umstrum||music » Canada

TOKYO POLICE CLUB – CHAMP (Indie/Rock – Canada)

umstrum — Sat, 15 May 2010 14:42:33 +0000

Tokyo Police Club started by accident one day in 2005 when Dave Monks (Vocals – Bass), Josh Hook (Guitar – Percussion), Graham Wright (Keyboards – Vocals) and Greg Alsop (Drums – Percussion) decided that they missed playing music together and gathered in Josh’s basement to jam. Next thing you know, they had started playing shows in the Toronto area and they got an invitation to play the Pop Montreal festival. Soon after their sold out show, they signed with Toronto label Paper Bag Records and released their debut EP, A Lesson In Crime (2006), quickly followed by the Smith EP.

Tokyo Police Club – Your English Is Good

Many gigs and a great debut album later, Tokyo Police Club are now about to release their sophomore album, Champ, which is due out on June 8th. If it is anything like its predecessor (and judging by the first single it is), this new album will have the potential to push them to center stage. With their punchy tunes and expert use of synths, rolling drums and guitars, Tokyo Police Club have perfected a sound that can appeal to an audience that is not limited to indie pop fans. To build up the buzz around the album, the band are giving away the track “Breakneck Speed”. It’s available for free download on their official website.

As a bonus, check out the track “Be Good” here remixed by the Remix Artist Collective. Enjoy!

Tokyo Police Club – Be Good (RAC Remix)

To listen to more Tokyo Police Club tracks and get all tour dates on MySpace. You can buy their music on

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CRYSTAL CASTLES – II (Electro/8-bit – Canada)

umstrum — Wed, 12 May 2010 16:09:09 +0000

Crystal Castles is an electronic music duo from Toronto, which consists of producer Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass.Their music is easily recognized by their heavy use of samples, two-dimensional Gameboy glitches, electronic drums and distorted female vocals. Their swift rise to fame came after a string of successful singles and remixes (White Lies, Van She, The Whip), but also after a few chaotic live shows, that came to characterise the band. Let it be mentioned that NME included their debut album in their “Top 50 Albums of the Decade”! Check out the amazing “Courtship Dating”, taken off their debut.

Crystal Castles – Courtship Dating

The news of their second LP was announced early December 2009. The album was set to be released on June 7 but its digital release was rushed to April 23 after the album leaked online. Ethan Kath produced the album in various places including a church in Iceland, a self built cabin in northern Ontario and a garage behind an abandoned convenience store in Detroit Michigan, with one song recorded in the London studio of Paul “Phones” Epworth.

Here’s a sweet rework of the track “Celestica” by Professor Purple. This is the second time we post one of his remixes (remember the remix he did for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs?) and probably not the last…

Crystal Castles – Celestica (Professor Purple Remix)

Find more info on Crystal Castles’ MySpace and buy the new album on

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saturday nite with… DEADMAU5

umstrum — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:22:45 +0000

Deadmau5 (pronounced “Dead mouse”) is the pseudonym of progressive house producer and DJ Joel Zimmerman. For the past couple of years this Canadian artist has been surfing a wave of commercial and critical success. His extensive discography includes numerous tracks which have been A-listed by the best DJs around the world, including Pete Tong, Tiësto or Kaskade.

Deadmau5 – Strobe (umstrum Radio Edit)

In 2008 he became the best-selling artist on Beatport with more than 30,000 digital downloads and the website named him “Most influential, forward-thinking and relevant person” of 2008.

Deadmau5 – Some Chords (Original Mix) [removed by request]

For more info, check out Deadmau5′s official website or MySpace. Buy his music on

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CARIBOU – SWIM (Indie/Psych/Pop – Canada)

umstrum — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:24:21 +0000

Caribou is Canadian-born Dan Snaith, who formerly recorded under the moniker Manitoba. Coming from a family of mathematicians, Snaith spent many years torn between music and maths. In 2005, he completed his PhD on modular Siegel symbols at the University of London and is now working full time on his music. Known for altering his sound with each subsequent release, he incorporates electronic textures and breakbeat drums and creates a swirling, lush, musical panorama.

His last album, Andorra (2007, City Slang), won Canada’s Polaris Music Prize, so hopes are high for the follow-up. Caribou’s new LP, Swim, will be out April 20, courtesy of Merge in North America and City Slang in the UK and Europe. The album’s opening track “Odessa” is available for free download on Caribou’s official site.

Caribou – Odessa

Recorded between Wales and Canada, the album has been described by Snaith as folllows: “I got excited by the idea of making dance music that’s liquid in the way it flows back and forth, the sounds slosh around in pitch, timbre, pan… Dance music that sounds like it’s made out of water, rather than made out of metallic stuff like most dance music does.”

As a bonus, here’s “Lord Leopard”, taken off Caribou’s 2005 release The Milk Of Human Kindness.

Caribou – Lord Leopard

Find out more on MySpace and download Caribou’s music on

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saturday nite with… MSTRKRFT

umstrum — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 14:31:49 +0000

MSTRKRFT (ft. John Legend) – Heartbreaker (Wolfgang Gartner Remix)

MSTRKRFT (pronounced “Master-craft”) is an electronic music duo from Toronto, currently signed to Dim Mak Records. This project was started in 2005 by Jesse F. Keeler formerly of Death from Above 1979 and Al-P (Alex Puodziukas) formerly of the electropop group Girlsareshort. Al-P was also the producer for Death from Above 1979′s album You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine. The duo has been close friends, as well as work partners, for a long time. MSTRKRFT also produced Die Mannequin’s first EP, How to Kill, and Magneta Lane’s second LP, Dancing With Daggers.

To quote Keeler and Al-P, MSTRKRFT is “interested in making people feel like they want to dance, at least a little bit, so it’s all about whatever it takes to get people there.” They adopt the same mantra when it comes to remixing other artists. No wonder the list of remixes they have produced is virtually endless, including artists such as Chromeo, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Metric, Annie and The Kills.

Their LP Fist Of God is out since August 2009 and you can download it from iTunes. For more MSTRKRFT music go to MySpace.

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MADE BY MONKEYS FT. DARCY CONROY – I THINK OF YOU (Tech/House – Canada)

umstrum — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 10:53:24 +0000

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgwccjTGB3k

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DRAGONETTE – FIXIN TO THRILL (Electro/Synth/Pop – Canada)

admin — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:23:35 +0000

Dragonette is finally back with a brand new album, Fixin To Thrill, which is out in Canada on September 29th (get it on iTunes) and in the rest of the world in October.

Dragonette – Fixin To Thrill

Canadian electropop band Dragonette is singer-songwriter Martina Sorbara, bassist and producer Dan Kurtz, guitarist Chris Hugget and drummer Joel Stouffer. Their debut album, Galore, was released in 2007, spawning the singles “Take It Like A Man” and “I Get Around”.

Dragonette – Pick Up The Phone (Richard X Radio Edit)

With their sharp and witty pop songs Dragonette have become a mainstay of many electro blogs. Their highly anticipated new album album, Fixin To Thrill, is sure to get a lot of blog love over the next few months.

Read more about Dragonette HERE and HERE and follow them on MySpace.

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FAN DEATH – VERONICA’S VEIL (Alt/Disco – Canada)

admin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 15:57:15 +0000

Fan Death hail from Vancouver and are a quirky electro disco duo. They were one of the breakout acts of ‘08, along with Empire Of The Sun. The disco revival is in full swing (see Hercules & Love Affair, Holy Ghost!, Glass Candy) and these two Canadians bring you the beats like no other.

Fan Death – Veronica’s Veil (Erol Alkan’s Extended Mix)

PEACHES – I FEEL CREAM (Electro/Club – Canada)

admin — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:13:11 +0000

Peaches – I Feel Cream

NUMERO# – SPORT DE COMBAT (ElectroPop – Canada)

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:24:44 +0000

French-Canadian duo, Numéro#, had success with their wildly popular,”Chewing-gum Fraise”. Their new full-length is called Sport de Combat and it’s out since April 10. The first single taken off the new album is “Tonton Klaxonne”. Check it out just below…

Numéro – Tonton klaxonne

For more info and music, find Numéro# on MySpace.