Casket Crash Vigil

new Games - "No Disguise"

2011-09-24T13:03:00.000-05:00

GAMES - No Disguise by Ford & Lopatin

(via Way Slower)

Walls - "Raw Umber/Twilight"

2011-09-21T15:26:00.000-05:00

Azure Blue - "The Catcher in the Rye" (Harald Björk Remix)

2011-09-21T10:49:00.000-05:00

Listener: please be patient. Give it a minute or two. Listen to it build. Then, let yourself be liberated by the life-affirming grandiosity of it all. Azure Blue's original can be heard here, with more from Harald Björk here.

MP3: Azure Blue - The Catcher in the Rye (Harald Björk Remix)

(via Beko-DSL)

Sad Souls - Apeiron

2011-09-20T12:25:00.000-05:00

Easily the most beautiful thing I've heard in quite some time. From Tom Auty of Ann Arbor, who records ambient loops as Sad Souls. Fans of Geotic will certainly appreciate this. Follow Sad Souls on bandcamp, SoundCloud and Twitter.

Apeiron by Sad Souls

(via The Apiary)

Grimes & d'Eon - "Vanessa/Transparency" (CFCF Refix)

2011-09-15T11:08:00.000-05:00

Montreal producer CFCF takes Grimes & d'Eon on a night bus trip.

Grimes & d'Eon - Vanessa/Transparency refix by CFCF

new Two Inch Punch - "Up In Your Mix"

2011-09-12T11:42:00.000-05:00

Blisteringly good track from London lovestepper Two Inch Punch, taken from the Love You Up EP, out digitally and on 12" through PMR Records on October 31, 2011.

Up In Your Mix by T.I.P

patten - "Fire Dream"

2011-09-10T14:04:00.000-05:00

patten posted a demo version of "Fire Dream" back in March of 2010. Now, the album version is upon us. Dude turned the bass WAY up and extended the track by about 90 seconds, but the disorienting cacophony of the original remains brilliantly intact. GLAQJO XAACSSO drops September 26 on No Pain In Pop.

MP3: patten - Fire Dream

(via The Fader)

Hivern Discs - Hiverned #1

2011-09-08T10:21:00.000-05:00

Hiverned #1 is the first entry in a series where current artists from the Hivern Discs roster edit long-lost tracks from the forgotten artists of yesteryear. On "Party Girl," John Talabot takes a "lost NYC underground classic" and turns up the heat by tweaking the hell out of the vocals. The result is something akin to Elmo singing Bee Gees karaoke in a disco club even as the streets outside gave birth to hip-hop. "Wheels," on the other hand, is an agitated night hustle screwed by Marc Piñol.

300 copies on 10" vinyl with no repress and no digital version. Info on buying it here.

HVNED001: Hiverned #1 by Hivern Discs

new Oneohtrix Point Never - "Sleep Dealer"

2011-09-07T10:49:00.001-05:00

The first we've heard from Oneohtrix Point Never's new album. A battery-powered device bleeping out its last moments of juice. Audible bits from the cassette deck, VHS and public access program, all begging you back from your slumber. Wired beyond belief, you may never come back.

"From the Replica LP on Software Recording Co. / Mexican Summer (SFT010). Available November 8th, 2011."

MP3: Oneohtrix Point Never - Sleep Dealer

video: Narrow Sparrow - "Joe Meek's Dream"

2011-09-07T00:01:00.004-05:00

Narrow Sparrow - Joe Meek's Dream (Music Video) from Richard Portillo on Vimeo.

Unrestrained "bizarro pop" from Chicago's Narrow Sparrow. Fuzzy as a wool sweater and as angst-filled as anything on In The Aeroplane Over The Sea. Expect this on 7" soon.

Full disclosure: band member Ricky Portillo and this writer are good friends. Song rules either way.

The Field - "Then It's White"

2011-09-06T10:36:00.001-05:00

New The Field, and it's not at all what you'd expect. Accompanies thoughts of a curtain fluttering in the breeze, or a spirit seeking refuge in a familiar place.

MP3: The Field - Then It's White

Via The Fader

Tinariwen - "Tenere Taqqim Tossam" (Four Tet Remix)

2011-09-06T09:52:00.001-05:00

...in which the Saharan desert rock of Tinariwen gets an urban makeover with the funk and flex of none other than Four Tet.

Tinariwen - Tenere taqqim tossam (Four Tet remix) by Four Tet

new Double Entendre - Irene EP

2011-08-30T12:13:00.000-05:00

The artist-centric New York City may have been spared the brunt of Hurricane Irene's destruction, but the storm did seem to wreak havoc on weekend plans. A definite benefit: musicians cooped up in their digs, pondering the approaching apocalypse, hopefully making some music, right? That was certainly the case with Ryan Daniels AKA Double Entendre, who emailed me this morning about the existence of a new EP, born as Daniels sought shelter from the storm. "The Calm" and "Rain Shields," in particular, may well be Daniels' best work to date. The former is an experiment in repeating a riff until it's omnipresent, and then subtly changing emphasis to break the spell. It reminds me, most pleasantly, of the warmly distorted guitars on Brian Eno's Here Come the Warm Jets. "Rain Shields" ventures into Eno's other territory of sound, that being ambient and/or New Age. The higher-pitched synth meanderings recall J.D. Emmanuel and Michel Genest*, while the industrial haze that muddies up the song's second half is straight from Sean McCann's aural encyclopedia. Two of five songs below; stream the whole thing and purchase it here.

Double Entendre - The Calm by casketcrashvigil

Double Entendre - Rain Shields by casketcrashvigil

*Infinite thanks are due to Chocolate Bobka for pointing me towards these artists and their records

Wise Blood - "Loud Mouths" (Supreme Cuts Remix)

2011-08-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

Chicago's future R&B crew Supreme Cuts just dropped their debut EP through Small Plates Records. The 27-minute Trouble EP is an infectious blend of experimental noise and R&B bliss chopped in a blender. You can grab it on 10" straight from Small Plates or digitally from Amazon or iTunes. What's more, their debut performance at Chicago's Empty Bottle was mind-bogglingly good. In celebration of all the cool shit that's been happening, the duo have graciously gifted this remix of Wise Blood for our listening pleasure. Their take on "Loud Mouths" is a cinematic ear-slap that's swollen with strings and fits of distorted vocals.

MP3: Wise Blood - Loud Mouths (Supreme Cuts Remix)

guilty pleasure: Drake - "Trust Issues" (Justin Bieber Remix)

2011-08-29T13:11:00.000-05:00

More a rework than a remix. Impressive. Addicting. Enough said.

ep: Regal Safari - R G L S F R

2011-08-29T12:27:00.000-05:00

I spent a pretty good portion of the weekend listening to Regal Safari's R G L S F R EP on repeat. Really, it only took thirty seconds of "Light" streaming on Don't Die Wondering to grab hold of me. Now that R G L S F R has fully wrapped itself around me through repeated listens, I can't recommend it enough. Melodically pleasing, shimmering stutter-step is something the world is doing, but very few are doing it as well as this Brighton-based three-piece. The quirky machinations of Mount Kimbie come to mind, as do the liberating excursions of The Miracle Club. Best New Album or similar recognition, ASAP, please. Stream the whole EP below; grab a free download here. Hey labels - wouldn't this sound sweet on vinyl?

R G L S F R by regalsafari

show: Supreme Cuts & oOoOO at Empty Bottle

2011-08-26T14:08:00.000-05:00

Incredibly excited to see Chicago's own future R&B crew Supreme Cuts and founding father of witch-house oOoOO at Empty Bottle this Saturday, August 27. MP3s below. Details and tickets here.

MP3: Supreme Cuts - Jacy
MP3: oOoOO - NoSummr4u

new Keep Shelly In Athens - "Our Own Dream"

2011-08-24T14:12:00.000-05:00

Equal parts elegant and epic, the latest from Keep Shelly In Athens reverberates with an icy-cool, mysterious disco-glow. From the Grecian group's forthcoming 12" on Forest Family Records. As it happens, "Shelly" will be out of Athens (wink, nudge, etc.) and in North America for nine dates in November. Tour details and MP3 from here.

MP3: Keep Shelly In Athens - Our Own Dream

new Balam Acab - "Motion"

2011-08-17T09:02:00.001-05:00

Omnipresent, yes, but with very good reason, so no less essential a post. "Motion" is our third taste of Balam Acab's debut full-length for Tri Angle. Robin Carolan of the latter record label must be blushing. Just relishing the moment, really. Not only at Balam Acab's marvelous Wander / Wonder. But also at his own year-old upstart being named America's best indie label by Billboard. It was only one year and three days ago that this writer posted about Balam Acab's See Birds EP, the first release for the artist and the label. What's happened since can only be described as meteoric, even miraculous, rise in exposure for both. The apparition-inspired swells and twitches of Balam Acab, oOoOO and Holy Other birthed a micro-genre among the blogosphere. Not to be pigeonholed, though, Tri Angle brought the fractured R&B of How To Dress Well to Europe and put out Clams Casino's hobbled hip-hop beats at the very height of the hype.

That brings us to today, less than two weeks before Balam Acab's Wander / Wonder sees release. Gone is the grating haziness of See Birds; what's left behind is the morning dew and a moist fog, water droplets forming rings in cave puddles. A spirit has been calling out, cheekily coaxing you into and out of a deep slumber. Wander / Wonder is that mystical excursion, that mental escape. It will absorb you, or you will fall into it. Either way, it is beautiful and essential. Go and get. It can be all yours. Buy it from Insound (CD / LP) or Rough Trade (CD / LP).

Balam Acab - Motion by TriAngleRecords

BALAM ACAB - Apart by TriAngleRecords

MP3: Balam Acab - Oh, Why

CFCF - Cometrue / Looking So 12"

2011-08-16T10:35:00.002-05:00

Thanks to The Fader and Altered Zones/Yours Truly, we are now blessed with both sides of CFCF's new 12", out now on UNO. "Cometrue" finds the Montreal producer returning to the land of expertly-crafted piano house, while "Looking So" is a sultry slice of what we might call future R&B. Buy the 12" here or the digital version here.

CFCF, "Cometrue" by The FADER

CFCF: "Looking So" by alteredzones

new Patten - "Blush Mosaic"

2011-08-15T16:06:00.000-05:00

patten - Blush Mosaic from ///NO PAIN IN POP\\\ on Vimeo.

Been anticipating another release from Patten for literally years. Excited to hear No Pain in Pop will be releasing a full-length on September 26th. "Blush Mosaic" is our first ear massage from GLAQJO XAACSSO. Sounds a bit like a public television theme song ripped from VHS, tuned downwards and tossed in with a bunch of broken-up beats. Promises to be one of the more twisted transmissions of the year. On vinyl or digital download on 9/26/11 from No Pain in Pop.

Britney Spears X Korallreven

2011-08-15T10:41:00.000-05:00

This post is a bit tardy, but I was on vacation and mostly without computer access when it hit the web last Thursday. One of the few new songs I was able to download and absorb while away, it's been on regular stream since. Britney's original has been a guilty pleasure of mine for quite some time, but even a blockbuster hit from a former queen of pop sounds better with a Balearic breeze about it. Perfect remix courtesy of Sweden's Korallreven.

Britney Spears - Til The World Ends (Korallreven Remix) by casketcrashvigil

(via Acephale Records on Twitter)

new Air France - "It Feels Good To Be Around You"

2011-08-05T13:08:00.000-05:00

Diva vocals + slightly screwed R&B crooning + steel drums = a warm bath in Balearic bliss, courtesy of Sweden's Air France, perfect for an endless summer afternoon. MP3 from Sincerely Yours, who are hopefully preparing a physical release.

MP3: Air France - It Feels Good To Be Around You

(via Pitchfork)

new Diamond Messages - "Untitled"

2011-08-04T09:31:00.001-05:00

Brand new untitled piano essay from Diamond Messages. It's plenty chill, but it's not chillwave. Or, if there is a wave, it's in the way these majestic mediatations curl and fold into one another like raindrops running off deep green leaves. Part of a compilation celebrating Spontaneous Rhythm's first birthday.

MP3: Diamond Messages - Untitled

AyGeeTee - "C'mon Baby/Secret Meeting Place" (Time Wharp Remix)

2011-07-21T15:05:00.000-05:00

Been a fan of Time Wharp ever since I heard "1992" on Don't Die Wondering way back in August of last year. I'm embarrassed to admit that I haven't kept up as closely as I should have, though. I only started following on SoundCloud yesterday (blush). And yet, it was perfect timing because I got to see his remix of AyGeeTee pop up in my list of incoming tracks. Time Wharp's remix sounds something like Black Dice and Four Tet playing vintage video games in a room full of rhythmically-inclined electronic staplers, tap-happy typewriters and sputtering diesel engines. I think they're watching porn, too. Both artists have releases out now on AMDISCS: AyGeeTee's Soul LP and Time Wharp's Later LP.

AyGeeTee - C'mon Baby/Secret Meeting Place (Time Wharp rmx) by Time Wharp

ALAK - "My Love is the Best" (Patten Remix)

2011-07-18T14:45:00.001-05:00

I've followed ALAK and more so Patten for quite a while now. Both had albums on Kaleidoscope way back in 2007. A great friend and excellent musician I know saw ALAK (then Alas, Alak, Alaska!) around the same time and said it was one of the most amazing musical experiences he'd ever had. Anyway, to bring it all together, ALAK has now been remixed by Patten, who has more recently taken a turn away from sun-blistered acoustic exercises and towards electronic beats with both bang and bliss. Here, he puts a four note flutter on endless repeat and supplies a stuttering beat to tie the pretty little package up and send it on its way. Two things come to mind: a hula hoop in perpetual slow motion and/or a sundress fluttering in the summer breeze. Wondrous.

(via No Pain In Pop, who are putting out a Patten release in the near future)

Moon Gangs - "Sea" & "Sky"

2011-07-14T14:19:00.000-05:00

I am remiss to have not posted Moon Gangs immediately upon hearing "Sea" on 20jazzfunkgreats, and further to have not posted it in the interim. I've been listening to it A LOT. At least once a day, but usually much more. Via car stereo, computer speakers, headphones and phone speakers. Paranoid waves of steely cool sound, placated by warmer oscillations of a sun-burnt hue. Like the slip of sun that banishes the shiver of night and sets in motion the scurry of a summer's day. Ambient, kosmische, meditative, New Age, synth, etc. Free download below; extremely limited run of 50 cassettes from Where to Now?

MP3: Moon Gangs - Sea
MP3: Moon Gangs - Sky

Moon Gangs on SoundCloud / Tumblr

new Magic Places - Melodrama EP

2011-07-12T14:58:00.000-05:00

Magic Places sent over his new Melodrama EP at the absolute perfect time. With the final space shuttle mission in progress, many are focused on celestial travel, which is perhaps the defining theme of Magic Places' epic electronic soundscapes. It's the first thing I think of whenever I listen to his music, anyway. That I received the EP on a night when I had no electricity in my apartment and had to listen in the soft candescence of moonlight was a coincidence that was only too fitting. Like The Time-Traveler's Pocket Guidebook album and 2071 EP before it, the Melodrama EP is another blissful breeze through the land of 80s nostalgia on the back of Falkor, the luck dragon. Fans of bygone era-beats and shimmering synth pop have got to get on board. Stream three songs below; grab the whole thing here.

MP3: Magic Places - Pitchwhite Lumens
MP3: Magic Places - Lovetrial
MP3: Magic Places - On The Verge

Magic Places on bandcamp / Facebook / MySpace / SoundCloud

Lovelock - "South Beach Sunrise"

2011-07-04T14:18:00.000-05:00

One click on this new Lovelock track and a month's worth of school- and work-imposed blog slump comes to a end (sorry about that, by the way). In "South Beach Sunrise," electronic artist Steve Moore crafts a breezy slow jam that doubtless lives up to its name. Could easily soundtrack a Corona drinker's sips from a bottle of chilly brew as he or she skips a cell phone across sun-swept waters. Reminds me of that elusive "endless summer" day. Artist note says "Coming soon I hope." Seconded.

Lovelock - South Beach Sunrise by steve moore

Also, I've had Moore's solo spin "Frigia" on blast for quite a while now. Heard it on 20jazzfunkgreats. Buy it at Discogs or from Rush Hour.

MP3: Steve Moore - Frigia

Jamie XX's debut 12" out now

2011-06-06T09:49:00.000-05:00

Jamie xx - Far Nearer (limited vinyl & download out now - http://farnearer.com) by Numbers

Buy it here, at Bleep or on iTunes.

Pink Priest - "Tell Me Something Awesome Before I Go To Sleep" (BALAM ACAB Remix)

2011-05-27T10:07:00.000-05:00

William Cody Watson may have put the wraps on his Pink Priest project, but for the moment, it lives on with this remix by Tri Angle Records artist BALAM ACAB, who takes the original's alien, ethereal tones and soothes them with some aqueous bubbling.

Tell Me Something Awesome Before I Go To Sleep (BALAM ACAB Remix) by BALAM ACAB

video: Blondes - "Pleasure"

2011-05-24T10:04:00.001-05:00

Pleasure from Blondes on Vimeo.

Blondes get a little crazier, funkier, more tribal and weirder than ever as heard in this Farley Gwazda-directed video for "Pleasure." Their Business / Pleasure 12" is available for pre-order from RVNG Intl. with a release date of June 14, 2011.

(via Pitchfork)

E&E - Various Songs

2011-05-18T00:01:00.001-05:00

In addition to having that new Gang Gang Dance record on full blast for the past week, I've had Los Angeles-based producer Elijah Crampton's music as E&E on constant repeat. It's safe to say I've obsessed over his ambient re-works of popular R&B from artists such as The-Dream, Destiny's Child and INOJ. Seems like Crampton takes a cappella versions of these songs and adds his own layers of ambient sounds to the mix. The results are breathtakingly brilliant. Makes you wonder why the song wasn't produced as such from the beginning. Take a listen:

MP3: E&E - The Dreem
MP3: E&E - Destine+e
MP3: E&E - Love U Down

Crampton's original creations are frighteningly good, too.

MP3: E&E - Reina (Tape Cut)
MP3: E&E - Submerging Cathedral

Follow E&E MySpace and SoundCloud.

Team Rockit - "första hjälpen" & "leviathan"

2011-05-10T11:01:00.000-05:00

All-time favorite Swedish pop stars Air France just started a tumblr, and today they recommended the music of fellow Sincerely Yours-signees Team Rockit. I'm at an absolute loss for words over how to describe "första hjälpen" and "leviathan," the two songs that make up their new 7", but the words ambient, dancehall, hip-hop and majestic come to mind. Grab the MP3s below; buy the 7" here.

MP3: Team Rockit - första hjälpen
MP3: Team Rockit - leviathan

Meadowlands - Music for Seasonal Allergy Relief

2011-05-06T15:42:00.000-05:00

Totally at peace as a result of these ambient field recordings by Meadowlands. "Pt. 1 (Synthesizer & Field Recordings)" is a classically ambient synth session, where layers of silky-smooth sounds appear, build, bend and fade into one another. Meanwhile, "Pt. 2 (Field Recordings)" is a trip to the beach, where the sounds of wind and water become one and the only interruption is the occasional bird call. These could indeed function as mental field trips for the agoraphobic or severely allergic, but they could also be called "Music to Escape the Confines of Your Cubicle," because right now, I'm lying on a blanket in a field or on a towel at the beach, for all I know. If the disciplines of spirituality and science manufactured a device to implant in one's ear to enable him or her to hear such ambient bliss all the time, I'd be zoned-out 24/7. Listen to part one below and then grab both for free here.

Music for Seasonal Allergy Relief Pt. 1 (Synthesizer & Field Recordings) by meadowlands

Follow Meadowland on SoundCloud and Tumblr.

MP3: SALEM - "Till The World Ends"

2011-05-05T15:23:00.003-05:00

By now, you've probably already heard SALEM's ultra-slow, mega-screwed version of Britney S. Pierce's "Till The World Ends." It's more than made its way across the web. Perhaps you've seen the NSFW video that dwells in a strip club before it shows a military strike in night-vision. Well, just in case, here's the audio alone, a potentially more convenient cut that's perfectly safe for work. As long as your boss is cool with slow jamz and the occasional blood-curdling scream.

MP3: SALEM - Till The World Ends

new Double Entendre - Street Music EP

2011-05-05T10:37:00.001-05:00

Rolled out of bed this morning, checked my email and was very happy to see some correspondence from Ryan Daniels, aka Double Entendre. Daniels' new Street Music EP is now streaming at bandcamp, available for download or in an incredibly limited run of just 15 cassettes. There's something for everyone here, from the spin-inducing psychedelics of the title track to the more heavenly, harp-like oscillations of "This Perfect Day." Faltering swells of acidic synths make up "Breathing in the Ether," while the fuzzed-up tin pan workout that is "Sometimes, Happy Times" took me back to Konono N°1's Congotronics in the best way possible. "3-4 tbsp" is an ambient interlude complete with chirping birds and burnt-out key tones; "Onboard Currency" is an inspirational jam that chugs on and on towards the horizon. Daniels offers up "Sometimes, Happy Times" and his remix of Andy & Zeus' "MCMLXXXI Choir" for free, but you should support the arts by buying the MP3s for $5 or a tape for just $6. If you've ever bought anything from The Curatorial Club, NNA Tapes or Sweat Lodge Guru, you simply must buy this.

Catching up / Gatto Fritto & Julian Lynch

2011-05-04T00:01:00.001-05:00

Apologies for the lack of posts as of late, if anyone noticed. My full-time job has been keeping me busy and the spring cold bug has had me feeling down. Enough with the excuses, though. Highest possible recommendations go out to two albums that came out last week - Gatto Fritto's self-titled debut on International Feel and Julian Lynch's Terra on Underwater Peoples. The former is a dazzlingly good exploration of electronic music past, present and future. It delves into disco, horror, New Wave, noise, synth and more. Meanwhile, Julian Lynch has made his best album yet in Terra, a subdued, sublime statement with deeply meaningful experimentation and rich, organic textures. You can hear two songs from each record below and read more in-depth reviews I wrote over at HEAVE Media. My Gatto Fritto review is here and my Julian Lynch review is here. Let me know what you think! Leave a comment!

MP3 - Gatto Fritto - Hex
MP3 - Gatto Fritto - Beachy Head

MP3 - Julian Lynch - Terra
MP3 - Julian Lynch - Back

Paxton Fettel - "May Own Ace"

2011-04-27T11:42:00.001-05:00

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"

2011-04-27T10:18:00.000-05:00

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.

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

2011-04-26T13:26:00.000-05:00

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)

new Rommek - "Yellow Is The Colour Of Sun Rays"

2011-04-25T10:39:00.000-05:00

More pitch-bent, ping-toned perfection from Rommek.

MP3: Rommek - Yellow Is The Colour Of Sun Rays

Follow Rommek on MySpace and SoundCloud.

How To Dress Well - "Ready For The World" (Star Slinger Refix)

2011-04-25T09:34:00.000-05:00

Risen UK beatmaker Star Slinger adds a shuffling whateverstep beat to the emotionally fractured R&B of How To Dress Well.

MP3: How To Dress Well - Ready For The World (Star Slinger Refix)

more new old Four Tet - "Calamine"

2011-04-21T10:25:00.000-05:00

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"

2011-04-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

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.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mountpleasant.bandcamp.com/track/slipped-era"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Slipped Era by Mount Pleasant&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Mount Pleasant on bandcamp / Blogger / Facebook / MySpace

new Keith Fullerton Whitman - "2011.4.18.11.21.32"

2011-04-20T16:20:00.002-05:00

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"

2011-04-20T10:06:00.000-05:00

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

2011-04-20T00:01:00.001-05:00

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

\\+\\DOUBLE MAULER'S POST DIGITAL REALITY LIVE MIX//+//

Tracklisting:

Deny This (Extended Version) - Mark E
Friendly - forest spirits
Natalia's Song - Zomby
Tell Me (Kingdom Edit) - Jacques Greene
Appetite (Kingdom Edit) - Usher
Lofticries - Purity Ring
Hookid - Morgan Zarate
Zen - Phaseone
Turn It Around (Banton's Mandy Mix) - Alena
Vanessa - Grimes
Prism - Jay Weed
Animal (Young Montana? Remix) - Groundislava
Antarctic City - Becoming Real
Poetry - DJ Nate
Nike - Mosca
Room for Pudding - Rommek
Stolen Dog - Burial

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

2011-04-19T14:44:00.000-05:00

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"

2011-04-19T11:10:00.001-05:00

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"

2011-04-19T09:04:00.000-05:00

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

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

2011-04-18T18:26:00.000-05:00

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"

2011-04-18T15:16:00.000-05:00

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"

2011-04-18T13:32:00.001-05:00

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"

2011-04-18T07:00:00.002-05:00

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"

2011-04-18T00:01:00.003-05:00

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

Lee Forest - Leaf Auras EP

2011-04-15T14:41:00.000-05:00

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.

new Forest Spirits - EP

2011-04-14T14:42:00.000-05:00

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)

2011-04-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

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

Being There - "Sad Prayer"

2011-04-13T13:55:00.001-05:00

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)

2011-04-13T12:54:00.000-05:00

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

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

2011-04-12T12:18:00.002-05:00

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.

MP3: Gel Set - Don't Need Money Cuz I Got A Gun

MP3: Gel Set - U-Lock In My Hand

Two Inch Punch - InspHERation MiXXX

2011-04-11T21:33:00.000-05:00

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

Youth Lagoon - "Cannons"

2011-04-08T13:37:00.000-05:00

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"

2011-04-08T10:10:00.000-05:00

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

new Sun Glitters - "Cosmic Oceans"

2011-04-07T11:56:00.000-05:00

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!"

2011-04-07T10:38:00.000-05:00

"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)

2011-04-07T09:31:00.000-05:00

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)

Frank Ocean - "Lovecrimes" (Pional Edit)

2011-04-06T11:13:00.000-05:00

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"

2011-04-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

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

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

2011-04-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

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)

2011-04-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

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

new Bad Autopsy - "Long Gone"

2011-04-04T00:01:00.003-05:00

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.

Rommek - "Room For Pudding"

2011-04-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

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)

Beaú - "Glitter" & "Venice"

2011-03-31T10:25:00.000-05:00

Glitter by Beaú

Venice by Beaú

Follow Beaú on SoundCloud.

New Phaseone - "Murk Unit"

2011-03-28T11:59:00.000-05:00

It's been two months since we've heard an original joint from Phaseone. The dude recently packed up his game and moved from St. Louis to New York, so now seems like the perfect time for a new tune. "Murk Unit" is tagged as belonging to the "killa" genre. I'm not quite sure what that entails, but the song itself is pretty much "killa" and then some. Buttressed by a sample* of The Luniz's "I Got A 5 On It," the song features the same trepid-sounding tubular bells as the original, with Phaseone adding some extra bleeps and plenty of bump to the mix. Sounds like an unreleased hip-hop theme song to soundtrack a crime documentary about, well, "killas."

Phaseone - Murk Unit by PHASEONE

Get more Phaseone at SoundCloud and Tumblr.

(*Props to my buddy Tony for knowing his shit and name-dropping The Luniz. I knew I'd heard the sample before but had no idea where to look.)

New Burial - "Street Halo" & "Stolen Dog"

2011-03-23T23:17:00.001-05:00

New Burial. "Street Halo" is the A-side and title track to his brand new 12", out 3/28/11 on Hyperdub. "Stolen Dog" is one of two B-sides. As heard on Benji B's BBC Radio 1 program, with the host and guest DJ/Hyperdub label boss Kode9 talking about the release intermittently. Buy the vinyl from Bleep, Boomkat, Juno, Phonica or Rough Trade; a digital version should be up on Hyperdub's new site come Monday.

("Stolen Dog" via krisa1989 on YouTube)

D/R/U/G/S - Love/Lust 12"

2011-03-23T13:46:00.000-05:00

Been waiting on D/R/U/G/S' debut release ever since I heard "Love/Lust" way back when ALTERED ZONES was born. Well, the moment has finally arrived. D/R/U/G/S' Love/Lust 12" is out May 9 on Moshi Moshi / Tender Age. It features a crisper, cleaner rework of "Love/Lust" as well as new tracks "Velodrome I" and "Velodrome II." The latter two tracks are suprisingly sci-fi-inspired and spaced-out compared to D/R/U/G/S darker output. Incredibly fresh-sounding and tightly-stitched electronica of the highest quality. Stream the whole thing below; pre-order it here.

D/R/U/G/S Love / Lust by wearemachinemusic

Sun Glitters - "Grow Up Like A Beautiful Flower"

2011-03-23T10:41:00.000-05:00

Sun Glitters' music has been popping up in all the right places as a result of his excellent Everything Could Be Fine EP. Luxembourg artist Victor Ferreira has also been uploading new Sun Glitters songs to his SoundCloud at a pretty decent clip. "Grow Up Like A Beautiful Flower" is set to be included on a benefit compilation for Japan. Its contemplative key tones, smooth guitar textures and crackling, fuzzy background noises recall Will Wiesenfeld's work as both Baths and Geotic. Great stuff. For more new songs, follow Sun Glitters on SoundCloud; buy the Everything Could Be Fine EP at bandcamp.

grow up like a beautiful flower by Sun Glitters

New Supreme Cuts - "Issues"

2011-03-22T00:01:00.001-05:00

New song from Chicago's Supreme Cuts. More screwed and tweaked future R&B like "Amnesia" and "Months" before it. Not sure this post requires any additional commentary. I mean, just look at that artwork. Yup. Pretty much says it all. "Issues" sounds like a face-to-face encounter with a four-fingered, two-thumbed, anatomically androgynous R. Kelly doll in the middle of steamy dream pool that's also a dimensional portal. Creepy? Yes. Am I lovin' it anyway? Definitely. Rising designation from Pitchfork any day now...

Issues by Supreme Cuts

Hypermagic - San Fairy Ann EP

2011-03-21T00:01:00.001-05:00

A new EP from Hypermagic!

San Fairy Ann. I had no idea either. So I looked it up. It's a World War I era English language epic fail on the pronunciation of the Italian phrase ça ne fait rien. Or so he says. It's also a band and a cycling club. But anyway.

The blurry, echoing atmosphere on title track "San Fairy Ann" immediately recalls Washed Out, as generous helpings of heavily reverberating vocals hit hot oil and heat until they're slightly crisp around the edges. You know what I'm talking about: chillwave, bro. And it's great. Never mind the naysayers.

Meanwhile, "Little Scamp" is only subtlety sunburned and otherwise smitten with melodic synth tones and wooden, worldly percussion hits.

Stream those two songs below; grab the entire 5-track EP for free at Hypermagic's bandcamp. Altogether, San Fairy Ann is another set of sweetly sublime tunes to match his three other excellent EPs.

Hypermagic - San Fairy Ann (mp3 link)
Hypermagic - Little Scamp (mp3 link)

Daggereyess - Daggereyess EP

2011-03-18T14:48:00.001-05:00

You've already heard Daggereyess' crystalline cut "Hooked." Now you can hear the rest of his self-titled debut EP, streaming below and at his SoundCloud. Looks like it's set for digital release on May 9. "So Hyped" is a shimmering, throbbing banger; "Terrorrr" is an atmospheric adventure in dubstep.

Daggereyess - Daggereyess EP by Daggereyess

Follow Daggereyess on SoundCloud / Twitter / YouTube

D. Paris - "Left Behind"

2011-03-18T11:04:00.000-05:00

New D. Paris jam. This one's a jaded pop gem that follows a drugged-out, despondent Natalie Merchant as she stumbles through a steel factory.

Left Behind by D. Paris

Follow D. Paris on SoundCloud and Twitter.

CFCF Mix for Last Gas Station

2011-03-16T15:24:00.000-05:00

Montreal producer CFCF made a mix for the lovable Last Gas Station, and it's pretty much "killin' it" right now, to use the language of SXSW. (Can you tell I'm bitter I'm not there?) Anyway, like CFCF's own music and the plethora of other mixes he's made, these are some chilled-out dance, R&B and rap songs with some serious grooves to them. Featuring Asobi Seksu, Burial, Creep, Tangerine Dream, The Weekend and many more. Also has "Whispers," which appears to be a brand new CFCF song. All told, highly recommended listening.

CFCF: La.Ga.Sta. Mix by La.Ga.Sta.

Burial & Four Tet / Thom Yorke - "Ego" & "Mirror"

2011-03-16T11:36:00.000-05:00

As if last year's collab between Burial & Four Tet wasn't grand enough, the two had Thom Yorke step into the mix for a new 12". Bummer, then, that the initial stock is already sold out, but Bleep says it "will have the final allocation on sale shortly" and advises you to sign up for their mailing list for more info. The songs premiered on Rinse FM last night, and luckily for us, some pioneering soul ripped the streaming audio and posted it in YouTube. And thus we have "Ego" and "Mirror," two tracks of melodic yet morose, paranoid yet placative whateverstep. Come to think of it, these songs may well mollify those Radiohead fans who were hoping for more electronic experimentation on The King Of Limbs.

Burial & Four Tet / Thom Yorke - "Ego"

Burial & Four Tet / Thom Yorke - "Mirror"

Now seems as good a time as any to mention sites like OnlineVideoConvertor and ListenToYouTube. Just sayin'.

Daggereyess - "Hooked" & "Alocolol2"

2011-03-10T10:43:00.000-06:00

Daggereyess' music is made by a dude named Darren. He has a preference for a low profile, which is perfectly respectable, but with songs as good as the ones he's posted to his SoundCloud, he might not be able to keep that up for much longer. "Hooked" is set to appear on a self-released digital EP. It cuts with the same crystalline, glacial ambiance as anything from Crystal Castles. Meanwhile, "Alocolol2" is a soaring flight through the heavens, with the breath of the gods blowing against our faces. Stay tuned for more info on Daggereyess' debut EP; watch the Simply Red-sampling "Gurl, u got blud on ur dresssz" here.

Hooked by Daggereyess

Daggereyess - Alocolol2

Follow Daggereyess on SoundCloud / Twitter / YouTube

D. Paris - "Trojan Drubbing"

2011-03-09T15:40:00.000-06:00

Last time we heard from D. Paris, it was the throbbing disco cut "1954," which the tantalizingly great Transparent posted back in late February. Now we have "Trojan Drubbing" to tide us over until the London knob-twister strikes again. Where "1954" was made for a macho stroll down a hard street or for brooding in the basement of a dark club, "Trojan Drubbing" is a more intensely intimate song that invades your headspace. Featuring high-pitched vocal shrills that echo the more ethereal tones of Radiohead/Thom Yorke, this song seems to soundtrack a D.M.T.-induced hallucination of aliens plucking and prying at their subject's vocal cords.

Trojan Drubbing by D. Paris

Here's "1954," too.

D. Paris - 1954

Follow D. Paris on SoundCloud and Twitter.

worriedaboutsatan - "Heart Monitor" (ANTWERP Remix)

2011-03-09T00:01:00.000-06:00

ANTWERP's remix of worriedaboutsatan landed in my inbox early yesterday morning, and it's been on steady repeat ever since. The Hackney-based electronic artist shortened the original version even as he made it all the more sonically saturated. What was once a skittering skeleton of a song is now a syrupy slow-burner with one hell of a plodding bass line. Seems like this qualifies as dreamstep, given the atmospherics and the jumbled vocals. Hear ANTWERP originals as well as remixes for Cymbals and D/R/U/G/S at his bandcamp.

worriedaboutsatan - Heart Monitor (ANTWERP Remix)

Follow ANTWERP on bandcamp / Facebook / SoundCloud / Tumblr

Sofia Kourtesis - "Abue"

2011-03-08T16:03:00.002-06:00

Oh, the joys of following Gold Panda on Twitter. Self-depricating tweets and retweets. The ironic incongruity of the idea that the artist is followed by about 4,500 people yet "can't be bothered to follow anyone." Except one person. Namely Sofia Kourtesis, his girlfriend. Who has now released her own song, which Gold Panda tweeted about. "Abue" is simply breathtaking, yet breathtakingly simple. Like a painter who shares his or her palette and demonstrates his or her technique, Kourtesis lists the ingredients that were used to compose the song: "water, paper, xylophone, glockenspiel, casio, drum machine, computer, voice." We can hear each element working with and against the others to form one splendidly-formed whole. A cursory listen showcases Kourtesis' playful tinkering; multiple listens reveal the innate genius of it. Let's hope there's much more where this came from. Follow Kourtesis at her SoundCloud.

Abue by Sofia Kourtesis

Taragana Pyjarama - "Ocean"

2011-03-08T12:17:00.002-06:00

Every once in a while, stars align in such a way as to allow the perfect union between artist and record label. One where the artist's sound is so inextricably attached to a label's aesthetic that any other record deal would seem lacking. It happened with Gold Panda and Ghostly International: the result was Lucky Shiner, my favorite album of 2010. And it will happen again on March 28, when Fool House releases Taragana Pyjarama's self-titled EP. Fool House is famous for having released Delorean's Best New Music'd Ayrton Senna EP, before their full-length Subiza went on to be Best New Music'd as well. Based on "Ocean" and the hype already building around this release, we can expect similarly great things from Taragana Pyjarama, too. From the first sounds of waves crashing against the beach to the last sounds of feet splashing around in water, we are submerged in the warmest, most welcoming sounds we can imagine. Minimalist dream-house to fall asleep or swim far to. Seems to feature a sample of Imogen Heap's "Goodnight And Go" (unconfirmed). Taragana Pyjarama is out March 28 on Fool House.

Taragana Pyjarama - Ocean (via Pitchfork)

Previously:

Taragana Pyjarama - Girls

Pedro Magina - "Miyagi"

2011-03-07T00:01:00.001-06:00

The Animal Collective fan in me will likely always remember Lisbon as the place Panda Bear picked to record Person Pitch and to live with his wife and child. But now I can add Pedro Magina and his music to my list of Lisbon-based associations. Magina's Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five tape is out now on Not Not Fun Records, and though his music is nowhere near the sunburned, tropic-tinged sounds of Person Pitch, it manages to be just as meditative and every bit as excellent. Britt of Not Not Fun was nice enough to send over "Miyagi," and its undulating synthesizers have been transporting me ever since. Fans of the spaced-out sounds of Megazord, Oneohtrix Point Never and Zonotope should enjoy it. Meanwhile, the other songs streaming at Magina's MySpace sound a bit more subdued. Regardless, these are blissfully ambient songs that shimmer and soar even as they're soused in Lisbon's coastal waters. Buy Magina's Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five tape from Not Not Fun.

Pedro Magina - Miyagi by casketcrashvigil

Introducing: Hymnal

2011-03-04T13:33:00.000-06:00

Austin/San Marcos musician Mich D. White, who records "dubbeatkrunk" as Kinder and ambient instrumentals as MDW, emailed me yet another project that was born of White's recent desire to sing and to explore a darker sound. Hymnal's songs do indeed exist on a different plane. While they're not necessarily "dark" per se, they might still be best heard in a room with little light. These are chilled-out tracks with a bluesy, jazzy vibe to them. Rightly or wrongly, I can't shake the thought of the subdued grooves of Deep Forest or a Southwestern Serge Gainsbourg. Either way, there's lots of promise here, and I'm excited to see where White goes with Hymnal. Follow Hymnal on bandcamp.

New Bibio - "Saint Christopher"

2011-03-03T12:57:00.000-06:00

Dipped In Dollars just dropped this new Bibio joint and it's hitting really hard right now. "Saint Christopher" is pretty typical Bibio, where typical means it belongs to that group of Bibio songs with crystalline guitar notes that sound as though they are cracking and decaying right after they enter our ears. I already used the term "heartrendingly gorgeous" this week, but I'm going to have to apply it to "Saint Christopher" as well. From Mind Bokeh, out March 28 on Warp. Also below is a video for "Excuses," the first track from Mind Bokeh, which I somehow missed until now.

Bibio - Saint Christopher

Hyperdelic Records

2011-03-03T11:48:00.000-06:00

Almost a week ago, I got an email from Daniel Smith, who records "face melting" music as Red Electric Rainbow and runs the cassette-only label Neon Blossom. Smith and Matt Kimmel of Acid Marshmallow curated last year's Neon Marshmallow Festival, and now they're collaborating on a new ambient/drone/noise/synth label called Hyperdelic Records. Hyperdelic's first six releases are available now and include cassettes from Red Electric Rainbow, Mark Bradley, Headboggle, Netherfriends, Seabat and Mike Shiflet. Other information was hard to come by, but I was able to hunt down tracks from 5 of 6 artists. Note: not all songs are necessarily featured on the artists' Hyperdelic release. They were just the most readily available songs and are intended to demonstrate the artists' work.

Red Electric Rainbow - Ferris Wheel
Mark Bradley - No Words
Netherfriends - Wednesday

Supreme Cuts - "Amnesia" & "Months"

2011-03-02T23:30:00.000-06:00

Been digging Supreme Cuts pretty hard ever since I heard them on Friendship Bracelet the other day. The Chicago act chops up R&B and serves it over some seriously sick and twisted beats. Seems like these songs could even be cut from the same cloth as Two Inch Punch, if that cloth was spattered with salmonella and left to fester for a few days. "Amnesia" almost qualifies as lovestep, but the more you listen, you realize it's really whining-baby-step. Meanwhile, "Months" alternates between air raid sirens, cavernous percussion and diva vocals. These are indeed supreme cuts, infected and raw. Like the freshest scabs, you just wanna keep pickin' at 'em.

Supreme Cuts by Supreme Cuts

Yamaan - "Blossom" (Gold Panda Remix)

2011-03-01T13:58:00.000-06:00

New remix from Gold Panda, supplier of Lucky Shiner, my favorite album of 2010. Derwin Panda's remix of Yamaan's "Blossom" is a bit more aggressively techno than Lucky Shiner's content, but it still retains the same bluish, icy electronic textures.

Yamaan: Blossom [Chorus by Chiyori] (Gold Panda remix) by Gold Panda

How To Dress Well - "Waking Up To Life Sometimes Seems Worse"

2011-03-01T11:12:00.000-06:00

Chicago's own lo-fi R&B crooner How To Dress Well just covered R. Kelly. It sounds...well...pretty much like How To Dress Well covering R. Kelly. Which is to say heartrendingly gorgeous. If there's sensuality here, as R&B almost requires, it's the intimacy with which artist Tom Krell quivers over each note and the cadence in which he sings. Frail and fractured to a frighteningly beautiful degree.

How To Dress Well - Waking Up To Life Sometimes Seems Worse (R. Kelly Cover)

(via Tri-Angle Records on SoundCloud)

New Four Tet - "Pinnacles" / New Daphni - "Ye Ye"

2011-02-28T13:47:00.003-06:00

Brand new song from Four Tet, whose album There Is Love In You made my list of favorites of 2010 and whose two live performances in Chicago last year were some of the best I've ever seen. "Pinnacles" is classic Four Tet - radically simple bits of melodic sound repeating to meditative effect. In this case, it's a chugging bass line, Asian-sounding string plucks, cascades of house piano and staccato synth washes. From an upcoming split on Four Tet's own TEXT Records; the other side features Daphni's "Ye Ye."

Pinnacles by Four Tet

EDIT: Thanks to Solar Bears on Twitter, who pointed me to Self-Titled, who provide more information on this Four Tet/Daphni split. Daphni, it turns out, is a new moniker for Caribou's Dan Snaith. Caribou also made my list of albums of 2010, and his performance at Millennium Park last year was simply spectacular. Daphni's contribution to the split, "Ye Ye," is a banger that shuffles and throbs along, making this one of the hottest splits to drop this year. TEXT Records' web presence is non-existent, but the release should be out soon - I'd recommend checking Boomkat, Juno.co.uk and Rough Trade on a regular basis, as this will likely sell out quick.

Daphni - Ye Ye by Caribouband

(photo)

RxRy - Alpha + guest mixtape

2011-02-26T13:45:00.002-06:00

Over the weekend, Casket Crash Vigil favorite RxRy made his Alpha "microLP/megaEP" available for download at his blog. (UPDATE: On Monday afternoon, the download was taken down, as Alpha is now due for release on vinyl this May!) As the artist described in an interview with GIMME TINNITUS, Alpha is "comprised of samples taken from an AM radio and manipulated via midi sequencing." Having had the chance to hear Alpha, I can say that the resulting sounds are the most sonically saturated we've heard from RxRy. They are also quite possibly his best work to date. If the sound-canceling properties of outer space somehow enabled the transmission of noise from producer to consumer, this is doubtless what we'd hear as spaceships stretched into star-bending warp speed. I have a feeling, though, that the artist himself hears these sounds as more earthly than extraterrestrial. In keeping with Mother Earth, then, these are the sounds of a future in which the biological and technological have become one and the same. Witness the cybernetic crickets on "L.2_Evaporated" for an example. Stream that and "A2.2_Phase" below; stay tuned for news on Alpha's vinyl release.

RxRy - L.2_Evaporated
RxRy - A2.2_Phase

In the meantime, RxRy was kind enough to make a guest mix for me. I asked him around 12:40 PM on Saturday; it was in my inbox before 10:00 PM that night. Featuring Aphex Twin, Atlas Sound, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Tim Hecker and others, it was inspired by "the subtle shift in light between 3:32pm and 5.58pm." Listen/download below.

RxRy's The Subtle Shift In Light Between 3.32pm and 5.58pm Mixtape

Artwork/tracklist after the jump:

From Christchurch's quake, Mount Pleasant's music

2011-02-25T11:20:00.001-06:00

Tuesday's earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, was another tragic example of what can happen when earthly forces and human populations intersect with random chance. Scores were killed and many more remain missing. And yet, even in the midst of Christchurch's sadness and suffering, some positives can be found. Hundreds of aid workers and eventually millions of dollars will flow to the area to help those in need and assist with rebuilding. On a personal level, it's how I found out about Mount Pleasant's music.

Curious about Christchurch, I went to bandcamp and browsed the most recent music tagged with "Christchurch." I was impressed by a lot of what I heard, but I was most struck by Mount Pleasant, a self-described glamour/pop artist who has been blogged about by all the usual suspects but who I somehow missed until now. I came to learn that main contributor Jonathan Phillips' family home was severely damaged by the quake. You can see photos and read his harrowing account at Mount Pleasant's blog. If you're able, heed Phillips' call and donate to New Zealand's Red Cross here.

We can be thankful, though, that Phillips and his family survived and that we have a new Mount Pleasant album upon us. "II Tough II Dance," "Safer" and "Florida" are chilled-out disco/funk/house tracks from upcoming album The Aztecs, due for release on March 16 via bandcamp. By the looks of it, The Aztecs also features one Joanna De Vocht on production and vocals; her chanteuse lends an even smoother vibe to Phillips' already velvety tracks. On these songs, Phillips and De Vocht manage to take the best of 70s disco and funk and combine it with 80s New Wave to make something that sounds familiar and fresh at the same time. Listen to three Aztecs songs below, buy them at Mount Pleasant's bandcamp and keep your mouse clicked there for the full album on March 16.