[Listen] Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - "Hiding"

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. have been delivering some fantastic tracks lately, and their new cut "Hiding" is indie pop at its finest. "Hiding" embraces the unashamed attitude the duo have on "If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t on the Dancefloor)," with Daniel Zott and Josh Epstein delivering passionate harmonies amongst no-nonsense instrumentation. It's a fantastic cut and I'm excited to hear more from these guys.

The duo's new Patterns EP is due out on April 16th digitally and physically on Record Store Day.

[News] Take a Look at Daft Punk's New Saint Laurent-Designed Suits

Gone are the days of Daft Punk's Human After All-era biker-inspired illuminated suits, in are the days of disco-inspired glittery suits. French fashion house Saint Laurent designed the suits, led by photographer and creative director Hedi Slimane. They began working on a design with Daft Punk in October 2012 after the duo were asked to do the soundtrack for the inaugural Saint Laurent Fashion show.

Saint Laurent have put together a video showcasing the new Random Access Memory-era duds. Watch it below or check out some of the photos after the jump.

[News] Daft Punk Discuss New Album, Tour Plans and Collaborations with Rolling Stone

Daft Punk are quickly ramping up excitement for Random Access Memories, whether it's their ongoing collaborator-centric video series or the extended teaser they recently dropped. One lucky man, Jonah Weiner of Rolling Stone, had the chance to peer behind the veil of the enigmatic robot duo. Yesterday, he posted an extensive interview with Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Much is discussed and it's the first time the band have talked about their new album. Here are some significant highlights:

—"They began working on Random Access Memories in 2008, in Paris, with no clear plan. "After three records, there was a sense of searching for a record we hadn’t done," Thomas says. The duo were dissatisfied with early demos that leaned heavily on electronic equipment, feeling like they were operating on "autopilot," Thomas says. Eventually, a new approach emerged: "We wanted to do what we used to do with machines and samplers," he explains, "but with people." Except for a snippet of "an Australian rock record" that opens the final track, "Contact," Daft Punk foreswore samples entirely, and they limited the role of drum machines to just two of the album’s thirteen tracks. The only electronics come in the form of a massive, custom-built modular synthesizer that Daft Punk played live on the album... and an arsenal of vintage vocoders on which they manually manipulated factors like pitch, vibrato and legato. "There’s this thing today where the recorded human voice is processed to try to feel robotic," Thomas says, referring to the undying AutoTune vogue. "Here, we were trying to make robotic voices sound the most human they’ve ever sounded, in terms of expressivity and emotion.""

—"The album’s move away from computerized sounds reflects Daft Punk’s "ambivalence" about the EDM craze they helped to inspire. "Electronic music right now is in its comfort zone and it’s not moving one inch," Thomas says. "That’s not what artists are supposed to do." He adds that the genre is suffering "an identity crisis: You hear a song, whose track is it? There’s no signature. Skrillex has been successful because he has a recognizable sound: You hear a dubstep song, even if it’s not him, you think it’s him.""

—"While recording, Daft Punk found time in their schedules to jam with Kanye West for his next album. At their Paris studio, they laid down a combination of live and programmed drums while Kanye worked out rough vocals on the fly. "It was very raw: he was rapping – kind of screaming primally, actually," Thomas says. "Kanye doesn’t give a fuck," Guy-Manuel adds. "He’s a good friend." Director (and longtime Daft Punk compatriot) Michel Gondry says that Kanye recently played him "two songs" that sprang from the session. "One of them, I told him it sounded solid and powerful – I envisioned a cube when I heard it," Gondry says. "He told me, Chris Cunningham’s already directing the video!"'

—"They say there are no current tour plans to promote the album. Their "Alive 2007" world tour, in which they played within a giant steel pyramid covered in screens, was a marvel of pop stagecraft, but Thomas says "we have no current plans" to tour the new record. "We want to focus everything on the act and excitement of listening to the album. We don’t see a tour as an accessory to an album." When they do finally hit the road, he added, it will be with a career-encompassing set list, not one overly focused on the new material."

Check out the full interview here. Random Access Memories is out on May 21st.

[News] Wu-Tang Clan Announce New Album 'A Better Tomorrow'

Wu-Tang Clan promised a reunion album in 2013, and the hip hop collective have stayed true to their promise. Slipped into a press release about the group's 20th anniversary shows in the UK was this:

Wu-Tang Clan are currently working on their upcoming album A Better Tomorrow, due for release in July 2013."

Seems like something they would want to devote a whole press release to, right? Either way, it's great news for Wu-Tang fans, and the collective will be debuting new music during their July 25th and 26th shows at the 02 Apollo in Manchester and the 02 Academy in Brixton. Here's looking forward to A Better Tomorrow.

(via Nah Right)

[Watch] Daft Punk Preview New Song "Get Lucky," Featuring Pharrell, at Coachella and on SNL

Continuing the Daft Punk bombardment, the French duo have unveiled a short preview of their much-teased song "Get Lucky". First appearing on screens across the Coachella grounds a few nights ago, the video featured Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers performing over a minute of the track. That's a lot longer than the 15-second previews we've been seeing, and this extended teaser sounds freakin' fantastic. Last night, a high quality version of the teaser aired during Saturday Night Live, which you can watch below.

The teaser video also revealed some other notable mentions, namely the full list of collaborators featured on Random Access Memories. We already knew names like Nile Rodgers, Giorgio Moroder, Todd Edwards, Pharrell, Chilly Gonzales and Panda Bear were contributing to the album, but it seems a few more names can be added to that list. The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas and DJ Falcon will also be adding their talents to what will certainly be an incredible album. As well, this fits with the supposedly confirmed tracklist for Random Access Memories. Take a look at below.

Random Access Memories Tracklist:
1. “Give Life Back to Music” (featuring Nile Rodgers)
2. “The Game of Love”
3. “Giorgio by Moroder” (featuring Giorgio Moroder)
4. “Within” (featuring Chilly Gonzales)
5. “Instant Crush” (featuring Julian Casablancas)
6. “Lose Yourself to Dance” (featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)
7. “Touch” (featuring Paul Williams)
8. “Get Lucky” (featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)
9. “Beyond”
10. “Motherhood”
11. “Fragments of Time” (featuring Todd Edwards)
12. “Doin’ It Right” (featuring Panda Bear)
13. “Contact” (featuring DJ Falcon)

[Watch] Daft Punk Release Next Episode in Collaborators Video Series, Featuring Nile Rodgers

Holy crap. Taking a few days off for exams and essays, I didn't notice the barrage of Daft Punk news that has hit the web. First up is a new addition to the duo's ongoing video series, which focuses on the plentiful collaborators they've secured for their upcoming album Random Access Memories. The latest video features Chic frontman Nile Rodgers, who spends his screentime discussing his notable collaborations as well as recording time with Daft Punk at New York's Electric Lady Studios:

I feel like I’m working with contemporaries, with people who grew up with me and feel it the same way we felt the vibe when we were creating this stuff. They went back to go forward."

Check out the video below, and make sure to watch the first two featuring Giorgio Moroder and Todd Edwards.

In more Daft Punk news, a DJ from French radio station Fun Radio took to Twitter a few days ago, hinting at the premiere of a new Daft Punk single tomorrow, April 15th. Here's the tweet:

Good news, our french robots DaftPunk will premiere their new single next week on the french radio 'Fun Radio', i didnt say anything :)

— LIFELIKE (@LIFELIKE__) April 11, 2013

It's not confirmed, but given the amount of Daft Punk reveals these past few days it's definitely a possibility. Stay tuned.

[Watch] James Blake - "Overgrown" (Official Video)

At the start of this week James Blake released his highly anticipated second album Overgrown and he's been keeping the momentum going prior to the release with numerous track streams and a video for "Voyeur". Now the album is out in the open he's not slowing down either and has now released a video for the album's titled track which can be enjoyed above. I'm sure I'll be spinning this album full  for months to come. 

[Listen] The Prodigy - "Firestarter" (Death Grips Remix)

I remember being about 7-8 years old and my Grandparents owned a pub. I used to get coins off of them before the pub opened for business and put music on really loudly via the jukebox. I remember vividly dancing to The Prodigy's "Firestarter" repeatedly like I was possessed  by some otherworldly demon. My Granddad once caught me and I still to this day have never been so embarrassed. It's one of those tracks that just makes you want to move.

At the end of last year the legendary UK band actually released an extended edition of The Fat of the Land complete with some bonus remixes. Not included on that release though was what we have on offer for you here; a remix from Death Grips. Check out their rework of the classic track that once caused me great embarrassment below and get your Friday off to a great start. If you're going to dance though, ake sure you're alone. Or drunk.