Manu Chao – La Vida Tombola
Mogwai mysteriously and almost eerily accompanied the haunted and taunted Zidane through every move, now Manu Chao use a smooth samba coating to give Maradona the same treatment. This single stuck out like, well Maradona’s hand, in a documentary about the life of the troubled genius.
‘La Vida Tombola’, oozes Latino rhythm and springs from an ambient base that allows the slow leaping horns to take over and add energy. It is the perfect accompaniment to a spiralling run passed the likes of Peter Reid (I still think he could have tackled him, though!). Manu Chao continues to show their mastery at producing carefree rhythms.
By Dave Adair
The Bloody Beetroots – Cornelius
The Bloody Beetroots are a duo from Italy but they also bring a deep love of Daft Punk and apparently Spiderman. They always wear this admittedly cool black Spiderman mask all the time. They have a new track out on Dim Mak right now and that is “Cornelius.” The intro reminds of the final fight scene in Star Wars Episode I. The track is a brilliant little banger that came out at just the right time. That intro really set the stage for the track as after hearing that piece the track had this swagger to it. Even the video for that track feels like a knock on Justice’s A Cross The Universe. Still this is a hell of track that once you give it a listen you will not stop spinning this little guy. Also, the bside “The Death of Cornelius (Overture) pt.1” is a lot of fun as well. There is something about guys in black Spiderman masks performing, it really is the small things.
By John Siwicki
Kylie Minogue – Boombox
Kylie is one of those pop stars who I always find to have very likable music. “Boombox” is a record that is a bit long overdue. This remix record cover her last few records and includes all of her big singles. Kylie also has enlisted some of dance musics finest acts to remix her over the years. Chemical Brothers and Mylo are just two of the names that did a remix for Kylie.
The album’s most notable track will be “Can’t Get Blue Monday Out Of My Head” which, is a mashup of “Blue Monday” and Kyle’s “Can Get You Out Of My Head.” The match up here just feels right. I love New Order a lot but the mash up just works so well. Another track that got my attention was “Love At First Sight (Kid Creme Vocal Dub)” as it featured Kid crème exchanging lines with Kylie. The remix comes across with a rather funk tinge to the song. “Boombox” also includes a few new remixes. The best of the bunch being the “Boombox (LA Riots Remix).” The remix does a great job of both maintain the essence of the original song but still turning it into a loud and noisy track that is still a lot of fun.
“Boombox” is not for everyone but that is how it goes for most remix albums. I personally enjoyed it more than a traditional hits package because each track gives you something complete different than the previous tracks. Just one listen to “Your Disco Needs You (Casino Mix)” and “2 Hearts (Mark Brown’s Pacha Ibiza Upper Terrace Mix)” shows that there is quite a bit of variety on this record. Its worth a look as Kylie sounds great being remixed.
By John Siwicki