Oh Shit!, comprised of producers Devoe and Dirty Seaner, are based out of LA and their label, Velcro City Records, is based out of Denver. Being from Colorado myself I’d like to officially claim them as ours…LA can spare the talent. Those of you who aren’t familiar with Oh Shit! from their collaboration with Nightdrugs on “Everybody Needs” are in for quite a treat. These guys rock.

LexiconDon – December Sunset (Oh Shit! Remix)

Oh Shit! were a great choice for this remix because they’re some of the hardest working producers pumping out disco oriented tracks. They were able to offer up something distinctive without deviating too far from the original. The Oh Shit! version of LexiconDon’s ‘December Sunset’ is faster with lots of dancefloor potential and a bassy bounce; you could call it the 6 million dollar remix. The changes to the melody are substantial enough to give the track the energy it needs to flourish with its new BPM, yet subtle enough to satisfy fans of the original. Still, I feel like this mix really shines in its quieter moments. Breakdowns let the song catch it’s breath a bit and give the vocals  some well deserved attention.

Lucas Smith aka Robots With Rayguns is one of my favorite up and coming producers in blog house – a term I’m shamelessly stealing from Electro Wars. Lucas has got this great way of mashing a Kavinsky-esque electropop sensibility with hints of late ’90s techno. ‘Sugarbaby,’ a track off his upcoming LP “Electro Isn’t Dead,” is a perfect example. The synth is reminiscent of ‘Better Off Alone’ but somehow there isn’t anything eurotrashy about the mix; that’s hard to pull off.  The album title scares me though. “Electro Isn’t Dead”? Are people saying it is? I want their names…

The Robots With Rayguns mix departs more from the original than any of the other remixes out there.  I’m going to try to limit my post to the one Kavinsky reference, but after listening to this you’ll understand why that’s not an easy task. Some songs just beg for a Testarossa soundsystem.

LexiconDon – December Sunset (Robots With Rayguns Remix)

RWR’s inspired rework on the vocals pairs perfectly with the dreamy quality of the instrumental, all the while preserving the spirit of the original. The thing I like most about this track is that it’s not particularly mixable. Sometimes it feels like everyone is producing within the confines of the same cliched chord progressions and formulaic bar structures. Anyone who can count to four can tell what will happen next. That’s what I like so much about this mix: no big builds, no self-indulgent intros, just delicate retro melodies and an understated sense of angst. Glorious work. Anyway if you like this, check out “Kimberly” by Good Luck at the Gunfight – it’s got a very similar feel to it.

Posted by: Evan