Mort's Best of 2007

"Say Hello to My Little List"

The 3 Best Electronic Releases of 2007 (That You May Not Have Heard About)
GUI BORATTO - Chromophobia [Kompakt]
Brazilian-born Gui Boratto created a trancey tech-house record that is big on rhythmic inventiveness and is characterized by his ability to connect seemingly disjointed sound loops into a warm, cohesive whole.

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PANTHA DU PRINCE - This Bliss [Dial]
Pantha Du Prince's second LP is an extension of the sound he explored on his first disc: deep house with a narcotic and melancholy edge, with flourishes of beauty seeming to arise out of nowhere. This album begs for a pair of headphones and your undivided attention.

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THE FIELD - From Here We Go Sublime [Kompakt]
The Field masterfully uses tightly looped samples to create layers of complex sound. The music is a propulsive, ambient drone that simultaneously moves forward while existing in a state of suspended animation.

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Honorable Mention
KILN - Dusker
Apparat - Walls
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Best Concert
Daft Punk in Brooklyn
French robots atop a neon pyramid... 'nuff said (click the link above to watch some incredible videos)
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Best Video
Escort - "All Through the Night"

Muppet disco!!!

Daft Punk: ALIVE!

"Television / Rules the Nation"

Last night I suffered one of the most terrifying nightmares of my life: Daft Punk was playing in my town, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not make it to the venue. To the uninitiated, this might not sound like a big deal. But those who are familiar with the spectacle that is Daft Punk Live can understand the horror of my sleep-induced trauma.

And as sad as I am that I did not get to see Daft Punk 'one more time' (pun intended), I am glad that I will be able to partially relive the concert experience when ALIVE 2007 hits the States in early December. Recorded in front of 18,000 screaming Parisians in July, the live disc features a mash-up of the duo's greatest hits, but inexplicably does not come with a DVD. Instead, we must settle for the official music video for the lead single "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (above), which was shot in Brooklyn by the fans and is an excellent representation of the live DP experience. As a bonus, check out the beyond-classic video for "Around the World" off of the Homework LP.

Daft Punk- Around the World

Daft Punk in Brooklyn

"Robot Rock"

We were lucky enough to attend the sold out Daft Punk show at Coney Island last Thursday and are still in absolute awe thinking about what transpired: it wasn't so much a performance as it was an electronic spectacle; It wasn't merely live music with a solid light show - it was an all-out, balls-to-the-wall audio/visual extravaganza.

The set consisted of the French duo's greatest hits mixed and mashed with one another to create something fresh and original. But what really dropped the collective jaw of the audience were the lights: they were synced up perfectly to the music, and not a single sequence was repeated throughout the show. The amount of programming that must have gone into creating the display is mind-boggling, but the end result is well worth the effort. Check out some quality amateur video below (courtesy of 'bluebrow'), and keep your eyes peeled for news of an official release sometime in the future.

DOUBLE UPDATE: So there will be NO official DVD (boo!) but Daft Punk is releasing a mastered audio recording of their June 14 tour stop in Paris. The lead single will be "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and will feature video footage from the Brooklyn gig. Look for the disc in November, and peep Billboard for more details. Also, be sure to check out P4K for an impressive glimpse inside the pyramid.

Daft Punk - "Da Funk":

"Human After All"

"One More Time"/"Music Sounds Better With You"