Attention: Le Sigh...

The time has come to move on to other things. This blog, Different Is Dangerous, my year-old pride and joy, may be no more as of the end of this month. I have painstakingly gone through every one of my 260+ posts and removed any music files contained there to avoid any further destruction of my work. Thanks to another 8 DMCA notices that came pouring into my inbox this week, I had to act. What bothers me more than anything is that instead of contacting me directly (via the readily available email address that I provide on this home page), the RIAA members behind the takedown of my posts are instead forcing Blogger to entirely delete my posts. Luckily, some of them were saved, so I was able to salvage the reviews and commentary that I've written over the past year (with music links now removed, so all that remains is my personal, entirely legal input). To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what my next move will be. I've become a target for a record industry that is losing profits left and right and wasting resources attacking the problem in the wrong way (like harassment of bloggers like myself). It's a terrible bridge to burn, as there are very few people left in this country who are as passionate about music as bloggers. I've spent thousands on music in my lifetime, yet I committ myself to writing about and sharing my love for the songs for free. If anybody from a label is still reading this, just check out the post below and see how many comments were written in support of what I'm doing. For a blog that gets just 1000-2000 visitors daily, and comments few and far between on most posts, it's an impressive number of replies. The jist of most of these replies is that this blog has inspired listeners to go out and explore the music they've heard. Many readers have actually bought new music and become avid fans as a result of the samples I've posted, as I knew would be the case. It's digital media that are revolutionizing music and getting people excited about artists again, and it saddens me to not only be saying goodbye to the blog as it was, but to even be witnessing this pathetic state of affairs in music.

To all of my readers, thank you so much for sticking with Different Is Dangerous over the past months. I've had an amazing time writing this blog and I can only hope that you've found something to fit or even expand your tastes on these pages. It's breaking my heart to even have to make such a serious decision about my blog, especially given how much I've put into it. For now, the blog is NOT closed, however in whatever form it may continue, it will be fundamentally different. For the sake of nostalgia, take a look back while the blog is still untouched. A lot of the posts have been torn apart by broken links, missing photos and formatting mishaps over time (not to mention deletions and removals), but for now they're still here for the world to see. I repeat that I have not made a final decision as to the fate of this blog, nor have I thought of any alternatives so far. It may stay open with a refreshed format, or I may take on some new venture (and hopefully invite all you amazing listeners along for the ride). Check back sometime next week for the final word. I guess different really was dangerous after all...

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Attention: Unsure

As you may have noticed, four posts I made over the weekend and yesterday were either taken down (thanks to a DMCA notice) or vanished mysteriously. Then again today, I woke up to find yesterday's posts (the extensive covers post and another rave post) were also gone, and that one of them was also due to a DMCA notice. They were taken down so fast that no cache exists for either post, meaning that I effectively lost all record of the posts I wrote without any chance of simply removing the preview downloads and keeping up my comments and design. This is getting a bit ridiculous, and frankly I'm starting to doubt whether I should even keep up with this. I love this blog, but I hate having to worry about record labels removing what I spend time writing and taking my intentions the wrong way. Maybe one day they'll finally fully embrace the digital music revolution, but until that day comes I'm not sure it's really feasible to keep playing this cat-and-mouse game of "where did my post go?". It's taking too long for the RIAA to realize that it isn't bloggers that are the problem. It's entirely counterintuitive to be threatening the biggest advocates of music out there, who have spent countless hours and resources following, talking about and in effect promoting their music for free (I won't even admit to how many hundreds upon hundreds of dollars I've spent over the years on CDs, records, concerts, memorabilia, etc.). Instead of spending money on petty policing, they need to focus on developing a new business model for the 21st century, one that accounts for the fact that the physical music format is no longer the biggest moneymaker, and that illegal downloading is impossible to stop. I haven't spent a single day in a business class, but from just my own lifelong knowledge and observation of the music industry, I know that something is not right and that it isn't too difficult to fix with innovation. On hiatus until I make a final decision.

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Mixed & Mashed 33/Classics 30: Movie Stars

Inspired by the handful of new "Movie Star" remixes from a promo I just got a hold of, and intent on posting some more great Róisín Murphy mixes, I decided to a post on stars and fame. There are tons of tracks in my library on the topic, and legions more about the broader subject of stars (by everyone from David Bowie to Lady GaGa). To kick things off, there are two more amazing mixes of Róisín's "Movie Star" worth checking out. Taking a completely different approach from his other remix, Junior Sanchez's "LAX" mix is an exuberant electro stormer, seemingly designed to brighten up any dancefloor. The "She Is Beautiful" mix by Sam & Di Angelis turns the single into an intoxicating piano house number, perfect for a classy moment in the middle of the night. For the Classics portion of the post, Paris Hilton (of course) gets us going with her aloof, manufactured reggae-tinged hit "Stars Are Blind." Britney Spears laments the hard times she has finding love as a star in the ultra-sappy "Lucky." Felix Da Housecat provides the dance throb for the set in a mix of his classic ode to decadence, "Silver Screen Shower Scene." The tributes to sin continue on Hole's roaring "Celebrity Skin" and Suede's grinding, scuzzed-out rock on "Filmstar." David Bowie gives us some classic perspective on his mid-career breakthrough "Fame," and Lady GaGa wraps us up with a taster from her new album. "Paparazzi" is another of her finely-crafted pop gems about the famous life, this time slowed down for contemplation and added glam effects. Those poor famous people have it so tough!

Mixed & Mashed 33:
Róisín Murphy, "Movie Star" (JNRSNCHZ LAX Mix) [YSI] (original on Overpowered)
Róisín Murphy, "Movie Star" (Sam & Di Angelis 'She Is Beautiful' Remix) [YSI] (original on Overpowered)

Classics 30:
Paris Hilton, "Stars Are Blind" [YSI] (from Paris)
Britney Spears, "Lucky" [YSI] (from Oops!...I Did It Again)
Felix Da Housecat, "Silver Screen Shower Scene" (Malibu Mix) [YSI] (original on Kittenz And Thee Glitz)
Hole, "Celebrity Skin" [YSI] (from Celebrity Skin)
Suede, "Filmstar" [YSI] (from Singles)
David Bowie, "Fame" [YSI] (from Best Of Bowie)
Lady GaGa, "Paparazzi" [YSI] (from the forthcoming The Fame)

***Note: Links removed***

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Hits 39/Shameless 09: Britney's Back!

Taken from her forthcoming album Circus, due out in early December, "Womanizer" is the return-to-form that Britney promised us last year with the ill-fated "Gimme More" video/performance and Blackout album. While she had the music ready for a big return, her head was all over the place and it didn't go down quite as planned. Now, though "Womanizer" as a song can't really stand up to "Gimme More" or "Piece Of Me," it is an insistent pop track that makes the best of her vocal abilities and backs it all up with an unmissable, if repetitive, title hook. The video completes the package to great effect. Her best since "Toxic," helmed by that video's high-profile director Joseph Khan (who also directed her classic "Stronger" clip). Reuniting her with her big-budget, entirely over-the-top pop persona of years long past, it sees her playing several racy alter egos (including one fully nude one) to the womanizer who did her wrong. It's worth watching and hearing, and definitely makes me excited for her real comeback. While waiting for Circus to drop, check out some of my favorite classic Britney tracks below (a miniature greatest hits from her heyday to the present). Now that she's cleaned herself up and gone back to being "classy sexy," maybe it will be a bit less of a guilty pleasure to listen to her. Then again, there are many reasons why Britney Spears belongs in the Shameless section... Also featured are three more noteworthy remixes of the single (another one was featured earlier), picked from the huge flood that are starting to come out.

LINK: "Womanizer" on YouTube.

UPDATE: The links have all been taken down thanks to a DCMA complaint that Blogger received about some of the songs (I'm not sure which). Sorry for those who missed out, and to whoever was understandably pissed that I posted the songs up. For future reference, I can be reached directly via email to take down tracks and will do it immediately. To preview the tracks that I mentioned, check out this blog on Hype Machine.

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Classics 29: London Conversations

Inspired by a forthcoming Saint Etienne compilation album and an old Lily Allen single, I decided to do a quick post on songs about London. As previously mentioned, the quintessential British trio are documenting their long career in an updated best-of compilation, London Conversations: The Best Of Saint Etienne, due out in the next few weeks internationally in several editions. As another taster, I've included their sprawling classic "Avenue" (included here in its full mix; an edit will be on the new collection). Lily Allen has a less optimistic view of the brighter days in the city on her infectious second hit "LDN." Pet Shop Boys slow their normal tempo and go acoustic on the somber "London," one of my favorites from the duo. Coldplay bring their trademark stadium grandeur and contemplative musings to "Cemeteries Of London," while Variety Lab take a lounge house look at a rainy day in England on the great "London In The Rain." There are definitely more London conversations out there (in my library and probably yours), but these should be a nice sampling for now.

UPDATE: The links have all been taken down thanks to a DCMA complaint that Blogger received about some of the songs (I'm not sure which). This post wasn't one of the three mentioned in the copyright complaint, but it went missing today so I figured I'd take down these tracks also. Sorry for those who missed out, and to whoever was understandably pissed that I posted the songs up. For future reference, I can be reached directly via email to take down tracks and will do it immediately. To preview the tracks that I mentioned, check out this blog on Hype Machine.

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Hits 38/Mixed & Mashed 32: The Great Remix Recap, Part II

Part II of the remix rundown started on Friday features another ten hot mixes, most of which aren't so new, but still well worth listening to. Kicking off with some very laid-back versions, Estelle's "No Substitute Love" gets a fun, relaxed electronic touch courtesy of Treasure Fingers, while Ewan Pearson gives the expansive treatment to Hot Chip's latest promo single "Hold On" in a nine-plus minute mix (check out more of his mixes here). Things heat up with The Ting Tings' forthcoming single "Be The One," in a dark, pulsating dance remake by Japanese Popstars. A huge array of remixers and amateurs are starting to tackle Britney Spears' new cut "Womanizer," but none have really done the trick for me yet. Until some official versions are released, the Loose Shus remix is a decent minimal take that strips it down to a bleepy electro groove. "Sunset Blvd." by Pacific! is great in its Touch remix form, building to a great synth wash halfway through. MGMT have had some ace big-name remixes lately, and the now-aging Soulwax mix of "Kids" is no exception (though it can't match the awesomeness of the Justice remix of "Electric Feel"). M.I.A.'s "XR2" gets a cool mix by Hydroz that doesn't depart too much from the feel of the original, but gives the obtuse growler a nice kick. Ladytron and ADULT. are cut from the same twisted electronica cloth, so it's only natural that the ADULT. mix of "Runaway" is a real widescreen grower. Slowing it down some more, Daft Punk are extended and given an amped-up groove on the EASTAR mix of "Something About Us." Last, but not least, one the Spice Girls' most memorable tracks ("Spice Up Your Life") gets an addictive modern electro makeover courtesy of Burntpiano (who also recently mixed Vampire Weekend's "Oxford Comma," featured in an earlier post).

UPDATE: The links have all been taken down thanks to a DCMA complaint that Blogger received about some of the songs (I'm not sure which). Sorry for those who missed out, and to whoever was understandably pissed that I posted the songs up. For future reference, I can be reached directly via email to take down tracks and will do it immediately. To preview the tracks that I mentioned, check out this blog on Hype Machine.

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Open Your Box 24: Crystal Castles Vs. HEALTH

Though both of the album's I'm featuring today were released much earlier in the year, I'm just now getting into them and felt it was necessary to post some samplings from them. Tied together by their bumping, insistent collaboration "Crimewave," Crystal Castles and HEALTH are relative newcomers on the electronic music scene, but are already making big waves with their dark, insanely catchy tracks. Crystal Castles quickly worked their way into my head at the start of the semester, when it seemed I would hear their self-titled album playing absolutely everywhere, day or night, at home or out at a party. Though I'm not the biggest fan of some its noise-based tracks, their simple but hard-hitting melodies can't really be beat, as on the great "Untrust Us" and "Magic Spells." HEALTH's remix disc HEALTH//DISCO completely reinvents them as dancefloor beasts, with beats and rhythms straddling several of electronica's best styles. The Pictureplane remix of "Lost Time" sounds like a techno reimagining of the New Romantic sound, with its vast expanses of sound made for filling a large, well-wired room. Conversely, the C.L.A.W.S. remix is a deep, drugged-out monster with a dirty electro beat to die for. The CFCF mix of "Triceratops" is again completely different, this time evoking the bright synths of the 80s with a distinctly modern tone. Alongside the unmatched original mix, an LA Riots remix of "Crimewave" shuffles it up and ups the excitement for play in edgier clubs. The best of all the tracks featured here, unfortunately, is a low-quality file (see below***), but the Crystal Castles mix of Klaxons' "Atlantis To Interzone" still stands as an instant classic, with its screaming riffs and big, bouncing bassline proving too hard to resist.

From Crystal Castles:
Crystal Castles, "Untrust Us" [YSI]
Crystal Castles, "Magic Spells" [YSI]

From HEALTH//DISCO:
HEALTH, "Lost Time" (Pictureplane Remix) [YSI]
HEALTH, "Triceratops" (CFCF Remix) [YSI]
HEALTH, "Lost Time" (C.L.A.W.S. Remix) [YSI]

Remixes:
Crystal Castles Vs. HEALTH, "Crimewave" [YSI] (from Crystal Castles and HEALTH//DISCO)
Crystal Castles Vs. HEALTH, "Crimewave" (LA Riots Remix) [YSI]
Klaxons, "Atlantis To Interzone" (Crystal Castles Remix) [YSI]

***Note: Links removed***

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Mixed & Mashed 31: JNRSNCHZRMXS

My favorite mixers, though they range a lot in their mixing styles and even specific sub-genres, always have two standards in common. They're all consistent and they're never afraid to completely rework songs to fit their vision. Junior Sanchez is one of these great producers, almost never failing to synthesize unique and exciting new takes of each track he approaches. I was prompted to feature him in a post thanks to his commission to remix Róisín Murphy's latest single "Movie Star," turning out two vastly different but equally expansive versions. The "Cinespace" mix featured here transforms the track into a sprawling rave comedown. Going in the opposite direction as far as mood, his remix of Placebo's hook-laden "This Picture" turns it into a building, driving dance rock hybrid besting the original version. Booming electro bass rushes fill in the climaxes of his take on Madonna's "Jump" with heavily filtered digital effects added on top for a haunting mix of Princess Superstar's "My Machine." Proving that New Order songs can actually have decent mixes with the right producers, his 2007 remix of their classic 12" single "Confusion" ups the tempo and turns it into a punked-up screamer. I was set to feature a sixth Junior Sanchez remix, the excellent, stuttering "Strobelight Honey" mix of "Flashing Lights," but I realized that the file I had cut out before the halfway point. If anyone's got a full version, please send it my way and I'll be sure to include it in a future post!

Róisín Murphy, "Movie Star" (JNRSNCHZ Cinespace Mix) [YSI]
Placebo, "This Picture" (Junior Sanchez Remix) [YSI] (from Once More With Feeling: Singles 1996-2004 [Limited Edition])
Madonna, "Jump" (Junior Sanchez's Misshapes Mix) [YSI]
Princess Superstar, "My Machine" (Junior Sanchez Mix) [YSI]
New Order, "Confusion" (Junior Sanchez Mix) [YSI]

Request:
Kanye West, "Flashing Lights" (JNRSNCHZ Strobelight Honey Mix)
***Email me at probablyrustin@gmail.com if you have this remix***

***Note: Links removed***

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Hits 37/Mixed & Mashed 30: The Great Remix Recap, Part I

This has been my first post in a long time (blame the crappy internet at my house and heinous midterms for that), but it may end up being one of my favorites. The last two weeks have seen a literal overload of great remixes, so I'm doing a huge two-part recap. For part one, I picked out the most essential of the new mixes, starting off with a brilliant mix that somehow didn't win the remix contest for Mariah Carey's "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time." Taking the otherwise unremarkable single and adding a heavy dose of synthesizers, the Designer Drugs mix is quickly climbing the list of my favorite remixes ever. It deserves to be heard on a loud, lit-up dancefloor. The Ting Tings get a sharp electro treatment by LAZRtag on a stuttering version of their catchy hit "Shut Up And Let Me Go." Robyn consistently turns out great pop songs, and even better remixes, as on the addictive mixes of new single "Dream On" (the Warren Clarke radio cut is featured here). Kanye West has been getting a lot of very different reactions to his latest track, "Love Lockdown," including heaps of praise for the remix package. The minimal, autotuned midtempo single is transformed into a simple piano house tune on the "Chew Fu Small Room Fix," one of the better official mixes released so far. Hot Chip are also heavily remixed with each release, ranging from laid-back takes to full-on club workouts, like the hard, bass-laden Switch remix of "Hold On." With promotional singles and remixes leaking all over the place, it's hard to avoid Lady GaGa's recent output. "Love Game," from new album The Fame, gets a basic, but still noteworthy, club remix courtesy of Dave Audé. Moby has an extensive history of picking amazing producers to remix his work, and the bubbling new rework of forthcoming single "Ooh Yeah" by Kris Menace (one of my favorite remixers) is no exception. Another of my personal favorites, Axwell, has graced Adele's "Hometown Glory" with an extended, building acid house makeover to great effect, reminiscent of some of his other great slow burners (I'm thinking along the lines of his mixes of Bob Sinclar's "World, Hold On (Children Of The Sky)" and Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous"). Yelle's "Ce Jeu" gets another great bootleg fix-up, with Cool Kids Can't Die turning the track into a dizzying techno cut. Departing from the club-centric tone of the other tracks, Modeselektor gives Björk a minimal, bleep-filled stripdown on his "girls" remix of "The Dull Flame Of Desire." If you're a regular reader of this blog, you're guaranteed to love the majority of these mixes, so don't hesitate!

UPDATE: The links have all been taken down thanks to a DCMA complaint that Blogger received about some of the songs (I'm not sure which). Sorry for those who missed out, and to whoever was understandably pissed that I posted the songs up. For future reference, I can be reached directly via email to take down tracks and will do it immediately. To preview the tracks that I mentioned, check out this blog on Hype Machine.

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