Here’s a combination for the ages. In the first corner, for the first time on the Binary Blog (sorry we’ve been holding out on you guys), we have Ghosts of Venice. He’s a 23-year-old producer/DJ based out of Leeds who’s been bringing pure, unadulterated disco back to the dancefloor since his debut last year. In the second corner we have the prolific Binary favorite Bit Funk, who has been churning out new material and remixes like butter the past few months–hallelujah. Both producers have quite the ear for grooveable rhythms and a healthy nostalgia for bygone music eras, and as a result they turn out old school disco and house like nobody’s business. The collaboration of the two marks the genre’s biggest “well it’s about time!” moment of recent memory.

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Ghosts of Venice – Her (Bit Funk Remix)

Ghosts of Venice burst onto the scene last year with his blog hit ‘I Learned From the Best.’  It was an excellent piece of Daft Punk-influenced filter house intent on getting you grooving. Since then Ghosts of Venice (real name Lee Dunn) has been honing his sound and craft, releasing some pretty fantastic remixes and original pieces along the way. He’s now eschewing French Touch in favor of a more disco-revivalist sound. Channeling his efforts into disco may seem a risky marketing move what with the triumphant return of the Daft kings themselves just around the corner, but Dunn isn’t one to hop on the bandwagon of others’ success. Instead, he serves as a prime example of someone carving a name for themselves by virtue of pure talent versus hype. The good news is he’s got the chops to get noticed, as evidenced by the release of his first EP, Her, with Solid Bump Records. A follow-up full length is expected next year on Strictly Rhythm.  The Her EP marks a foray into mainstream disco and sees Dunn making good on his promise to deliver “music to make girls dance.” What could possibly make this pulsing funky lounge masterpiece better? Enter: Bit Funk.

When we got word that Bit Funk was doing a remix, I was expecting his distinct brand of synth heavy nu-disco to pull Dunn’s old-school throwback ‘Her’ to the modern era. Not quite. Instead, he capitalizes on his Chicago residency and makes the track even funkier by drawing influence from the Chicago House movement. Sorry Dreamwave purists, don’t expect any sort of ‘Love Scientific’ here. That’s not to say this isn’t a modern work—the production quality and filter use (yes, they’re still there) distinguish it from a Warehouse-era original—but it’s as strong of a nod to Bit Funk’s Chicago predecessors as I’ve heard. Bit Funk has crafted a remix that would get even the legendary Frankie Knuckles’ toe tapping. A subtle disco house gem, its funk bass line and compressed guitar riffs render the mix more ‘homage’ than ‘nu.’ Does Bit Funk know that people don’t wear leisure suits anymore? No? Alright, well please nobody tell him, because his 80s-house-cum-70s-disco revival work is pure gold. Maybe it’s my Chicago roots suffering a serious case of nostalgia, but listening to this remix all I want to do is fly back home and seek out the haziest smoke-filled club I can find under fading neon lights. Once inside I expect to post up on a wine-stained couch, cocktail in hand, and listen to Bit Funk’s ‘Her’ remix being played by a live ensemble dressed in inappropriate garb for our decade. If only.

KIT is a nifty little electrock group from Paris, France. Horseshoe crabs are arthropods that live in shallow ocean waters. This song by the former, about the latter, is a friendly little pop tune fit for a bedtime or rainy day mix. The band seems to have formed sometime in the last few years, and they are starting to make some songs that people are really paying attention to. Citing influences of Blonde Redhead, Metronomy, Hot Chip, PJ Harvey, and Radiohead on their Facebook, members Audrey, Quentin, Fred, and Mathieu perform live as a 4 piece that appears to be a pretty solid show. Their debut Animals EP is out now with remixes by The Penelopes, Jupiter, and several others. This song, ‘Horseshoe Crab’ is an unreleased single, just waiting to drip hot ear candy on the world’s chest. When and if it does get released, I anticipate some superb remixes to be concocted and set forth.

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KIT – Horseshoe Crab

The song starts off with that eerily mystic underwater feeling, and then quickly kicks it up a notch with a pulsing bass line that makes it borderline dancey. Next thing you know, lead singer Audrey is giving us a lesson on the evolution, lives, and mating rituals of our planet’s horseshoe crabs. Ironically, the song itself doesn’t evolve into anything too mind blowing after the first minute. No big build ups or breakdowns, just a soft and steady pace throughout. But it’s a fun, catchy pop song that you may just want to play over and over. It took a few listens to really grab my attention, but then I got it. Once you accept it’s smooth simplicity, it becomes a really good sleepy eyed, rainy day anthem.

They’re not half assing it with the lyrics here… someone have a strong interest in marine biology?? “When waves flip the creatures on to their back. A position from which they often can not right themselves.” I started realizing all kinds of little factoids once I really listened. And memories of childhood trips to the aquarium, daring to touch the creepy “crab,” came rushing back (actually not crustaceans, the creatures are chelicerata, and more closely related to spiders and scorpions). Apparently where horseshoe crabs exist, they get washed up on shore by waves, where they helplessly lay on their backs until the tide comes back up and sweeps them back into their daily routine of life. Pretty good metaphor for humans and our own personal issues. We get knocked over by some wave of negative events, and many times end up waiting for a wave of positives (or vice versa) to knock us back upright.

KIT doesn’t have ‘Horseshoe Crab’ posted on their Myspace, but I do like some of what I hear there – ‘Animals’ + remixes, ‘Lucky Charm,’ and ‘Heartshape.’  ’Lucky Charm’ is probably my next favorite, but the others lack that extra piece that makes you hang on to them and really pay attention. This song is just much more polished and graspable than all the rest.

Not that you will… but if you’d like further insight and info on these prehistoric organisms (450 million years old!), I suggest you read this article and peruse this site. You probably do want to keep up with KIT, so join them on Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter. You can also pick up their Animals EP in iTunes.