Those who reside within the greater NYC area know French Horn Rebellion as one of the city's most purely enjoyable partystarting crowdpleasers, so it's with great pleasure that we welcome them back to the Popshop stage next month. But this, dear friends, is French Horn as you've never seen them before, as they bring their 8 piece Party Ensemble - featuring The Great Apes and members of Penguin Prison, HAERTS, Savoir Adore and more - to Popshop as they look to showcase one of the most powerful party supergroups the world has ever seen. Amazing, WE KNOW.
As if that itself wasn't enough, we've got one of our favorite new UK pop starlets making her US debut as Yadi comes to town to kick things off early, before Brooklyn's finest, Workout, keep things rocking in the main support slot and the almighty Xaphoon Jones shuts things down on the decks. And since last month was so much fun, we're doing it 1000% FREE with RSVP once again, so be sure to take advantage as unfortunately a party bargain like this can't last forever. It's all going down at Santos next Thursday, February 7th, at 9pm sharp and if the line around the block last time was any indication, you'll want to get there early to ensure maximum euphoria.
The Popshop takeover continues next week as we set our sights on Boston, teaming up with The Chuckness to bring you a double headliner affair for the ages. Fresh off their spotlight-grabbing collaboration on one of the year's biggest tracks, "Hollywood", RAC and Penguin Prison look set to launch Popshop Boston in style. They're both bona fide headliners in their own right, so expect this one to be LARGE, and maybe we'll even get a live collaboration of "Hollywood" out of it. WHO KNOWS. Getting things started early will be the new favorite sons of the Berklee electro scene, Carousel, fresh off a rousing Popshop debut in NYC earlier this month. Tickets are $15 advance and $18 day of show, but act now and hit up our superfans only ticket link HERE, where we've got a very limited amount of cheap $12 tickets available while they last. See you next week, Boston, it's ON.
WATCH: "Hollywood (ft. Penguin Prison)" - RAC
STREAM: "Don't Fuck With My Money" - Penguin Prison
Just in time for tomorrow night's Santos Party House throwdown, it's time to welcome back our old friend Popshop Radio, now coming to you courtesy of our recently-crowned resident Popshop DJ Friendly Greg. With the perfect mix of choice cuts from the stars of tomorrow night's lineup - most notably Danger's still-flawless electro classic "11h30" - and a healthy dose of summery heaters from Neon Gold all stars past and present (Penguin Prison? Check. Marina? Check. The Knocks and St. Lucia? Check check.), it's got everything you need to get you in the mood and then some for tomorrow night's festivities. The last few have sold out hard and this is shaping up to do the same, so cop your $10 advance tix HERE while they last.
1. "Hollywood (featuring Penguin Prison)" - RAC
2. "Closer Than This (Viceroy Remix)" - St. Lucia
3. "We Got It Wrong (Xaphoon Jones Remix)" - St. Lucia
The rumors are true, All Things Gold has officially gone national. This SXSW, we're teaming up with All Things Go once again to bring the rage to Austin with a slew of heavy-hitters such as the powerhouse Chiddy Bang, our almighty alum Penguin Prison, and America's best untapped new rock band, Walk the Moon. Warming up the soundstage, we've got PLAINS, Vacationer, our new favorites, Incan Abraham and our all-time favorite, Clock Opera. And rounding things out with DJ sets from Ghost Beach and Brenton Duvall, plus complimentary Redrum cocktails from 12pm-1pm, you'll want to get involved and RSVP now HERE. Just a warning: Chiddy Bang played to 3,000 people last SXSW and we've already had 1000+ RSVPs for this event, so if you don't want to get shut out of all the action, you'd be wise to come out EARLY. Like, mid-day early. Just don't say we didn't warn you.
Having spent much of our youth on the mean streets of DC, we've always wanted to give back to the city that reared us, so it's with great pleasure that we launch a new concert series in the nation's capital this month. Introducing ALL THINGS GOLD, a new regular club night brought to by yours truly and our brothers in arms at All Things Go, DC's preeminent new music site and some of the best tastemakers in the game. It's all kicking off July 21st at U Street Music Hall (one of our absolute favorite venues on the east coast) with a launch party for the ages, featuring live sets from Neon Gold favorites Reptar and Penguin Prison, plus DJ sets from hometown hero Brenton Duvall and remix legends RAC headlining the night on the decks. Doors open at 9pm, Heineken will be bringing the drink specials early and often, and tickets are only $8 in advance HERE. Set times and mp3s below, WE GOT YOU DC.
After emerging unscathed from an adult-sized weekend that saw us kicking off a new great American pastime with the sold out Stars + Stripe Festival, we're back in the game with a bit more color and a much deeper thirst for live music and free drinks. What better way to get back in the swing of living the NYC dream than another Popshop to shake up your daily routine? We've got a rogue's gallery of guaranteed firecrackers tonight: Spacecamp, K. Flay, and our beloved Neon Gold alumnus Penguin Prison. Furthermore, we've got Captain Cuts with all hands on decks for what's sounding like it could be one of the biggest DJ sets we've ever had, and did we mention that there's once again an OPEN BAR on Absolut from 8-9pm and a FREE KEG of Heineken from 2-3am? Anyone needing testament to the epic scale Popshop has grown to look further than the massive new Chiddy Bang video for "I Can't Stop", filmed amongst the late night crowd at Popshop 006 and edited to perfection by our friends at Jackpot In The West. We've said it once before and we'll stay it again, this is why you ALWAYS stay late night.
As is Popshop tradition, The Knocks - fresh off of signing a crispy record deal with Universal and a barnburner of a performance at Stars + Stripes - are back with another Popshop minimix, killing it yet again on this month's installment of Popshop Radio. This month's specially curated teaser features a summery mix of our special performers, spiked with some recent favorites we've been knocking about in the office soundsystem. Check the full tracklist and stream/download below, and let it serve as a reminder to cop your advance tickets HERE before they sell out. For a mere $10, there's lights, music, and some FREE surprise themed cocktails. We can't keep something this big a secret anymore, so get involved before it's too late.
1. "Toeachizown Hello" (Mr Jpatt of The Knocks Mix) - Dam Funk vs. The Beatles 2. "Alibi" - Spacecamp 3. "5am" (ft. K. Flay) - Something AlaMode 4. "Fair Warning" (Oliver Remix) - Penguin Prison 5. "I Wanna Go" (Captain Cuts Remix) - Britney Spears 6. "The Night Out" (ft. Thomas Mars) - Martin Solveig 7. "Sunshine" - The Knocks
NYC you're killing it this summer. Rooftops are buzzing, the streets are alive and there's beautiful people everywhere you look. And things are only gonna get better next week when we throw down Neon Gold style with an all-American Popshop for the ages July 7th at Tammany Hall. But first let's talk about last month for a minute, because it might have been the biggest Popshop yet - Body Language tore the roof off of the place with one of the best performances we've had yet, Xaphoon Jones killed it with a DJ set for the ages and Chiddy even stopped by joining Xaph for a Chiddy Bang video shoot in the club before dropping an impromptu late night performance on the mic. In other words, it was HUGE.
Onwards and upwards though, as we look ahead to the July edition with another stellar lineup and more open bar deals than ever. Joining us once again on the Popshop stage after crushing it with The Knocks at POPSHOP 002, it's our main man Penguin Prison back to run things in the headline slot with support from Brooklyn hip hop sensation K. Flay (homegirl KILLS it) and NYC indie hopefuls Spacecamp, plus another barnstorming DJ set from our dudes Captain Cuts, who have put together one of the best sets we've ever heard for Popshop this month. And then we've got Absolut back with another hour of open bar vodka from 8pm-9pm, and Heineken getting in the mix to pop open a free keg for the crowd late night. It's all going down at Tammany Hall on July 7th, which gives you just enough time to recover from your July 4th festivities and get back in tip top raging shape for Thursday night. As per usual, tickets are $10 in advance and $13 on the door, kind of an insane bargain giving just how much free alcohol we'll be plying you with all night. Tickets HERE, let's do this New York.
This went up with our official SXSW showcase announcement earlier this week, but it's so brilliant it really deserves it's own feature. Elof is one of the hottest up-and-coming producers in Sweden at the moment, having already worked wonders with Erik Hassle, Niki & The Dove and Icona Pop (have you heard his production on "Top Rated"? It's INSANE.) and his remix work doesn't disappoint either. Penguin Prison's "The Worse It Gets" was already a masterstroke of dark, brooding pop at it's most paranoid, but the Elof remix is even more destabilizing, dramatic piano chords and ominous bass laid bare over a sonic tapestry literally falling apart at the seams as we listen.
While Elof continues to tear it up across the pond in Sweden, Penguin will be down at SXSW next week, where he'll be playing our official showcase with his full band set up on Wednesday night, before going unplugged to headline the Acoustic Stage at our unofficial New Shapes day party at 4:40pm on Saturday. Enjoy the black magic of Elof's Penguin remix below, and keep checking back throughout the weekend as we continue to leak the lineup of our Saturday New Shapes party (which will be FREE to all with RSVP) before the full announcement on Monday.
Going to Austin next week? Then you're gonna want to make sure you keep your schedule clear on Wednesday, cause it's all going down at Bat Bar for our official Neon Gold showcase. Little Red. Walk The Moon. Alex Winston. Clock Opera. Penguin Prison. The one and only Ellie Goulding. We've got them all under one amazing roof on the first night of SX, the perfect way to kickstart your SXSW 2011 experience. As it's an official showcase it's badges and wristbands only (we don't make the rules y'all), but we've got a special day party on the Saturday for those of you keeping it real at SX this year without an official badge. Look for an announcement on that by week's end, but for now behold the lineup for our official night below and mark your calendars. You won't want to miss this.
It's not like your calendar doesn't already have a huge red circle around this Thursday marked POPSHOP, but just in case you were somehow unaware, there is indeed an amazing evening of pop and electronic sounds transpiring this Thursday eve at Tammany Hall. We've got The Knocks. We've got Penguin Prison. We've got Like Diamonds. We've got Lightwaves. And we've got a crippling addiction to hot jams and good times. To ring in the occasion, The Knocks have put together a brilliant little mini-mix featuring the artists involved Thursday and other generally amazing tracks, available for streaming and download via Soundcloud below. Get involved, the transition from "Golden Train" into the '96 Bulls remix of "Dancing With The DJ" is kind of the fucking best.Tracklisting, ahoy.
1. "Locomotive"- Alex Winston 2. "Manners" - Icona Pop 3. "Golden Train" - Penguin Prison 4. "Dancing With The DJ" (Monsieur Adi/96' Bulls Remix) - The Knocks 5. "Helena Beat" - Foster The People 6. "In This Together" - Like Diamonds 7. "What Am I Supposed To Do" - Treasure Fingers 8. "Loveliest Creature" (Lightwaves Remix) - Savoir Adore
The Popshop debut went down a storm earlier this month, with over 1000 people RSVPing to fill the 350 capacity room at Tammany Hall. With a line around the block for nearly two hours, the cops were summoned to break up the crowd so apologies to anyone who was turned away. Fortunately all future Popshop shows will be ticketed events, so anyone left out of the cold at the launch party will be able to purchase tickets and ensure their entry. Fortunately for anyone who missed out, our friends at Jackpot In The West were on hand filming the event and have put together an amazing "trailer" of sorts for Popshop which you can and should view below. We've also set up a dedicated Tumblr page for Popshop, which you can find HERE.
So moving onwards and upwards then, without further ado we're pleased to announce the February edition of the night, featuring a co-headlining takeover by The Knocks and Penguin Prison with support coming from NYC up-and-comers Like Diamonds live and the amazing Lightwaves on the decks all night long. It's all going down at Tammany Hall the first Thursday of the month (February 3rd), with Absolut on board once again hooking up the drink specials throughout the night. Tickets are $10 in advance and can be purchased online HERE, or $13 on day of show available for purchase on the door. The show will likely sell out though, so we'd advise you move fast and purchase online to ensure entry on the night. Full running order below:
List season, y'allll. The BBC published their annual Sound of... list last week and now it's time for us to follow suit with our very own annual list. We're going to stick with the whole Sound of... route in terms of criteria - artists can't have had a Top 20 single or album to date, can't be a solo project from an established artist or someone who's already achieved fame by other means (sorry Willow), etc - and what follows are our 15 picks for superstardom in the new year.
We've got a habit of being a bit far-sighted with our lists in the past - many of the acts on last year's list still are yet to release their debut albums and thus a few will make repeat appearances this year, but all in all we like to think we've got a pretty decent track record with these things. After overshooting our mark in years past with bands that failed to get an album out in the following calendar year, we'll be focusing this list on bands that will definitely have albums hitting the streets in the next calendar year, with another list of fresh up-and-comers set to make their first foray into the limelight in 2011 to follow at the beginning of the year. But for now, let's get down to the business with our very own Sound of 2011 presentation.
JESSIE J // You can't fuck with Jessie J. With an absolutely killer voice, swagger for miles and the writing chops to match (homegirl wrote "Party In The USA"), not to mention fans in Justin Timberlake and Dr. Luke, she's already blowing up (debut single "Do It Like A Dude" is currently at #29 in the UK charts) and is about as close as you can get to a lock for superstardom in 2011 on both sides of the Atlantic. STREAM: "Do It Like A Dude" (Labrinth Remix) - Jessie J
STARSMITH // With Calvin Harris' recent announcement that he's retiring from the limelight of pop stardom to focus on his DJ and production work, the door's been opened for a new producer-cum-popstar to take the throne. And who better than Starsmith, who in the last 18 months alone has definitively established himself as the best pop producer in the UK under 25, with principle songwriting and production credits on four #1 albums in 2010 alone. Though massive, his debut single "Give Me A Break" (released on Neon Gold last month) is but the tip of the iceberg, as 2011 finds Starsmith set to release a debut album of more straightforward (yet still entirely banging) pop and vocal tracks featuring his own vocals as well as contributions from Alphabeat's Stine Bramsen, Daley, Ellie Goulding and many more. STREAM: "Give Me A Break" (Starsmith Remix) - Starsmith
CLARE MAGUIRE // We've been preaching the gospel of Clare Maguire for nearly two years now, but 2010 saw her finally make the first steps towards her superstar destiny on debut single "Ain't Nobody", and with her debut album slated for early 2011 and featuring such surefire megahits as "Last Dance" and "Sword & Shield", the girl with the golden voice looks set to at long last fulfill the promise that's made her the talk of the industry since 2008.
BROTHER // First things first: Brother are not the future of music. They're pretty fucking great at what they do though, and with their naturally controversial disposition, big hooks and fuck-off swagger, they'll make headlines as one of the most polarizing bands of 2011 but could ultimately outsell every single artist on this list. With their signature by-the-people-for-the-people "gritpop" sound and a music industry desperate for the return of big guitar bands to Britain, Brother are destined to make a lot of noise in 2011, whether you like it or not.
STREAM: "Darling Buds of May" - Brother
THE NAKED & FAMOUS // Up against The Vaccines to nab the token indie spot on the BBC's shortlist, our Neon Gold darlings look set to follow in the footsteps of their Down Under contemporaries The Temper Trap as an absolutely massive 2011 looks albeit inevitable for the Kiwi five-piece. Nevermind the fact that their album's already out in New Zealand and Australia (and thus already making its rounds on the internet), when you've got an chart-toppling single like "Young Blood" - not to mention brilliant ace-in-the-hole set up singles like "Punching In A Dream" and "All of This" - in your repertoire, big things are bound to happen. Expect to see this lot EVERYWHERE next summer.
STREAM: "Young Blood" - The Naked & Famous
ALEX WINSTON // We love Alex Winston like one of our own, and it's with ear-to-ear smiles that we've watched her absolutely smashing the game to bits over the second half of 2010. A refreshing departure from the at times painfully now cred-pop ladies of recent times, her style refuses to welcome lazy comparisons as she establishes her own niche in the current landscape of pop music. She's got less than ten live shows under her belt to this point, but anyone lucky enough to see her perform can attest to how special she is as an artist and performer. Homegirl is an absolute superstar, and while her best tracks remain unheard - expect that to change with her debut mini-album on the way next month - you can rest assured she'll be making serious waves in the new year.
STREAM: "Choice Notes" (Labyrinth Ear Remix) - Alex Winston
PENGUIN PRISON // Our flagship artist and the coolest thing to come out of the NYC pop scene in a long minute, Penguin Prison is set to turn serious heads when his debut full-length arrives in the first half of 2011. With three Neon Gold singles already under his belt (including the amazing "Golden Train" out this week), he's no stranger to the carousel of hype that defines this industry, but with massive singles "Don't Fuck With My Money" and "Multi-Millionaire" still awaiting deployment in the new year, you should trust us when we say you ain't heard nothing yet.
STREAM: "Golden Train" (The Royal Palms Remix) - Penguin Prison
JAI PAUL // Standing out from every single other artist on this list, Jai Paul is the UK's next great hope for an alternative male pop star. Your quintessential XL artist (with whom he signed earlier this year), he sounds like nothing else around at the moment, blending a broad spectrum of styles and genres with athletic ease. It's still early days with debut track "BTSTU" his only real offering to speak of, but with XL at the helm and their nigh-on immaculate track record of late, we can easily see Jai Paul coming out of left field to make considerable noise in 2011.
STREAM:"BTSU" - Jai Paul
JAMIE WOON // With dubstep creeping further and further into the mainstream with each passing year (see Skream's gamechanging remix of La Roux in 2009 and Katy B and Magnetic Man's chart success in 2010), the nexus of 2010 and 2011 sees a new movement emerging from the genre with Woon (and fellow crooner James Blake) turning heads with their soulful electronic, "post-dubstep" sound. It's Blake who's the industry darling at the moment , but it's Woon who gets the nod from us here - his Burial-produced lead single "Night Air" stands out as one of the sexiest tracks of 2010 and has us champing at the bit to here more from the Polydor-signed up and comer. STREAM: "Night Air" - Jamie Woon
MNDR // Already finding main stream success via her feature on Mark Ronson's Top 10 hit "Bang Bang Bang", the seeds have already planted for MNDR (née Amanda Warner) to do big things in 2011. With her phenomenal debut release E.P.E. and it's triumphant singles "Fade To Black" and "I Go Away" already garnering her a burgeoning fan base and rampant critical acclaim, she's got starpower for miles (just check her brilliant one-woman live show for proof) and some serious anthems - "Sparrow", as performed with The Business Intl. as her backing band on the Ronson tour, is an absolute belter - waiting in the wings, it's time to welcome the new heir to the cred-pop (*cringe*) throne.
STREAM: "I Go Away" - MNDR
GROUPLOVE //I mean, have you SEEN this band live? They absolutely crushed as the breakout band of CMJ, with one of the most thoroughly entertaining and invigorating live performances we've seen in a long minute, and with their debut single "Colours" arriving on Chess Club in February and an album following on Atlantic/Canvasback later in 2011, we can't wait to see what these kids have in store for us next year.
STREAM: "Gold Coast" - GROUPLOVE
MR. LITTLE JEANS // Mr. Little Jeans is kind of a wildcard. Photographs of her are few and far between, she's yet to play live outside of Scandinavia, and there's no shortage of confusion surrounding the fact that this Mister is really a Miss, but we're yet to hear a single song from her we haven't absolutely loved and if she can keep up the gold standard of songwriting and hold her own in the live realm we can see things really taking off for the Danish chanteuse in 2011.
STREAM: "Rescue Song" (The Naked & Famous Remix) - Mr. Little Jeans
MORNING PARADE // Like Delphic if last year's list darlings hadn't gone so full-on electronic and weren't so mind-numbingly dull, Morning Parade fuse electronic elements with a classic Britpop sound on their epic, arena-ready anthems. Sky-scraping melodies, flitting electronics and ocean-sized guitar riffs converge on lead single "Under The Stars"and "In The Name", like a distinctly 2011 take on the "new British invasion" sound of the mid-2000s, and with what's apparently one of the best live shows in the game, we expect Morning Parade to rock a lot of faces off in the months to come.
STREAM: "Under The Stars" - Morning Parade YADI // Jessie J and Clare Maguire are the talk of the industry as 2011 creeps over the horizon, but next year's new wave of female pop icons can hardly be considered complete without Yadi in the mix. With the vocal prowess of La Roux and all the swagger and power of Marina & The Diamonds - not to mention solid gold hits like "Guillotine" and "Gold" already in her arsenal - Yadi is one of the most exciting prospects for superstardom in the years to come. With the ink still drying on her major label deal, it's still quite early days for Yadi and she may end up more likely to top hotly-tipped lists for 2012 than to get an album out next year, but either way she's one to keep an eye on in the new year. Expect BIG things.
STREAM: "Guillotine" - Yadi
CLOCK OPERA // Having rapidly become one of our favorite bands since we put on their first London show back in 2009, Clock Opera will at long last release their debut album into the world in 2011. We've heard a good deal of it and can say with confidence that it will undoubtedly be one of the best records to come out next year, a beautiful compilation of haunting torchsongs and cinematic epics that has is sure to awe and inspire listeners in equal measures. They're hardly the stuff Radio 1 dreams are made of, but keep an eye on Clock Opera as a Mercury Prize darkhorse next year. STREAM: "Once And For All" - Clock Opera
And while that concludes our Sound of 2011 longlist, we've got a few more contenders we expect to see making waves in 2011 that are more than worthy of your attention below.
2010 has been a big year for Neon Gold replete with releases were extremely proud of, so it's fitting we bring the year to a close with the third single from an artist who has quickly become one of our flagship acts, the inimitable Penguin Prison. "Golden Train" was the first song we ever heard from the Penguin and remains one of his most essential tracks to date, coming off like Justin Timberlake fronting a DFA track, all heaven-sent vocals and Penguin's signature churning synths. It's absolutely massive, and the track we've been waiting to unleash on the world since first crossing paths with him nearly 18 months ago. A unique beast, it opens with a sparse vocal and synth arrangement and builds slowly throughout, evolving steadily as more and more layers are added to the mix until the song reaches a triumphant climax of spiraling synths and Penguin's falsetto'd vox by its conclusion. One of our absolute favorite tracks of the year, it's just another reason Penguin's forthcoming debut album should sit high atop your most anticipated albums of 2011 list.
You can stream the original above or get at the exclusive B-side remix from Pink Stallone - who you may remember from their killer remix of Marina & The Diamonds' "Obsessions" on Neon Gold way back when - for free download below. The whole package is out December 14th with preorder available now from the Neon Gold Shop and Puregroove, complete with artwork from the amazing FRAUGRAU and limited to only 300 copies worldwide. Our firsttwo singles from Penguin Prison - 2009's Animal Animal/Funny Thing 7" and 2010's The Worse It Gets/Something I'm Not 7" - both sold out with the swiftness, so make sure you move fast on this. Song's like this don't happen all the time.
It's that time again, as we make our way towards mid-October and the collective gaze of the music industry falls upon CMJ and all the beautiful chaos that comes with it. Last year we brought you the first annual New Shapes party, which saw everyone from Theophilus London and Darwin Deez to Chief and Local Natives grace the stage at Santos Party House. This year we're going even bigger with it, moving to the wide open spaces of Brooklyn and the multiple stages of Public Assembly, and it's finally time to bring the curtain back on what's easily the biggest event we've ever been a part of.
Chess Club are once again our partners in promotional crime for this event, and we've also teamed up with the UK's Plugged In PR to help us bring you one of the best and brightest line ups on offer at CMJ this year. It's all going down at Public Assembly on Thursday the 21st of October, from 3pm to 3am, with two stages and over 20 amazing new bands playing over the course of the evening. Below you'll find the full line up and schedule for the night, complete with mp3s so you can sample the artists on the menu for the evening. Tickets are currently on sale via the event page HERE, and at only $12 a pop that's a hell of a bang for your buck so you'd do well to move quickly and reserve your ticket today. And as this is an official CMJ event, we will also be opening the door to a limited number of CMJ badge holders, but as space is limited you'd be wise to arrive early to ensure entry.
Once again tickets are $12 (BARGAIN) and available online HERE. There's also a Facebook event page up over here, and you can stay up to date on all further updates via our official Neon Gold Records twitter feed here, which to be honest you should have probably already been following anyway.
We got over trying to figure out how Penguin Prison manages to churn out remixes of such an insanely high caliber like every other week a while ago. There's no explaining it, it's just one of those natural phenomena you have to get past questioning and just enjoy, like the northern lights or the impossible attractiveness of girls in New York City. Here's his latest, this time for The Temper Trap's "Resurrection", off their upcoming remix album Conditions Remixed.
We won't front like we know all that much about Australia's Kimbra, but she's clearly got a good head on her shoulders, going straight for the crème de la crème of remixers when she hit up our dude Penguin Prison for a mix of her latest single "Settle Down". While the original finds Kimbra intent on settling down, Penguin's all about shaking things up on his remix, upping the BPM and breathing new life into the track via churning synthesizers and the buoyant booms and bips he's become known for. All frenetic minimalism and soulful swagger, it's just another step away from the rest of the pack as Penguin further establishes himself as the freshest new remixer in the game.
At long last the time has come, friends. Ellie Goulding finally hits our fair shores next month, playing her debut US shows at The Roxy in LA and New York City's Hiro Ballroom. We're thrilled to be putting on the latter, going down on September 30th and presented in conjunction with Bowery Presents. And as if Ellie's first US show wasn't exciting enough as is, we've also got our main man Penguin Prison opening up the night with his high octane brand of soulful electro, making this one of the absolute hottest tickets in town. Seriously, this is going to be HUGE. Tickets are on sale now but will no doubt go fast, so cruise on over to Bowery's site to cop your tickets NOW.
Things have been kind of quiet on the Penguin Prison remix front while dude's been hard at work finishing up his debut album - which y'all should be warned is sounding completely and utterly amazing - but now he's back with a fiery new remix of our beloved Neon Gold alumni Passion Pit. Putting to bed any concerns that his remix muscles might have atrophied over the past few months, the track is a hypnotizing melange of pulsating house piano, ice cold synths and chilled out female vocals, and we've got it on exclusive lockdown for you below.
There's not much to say about the Holy Ghost! remix of former Neon Gold all-stars Monarchy that isn't immediately apparent once the beat drops and that unreal vocal from soul legend Karl Dixon transforms the original into a swirling and shimmering cosmic disco beast: This shit is HUGE. We've loved Holy Ghost! since their debut single "Hold On" first graced our ears - and the fact that they're frequent collaborators with our dude Penguin Prison certainly doesn't hurt their standing in our books - but this is easily the most impressive thing we're yet to hear from the DFA collective. Like no other remix this year, it transports the original to a whole new place, stepping out into brave new territory the original could only conceive of in its wildest dreams. Well played, Holy Ghost, well played.
Penguin Prison is our favorite new artist in NYC by miles, so we're thrilled to be putting on his next live show June 9th at Santos Party House. He'll also be DJing the event, joined on the ones and twos by our very own Neon Gold Beat Company, with live sets from Bad Brilliance and newcomers Planes rounding out the night. Anyone who's seen Penguin perform thus far knows it's one of those special glimpses of greatness one rarely gets from young live bands these days, so come out and get down, it's time to get rowdy. Tickets are $12, doors open at 7pm and the show is 18+, for tickets and further info hit up the Santos website here. We'll also be announcing our third single release with Penguin Prison - due out this August - on the blog soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for more developments on that front. Advance warning: it's absolutely IMMENSE.
Those who reside within the greater NYC area know French Horn Rebellion as one of the city's most purely enjoyable partystarting crowdpleasers, so it's with great pleasure that we welcome them back to the Popshop stage next month. But this, dear friends, is French Horn as you've never seen them before, as they bring their 8 piece Party Ensemble - featuring The Great Apes and members of Penguin Prison, HAERTS, Savoir Adore and more - to Popshop as they look to showcase one of the most powerful party supergroups the world has ever seen. Amazing, WE KNOW.
The Popshop takeover continues next week as we set our sights on Boston, teaming up with The Chuckness to bring you a double headliner affair for the ages. Fresh off their spotlight-grabbing collaboration on one of the year's biggest tracks, "Hollywood", 
