It's impossible to narrow down all the great remixes from the past year in a shortlist. I probably have more remixes in my iTunes than original songs so it was really difficult for me to pick my faves. You can check out my Top 15 below in no particular order (a Top 10 list wasn't enough). I probably missed a few good ones but I think every remix on ths playlist is worth listening to.......
Tracklist:
1. El Barto & Liam B - Peculiar Symphony (Marvin Gaye vs The Verve)
2. Friendly Fires - Paris (Aeroplane Remix) (Ft. Au Revoir Simone)
3. Metric - Help I'm Alive (The Twelves Remix)
4. La Roux - Quicksand (Alex Metric Remix)
5. Coldplay - Fix You (P.E.S.T Remix)
6. Nightriders - Take My Hand (Justin Faust Deep Mix)
7. Killa Kela - Everyday (Lifelike Remix)
8. The White Panda - Stuntin Like My Energy (Birdman & Lil' Wayne vs Keri Hilson)
9. Fabian - Heatwave (Russ Chimes Funkwave Remix)
10. Frankmusik - Confusion Girl (Don Diablo Loves to Slow Dance Remix)
11. Phoenix - Lisztomania (Classixx Version)
12. Jay-Z & Marvin Gaye - Hello Brooklyn (Remix)
13. Digitalism - Taken Away (Gooseflesh Remix)
14. The Hood Internet - Back That Sleepyhead Up (Passion Pit vs Juvenile) (DJ Set Rip)
15. Anoraak - Nightdrive With You (Fear of Tigers Remix)
The Twelfth Hour by The Twelves is hands down the best mixtape of the year. It's an aural delight from start to finish. Anyone feeling the need to party and have fun will enjoy this great mix.
All of Aeroplane's monthly mix charts are pretty awesome. Some people say the August one is the best but I really like the September mix. Above is their most recent set. Check out some of their other mixes in SoundCloud.
Obviously I can't forget about Drake's So Far Gone. Everyone's favourite Canadian rapper pleased hip-hop fans around the world when his mixtape came out early in the year. I'm sure most people have heard it by now so I won't post a link to the whole thing but you can listen to my favourite song from the mixtape below.
Earlier in the year, M83 had a contest asking fans to create the official music video for We Own The Sky. This vid did not win but I still think it was a fantastic entry (the winner was pretty good too and you can watch it HERE)
Exams are finally over so I guess it's back to blogging. It was a rough semester for me so I'm just glad it's done....
Now that the year (and technically the decade) is coming to a close, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at my favourite things, music, people, events etc from 2009.
To start things off here's my favourite moment in sports:
Manny Pacquiao defeats Miguel Cotto
I was looking forward to this fight all year and my hero did not disappoint. I was actually nervous before the fight because I was unsure about Pacquiao's ability to absorb Cotto's power, but he showed everyone that he could take a welterweight punch and give one too. The first three to four rounds were great and the two knockdowns were a big surprise. Through this performance, Manny proved that he is simply the best. Can you believe that this win earned him his seventh title in seven different weight classes? Now, he only has to beat Mayweather in 2010 to truly establish himself as a legend in the sport....
Here's some video highlights and post-fight analysis:
Of course there were plenty of other great moments in sports this past year. Here's some honorable mentions:
Bulls vs Celtics Playoff series
The best series in years. Too bad it wasn't the finals.....
USC wins Pac-10 Tourney for the first time and DeRozan is named MVP
I'm sure there were other sports moments that I liked but these are what stood out.
Check back daily for more end of the year favourites.
Today, I started using Tumblr. I've been looking over their features and so far I've been really impressed by their user-friendly interface. I'm gonna try it out for a bit to see if I like it. There's no way I'm getting rid of this blog since I put in a lot of time in customizing the layout, but Tumblr might be more convenient for me to use when school starts up again because it's set up well for doing quick posts. If you've ever thought about doing your own blog, I recommend Tumblr as a starting point.
I know posts have been few and far between but don't worry once exams are done everything will be back on track. I'd be lying if I told you studying has been taking up the bulk of my time because the truth is I've been gaming way too much ever since I got Modern Warfare 2 and FIFA 10. Mat's also been pretty busy but he'll be blogging regularly again soon. We are going to have a "Favourite Things from 2009" feature before the end of the year so be on the lookout for that....
I can't end this post without adding something new so here's a new video featuring Usher, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and Drake. I usually don't hate on guys but I personally think DJ Khaled is a bonafide loser. The other four artists barely make up for it though....
PS I also updated the music player if you're wondering....
It's been a while since I posted some music so here's a couple of new tracks that I've been enjoying:
(Click the song to listen and download)
First up is B.o.B.'s new single Nothin' On You. Nowadays, most new rap and r&b songs leave me disappointed so this track was a pleasant surprise. You know the feeling that you get when you first hear a song and you instantly know that you love it? This song gave me that feeling. I haven't felt that way about a song in a long time. The instrumentation is perfect, Bruno Mars' vocals are amazing, and B.o.B.'s rhymes are on point. I got the goosebumps from all the awesomeness. Just listen for yourself. It's definitely my new favourite.
Next up is a track from the folks at Binary. It's the end of the semester. For many of us, there's a lot of final projects due and exams are creeping up. If you're like me, you're probably behind in your readings and you're wondering how you're going to learn everything before exams. Well this song is for you. It's a disco-funk-pop track by Xuman that captures the essence of being in full panic mode. Enjoy!
Thanks to the style icons at Street Etiquette, I came across this neat informative video about denim. If you are just getting into the premium/raw denim scene or you just want to learn more about jeans, this video is a good start:
The subject of denim has actually been on my mind a lot recently, because I've been wanting to invest in a new pair. For many years, choosing denim was very easy for me. I stood by Levi's 501s for a long, long time. Despite being really affordable, they still had a great classic look and feel. The thought of buying any other kind of jean never crossed my mind. In fact, I still love the several pairs hanging in my closet today.
Earlier this year, I finally invested in a pair of high quality raw denim. Although my style can be flashy at times, I like my jeans to look simple and clean. Buying something like True Religion was out of the question. Even though I had the full intention of buying a more expensive pair of denim, actually purchasing them was a difficult process. I would walk into the store, find the jeans I like, stare at the price tag, shake my head, then leave empty handed. One day, I manned up and purchased a pair of Nudie Jeans. All I can say is that I definitely do not regret my investment. You won't know the true feeling of loving a pair of jeans until you invest in a really good pair....
My Nudies are almost ready for their first wash (maybe in a month or two), so I've been contemplating on what to buy next. I'm pretty nervous about washing them for the first time, but hopefully they will turn out okay. Right now, I think I'm gonna get something by Naked & Famous. N&F is the premier Canadian denim brand in my opinion. All of their jeans are raw, selvedge denim made with the highest quality fabrics from Japan. Currently, I'm choosing between the N&F WeirdGuy Green Selvedge or the N&F SlimGuy Cashmere Denim. If I was ballin, I'd get both, but my bank account is in a sad state at the moment.
Thanks to my friend Pat for showing me this short by Wong Fu Productions on Friday. It's been out for several months now so you may have seen it already. The film is about a geek who is invited to a nightclub by the girl of his dreams. Having never been to a club before, he asks his "cool" friends for a few pointers about clubbing, and they do their best to train him for his date....
"Up In Da Club" is just a really well put together short. It's got humour, drama, romance, and great music. Behind all of the funny antics, there's actually a lot of truth to what the guys say. There's definitely some good advice in there for rookie club goers. I also found the main character quite easy to empathize with, plus I kinda dig the cute accountant ;) . The ending is especially sweet. If you're bored and have some free time, check out this film. It's been split into four episodes and you can view them all below:
Just a quick post while I got a couple minutes to spare. Whether it's a late night chillin with my friends or working on school projects, this track always fits the bill....
It seems like lacking time to update is becoming a recurring theme for this blog but once again I'm too busy to do my weekly music update. The semester is almost over and the amount of work I need to do just continues to pile up. In fact, I should be working on a research proposal as I am writing this but I guess it shall have to wait....
For the kids who visit this blog for music, I decided to add aHype Machinewidget to the sidebar. It will have a list of songs that I currently "love". Everytime I choose to "love" a song on The Hype Machine, it will be added to the list instantly. Updates on there should happen more frequently. I'm still gonna post tracks here but this is just an additional tool for me to share music with you.
If you haven't used The Hype Machine before, it is a popular music blog aggregator. Basically, it collects songs from thousands of blogs and posts them as they are updated. When I first came upon the site last year, I visited the site everyday. I felt like a kid in a candy store, with countless of options to choose from and not knowing where to start. There was so much new music waiting to be discovered and I loved finding great songs that I had never heard before. Without The Hype Machine, I probably would not know some of the artists I listen to today.
I haven't been visiting the site as much anymore because the amount of tracks on it is just way too overwhelming, but I'll try to go to it more often now that I added the widget. Although I think that The Hype Machine is a great site overall, it takes too much time to listen to each track and filter out the crap from the good stuff, plus not all the tracks are new. I prefer sticking to my shortlist of favourite music blogs. Visiting individual blogs is a much more rewarding experience especially once you find one that caters to your exact musical tastes and has interesting commentary.
Hopefully, this blog will be featured on The Hype Machine in the near future....
Hey everyone, this is the new video for the song Shots by LMFAO feat. Lil Jon. The video is pretty wild and I'm sure we'd all like to be there since it looks like a blast! Pretty fitting for the song i suppose haha.... Well take a look!
It's been awhile since I've seen rappers that can rival the talents of the legendary Eli, but today I think I've found two guys that could challenge him for the title of best freestyle rapper in the world. If you haven't seen Eli's epic battle against Envy, you need to watch that first. Here's the link. He got robbed by the judges, but I still view him as the best. Below are the guys I would like him to face, if he ever decides to come out of retirement.
How many people do you know that can freestyle for 4 minutes straight on their first try? Probably none. This guy's got really sick flow. His rhymes are fast but the words he spits are easy to understand, and that's a quality many rappers are lacking.
Don't know this rapper's name so let's just call him The Boss, because he is the BOSS. He is a certified P-I-M-P. This dude knows how to throwdown. One word that describes his style is "dirty". Listen to his rhymes and you'll know why. He's definitely a guy I would not want to mess with.
I would pay to see these guys battle Eli. I don't think they have a chance at beating him, but it would be fun to see them try.
I was looking through the old blog posts and I saw the one that Raf had made about Final Fantasy XIII. The game looks amazing and I can't wait for it to come out, but another Final Fantasy that looks promising is Final Fantasy Versus XIII. This trailer has been out for a while, but if you haven't seen it the game looks amazing. I suppose that this will be released a while after FFXIII is released but I'm hoping that the gameplay is as stunning as the games visuals.
Once again I couldn't decide between two videos so here's both of them. The first one is by Bassment Jaxx. All I can say is that it's got some pretty cool visuals that you need to see for yourself...
The second one is by Gucci Mane and Usher. Sadly, it's not as creative or artistic as the first one. It's set in the boring standard urban club setting most rap/r&b videos are known for, but I still posted it because Spotlight is probably my fave rap/r&b song at the moment. I'm definitely bumpin' it in the car whenever I go out. It's just too bad that Gucci Mane's verses are just average because I think Usher absolutely kills the hook.
Thanks to Hypebeast, the first shots of the highly anticipated Skytop II have finally been released. I'm not really feelin it, but I bet a lot of Supra fans will still love it. I personally think that the original Skytop looked a lot better and I'm not even a big fan of that shoe either.
In other Supra news, I'm glad to hear that the company has decided to release the X-Games TK Society to the general public. The TK Society is my favourite sneaker model at the moment. I wear my purple or black TKs almost everyday. Only 600 pairs of the X-Games edition will be released. Hopefully I can get my hands on the pink one....
Hey guys this is Mat, this is gonna be my first post I've been pretty busy recently so I haven't had any time to drop any posts, but I have a lot more time on my hands now and I'll be contributing regularly. This video I just wanted to show is probably one of the most ridiculous things I have ever seen. Me and my friend were just in class today when he came across this video and it was real difficult to keep myself from laughing out loud haha. Well hope you enjoy it because I'm sure the people watching the cameras did. This is the original footage taken from teh DVR.
Is this really LMFAO's new music video?? It's not completely done so it's been split into three parts. Watch each one and let me know what you think. LOL
That was just a little preview of what's to come on Halloween night.....
I noticed that a lot of blogs are posting Halloween mixtapes and playlists already. Rather than following what everyone else is doing, I'm going to share some of my favourite music videos that fit the Halloween theme. The first one by Bats For Lashes is exceptionally creepy. Check them all out:
I listened to a lot of mashups and remixes this week. Someday I'm gonna post all my favourites but today I just wanna focus on one that really stood out to me. It was a mashup by El Barto & Liam B. They did their own take of The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony, adding Marvin Gaye to the mix. The original Bittersweet Symphony is terrific but the addition of Marvin Gaye's vocals makes the song even more special. It is a perfect mashup and is this week's number one. I couldn't resist playing it over and over again, especially because it's so short and sweet.
Here's the rest of this week's top 10:
(All new entries this week can be downloaded by right-clicking the d/l link then clicking "save as". Preview the tracks by pressing play on the iPod playlist in the sidebar --> )
1. El Barto & Liam B - Peculiar Symphony (Marvin Gaye vs The Verve) *new entry*(d/l link)
2.White Panda - Ice Chrome Paint Job (Chromeo vs Dorrough) *new entry*(d/l link) P.S. My friends and I decided that this is the new bowling pre-game pump up jam. Yes that does mean that I bowl nowadays....
3. Chromeo - Night by Night (Siriusmo Remix) *new entry* (d/l link)
4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix) *new entry*(d/l link) This remix absolutely dominated the blogosphere this week
5. Duck Sauce - aNYway
6.. Erik Hassle - Hurtful (Penguin Prison Remix)
7. Big Boi ft. Gucci Mane - Shine Blockas
8. Killa Kela - Everyday (Lifelike Remix)
9. Marchand - Supernova
10. Whiz Khalifa - This Plane
Video of the Week:
This week's featured video is actually an old music video that was first released sometime in 2008. Knowing that this coming weekend is going to get real messy (friend's birthday Friday night & Halloween party on Saturday night), I tried to find a vid that captured what that type of weekend would look like. I think Hey Champ illustrated it very well with their video for their indie classic Cold Dust Girl, at least from a hipsterish point of view. Girls + Boys + Music + Dancing + Drinks = Fun Times. It's a very very cool video and I fell in love with the song because of it. Like Dave Chappelle once wisely said, "everything looks better in slow motion". Be sure to check it out.
Man I'm getting pumped for this fight. I admire how Pacquiao and Cotto have presented themselves thus far. You can tell from this video that they genuinely respect each other. Both guys are class acts in my book. I'm sick of guys who constantly talk trash. Let your fighting do the talking.......
As I previously mentioned, school is keeping me real busy so I don't have as much time to blog. Because of this, I'm getting two of my closest friends to help contribute. My hopes are that with their assistance, the blog will be updated everyday. Expect at least one of them to have a post by this weekend....
My friend Joe will handle sports. I wanted to post about sports more regularly but it hasn't happened, so Joe will cover this category. I never don't always agree with his opinions (I usually cheer for better different teams/players) but he knows what he's talking about most of the time.
Mat's posts will be a little more random. He plans to find funny videos and cool movie/game trailers. He will also take over some of the R&B music posts so that I can focus on other genres.
I will remain as the blog's presidentBOSSkingCEO editor-in-chief so I will overlook their posts to make sure they are respectable and meet the quality 100% Fresh is known for. I will also continue to post the usual cool stuff that I always do....
Like Alicia Keys' new video for Doesn't Mean Anything. I thought the ending was kind of retarded (rock climbing???) but whatever the song's nice.
This was a good week for music. There was a lot of great stuff released from many different genres. However, it was a bad week for sharing music, at least for me, because of all the exams I needed to study for. It seems like I have less and less time to blog and post new tracks, so I may be getting some other guys to contribute to this blog. Stay tuned....
Anyway, here's the ten tracks I listened to the most this week. There's a few new tracks, and as always, you can listen to my top ten by clicking on the iPod music player on the sidebar:
1. Duck Sauce - aNYway *new entry*
2. Killa Kela - Everyday (Lifelike Remix)
3. Marchand - Supernova
4. Erik Hassle - Hurtful (Penguin Prison Remix) *new entry*
5. Chromeo - Night By Night
6. Wiz Khalifa - This Plane *new entry*
7. Jupiter - Mama Used To Say *new entry*
8. Big Boi - Shine Blockas (ft. Gucci Mane) *new entry*
9. Mariah Carey - H.A.T.E.U. (Remix ft. OJ Da Juiceman, Gucci Mane, & Big Boi)
10. Beyonce - Broken-Hearted Girl (Alan Braxe Dub)
This week's featured video is by Duck Sauce for their song aNYway. Duck Sauce is a new dj super duo formed by Dj A-Trak & Armand Van Helden. The video is a great tribute to all those classic r&b/funk/soul/disco bands from the 70's. I'm definitely lovin' the old school vibe. Of course the song is really good too. Check it out!
Tomorrow, the USC Trojans, aka the greatest football program in the world, play against their cupcake rivals, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, in their annual battle for the Jewelled Shillelagh. Keeping that in mind, I thought today would be a good day to look back on USC's dominance over ND in recent years...
Current recently did a special episode of Embedded featuring my favourite hip-hop artist Mos Def. The crew followed him for a week in Japan, showcasing some of his live performances, the Harajuku fashion district, Tokyo Giants stadium and more. This episode further proves that Mos Def is the coolest person in the planet right now. Check it out below:
Earlier today, a friend of mine mentioned Book of Eli, a new movie starring Denzel Washington, so I decided to check out the trailer. I'm probably going to enjoy this film because I've always found post-apocalyptic dystopian worlds interesting. My first thought after seeing the trailer was, "Hmm this looks a lot like Fallout 3". My second thought was, "Wow, Denzel Washington is a beast"!
Book of Eli is scheduled to be released on January 15, 2010. Check out the trailer below:
After being featured on Cobra Starship's summer hit Good Girls Go Bad, everyone's favourite Gossip Girl, Leighton Meester, has finally released her debut single. It's called Somebody to Love and it features Grammy award winning R&B singer, Robin Thicke. I must admit, with a slight bit of guilt, that it's a pretty catchy pop song. You might be ashamed to admit it, but the more you listen to this track, the more you'll like it. It should be on heavy rotation at a radio station near you....
Before we get to the music, happy thanksgiving everybody! I want to thank all of you who visit this blog. It's been doing really well lately. If you like the blog, don't forget to spread the word. Also, you can always contact me or leave a comment if you have any suggestions. Thanks!
Okay now onto the music. From now on, every Sunday I will update my top ten tracks and my featured video. Both can be found on the right sidebar.
My Top 10 This Week:
1. Killa Kela - Everyday (Lifelike Remix)
2. Beyonce - Broken-Hearted Girl (Alan Braxe Dub) *new entry*
3. Meroz - Your Lover
4. Chromeo - Night by Night
5. Kid Cudi - Up Up & Away
6. Trey Songz - Holla If You Need Me *new entry*
7. Mariah Carey - H.A.T.E.U. (Remix) ft. OJ Da Juiceman, Big Boi, Gucci Mane *new entry*
8. Marchand - Supernova *new entry*
9. Trey Songz -Invented Sex ft. Drake
10. Alicia Keys - Doesn't Mean Anything
Video of the Week:
I couldn't decide between Major Lazer and Q-Tip so there's gonna be two featured videos this week:
The first one is the video for Keep It Goin' Louder by Major Lazer. This was one of my favourite songs of the summer and they finally made a vid for it.
Since I was busy with essays, I wasn't able to post all the tracks that I wanted to this week. So as a bonus, here's a few hot tracks from the past week.
Plies - Medicine ft. Keri Hilson
There's been a few different versions of this song. This time it's Plies rapping the verses while Keri Hilson sings the hook. Yes this is the clean version but that's ok. Cursing is overrated anyway....
Jay Sean - Do You Remember ft. Lil' Jon & Sean Paul
After releasing a stable of hits in the UK, Jay Sean has finally gained some success in North America with his single "Down". He should continue to get radio play with this new single.
Jennifer Lopez - Fresh Out The Oven ft. Pitbull
Don't ask me why but there's something that pisses me off about J.Lo and Pitbull. Even if I'm not a huge fan of either artist, this new single definitely has a chance to become a hit so it's worth posting.
Kristina Debarge - Future Love (Remix) ft. Fabolous
A couple of my friends and I were recently talking about Fabolous and how he's been underappreciated all these years. Sure he's gained some mainstream success, but we think he deserves way more love than what he's gotten. Once again, in the small part he has on this remix, he kills it.
Wale - Fly Away Wale released this track on his twitter sometime on Friday. If you're not a fan of Wale, this track is not gonna change your mind. Wale fans, like me, will love it.
Now here's some songs for the dance/electro/indie-pop fans:
Marchand - Supernova
This is an amazing dance track from Marchand. Although he's Dutch, he manages to emulate the French electro sound that I enjoy so much. I could listen to this for days.
Miami Horror - Sometimes
This new song from Miami Horror should please plenty of electropop fans. Personally, I'm not in love with the vocals on this one, but the intro hooked me in. It's still a good track overall; it's just not one of my faves.
That's it for now. If you are ever in need of a music fix, remember to come back every Sunday. Better yet visit everyday. You never know what I could be posting next.....
My little brother was watching Toy Story 2 the other day and that reminded me that Toy Story 3 is coming next year. Toy Story was one of my favourite movies as a kid so I have high hopes for this one.
While we're on the topic of Notorious B.I.G., here's one of his other more obscure collabos: "You Can't Stop The Reign" with Shaquille O'Neal. I guess this isn't as strange because he's with another rapper, but it's Shaq and we know him more for his dominance on the court than his rapping skills.
Shaq made a video for the song too but sadly, Biggie already passed away when it was made.
A mashup featuring Biggie & Miley Cyrus? Ya I definitely never saw this coming, but suprisingly the song isn't that bad. It's actually not that shocking. When you put a legend in the rap game together with Miley's catchy pop tunes, it's gotta turn out somewhat decent. I still find it funny seeing these two artists on the same track though. It's just a weird combination....
Click the song below and listen to it for yourself. I know you're curious.
New video for the Justice remix of Let Love Rule. I really like the unique concept of this video. I don't remember seeing anything like it before. The song is decent as well.
School is really hectic right now, and I'm sure a lot of you are busy as well, so updates are probably gonna be sporadic at best this week. Here's a few songs from the past few days. Sorry I'm really late on these ones....
Usher - Papers
This is Usher's newest single. I was pretty disappointed by it, but who knows it might grow on me. I just can't relate to a song about divorce. If you can, you are probably too old to be reading this blog.... just a thought......
Why is this vid making rounds in the blogosphere? This song is 2-3 years old. Isn't it too late to resurrect the career Uffie never had to begin with? If it wasn't for the cool asian guy at the 2:02 mark, I would not be posting this video. He's a pimp......
Occasionally I post MP3s on this blog. They are for sampling purposes only. If you like the song, buy the track or album. Artists need to eat and pay their bills too...
If you are an artist or represent an artist, and you want something taken down or put up on this blog, email me at freshjive1989@live.com and I will do so as soon as possible.
