Bag Raiders – Way Back Home

Bag Raiders are the combined talents of Jack Glass and Chris Stracey. Together, they have become one of the most sought-after electropop act in Australia. Their aural gems and sonic booms have won them the endorsement of Sydney-based label Bang Gang 12s, sister label to Modular Recordings. Their reputation grew as they were commissioned to  remix tracks by Cut Copy, Midnight Juggernauts or Kid Sister or it just went through the roof upon the release of their signature track “Shooting Stars”. With their DJ gigs all around the world, they reached every dangerous, dark and smokey corner of the world, making them a household name among in-the-know indie kids and club-bound urban youth.

Bag Raiders – Turbo Love

For their debut album, Bag Raiders enlisted a handpicked selection of guest artists: Dan Black, Rhys Taylor (Ted & Francis), Simon Jones (The Holidays), Gisselle Rosselli (the voice behind Flight Facilities’ hit single “Crave You”) and Martin Solomon (Wim). The record spirals into a matrix of colour full of sing-a-long choruses, deep-breath anthems, blissful chill and pure dancefloor energy.

Find Bag Raiders on MySpace. Buy all their music on

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Last June saw the release of a very special new EP: The Greatest Hit – 2010 Remixes! This EP was released by Loaded Records  to celebrate the 10-year (yes, 10 years!) anniversary of Annie’s first ever single “The Greatest Hit” and it features a handful of new exclusive remixes.

Our way of celebrating this anniversary here at umstrum||music is to bring out of the vaults two of Annie’s most noteworthy remixes. Enjoy!

Annie – Heartbeat (Phones Maximo Mix)

Annie – Anthonio (Designer Drugs Remix)

As a bonus, here is a another remix of “The Greatest Hit”. This tracks isn’t on Annie’s new EP but sure deserves some attention. This version was produced by London-based DJ/producer Clancy, who has also remixed songs by the likes of Little Boots, Housse De Racket and Delphic. Check it out!

Annie – Greatest Hit (Clancy SuperNoir Remix)

Go on and give Annie a shout on her MySpace! She’s a good sport and maybe she’ll get back to you… For more music by Annie, click HERE and HERE and if you like what you hear buy it on

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Their music includes rhythms built on melodic sound effects, fun synth sounds and suave falsetto vocals. Think Hot Chip, XTC or The Beta Band, but a little more straight-forward.

The band released their debut album, Wave If You’re Really There, which was recorded in the bowels of the old organ room at St. Brides Church in England. This unusual setting really helped give a unique sound to the debut LP and even gave them a place to practice, perform and even throw concerts.

Wave Machines – The Greatest Escape We Ever Made

Described as a mix-up between danceable disco beats and guitar-driven indie songwriting, the songs that make up their album are generally upbeat and playful. There are a few straight-up indie guitar songs, and then a few disco-y grooves. Entertaining and engaging, this first effort shows great maturity and a clear passion for experimentation.

Wave Machines – Keep The Lights On (Artwork Remix)

Show Wave Machines some love on MySpace and get all news and updates on their official website. You can buy their music on

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I Am Un Chien – Waves

Before their performance at the Crossover Festival, we caught up with Doug, David, Baptiste (IAUC’s live DJ) and José (David’s brother and member of Stuck In Sound)…

- Why did you chose this name?

It comes from a Pixies’ song: “Debaser”. In the chorus, they say “I am un chien andalusia”… It’s a band that really influenced our sound.

- Your music is often described as electro but when you perform live with your guitars and synths you sound more like a rock band.

Well, originally David and I had a rock band. We met in high school and started our rock band. We started making electro music by chance, just because we liked playing around with softwares and making stuff. In the end the result sounds more like rock than electro and on stage we like to keep this energy, be close to the audience, interact with people. We don’t wanna be up there playing with two laptops and that’s it…

- Can you tell us a bit more about the music video you made on chatroulette.com?

Actually it was our friend Pierre who showed us the site back when there were only about 3000 people on it and we found it hilarious. Then another friend Franck, who directs music videos, suggested we film ourselves playing our music on chatroulette just to see the people’s reaction. Three weeks later we did it and then edited the clip in 3 hours and put it up online. Then it all went a bit crazy, we didn’t know what was going on, the video circulated on the net, was posted on twitter and that’s how the buzz started. That wasn’t even our intention in the first place. We just wanted to make a little experiment, make a video with no budget at all, broadcast our music to people all over the world and see what kind of reactions we would get…

- When is your next EP out and what is it gonna be like?

The new EP will be out in late October or early November… Big sound! It’s even more energy-filled than the first EP and it shows a different side of IAUC, maybe more mature and with a better sound. A lot more grown-up.. There are really three standout tracks and two guest artists.

- Do you feel like you’re part of the Parisian rock scene?

Well, we’re not really part of the Parisian rock scene because there is NO Parisian rock scene… But we are good friends with a lot of really cool French bands, rock and electro alike. For us, artists have to get together and do things. Being an artist is about making music and create new things together. There’s no point in staying on your own, locked up in your room.

Find I Am Un Chien!! on MySpace and get all their tour dates. Buy their EP on

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As of 2010, Paul Kalkbrenner has tallied up more than 15 years of experience as a producer and live act. His third album Self (2004) marked the beginning of a new era. His melodic sound, with its affinity for grand emotional gestures, obeyed the logic of the dancefloor, but Self introduced a narrative aesthetic, serving as a soundtrack to a film that didn’t exist (at least, not yet).

Paul Kalkbrenner – Atzepeng

In early 2006, German director Hannes Stöhr, an avid fan of Self, decided to get in contact with Kalkbrenner. His idea was to produce a film about a Berlin techno musician during the new millennium, and Paul would compose the soundtrack. The two met, traded ideas and experiences, and soon after began working on the screenplay’s first draft. In the course of their exchange, Hannes had the realization that Paul should not just contribute the music, but that he would be the perfect choice as the film’s star. They decided to title the film Berlin Calling. The film, which offers an authentic depiction of the Berlin club scene and drug culture, received positive reviews and became an underground hit.

Paul Kalkbrenner – Azure

The soundtrack and especially the single “Sky and Sand” broke many sales records. That track in particular went gold in Belgium where it remained in the charts’ Top Ten for weeks. The 2009 DVD release of the film brought Paul to a new, much larger audience around the world. By the end of the year, Paul separated with BPitch Control after a decade-long relationship to take the next steps of his career alone. In early 2010 Paul completed a twelve-city live concert tour throughout Europe, followed by many headlining appearances at summer festivals.

More information and music on Paul’s MySpace. Buy his music on

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On the heels of their widely acclaimed third album, Still Night Still Light (Moshi Moshi 2009), considered by many as their best work so far, Au Revoir Simone recently released a companion remix album called Night Light. The album takes the twelve tracks included on Still Nigh Still Light, mixes things up a bit, dismantles the original tracks and reassembles them in a multitude of ways. With guest artists such as Aeroplane, Jens Lekman, Neon Indian, Silver Columns and Deradoorian (Angel Deradoorian from The Dirty Projectors), you could hope for a strikingly brilliant album. And more often then not it is. But the remixes don’t always add much to Au Revoir Simone’s elegant synth-pop, which is already a delicate synthesis of many different musical genres. By making these influences more obvious, the remixes sometimes break the spell.

Night Light is still a very pleasant listen and some of the reworks are stunning. Let’s mention Clock Opera’s remix of “Tell Me”, Mack Winston’s remix of “The Last One” and Tanlines’ remix of “Shadows”.

Au Revoir Simone – Tell Me (Clock Opera Remix)

If you like what you hear, check out Au Revoir Simone’s profile on Myspace. Buy the album with bonus tracks on

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For its sixth anniversary the CROSSOVER Festival has gone all out wth an all-star guest list which includes Berlin-based minimal legend Paul Kalkbrenner, Italian electro-punk outfit The Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, DJ Koze, electro-reggae crossover artist Major Lazer, German DJ/producer Boys Noize, Parisian hipsters I Am Un Chien, Daft Punk-inspired band Nasser, LA-based Hip-Hop duo Lexicon, H-Tenza, Kevin Saunderson, Orestt, OneLight, Misty Rabbit…

Cut Copy – Lights & Music (Boys Noize Happy Birthday Remix)

Alex Gopher – The Game (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)

Created by the Panda 06 association (the crew behind the Electronic Beach Festival in Cannes), the CROSSOVER Festival is a celebration of cultural diversity, musical experimentation and hybrid artistic projects. It’s a place where artists, music fans and club-goers cross paths and mingle, whether it be on a beach, in a theatre or in a club.

The party starts today and will go on till Sunday morning so hurry up and get your tix HERE and HERE. Tune in to umstrum||music all week for news and reviews!

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The Phenomenal Handclap Band – Tears

Together they have crafted a sound that is equal parts anthemic, dancefloor-oriented and orchestral, borrowing elements from progressive rock, disco, electro, and psychedelia.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band started when Collás and Marquand, two New York underground club DJs, became restless with the concept of playing other people’s music. Both had also been involved in the thriving nightlife scene and had an almost encyclopedic knowledge of esoteric music ranging from Brazilian soul to vintage psych-rock. As a band The Phenomenal Handclap have put together a stunning debut album which is the harmonious culmination of their diverse musical backgrounds.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band – Baby (Clock Opera Remix)

The Phenomenla Handclap Band – 15 To 20 (David E Sugar Replay Remix)

For more info, check out the band’s page on MySpace. You can buy their debut album on

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FM Belfast

The members now vary from three to eight depending on who can make it. The core of the band is made up of Árni Rúnar Hlöðversson, Árni Vilhjálmsson and Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir and when the stars are aligned correctly they are joined by Sveinbjorn Hermann Pálsson, Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason and Eiríkur Orri (both part of cult Icelandic act múm), Birgitta Birgisdóttir and Björn Kristjánsson. FM Belfast’s debut album How To Make Friends relies heavily on programmed beats and synths, pumped up with the band’s innate sense of fun. The album oozes with a retro 80s vibe and it will make you bop your head till your neck hurts. FM Belfast may reject the traditions of their own county’s music, but they slot very much into the tradition of Icelandic rebellion, and tether it instead to the synths of Scandinavia, pumping them up with their own innate sense of fun.

FM Belfast -- Underwear

Of course FM Belfast are not the first Icelandic band to make electronic music, but their sound is different from that of fellow Icelanders Sigur Rós or Eberg. Their songs are infused with a sense of derision that makes them instantly accessible and familiar. With their lo-fi casio keyboards and simplistic lyrics, the 11 tracks that make up How To Make Friends are not about Iceland’s glaciers and wide landscapes. They are songs for the 21st century, songs for the club. Party on!

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Pony Pony Run Run – Hey You (Mondkopf Remix) [download it HERE]

On the heels of his early hits, Mondkopf released his debut album, Galaxy of Nowhere, in 2009 on Citizen Records, label owned by cult electro artist Vitalic. With his crunchy beats, complex orchestrations and hypnotic synths, the young artist has developed his own unique sound, taking inspiration from the pioneers of experimental electronica such as Brian Eno, Phillip Glass and Vangelis, as well as innovative American Hip-Hop artists like Timbaland and Jay-Dee.

Mondkopf – La Dame En Bleu

A self-described daydreamer, Mondkopf is a beast behind the decks. His sets are usually intense and full of energy and his set at the Pantiero Music Festival was no exception. Blending together deep rhythms and soulful melodies, the French prodigy shows a peculiar vision of the dancefloor where strong sensations, emotions and futurism take command. Always in perfect synch with the audience, Mondkopf likes to make people react to his music both physically and mentally. His goal: to make people dance… and dream!

Mondkopf – Bones Club

Check out Mondkopf’s profile on MySpace for news and updates and purchase his music on

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