We haven’t featured mind-bending electronic music in a while.  It’s not because we don’t like it.  In fact, there’s nothing better for getting us pumped up than some hardcore dance music (other than possibly AC/DC).  It’s just that there are so many players in the game, it’s hard to keep up with all of the new music that comes out.  BT is definitely an exception.

BT (full name Brian Wayne Transeau) is a music producer and “audio technician” known for his signature dance floor hits and booty-scrumpin’ music (I edited that last part with some of my own verbiage).  As an early ankle-biter, BT was dubbed a child prodigy, learning piano by age two.  He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but dropped out to focus more on his music.  So, yeah, he’s kind of a big deal.

His new 2-disc album These Hopeful Machines has more club music than you can handle, but also has dream-like “soundscapes” that offer a sweet transition from the bass-driven beats for the club floor.  It’s actually a well-constructed audio journey that offers a wide range of styles and sounds to accomplish what feels like a complete story.  I don’t get that often from the repetitiveness of other popular club music, but it’s exciting to see where he’s going to take you.

“Suddenly” is a mix of a wide range of vocal harmonies, rock guitars and dance beats and kicks off the album with full force whereas songs like “Every Other Way” and “A Million Stars” focus more on the melody than a wide range of electronic sound.  This 2-disc album definitely spans a larger spectrum than what we now label specifically as “club music”, but fans of the genre will not be disappointed.  If you want to listen to the full album, click here.  Or check out the link below to get your groove on.

Amazon Music

If you like BT, check out Basement Jaxx!

Some things are just better mixed up.  Like the ingredients to make cookies or the ingredients to make cakes or even the ingredients to make brownies.  I think I’ve made my point at how delicious mixing can be.  But what is even more delicious is the mixing going on with Basement Jaxx.  I know you’re probably thinking it’s a guy named Jack who has seriously misspelled his name (by accident) and lives in a basement somewhere.  Well if that’s what you thought, you would be partially correct.  They are a UK house music duo.  Oh wait, I guess you weren’t right at all.

Basement Jaxx have been releasing catchy dance music since the mid-90s and most recently “mixed up” their tracks with a variety of artists across many different genres in their September 2009 release Scars.  This mix of poppy club music will get you breakdancing in no time (that is if you know how to breakdance.)  And with collaborations from such FreshScouts artists as Sam Sparro, Santigold and the creator of the milkshake that brought all the boys to the yard, Kelis, you are sure to find a song that’s scrupmtilicious.

But the original idea behind Scars was to release the tracks as a double-album; one album containing the collaborative club tracks they are known for and one album containing what Basement Jaxx describes as a “soundscape” exhibiting the mellower side of the duo.  And thus, Zephyr was created.  This second installment, admittedly, is probably not going to be the first choice to pop in at your next party.  That’s what Scars is for.  Zephyr is more an album you’d toss on for some trance-like chillaxin’.

The two actually compliment each other nicely.  They are complete opposites that fit a variety of tastes, and since they were offered separately in a short time span, it’s easy to sample each like the cheese and sausage tables at a grocery store.  Take one or both or even come back for seconds or thirds.  As long as you look like you’re going to buy, it’s all good.

Check out the video for Scars (and some sweet animation from some guy on YouTube….bonus.)

Check out Scars:

Amazon Music

Like Basement Jaxx? Check out Girl Talk!