XLR8R

More exclusive heat from Shir Khan's trusty Exploited imprint! The Hyperactive EP, which marks the debut collaborative release from Malente & Dex, recalls those abandoned warehouse days of yesteryear, with a nod to the new fist-pumping electro generation. Already receiving support from a bulletproof list of DJs, including Surkin, A-Trak, and Erol Alkan, the EP comes complete with remixes from the likes of Bird Peterson, Riva Starr, and Bobmo, who all take the track in different directions, yet keep the focus on the dancefloor.

Tokyo Police Club dabbled in aggressive hip-hop earlier this summer when Amplive remixed the band's track "The Baskervilles," but now, the Newmarket, Canada-based band is turning to prettier sounds. Fellow indie-rockers in Ra Ra Riot got ahold of the track "Juno," off TPC's Elephant Shell release, and turned it into a melody driven song where string arrangements soar and a crisp electronic beat plays out underneath. This one's for fans of The Postal Service or The Ready Aim Fire, or for anyone who likes to feel melancholy (not me, I swear).

Detroit’s underground MC eLZhi’s latest release, The Preface, is a hip-hop album chock-full of other big names from his neck of the woods–J Dilla, Dwele, Waajeed (Platinum Pied Pipers), and, not least of all, T3 (Slum Village), who lends himself to the album's first single, “Save Ya.” Over a rolling, low-key downbeat that feels perfect for a long, hot summer day in the city, this single contrasts an unwinding vocal hook, distorted to sound distant and unnaturally high-pitched, against a soulful female chorus. Meanwhile, eLZhi coolly delivers condemnatory lines like, “Infatuated with material things/You only see your feet in those shoes/Your ears in those rings /But, uh, you can come around on your best behavio /But sorry Love, I can't save ya.” Gold diggers, beware.

Texas is not a place you'd expect to find artists pushing cumbia, the dance music native to Colombia that's fast making a name for itself around the world. But there is an apparent cumbia crunk scene in the Lone Star state, and DJ Panik is one of the forces behind the movement combining the Latin American sound with Southern hip-hop beats. "Te Ves Buena," off the new Bersa Discos #3 EP, uses the aforementioned sounds alongside samples of a classic reggaeton tune from El General, and is a fast-paced number with slightly off-kilter beats that are made for dancing.

Telepathe may have risen from Brooklyn's avant-garde music scene, but the duo of Melissa Livaudals and Busy Gangnes dabble in many different genres on their first IAMSOUND EP, Chrome's On It. Commissioning The Mae Shi, Free Blood, Bobby Evans, and Mad Decent, the duo has unleashed four tracks that traverse experimental pop, hip-hop, dub, and other styles as each artist assumes remix duties and interprets their own version of the title track as well as the b-side, "Bells." The original, here, shows off Telepathe's taste for dense instrumentation, unpredictable rhythms, and unique approach to electronic music.

Chrome's On It
Side A
01 Chrome's On It
02 Chrome's On It (Mad Decent Remix)
03 Chrome's On It (The Mae Shi Remix)
04 Chrome's On It (Frankmusik Remix)

Side B
01 Bells
02 Bells (Free Blood Remix)
03 Chrome's On It (Bobby Evans Remix)

The remixes keep coming from Portland-based outfit Parenthetical Girls. With their Tomlab debut, Entanglements, about to hit the shelves, the band commissioned labelmates No Kids and Seattle's The Dead Science to fashion a couple of remixes, both of which are currently playing on XLR8R.com. While No Kids turned "This Regrettable End" into a dancey number with a 4/4 beat, The Dead Science's version of "Young Eucharists" is a more experimental rock affair, with reverb added to the vocals and guitar chords that crescendo throughout the song. Fans of XIu Xiu, take note. Photo by Robert Newel.

Parenthetical Girls must be really excited about the release of their upcoming Tomlab debut, Engtanglements. The Portland-based three-man, one-woman outfit already leaked A Song for Ellie Greenwich earlier this summer. Now, the band has commissioned labelmates No Kids and Seattle's The Dead Science to fashion a couple of remixes, both of which are currently playing on XLR8R.com. "This Regrettable End" finds No Kids adding a catchy drum machine beat under the original cut's dense orchestration, and vocalist Zac Pennington's smooth, melancholy voice seems well-suited to this new arrangement. If you're feeling this, also check the remix of "Young Eucharists" from The Dead Science. Photo by Sarah Cass.

Nothing but high energy and enticing dub rhythms on this track, a vinyl-only dub of the original "Around the World" cut off Scotland-based soundsystem Mungos Hi Fi's Soundsystem Champions release. The crew has existed since 2001 and been loved and played by the likes of Mr Scruff, and the late John Peel, as well as dropping releases on Solid Steel and Ninja Tune. The group is equally well-known for dropping vinyl-only releases via its own Scotch Bonnet imprint, which is exactly where you can pick up "Around the Redub" once you've hit download here and given the track a whirl.

Electro-funk outfit Detroit Grand Pubahs dropped their first EP nearly a decade ago. The year 2008 finds the Motor City-based duo of Andy Toth (a.k.a. Dr. Toefinger) and Mack Goudy Jr. (a.k.a. Black Fu) pushing offbeat, funk-rock sounds that are sometimes danceable, sometimes not. "Thanks for Coming" features fuzzy synths under a 4/4 beat, with a slightly eerie vocal snippit accompanying. Fans of the duo should also check their latest full-length, Nuttin Butt Funk, when it hits the streets September 29.

The combination of a scratchy guitars and snare drums, which increase in volume, gives the opening of this track the feeling of an approaching train, which arrives bringing sentimental indie rock from Brooklyn-based Motel Motel. Fast on the rise, with tracks on RCRD LBL and much buzz about their live performances, the members create driving tunes that combine solid songwriting with thoughtful lyrics. Nothing's wrong with a little good old fashioned rock. Photo by Roman.