The girl that you now see standing in front of you  Keeps going on, because she believes…
In setting you free

The Sound: Nu Disco. Smoke Machines & Synthesizers. Glitter. House. Bass Chic. A triumphant Queen of Funk riding an otherworldly track.

The Scene: Ice Cream Parlors. Something Old, Something New. Cameras. Flashing Lights. Couture. Moves, on Moves, on Moves.

The Verdict: Róisín Murphy and Chaka Khan may just be distant love(hers). Influence is always uncanny because style is cyclical.

Watch This Space

Just when I was about to open up WordPress to start a draft on my ‘Where The Hell Is Roisin Murphy post?’ this pops up in my inbox. I first got wind of the track when she performed it at the Viktor & Rolf Spring/Summer 2010 runway show at Paris Fashion Week. A lackluster Audio Monster’s remix popped up, but this Yila remix is sure to give chills to even the most cynical dub step hater.

MP3: Róisín Murphy – Demon Lover (Yila Remix) (Right Click + Save Target As)

Part time Disco Diva Róisín Murphy gets as much attention for her style–a fun mix of out there and reserved. Lady Gaga comparisons aside, Róisín’s style is something all her own. Whether in over the top couture pieces or classy fits made for a First Lady, Roisin always catches an eye or two or more. Take a closer look at our favorite looks from Róisín below.

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I first heard Roisin Murphy perform “Royal T,” then named “Royalty” at Viktor & Rolf’s Spring/Summer 2010 fashion show in Paris. I was hooked instantly of course. Turns out the track is from Crooker’s delightful album Tons of Friends. I can’t understand a word she’s saying. But it sounds cool and honestly that’s all that matters. Listen and download “Royal T” below.

MP3: Crookers feat Roisin Murphy – Royal T (Right Click + Save Target As)

Only the Crookers could make this album. One of the key and most influential grandfathering groups of the current underground dance craze, Bot and Phra, the Italian Stallions of bass have taken the underground completely into the mainstream on their new Southern Fried Records release Tons of Friends released stateside on Monday, March 8th. At 22 tracks with 31 guests, this album is both bloated and audacious. However, in coming off more like a “Now! That What I Call Hipster” compilation more than anything else, the album succeeds, as for the more interested and adventurous typical music listener, the finest quality performers of electro, dub, club, bass, breaks and dance are all here, alongside some of the better vocalists with voices attuned to the unique qualities of the sounds presented.

The only lingering issue with this album lies for the more devoted fans of the musical genres presented. The album features the Crookers turning it back a few notches and presenting VERY pedestrian and mainstreamed takes on very underground musical styles, as, well, you’re not going to get the Debonair Samir “Samir’s Theme” sampling “Big Money Comin’,” nor the electro bombast of their key to their own mainstream success, Kid Cudi’s “Day N Night” remix. Instead you get tracks like Kelis’ hooks on the big bass shaker, ever so remotely dubstep “No Security,” which is as hard as the album gets, as the album shows the Crookers as not being so loud anymore, but instead investing more time in learning how to create grooves, melodies and pop songs. The pop quotient here is extremely high, Roisin Murphy’s two tracks “Hold Up Your Hand” and “Royal T” both exciting, as well as French electro pop wonder Yelle’s “Cooler Couleur” being fun as well.

This album truly exceeds at excess in being everything to everyone. For “OG” hipsters, there’s work here by ex-Bonde do Role femme fatale Marina, Spank Rock and Rye Rye (“Hip Hop Changed” is a lot of fun). If you’re just into the underground, favorites like Miike Snow, Major Lazer, The Very Best and Kid Cudi (“Embrace the Martian” is fantastic) are here, and, if a bottle service kid, Pitbull, Kardinal Offishall and the ubiquitous Will I. Am as well, all in tow. It’s really quite the awe-inspiring tableau.

In final, the electro craze has finally crossed over. The Crookers indeed have Tons of Friends. This album speaks far more to the levels of success that underground dance has achieved as a tightly knit community than to any forward movement of the disparate styles explored on the release. In the game of making money versus making music you personally enjoy, the ultimate battle every underground artist struggles with, the Crookers have shown themselves as victorious, creating a synergy that, while oddly massive, is more collection than album. By having these friends, the Crookers can claim to be at the top of the line, the head of the game. Mission, accomplished.

Download: “Royal T” “No Security” “Transilvania”

If you were in Atlanta last weekend and didn’t make it out to “Drip,” the launch party for The-Socials.com you missed out. Click here to see what you missed. And now you can hear what you missed. Download the official mixtape, mixed by Art Nouveau Magazine Editor in Chief Kendrick Daye. The mix features mixes of Lady Gaga, Roisin Murphy, Rye Rye, David Guetta, Peaches, and more. It’s not the entire dance revolution that was heard at the party, but it’s close enough. Download link and tracklisting below.

Download: An-Mag.com & The-Socials.com present “Drip: The Mixtape”

Tracklisting:
1. Rye Rye – Bang Bang (Stanton Warriors Remix)
2. David Guetta & Wynter Gordon – Toyfriend
3. Corinne Stevie & M.I.A. – Club_Kidz (GotDion Remix)
4. Peaches – Serpentine
5. Ludacris feat Ciara & Pitbull – How Low (Remix)
6. Britney Spears – 3 (DubStep Remix)
7. 8Ball & MJG – Relax & Take Notes
8. Kanye West & Sade- Say You Will/Cherish The Day (Mashup)
9. Sade – Soldier of Love
10. Rihanna feat Young Jeezy – Hard
11. Noise Porn starring Koohl Cardi, Ben Carson & Corinne Stevie – Noise Porn
12. Ms. Jade & Corinne Stevie- Better Get That (Remix)
13. Lady Gaga & Beyonce- Telephone (Remix)
14. Timbaland feat Justin Timberlake & Twista – Telephone (Remix)
15. Rihanna – Sexuality
16. Roisin Murphy – Let Me Know
17. LMFAO – I Am Not A Whore
18. Solange – Would Have Been The One
19. Theopilus London – Always Love U
20. Kelis – Acapella
21. J*DaVeY – Duh Duh Duh
22. Basement Jaxx feat Maleka, Kelis & Chipmunk – Scars
23. David Guetta feat Kid Cudi – Memories
24. Lady Gaga – Bad Romance (Chew Fu Remix)

Art Nouveau favorite Roisin Murphy is back with a new single “Momma’s Place.” With lines like “you think you invented bad?” It may seem like Roisin is throwing shots at current dance-pop queens like Lady GaGa or Rihanna, but “Momma’s Place” was written to her daughter. Listen and download the song below.

MP3: Roisin Murphy – Momma’s Place