N.A.S.A. is a collaboration between Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon, two LA producers who have put together one of the most interesting albums of the year: The Spirit of Apollo. The albums features collaborations with some of the biggest musical stars on the planet such as Kayne West, Tom Waites, John Frusciante, M.I.A. David Bryne and Method Man. N.A.S.A stands for “North America/South America” and they have managed to draw on influences ranging from Brazilian Funk, Electronica, Hip-Hop and Trip-Hop, with the heaps of indie attitude thanks to inputs from the likes of Nick Zinner and Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Lykke Li, Santigold and The Cool Kids.
We’ve got two excellent remixes on offer for you of probably the most well-known track from the album: Gifted. Any track that features Kayne West, Santigold and Lykke Li is sure to catch the attention of the mainstream, and the video is probably one of the finest we’ve seen in a longtime.
First up is The Aston Shuffle, a highly underrated Australian production duo who we have been digging for a while. Their take on “Gifted” keeps their trademark pogoing basslines and fidget beats from their usual production style, however the whole thing is a far more melodic affair than we’ve come to expect from them. The combination swirling and stabbing synths against the wonderful vocals make this one of the most dancefloor friendly remixes we’ve heard all year.
N.A.S.A – Gifted (The Aston Shuffle Remix)
Next up is Treasure Fingers, who has been making some excellent disco-tinged electro for the last couple of years now. He’s rapidly becoming one of the most in-demand producers in America today thanks to a superb string of remixes for the likes of Miike Snow, Little Boots, Empire of a Sun and Chromeo. If anyone knows how to work a vocal to the maximum in a track, it’s this guy. His remix of Gifted brings all the electronic boogie you’d expect from him.