Thursday, July 30, 2009

m.w.g./Ernest Gonzales back from tour!



(i was at work stocking beer and setting up the bar when this interview was conducted, it was all really spur of the moment and random, but i feel it's insightful, ENJOY! oh and there's a link to the remix he sent me at the bottom of the interview :))

Ernest: did you get that remix i sent you?

me: Yessir!
Haven't gotten to peep it yet though
What can you tell me about it? And your purpose for this remix?
Also what do you work towards when doing so with someone elses song, are you achieving musically what you intend? Or am I prying?

Ernest: rainbow arabia's manager and my manager both work together and are friends so they both approached me on this,
but i have to say i am in love with her voice now, hopefully i can work more with her,
and since they are doing publicity for the rainbow arabia album it'll help get my mwg name out some more
try to keep the name fresh in people's minds

me: as far as yr other remixes what poises you to make them? Some are from comedy groups, some obscure pych bands, some straight rap.

Ernest: its all stuff that i really like. i looooove the animal collective original. i did one for cyne, rap group but they did one for me for my eg
album. i did one for dmg$(damaged good$) because my manager wants me to work with big dada/ninjatune
there's only one that i think is wack and thats the lady sov one
i was asked by friendly fire record label to do one for the faunts
i think what i have found is that i REALLY enjoy working with sung lyrics versus rappers
there's something really nice about a hard beat with a singer on top...nice contrast

me: What are your thoughts on estelle? Would you consider using one of her tracks? Or maybe (this may be far fetched) but css?

Ernest: i think you'd really like the remix i did for a guy named jor galen
i love css...that alalala song is the sexiest voice ever
i wouldnt wanna remix somrthing old though

me: Why, over done?

Ernest: i think you do have to consider whats new and old especially when the music is brand and marketing driven like mexwithguns but at the same time
that didnt keep me from remixing postal service and that is really played out
the remixes that i have donw that i enjoy listening to most as just a listener are the ones that came from singer/indie rock kind of
background.

me: Do you have any suggestions for ppl that may be interested in what drives you other than what you remix?
To my knowledge you are predominantly a remix artist, will there be a mwg ep or full length of originals?

Ernest: yeah for sure. i think remixes have helped establish the name but i have also been working on originals. the plan is to finish a handful and
shop out a demo, i'd rather work with singers though for mwg. what do you mean what drives me? like the style? influences?

me: Yeah, and what you are working for, yes influences.

Ernest: i think that the mwg sound is more physical and a combo of low brow high brow music

me: Can you emphasize on that?

Ernest: at first i wanted it to be straight party vibe but i realized that i want it to have more shelf life than some basic dance shit

me: Like postal service?(personal opinion, but I can still listen to give up, and the remixes, but not that shins cover.)

Ernest: mwg stuff is pretty much dance and fun shit...to me that's low brow but i want their to be some kind of sophistication to it whether it is the
drum programmind or unlikely lyrics
yeah certain stuff is timeless and classic...postal service will always be good no matter what
i cant say the same for mwg stuff, unless i take it there.
which is something i'd like to do...i dont want it to be completely disposable like so much other dance stuff
its like fashion....certain types of fashion only look good at that point in time but a tux is classic or jeans and tshirt
most of the music right now in my mind is just trendy and has no value.

me: By music you are refering to what you are gonna make or what you listen to?

Ernest: neither...like 50% of what i dj

me: I feel that!

Ernest: i had a ton of fun djing at drafthouse the other day because i took a case of music that i NEVER use...not even once.

me: Djing is almost like being a waiter at a restaurant with a high turnover rate.

Ernest: in what way?
yeah dont be a waiter when you can be a chef, iron chef.

me: And you my friend are a chef :)

Ernest: thats funny man. chef is producer and waiter is dj.
last few times i've seen you dj i have liked that you throw in older stuff...those are good things.

me: Thanks man :) that means a lot to me coming from you, so with the progression of mwg and the tour and projects still to come, how has Exponential as a label been affected?

Ernest: i havent really seen any kind of noticeable effect on the label.
im more excited about my upcoming eg album than enything else really.

me: When's that due to drop? Any collabos on the record?

Ernest: ep in fall and full length in feb
tons of collabos, the album has 13 tracks plus 13 remixes from 16 remixes plus a book with notes and 13 images from illustrators from around
the world, that sounds confusing. 13 originals 16 remixes

me: Hahahaha well this sounds monumental! I remember awhile back you showing me some of the images, and they were awesome, is the ep going to be a
prelude to the full?

Ernest: yeah, ep is 2 originals and 5 remixes

me: when you refer to remixes concerning your personal music as Ernest Gonzales, are they remixes of your songs by other people?

Ernest: yeah, yppah, take, daedelus, faunts, cyne....theres a shitload of them

me: That's rad!, well I'm sure you've figured out by now that I was interviewing you, and picking your brain.

Would you be at all opposed to me publishing some if not all of this?

Ernest: yeah dood go for it

me: And it was pretty much stuff I genuinely wanted to know, and I know others would like to aswell.

RAINBOW ARABIA-HOLIDAY IN CONGO (MEXICANS WITH GUNS REMIX)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Amadou & Mariam, "Sabali" Remixes


































I'm a bit late on the hype for this track, but fuck it... This is POWERFUL. Definitely a good track for a chill transition/rainy day/baby-makin sesh...

Enjoy!

Amadou & Mariam, “Sabali” (Uproot Andy refix)

Amadou & Mariam, “Sabali” (Dakunt/Candongueiro Kuduro refix)

(Via Fader)

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

last action hero/kidwndrfl remix


he just emailed me this so i felt like sharing, enjoy!

last action hero-knobbers(hard summer remix)

last action hero

video updates for SHAKE EM DOWN//DOUBLE DOWN Austin's all girl alley cat race!



if you are a lady, and you ride a bicycle and you live in/near/around Austin, TX please make your way out and participate, have some fun, help Austin Yellow bike project, and after party with me and the sponsors!


this is KIDWNDRFL:

and this is MEXICANS WITH GUNS first San Antonio show. he'll be touring all of the month of july, we will have a correspondent on the road with him, so stay tuned.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

MAJOR LAZER

Today is the last day of June, which was a big month for the Diplo / Switch side-project Major Lazer. Their sound lies somewhere between dancehall meets autotuned baby meets zombie-killing Jamaican commando from 1984 then they embark on a super-future dancehall experiment in 2009. Buy their album, Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do, IN STORES NOW!

To read more about the man... the legend... Major Lazer, check this exclusive interview by DCist here.

And don't miss dem on tour.

July 9 Houston, TX @ Escobar
July 10 Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall

July 11 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues



LBNL, goods to hold you over:

Major Lazer - Hold The Line (DJ Edit)

Major Lazer - Hold The Line (Poirier Remix)
Major Lazer - Hold The Line (Edu K Remix)
Major Lazer - Pon De Floor (Ernold Sane Remix)

Monday, June 29, 2009

Lets Be Friends

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A new monthly brough to you by Exponential Records, It'l be a good time especially getting to hear the artists from Exponential/choice tunes and occasional guests. I won't be there for the first one i'll be out of town with the Mexicans With Guns tour for the month of July, and if you havent heard MWG yet, get on it.

Also come check this out tomorow
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a msg from another time


http://www.zshare.net/download/6202662215702edc/

copy and paste this link in your browser, or just click it here. i recorded this mix a week and a half ago, using mostly vinyl, and 2 cd's. track list includes, james pants, young m.c., sebastian tellier, death set, CLP, and metric, it's 20 minutes long, enjoy! oh and show all your friends!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

SPACER WOMAN: Charlie


So I was shirt shopping and just whatever about the music in the store, and then with a clap clap clap on comes this tune, I'm like whoa, this sounds like some Newcleus Crew jam i never heard, on that old Bronx rockin' electro tip, but then there is this woman's voice with a tape wobble effect on it, sounding kinda like a mix between Kate Bush and Ari-Up from The Slits. The song ends up being like 7 minutes long, and im kind of a sucker for short songs, but this track kept me entertained all 7 minutes, its repetitive, but not redundant, I definitely have some heart for italo disco, long/dancy/sexy/spacy, i can thank the Sydney Confirm DJ's and the Electro Chemists for that. So here it is, I'd say it's an excellent bridge track because of all the space between verses, a good track to mash up some alternate vocals with as well, don't get me wrong though, this is definitely a dance floor heater at the right time and place, depends upon presentation and execution of the song. do it do it! (Oh and i ended up finding this fucking sweet faux leather hooded jacket and an aqua green t-shirt.)

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

CHROME MESSENGER BAGS

This is my new Chrome Citizen messenger bag, now i waited a long time to find the right hook up and right price for this bag, so long that i only used it for a week before my friggin appendix blew up and tried to kill me! All that aside, the week i used it was probably the 2nd most comfortable riding week with a bag I've had, I'd normally ride with this expandable Puma bag my friend from La Cantera hooked me up with, but I'd always wanted one of these bags, several reasons (most of which are listed on the website www.chromebags.com), but i think it was the beer holding rating, stabilization strap, reflective materials, and the durability of the bag that really sold me on it. I ride recklessly pretty much, and if i were to take a spill i wouldn't want my bag to suffer more than me (I'm materialistic), it has room for tools, u-lock, two 40oz beer holding pockets, huge cargo area, and it's super comfy and breathes really well. The moment my docs tell me I can ride again I'm strapping this on with a case of beer inside and going joy riding! who's with me! Altogether i give this bag an A- because like i said, it is the 2nd most comfortable, but i do recommend it for the cyclist on the go from work, school, leisure, and shopping. Take my word if you like, or test run yourself, sell it if you don't like it, the resale value on these bags is ALWAYS good, just check Austin's craigslist (austin.craigslist.org) if you don't believe me.

METRONOMY


They have become a recent obsession of mine, i first heard of them through a CSS (Cansei De Ser Sexy) remix of 'Move' from the discodust blog site, lemme tell ya, LOVE at first listen! The band really caught me by surprise though when i actually got around to listening to the music they made for themselves, reason being, the CSS remix was very chopped screwed/club/synth heavy/disco, and the actual band reminds me of early Delta 5 and Klaxons, They have a strong post punk influence. As for history, the band started almost like Cut Copy started, one guy(Joseph Mount) has an idea, goes through with it for awhile solo, then recruits actual band members(Oscar Cash, Gabriel Stebbing) to add more dynamic and live instrumentation. I've said as much as i can really, I'll let the bands' music speak to you. Tell me what it tells you

Metronomy - A Thing For Me