THE COLLECTOR'S GUIDE - The best Nu Rave songs

Thus meaning the literal significance of new. Why let it stop with the ‘Nu Rave’, find the Rave that suits you! Here are some suggestions for every raving predilection.

T he Sporty Rave: Daisy Daisy – Michelle Plays Ping Pong (Vicarious Bliss Remix) 
Bring the Rave to the gym. Move your feet to the music and your hands to the racket. Discover the charm of table tennis: this track is like working out minus the sweat.
» www.myspace.com/myvicariousbliss  
» www.myspace.com/mydaisydaisy  

The DIY Rave: Niyi – Niyi Can’t Mix
London rapper Niyi says: ‘I can’t actually sing or rap’ OK, but bad singers normally do better music. They don’t do like Celine Dion and wail on and on, just because they’re so fond of hearing their own voices. Now he’s really only being modest since people dance to his music in Berlin, London and Amsterdam.
» www.myspace.com/niyi  

The Lollipop Rave: The Softlightes – Girlkillsbear (Lo-Fi-Fnk Remix)
Have it instead of candy. The catchy remix of the song from the Californian band ‘The Softlightes’ could have gotten nauseatingly sugary, but Lo-Fi-Fnk knew just where to stop and kept it pure pop.
» www.myspace.com/thesoftlightes  

The Real Rave: Booka Shade vs. Corona – White Night (Kornél Mix)
Corona had a huge hit with ‘Rhythm of the Night’ in 1994. One year earlier, the men behind Booka Shade had a Europe No. 1 with 90s trance Mr Vain – the forefather of 00s dance Mandarine Girl. The connection between them may not seem crystal clear, but something special was born when ‘Rhythm of the Night’ mutated with ‘In White Rooms’ into ‘White Night’. The best of two worlds.
» www.bookashade.com  

The Guys-Want-Her-The-Girls-Want-To-Be-Her-Rave: Namalee n’ The Namazons – U Glo Girl
In Greek mythology, Amazons are longhaired women who live in the forests in a women-only collective. They chose war before men, invented the battle-axe and fought their way from territory to territory. Namalee n’ The Namazons are heard to be invading London; they have been spotted night time, wearing fabulous outfits looking like celebrities, making a sound a bit like M.I.A. on acid.
» www.myspace.com/namalee  

The MacGyver Rave: Kavinsky – Testarossa Autodrive
MacGyver saves the day and solves problems faster than James Bond with only his Swiss army knife at hand, accompanied by pulsating music that gets you jumping nervously on the TV couch. Kavinsky saves your night and makes music for heroes on Record Makers.
» www.myspace.com/kavinsky  

The Dirty Rave: The Teenagers – Fuck Nicole (SLUTTT remix)
To keep analyze band names drives you mad. The three boys in ‘The Teenagers’ are no teenagers, but then maybe Nicole is. Their music is loud, fun and out on Slum Records in the new year.
» www.myspace.com/theteenagers  
» www.myspace.com/theteenagersremix  

The Nintendo Nerd Rave: Crystal Castles – Magic Spells
Boy and girl from Toronto share their band name with the arcade game Crystal Castles. They share the sound too, but it’s more beautiful than you would have expected. The hard electronics harmonise with the bips and the beeps and form something melodic and soft. Imagine being ill, staying inside, playing games all day.
» www.myspace.com/crystalcastles  

Hip to the Hop to the Rave: DJ Mehdi – Lucky Boy
At a recent concert with DJ Mehdi, the show was ruined by a black light making peoples teeth and eye-whites shine bright white. Everybody came across really scary and this made it impossible to concentrate on the music. Look at his video ‘I am somebody’ instead. That boy can boogie. The album Lucky Boy is released on Ed Banger records. And get his remix of New Young Pony Club’s Ice Cream a.s.a.p.!
» www.myspace.com/djmehdi  

The Best of Rave: Depeche Mode – The Best Of, Vol. 1
Depeche Mode survived the old Rave and have all the potential to outlive the new one too. They released their Best Of in November and on the CD are all the classics and also remixes by Boys Noize (who seem to remix all there is), Ricardo Villalobos and Alex Smoke.
» www.depechemode.com  

Text by Christine Arnefors