Ultravox - "Vienna"

ultravox - "vienna" (download)

I really love this track. The whole record is amazing. I also love that it was released in 1980. Just seems really ahead of its time. It does have it's corny moments, but those are allowed, as most records that came out in the 80's have them. There are moments in the title track here that give me chills. Just some really passionate, epic stuff. This is a gem that you can most likely even find in the dollar bin at your local record store. I'd highly recommend picking it up and giving it a shot. A lot of the other tracks are much different than this. Very synthy, very poppy and very good.

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The Fly Girlz - "Born 2 B Fly"

the fly girlz - "born 2 b fly" (stream only)

Great track from a few 14-year old girls from Brooklyn. Sam Hillmer (of the band Z's) put together a program where he works with city high school kids to help them record their own songs, featuring production by Nathan "Zebrablood" from Excepter. They have a limited 12" out now through True Panther Sounds, which you can buy here. The Fader has a great little documentary about the project here. I love stuff like this.

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Bartlomein - "Dead Right"

bartlomein - "dead right" (download)

There's not a whole lot of information floating around about Bartlomein. He's based just outside of NYC in Bergen County, NJ. Here, he flips a classic Biggie track into something completely new. Be on the lookout for this guy. If the songs he has up for free on his Bandcamp page are any indication, this guy has the potential to come up fast.

Gary Numan - Are 'Friends' Electric?

gary numan - "are 'friends' electric?" (download)

One of my favorite albums of all time. This record strongly influenced a lot of the music I make today. I love this man. I mean, this record was made in 1979! Gary Numan really gets overlooked due to most people only knowing his hit "Cars". Do yourself a favor and pick up Replicas, the self-titled Tubeway Army record, The Pleasure Principle and Telekon. Great, great stuff. And he's still making music!

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Cold Flamez - "Miss Me, Kiss Me"

cold flamez - "miss me, kiss me" (stream only)

I first heard this song in Jeff Cowan and Henry Choi's short "jerkin" documentary Now We Jerk. I couldn't figure out for the life of me who did the song, until I ran into Matthew Africa who, after hearing me recite a couple of lines from it, informed me that it was Cold Flamez from Long Beach, CA. This is yet another song that is constantly stuck in my head. Recommended if you like Lil' Wayne, New Boyz, J Hawk, etc. This is stream-only because it's the only song they have available for sale. If you like it, do them a favor and go buy it.

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Giorgio - "London Traffic"

giorgio - "london traffic" (download)

From his 1972 release Son of My Father. Some bubblegum pop from Giorgio (later known for his soundtrack work and electro disco recorded in the late 70's and 80's under his more recognizable birthname Giorgio Morodor). I lucked out and found this record for $1 just under 10 years ago and I've loved the record ever since. I was thrilled to find out that in addition to having some great songs on it, it's also the record that DJ Shadow used for the main sample for "Organ Donor". Unfortunately, the record is long out of print to the best of my knowledge, but if you ever do find it, pick it up.

Death - "Politicans In My Eyes"

death - "politicians in my eyes" (download)

Death was formed in Detroit in 1971 by three brothers, Bobby, David & Dannis Hackney. They soon got the attention of Clive Davis of Columbia Records, who agreed to finance some recording sessions for them. After they had recorded 7 songs, Davis asked them to change their name to something a bit less depressing, to which they refused. This led to Davis pulling funding for the project, and the band was stuck with only those 7 songs, which never saw the light of day (aside from a 2 song 7" featuring "Politicians In My Eyes" and "Keep on Knocking". The band basically gave up and remained lost in obscurity until this year when Drag City decided to give their 7 songs a proper release under the name ...For the Whole World To See. The record is already generating quite a buzz, and there's a documentary in the works about them that is sure to be amazing. The remaining members of Death are now living in Vermont and are part of the band Lambsbread.

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The Shivers - "Only In It For The $$$"

the shivers - "only in it for the $$$" (download)

From NYC duo The Shivers' fourth album, In the Morning. This record really grew on me. I found this song bouncing around in my head quite a bit lately, so I decided to share it. The album as a whole is great. Recommended if you like Suicide, The Velvet Underground, etc. They even have a great cover of Suicide's "Cheree" on here.

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Broken Figures - "Unauthorized"

broken figures - "unauthorized" (download)

I see San Francisco's Broken Figures coming up fast in the Bay Area electronic music scene. These guys (Matt Holt & Keith Tadashi Kubota) have seemingly come out of nowhere. They're currently hard at work on their self-titled debut and looking for a label. In the 8 months since their creation, they've already shared stages with Bay Area heavy hitters Quitter, Asonic Garcia, DJ Centipede, Tenderlions and more. Be on the lookout for these guys, and go check out their amazing new video for "Unauthorized" here

Scotch - "Disco Band"

scotch - "disco band" (download)

Sort of a guilty pleasure. Some of you may hate this song, but I think it's really catchy and there's a synth line in here that really gets me. Scotch was an Italo-Disco group in the 80's (which you can probably tell when you hear the song). It's kind of hard to find a whole lot of information about them. Give this song a try or two. There's an entertaining video for the song here

Hawnay Troof - "Connection"

hawnay troof - "connection" (download)

Oakland's Hawnay Troof has quite an impressive musical resume. He's handled lead vocals for xbxrx for quite some time now (as Vice Cooler), he mixed his most recent record Islands of Ayle in 2 days with Greg Saunier of Deerhoof, Peaches calls him "the world's greatest performer", he's friends with Drew Daniel of Matmos, he drummed in the Boredoms 88 Boadrum project, he's been a live drummer for both The Raincoats and Chicks on Speed, and apparantly, Henry Rollins cites him as "an inspiration". I could go on. Point being, his music, while not for everyone, is cool as shit.

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Chandra - "Kate"

chandra - "kate" (download)

Chandra Oppenheim (daughter of artist Dennis Oppenheim), was 12 years old when she recorded this record. It is rumored that Chandra had been hanging out with post-punk/new wave band The Dance back in the 80's and would start coming up with lyrics to some of The Dance's instrumental songs. She ended up recording a 4-song EP with them called Transportation. Transportation has since been reissued with 4 previously unreleased bonus tracks that she had recorded with her friends under the name The Chandra Dimension, as well as a really interesting 32 page booklet telling her story. This really is a great record if you're into the post-punk/new wave stuff, and it makes it extra cool when you consider the back story.

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France Gall - "Laisse Tomber Les Filles"

france gall - "laisse tomber les filles" (download)

1964 song (meaning "forget the girls"), composed by Serge Gainesbourg and performed by France Gall. Catchy as hell.

Ministry - "Same Old Madness"

ministry - "same old madness" (download)

Super rare, unreleased gem from Ministry. To the best of my knowledge, this isn't on any of their releases. Actually, it took quite a bit of looking to even be able to track down an mp3 of it after seeing this video. Such a great song. I've always loved Ministry, from their early, Depeche Mode-esque With Sympathy days, all the way to their aggro Psalm 69 stuff. If you're not up on early Ministry though, you need to be. Pick up Twelve Inch Singles and With Sympathy to start. You won't even believe it's the same band.

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EGADZ! - "Glock Out"

egadz! - "glock out" (download)

For his final album as EGADZ!, Egadz Is Dead, Erik Nava puts the nail in the coffin with intensity. "Glock Out", one of the standout tracks on the record, hits you in the face with driving beats and a nasty distorted bassline. EGADZ! has recently relocated from the Bay Area to Denver, CO and has decided to shed his old persona for his new one, NAVA. Expect great things from this man in the future. Egadz is Dead is out TODAY. Grab it below.

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