Anoraak - "Morning Light"

Mark Anoraak's next record as one of my most anticipated of the year.  I'm a super-fan of the work of the synth wizard.  "Morning Light" is the first single off the new record, which features the tightest production we've heard to date from the French rocker.  I have a hard time defining the Anoraak genre-- super modern but with pop and rock roots-- but he's a force unto himself.  Watch out for the full Anoraak record dropping soon-- it looks to be a fantastic follow up to Wherever the Sun Sets.

Trésors - "Pleine Lune" [Anoraak Remix]

Anoraak never fails to impress with his remixes.  He's a natural at capturing his sound in other's tracks, and his mix of "Pleine Lune" by Trésors is no exception.  Free download, to top it off.  Check it out.

Wild Belle - "It's Too Late [Anoraak Remix]"

Anoraak, an old blog favorite, strikes again with an awesome remix of Wild Belle.  Full French influence here, and it's nice to hear some Anoraak as we wait patiently for that new record, which is shaping up to be fantastic.  Rock on.

The Drive Tour Review

All of you Ryan Gosling and Drive lovers are going to appreciate this post.  Last night the Drive tour came to the Union Transfer in Philadelphia.  The Tour takes its name from the Ryan Gosling film from last fall, which scored incredibly well on Rotten Tomatoes and introduced many new ears to the 80s revival.  Capitalizing on new fans, the tour was put together to cross the US with College and Electric Youth, who share a song on the record, and Anoraak, because he's of the same Valerie Collective.

Anoraak posts live video of new song "Made-up", preps for the Drive tour

Anoraak has unveiled an unreleased track on YouTube called "Made-up" which looks to have been filmed on one of his last tours.  The track is part synth, part rock, and all Anoraak-- almost exactly as he implied it would be in our interview last year.  This release comes just before the Drive tour featuring Anoraak, College, and Electric Youth.  I've literally just grabbed my tickets to this tour (and oddly enough, watched "Drive" a couple days ago), and I'm about as excited as I can be.  If there's a tour to see this summer, this is it.  Check out the dates below!

The Drive Tour

07/20 Brooklyn @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg 

07/21 Washington @ DC 9 

07/22 Boston @ Brighton Music Hall 

07/23 Philadelphia @ Union Transfer 

07/25 Montreal @ Corona Theater 

07/26 Toronto @ Wrong Bar 

07/27 Detroit @ Pike Room 

07/28 Chicago @ Lincoln Hall 

07/29 Minneapolis @ Triple Rock Social Club 

08/01 Vancouver @ Electric Owl 

08/02 Seattle @ Chop Suey 

08/03 Portland @ Branx 

08/04 San Francisco @ Rickshaw Stop 

08/05 Los Angeles @ Echoplex 

08/06 San Diego @ Casbah 

08/07 Tucson @ Club Congress 

08/09 El Paso @ Garden Bar 

08/10 Dallas @ Prophet Bar 

08/11 Austin @ Red 7 

08/12 New Orleans @ One Eyed Jacks 

08/14 Miami @ Grand Central 

08/15 Orlando @ Social 

08/16 Atlanta @ Terminal West 

08/17 Chapel Hill @ Local 506

Live Review: Anoraak and Fred Falke rock the Brooklyn Bowl

On Saturday, I went up to New York City to catch Anoraak and Fred Falke live at the Brooklyn Bowl.  If you've never been to the Brooklyn Bowl, I highly recommend it-- it had an incredibly chill vibe, great disco balls, and was one of the best venues I've ever been to.

Check out the full review, pictures, and video below.

Anoraak Interview

Wherever The Sun Sets [LP preview] by Anoraak

It's not everyday that I have the pleasure of hearing from ANORAAK.  The French artist first hit the scene big in 2008 with his incredibly catchy track 'Nightdrive With You' (which is still being discussed by the Manchester DJ's last week!) and has since been inspiring young DJs around the world.  What's even more impressive is this all started out as a bedroom effort.  Since that release, he's also helped start the Valerie Collective who continue to rock great nostalgic beats around the world.

His more recent record Wherever the Sun Sets was a testament to the same great synth lines and catchy beats that got him noticed in the first place.  'Crazy Eyes' in particular stood out as a catchy jam and was a heavily remixed track by many artists.  'Dolphins and Highways' again showcases the beautiful mental images that Anoraak evokes to listeners-- nothing but beautiful beaches and Miami Vice neon lights.

An interview with Anoraak seems rare these days, so I was sure to get the low down on his writing philosophy and to ask about what synths he likes to use.  Very little information is available on the web on his synth collection.  Read on below and check out this rare moment when Anoraak reveals a great deal on his production style.

Manchester Week: Jules Schimmer

The Sanfernando Sound - This Is The Sound Jules Schimmers Italo Dub by Jules Schimmer

Closing out our feature on Manchester this week is the brilliant JULES SCHIMMER.  Recently he's been releasing great mixes on his SoundCloud and he is currently working on new tracks that you'll see sometime soon.  You'll also find a wealth of his awesome remixes there as well.  Like the other Mancunians, Jules very much loves the sounds of the 80s, which ties this feature together really well.  If I had to explain Jules' sound to a new listener, I'd simply say "he makes his synths Schimmer".

Check below to find out about Jules' influences, what he uses in the studio, and read about his live shows.  He'll also break down an amazing bass that's featured in his remix of Anoraak, which will help you get started on making your own great bass patches.

Manchester Week: Mindscramble

Mindscramble - Upstart (demo) by Mindscramble


Interviewing MINDSCRAMBLE is like greeting an old friend to me-- but we've never met in person.  When the blog was in its wee days of infancy, I received a few emails from interested people, him being one of the few.  Not sure what to think judging by his photo, I checked out his Soundcloud and was immediately excited-- I had found the type of readers who I wanted to listen to.  Mindscramble was the first of the Manchester crew I met, so it's a pleasure to have this interview.


Mindscramble combines the feelings of 80s montages and beats into great tracks.  While he claims to be a beginner, I never hear any evidence of it.  Check below as I delve into his influences and find out what makes him tick.  I'm also excited to show off a demo work in progress of his new track, 'Surge', and he takes a crack at the classic patch from Anoraak's 'Nightdrive with You'.