- Mon, 2010-11-08 10:49
Named after an unfinished opera written by singer Laura’s deceased grandfather during his final months of insanity, Crystal Fighters have turned up to Guest Edit. Their current musical obsessions include Basque country residents Delorean, the Mount Kimbie debut album and a remix-heavy 20 track playlist chosen by the band.
Track
Artist: Delorean Track: Real Love (LightsoverLa Remix) Released: Out Now Label: True Panther
Delorean are from the Basque country and Subiza, their third full-length effort is easily their finest work yet, a really well-crafted, blissfully beautiful-sounding album. We played with them at an amazing festival by a river with a massive sand beach on it in Barcelos, Portugal, and everyone was totally taken away by their incredible live show. The original Real Love is dreamy otherworldly brilliance and the remix by LA's LightsOverLA turns the euphoria-drenched halftime stagger of the original into an enormous hug with your one true love in the big room.
Album
Artist: Mount Kimbie Album: Crooks and Lovers Released: Out NowLabel: HotFlush Recordings
Consistent, coherent dance music albums are hard to come by, perhaps owing to the difficulty of putting too many genre-specific tracks on one disc, things often seem fragmented, soulless or plain dull. Mount Kimbie's Debut LP offering Crooks and Lovers ignores all the rules however and succeeds in being a totally listenable dance LP but is also a highly original body of music, delicate and brilliantly unpredictable it bears all the repeat listens you will surely give it. Slinking its devious way out of the speakers like the best bits of Madlib, Dangermouse, and J-Dilla's more spacious material reimagined by the soulful spirit of a young Todd Edwards. Futuristic ambient space garage and beyond that will undoubtedly stand the test of time as one of 2010's finest albums.
Video
When we discovered this track we had that familiar feeling common amongst unearthers of ye olde musiks "why the hell are there not more songs like this from back then!?" And when we found out about the video it was over: best thing ever, hands down. Just look how tough the guapa in the shopping trolley is. You just don't get this calibre of individual any more. As for the keyboards, I dread to imagine the Madrilenian dumpster they must have found their way into, as Vocoder only had one album and disappeared pretty much without trace way back in 1984. Somebody find them and bring them back!
Our Equipment
Hello, we are Crystal Fighters, and today we are going to talk about the equipment we use. Amongst more recognisable instruments like synthesisers and electric/acoustic guitars, we use the txalapartas a type of traditional Basque instrument consisting of several large beams of wood laid horizontally and played with mallets by two people facing each other. We do not tune the wood, for when you start tuning pieces of wood you are playing a xylophone, not a txalaparta.
Originally, the wood used would be from cider barrels and they would be played to communicate across the hills in the Basque Country. Nowadays, lacking cider barrels we like to find and buy pieces of exotic wood and play them with sticks to communicate. It's great the way this type of percussion works differently to tuned instruments in that it does not sell you a story drawn out in a sweet melody. The sounds attacks the air like shots and if they are played right you get a rhythm. Traditional Basque instruments like this feature in our recordings and live performances as well as others, such as the Txistu, a piercing flute like instrument and a Danbolin, a snare like rope tuned drum.
Crystal Fighters Playlist
1: Crystal Fighters - In The Summer (Brookes Brothers Remix)
2: El Guincho - Palmitos Park
3: Neon Indian - Pyschic Chasms (Anoraak Remix)
4: Rusko featuring Amber Coffman - Hold On (Sub Focus Remix)
5: Delorean - Real Love (LightsoverLA Remix)
6: Mount Kimbie - Mayor
7: Big Boi - Shutterbug (Jack Beats Remix)
8: Crystal Fighters - I Love London
9: Debruit - Nigeria What?
10: CongoRock - Babylon (Steve Angello Edit)
11: Seiji - Basslips
12: Skream - Wibbler
13: Deadmau5 and Wolfgang Gartner - Animal Rights
14: Gregor Salto & Mokoomba - Messe Messe (Afro Dub)
15: Delorean - SeaSun (John Talabot Remix)
16: Acid Washed - Acid Washed (Daniel Haaksman Remix)
17: Mihalis Safras - La Samba di Chicos (Riva Starr Remix)
18: King Cannibal - Virgo (Canblaster Remix)
19: Matt van Schie - Journey (Memory Tapes Remix)
20: Dulce Venganza - Tego Un Hipopotamo En Mi Banera
