RIP MJ.

Those words have been crashing Twitter, where phrases reflecting MJs death have comprises ten out of ten Twitter trends. I think this is a first.

In memorium, I’m posting my favorite Michael Jackson song. Its probably not my single favorite MJ video, but its one of the best.

These mini-movies are part of what sets the King of Pop of part in my mind and what will forever secure his legacy as one of the only people to combine funk, rock, and disco, then sell hundreds of millions of records in the process.

These nine-minute music videos are always a great view. String a couple of these together, and you have an Adam-Sandler sized movie, though I’d probably rather watch Happy Gilmore for the 59th time instead.

Here comes the self-proclaimed best fan video ever. Not sure if this is the official video for the Girl Talk song Bounce That, but not much about the ‘band’ Girl Talk is very official. He’ll drop about 10 different songs in a single track, none of them his to begin with. Its DJs like this that make the music industry cringe, then start suing developers…

Girl Talk is one man – Gregg Gillis. He started recording these mashups while studying biomedical engineering, with a focus on tissue engineering. He’s now selling out shows at some of the top venues in the country.

Girl Talk has also been front and center in the new movement of giving away music. Considering that he didn’t create any of it from scratch, he probably isn’t as attached to it as, say, Metallica.

One of my favorite Calvin Harris tracks, remixed by Seamus Haji. Calvin casually asks people to get some colours on. (Notice he says ‘colours’ and not ‘colors’, as he’s from Scotland)

He may have the opportunity to ask you to do this while doing some merrymaking at his place…his place. Especially if you were born in the 80s, and if you are ready for some disco heat.

If you have no comprehension of what I just wrote, check out his self-titled freshman album. One of the best I’ve heard in the last 5 years.

If I don’t find some remix of this song soon, I might just take up DJing on my own.

Pase Rock blends electro and hip hop. Check him out especially if you are an M.I.A. fan. Not sure if he brings as much spandex to his shows though.

And I quote: ‘Workout, Work Hard.’ Well I may, but I’ll have to grab a coffee first.

The keyboard licks just after the main chorus sold on me this jam – reminiscent of a Rick James tune from the early 80s. That, and the guy on the right’s facial hair arrangement. Well done, sir. Well done.

Great dance remix by Brazilian DJs The Twelves, that inevitably makes you want to … dance.

For more of The Twelves, check out this mixtape at Big Stereo. Keep an ear out for the radiohead song Reckoner which they mix in seamlessly early.

VHS or Beta, featuring the skinniest man alive, Craig Pfunder, on vocals and guitar, is a new wave, electro, rock band from Louisville, Kentucky.

They opened up for Duran Duran on a leg of their North American tour in 2005.

VHS or Betas has released three albums to date, and this track comes off their first release, Le Funk, which has a considerably stronger dance feel than their later two albums.

Similar Jams:

Ghostland Observatory – Stranger Lover
Poni Hoax – Antibodies

Get your dance on. No, really, get your dance on. These people have…

Poni Hoax, from Paris, France, integrate post punk rock riffs and sound bytes into their electro songs, similar to bands such as The Black Ghosts or Digitalism.

They met while studying at Conservatoire Nationale de Musique in Paris, then continued to experiment with electro and rock beats after graduation, and while working as stand-in studio and tour musicians for other bands.

Started as a project by frontman Dan Whitford in 2001, Cut Copy has emerged as one of the world’s most loved Melbourne-based bands, touring worldwide with the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Daft Punk, Mylo, and Bloc Party, and playing shows in front of 50K+ people back home in Australia.

This track, off their 2008 release, In Ghost Colours, stays consistent with the general themes of love and hearts, referred to regularly from start to finish on the album.

Before starting Cut Copy, Whitford was a graphic designer, which may explain why Cut Copy is one of the few bands to have a nice looking blog as well as a nice looking widget. I went forward and made my own Cut Copy widget too if anyone is interested.

Two nights ago, I saw them at the Mezzanine in SF, and of the 10+ shows I’ve seen there, Cut Copy got the crowd moving the most. Sure, The Presets warmed up the crowd nicely, but Whitford and co. worked the crowd like seasoned musical vets – performing simple dance moves and urging everyone to get more into it. What I like most about this is that they did it in a tasteful fashion that was neither corny nor cliched.

The lighting was spot on as well. Its no wonder that their top single off this album is titled Lights and Music.

Cut Copy offers both, and converts indie rockers and post punkers into fans of electro and new wave music in the process.

If you like this jam, checkout their music video for Saturday, off their first album.

Pomomofo, pronounced exactly as it’s spelled, is a band from Sydney, Australia that fuses electro, rock, and new wave, with a heavy influence on the latter. If Jerry Bruckheimer ever decides to make Beverly Hills Cop IV, he should make sure that Pomomofo writes the music.

If you see Pomomofo in concert, they may even try to stand up on office chairs (as pictured above), but no guarantees..

Their music video for the song Islands is pretty sweet as well. It pays tribute to everyone’s favorite 90′s video game – NBA Jam. Anyone remember the Bill Clinton cheat code?

Similar Jams:

Music Video for Chromeo – Tenderoni
Van She – Changes – GLOVES Remix