It’s time for a brand new MuuCast!

Fair warning: This isn’t a collection of juicy booty bangers or sizzling electro stompers–instead, it’s the stuff of dreams.

Inspired by my recent longing to travel, plenty of downtime and perhaps a touch of the holiday blues, I now present MuuCast Episode 7: Miles Away, a sampling of songs with one idea in mind: To take you far, far away.

Music’s always been an escape for me, but the following collection inspires an especially strong sense of wanderlust. It’s the music I listen to when I’m looking for inspiration, feeling emotional, or–most often of all–when I’m preparing to drift into slumberville.

The playlist begins with El Perro Del Mar‘s “Change Of Heart,” my definitive come-down anthem for dulling the sound of loud drunks and creepy scumbags while riding the last train home out of Grand Central at 2 A.M., and closes with one of my all time favorites, Duke B‘s “Hey You (feat. Angela McCluskey),” which is one of the most haunting and beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. (It also makes an appearance on MuuCast Episode Three!)

Regardless, it’s yours to keep. I hope you enjoy the escape!

…And the semi-awkward spoken word introduction.

DL: MuuCast Episode 7: Miles Away

Oh, and apologies for no actual Utada on the tracklisting–I just thought her cover for Single Collection Volume 2 made a perfect match for the MuuCast’s mood!

To see the full tracklisting, click “Read More”!

Read More…

Nadia Ali is one of the greatest natural voices on the dance floor scene.

Formerly of Iio (“Rapture”, “Is It Love?), the singer has since embarked on her own successful career as a solo artist. After a series of songs recorded with artists including Rosko and Armin van Buuren, Ali finally unveiled her long-awaited debut album Embers in September of 2009.

A stunning collection of heavenly trance music and ambient sound, the album showcases both Ali’s unique vocal delivery and her knack for scribing deeply personal, sophisticated electronica, proving why she’s since become such an overwhelmingly admired, oft-requested collaborator for producers and artists alike.

Last Friday, I had the honor of speaking to Nadia as she prepared for a trip to Brazil. She was amazingly kind and as sweet as expected, and she provided a lot of thoughtful, in-depth responses to my questions. Instead of drafting up a short feature, I thought her fans would instead appreciate the full-on Q&A. Below is the entire transcript. I hope you all enjoy!

Read more »

The contest has now ended. Thank you!

MuuMuse is excited to be giving away THREE pairs of tickets to see Russell Small and James Wiltshire–better known as production duo The Freemasons–LIVE at The Beach on Governors Island on September 20.

To enter, send an e-mail to freemasons@muumuse.com with the subject line “NYC.”

As you should all well know, The Freemasons are sort of like the UK’s dancefloor antidote to the names behind the hits currently saturating the airwaves, including Timbaland and Ryan Tedder.

They’ve produced some of our most beloved tracks here at MuuMuse, including Sophie Ellis-Bextor‘s “Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)” and Kylie Minogue‘s “The One,” as well as countless mixes for Beyonce, Moby, and Kelly Rowland.

One winner will be selected and notified each week (two tickets per winner). Keep in mind: It’s on an island, so you’ll need to take the five-minute ferry (click here for schedule) to get there.

And now for the full announcement:

Sunday, September 20
At The Beach at Governors Island:
THE FREEMASONS
Presented by The Saint at Large
Visit The Beach online for more info and up-to-date ferry schedules
Doors at 6:00pm, Show at 6:30pm
$25 adv, $40 at door
Box Office, Will Call, and ticket purchases will all happen on the island.
First Ferry Leaves at 5:30pm

Good luck!

God, I love this group.

Today marks the official release of the Sneaky Sound System‘s fourth (and final?) single, “It’s Not My Problem.” The song is but one of the many terrific tracks off of Sneaky’s 2008 album 2, a devastatingly overlooked (referring to America, obviously) collection of dance-pop gems a la Cut Copy and The Presets.

Be sure to watch the video above, created by fan competition winner, Maik Hempel. It’s fun, it’s adorable…and even more impressively, it’s fan-made!

Poor little cartoon man…he’s like the friend that Moby‘s Little Idiot never had.

Purchase “It’s Not My Problem” on iTunes Australia | MySpace | Official Website

Today is the official release of Moby‘s ninth studio album, Wait For Me. You can pick up a 12″ or a physical CD at Moby’s store.

I don’t know if I’ll get around to ‘properly’ reviewing it, so just in case:

It is good–I’ve just not managed to listen the whole way through without falling asleep. Not a criticism–just a heavy sedative of an album. The title track, “Wait For Me,” is pretty stunning in its own right, however.

Click below to preview and purchase Wait For Me.

Sometimes I hear a voice in the back of my head pleading “Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air?” Well, really it’s more like “no ay-uh,” but I digress.

The point is I can breathe again.

Hot off the heels of the announcement made by Zero 7 and their comeback to the ‘music scene’ with a new album, French dream-pop duo Air has announced their own return with Love 2, due out on October 6 from Astralwerks.

According to the Pitchfork rehash of the press release I didn’t get in my inbox:

On October 6, Astralwerks will release Love 2, the fifth studio album from the Paris duo. This will be the first album that Air recorded at their own Atlas Studio, which I have to imagine is the most luxurious recording studio on the planet. Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin handle all the album’s vocals by themselves, and L.A. gun-for-hire drummer Joey Waronker sits in on the entire record.

“Do the Joy” will be available as a “viral single” on July 7, according to a press release. On August 25, they’ll drop the album’s first proper single, “Sing Sang Sung.”

This is excellent news, as I’m already wearing out Moby‘s new record for my sleepy time playlist.

Click below to hear more from Air.

Here now is the video for Moby‘s “first self-produced” single from his upcoming album Wait For Me, “Pale Horses.”

Spoiler Alert: If the song doesn’t make you want to kill yourself, the video surely will.

Click below to hear more from Moby.

And all of a sudden, Moby is back into the swing of things.

Yesterday, the artist let loose a torrent of information about the release of his next album, Wait For Me, due out on June 30.

It seems that Moby’s become a bit disenchanted with the industry. But really, who isn’t these days? As a result, he’s turned inward and created a record that pleases him for the sake of creativity, not because of sales. Translation? Expect moody atmospherica and weird, electronic sounds.

Tracklisting! GO:

division
pale horses
shot in the back of the head
study war
walk with me
stock radio
mistake
scream pilots
jltf 1
jltf
a seated night
wait for me
hope is gone
ghost return
slow light
isolate

Above is the video for Moby’s first single (an instrumental, judge this as you may), “Shot In The Back Of The Head,” directed by none other than David Lynch. Like the artwork for Wait For Me, the video is bleak–black and white and mournful all over.

Seems to be quite the sad robot these days, no?

Click here to visit his newly renovated website.

DL: Moby – Shot In The Back Of The Head

Click above to hear more from Moby NOW!