Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Paxton Fettel - "May Own Ace"


Definitely feeling this new jam from Copenhagen producer Paxton Fettel, who recently remixed Taragana Pyjarama's "Oceans" towards the "coastal sunset."  Like the best deep house, "May Own Ace" establishes and maintains a meditative groove from the get-go, with Paxton opening up the mix to cavernous echo and then closing it tight again.   From his upcoming Definitely In Love EP, out soon on Greta Cottage Workshop.  You can buy his Skyflares EP here

Paxton Fettel - May own ace by Paxton Fettel

Regarding the spoken word sample: sounds like Bukowski.  Can anyone confirm?

new Patrick Kelleher & His Cold Dead Hands - "Miracle Candle"


New "ghost disco" track from Patrick Kelleher & His Cold Dead Hands, featuring spastic synths, muffled vocals and jangly guitars. 

Patrick Kelleher and his Cold Dead Hands - Miracle Candle by Patrick Kelleher

Follow Patrick Kelleher on MySpace and SoundCloud.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Keep Shelly In Athens - "Hauntin' Me" (D. Paris Remix)


Keep Shelly In Athens and D. Paris have both appeared in these pages before.  In the wake of the former's sold-out 7", the bloggers/label folks at Transparent have kindly offered up three stunning remixes - packaged with the original songs - for free download.  Blood Diamonds and Maria Minerva offer their own takes; here's D. Paris' smoothed-out, chipmunk'd remix of "Hauntin' Me."

MP3: Keep Shelly In Athens - Hauntin' Me (D. Paris Remix)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

more new old Four Tet - "Calamine"


Four Tet's generous offerings and/or hard drive purge continues.  We now have both sides of his 1999 Glasshead / Calamine single (Output Records), courtesy of the artist himself.  Grab 'em while you can.   

Glasshead (Output, 1999) by Four Tet

Calamine (Radio mix) (Output, 1999) by Four Tet

new Mount Pleasant - "Slipped Era"


Alive and as well as can be expected after February's Christchurch, NZ, earthquake forced him from his family's home, Jonathan Phillips (Mount Pleasant) is back to releasing new music.  "Slipped Era" is the fourth single we've heard from upcoming full-length The Aztecs.  It may also be the best.  Where the previous singles were more forward-thinking, dance-oriented jams, "Slipped Era" belongs to the disco era.  There's definitely a DFA vibe here, too, with the monotonous, hipsters-in-arms vocal dubs.  Like the best tracks on LCD Soundsystem's This Is Happening, the funkiness is fraught with an equal amount of frustration, and it eventually gives way to something larger, louder and more emotionally vulnerable.  It takes a skilled songwriter to make music that's indebted to a bygone era and simultaneously relevant to the present sound or predictive of the future.  "Slipped Era" is all that and then some.  Dig it.



Mount Pleasant on bandcamp / Blogger / Facebook / MySpace

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

new Keith Fullerton Whitman - "2011.4.18.11.21.32"


Master of the organic and electronic worlds alike, musician Keith Fullerton Whitman says "2011.4.18.11.21.32" was "recorded live to 'glass'" two days ago.  I'm not sure quite sure what that means, but the 13+ minute track does at times sound like fine, expensive glass breaking and echoing, on and on.  Or, more particularly, it alludes to the rush of blood to heart and head upon dropping said glass ornament, and the immediate, perhaps everlasting, feeling of embarrassment and regret.  At least that's how it speaks to me.  Oh, and join me in wondering how these sounds were created using only a guitar, volume pedal and computer.  Simple, marvelous.

2011.4.18.11.21.32 by kfw

Keith Fullerton Whitman on Discogs / Last.fm / SoundCloud / Vimeo / Web

DJ Earl - "Takeova" & "UKnowUKnow"


Chicago's DJ Earl started following me on SoundCloud about a month ago, if my memory serves me correctly, which wouldn't have been too long after I posted about fellow footwork/juke artist Chrissy Murderbot.  At least that's where I see the connection coming from.  Anyway, Earl appears to be a prominent battle DJ at Battle Groundz/Ghetto Teknitianz footwork competitions.  And his tracks have been released by Chicago label Ghettophiles.  Earl has page after page of his songs over at SoundCloud, many of which have been calling me back for repeated listens.  "Takeova (The Breakz Ova)" and "UKnowUKnow" are by far my favorite, with Earl's sampling of Jay-Z and Drake, respectively, at such precision and quality it makes you wonder why the original songs weren't footwork/juke in the first place.  Given the relatively simple song structure in the footwork/juke genre, basically the breakneck beat and the sample, the producer's ability to pick and repeat samples has to be top-notch.  DJ Earl's skills make him one of the best in the game. 

Earl- Takeova(the breakz ova by Dj Earl

Earl- UKnowUKnow by Dj Earl

Follow DJ Earl on SoundCloud.  Buy his music here.

Double Mauler - Post Digital Reality Live Mix


Michael Stumpf is a college student at Brown University.  He's also an avid blogger over at Hands In The Dark and a frequent contributor to the Not In Kansas show on Brown's Student Radio station.  Under his Double Mauler moniker, Stumpf curated a mix for Not In Kansas' most recent show and was kind enough to share it with me through SoundCloud.  Dude did a wonderful job picking out some of the best forward-thinking electronic tracks floating around the blogosphere as of late and deserves just as much credit for mixing them together to sound so cohesive.  Features Burial, DJ Nate, Forest Spirits, Phaseone and Zomby, among others.  Check the mix immediately below and the tracklist after the jump.

MP3 - Various Artists - Double Mauler's Post Digital Reality Live Mix

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Taragana Pyjarama - "Oceans" (Paxton Fettel's Coastal Sunset Remix)


You've probably already heard Taragana Pyjarama's "Oceans."  Here's a remix engineered by Copenhagen producer Paxton Fettel.  His "Coastal Sunset Remix" is where minimalist dream-house goes full-blown deep house.

MP3: Taragana Pyjarama - Oceans (Paxton Fettel's Coastal Sunset Remix)

new Com Truise - "Polyhurt"


Brand new warble-wave jam from synth wizard Com Truise.  From his three-song Fairlight EP, out digitally May 3 through Ghostly International, with a vinyl release on the horizon.  More info here.

MP3: Com Truise - Polyhurt

Com Truise on Facebook / Last.fm / MySpace / SoundCloud / Twitter

more new old Four Tet - "Glasshead"


Four Tet's Kieran Hebden is either cleaning out his hard drive or feeling extremely generous (or both).  Yesterday, he shared "Thirtysixtwentyfive" via SoundCloud; today, it's "Glasshead," the A-side to a 1999 single released by Output Records.  "Glasshead" starts by sampling what sounds like a science documentary but then lets loose into a funk-jazz fusion with plenty of groove.

Glasshead (Output, 1999) by Four Tet

Monday, April 18, 2011

Kanye West - "Flashing Lights" (Mike Simonetti Mr. West's Lights Edit)


At an absolute loss for words over how amazing this Mike Simonetti edit of Kanye West's "Flashing Lights" sounds.  The Italians Do It Better label boss basically leaves the skeleton of the song intact even as he removes the most prominent element - Mr. West's vocal track - in its entirety.  The result is, as commenter Saks&Teip pointed out, "slo-mo house" consisting of the original song's oversimplified beat and orchestral strings, with some synth washes added in to put a nice sheen on the mix.  So, it's Yeezy, minus Yeezy.  Incredible.

  Mike Simonetti - Mr West's Lights vers. by mike simonetti

Follow Mike Simonetti on SoundCloud and Twitter; follow his label, Italians Do It Better, on Blogger

new Nathan Fake - "Clifford 2"


Speaking of Four Tet (see below), I had the pleasure of seeing one Nathan Fake open for Four Tet last year at Chicago's Empty Bottle.  Lacking any prior knowledge of Nathan or his music, Mr. Fake proceeded to melt my face with his electrified, energetic blend of distorted whateverstep.  I left the show that night blown away by both artists, but perhaps just a bit more by Nathan, since, for me, it was a complete surprise.  Well, we have a new song from Nathan Fake, in the form of a 14+ minute slow-burner that's part of a mega-compilation benefiting Japan.  Listen to the blips, tweaks and swells of "Clifford 2" below; support the 100+ song JAPANEASE Music Project for Japan here.

Clifford 2 by nathan fake •official•

Follow Nathan Fake on SoundCloud and at his Web site.

new old Four Tet - "Thirtysixtwentyfive"


Here's a thirty-six minute, twenty-five second long piece of music by Four Tet, recorded in 1997.  One song EP?  EP-length song?  Album?  Same thing?  Different?  Either way, the vibe here is more jazz than electronica, complete with Four Tet's uncanny ability to program drums to sound implausibly random, yet perfectly synchronized.  Download it by clicking the down arrow on the SoundCloud player.  I'd imagine the downloads are limited, perhaps at 1,000, so if the song meets with your approval, I'd grab it before they're gone.

Thirtysixtwentyfive (Output, 1998) by Four Tet

new Five - "Acropolis"


An aqueous, thumping tribal trek through the genre of grime, from New Orleans' Five.

  Acropolis by Five

Follow Five on SoundCloud.

new Sumsun - "Lulla Drone"


I can't imagine a better song to fall asleep or wake up to than this demo from Florida-based beatmaker, Sumsun.  From an upcoming tape release, "Lulla Drone" is composed of "just synths," a tinkering lullaby that twinkles in the night sky or the early morning light.

  Lulla Drone Demo by Sumsun

Follow Sumsun on Facebook / Last.fm / MySpace / SoundCloud / Tumblr

Friday, April 15, 2011

Lee Forest - Leaf Auras EP


I saw Lee Forest on Weed Temple last night, and I've had the melodic, meditative synth meanderings of the Chicago-based artist on repeat all day.  His Leaf Auras EP is available for free download at bandcamp.  The six song EP strikes a perfect balance between disorienting waves of cold, metallic oscillations and warmer, more enveloping transmissions that comfort like a fuzzy blanket.  Stream the whole thing below; grab a free download and follow Lee Forest here.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

new Forest Spirits - EP


Behold, Forest Spirits' debut EP is upon us. Available for free download at bandcamp, the EP consists of seven songs, five of which are brand new and two that you may have heard if you follow Forest Spirits closely.  All are brilliant.  I described Forest Spirits' Summer Sleep/Storm Clouds single as "dreamstep": that applies to the EP as well, though the songs are a bit livelier.  I like the fact that artist Liam Richardson has the EP tagged as "ambient" and "electronica" as two separate entries, because while this is electronically generated music that has ambient elements, it is far too engaged, even jittery, to be "ambient electronica."  A subtle but important difference.  Stream the swirling, Soca-synth jam "A Diet Of Seeds" and the 2-step, 8-bit bouncer "All You Could Do" below; grab the rest of the excellent EP here.

MP3: Forest Spirits - A Diet Of Seeds
MP3: Forest Spirits - All You Could Do  

Usher - "Appetite" (KINGDOM Edit)


This KINGDOM edit of Usher's "Appetite" is "killing it" right now. The genre tag says it all: "RnBass." Yes.

Usher - Appetite (Kingdom Edit) by kkingdomm

Follow KINGDOM on Discogs / Facebook / MySpace / SoundCloud / Twitter / Web

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Being There - "Sad Prayer"


Almost a week ago, Don't Die Wondering posted Being There's "Sad Prayer," and it's been holed up inside my head since then.  The song's warmly wavering synthesizers, woodblock beats and slithering, stuttering vocal samples are as expressive as any song with discernible lyrics.  A prayer, yes, but I find it more placative than plaintive.  Either way, it's a hauntingly beautiful listen. 

MP3: Being There - Sad Prayer

Grab another song and follow Being There at bandcamp.

(via Don't Die Wondering)

How To Dress Well - "Escape Before The Rain" (Pariah Remix)


Tri Angle Records uploaded this excellent edit of How To Dress Well's "Escape Before The Rain" as engineered by Pariah.  The London-based post-dubstep artist basically extracts the fractured R&B from the original, leaving behind an agitated, ambient soundscape that's equally as beautiful, and a bit more harrowing.

How To Dress Well - Escape Before The Rain (Pariah Remix) by TriAngleRecords

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Gel Set - "Don't Need Money Cuz I Got A Gun"


I first heard Gel Set's "U-Lock In My Hand" on 20jazzfunkgreats and that shit has grown on me like wildfire ever since.  The song's chilly ambiance directly contradicted the outwardly aggressive attitude expressed by its lyrics.  Now it's pretty much impossible to listen to the song without envisioning a hooded figure hiding in the shadows, thwarting off threats with a bloody, battle-ravaged bike lock.  I got in touch with the Chicago-based act though MySpace (!), and solo member "Lulu" was kind enough to send over some of the songs that stream on Gel Set's page.  I've chosen to highlight "Don't Need Money Cuz I Got A Gun" because it exists on the same dystopian plane as "U-Lock In My Hand."  This time around, the hooded figure will just straight up shoot you, so don't play around.  Musically, the song's spirited synthesizers would sound right at home on the Italians Do It Better label, while the more foreboding, spaced-out sonics recall output from Disaro or Tri Angle.  Grab "Don't Need Money Cuz I Got A Gun" and "U-Lock In My Hand" below; hear more Gel Set here.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Two Inch Punch - InspHERation MiXXX


London lovestepper Two Inch Punch curated a mini-mix for BBC Radio 1 and it's currently available to stream (and download!) at his SoundCloud.  Clocking in at just over 20 minutes, producer Ben Ash breezes through more than 30 songs, seamlessly blending electronica, classic R&B and old-school hip-hop into one solid, sexy whole.  The short mix goes a long way in illuminating the inspiration for Ash's own blush-pop glitch-hop.  

+++ InspHERation MiXXX --- by T.I.P

Friday, April 8, 2011

Youth Lagoon - "Cannons"


Boise's Trevor Powers makes blissfully beautiful lo-fi pop as Youth Lagoon.  "Cannons" is only the second song we've heard from that project, and already, we know we can expect great things from it.  The song's melodic tones and jangly guitar arpeggios recall Beach House, while Powers' nasally, unrestrained vocals reminded me of Page France.  Youth Lagoon's debut full-length The Year of Hibernation is due this summer on new label Juno Beach Records

Youth Lagoon - Cannons

Follow Youth Lagoon on bandcamp / Facebook / SoundCloud / Twitter

(via No Modest Bear)

Water Borders - "Feasting On Mongeese"


On first listen, Water Borders' "Feasting On Mongeese" sounds pretty much like how a song with that title, by a band with that name, should sound.  That is to say dark and creepy.  That drag/witch house label Tri Angle Records is releasing Water Borders' full length later this year only confirms the freakish vibe.  And yet, there's a lot more than just pitch-shifted vocal samples and tribal beats going on here.  There's a cornucopia of sonic bits that hint at animalistic murmurs and Eastern instrumentation.  The result is something akin to a chopped and screwed version of Kala-era M.I.A. that's come down with a bad case of typhoid fever. 

Feasting on Mongeese (unmastered) by Water Borders

Follow Water Borders on Facebook / SoundCloud / Twitter

Thursday, April 7, 2011

new Sun Glitters - "Cosmic Oceans"


If your sea legs are sore from riding the chillwaves for the last few years, then perhaps the more grounded alternative of chillstep is just right for you.  At least that's how Sun Glitters describes his latest song, which features Steffaloo on doe-eyed vocal duty.  In this case, chillstep sounds like a dream detector scouring the bottom of a cosmic ocean and finding a chanteuse in a conch shell.  Enough said.

C o s m i c o c e a n s (feat.Steffaloo) by Sun Glitters

Follow Sun Glitters on bandcamp / Facebook / SoundCloud / Tumblr / Web

new old Bad Autopsy - "Psionic Terror!"


"Psionic Terror!" dropped on the old No Pain In Pop website way back in February 2010.  The ability to download it was removed quickly thereafter as the tracks were set for release.  I never heard anything else about said release, and the song has appeared intermittently on Bad Autopsy's SoundCloud ever since.  Well, it's back up, as is the ability to download it.  So get while the gettin's good.  More than a year later, I can't shake the idea that "Psionic Terror" sounds like the demonic child of Forest Swords' graveyard guitars disciplined by Four Tet's 2-step beats. 

PSIONIC TERROR! by Bad Autopsy

Follow Bad Autopsy on MySpace and SoundCloud.

RxRy - "RxB" (mixtape)


The stupendous Stadiums & Shrines just posted this mini-mix of "next level future R&B music for the pre-apocalyptic masses," as curated by RxRy.  Featuring Frank Ocean, Mount Kimbie, The Weeknd, How To Dress Well, Com Truise, Aphex Twin, Delorean, Burial and Balam Acab, among others.  Future R&B, filtered and fuzzed-up as RxRy does best. 

RxRy - RxB (Mixtape) Side A
RxRy - RxB (Mixtape) Side B

Stadiums & Shrines also said that RxRy's Alpha microLP/megaEP is due on vinyl in June.

Follow RxRy on Blogger, MySpace and SoundCloud.

(via)

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Frank Ocean - "Lovecrimes" (Pional Edit)


Sleep schedules and time zones, be damned!  I missed out on the limited-by-number download of Pional's remix of Frank Ocean's "Lovecrimes."  Oh well, at least we can still stream it.  Here, the Spanish ambient beatmaker turns the raw R&B of the original into a pretty classic sounding, sexed-up house track.  Let's hope Pional or Hivern Discs gets a second burst of generosity and re-offers a download, because this would just sound so good on a mix CD or iPod, right?

Frank Ocean - Lovecrimes (Pional Edit) by Hivern Disc

new Forest Spirits - "Soda Spooks"


Brand new track from Auckland's Forest Spirits, the first we've heard since last year's excellent Summer Sleep/Storm Clouds release.  Taut with a giddy, fidgety beat, a constantly repeating female vocal sample and melodic synth tones and tweaks, "Soda Spooks" is a freshly-oiled robot fumbling about, or The Postal Service on Prozac.  Follow Forest Spirits on bandcamp

Forest Spirits - Soda Spooks

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Patrick Kelleher - "In Your Eyes" (Niamh Kavanagh Cover)


Patrick Kelleher had one of my favorite songs of last year in "Contact Sports."  Now the Irish singer-songwriter is back with this heartrending cover of Niamh Kavanagh's "In Your Eyes."  The result is a faded, decades-old FM transmission that recalls Ariel Pink in the best musical sense, but with more folk than freak.

Patrick Kelleher - In Your Eyes (Niamh Kavanagh Cover)

Follow Patrick Kelleher on MySpace and SoundCloud. Grab last year's Contact Sports 7" here.

:papercutz - "Encantamento" (Sun Glitters Remix)


Luxembourg's Sun Glitters turns :papercutz's classically ambient "Encantamento" into a weightless, iridescent specter that shimmers and shuffles along even in the daylight.  Listen to Sun Glitters' remix and :papercutz's original below.

:papercutz - Encantamento (Sun Glitters Remix)

Encantamento by :papercutz

Monday, April 4, 2011

new Bad Autopsy - "Long Gone"


Half peyote, half PCP, Bad Autopsy's "Long Gone" is a woodwind whirlwind of a walkabout to a 90s rave in the middle of the woods. 

  LONG GONE by Bad Autopsy

Follow Bad Autopsy on MySpace and SoundCloud.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Rommek - "Room For Pudding"


Been expecting great things from one Romek Boyer - AKA Rommek - ever since I heard "Fisherman's Friend" on Don't Die Wondering in January.  Boyer's computer was broken for a while, but now it's back up and running, since the seventeen-year-old just sent me his latest track.  By the sound of things, Boyer hasn't missed a step in the meantime - or 2-steps, for that matter (pun intended).  "Room For Pudding" is a sonically maxed-out slice of signature-sounding UK whateverstep, complete with chimes, cowbell and pitch-bent vocals.  Grab that and "Fisherman's Friend" below.  Rommek only has a handful of tracks to his name, but when they sound this good, and at such a young age, the dude will be signed in no time.

Rommek - Room For Pudding
Rommek - Fisherman's Friend

Follow Rommek on MySpace and SoundCloud.

(photo)