This delightful, energetic & synthed out remix of Silvia by Miike Snow is a surprisingly quality issuance. The original’s vocals are knob-fiddled with to great effect by Robotberget. This is a track I first discovered a few years ago, but I keep coming back to it. The animation was a project done by Daniel Teeny on YouTube, which is wonderful as well. The introduction piano cues & strings showcase the nuance of the animation, and I’ve gotta say, if iTunes gave me 3d frequency graphs, I might consider using it. Enjoy these 8 minutes of potent vocal symphonic house in the 125bpm range.
Monthly Archives: April 2014
Adorable Photos of Metalheads and Their Pet Cats
Because cats are brutal. They really are. Also, Metal Cats seems like a thing that should be purchased.
Earworm of the Month: Birdy – Wings (Nu:Logic Remix)
I think there’s a lot of potential in the liquid drum & bass genre even with how old it is. Hospital Records continues to break new ground, using both seemingly identical & totally novel pieces together in radically different ways. Nu:Logic’s absolutely stunning remix of Wings by Birdy has been on daily rotation during my commute. It’s a perfect example of what can be done today to create something really special in a high BPM but low-impact way. The energy never drops, the amen break marches on, but the chorus & shimmering vocals glide above and are used respectfully & correctly. So glad I bought the physical copy of the We Are 18 compilation. Much love to Hospital from the other side of the pond.
Midnight Music: Four Tet – “Unspoken” (Stunning Remarks By One A Day)
I’ve been a fan of Four Tet for a while, but it’s a fandom that I’ve always kept close to the chest. Just like my love of Burial, it’s not really something you can describe at a bar or a party without seeming like a stupid fucking hipster. Four Tet has been breaking ground in electronica for longer than I’ve been aware of him, and One Song A Day took the time to really give him the respect he deserves. Four Tet is so awesome he has a Wikipedia page, and if you don’t understand why, just listen to either of the pieces of media I’ve included in this post. There is a poise, grace & vision to the work he does, which, compared to Afro “I can’t count to 4” Jack’s latest work. One A Day reminded that music criticism should involve an awareness of music, and as someone who has that, I can’t agree more with his choice of Four Tet. You can tell, in under 360 seconds that every single note put there, is put there for a reason. This is not a mistake or a mixdown artifact. You’re hearing it because he wants you to. There’s a very small group of artists doing that in the EDM space. Four Tet is one of them. You’ll hear about the others if you keep checking this blog I wager.
A Minor Ode to Breaks/Breakbeat.
(After watching the UMF Live Stream this weekend, I was surprised at the severe homogeneity of music spun on the main stage. So in the spirit of underdog advocacy, I’m going to start writing about the less commercially popular genres of electronica that may never be classified as “EDM, bro.” I decided to start our journey with Breaks, or Breakbeat.)
I’ve listened to a tremendous amount of breaks in my life, but it’s not always on my daily rotation. I tend to listen to breaks in peaks and valleys, listening to only it for weeks, then going months without a single track. I was playing jazz trumpet at the time and the syncopation & irregular spacing of the beats instantly drew me in. I couldn’t find too much of it back in the Wild West days of Napster, Audiogalaxy & Kazaa, so the closest thing I could find to real breaks way back in the day was Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim.
The combination of the jumping bass, rambling beat, Walken being awesome and the broken sounds became an instant classic for me and a large portion of the US listening public if I recall correctly. This spiraled into a love affair with the DJ Icey.
I later got into Stanton Warriors, who recently took NYC by storm. But, the artist I’ve always gotten the most out of, is Krafty Kuts. Krafty kreates melodies that mash dozens of tracks a together over an hour, and is one of my undisputed masters of breaks. The vibe is undeniable, and check out his Summer 2013 mix in case you don’t agree with me (below).
It’s intensely difficult to find this kind of music in NYC, which is predominantly a House, Hip Hop & Electro town. Which brings me to some people I care about very much, Vitamin B.
These guys have been holding it down when it comes to breaks for years now, and there’s an authenticity here that can’t be matched anywhere else in the city. They’ve been in a few different spaces recently, but they’re settling in one of the premiere new spots in Brooklyn. That being The Paper Box. They’ve been nailing it with the talent coming in, with Mafia Kiss showing up on Friday. This guy did the very first Armory Podcast for my west coast readers, and is generally awesome breaks DJ. There’s a fluidity to his transitions that seem to maintain your energy & momentum as he flows through samples & tracks.
If you’re a long-time reader, you know I’ve sung the praises of these guys before, but now that I’ve gotten a slightly wider audience, I wanted to echo my sentiment again that THIS IS SOMETHING TO GO TO. Tektite, Tim & TAFCABI continue to be resident beat jedis, and this is a no muss, no fuss event. Show up in dancing shoes, go early for hoopy hour until 11:30 so you’re done with it by the time I get there, and enjoy yourself. This is Terry Gotham, see you on the dance floor this Friday.
RIP Godfather of House, Frankie Knuckles.
If you don’t know by now, Frankie Knuckles has died. I’ll update this page as details come, but it was reported around 10:45 PM EST last night. I really can’t say anything other than, the Godfather of House is dead. The man who got the job to spin The Warehouse in Chicago, ground zero for house music, is no longer with us. Dead at 59, far, far too soon. I’m just going to post The Origins of House from Mixmag & his Boiler Room set, which occurred a few months ago.
Terry Gotham 