There is a long history of ironic, white covers of popular hip-hop and R&B tracks — from Dynamite Hack singing “Boyz in the Hood” in golf sweaters and flip flops, to Little Boots’ recent melancholic cover of Kid Cudi’s “Day N Nite.” In general, these attempts range from the retarded to the horribly offensive — with the rare creative or interesting recreation emerging here and there.

The new Fool’s Gold-repped artist Telephoned has recently joined membership into this group and whether they are one of the rare, successful entries into the sub-genre, I will let you be the judge. One thing I can say for Telephoned is that its members are talented. The group is a collaboration between DJ/Producer Sammy Bananas and DJ/Singer Maggie Horn. Bananas has put out a number of solid dance tracks in the past two years, including a pretty wicked remix of Passion Pit’s “The Reeling.”

(mp3s after the jump)

The duo will appear this Wednesday at Harlot, for MW004 presented by Hacksaw Entertainment. There will be a hosted bar from 7-10 and entry is free as long as you RSVP here.

Friends of The Projects Shane King (Hacksaw Ent) and White Girl Lust (Solid Bump) will provide support. This should definitely be a quality hump day party.

Here’s a sample. Enjoy:

Telephoned – Turn My Swag On (feat. Teli of Ninjasonik)

Kid Sister – Daydreaming (Telephoned remix)

– White Mike

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When most Americans think of Ottawa, they picture the historic cholera outbreak of 1832 or the precise urban planning of Frenchman Jacques Greber. However, in addition to being recognized for these fascinating details, Canada’s capitol city supports a pretty solid little house scene. At the center of this lies Disorganized (now Frenzy), a monthly party which for the past 7 years has brought Ottawa’s dance community together to party with some of the world’s top DJs.

Founders DJ Booth and Chameleonic, together known as Jokers of the Scene due to their early difficulties in earning respect from their Ottawan DJ peers, started Disorganized as a small loft party and it quickly grew into one of the city’s premier dance parties. They have since graduated from playing host to that party to touring the globe, signing with record label Fool’s Gold and releasing a handful of original singles, including the massive Baggy Bottom Boys. In addition, they have been commissioned to produce remixes for Passion Pit, Kid Cudi, Acid Girls, Thunderheist, Flosstradamus and Muscles, among others.

Next Friday (4/23), they join The Faint spin-off Depressed Buttons, LA’s Frankie Chan (iheartcomix) and San Francisco’s favorite DJ/Male Model Richie Panic (Blow Up) at 330 Ritch. Advance $13 tix are available here.

(mp3s after the jump)

Here is one of JOTS’s latest remixes, an extended take on Boy 8-Bit’s weirdohouse joint “Wolfen.” Also included: their latest promo mix, which was released last month.

Enjoy:

Boy 8-Bit – Wolfen (Jokers of the Scene remix)

Jokers of the Scene – Bombs Over Belleville mix

Tracklist
1. Jokers of the Scene – Joking Victim
2. B.D.I. – City & Industry
3. Daniel Meteo – In The Mood (Abe Duque Remix)
4. Crash Course In Science – Flying Turns (Terence Fixmer Remix)
5. Tiga – Sex O’Clock (Playgroup Remix)
6. Aberrant – Kirkbride’s Dungeon
7. Stephan Bodzin – Mustang
8. Jori Hulkonnen – Boying in the Smokeroom
9. Fairmont – Mobula
10. Geiger – Bambam
11. Boy 8-Bit – The Keep
12. Mathew Jonson – Ghosts in the Al
13. 2AM/FM – The Path
14. LFO – Freeze
15. Extrawelt – Fernweh
16. The Black Dog – Witches Ov

– White Mike

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Most people assume that using drugs you’ve found lying on a city sidewalk is a perfectly reasonable and safe thing to do. Thus, they’re often surprised when I tell them a story which reveals that perhaps, in some rare cases, found drugs are better left alone.

It was the summer of 2003, the war in Iraq had just been won, Gary Coleman was running for governor and Uncle Kracker was beginning to Drift Away (so sad). In the few years prior, I had developed an angst-fueled obsession with Radiohead and was excited when they announced two midsummer dates at Shoreline Amphitheatre. After a brief defeat at the hands of Ticketmaster, my hopes were revived when a girl that I had been hanging out with and (unsuccessfully) trying to make more than friends was able to leverage her role as passive victim of sexual harassment to score two tickets from her well-connected (but not well-endowed) boss. Platonic friendship paid off and I was graciously given the second ticket.

(mp3s after the jump..)

The day of the concert came, we arrived early at the venue and, before entering, decided to walk around the neighborhood in the hope that we might find a bar amongst the business parks and ample lawns of Mountain View. As we searched, my friend stopped me and pointed to a small box that was lying on the sidewalk:

“Hey, cloves!”

As she picked up the box and opened it, we looked inside to see that one half of the box was filled with clove cigarettes, while in the other half the cloves had been emptied out and replaced with a tiny Altoids tin. Knowing Altoids containers to be a favorite (albeit obvious) hiding place for weed and other illicit substances, I excitedly grabbed the box from her hands and opened the tin. Sure enough, stuffed inside was a dark green bud about the size of a strawberry.

Given our tendency toward cosmic explanations for minor events, we took this discovery to be a sign that we should disregard whatever qualms we might have had about sidewalk drugs, take our find into the concert and smoke it. Here, the Universe’s pro-drug endorsement, however subtle, was undeniable.

So, we bought some papers, rolled the weed up into a joint, found our seats and waited through the remarkably shitty opening act (Supergrass) until Radiohead took the stage. At long last, Thom, Jonny and friends arrived on stage and my friend and I lit up along with what seemed like every 3rd person in the audience and life was good. It stayed this way for about 3 to 3 1/2 minutes until I realized that everything between myself and the stage had become a dark, featureless void and also, that I was probably dying. The unnaturally loud music heightened this realization and the fabled light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel was for me a series of strobes, all of which highlighted the elfin face of Thom Yorke.

Embarrassed by my imminent death and my new found inability to balance standing up on two legs, I attempted to play it off to my female companion as if I were having a good time, only to find that she was not standing at my side. Given this fact, I felt it okay to collapse into my seat and take a breath and, in doing so, found her also seated, apparently dealing with the same affliction as I was. We exchanged a look equal to “What the fuck is going on?” and then she leaned over to whisper to me, “I think I’m going to have a panic attack.” These were not the words that earlier in the day I had fantasized about her whispering to me, but I let it go as I was a bit preoccupied with my crippling insanity.

My friend quickly pushed her way through the aisle and toward one of the side corridors of the venue where presumably she wept or wrote her mother a letter or some such; while I stayed frozen in my seat, gradually becoming more and more aware that I would likely survive the night and then, that there seemed to be a pretty entertaining concert going on nearby and that I could experience it if only I were to stand back up. I managed to do so, my friend eventually returned with a strikingly sunnier (and less panic-stricken) disposition and we overcame our near-death experiences to end up having a pretty enjoyable second half of the concert.

This week, the same friend will be returning the Bay to join me in attendance at one of the two shows that Thom Yorke and his new band Atoms for Peace will be giving at Oakland’s Fox Theater and, despite the apparently happy ending to the above story, we will be abstaining from drugs this time (or at least bringing our own).

For anyone looking to join us, as of this posting tickets are still available via Ticketmaster (not going to link them because fuck Ticketmaster), so don’t fall victim to scalpers until you’ve tried to buy them for face value first.

Below are a couple of dancey remixes of Thom Yorke tracks, including a lovely disco edit by Spank Rock’s XXXchange. Enjoy:

Thom Yorke – Hearing Damage (Whiskey Tango edit)

Thom Yorke – And it Rained All Night (Burial remix)

Thom Yorke – The Eraser (XXXChange remix)

– White Mike

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Everyone loves a good mystery, especially when that mystery is solved by a talking dog and a group of meddling kids. So in 2008 when some quality dance tracks (including the massive “Mars”) began appearing around the innertron produced by the then-unknown producer Fake Blood, there was active speculation in the dancenerd community as to the producer’s identity and whether it was just an alias for an already established artist. Turns out it was, as Fake Blood was until then better known as Theo Keating aka DJ Touche aka one half of the indie-electro band The Black Ghosts.

(mp3sss after the jump…)

Since that mystery has been solved (and without any canine help), Fake Blood has become arguably one of the best house producers on the planet. Friday night he makes his San Francisco debut at Mezzanine with fellow Brit Boy 8-Bit, another of the UK’s biggest producers. The Projects member Nisus opens along with Blasthaus resident Sleazemore. Tickets are $15 and available at Blasthaus

I guarantee that this will be one of the best dance shows of the year. See you there!

Boy 8-Bit

Florence & the Machine – Drumming Song (Boy 8-Bit remix)

Boy 8-Bit – Wolfen (Original mix)

Fake Blood

Fake Blood – I Think I Like It

Fake Blood – Mars (Boy 8 Bit remix)

Fake Blood – BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix (3-14-2009) (2 hours)

Enjoy.

– White Mike

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One of my favorites, French disco edit master Pilooski a month ago released a 12″ vinyl only single whose A-side was a house remake of Nora Dean’s “Angie La-La.” It’s titled simply “AAA” and it is a 9 minute early a.m. house epic. It wouldn’t hurt to be high for this one.

Enjoy:

Pilooski – AAA

Bonus:

Nina Simone – Take Care of Business (Pilooski edit)

– White Mike

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Last week, I came across this mix by DJ Riz — co-founder of Crooklyn Clan and arguably one of the best hip-hop DJs alive. Now best known for his website, where DJs can buy the latest BEP song mashed up with “Love is Gone,” Riz is also kind of amazing behind the decks and apparently the favorite DJ of some of my favorite DJs.

In this short set, he quick mixes classic hip hop and soul. Enjoy:

DJ Riz – Live at Deko Classics Night

– White Mike

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German production duo Patrick Bodmer & Philipp Jung, together known by the curiously effeminate label M.A.N.D.Y., gained fame in 2005 with their club hit “Body Language,” a collaboration with Booka Shade, with whom they also partnered in launching the Get Physical record label.

Tomorrow night M.A.N.D.Y. visits SF, headlining a show at Paradise Lounge. Opening will be Nikola Baytala, John Wander and Kuze. Advance tix are $12 and available over at Blasthaus.

(mp3s after the jump…)

Here are a couple of M.A.N.D.Y-related tunes, the first is a house blend of “O Superman” with Gui Boratto’s “Beautiful Life,” put together by Matt Nordstrom of Nadastrom — perfect for the end of the night. Second, is DJ Deekline and Red Polo’s “One in the Front” which flips “Body Language” with some tasteful vocals by DJ Assault.

Enjoy:

M.A.N.D.Y. vs Booka Shade – Superman’s Life (Matt Nordstrom edit)

DJ Deekline & Red Polo feat DJ Assault – One in the Front

– White Mike

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Dutch DJ/Producer Afrojack has been on fire for the past year, steadily churning out bangers including cross-over hits produced for Major Lazer and Pitbull. Yesterday, he dropped this throwback acid house number, which is vaguely reminiscent of The Chemical Brothers during their raver hey-day. You can buy this and other Afrojack tracks here.

Enjoy:

Afrojack – Pacha on Acid

Bonus:

Will Bailey & Mikey Hook – Turn Out the Intro (Afrojack remix)

– White Mike

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So, then she said, “What’s your favorite position?” and I was like, “the fetal position.” And then we made out.

Anyway, kind of a late pass on this one but I recently came across this EP by UK DJ Solo and it is pretty dope. UK Funky with shades of last year’s smash “Trompeta.” You can buy it here.

Solo – Minimood (Round Table Knights remix)

Solo – Rawmania

Enjoy.

– White Mike

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Brooklyn Circus made a last minute announcement today regarding their regular hip hop & soul party at Yoshi’s (SF) Le Cirque and it doesn’t get much bigger. The party has been moved downstairs to the main performance venue and headlining will be none other than DJ Jazzy Jeff. Friend of The Projects King Most and the City’s favorite DJ under 5-feet Shred One will provide support. Tix are $22 and you can buy them here. I will definitely be making this one.

Here’s an olllld mix that Cosmo Baker posted up awhile back of a party that he did with Jeff and Rich Medina at Remedy (NYC). Black Thought and Common (Sense) trade freestyles for awhile, then the DJ does his thing.

Live at Remedy 1998 Pt 3

And for a preview of Thursday night, check this out. Bananas!

DJ Jazzy Jeff & Dj AM Live @ The House of Blues from jeffrey a townes on Vimeo.

– White Mike

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