NEON GOLD PRESENTS: ELLIE GOULDING

Our starlit darling, Ellie Goulding, has been scorching the charts like wildfire with her aptly titled debut album, Lights, as her breakout single of the same name continues to burn on at the top of the charts nearly two years on from its initial release.  Now with her hotly-anticipated sophomore follow up, Halcyon, cresting over the horizon, we're thrilled to celebrate the occasion with a very special album release party for Ms. Goulding, as she takes to the Neon Gold stage at Santos Party House on October 11th. Yes, this is too good to be true, but guess what? It's happening.

And as if one of the world's biggest popstars playing the best intimate venue in NYC wasn't heart-stoppingly exciting enough already, we've also got the boy king Xaphoon Jones getting things heated early on the ones and twos. This time around we're opening the floodgates to the 16+ crowd, and tickets go on sale to the general public (fanclub-only presale is already sold out) on Saturday morning at 10am sharp HERE. It almost goes without saying, but this will sell out in literally seconds flat, so you'd be wise to have your trigger fingers warmed up and credit cards at the ready come Saturday morning. Don't say we didn't warn you.

PUT YOUR HANDS INTO THE FLAME.

Last month, Ellie Goulding stormed back onto the scene (without ever even leaving the charts) with her collaboration with Xaphoon Jones, as they took on The Weeknd's "High For This". This week her triumphant return continues, as she's back with yet another massive cover collaboration, this time joining forces with Tinie Tempah to reinvent Active Child's "Hanging On". All dressed up in oscillating M83 synths and the weight of the world hanging in the balance of the mix, "Hanging On" sounds like a song Ellie was put on this earth to sing, but it's Tinie who stuns in equal measures, absolutely going IN on one of his best verses to date.

MP3: "Hanging On" (ft. Tinie Tempah)" - Ellie Goulding

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE HERE FOR.

It's been a minute since we've heard new material from our leading lady Ellie Goulding, but that's the kind of thing that happens when your debut record refuses to stop selling and your most recent single streaks into the Top 40 a year after its original release. But as "Lights" continues to burn on, there's some incredible new material on the horizon, and it starts now with a dazzling prelude in the form of her Xaphoon Jones-produced cover of The Weeknd's "High For This". It's two of the most talented people we've ever had the good fortune to work with covering one of the best songs of the past 18 months, and they've been kind enough to throw us the exclusive premiere below.

DOWNLOAD: "High For This" - Ellie Goulding [exclusive]

GOLD030: FOXES

A new year means an exciting new class of Neon Gold acts to introduce, and we're hitting the ground running with the lovely Foxes, whose AA-side debut single "Youth"/"Home" celebrates our 30th release and stands out as one of our absolute strongest to date. Carrying on the torch for empowered female pop from Neon Gold alums Marina & The Diamonds and Ellie Goulding, Foxes' debut 7" is a supercharged one-two punch with "Youth" leading the way and "Home" driving things home on the flip.

Loui Rose Allen (that's Foxes to you) has the piercing voice of an angel with an arrow lodged in her heart, and the rise and fall of the A-side's dynastic production mirrors our female lead's coming of age perfectly at the rapturous breakdown. On top of that, the ferocious drop results in a lingering afterglow that radiates with the emotional gravitas of a thousand dreams coming true. On the AA-side, "Home" has a certain Chairlift-ed charm about it, opening like an unassuming lullaby that skips the caterpillar stage altogether and goes from zero to butterfly in barely a minute. And it certainly doesn't hurt that the electronic flutters of this natural anthem have the same resonating impact as a lost (and now found) B-side from The Postal Service. Together they're the perfect way to launch the Neon Gold Class of 2012, and you better believe you'll be hearing a lot more out of Foxes' camp in the year to come. The official release date is January 16, but you can get your preorder on now from the Neon Gold Shop. Act now before it's too late, this one is a treasure.

DOWNLOAD: "Youth" - Foxes

STREAM: "Home" - Foxes

IT'S ONLY JUST BEGUN.

Word of our latest Neon Golden girl has been spreading like wildfire of late, so it's high time we introduce you to Loui Rose Allen, set to join our family tree with the release of her debut single in the new year. Known as Foxes on the streets, this 22-year old superstar in waiting writes leftfield pop anthems with the kind of infectious ambition that has desk-strapped A&Rs foaming at the checkbook. Nowhere is this more evident than on her uplifting debut single "Youth", an endlessly unique and massively anthemic debut offering that takes us back to the special days of Marina's "Obsessions". Vocally, we might call it a bittersweet fusion of Ellie Goulding and Clare Maguire if we weren't ourselves sick of the never-ending carousel of comparisons that befalls every new female vocalist these days, but the songwriting puts Foxes well and truly in a league of her own here.

Riding high on the wings of some of the most dynamic pop production we've heard in ages, Foxes delivers each verse like a tiny bombshell sliding down to explode silently in your chest and wreak havoc on your heartstrings. Grinding industrial percussion and resplendent synths cross paths before your very eyes, emotion flowing like sonic teardrops and mounting steadily to create a veritable waterfall of unrelenting pop brilliance. Things die down for a spell halfway through, but by the time the floodgates open and those soaring synths take to the skies in the bridge, it's game, set, and match - this round's gone to Foxes.

DOWNLOAD: "Youth" - Foxes [exclusive]

POPSHOP009: THE KNOCKS + WYNTER GORDON.

Worried your Labor Day weekend plans will get in the way of Popshop this week? Well worry no more, as we're pushing things back a week to September 8th so as to maximize rage potential and make sure no one misses out. Trust us though, the wait is more than worth it, as this one may well be our biggest lineup ever.



Fresh off a party rocking set at All Things Gold 002 last week in DC are our partners in crime The Knocks returning as headliners, and those who attended their first headline show at Popshop 002 last February will remember it as one of the craziest nights we've ever put on. Then bringing the heat in the main support slot is superpop vixen Wynter Gordon, whose omnipresent smash single "Dirty Talk" has had her living at the top of the charts so long she should be paying rent. Rounding out the lineup is NYC's own hometown hero and firstborn son of the HeavyRoc family Samuel, as well as London via Tel-Aviv electro types Tiger Love, hot on the heels of international dates supporting Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. And as if that live lineup wasn't massive enough, we've got a once-in-a-lifetime, I-was-there-when Goldsmith reunion on the decks, as our superstar alumni Ellie Goulding and Starsmith get together on the ones and twos in the headline DJ slot.



As is Popshop family tradition, we'll be providing an Absolut Vodka OPEN BAR from 8pm- 9pm and a FREE KEG of Heineken at 2am for our nearest and dearest who decide to rage with us well into the early morning. Changing up our ticket approach this time, the first 50 people to order online can cop $10 early bird tickets, after which all remaining tickets will be $13 in advance and $15 on the door. Tickets are available online from the Popshop site HERE, so move fast to cop that price break and don't sleep on this one, this will be another sell out.



09:00pm: Samuel // DOWNLOAD: "Champagne Kisses"



10:00pm: Tiger Love // DOWNLOAD: "Under Control"



11:00pm: Wynter Gordon // STREAM: "Dirty Talk" (Laidback Luke Remix)



12:00am: The Knocks // DOWNLOAD: "Sunshine"



01:00am: Goldsmith // DOWNLOAD: "Black & Gold"

NEON GOLD SXSW 2011.

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.

08:00pm: Little Red // MP3: "Rock It" ('96 Bulls Remix)

09:00pm: Walk The Moon // MP3: "Anna Sun"

10:00pm: Alex Winston // MP3: "Sister Wife"

11:00pm: Clock Opera // MP3: "A Piece of String"

12:00am: Ellie Goulding // MP3: "Under The Sheets" (Baby Monster Remix)

01:00am: Penguin Prison // MP3: "The Worse It Gets" (Elof Remix)

YOU MAKE ME FEEL.

We've been fully on board the Lissie wagon ever since we experienced her literally AMAZING duet with Ellie Goulding at this year's Great Escape festival (phenomenal footage of which is viewable above), and her debut album Catch A Tiger and its lead single "When I'm Alone" were two of our favorite surprises of the summer. Leo Zero must have felt similarly, so keen was he to remix "When I'm Alone" that he approached Sony to let him have a go at the track long after the single campaign had run its course. We're glad he did, though, as the results are nothing short of magnificent. Not unlike the brilliant remix of Florence & The Machine's "Rabbit Heart" that he turned in last summer, his rework of "When I'm Alone" is a sprawling epic, an anthemic leviathan looming large in the mix for 8+ minutes of balearic bliss. Leo Zero we salute you, the world needs more remixes like this.

MP3: "When I'm Alone" (Leo Zero Remix) - Lissie [exclusive]

ELLIE GOULDING HITS NYC.

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.

MP3: "Under The Sheets" (Jakwob Remix) - Ellie Goulding

ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE SUN.

Jakwob first burst onto the scene and melted minds with his empire-toppling mix of Ellie Goulding's "Starry Eyed" back in early 2009, and he's since established himself as one of the most sought after remixers in the game via a slew of immense official mixes for everyone from Robyn to Kid Sister. Late last year he sent us a crop of seriously exciting demos that hinted at a young producer on the precipice of greatness, and now at long lost he's ready to unleash the first taste of his original material on the world. Out 13th September on his own Boom Ting Recordings imprint, "Here With Me" arrives as Jakwob's first official single and statement of intent, ominous synths and eerie Burial-esque vox samples washing back and forth across the mix, a tangible sense of dread and longing pervading throughout. Haunting and strangely beautiful, it's only the tip of the iceberg for an artist who promises to be one of the biggest names in dubstep by the time the next twelve months have run their course.

MP3: "Here With Me" - Jakwob [exclusive]

DOWN HERE IT'S OUR TIME.

Last year our main man B-Roc (of The Knocks fame) dropped his debut mix on the world, aptly titled The Transplant. It ruled and all (and you can and probably should still check it out here), but now that he's back with the next installment, The Transplant II, that original effort seems like nothing more than a prelude to the greatness of its amazing sequel. He's been hard at work on it since we were on tour with him and Samuel on the west coast last month, and believe us the effort paid off. This is easily our favorite mix of all time, replete with Neon Gold classics both old and new. From beloved alumni like Marina & The Diamonds, Ellie Goulding and The Sound of Arrows, to the new class of Neon Gold all stars like Dom, The Naked & Famous and The Knocks themselves (all singles we haven't even announced yet but will be coming your way on 7" later this summer), this shit is off the chains. 40+ minutes of absolute bliss, you better believe this is worth your time.


MP3: The Transplant II - The Knocks

KILLING ME.

We first featured Chiddy Bang with their amazing remix of MGMT's "Kids" last spring, and in the time since they've had a surprise Top Ten hit in the UK with that very track ("Opposite of Adults") released their debut mixtape The Swelly Express, and established themselves as a serious force to be reckoned with in the electro-hip hop scene. Now they're back with the follow up to The Swelly Express, titled Air Swell and comprised solely of tracks written on the duo's frequent transatlantic flights between the US and the UK. The lead off track is a remix of our very own Neon Gold homegirl Ellie Goulding (WHO BY THE WAY HAS A NUMBER ONE ALBUM IN THE UK RIGHT NOW), with beatsmith Xaphoon Jones taking her amazing "Under The Sheets" and synthing it out even harder than the Starsmith-produced original, before Chiddy hops on the mic and absolutely slays it on the verse. Dudes sent it over to us for the exclusive debut, so cop that shit below and get ready for Air Swell to takeover the internet when it drops after SXSW.

MP3: "Under The Sheets" (Chiddy Bang Remix) - Ellie Goulding [exclusive]

TEARING ME UP.

60's influenced girls with guitars are hardly our usual speed here at Neon Gold, but we'd be lying if we told you we haven't been completely hooked on Alex Winston's "Animal Baby" since she first breezed across our radar a few weeks back. Hailing from Detroit, the Motor City native just moved to the concrete jungle where dreams are made of to work on her debut album with our dudes The Knocks, who are fresh off killing it in the studio with our dear friends Samuel and Ellie Goulding. But yeah, Alex got here like yesterday and already has major label A&R's beating down her door, so cop "Animal Baby" below and definitely keep an eye out for this one.

MP3: "Animal Baby" - Alex Winston