beaumont's top 20 tunes of 2009!!

20.

guns n' bombs - riddle of steel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSgOKCei60A

a nasty, epic, and totally banging tune. gets my blood pumping!

19.

mayer hawthorne - your easy lovin' ain't pleasin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmNyx-9tAaQ

feel good and motown-esqe. wonderful song.

18.

white lies - death (burns remix)

http://www.myspace.com/thisisburns

if only for the awesome 'pumping static' compression effect.

17.

zombie nation - seas of grease

http://vodpod.com/watch/2351026-zombie-nation-seas-of-grease

madness. glitchy, stuttering brass over what sounds like a new orleans street party put through several blenders. amazing.

16.

the twelves - night vision (daft punk cover)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrdv6AYzjfc

very tasteful disco remix of the classic daft punk tune.

15.

jay-z feat. alicia keys - empire state of mind

this one snuck up on me and i grew to like it a lot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm61weFrK4c

14.

passion pit - moths wings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px12JPgc0ic

epic john hughes end credit music. makes me a little teary every time.

13.

the golden filter - solid gold

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3ZCr-b0pw8

very unique and dreamy. they never topped this one in my opinion.

12.

air - sing sang sung (black moth super rainbow remix)

http://fairtilizer.com/track/61030

beautiful analogue psych-hiphop lunacy. the bass in this is the perfect tone.

11.

deadmau5 - ghosts & stuff (original dub version)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QV8eiSA4vqc

remember that haunted house level...

10.

tronik youth - laugh cry live die (grum remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeT9yCSBi4o

like a jagged re-imagining of 'phantom part 2' except with robot voices and rapid fire bursts of chip noise. listened to this approx 20 times in a row the first night i heard it.

09.

metronomy - thing for me (breakbot remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpM1qrV0CD8

breakbot has done a lot of good in this world, but this barry white-esqe slow-jam is perhaps the cutest remixed love song released this year.

08.

tiga - what you need (proxy remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCAmOGHXbC8&feature=related

simple yet astoundingly powerful. that bass is just badass to the max. like shredding a computer.

07.

dragonette - pick up the phone (richard x remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDvjtUQ5eTk

mr x has always been solid but it seems he was born to remix this song. perfect in every way.

06.

danger - 00:01

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSweDDUkxq8

where are you danger? come back? please? i miss you?

05.

friendly fires feat. au revoir simone - paris (aeroplane remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYNTkAjybQg

utterly sublime down-tempo disco remix of popular song part 1

04.

phoenix - lizstomania (classixx remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7U16stsEmc

utterly sublime down-tempo disco remix of popular song part 2: the reckoning

03.

royksopp - the girl and the robot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIWRYwCGEF4

another stunning pairing. robyn's vocal lifts royksopp's already-genius production into the stratosphere. the entire remix package is first class too, which is pretty rare these days.

02.

grum - heartbeats (extended mix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg76hVV83fA

a shimmering, neon pink assault of emotion and nostalgia. this floors me. the remix package is amazing too, especially the worship remix.

01.

bag raiders - shootings star (kris menace remix)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiFZRV373MU

the remixes took forever to appear but the wait was worth it. this tune captures everything i like about house music and electrifies it.

honourable mentions:

lady gaga - bad romance (grum remix)

shazam - pool party 2009

punx soundcheck - cassette (neo toyko remix)

boys noize - starter

hey champ - cold dust girl (only children remix)

vega - no reasons

ladyhawke - paris is burning (peaches remix)

the hungry kids of hungary - old money

fever ray - triangle walks (rex the dog remix)

jay-z feat. drake - off that

synthetic horns are a kind of god i would pray to if i was a religious man

van she - kelly (m83 remix)

SUP!!!! its a little hip-hop-centric this time round. but there are still some gems for all you haters (i'm looking in your direction nicholas).

la roux - i'm not your toy (datA remix)

ok, ok, la roux are not the greatest - all the hype surrounding them is a little premature to say the least. but this is a great example of a brilliant producer (datA) polishing a turd and making something really cool. he has made it a funky, french pop song. his artist album 'skywriter' (2009) was largely overlooked and for no good reason either. check it out.

http://www.mediafire.com/?ynztg1oizz4

zoot woman - grey day

stuart price - what more can i say? god-like producer and the man behind the aliases:

- the think white duke
- man and the guitar
- jacques lu cont
- paper faces
- pour homme

AND

the keyboardist/producer of fantastic new-wave group zoot woman. this song has a very 90s sort of feel, but dont let that put you off. i mean that in the best possible way :)

http://www.mediafire.com/?tkgj4dnzgjy

mr oizo - cut dick

i'm going to continue plugging this crazy frenchman, even if he did claim that this

http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/intl/41737/Mr_Oizo_feels_Daft_Punk_Etienne_live_shows_are_ridiculous

was crap (wtf?). he certainly lives in his own arse, but he is french and makes great tunes, so all is forgiven. sample heavy and very retro sounding house musics. woooo!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/?z42jtv0zdll

prefuse 73 - when irony wears thin

this is a track that made me say "holy shit!" when i first heard it. computer-game inspired abstract hip-hop with a fractured beat that is just out of this world.

http://www.mediafire.com/?tmn5mdggfdq

dj shadow - organ donor

i don't know anyone who doesn't like this track. its a straight-up classic. has one of the best beats EVER. but the organ is the real star. anyone who hates on hip-hop needs to see this guy live and in action. and possible needs to get some ears.

http://www.mediafire.com/?dnmnfzm3zzz

tiefshwarch - ghosttrack (blackstrobe mix)

TUUUUNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's like kraftwerk went and hung out with ian curtis hahaha.

http://www.mediafire.com/?1kzzqtery4a

datA - morphosis

this excellent piece of house music expands on daft punk's 'aerodynamic' and takes it to another level. well worth a listen even for those not into electronic music.

http://www.mediafire.com/?nfwimouvzij

gully platoon - future

oz hip-hop done very very well.

http://www.mediafire.com/?k22wnmmy3hq

adam f feat. m.o.p. - stand clear

for those that like their hip-hop loud and energetic. brooklyn rappers m.o.p. really own this one. and the beat is just siiiick - provided by brit adam f, who is usually known for making drum & bass.

http://www.mediafire.com/?nmlzozovwyn

jesse frederick - everwhere you look

best.song.ever. you all should bow down to this genius.

http://www.mediafire.com/?dytjjgjzhjh

i've gone on a progressive house tip. or minimal progressive techno. there are so many genres and sub-genres i don't even know what i'm listening to anymore. i just know it's really, really good, and has an serious groove that makes me want to dance in some kind of valium-haze. listen to the use of distortion in the james holden remix. really textured and beautiful without being harsh.

john dahlback - pyramid (original mix)

nathan fake - the sky was pink (james holden remix)

the bagraiders track is already a favourite, but kris menace really takes the bare essence of it and runs wild. its really interesting when the remix is almost more inspired than the original. like cut copy meets one of the artists in the above paragraph. awesome.

bagraiders - shooting stars (kris menace remix)

the passion pit - moths' wings

this is pretty epic. all the right chords in all the right places. john hughes overdrive.

visitor - los feeling

excellent new group with an old-fashioned sound. i am currently working on a remix for them. great track. on repeat for days.

beaumont's lovable picks volume three - august two thousand and nine


1. the knife - we share our mother's health

sounding like bjork's cyborg cousin signing over carribean electro, the knife's karen drejer is electrifying. and creepy. what the hell is she actually singing about? who knows. but it sure adds to the overall charm and scariness.

2. dennis wilson - thoughts of you

i never expected one of the 'other beach boys' to be this impressive. one of the most emotive pop songs i've ever heard. dennis was the one who hung out with charles manson and drowned at 39. he also wrote some dark and powerful ballads like this one. epic and beautiful.

3. the passion pit - the reeling

i probably came a little late to the party on this one but i wanted to share it because it's a really joyous and well produced slice of pop. kind of a homage to french house, but wrapped up in an indie-pop aesthetic. great chorus, and the stuttered drums during the break are pretty hot.

4. grizzly bear - two weeks

another one i've fallen for after the hype has subsided. really beautifully recorded piano-pop. reminds me a little of early ben folds five merged with dexy's midgnight runners. heh. also, the fred falke mix of this is really great too. transforms it into epic 80s soundtrack music.

5. lamont dozier - sight for sore eyes

i can't take credit for finding this. my brother nick, has some seriously good musical taste and he put me onto this guy. apparently one of motown's primary hitmakers, mr dozier was unceremoniously muscled out by the labels owers when they realised how much power he had. go figure. solid fucking gold. this kind of richly produced motown-style music has no equal in my books. makes me feel like a million bucks.


6. mercury rev - senses on fire

psychadelic and epic. like a constant crescendo. i'm not huge on mercury rev but this is really good. especially the warm analogue synths that run throughout the intro.

7. justice - d.a.n.c.e. (jackson and his computer band remix)

before you go "ive heard this song a million times - next!", this is worth checking out. jackson forgeau is one of the more progressive house producers out there, producing deeply textured and comlex music while excercising enough restraint to stay reasonably 'poppy' and accessible. this 10 min collage of justice's music is centered around the central motif of the 'd.a.n.c.e.' vocals, but is so much more than the combined parts. awesome.

8. hey champ - cold dust girl (original mix)

'indie dance pop' is a genre that won't go away at the moment. this is one of the best examples of the scene. these frenchman have nailed it with great guitars, a solid house beat, and some typically indie vocal stylings in the vein of phoenix - those other frenchies. great stuff.

9. aphex twin - avril 14th

this is a really haunting piece of piano music. from his album 'drukqs'. has no beats whatsoever and you can even hear the peddle going...

10. vega - no reasons

this is pure cheese. i can't describe why i love it, but anyone who knows me will get it. the 'pumping' sound, like its all constantly surging forward, is a great production technique called side-chain compression, which i often attempt in my own music. the vocals are a bit flat but i can overlook this because it makes me dream of beach parties in some sort of alien paradise haha.

11. n.a.s.a - strange enough (mr oizo remix)

like a four-on-the-floor house beat, slowed down for a hip-hop track. features the undead talents of ol' dirty bastard (RIP) and the forward thinking production of the crazy as hell frenchman oizo. makes me smile very big.

12. van dyke parks - the four mills brothers

13. van dyke parks - jack palance

14. van dyke parks - donovan's colours

15. van dykes - riverboat

this guy has really captured my attention, and his tracks are really short, so he gets four. totally off his rocker and an utter genius in my opinion. check his album 'song cycle'. a sprawling mess of madness.

oasis - don't look back in anger (beaumont remix) (zshare)