Xploding Plastix - "Amateur Girlfriends go Proskirt Models"

Crazy, crazy stuff here. A duo from Norway, these guys make some seriously cool and futuristic electronic jazz compositions. A typical Xploding Plastix song may feature dusty horns samples, mellow keyboard licks, a walking double-bass line, and complex drum rhythms. However, there is no typical song from them, as they have a wide range of variety. Some tracks have a pulsing, fast, upbeat tempo while others are strictly downtempo and chilled. There are some artists in the "acid jazz" category that make music that could easily also be classified as "easy listening" aka "elevator music", but not these guys. Extremely interesting, inventive compositions, well worth a listen.


"Amateur Girlfriends go Proskirt Models"

Lorenzo Petrantoni

Don't really know too much about this guy, except I really dig his style. He's from Milan, and apparently did a Newsweek cover a couple years back. His artwork is mostly collages, fusing complex geometric shapes and patterns with tons of real life objects and people. Diggin' his stuff for sure though, check it out.


Artist's website

DAIM

DAIM is definitely one of my all-time favorite visual artists. He creates stunningly realistic 3-D masterpieces using a variety of mediums, but frequently spraypaint on walls. As a former art student, DAIM pioneered his technique by creating plaster sculptures initially, so as to get a feel for 3-D space and depiction. But his works and style have progressed far beyond this; he is credited with assisting in the world's largest graffiti piece among other accomplishments. His stuff literally just pops out at you, it's so realistic. This guy had a HUGE impact on my personal development as an artist, I owe him a ton..



See more of his stuff here.

Support the artist - buy his book. No seriously though, you should, its sick.

Guitoud - "I & I"

Chilled out, mellow dub from Frenchman Guitoud. He releases his music for free on the online French netlabel Fresh Poulp, but this doesn't mean it's low quality. Definitely one of my all-time favorite dub albums, up there with releases from Kaly Live Dub and Metastaz, two of my other favorite French dub artists. Really nice blend of horns, organic instruments, and electronic/dub elements. Psychedelic moments but not really a challenging listen - meaning great for background music while friends are chilling, etc..

Check out the feel-good title track, or "Louisiana & Jamaica" (mix of blues vs. dub)


http://www.fresh-poulp.net/releases/fpr036/

Gaslamp Killer - "Hell and the Lake of Fire are waiting for YOU!

Saw a pretty sweet show last week at the Middle East in Cambridge. Prefuse 73 was headlining, but actually turned out to be pretty weak. I had seen him play at the same venue some five years ago actually, and he was way better, probably since he wasn't such an established artist at the time. I love the guy's work, but this time around his music was a bit too ambient and spacey, and his encore was pretty poor - he stood with his back to the audience and played some thrash/noise guitar licks. Myself and the few remaining people in the audience were left feeling even more confused and dissapointed after that.

Gaslamp Killer, the dude that opened for him, was amazing though. Totally made it worth going to the show just to catch his set. Dude plays a mix of dubstep, world, rock, and funky breaks, making a sick live set. He was in total control the whole time, keeping the crowd bouncing and whomping. Great set. I had the pleasure of copping his demo after the show, crazy artwork/packaging, it's called "Hell and the Lake of Fire are waiting for YOU!"

sorry for the rapidshare link

TM Juke - "Maps to the Wilderness"

This is some nice, loungy jazz type jams comin' from over in the UK. Associated with the Tru Thoughts label, with a bunch of artists that i dig putting out modern jazz/electronic sounds. I'm gonna get around to posting some of these others (i.e. Nostalgia 77, Natural Self, etc..)

Downtempo, really chilled out stuff. "Just for a day (Sunday)" is totally relaxing with a perfectly mellow guitar line floating over jazz saxophone licks and a head-nodding, shuffling beat. "Fast Asleep" is another smoky, dusty, jazzy hip hop lounger that just flows oh so smoothly. Also features guest appearances from a few rappers and singer Alice Russell, rounding out the album. Dude has really got his shit together. Mixes soul with hip hop with jazz - the whole album is really chill, check it out.


get it

Crime in Choir - "Crime in Choir"

This is an early album from San Francisco-based group Crime in Choir. One of the members was formerly in At the Drive-In, and their music has some of the same kind of frantic, energy. I really enjoyed listening to this album, their later stuff is even better, but this gives you a good idea for them. Their sound has skittish, jumpy drum beats meeting sweet synth lines and progressive rock guitar licks. Instrumental, crunchy, definitely a really cool band and worth checking out some of their later stuff.. Maybe I'll post another link if I get around to it..

"Crime in Choir"

Kaly Live Dub - "Electric Kool Aid"

This is literally on top of my last.fm charts, out of some 1,500 artists..They're a French live dub group, I got turned onto them by my Mexican friend Selene in Chile this past summer.... This album was my favorite, but their whole discography is siiiick...I played this on repeat non stop for days when I first got it, just so nasty.

There's something about these French guys, they know their dub/reggae - Kaly Live Dub is only one of many French dub artists putting out good music, along with High Tone, Dub Addict Sound System, Metastaz, etc... The Kaly Live Dub sound is a mix of electronic and live instruments, forming an electro/psychedelic dub sound unlike anything I'd heard before. There's some crazy vocal samples, extreme drum delay processing, pulsing bass lines, but overall this crazy, swirling, galactic dub style with live instruments...check em out.

getit

http://www.myspace.com/kalylivedub

Rae Davis - "Positive Thinking!"

Rae Davis is one chilled out dude. This album is deeply mellow and organic, moving through an alternative jazz/electronic universe of sounds. Dude is nasty like that. Really relaxing listen, nice jazzy sounds. Check out "This I Dig of You" and "Shook"


"Positive Thinking!"