Monthly Archives: March 2015

EP Of The Week: Tennyson – Tennysongs <3

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Canadian stunner & wunderkind Tennyson has put together a stellar little EP for us all. Trust that this kid, can produce beyond his years. This kind of stuff has bedroom phenom written all over it. The flowing bass work lilts along with a soothing melodic sunrise synths. You’re Cute starts quietly, but pulls into some fun breakbeat & originally composed rambling bass. This shuffle & whine works and got me interested for where the rest of the EP was going. For You has a little bit of that indietronica vibe to it, but with an almost West Coast feel layered on top. The dreamscape breaks through and the tune saunters along with some clutch & well recorded vocals while Tennyson does work on the keys.

No Answer is a future funk chip extravavangza. Moody bass & keys work is unmatched by people 2 & 3x his age.  Smoother reminds of some Homework era Daft Punk meshed with some Air, two of my favorite French artists by the way. And yes, I don’t make the comparison lightly. Aphasia Rewinding gets into a bit more of the experimental realm with the synth work and walks a fine line between funky & IDM. Violet Alturas finshes out the EP with some rounded sunny beats. They make me think I’ve just beaten a game for the Sega Genesis and am walking away on the beach at sunset as the credits roll. The tonality & the attitude is powerful, but he’s got so much damn potential. This is textbook potent composition, and what this kid needs is production assistance, and good mentorship. Does Monstercat give scholarships yet?

Kratom, Stimulants & Withdrawal: A Developing Story

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This week, for #DFF we’re talking Kratom! You’ve probably not heard of it, but if you have, we’d love to hear from you! Ravelrie, NY DanceSafe & Stay Safe Seattle are joining me to talk about a substance that has both a long history and an entirely new global fanbase. In many places, like the USA, it’s actually still legal, though, as we’ve seen with a lot of gray-area drugs, that may not be the case for long.IMG_1784This drug has the very interesting side effect of essentially replacing methadone for opiate withdrawal. This is something that took me both a review of the research (summed up nicely in this Scientific American article) and a lengthy stay in r/kratom (that’s right, there’s a reddit community about it) to really believe. One of the differences between the article and the concreteness of the sub-reddit is immediately obvious. While the scientists are speculating and wondering about the effectiveness of the drug, there’s an entire underground of people already using it. Not only are they using it the way it’s traditionally used in Thailand, as the organic/natural analog to methamphetamine, similar to Khat & coca leaves in Africa & Latin America (respectively). But it also provides a much smoother withdrawal than when you try and stop using opiates. The only other drug I’ve ever encountered in my research that does this is Ibogaine, but that is a story for another day. This substance apparently replaces the opiate/pain medication usage, but when users try to quit this…they feel like they’ve got a caffeine headache.

The significantly reduced physical dependency potential & softer withdrawal symptoms have gotten people to use it to do what methodone, Narcotics Anonymous & a lifetime of DARE commercials couldn’t. Get them off drugs. Some succeed, a bunch fail, but in this case, they’ve got a leg-up, as dealing with caffeine withdrawal is a zillion (yea that’s a scientific term sure) times easier than weaning yourself off heroin. As any fan of Trainspotting could tell you. The drug isn’t actually scheduled in the USA, but the DEA is watching it like a hawk. There’s a chance that it could be used to help people, but I assume the usual suspects will shit all over that, but the fact that the community exists, is global, and has helped (admittedly self-report & confirmation bias not-withstanding) a lot of people, means there might be something here. Join us on Twitter at 4:30pm to help us figure it out.

Bioluminescence By DiSORIENT: A Night Of Fire & Ice

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Disorient BiolumI didn’t quite know what had happened. The last time I was standing on this boat I was reviewing a Dirty Dutch party by DJ Chuckie. The boat had been completely re-lit, redecorated & outfitted, such that there was an additional dance floor. Who knew you could just add a dance floor to a party…that’s on a boat? DiSORIENT does. While the icy weather kept the boat docked (literally, late February, when the Coast Guard told all sea-faring vessels to get off the water because of whatever iteration of Blusterfuck 2015 we were on at that point), the party went on. Those ravers, burners & party people who braved the arctic blast were treated to a dope party on 3 floors, with better lighting than I can find in most clubs that have concrete foundations & power-grids not floating on the Hudson. Continue reading →

Music I’d Forgotten About: Metric – Twilight Galaxy (Gladkill Remix)

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With Gladkill on a new release tear on Soundcloud, I wanted to bring it back to one of my absolute favorite pieces by the West Coast star. His Twilight Galaxy remix was a large part of my 2011, and I was reminded of it recently, which sent me into a week or two of listening to it on repeat again as well. This is one of those tracks that crawls into your mind and forces you to listen to it on multiple different speaker systems/headphones over the course of your day. This is lovestep in the truest sense of the word and Gladkill does that stuff better than most. Call it a throwback, even though he hasn’t quit since. He just released a new LP of his tracks from 2012-2014, so hit that up if you need more.

Midnight Music: Billie – Give Me The Knife (Keeno Dub Mix)

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Keeno keeps coming. This kid has a career that has soared in the last couple of years and I am so happy to watch it happen. He’s one of these impressively talented ones that also puts in crazy amounts of work, drops stuff on the internet to stream, tours & challenges himself musically. This has resulted in his tracks being what can only be described as straight fire. The variations in the way he expresses himself in the D&B space continue to amaze. This iteration includes a bass that almost weeps, while the the fast-slow crawls along. The soulful vocals match & give it a great netting of mid-range while it moves along. Nice way to round out the night, rest easy y’all, you made it past Wednesday. (via UKF Drum & Bass)

Attend: World Of Drum & Bass NYC

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March Drum & Bass Madness Continues! This time heading out to The Paper Box in BK to get into the harder Drum & Bass. This isn’t the liquid stuff I talk about most of the time ladies & gentlemen. This is proper, massive, “drop the patriatchy’s monocle in its tea cup” Drum & Bass. BP2 has been holding it down when it comes to this end of the spectrum here in the city better than anyone, and have partnered with Grade A to bring you this insanity on March 21st in Brooklyn. They deserve the respect & your attention.  Before we go any further, Facebook Event Info Here & Tickets Here. Yes this thing will sell out. No I’m not kidding.  Continue reading →

Midnight Music: Hostage – Bully [Vintage House]

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This is a wonderful surprise. Nite Records got in touch with me about this dope little joint. Hostage busts into my universe with a soulful, almost 90’s house vibe that got my attention immediately. The feel is one you’d expect at a trendy but tiny bar downtown near Ludlow or Delancey. 100 seconds in, you’ve got this seriously classic piano riff that house DJs need to study. The pacing is exactly where it needs to be, so this can & should go into any self-respecting uptempo house DJ’s USB stick ASAP. Seems to be a good transition & one when fashionably dressed people start sauntering across your dance floor. It’s part of their history and is infused in so much of a house dancer’s muscle memory. At least, if you were an East Coast house head that is. Can’t generalize too much. But it’s a great part of this two-piece from Nite Records, so get at both Hostage & the label.

 

A 3.5min Video Shot In 5 Seconds. Music Videos Are Getting Crazy.

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I don’t even really know how to classify this, but you need to know this exists. Someone filmed a music video in under 5 seconds, and then stuck it to this. Siska does some amazing work for the actual song part of this video, and she deserves your attention as well. However, I just wanted to emphasize that I’ve never seen anything like this, and up until about 5 minutes ago in camera technology, this was literally & physically impossible. And now it’s not. There’s your afternoon pick-me-up. Welcome to the future, where even our music videos impossibly different. And yes, this is another French visual artist killing it. (via This Is Colossal)

Midnight Music: SAFIA – Counting Sheep [Aussie Dance Pop]

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I’m switching things up for tonight’s Midnight Music. This was a group that I’d been following for the last year or so, after their jaw-droppingly good Paranoia, Ghosts & Other Sounds blew me away 11 months ago. This kind of ethereal dance makes me think of Scissor Sisters and a bunch of distinctly non-American bands that keep it uptempo while not slouching on the vocals. That may or may not be Vincent Price midway in the track, but I really want to focus on the ridiculously excellent vocals that were laid down in this century. There’s an outrageousness that is also creepy at the same time that makes me want more. Frankly, next time I can’t sleep, I have a feeling this is going to get put in my face. Give it up for SAFIA ladies & gentlemen. (via Stoney Roads)