Hollywoodincambodia

The Weeknd - "What you need"

2011-06-21T01:36:00.001-07:00

Yeah I know it's a little late, these guys have been all over the Net and rightly so for the last few months, but in case you missed it check these guys out. Soooo smooth. Perfect for playin late at night with your lady..

Free album download at http://the-weeknd.com/

ParanoidZen

2010-11-29T16:06:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post this one for a while. ParanoidZen is Boston's own Jester Ronin, member of the Vermin Street Collective. His sound ranges from pulsing, ambient meditations of "infinity worship" to glitch hop and even breaks paired perfectly with samples of world music. He's got some really interesting transitions too (see Om Shiva).

Look for upcoming shows and all things ParanoidZen at:
http://paranoidzen.com/home.cfm

Om Shiva (Radio Edit) by ParanoidZen

Somewhere over the Rainbow (DnB Remix) by ParanoidZen

Tuvan Lullaby by ParanoidZen

Russ Chimes - "Midnight Club"

2010-09-13T08:38:00.001-07:00

Interesting, to say the least.

Eleven Tigers - "Stableface"

2010-09-02T03:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't heard music this good in a long time. I really really REALLY enjoyed this entire album, "Clouds are Mountains", from start to finish. Apparently it's an extremely talented Lithuanian producer based out of London, making fantastic music. The sound design is really varied and moody, consistently moving to new heights and lows at different points. Each track blends into the next flawlessly, an extremely seamless listen. At points the album is dark and brooding, then uplifting and gentle at others. The most varied, ambient, and interesting dubstep I have heard in a long time.

Buy it here

Columbus - "Lovemachine"

2010-08-24T20:14:00.000-07:00

Columbus - Lovemachine from The Crystal Beach on Vimeo.

Another crazy video here for a house dude named Columbus. Not even that stoked on his music but I thought this video was really cool. Check it out

Houratron - "Corporate Occult"

2010-08-24T19:23:00.001-07:00

"CORPORATE OCCULT" Huoratron Music Video from Cédric BLAISBOIS on Vimeo.

Whoa. Seriously, whoa now. Heavy/dark porno meets horror flick. HEAVY

Leviathan Jones - "Machete"

2010-08-23T00:06:00.000-07:00

Free original 320 electro track.

Machete by Leviathan Jones

Patrice - "Aint Got No"

2010-08-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

Amazing visuals in this video. Features the work of photographer JR, whose iconic large-scale images of people's faces have been put up in various places around the world. Plus naked people dancing around fires. What more can you ask for?

BT - 1.618

2010-08-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

Absolutely gorgeous music and video here from BT. Beautiful composition on the video, and his whole oeuvre is pretty impressive, a wide range of electronic music styles. This song is from his album "A Binary Life", you can read a little more about it here.

Noisia and Mayhem feat. KRS One - "Exodus"

2010-08-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

Stunning images of sonic/visual warfare. Captures the feel of hardcore electronic sounds and what they might look like in the mind of a twisted dude like Alex Lehmann. Loving the dark/computer-generated mayhem in this vid. OH yeah, and the bottom video is mad fun too, just not quite as elaborate. Big ups Noisia!

The Future of Turntablism

2010-08-10T23:49:00.001-07:00

Multi Touch Light Table: GERGWERK from GERG WERK on Vimeo.

Nuff said. Looks siiick.

F.O.O.L.

2010-08-08T11:19:00.001-07:00

F.O.O.L. stands for Fuck Our Ordinary Lives. And goddamn, they make some of the dopest, hardest electro I've heard in a long time, if ever. Swedish duo consistently produces high-quality, extremely dark and dirty electro beats. It's hard to find too much info about them online, but they are definitely blowing up in some circles. I have included two of their tracks that were released for free, and you can listen to more of their stuff on their Soundcloud profile. I'm a huge, huge fan of these guys, check em out..

F.O.O.L. - Rising Drunk Stars

Redial - The Boss (F.O.O.L. remix)

Soundcloud page

Joe Biden From Space

2010-08-08T10:13:00.000-07:00

Maybe you've seen this too many times already, maybe you think it doesn't belong in an electronic music blog, but maybe it's the greatest pop song made in years.

FRED THE RAVER

2010-08-05T09:37:00.001-07:00

HAHAHA don't have to say much about this one. Bass in yo face!

Shapeshifters - "Helter Skelter"

2010-07-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

Don't really know anything about these guys, but what I know is that this video is pretty fun. Seriously, this video is just mad fun and goofy, and a bit of a break from the darker/harder stuff I've been blogging on recently. Surreal, funky, and tripped out are a few other ways I'd describe this. Peep the subtle jab at Deadmau5 around the 1:45 mark haha. Jammin' for sure on this one..

Soundcloud profile, with some nice tasty mixes

Borgore feat. Diplo - "Sunsets"

2010-07-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

Not much to say here. Borgore is one of the HEAVIEST dubstep dudes out there, if you haven't heard him yet get on it. Heavy, heavy stuff. The track below is one of my all-time favorite dubstep bangers, just pure sickness.

Skrillex - "My Name Is Skrillex" EP

2010-07-30T12:03:00.000-07:00

LA Electro producer Skrillex released his new EP for free on his website. Dirty, hardcore electro beats, not for the weak of heart. Saw him referred to as "Metal Electro", and that makes sense after you listen to it. Definitely feelin' it though, go and check it out, some really sicknasty electro bangers for sure. Dude's got a SICK promo video, that's also a fact.

Get it here

Take - "Implosions"

2010-07-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

TAKE "Implosions" from Alpha Pup on Vimeo.

Some really twisted, wonky visuals here from L.A. beatmaker Take. If you haven't got his latest LP, "Only Mountains", get it now. I swear it's not as dark as this song/video. Still, really diggin' the trippy feel to this, pretty ominous for real. Reminds me a lot of the EPROM video from a while back, same mechanoid/terror feel. Dirrrty..

Major Lazer vs. La Roux - "LazerProof"

2010-07-24T12:43:00.001-07:00

So, La Roux is probably one of the most popular artists to remix at the moment. If you haven't heard the Skream remix of her track "In For The Kill", you've probably been living under a rock. Anyways, not the biggest fan of her stuff but have to admit she's got a good voice for electronic remixes. So yeah, saw this album out a while ago and resisted downloading it at first, but have to admit it's pretty good. It mashes together La Roux's songs with Major Lazer's first album and some unreleased cuts. Definitely some good party music here for sure, check it out. Free download too.

Download it here

Peppermill Records - "2999"

2010-07-23T11:53:00.001-07:00

Yo this shit is SOOO cool! Seriously. Just found out about this project. Apparently Peppermill records, one of many newish electronic labels I have never heard of, recently started this project. What is it?

Well, they had a contest or something, collected a bunch of funky/futuristic bangers, and are going to release them, one a week, FREE, FOR A YEAR! Not only that, they have a bunch of reallly legit names scheduled - Robot Koch, Kraddy, ill.gates, Slugabed. Some of the dopest producers in bass music right now in my opinion. Definitely super excited, first couple tracks are dope so far. And to top it off, they have custom graphic design for each track with a futuristic art piece inspired by the tune.

Don't sleep on this, definitely check it out

2999

Nick Thayer - "Empire State of Mind remix"

2010-07-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

Empire State Of Mind (Nick Thayer Remix) by Nick Thayer

Man, feeling this track so much right now! I was never that keen on the original, thought it was cool but got so fuckin' played out so quickly. I mean you couldn't walk in ANYWHERE, be it a restaurant, bar, club, whatever, and not hear this song within five minutes. At least that's what it felt like.

Anyways, what I'm slowly coming to terms with is that while I will probably always loathe and despise pop music, I have a real soft spot for cheesy pop songs remixed with an electronic beat. It could be a drum'n'bass beat like this, dubstep, electro-house, whatever - the remix ALWAYS beats the original IMHO. I put a couple other really good examples I've been digging below. Datsik put out a sick dubstep version of M83's "We Own The Sky", not even a pop song really but either way enhances the original. Then there's a drum and bass version of Snow Patrol "Open Your Eyes" - never liked music like Snow Patrol but this remix is uplifting and beautiful to me. What do you think?

Xxxy - "Fela"

2010-07-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

Man, really feelin' this dude's style. Used his remix of Radiohead's Straight to Video on a recent mix I put out, and did a little more research today since I've been seeing his name pop up a few places on the blogosphere. Some really funky, 2-step UK style tracks, including this absolute banger, "Fela!!" I always liked Fela Kuti, the late African king of afrobeat, crazy mofo who used to perform with a 30 piece band, etc.. I attached a video of him so you can get a decent idea of his style. Anyway, Xxxy kills it on the remix here, absolute brilliance. Check out his Soundcloud for more tunes, including free downloads of this track and a few others..

Xxxy - Fela!! by xxxy

My House Is Your House by Leviathan Jones

Xxxy Soundcloud page

Boredoms - "77 Boadrum"

2010-07-17T10:35:00.001-07:00

77 BOA DRUM trailer from Thrill Jockey Records on Vimeo.

Holy crap. If you didn't know about this, check it out. In 7/7/07 at 7:07 PM, one of the iconic leaders of Japanese psych-rock legends the Boredoms, EYE, conducted a massive 77 person drum circle in Brooklyn. Thrill Jockey is set to release a DVD of the performance on 7/7/10 (Big surpise with the date huh). It featured famous drummers from all sorts of indie rock bands like Hella, Ponytail, etc.. I hadn't actually seen any footage from it before now, but remember hearing about it and thinking, of course. Only the Boredoms would put together something so ridiculous. Check out "Vision Creation Newsun", my personal favorite album of theirs, for a point of reference/introduction to their music.

Last.fm page

Olafur Arnolds - "Ljosio"

2010-07-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

Ólafur Arnalds - Ljósið (Official Music Video) from Erased Tapes on Vimeo.

Without going too much into details, I've been going through a really tough point in my life. Much emotional distress and questioning of life's purpose, etc..

The music of this Icelandic prodigy Olafur Arnolds has really helped me to reach a small bit of peace. He composes gorgeous, neo-classical works that feature subtle use of electronics on some songs but strictly acoustic instruments on others. Ethereal, inspiring, powerful, and delicate are but a few of the adjectives one can use to describe his work. I own his original album "Eulogy for Evolution" as well as one of his newer works "Dyad 1909", but have yet to pick up his second full length "..and they escaped the weight of darkness". I simply have too much respect for this artist to download it I want to wait until I can buy it.

Here is a link to a series of 7 songs he released for free on the internet and where you can learn a bit more about him.

His latest album on Amazon.

Low Limit - "Trapper Keeper"

2010-07-15T14:38:00.002-07:00

Some dark, twisted, dirty electro abstract hip hop beats. Just the way I like it. If you haven't heard of this guy, check him out. One half of the world famous Lazer Sword duo, based out of San Francisco. Enjoy this twisted vid, I know I did

Low Limit - Trapperkeeper from Paul Trillo on Vimeo.

Happy 4th!

2010-07-03T10:23:00.001-07:00

Happy fourthofjuly everyone! I just wanted to pass on this mix by Coralcola, just made for the 2010 bbq scene. The butterflies fly away about 10mins in. Gotta love that the internet can connect a musician so closely to his listeners that he can drop a free mix and share a holiday with them. Enjoy!

Coralcola's Fourth of July 2K10 Burnt Out Worcester BBQ Mix

2010-06-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Wighnomy Brothers

2010-06-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

Robag Wruhme and Soren Bodner have been making music together for 17 years and it shows. Their sets last for hours and never exhaust with bottomless creativity. They are definitely my favorite of the Kompact techno tribe. I had they pleasure of being at their US debut last year and it was easily the best night I've ever had at Middlesex. They really know how to work the crowd on the dancefloor with a control that must come from their European experience and can be hard to come by in local acts. Plus they look like Ewoks. You know you're not going to get a conventional set when see these two get up. They approach music with a pensive if not spiritual respect. Robag produces most of what they play but it's telling that Soren produces as well and doesn't release it to anyone, not even Robag! I'm sure I'm not the only one dying to hear what he's been up to that's too sacred to share.

Here's one great recording of a set they did in Athens 2007:
Wighnomy Bros - Athens 7/07

There's an interview with Robag here for more info.

Orelha Negra - "Orelha Negra"

2010-06-08T19:02:00.001-07:00

Some of the most positively upbeat and funky tracks I've heard in a good long time. Don't know too much about this band except they're from Portugal and sound dope, nothing particularly groundbreaking I guess but constantly engaging and moving. Really, really feel-good funky instrumental vibes here, was especially feelin' "Forca da Razao" and "Entre", but everything flows nicely. Definitely don't sleep on this album.

Download it here

Leviathan Jones - "Barracude Style"

2010-06-08T00:57:00.000-07:00

Barracuda style by Leviathan Jones

Recent DJ set I recorded live, no editing.

Pfadfinderei & Modeselektor - "Construction Desert"

2010-06-07T07:05:00.001-07:00

Via Boomkat:
Absolutely immense DVD package from acclaimed Berlin design house Pfadfinderei, the people responsible for Bpitch Control’s graphic design and, in particular, working closely with the unstoppable Modeselektor. ‘Labland’ features over an hour of completely exclusive music from Modeselektor - a visual music album pioneering a tight combination of music, film & graphic design in mindboggling ways. The emphasis here, of course, is on tight edits – both in terms of visual and audio editing, squashed rhythms, bass, shapes & colours, inventing a new kind of synchronicity. Pfadfinderei distort, twist and warp space in response to Modeselektor’s mashed-up samples and low-end heavy backdrops, an absolutely deadly mix. Easily the best DVD we’ve seen of its kind – for all intents and purposes a brand new Modeselektor album given an extra dimension or two, all recorded in beautifully crisp 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound. A massive recommendation!!!!

Buy the full DVD here

Cocorosie and Ramona Falls music videos

2010-06-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

A couple of really interesting, bizarre, highly creative music videos. I don't usually listen to music like this but the videos are dope.

CocoRosie - Lemonade from Souterrain Transmissions on Vimeo.

Ramona Falls - Russia from Souterrain Transmissions on Vimeo.

Scratch Session w/ Dj Qbert, The Gaslamp Killer, Free the Robots, and Nosaj Thing

2010-06-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

4 of my favorite DJ's together in the same room. Ohhh yeah..

BoomBaptist - Beat Tape 2010

2010-05-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

Nice big package of beats (27 total) from one mr. BoomBaptist. Not the best name, but not that bad either and fits with the music he's doing. Really Dilla-oriented, stutter-step raw hip hop grooves fused with soulful samples, bouncy bass lines, and nice bubbling synth lines. Just the way I like my beats - futuristic but retro. Nothing too crazy but nice sounds, definitely worth a listen and the download is free too.

BoomBaptist Bandcamp page

Robot Koch - "Listen to them fade" EP

2010-05-28T08:38:00.000-07:00

Oh man. I was pumped when I saw this album up, paid for it and everything. Robot Koch is definitely one of my favorite producers at the moment, this Berlin based producer has such a crazy good unique style. Lovin' this record, a widely diverse range of dubstep, tribal, vocal, and just twisted soundscapes. Dubbed out, fuzzy, and definitely wonky to the fullest, Robot Koch makes music for robots indeed. Check out a free track posted on XL8R and if you dig it, buy the full-length EP (it's only like 7 bucks or so). Definitely well worth your money.

XL8R Free Track - "Listen To Them Fade" feat. Grace

Buy the album on Juno

Seahorse Drivers

2010-05-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

I don't know much about this duo operating out of a "dark basement" somewhere in Germany but they posted this on their site:

">>>>>P H I L O S O P H Y>>>>> VISION SEAHORSE DRIVERS will be a big family. M I S S I O N We offer CRISPY TECHNO enriched with SPICY SOUNDS."

The sounds are pretty spicy. They're interesting and complex at least. Seahorse Drivers compose harsh loops over a straightforward and unrelenting techno pulse. The cutting is quick and the sounds are constantly changing in what pleasantly sounds like a herd of copy machines on the fritz. Industrial "CRISPY".

They're album "We Deliver Soul" is downloadable here.

Bit1 - "Bits and Peace"

2010-05-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

Simple, minimalist, hip hop inspired beats here. Definitely enjoying it, free download. Bit crushed, chippy distorted sounds, mellow vibe to this project overall.

http://bit1.bandcamp.com/

Excepter

2010-05-15T15:13:00.000-07:00

If multi-hour long rituals of improvisational electronic music is your thing, then Excepter is your band. They have an approach to music that is becoming more and more scarce in the age of multitrack home recording heroes; they believe in the act of playing music. With a current line up of six members, this group is all about the communication between players, and with the audience as well (member Jon Nicholson compares their sets to a game of exquisite corpse with instruments). With this dedication to "the performance", Excepter posted all of the live sets from last year's tour online as podcasts (publishing them from the road so fans could follow along from anywhere). They can all still be downloaded here.

They have a new album out called Presidence which complies the best of a 14 hour long marathon concert in Brooklyn during the 2008 election, aimed at affecting the political outcome with their musical power to control the collective conscious. Founding member John Fell Ryan, compares these marathon sessions to yoga and that can be what listening to Excepter feels like too. It's hard to escape the trance of their possessed group drone. Using all analog equipment they musically capitalize on the simple, repetitive nature of the instruments. If the extended pysch jams are a bit much for you, then at least check out their (more accessable) album "Debt Dept" which is even more amazing then this video for "Kill People".

Mos Dub

2010-05-15T09:57:00.001-07:00

Some dope mashups for sure right here. Mos Def mixed with old school reggae joints. "Johnny Too Bad" sounds a lot cooler with Mos Def rappin' on top of it, for sure. Do yourself a favor and check this one out if you like hip hop, reggae, or just good music.

Download / Stream

Wadzilla Mansion 5.8.10

2010-05-12T10:08:00.001-07:00

(Above pictures are not mine, taken from the Wadzilla Facebook profile)

Had the pleasure of checking out the infamous Wadzilla Mansion this past weekend. It's an Allston-based, live music venue started by a couple Northeastern kids including some old friends of mine. Really good concept, providing quality, cheap indie music on a consistent basis, as they have parties every other week it seems. The range of shows they book is quite diverse, from folk nights to hip hop to label release parties.

I was over there recently for a show they had, featuring Born Empty, KID:NAP:KIN, and Dirty Dishes. I had never heard of any of these bands before, but in the indie rock world there are always way too many bands to keep track of anyways. Missed the first act, but was there for KID:NAP:KIN rockin' out pretty hard. The last band, Dirty Dishes was pretty good too. Sweet venue, really packed little basement area full of kids, with a corner for the band all painted nicely. The acoustics were great and you could hear the music from the whole house, which I really liked. Allston is tight like that because you can blast music anytime, especially in that neighborhood.

Anyways, definitely a cool setup and wish them the best in the future. They are always accepting demos for booking in the future, this is their website here and you can check 'em out on Facebook here

2010-05-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

Tres Fronteras by Nucleic

Recent collaboration between my good friends Neff and Kenney and myself. Turned out pretty nice, what do you think?

The elusive Godspeed returns

2010-05-11T19:33:00.000-07:00

"The internet is a petty, tyrannical monster"

Recent note on their website indicates rumblings of activity from this post-rock juggernaut. Huge influence on me when I was growing up, very excited to see what they get into in the future. Heavy, dark, majestic, orchestral are but a few of the adjectives one could use to describe their music. For now, I can at least look forward to Silver Mt. Zion playing Cambridge in a few days..

Neff and Kenney @ the Western Front 4.22.10

2010-05-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

Had the pleasure of watching my friends Neff and Kenney perform the other week at the Western Front in Cambridge. Tim Kenney is the other contributor to this blog, and a very talented musician as well, so it was definitely a great event. Really talented, diverse line-up, other acts included Manadub (roots dub style), Eat Cloud (experimental one-piece noise project) and Truman Peyote, a three-piece psychedelic noise group. Really talented array of musicians, and Neff and Kenney's show was no disappointment. Trademark dissonant sounds colliding with elegant synth lines and crunchy drum patterns. I attached a video so you can get some idea of their live performance. Galen, a friend of the band, provided live bicycle-powered electricity for their instruments, as you can see in the video.

Check out more of their stuff here on Soundcloud.

Glitch Mob @ Middle East 5.5.10

2010-05-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

Man. What a sick show last night. Boston really came out to represent last night at the Middle East, at one of the dopest shows I've ever seen there. West coast bass monsters the Glitch Mob headlined, with opening sets from Free The Robots and Deru.

I got to the show around 9:45, and found out that the opening sets had switched, meaning I had missed Free The Robots. I was kinda bummed, since I'm a big fan of the new album, which I did a post on a while back.. Anyways, walked into Deru gettin' down, doin' his thing. One of the things I noticed was that his main controller was an APC40! The same Ableton controller I bought not too long ago and have been happily using. Other then that though, I wasn't really that big into his set. His music was pretty rhythmic and pumpin', but lacked a certain edge and for some reason I wasn't that into it. Same thing with his album actually, or at least one of his recent ones. Not bad by any means, but just not my thing exactly. Dude had a lot of energy on stage though and had the crowd moving pretty well, so I gave him credit.

Glitch Mob was the reason everyone was there, and they definitely came through in a large way. On a smoke break outside with friends (Tim my fellow contributor on this blog actually among them) we could see the line to get in stretching down the street. The venue wasn't sold out initially but it must have been by the end of the night. They came on, and mentioned how it was an important show since it was Edit's hometown and his parents were in the audience actually, then proceeded to murder the floor for the next two hours. Visuals were complex, they brought out a bunch of different instruments, and bass was always present and heavy. Their songs are really heady, synth filled epic, banger type songs, and their set lasted a really respectably long time.

Killer, killer show. Got a nice video and a couple good pics to get some idea, and attached a video to a recent music project they did recently, filming large-scale projections in a LA warehouse district. Alright, that's it for now, peace.

Encanti - Glitchography

2010-05-03T17:16:00.000-07:00

Back in February, I made it out for alot of the Together Festival events, but the highlight of the whole festival for me was the Zebbler/Encanti set at the Hansel and Gretel VJ showcase at Mass Art (download it from the embedded player below). Glitchography collects his recordings from 2005-2007 and is full of mind-blowing moments that showcase the beauty and complexity of digital music. It takes skills to make "99 Luft Ballons" interesting again. He's part of a community of local artists known as Vermin Street based out of Charlestown.

This Saturday, Encanti will be performing at Visions at The Good Life bar downtown. With Mistaker and Die Young also on the bill, it's going to be an amazing spring night in Boston. The DJ scene here is really thriving now and these are three of it's best at one bar!

Glitchography

We Came Together by encanti

OpenLabs Neko XXL

2010-04-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

Well, one can dream. At almost $7,000, this is one toy that neither me nor any of my friends will most likely be able to afford soon, but wow, what a beast. Combines everything you'd ever want for audio production, recording, and performance into one crazy unit. Built-in Ableton, Reason, and thousands of plug-ins barely tap the surface of the capabilities featured here. Too bad I'd have to win the lottery to afford this sucker..

http://www.audiomidi.com/NeKo-XXL-P11887.aspx

Coralcola - Egggirl

2010-04-25T11:44:00.001-07:00

Based in Worchester, Coralcola (Mikey Lee) plays out around the Boston area alot (luckily!) and this new EP has remixes by some of the best DJs in town. It's great to hear all these talented locals working off each other's sounds. If you see any of these names on a flyer, go to the show!

EGGGIRL

Intergalactic Panty Raid by Nucleic

2010-04-19T15:34:00.001-07:00

Intergalactic Panty Raid by Nucleic

Beastie Boys "Intergalactic" x PantyRaid "Get the money" x Bronzed Chorus "EDWD to Georgia"

Jus' Like Music Presents - "Oscillations Pt. 1 and 2"

2010-04-18T18:09:00.001-07:00

Had to do a post on this collection right here, seen this a few places out in the blogosphere. The good people at Jus' Like Music have provided 2 high quality, free compilations of future hop/dubstep/wonky sounds, and they definitely don't leave one disappointed. Featuring the likes of Slugabed, Alex B, KidKanevil, Om Unit, and Lunice, there are over 40 original, bangin' electronic tracks featured here from a wide range of talented artists. All released for free, on their Bandcamp page. Broken Haze "Block", the opening track on Part One, sounds sick with the volume turned up, nice glitchy bleeps and heavy bass. Check it out..

Jus' Like Music Bandcamp link

Leonard Dstroy - "Higher Ground"

2010-04-18T11:01:00.001-07:00

Tons of talented dudes out there producin' tunes under the radar. Soundcloud is a really good way of coming across a lot of this, literally thousands of producers posting stuff in all spectrum of genres. Lotta, lotta dope sounds out there, tons of people you've definitely heard of.

This guy sent me a link to his album today on Soundcloud, and I have to say it's definitely worth a listen. Very much in the style of what I've been listening to lately, electronic hip hop with lots of bleeps and bloops. Some really chilled, progressive beats on this 15 track album. Check it out!

http://leonarddstroy.bandcamp.com/

SolarBeat

2010-04-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.whitevinyldesign.com/solarbeat/

Hmmm...Don't really know what to say about this, but pretty interesting. Dig the concept for sure.

Marina Faib - "Whisper of Trees"

2010-04-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

Somethin' really relaxing and calming about this video, I like the vocals I guess. Some really down-tempo, mellow dubstep.

Growing

2010-04-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

I saw Growing last Halloween when they opened for Fuck Buttons. Their set was really energetic, bouncy, flowing, ribcage-shaking loud: Everything you could want. Their recordings (and there's alot) however, never seemed to capture any of what I saw live.

Finally their new album Pumps! delivers in a big way! Their rhythmic noise reminds me of Black Dice and the concert experience was similar to them too, but Pumps! really outdoes Repo for me (and I'm a huge Dice fan).

PUMPS!

Embassadors - "Coptic Dub"

2010-04-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

Some really nice, mellow, down-tempo jazz here. Don't know much about this group, but I definitely have been enjoying their record. European in origin, they are a fairly newish group, having had their debut performance only in 2007.

This may not be the most action-packed, upbeat record, but is full of quality music nonetheless. I always say you can never have enough good jazz, and this is most definitely good jazz. Delicate, swinging drum brushes and double bass lines provide the backdrop for melancholic, melodic trumpet (or maybe reed) leads. The music ebbs and flows gently, with a continous but not overwhelming pulse. Subtle, understated at times, this record will satisfy any fans of modern jazz or good, down-tempo music.

Get it here

A Sunny Day in Glasgow

2010-04-01T17:20:00.000-07:00

I dig ASDiG. I have been following this band since their debut, "Scribble Mural Comic Journal" came out a few years ago and immediately blew my mind. It's one of those records that makes everyone ask you "who is this?". It seemed for a while though that they were not going to last as one by one, the original members seemed to lose interest in the project and move onto to other things. Founder Ben Daniels managed to keep it going though and it seems they've finally come into their own as a band. Their new album "Ashes Grammar" was well worth the wait.

I saw them play at Great Scott's in Allston last night and their set was awesome! Alot of their music sounds like it would be dependent on technology and the recording process because it's so detailed but they pulled it all off flawlessly last night. Very impressive to hear live. For a band based on guitar/bass/drums their music feels very "electronic". Any of their studio albums are worth hunting down online and I strongly recommend the vinyl version of "Scribble Mural" for it's Side D remixes (Asobi Seksu's is mint).

Here's a recording of them playing live at Radio K in Minnesota.

A Sunny Day in Glasgow live @ Radio K

Emancipator @ Harper's Ferry 3.26 with Wobblesauce

2010-03-30T21:34:00.001-07:00

So yeah, haven't been making it out to shows at all lately. Been way too busy at home working on music in Ableton and to some extent Pro Tools. I did make the effort out to see Emancipator, although there have been a ton of other shows recently that I missed, Debruit being a standout. That being said, Emancipator rocked Harper's Ferry last friday and I was there to catch it. I took the beautiful Maria Alejandra, a Colombian friend of mine, and we both agreed it was an awesome show.

Wobblesauce was the opening band, who I had heard of from a couple places. They had played at Wadzilla Mansion, a friend of mine from school's new music venue in Allston among other places I remember seeing them listed. I've actually sampled a song of theirs, since their album is free to download and worth a listen.Anyways, they had a really chill but rockin' jamtronica type sound that really did a good job loosening up the crowd.

Their music was like the Disco Biscuits I guess, although I don't really listen to much of that stuff myself. Some really nice, Santana/Dead style guitar licks paired up with some flowing, groovy key work and electronic button mashing, with a good bass and drums backing. Played some good reggae/dub stuff I was feeling in particular, plus their opening album track "Rubadub DUB" as a closer was definitely pretty rockin'.

Smoke break later, out came a couple girls and what was probably Emancipator on the stage. The girls, hot of course, started setting up a large white paint canvass on an easel. It was really cool, his show had live painting the whole time. Anyways, he started playing and was pretty much in complete control for the rest of the night. If you're not familiar with his music, it's downtempo and melodic for the most part, but nonetheless pretty powerful, with choirs, string sections, and much more. I was definitely curious to see what his live performance was like, in context with the chillout aspect of his albums, but he definitely didn't disappoint.

He played mostly original material, and it was nicely varied from the original but also retaining the initial magic I heard in his records. His songs are really atmospheric and emotional, with dense layers of sound combining in uplifting and powerful passages. And it all has awesome beats, in varying combinations, largely hip hop based. He blended in a remix of Nas "If I could rule the world", dope track for sure and his take on it was definitely pretty sweet.

My roommate was leaving for Japan in a few days and we were throwing her a goodbye party, so I had to leave after a solid hour and half of dancing, but I left feeling exhilarated and very happy. The girls had completed a really solid work of art already and were still adding small finishing touches as I left, timed perfectly to the duration of the set no doubt. Great concert overall, definitely one of the better shows I've ever been to. Look forward to more music from Emancipator in the future and wish the dude much success, he definitely deserves it.

Check his first album out here

Off to San Francisco, so probably no posts for a week or so. Gonna have some dope new ish up my sleeve when I get back though, for sure. Peace and love.

Mux Mool - "Skulltaste"

2010-03-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Definitely had to post on this one. Mux Mool is a Brooklyn based producer putting out music on Ghostly International, who have a pretty eclectic yet dope lineup. This album is his first full length work, and what a debut. Clocking in at 20 (!) tracks, this album is chock full of quality electronic hip hop and abstract beats. His sonic range as a producer is really impressive, the record encompasses all types of styles, from electro to breakbeat to DNB to video game music. All firmly rooted in hip hop, I might add, which really seals the deal for me. It's a record that grows on you as well, as repeated listens reveal new production details and surprises. Definitely someone to keep an eye on, hopefully he'll be going on tour to support this record.

Standout tracks for me were "Skulltaste", "Death 9000", and "Air Justins". Whole record is dope though, definitely check it out.

"Skulltaste" (2010)

Much Love for the Plastic People

2010-03-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

Kieran Hebden has been making great music as Four Tet for years now but his recent material is his best so far. I saw him play the Middle East last month and was blown away by his set, which like this album, "Much Love for the Plastic People", was full of energy and ideas with a great pace and smooth transitions. The album is one mix track that lasts for over an hour and never gets boring. It was released in December 2009 (a month before his new full length, "There is Love in You"). It was never for sale, but free copies were given out at the club Plastic People in London to commemorate the end of his year long residency there. A lot of the material on the new album is in the mix and it's interesting to hear a different take on it all. There's bouncy techno beats, some world beat, vocal sections, and even a drum and sax duet. Much love for Four Tet!

Much Love for the Plastic People

Just as a comparison, here's a recording of a Four Tet live set from the NYC show of that same tour. I like that he changes up his samples often enough that the mix is pretty different from "Much Love" (all the world music sequences are gone). It's interesting to hear the differences between how he plays live and how the studio mix feels.
Live at LPR NYC 17th Feb 2010 by Four Tet

R.I.P. Nujabes

2010-03-23T21:52:00.000-07:00

This post is a shout out to Nujabes, a talented Japanese hip hop producer that passed away recently. He was 36 years old and died in a motor vehicle accident, needless to say unfortunate. Really diggin' this one album I found of his, but I'm sure the rest of his work is pretty decent too. Overall relaxing, smooth, jazzy vibes on each track with gifted MC's providing counterpoint. R.I.P., respect.

Metaphorical Music (2003)

Kinetic Sculpture

2010-03-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

From www.artcom.de:

The Kinetic Sculpture is a metaphorical translation of the process of form-finding in art and design. 714 metal spheres, hanging from thin steel wires attached to individually-controlled stepper motors and covering the area of six square meters, animate a seven minute long mechatronic narrative. In the beginning, moving chaotically, then evolving to several competing forms that eventually resolve to the finished object, the Kinetic Sculpture creates an artistic visualisation of the process of form-finding in different variations.
Technology: 714 metal spheres, individually controllable with millimetre
accuracy; cable winches with individual high-precision
motors for each sphere; software for defining animation
paths and controlling motion.

LICHTFRONT x GROSSE8 Augmented Sculpture

2010-03-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

Augmented Sculpture by GROSSE8 & LICHTFRONT / Passagen 2010 from Lichtfront on Vimeo.

Pretty damn cool, no? Nuff said..

Nucleic - Sabretooth mix (Feat. Waters)

2010-03-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

Sabretooth mix (feat. Waters) by Nucleic

Pleased to present here the Sabertooth Mix, v2.0 featuring Lionel "Waters" Semedo.

This track is a re-working of older material plus some new sounds, tailored to fit the vocal stylings of Waters Semedo. Many thanks to Waters for his time and energy on this project, I'm fairly pleased with the result. As usual, please, let me know what you think.

Peace, love, and beats!

Free The Robots - "Control Alt Delete"

2010-03-18T07:09:00.001-07:00

Debut album here from Free The Robots, aka Chris Alfaro, even though he's been producing for years now. Official release March 30th on Alpha Pup records, but as you may know by now I stay committed to bringing you the freshest, nicest cuts. This guy is going to be HUGE, really enjoying his sound.

Heard a couple cuts from him before, but this album blows everything else outa the water. His style is pretty damn unique, especially in today's oversaturated electronic music scene. The tracks all bounce, but in different ways, and with tons of crazy futuristic styles. He uses a lot of chippy/8bit sounds, combined with thick dubstep style bass lines and crispy beats. He uses the trademark dubstep wobble sound in a new/fresh way, splicing it with off-beat hiphop sounds and claps. Highlights for me were "Mental Universe" and "Turbulence", but the whole album is dope. Even has one of the dudes from Mars Volta on a track, givin' you an example of the eclecticism represented here.

Get it here

Access to Arasaka - "Oppidan"

2010-03-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

Dark, glitchy, ambient soundscapes from this upcoming NYC-based producer. Sounds like a modern day soundtrack to Blade Runner, for some reason. Futuristic, moody, hints of industrial noise and plenty of synths. I liked the artist's description, taken from his myspace:

this is my desire for a dark future with neon cities and cyberware.

my longing for fully interactive neural internet, gang warfare, and corporations acting as governments.

monolithic arcologies reaching for the sky in a city that's constantly shrouded by rain.

it's what i would hear in the soundtrack of the chatsubo. in freezone. in the metaverse.

it is the aural vision of the world i wish i lived in.

Download here

Debruit - "Heart Beats For Haiti"

2010-03-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

Damn this dude is dope. Seriously one of the most jumpy, bouncy beat-makers I've heard in a while. Originally from Paris, Debruit has toured all over Europe and the US, including an upcoming appearance at Music Ecology in Boston soon! His sound utilizes a severely chopped blend of African sounds, vocoder effects, and crazy synth noises, all on top of slightly staccato/off-beat hip hop beats. Really solid, funky stuff, definitely one of my favorite new artists.

As an indicator of how talented this dude is, he released this album within 4 DAYS of the Haitian earthquake as a benefit album. So, even though most of the stuff I post about here I post free links to, this one you should pay for. It's for a good cause - 100% of the proceeds go to Haitian relief funds. Used a bunch of Haitian music samples on top of it. Don't sleep, this guy is wayyy too funky.

"Heart Beats For Haiti" (2010)

Nucleic - "El Segundo/The second"

2010-03-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

El Segundo by Nucleic

My 2nd mix in Ableton Live using the APC40. Bit smoother and tighter then the first one, also twice as long.
Samples, roughly in order, include: Frank-n-dank, Beats Antique, Mogwai, A.M. Architect, Shlomo, Spinach Prince, Kaly Live Dub, Shipwrek, Joker, Jambassa, Son Lux, Santo & Johnny, etc..

Please, comments welcome!

Shipwrek - "Journal"

2010-03-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

Tim - ask and you shall recieve. No, but seriously this album is awesome and I've been meaning to post it anyways. I think I played it four times in a row in it's entirety the first time I heard it. Couldn't find too much online about this guy, but he's an electronic music producer from the San Francisco area. Big ups again to my girl/friend Lila for introducing me to his album.

Really nice blend of sounds here. He is obviously influenced by the typical "whomp" sound of San Francisco/west coast but doesn't let it permeate his work entirely. Rather his sound can be categorized as a really enjoyable mix of acoustic and electronic sounds. Bass heavy, rattling synth lines fade away into mellow, ambient acoustic guitar/melodic passages. The opening track "Speakeasy" is pretty much a bumpin, epic banger but from there the album goes in many directions. Sounds equally as good coming from headphones as it does bumping out of giant speakers.

Don't sleep on this.

Modus Operandi - "First Mix"

2010-02-27T00:18:00.000-08:00

Yeah, that's right. It's my own mix, finally. After years and years of listening to DJ's, being a DJ to a small degree myself, and countless shows, I am giving back. I bought an APC40 and have been relentlessly on the path to mastering it. This first mix is a result of my last four days or so spent accumulating and arranging samples and performing them with the controller. Artists sampled, among others, are Jaga Jazzist, Godspeed, Gaslamp Killer, Felix Laband, Ginormous, Isaac Hayes, etc..

Please, I'd love any and all comments, criticisms, whatever. Lemme know what you're thinking, please. Cheers.

Numero Uno by Nucleic

Ginormous - "At Night, Under Artificial Lights"

2010-02-26T17:56:00.000-08:00

Whoa now.
Sometimes you just hear a track, and you kinda just stop thinking about everything else and just listen for a sec. "At Night, Under Artificial Lights" hits like that, the title track on this album just hits hard. Specific, booming, glitchy electronic sound that I've been really getting into in the last month or so. Real name is Brian Konietzko, blah blah...Reminds me of a lot of west coast glitch artists, simple, but epic. The sound fits the name of this dude, Ginormous indeed. Playing it loudly in good speakers is a must. As an aspiring DJ this is definitely getting added into the mix. Rest of the album isn't bad either.

EPIC. GINORMOUS.

Rinpa Eshidan - "Cube"

2010-02-25T07:29:00.000-08:00

Fascinating, really cool stuff here. Latest video from Rinpa Eshidan, a Japanese artist collective. The video pretty much speaks for itself, but suffice to say their philosophy is powerful and inspiring. It highlights the temporary nature of art and to a smaller degree existence, in that nothing they create is permanent. Therefore their work retains an extremely organic characteristic, as they are constantly re-inventing and tweaking their imagery. Vaguely reminds me of the Tibetan monk practice of carefully assembling a meticulously constructed mandala made of sand particles, only to sweep it all away upon completion.

This "Cube" video was my favorite, but they have a bunch more on their YouTube channel, check em out. It looks like they are selling a compilation DVD, I bet it's pretty sweet if you wanna support them...

Kammerflimmer Kollectief - "Cicadae"

2010-02-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

Shimmering, ambient noise patterns juxtapozed with elegant, beautiful neo-classical melodic passages. These are just some of the sounds coming from the Kammerflimmer Kollectief (translates to "Shimmering Collective".) Founded by German musician Thomas Webber, they have been playing together for more then a decade. Their style is not limited to any specific genre, but instead encompasses jazz, electronic music, neo-classical, ambient, and more.

Understated and subtle, this album is at times elegant and restrained. However, as with any avant-garde work, there are moments of dissonance and squawking. The music veers into a distorted, abstracted feeling of losing control only to abruptly return to a more melodic section. Really interesting/somewhat challenging listen. Not recommended for everyone, but will definitely be appreciated by fans of John Zorn, free jazz, or Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble (see my earlier post here.)

Cicadae (2009)

ESKMO - Colorbrain Podcast

2010-02-22T08:50:00.000-08:00

Been really bumpin' this mix a lot lately. Big thanks to my girl Lila out on the west coast for gettin' me into this guy, one of my favorite new artists. ESKMO aka Brendan Angelides, is a San Francisco-based electronic producer that's been making music for the last decade. Representin' the west coast/glitched out style, he makes some of the funkiest, illest bass-heavy tunes I've heard in a while. I saw a description on the net somewhere that labeled his music as "Classy Dubstep", which I thought was pretty dead on. A lot of dubstep (and to a lesser extent glitch music) gets a little boring and repetitive sometimes, but ESKMO always keeps it moving. Liquidy synths and glitch sounds float over massive, hip-hop style earthquaking bass lines. Killer, killer stuff, definitely check this one out..

Podcast on Brainfeeder Records

Hudson Mohawke - "Butter"

2010-02-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

Goin straight back to the future with this one. This would be the soundtrack to a dance party on Pluto in the year 2066. Hudson Mohawke is an upcoming producer from Scotland that rips it up with retro yet futuristic funky bangers. He uses a wide variety of old school synths and glitchy, dubby beats in a range of genres. At one moment his sound has the wobble and crunch of heavy dubstep, the next moment the music is filled with frantic video game bleeps accelerating wildly out of control. It's definitely a pretty cool album overall, and he's been getting a lot of publicity and media attention lately accordingly. Check out "ZoOoom", "FUSE" and "I Could Never".

Butter (2009)

Lymbyc Systym - "Shutter Release"

2010-02-16T11:43:00.000-08:00

Gorgeous, electronically processed post rock. Reminds me a lot of the Octopus Project, a more well-known act that also mixes electronics with acoustic instruments. Lymbyc Systym is a duo of brothers from Arizona that whose songs alternate from upbeat to serene. The first couple tracks on this record are very uptempo, with layers of synths, bell-chimes, fuzzed guitar riffs, and driving, rousing drum patterns that keep the tempo moving. However the record is full of diverse sounds, including slide guitar, horns sections, and ambient electronic effects. Also reminds me a lot of Do Make Say Think with their expansive, orchestral sound. I really liked "Ghost Clock" and "Contemporary Art".

"Shutter Release" (2009)

Bluetech - "Elementary Particles"

2010-02-16T10:14:00.001-08:00

Had the pleasure of seeing this guy perform live recently, at the Wonder Bar in Allston as part of Boston's Together Electronic Festival. Dude put on a pretty solid live set, as well as rockin' some killer visuals on the projecter. Even got a chance to ask him a few questions while we were both standing outside catching a smoke, although I didn't really have much prepared. Note to self: prepare more questions next time I'm at a show. He told me that he's been making music for over 10 years, and has released work under a couple different monikers, Bluetech being the most used. He didn't really explain it in-depth, but he's using a custom-made MIDI controller running into Ableton Live for his live sets. In case you've been living under a rock, Ableton Live is more or less the industry standard these days for live DJing and an extremely powerful tool that pretty much everyone seems to be using.

His music is chilled out, electronic dub with psy elements. "Psydub" is another tag used to describe his music. I really enjoyed his 2004 album, "Elementary Particles", that I am posting here. It's got some crazy ethnic vocal samples, swirling synths, and glitchy/dubby beats to keep things moving. Check out "Alchemie Dub".

Elementary Particles (2004)

Jaga Jazzist - "What We Must"

2010-02-16T08:13:00.000-08:00

Soaring, epic, melodic post-rock meets jazz. This album is simply incredible, definitely one of the most powerful instrumental works I have ever listened to. No lyrics, but the epic arrangements of horns, strings, and guitar combine into a majestic tour de force.

Jaga Jazzist is a ten piece, experimental jazz group from Oslo, Norway. Been really listening to a lot of Norwegian artists in the last couple weeks for some reason, lot of musical talent there. Jaga Jazzist released their debut album "Livingroom Hush" in 2002 to critical acclaim, but "What We Must" is their most powerful work, at least to me. Still retaining some of their earlier electronic influences/ambient passages, this album adds much more lushness and melody to their sound. "Swedenborgske Rom" is my favorite track, with swirling chorus vocals and delicate piano lines building into an epic, thundering finish. The entire album is a masterpiece, alternately evoking feelings of sadness and joy at points. Highly, highly recommended.

What We Must (2005)

The Decapitator

2010-02-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

This guy seriously cracks me up. Bringin some serious dark, twisted humor to the street art game, this UK artist tweaks advertisements so that one of the models becomes headless and spewing blood. Graphic and violent imagery indeed, but powerful and upholding the core principles of street art: to reclaim public spaces that have long been occupied by corporate messages and propaganda. And really, who hasn't gotten sick of being over-inundated with images of shiny, happy people plastered over multitudes of advertisements? The Decapitator knows this, and is definitely doing his part to fight back...

Interview with Juxtapoz

Flickr Photostream

Xploding Plastix - "Amateur Girlfriends go Proskirt Models"

2010-01-28T09:17:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-27T09:51:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-27T09:20:00.001-08:00

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"

2010-01-27T08:10:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-01-26T06:22:00.000-08:00

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"

2010-01-16T10:42:00.000-08:00

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

Cougar - "Patriot"

2010-01-09T15:50:00.001-08:00

I really enjoyed listening to this album when I got it. This is a new band from Wisconsin, which I was surprised to hear at first given the sophistication of this music. In the math/post/rock style that seems all so frequent but done really well. They have really catchy and melodic passages, but nothing too cheesy, mixed with strong drum and digital breaks. Fuzzed out rock guitars and synth parts on top make the songs really enjoyable...Could be like a more melodic Battles, but either way the whole album is great, definitely check out "Pelourinho", "Rhinelander" or the opener "Stay Famous". Really feeling this.

"Patriot" 2009

Crime in Choir - "Crime in Choir"

2010-01-09T15:42:00.001-08:00

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"

2010-01-07T19:08:00.001-08:00

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!"

2010-01-06T19:07:00.000-08:00

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!"

Blu - "Muto"

2009-12-29T21:15:00.001-08:00

This guy is nuts...The top video is an amazing stop-motion video of Blu's work I just found online recently. The bottom photo is a photo I took this summer in Valparaiso, Chile, of more straightforward mural from your boy Blu...

Further inquiries

Guizado - "Punx"

2009-12-29T19:25:00.000-08:00

Seriously insane but awesome music here. This is new, crazy jazz from Sao Paulo, Brazil, inspired by the bustling metropolis and with a unique feel. Last.fm says "In Guizado, the musician searches (and thinks) his own stamp on a mixture of harmonic inks of his instrument with the textures found in experiments with several electronic paraphernalia." This album is at times jarring, with bursts of electronic noise and glitches, but also beautiful and melodic at times.

The track "Coloridos" is a good example of this, a simple guitar part coming in over a glitchy electronic beat, followed by a beautifully simple and elegant trumpet line. This album really is pretty fucking cool, I listened to it tons when I first copped it, definitely a non-traditional work but as mentioned has enough melody and funk to keep the repeat button going. Standout tracks to me were "Coloridos", "Orbitas", and "Rinkisha" (ROCKS OUT by the end of that one man), sick stuff...

dont sleep on this!
Last.fm profile

Tycho - "Past is Prologue"

2009-12-29T18:13:00.000-08:00

This is a pretty chilled out, mellow ambient album from Tycho, an upcoming producer from the San Francisco area. It's definitely more of a background album then something you wanna blast loud, but it's definitely a nice listen. It's got tons of warm, synthy melodic parts, and the drums are a nice, kinda jazz-brush tone. The mix is real nice, especially on "Send and Receive" and "Past is Prologue."

get it

Light graffiti

2009-12-29T18:04:00.001-08:00

Breakin outside the music today. I decided to start including other items of interest here in the blog, so am going to start adding sick new artists as well. Basically, anything aesthetically pleasing is game. These images are part of a new trend in photography called "light graffiti." These shots are taken with an extremely long exposure (over an hour) and speak for themselves. Read more about it here.

The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble - "The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble"

2009-12-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

Haha yeah, I know that image is nuts right? This band is pretty crazy, it's a bunch of German art students making avant-garde jazz music with electronic elements. It's definitely an interesting album, although perhaps not accessible to everyone or right away. It has moments where it sounds like trip hop, but also dark, ambient noise passages, tinged with electronic flourishes. I liked "Adaptation of the Koto Song", "Pearls for Swine", and "Lobby", check it out. Definitely an interesting listen.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2LI2C805
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Kilimanjaro+Darkjazz+Ensemble

Emancipator - soon it will be cold enough

2009-12-26T11:33:00.000-08:00

I know it must seem like every artist I'm putting up here is amazing, which they are, but this dude definitely is one of the sickest and most talented producers I've heard in YEARS. Yeah man, this guy makes music that's just too damn good, it's one of my all time favorite albums. I actually paid to download this at his official website, but that's your call. It's got perfectly fitted, processed piano lines mixed with strings, acoustic guitar, warm synths, and hip hop beats, blending them together seamlessly into a dynamic, moving work of art. He's got a new album coming out in January 2010, the first track is up on his site - more goodness. If anything, buy the new album or go see him on tour if you live on the west coast - sadly doesn't seem like dude is doing more then one show out here on the east.

http://www.mediafire.com/?j5tnmmduizn

http://www.emancipatormusic.com/

Gotan Project - "La Revencha del Tango"

2009-12-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

So yeah, I spent a couple months down in South America this last summer. One of the definite highlights of my 5000 miles of traveling was the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, a city of European influences, strong culture, and a booming night life. Hollywoodincambodia is actually an art gallery in San Telmo, one of the neighborhoods. In between clubbing, exploring the city, checking out art museums and galleries, I got a chance to catch a tango show one night as well, one of the most famous legacies of Buenos Aires. Amazing stuff...

After I got back, I started to listen to a lot of the CD's I bought down there. Gotan Project is basically the best of the artists that I found, on a compilation album of electronic tango. They are actually based out of Paris, but one of the members is Argentine. It's got the accordion flourishes that I enjoyed out authentic tango, but with a nice mix of electronic and modern touches. Some of the tracks have Spanish-speaking singers, so it's definitely different, but I highly enjoy it anyways. Standout tracks include "Queremos Paz" and "Epoca", which have been used in movies and ads actually, so you might recognize them. Check it out if it sounds interesting, very relaxing listen.

http://www.filestube.com/9f5e2f2f5302e5f403e9/details.html

Dextro - "Winded"

2009-12-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

This is another album I find myself frequently playing and then having to tell people what it is. My one friend even played it for one of his students in home room before school and the kid was really diggin' it. Dextro is a dude from Scotland who makes really beautiful, ambient, vaguely trip hop sounds. I read a review of the album somewhere that likened the new album "Winded" to a Van Gogh painting, in that layers are revealed upon deeper appreciation and contemplation of the work. He heavily uses ambient noise textures, reverberated piano loops, and chilled out down tempo beats as well as acoustic guitars and vocal passages that culminate in a work that is profoundly relaxing and uplifting at the same time. The first track "Closer" I am so so on actually, a little too Boards of Canada for me, but the album quickly gets amazing. Sososo good, I can't recommend this one highly enough.

http://www.mediafire.com/?uz3xmjwymzk

El Segundo..Aether vs. Blue Sky Black Death

2009-12-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

Alright, get to the music already. Just wanted to say, if you really like the tunes, you should buy the albums and support the artist. It's just tough, since you can find everything free online. Better then buy their album, make an effort to go to their show if they're playing, grab a T-shirt - show your support somehow!

These are a couple of the albums that prompted me to start this blog, I've had several friends thank me profoundly for introducing me to them. They are both amazing, incredible works of art that appreciate upon each listening.

Aether is an upcoming hip hop producer from Texas, who in his words, makes beats that "soak into your soul" Its such a chill, relaxing listen, it's one of those albums that, no matter who you play it for, they would have to admit it's pretty damn good...It's composed of extremely well placed vocal samples, beautiful piano loops, crisp hip hop beats, warm synth tones, and just flows oh so damn well...You gotta listen to this shit man, seriously, it's that damn good....

http://www.mediafire.com/?2mjkegwzmkw

http://www.last.fm/music/Æther

Blue Sky Blue Death is the name of a talented production duo of two producers named Kingston and Young God. They have a knack for creating epic, intricate instrumental hip hop beats that have many depths. Also produced an album with Hell Razah, Wu Tang affiliate. Their 2008 album, "Late Night Cinema", is a hugely powerful work composed using live string, horn, choir arrangements plus a vast library of digital sound that these guys combine into one of the most diverse and varied hip hop albums I have ever listened to. I played this shit over and over when I got it, there is so much going on that it is almost impossible to completely soak up after only a single listen or two. My favorite track was a "Private Death", but the whole album is great. This is definitely an album that grows on you, yet tremendously powerful each listen, moments of beauty juxtaposed with dark, gritty beats. Get it.

http://www.mediafire.com/?kgl2yz1admn

http://www.last.fm/music/Blue+Sky+Black+Death

Numero Uno

2009-12-24T09:15:00.001-08:00

check check one two

bringin you nothin' but the bestest and freshest cuts out there, curated by yours truly...

had to get up off my ass and do somethin' about all this digital goodness floatin' around out there, there's just so much good music out there I feel responsible to help share it, you know?..I'm a 23 year old music junkie based in Boston currently, when I'm not busy roaming the globe - picked up good music in San Francisco and Buenos Aires, two of the better cities I've hung out in the last couple months...In my free time when I am not listening to music (which is never), I like to make art, make my own music, spin fire, enjoy the company of friends, go to shows, go biking/rock climbing/surfing/hiking/rafting/outdoors!, plan my next trip out of the country, and I guess work full-time, but that's the boring part...

I started this blog as a way to let friends know about great albums and artists, or spread the love, so to speak...