“Ohh ohh ohh, CHRO-ME-O!” was the chant that rang out through the Trocadero on Tuesday. You guessed it, it was a Chromeo show, and the audience couldn’t wait for the electrofunk duo. Holy Ghost! opened up the show, and after a semi-long wait, Chromeo took the stage. The Montreal natives blew it out of the water, playing tracks off their hit album Fancy Footwork, as well as the new stuff that’s out from the upcoming Business Casual, to be released September 14. There was a little break in between songs, but each featured some sort of witty or funny transition. The crowd lost their shit for every single track, including fan favorites like ‘Needy Girl’ and ‘Fancy Footwork’. Dave 1 and P-Thugg had incredible stage presence that instantly brought a smile to everyone’s face and made it impossible not to dance. This was honestly one of the funnest shows I’ve been to in a really long time. Basically, go see Chromeo. You won’t regret it. Catch them at the Osheaga after-party, going down at Metropolis July 31 (this Saturday!) in Montreal. We’re also chatting with the guys today, so be on the lookout for that interview in the near future. In the meantime, have a listen to some of our fave Chromeo tracks.

Night By Night – Chromeo

Fancy Footwork (Chromeo) – Flosstradamus

Call Me Up – Chromeo

Also check out the brand spankin’ new video for ‘Don’t Turn the Lights On’…

High five for making it to Friday. The last weekend in July is upon us, which means that in less than a month it will once again be time for the legendary McGill Frosh and all the insanity that comes along with it. Can’t get too excited yet though, we still have a lot to enjoy during the first few weeks of August, including the HARD Tour which will be making stops in New York, Montreal and Philly, among other cities. Can’t wait to see Rusko again, last time we had the pleasure was in January during Igloofest when it was -30 degrees outside. In other news, I hope that everyone heading to Osheaga this weekend has a killer time, be sure to party extra hard for all of us who won’t be able to make it.

Today on Mixtape Fridays  we have a special double feature from French DJ/maestro Brodinski. His Best of Everything Mixtape features both an electro side and hip hop side to double your listening pleasure. Neither mix fails to live up to its lofty title, check ‘em out.

The Best of Everything: Electro Side- Brodinski

The Best of Everything: Hip Hop Side- Brodinski

And now your tunes for the weekend.

Klepto- Lazertag

Till Tonight (MSTRKRFT Remix)- Laidback Luke

We Own The Sky (Datsik Remix)- M83

Look Ma, No Pants! (Felix Cartal Edit)- Valerna

Telesiege- Mustard Pimp

Discotexas Theme (Esto! Remix)- Moulinex & Xinobi

I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I say that there are a million reasons to love the summer time. Cookouts, road trips, beach trips, and a much needed break from school are the first things that come to mind, but one of my favorite underrated past times during these precious few months is the compilation of my annual summer playlist. So far this year I’ve already added a good deal of surf rock to the list, (a majority of it from Wavves’ most recent album King of the Beach) but I just picked up another album full of great summer jams: Best Coast’s Crazy For You. The new LP is full of catchy, lo-fi anthems about heartbreak, weed and failed summer romances, much in the same vein as fellow Californians Wavves. Here are a few tunes to give you a taste of the album and put you in a summer state of mind.

Boyfriend- Best Coast

Summer Mood- Best Coast

When The Sun Don’t Shine- Best Coast

Stay cool.

SNES Dub 2- Rusko

Some Chords (And Some More Notes FixD Remix) – Deadmau5

Just Be Good To Green (Camo & Krooked Remix) – Professor Green Feat. Lily Allen

Audio Meth – Rick Ross ft. Raekwon

And now for something completely different… The psychedelic, folk-rock indie kids from The Coral released their latest album Butterfly House earlier this month after more than two years of work. Despite their growing discog, these British rockers have kept rather low on the radar, with their closest bid to the mainstream coming from fleeting spots on TV shows like Scrubs and a few ads. But with a growing fanbase in thier British homeland and over here in the colonies, who knows what’s in store for these guys. Check it out.

More Than A Lover – The Coral

Butterfly House – The Coral

Coney Island – The Coral

Last, but certainly not least, we have for you the amazing new video from The Toxic Avenger for their bumpin techno-bloopy track “N’Importe Comment”. The future of the internet looks awesome.

I will fucking see you later. PEACE

There are some big things coming up for Montreal’s Chromeo, including a tour in support of their upcoming LP. Business Casual is expected to drop September 14, an album that fans have been waiting for ever since 2007′s Fancy Footwork. A few weeks ago, we featured a single from BC titled ‘Don’t Turn the Lights On’. It’s catchy, classic Chromeo that’s a sign of good things to come. Taking the dance party on the road, Chromeo are currently on a huge North American tour. They’re playing two of our favorite cities too, Philadelphia on July 27 and Montreal on July 31. Supporting them will be Holy Ghost!, another electro duo that toured with LCD Soundsystem just earlier this year. We missed Chromeo’s supposedly amazing performance at Bonnaroo, and there’s no chance we’re missing out again. See you at the show(s)!

Needy Girl – Chromeo

DJ Mehdi ft. Chromeo – I Am Somebody [Paris Version] – Flosstradamus

Also, here’s something from a new video series presented by Bushmills. Each video is about the friendship, camaraderie, and music making that goes on between artists in their social circle. This one’s called Benchwarmers.

Happy Friday everyone. Seems like this week is dragging on forever, but at long last it’s finally coming to an end today. Hope everyone out there is ready to blow off some steam this weekend, I know I am. Life is a bit hectic right now, so let’s skip the chit-chat and get right to the music.

Our first mixtape this week comes from German producer TAI. His July mixtape is comprised of some great tunes, including a few of my favorite remixes released thus far in 2010. Needless to say, this one packs quite a punch so check it out.

July Mix- TAI

Next up we have a promotional mixtape sent to us from Don Rimini to support the release of his new EP  ‘Nlarge Your Parties.’ I featured one of the tracks from the EP a few weeks ago, and if you haven’t already done so, be sure to grab the whole thing. In the meantime, this promo mixtape will satiate your need for ear bleeding electro, enjoy.

Nlarge Your Street Tease Mix: Back to The House!- Don Rimini

And now your tunes for the weekend.

Brap! (Original Mix)- Bart B More

Rocking The Set- TAI

Bad Self (Dirtyloud Remix)- CyberSutra

Bekinya- Nujax

Berlin (Religion Remix)- Felix Cartal

Make You Pop (Don Diablo Dubstep Mix)- Diplo & Don Diablo

New York’s Ra Ra Riot are kicking off their huge North American tour in just a couple of days with an appearance at Osheaga on August 1. The tour is in support of their upcoming LP, The Orchard, which comes out August 24. They’ve just released the first single from the album, titled ‘Boy’. It sticks pretty close to Ra Ra Riot’s signature sound, with emotive vocals from singer Wes Miles and lots of strings. Here’s hoping the new album keeps it up. Have a listen to the new track as well as some of our other favorites from the group.

Boy – Ra Ra Riot

Can You Tell – Ra Ra Riot

Each Year – Ra Ra Riot

Juno (Ra Ra Riot/Andrew Maury Remix) – Tokyo Police Club

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, then you may have come to the conclusion that I’m a sucker for synth-pop music.  I can’t deny it, from VHS or Beta to New Young Pony Club, Cut Copy and everything in between, I just can’t seem to get enough of the formulaic and catchy rhythms that these bands bring to the table. Keeping this in mind, it should come as no surprise that I was eagerly anticipating the release of Hey Champ’s debut album, Star, after hearing the first single ‘Cold Dust Girl’ a few months ago. Unfortunately, after finally listening to the full album a few times now, it seems as though Hey Champ hit their peak with their previously released single.

Star recalls all of the classic 80s influences of the genre, but fails to add much originality or give the music any sort of a fresh twist. I hate to be overly critical, but on their debut LP, Hey Champ does very little to surpass or differentiate themselves from any of the myriad synth-pop groups that preceded them. Several tracks on Star, specifically ‘Face Control,’ are a little too 80s, even for my taste, and while it may be happy, catchy music, overall this album lacks any sort of real substance. Taken at face value, Star is a fun summertime album, but you may find yourself tiring of the trio after your first listen. But by all means, don’t just take my word for it, here are a few tracks so you can judge for yourselves.

Cold Dust Girl- Hey Champ

Shake- Hey Champ

So American- Hey Champ

It’s crazy that we’re already well into July, time always seems to fly in the summertime. One plus is that Osheaga is less than two weeks away, so if you’re planning on attending you’re probably pretty excited. In any event, you made it through the weekend, and now you should reward yourself with some good old fashioned laziness. Here are some tunes to help you out.

Lazy Eye – Silversun Pickups

Tightrope (feat. Big Boi) (Organized Noize Remix) – Janelle Monae

Where I’m Going – Cut Copy <– first track from their upcoming LP!

Hot Like Fire (Aaliyah cover) – The xx

Knights – Crystal Castles <– also, get pumped for HARD Tour!!

Hello and a very happy Friday to you all. The summer is rolling right along, and as I write this I can’t help but feel a mild shock in realizing that we’re already half way through July. Not that I’m complaining, because the faster the summer goes by, the sooner I’ll be back in Montreal. There are no major holidays or breaks from work in the next few weeks unfortunately, but I’ll still be making the most of my time away from the rigors of student life. I’d also like to apologize for waiting until so late in the day to post this, but apparently blog posts don’t qualify as an acceptable excuse to cut out early from work. Oh well, let’s get to the music.

Our first mixtape this week is from Designer Drugs with another one of their always killer Datmixes. Trust me when I say that their Tenth mix hits just as hard as its nine predecessors, so be sure to grab this one.

DATATMIX X- Designer Drugs

We got this next mixtape in our inbox this week from Spanish duo Buffetlibre DJs. The Tequila Sunrise Mixtape is the sixth and most recent installment of Buffetlibre’s vastly popular Verbina mixtapes, which have been featured by the likes of Pitchfork, USA Today and Discodust. That should be enough to pique your interest, enjoy.

Verbena 6: Tequila Sunrise Mixtape- Buffetlibre DJs

And now your tunes for the weekend.

Mumble- Pance Party

Drop Down (Beataucue Remix)- Designer Drugs

The Mensch (Original Mix)- Golden Gloves

Shakedown Street (Tommie Sunshine & Figure EC$TACY Edit)- The Grateful Dead

Best In Class (Soulwax Remix) RADIO RIP- Late of the Pier

Bang Bang Bang (Russ Chimes Remix)- Mark Ronson & The Business Intl