Girls like to be courted, they like to be romanced, they like mystery, being seduced and made to feel like they’re the one and only. Give her a some sincere fantasy and she’ll pretty much do anything you ask. I myself am just a tad different, I’m a romantic realist so the whole shy and innocent game girls like to play pisses me off more then anything. But where I do need to be seduced and romanced is in all matters music, or any art for that matter. There is no greater turn off for me like an artist that speaks in absolutes or gives instructions of any kind, i.e. faux revolutionary rappers and corny hope songs. When it comes to lyrics I’m trying to dream, escape and come to my own conclusions. Perhaps this is why the extremely ambiguous and vague writing style of Empire Of The Sun is the equivalent of a very hot chick for me – don’t be fooled, my game is mental.

Standing on the shore,
Waiting for the ship to call.
There’s something in the way I move that keeps them on their own.”

I have no idea what these lyrics mean but I’ll just go ahead and pretend they’re talking about something extremely relevant to my life – the beauty of a vivid imagination. Some people would rather simpler easier lyrics like:

‘Cause when you’re fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You’re gonna believe them
And when you’re fifteen feeling like there’s nothing to figure out
Well, count to ten, take it in – Taylor Swift

Thankfully that doesn’t do much for me but to each his own, here’s Standing On The Shore, enjoy.

Empire Of The Sun – Standing On The Shore

MP3

Categories
Music Video

Empire of The Sun – Walking On A Dream

Another great song that just doesn’t get old. The video is flat out weird but I love it.  Great party music.

Empire of The Sun – Walking On A Dream