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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

MP3: Gel Set - U-Lock In My Hand

New Supreme Cuts - "Issues"

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

Supreme Cuts - "Amnesia" & "Months"

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