GOLD ON GOLD.

The Neon Gold team will be spending the holidays in London this year, taking some much needed time off, kicking it with our respective families and friends and taking in some seriously rad shows around town. The big news across the pond has been the descent of mysterious NYC wonders The Golden Filter on the Big Smoke, where they've been playing their first ever live gigs and showcasing their winning brand of shit-hot electro all around town. This week sees them jumping on some unreal line-ups, Thursday with Late of the Pier, Metronomy and Erol Alkan at Heaven and then Friday opening for the inimitable Hercules & Love Affair at new Fabric-owned megaclub Matter out at The O2. With an elite team already set up around them, an incredible remix of Cut Copy's "Far Away" out this week and such incredible UK support slots as the aforementioned, look for this to be the jumping off point for a huge year for the secretive duo in 2009.

"Solid Gold" will serve as their statement of intent when it drops early next year as their debut single and the first-ever release on Dummy Records, an offspring of the lauded magazine of the same name. Decisively establishing the duo's churning synth style and razor-sharp production touch and backed by an elite crop of remixes from the likes of Russ Chimes and more, look for "Solid Gold" to be one of the premier debuts of '09.

MP3: "Solid Gold" - The Golden Filter

Elsewhere, the kind gentlemen of Transparent have gone ahead and dropped their essential tracks of 2008 list, with Passion Pit's "Sleepyhead" sitting triumphantly atop the rest of the crop. We'd like to thank them for their ongoing support and kind words and also direct you to check out their other picks, as these kids know their shit better than anyone else around. And yeah we nicked their header image.

AND EVERYTHING IS GOING TO THE BEAT.

Our friends over at Finger On The Pulse and Palms Out Sounds have just announced their next No Big Deal party, this time with our very own Passion Pit headlining (their last NYC show of 2008!) and DJ support from Etan and Red Foxxx. It's all going down at the amazing Glasslands, the coolest new venue in NYC, and to celebrate their holding a remix contest for everyone's favorite "bass-heavy Cristal bath" and jam of the year frontrunner, "Sleepyhead". Grab the parts here and do your thing.

You've got until December 2nd to piece together your masterpiece, but it's gonna be hard to top the efforts already put forth by up-and-coming producers Landau and Bo Flex. We've already touted the Landau bros' interpretation here, but its the Bo Flex treatment that's the real freshness. Bo Flex Music is the production imprint launched this autumn by Passion Pit synth man Ayad Al-Adhamy, and it's off to an amazing start with Bo Flex heroes Giantess set to deliver their debut EP by the end of the month. Look for more noise out of the Bo Flex camp in the months to come, but for now Ayad and Karl from Giantess have teamed up to drop an absolutely immense rework that'll blow your speakers and then come back round to steal your girl. Huge.

MP3: "Sleepyhead" (Bo Flex Remix ft. Giantess) - Passion Pit ((exclusive))

// Scott Hansen //

THAT RULED.

Thanks to everyone who came out Thursday for our first Neon Gold party, we all had an amazing time. It was only Giantess' second gig ever and they totally rocked shit, and Theophilus was absolutely jaw dropping. Body Language and Etan kept bodies moving all night and the Delancey provided the perfect backdrop for all the madness - that jungle on the roof deck rules. To celebrate, here are a few more insane cuts from Theo in the form of "Star Scream" and "Leader of the New School", the back-to-back highlights of dude's incredible JAM! mixtape. Featuring more incredible production from Machinedrum, JAM! is the hottest shit since Wale announced his imminent takeover with 100 Miles & Running in '07. Dude is a fucking superstar just waiting to blow up, download the whole mixtape here.

MP3: "Star Scream" - Theophilus London
MP3: "Leader of the New School" - Theophilus London

Look for Neon Gold to start throwing down on a monthly basis in '09. This is only the beginning.

NEON DIAMONDS.

She is Marina. You are the Diamonds. "We've Got Obsessions" comes on one side and "Mowgli's Road" the other. Together these elements make up the principle ingredients of Neon Gold's second record, currently being readied in a North London studio for release in mid-December. We've been championing Marina to anyone who'll listen all year long, so we're understandably thrilled to have the honor of formally bringing her debut single into the world next month, when it will see a limited release on both sides of the Atlantic with our seal proudly stamped upon it. It seems others are catching on as well, as recent gigs across London (including a support slot for Little Boots on Halloween) have been drawing good press from all directions.

"Obsessions" endures as one of our favorite songs of 2008, all dramatic sparseness, haunting vocals and vulnerable beauty, like the best song Kate Bush never wrote or a week of sleepless nights that's head and shoulders above any other singer-songwriter fare we've heard this year. The new and improved single version, on the other hand, is a whole new kind of phenomenal, splashed in technicolor and reborn as a widescreen pop masterpiece that manages to outdo the original in nearly every regard, a feat we weren't sure was possible until we heard it for ourselves. We'll share that in good time once production maestro Liam Howe (he of Sneaker Pimps fame) has sprinkled his last bit of studio magic across it, but you'd do well to download the stunning original in the meantime. Trust us.

MP3: "We've Got Obsessions" (Demo) - Marina & The Diamonds

NEON GOLD PRESENTS: NEON GOLDEN 001.

We're throwing a fucking party. Theophilus London is the future of rap (seriously). Giantess are like Chromeo only sexier. They both know how to show you a good time and they're both playing our first Neon Gold party Thursday November 13th at the Delancey. $8 at the door or $5 if you RSVP to neongoldmusic@gmail.com (put 'RSVP' in the subject line). Cheap drinks and DJ sets from Etan (Ninjatune/Basstown), Body Language (NormRex) and Neon Gold's own freshprints. See you there?

Giantess are the next great hope for Boston-based electronic pop, following in the footsteps of Passion Pit with an even more synthed-out pop sound. Produced by the Pit's own Ayad Al-Adhamy on his Bo Flex Music imprint, they debuted their live show last month in Boston and we're thrilled to be putting on their first ever NYC gig. "Tuff 'n Stuff" is their best work to date, leading you in with a deceptively plaintive intro before dropkicking you in the jaw with some of the most immense synths you'll hear this side of Ratatat. Only a demo at this point, you can only imagine how immense this'll sound once Ayad's gone and properly seduced it with his worldly ways and tender studio touch.

MP3: "Tuff 'n Stuff" - Giantess

Now, a few more words on Theophilus London because this dude is just unreal. No word on just how he slipped under everyone's radar at CMJ, but works for us - we'll be doing a single with him in the new year and it's gonna be huger than huge. Williamsburg sensibility with a massive mainstream appeal, untouchable swagger on stage and big league flow, we wouldn't fault you for calling Theophilus the future of rap (because, uh, we're pretty sure he is). Much more to come on the superstar-in-waiting, but for now feast your ears on "Sandcastles". It's a serious contender for jam of the year status, Theo's fierce verse perfectly complimenting some next level production from fellow NormRex ringleader Machinedrum.

MP3: "Sandcastles" (ft. Theophilus London) - Machinedrum

FOLLOWING THE SOUND.

History was witnessed around the world yesterday and this morning brings the dawn of a bright new era in American history. Glued to the TV last night, few words can describe the feeling felt as the battleground states gradually fell under Democratic control, and the eruption of euphoria that engulfed New York City when the presidency was awarded to Obama will not soon be forgotten.

Gracelessly shifting the focus to music - this is not, and never will be a politics blog after all - Bag Raiders' "Shooting Stars" contains a similarly euphoric burst of emotion, its climactic moment unleashing a flood of uplifting energy above and beyond anything you've heard in music this year (and remember, we're the kids who brought you "Sleepyhead" not so long ago). Here the Bang Gang luminaries take the focus off the dancefloor for the first time and with the Australian duo gunning straight for the heartstrings the results are nothing short of brilliant. Featuring a perfect vocal courtesy of Rhys from Ted & Francis, the track is a lesson in delayed gratification, slowly building to the triumphant climax at 2:41 when the finest chorus of 2008 (seriously) finally bursts forth in all its technicolor glory and "Shooting Stars" establishes itself as one of the year's elite singles.

MP3: "Shooting Stars" - Bag Raiders

SWEET DISPOSITION.

Riding in on a tangible wave of industry buzz, Australian indie hopefuls the Temper Trap made their stateside debut to a crowded room of A&R types at Pianos last night and absolutely rocked shit with a tight set of crushing instrumentals, anthemic choruses and stadium-ready riffs. Masters of the epic, their artful use of delays and electronics lends their songs an extremely professional touch even at this early stage, and initial single "Sweet Disposition" stands out as one of the most impressive debuts of the year. Opening on a shimmering guitar riff before taking to the skies on the wings of Dougy Temper's soaring falsetto, the track's one of the most immense singles you'll hear all year, finding the perfect compromise between haunting atmospherics and the Wembley-sized grandeur of U2 or Muse. The band return home to Melbourne this month and close out the year with appearances at the Modular-curated Nevereverland festival, but look for these guys to make some serious international waves in the new year.

MP3: "Sweet Disposition" - The Temper Trap

RIDE OR DIE.

Hidden gems were few and far between at this year's CMJ, but D. Gookin provided a pleasant surprise Friday night at Public Assembly. The jam dropping alias of percussionist Mike Birnbaum, D. Gookin is all about funked out electro beats and glossy production flourishes over which Birnbaum lays down live vocals and drums. Quietly released on Moodgadget last week, the Hartford export's When You're Lonely Everybody's A Celebrity EP is one of the fresher debuts of the year and the live show doesn't disappoint. "Glad I Met You" is its most triumphant track, a sexy, slow burning dance cut constructed from candy coated synths and an unplaceable vocal sample that's every bit as eerily addicting as the loop in "Sleepyhead". Listen to this on the street and it's hard not to feel like the hottest shit on the block. Strutting has never been so inevitable.

MP3: "Glad I Met You" - D. Gookin