Category: Club

CLARISSE PICO - MODERN CHRISTMAS NIGHT

12/17/2015

I downloaded this one a while ago and didn't think about it much further. But, as I was going through my downloads recently, it stuck out as a really nice Christmas Techno Pop instrumental. Made me feel kinda Christmassy, which means I probably should have shared it with you earlier.

"Modern Christmas Night" is composed and performed by Clarisse Pico, who bills herself (on Soundcloud, at least) as 1122Music. She's a young German artist whose music is generally more Club/Dance oriented. Her single "I Need You" appears to have brought some visibility to her talents. I've never been a Club guy (and you really don't want to see me dance), but she got the mood just perfect on "Modern Christmas Night". It's very sweet and sentimental (in a Techno Pop kind of way). Some of her other tracks on Soundcloud are pretty compelling in their own right (even for a non-Club non-dancer like me). You can download "Modern Christmas Night" free at Soundcloud. And keep up on the latest from Clarisse via Facebook or her web site.

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SHUREE - GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

12/15/2015

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More of these types of things don't work than do. But Shuree's "Go Tell It On The Mountain" is just right. The old Gospel warhorse never sounded so lively as on this House mix. If you're looking for Christmas music to get people movin' and groovin' on the dance floor, you can start right here. "Go Tell It On The Mountain" by Shuree is free on Noisetrade (its livelier than their usual fare, too).

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IZZY OLAORE - NOEL (Acoustic Holiday Mix)

12/12/2015

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I'm truly happy to see Nigerian music breaking through in this country. It's kind of neat. Of course, I've always enjoyed listening to Christmas music from far away places. It's something I used to long for as a kid. I'd be reading Billboard magazine, looking at the international charts at Christmas, and wondering why I couldn't listen to those songs.

Anyway, pardon the momentary reverie. Izzy Olaore was born in Nigeria, but was raised in the U.S. Then he moved back to Nigeria for a bit. And, for the moment, he seems to have settled in Nashville. How cool would it be to hear Nigerian Country music? Well, that's not what Izzy does. If anything, he brings in more of a Gospel flavor, though there's also a clear R&B/Hip Hop influence to "Noel".

Izzy has a three song "Holiday Collection"--all three tunes free--up on Soundcloud. There's the regular mix of "Noel" and a third song, "Let's Go", which is more of a Club thing and doesn't strike me as all that holiday oriented. But the acoustic mix of "Noel" is the thing I liked here. Maybe I'm just getting too old (ain't no maybe about it, dude), but the other tracks are just too busy and loud for my head. The acoustic version of "Noel" appeals to me as a much more heartfelt and personal expression of the season. I ain't nobody special, but I'd be interested in hearing more from that guy. The bombastic, loud, Electro Funk Izzy...not so much. Just sayin'.

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lulu & MIKENEKO HOMELESS - THIS CHRISTMAS LOVELY DAY

11/30/2015

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This is the type of thing I like finding on the 'Nets. As I've said numerous times, I've always been fascinated by Christmas music from other countries.

For some, this is going to be too Pop, for others not Pop enough. But it's basically your standard J-Pop style--soulful Bubblegum, really--but leaning a tad toward Indie Pop. I don't know a thing about lulu, but Mikeneko Homeless are a Techno Dance outfit from Tokyo. Every so often, they'll write a tune requiring a more romantic vibe and they'll team up with one young vocalist or another, usually an unknown. Such was the case when Mikeneko Homeless handed the keys to the kingdom to lulu for "Watermelon" earlier this year. The song was immensely popular and the band brought lulu back in the handle vocals for their Christmas record, "This Christmas Lovely Day".

"This Christmas Lovely Day" is essentially about a long distance relationship. It seems the two can only get together on Christmas Eve. Well, in a relationship like that, it's hard to completely enjoy the moment because every thought is accompanied by the certain knowledge that the object of your affection is leaving again. In fact, the pair just got together and they're already walking to the train station where he'll leave her again. That bastard! And she doesn't want to say anything (like, you know, "don't leave") because she doesn't want to upset him (apparently they've fought about work getting in the way of the relationship before). It's cold, so she slips her hand in her pocket and...dang if there isn't a ring. That bastard!

I'm a little lost on how the whole thing ended. It sounds like he gets on the train and he's looking for her on the platform when a hand grabs his arm from behind...and its her, surprising him; she's on the train and going with him (for a day, at least). But it isn't all that clear to me. It's all in Japanese, of course, and I barely speak English. Here's their translation:
Waving from platform, my hand drawn by you
I’m taken in your arms before I realise it
you smiling at my face surprising on a bumpy train
as we knew before the story started, tomorrow is an accidental holiday

And here's the Google translation:
Waving from home I dragged a hand
Imperceptibly in your arm
surprised laugh to see my face on the train swaying
as I knew from the beginning, tomorrow accidentally holiday

Anyway, lulu and Mikeneko Homeless are on Maltine Records, an Internet label, and, for the moment, they have the entire "This Christmas Lovely Day" EP--which includes "Watermelon", numerous remixes, and more--available as a free download (just hit the button that says "download" on the right hand side). I'm partial to the Hercelot Remix, myself, which is more of a club mix. How long it remains free, I couldn't tell you, but its up there now. Everybody needs some J-Pop in their collection and, as its free, this one is as good a place to start as any.

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The FREE List

Here we hope to direct you to some of the Christmas music on the web that can be yours absolutely free. We will not direct you to mp3 or sharity sites, here, but only to artist sites, label sites, and other authorized and unquestionably legal locations.

CLARISSE PICO - MODERN CHRISTMAS NIGHT

SHUREE - GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN

IZZY OLAORE - NOEL (Acoustic Holiday Mix)

lulu & MIKENEKO HOMELESS - THIS CHRISTMAS LOVELY DAY

The FREE List

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