#31: Recent Decents

Now we're playing out every Saturday night, staying on top of new tunes is becoming a real mission. By its very nature, the combination of remix culture and the free-for-all hosting provided by sites such as Sendspace means that there's a lot of shit remixes out there.

So after a good few hours of trawling through tracks, here're just a few tunes that have brightened my morning and will no doubt be finding their way onto the decks at this weekend's Shoplifters clubnight.

In honour of their chart topping album success...

MP3 Metallica - Enter Sandman (Herve Refix)

A nice reworking of one of the best tracks from one of the best British indie albums of the year...

MP3 Mystery Jets - Half In Love With Elizabeth (Delorean Remix)

See you Saturday at Odder,
Hold steady
JC x

#30 Time For 'Bed?

Shoplifters has always been about great covers as well as great remixes - anything stolen, borrowed, pinched - you get the picture.

So while we've been stuffing our new clubnight with plenty of dancefloor 'bangers' (as the kids say), this cover version jumped off the blogs at me.

Florence & The Machine is a seemingly somewhat precocious young singer songwriter with an absolutely blinding voice and while her single 'Kiss With A Fist' was something of a festival anthem this year, it's on this, her cover of Cold War Kids' 'Hospital Beds', that she really shines.

MP3 Florence And The Machine - Hospital Beds (Cold War Kids cover)

See you at Shoplifters' clubnight tonight!
Free entry, cheapo booze, late bar, Odder 9pm.

You're sure to hear this...

MP3 DJ Mujava - Township Funk (Ashley Beedle's Afrikanz On Marz Re-Edit)

Hold steady
JC

#29: Time To Party

OK so exciting news people. It's no secret that I'm a big Bloc Party fan. Innovative, forward thinking and always with one eye on the dancefloor. Perfect for Shoplifters' clubnight

So you can imagine how quickly Mr credit card came out of the wallet when BP announced they're releasing a new album. In two days. F*ck yeah.

The details are all at blocparty.com and you can purchase a high quality MP3 version for just £5 or the CD version for £8 here

The band are also going to make The Killers look like the pile of crap they are at Leeds this weekend as they 'headline' the final night of the festival. (Do you wanna hear the filler from 'Sam's Town' or burn down a portaloo to the soundtrack of Gallows?)

So to celebrate, let's have some of best Bloc related remix shizz from the past few years.

MP3 Bloc Party - Where Is Home? (Burial Remix)

MP3 Bloc Party - I Still Remember (SebastiAn Remix)

MP3 Johnny Foreigner - Salt, Pepper and Spinderella (Bloc Party Remix)

#28: Cometh The Hour, Cometh The Shoplifters

Evening friends,

It's just six days until Shoplifters moves to its brand new home: A weekly residency every Saturday night at the splendid bar Odder on Oxford Rd, Manchester, kicking off at 9pm.

Same deal as before - lots of remixes, covers, electro indie party nonsense.

The difference: A bar that'll be open until 2:30am, two floors of greatness, a cracking soundsystem and the fruity loveliness of Fruli on tap.

Be there.

And to celebrate the countdown, here're a few tracks that will doubtless be in the SLs record box...

MP3 Bloc Party - Mercury (CSS Remix) (Yes unlike most of their remixes this one's actually pretty fine and doesn't stray too far from the original's charms)

MP3 The Cardigans - Erase / Rewind (Kleerup Remix)

MP3 Ben Mono - Jesus Was A B-Boy (Shir-Khan Remix)

MP3 Santogold - Creator (Mumdance Remix feat Jammer) highlight from the recent Santogold / Diplo mixtape

Hold steady,
JC

#27: A Long Time Coming

Howdy,

Some would try and come up with an excuse for why I've not posted for so long. So I won't.

Instead I'll just give you a brand new mixtape to celebrate Shoplifters new DJ residency. Exciting news indeed...

We'll now be playing out at Oddder (Oxford Rd, Manchester) every Saturday night kicking off on August 23rd. Come on down, the price is unquestionably right. Mainly because it's free...

Oh and come join our new Facebook Group and Fan pages.

The Shoplifters Summer 08 Mixtape

1. Neon Neon - 'I Lust You' (Eli Escobar Remix)
2. Ladyhawke - 'Paris Is Burning' (Cut Copy Remix)
3. The Whitest Boy Alive - 'Golden Cage' (Fred Falke Remix)
4. MGMT - 'Electric Feel' (Justice Is Awesome Remix)
5. Kris Kross - 'Jump' (Funkanomics Planet Cross Remix)
6. Beastie Boys - 'Ch-Check It Out' (Acapella)
7. Cut Copy - 'Lights & Music'(Boyz Noize Happy Birthday Remix)
8. Boyz Noize - 'Oh!' (A-Trak Remix)
9. Edu K feat. Marina - 'Me Bota Pra Dancar' (Crookers Edit)
10. Spank Rock - 'Bump!' (Best Fwends Remix)
11. Rye Rye - 'Whassup Whassup' (ddpesh Remix)
12. Burial - 'Archangel Boy' (8-Bits Simple Re-Mix)
13. Lismore - '1979'



MP3 Shoplifters Mixtape - Summer 08 Mixtape


Hold steady,
JC

#26: Keeping It Low...

As we warmed up for Sunday's Eurocultured festival set today (details below), it became very apparent that the DJ Kue remix of War's classic 'Lowrider' is a f*cking incredible tune.

It will most certainly get played tomorrow as Shoplifters hit Eurocultured from 1pm. We're playing the Revolution bar on Oxford Rd from 1pm - 3pm which means two things:

1) We'll be drinking bison vodka cocktails by 1:05pm
2) We'll be ignoring the early start time and rolling out the beats from the get go.

Tickets are a tenner from the box office on Oxford Rd and for your money you'll see hundreds of DJs, bands, breakdancers, graffiti artists and loads more.

Come see.

MP3 War - Low Rider (DJ Kue Remix)

#25: Recent Decents

Right the sun's out in Manchester, and hopefully where you're ready this as well. Here's a quick round up of some goodies rocking the Shoplifters stereo - some old, mostly new, all well worth your attention.

Let us know which you love and hate. It's good to talk...

First up it's the Stevie-Nicks-reincarnate greatness of Ladyhawke. Watched the Camden Crawl wet themselves over her last month and this Van She remix takes things to another level. Quality.

MP3 Ladyhawke - Back Of The Van (Van She Tech Turbo Fire Engine Remix)

Also on the XX chromosome theme, there's a tasty Kylie remix of 'Heart Beat Rock' doing the rounds featuring a fruity insert from Spank Rock. Good beat, but sounds familiar. Anyone?

MP3 Kylie feat. Spank Rock - Heart Beat Rock (Benny Blanco Remix)

And, despite posting about this tune before, this week it's more than likely to top the pop charts today in the UK and, crucially, it's not a pile of shit. An achievement I'm sure you'll agree... The Burns remix of Wiley's smash smooths things out with some nice Parisian synth work.

MP3 Wiley - Wearin My Rolex (Burns Remix)

The hugely underrated Infadels return with a new LP 'Universe In Reverse' two years after their debut. The second single from the album is going to be 'Free Things For Poor People' (June 23, Wall Of Sound) and there's some great remixes including this one from Alex Metric. Designed to be played loud.

MP3 Infadels - Free Things For Poor People (Alex Metric Remix)

And finally one of the godfathers of shameless guilty pleasure bootlegging, Go Home Productions, releases an album 'Spliced Krispies' this month. In his own words, "This album was conceived and created during April 2008. It basically came about after I needed a break from writing / recording original tracks for the 'Kamikaze Runway' album...

"Must admit that I had a lot of fun putting this together. No limitations or pandering to artists / record labels desires, just went headfirst into screwing around with some favourite songs and seeing what turned up."

MP3 Go Home Productions - Grandstand Supreme

Download the whole album for free here

Hold steady
JC