Monthly Archives: May 2016

Memorial Day Music: Prismo, Petit Biscuit, Krewella, Hybrid Minds & Sarah Silverman

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MilpoolSummer has arrived all at once! To celebrate the long weekend, new tunes from Krewella & Hybrid Minds, two rising stars Prismo & the 16yr old rising star Petit Biscuit, and a hilarious send up of “going out” anthems by Sarah Silverman I somehow missed from 2013. Bomp these tunes in the office if you’re working, or by the pool if you’ve taken the day!

Rishty continues reminding everyone why you can’t miss his posts on TSIS. I’m really hoping the Houston native Prismo makes it out to the East Coast, as his production chops are stellar. Coexist manages to be bassy, poppy & fest anthemy at the same time. Guitar chords, strong vocals and a delicious punchy bassline make for a fantastic introduction to Prismo. Now I really want to know if the name comes from Adventure Time, don’t you?

When a producer clears 100k followers on Soundcloud, smart bloggers take notice. When a producer clears 100k before they’re 17 years old & reaches #1 on the French iTunes Electronic charts with his last single, you put down the bong and press repeat. Petit Biscuit needs to get on your radar right now. The kind of smoothness evokes some strong feelings of Kygo, but it’s distinctly not tropical. To be clear, the piano and guitar is all him, so let’s make sure we don’t think of him as a bedroom producer. A fantastic, shimmering tune that glides along in the sun, with drizzles of vocals and hopeful xylophone vibes. Is that a thing? Cause if it’s not, it should be.
Krewella’s first long-form release since the departure of Rainman made a bit of a splash recently, getting the coverage the headliner deserves from the EDM blogosphere. While a lot of sites showcased the one or two main singles, the 2nd half of the album really caught my eye. Marching On specifically. The combo of their signature vocals & post-EDM sensibility layers over a blues’y back beat. I think it’s a sleeper track that’s going to find its way into a bunch of festivals this summer. DJs will drop the almost rock, almost hymnal break into their sets to keep the energy going without laying on the cheese, you’ll see.
I fucking love Hybrid Minds. They make some of the best, smoothest drum & bass I’ve ever heard, and I listen to a LOT of d&b. Their new releases are consumed almost instantly, and Fade was no exception. Gorgeous piano work supports Katie’s Ambition, who provides excellent vocal tracking in her own right. Add onto that a drum & bass beat that has been perfected by Hybrid Minds to be as heavy as it can be without being aggro. Delightful from start to finish.
And now, for something completely different. Sarah Silverman employs Will.i.am and drops a send-up of “Shit’s Gonna Be Epic” anthem tracks that I cannot believe I missed in 2013. This shit is kind of hysterical, with Sarah littering the music video with her signature gross-out, snarky & profoundly true opinions. I’m not going to spoil any of it, so get at it, then shout her out on Twitter. Don’t ping Will, cause he can stay in 2013.

Monday Music: Vassh, floatinurboat, kamandi, sakuraburst & unforseen

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1264914448005Now that the warmth has finally arrived and outdoor parties are getting busted for not having a liquor license, here are some sparkling hidden gems from around the internets that you need to know exist. No time to waste, here are the tunes!
Vassh & Haven are fast becoming my favorite post-EDM producers. The total lack of festival anthem stupidity is in full effect here, with a tasty infusion of UK garage into true hip hop vibes coming from across the pond. This is South London rude boy shit, combined with soothing, exotic bass padding that needs to be celebrated. A tune so hard street and soft garage simultaneously is something most Americans have yet to master, while the duo, hailing from MA & SC has knocked it out of the park.

floatinurboat is the kind of artist you’d totally miss for lack of promotion, but spend several hours listening to in the middle of the night if discovered. I know, because that was my Friday night. Future production like this is one of the directions I’m praying indie pop moves into post-diplo/skrillhouse. There’s a stride that this tune hits that gives me hope. The ability to communicate complex emotional landscapes using electronic influences has taken a back seat to fist pumping in recent years, so I’m holding out hope we push back into the territory this 16 year old from Glasgow seems to lord over.

Kamandi is not an artist I saw coming. Honestly, I was swinging from account to soundcloud account, stumbling on this west coast stunner entirely by accident. Burn Them Down seemed like an entirely forgettable tune until the 2 minute mark hit. Then, it transitions into shockingly brutal electronica, to the point where it convinced me there’s a metal band making it happen. More please.

Sakuraburst is one of those low-key stars that Soundcloud & basement producers look up to. Why? This is the year where you find out. Sakuraburst has production skills that are almost unmatched, turning heads like T-Mass, Beardyman & others that have already made it. Their new EP showcases this production prowess, which is why I needed to make sure you didn’t miss anticrystal. Shuddering, throbbing bass fuses with jittery garage elements to make an intimidating but unforgettable original that will be welcome in any ominous game OST.

unforseen is another one of the exquisite Ambient/Chillwave posse on Twitter that need their own music collective and stage at festivals. Unforseen pushed out this 4 track tribute to his favorite chill producers glo, haven (told ya), madi larson and pearl. 4 tunes for 4 producers you should all know about, especially when the sky is gray, or you’ve just been dumped by bae. Check out each of the producers if you have time, but don’t worry, I’ll be bringing you dopeness from each of them over the summer.

Attend: Bespoke Musik Presents Superfriends (5.21.16, Bushwick)

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Superfriends

Bespoke Musik Presents: Andhim’s Superfriends!

With summer creeping up on us, event producers have begun to come out of hibernation, yawning & flexing their dope party muscles. The Day-into-Night party is one of those things NYC club kids & burners look forward to all year. I managed to find a day-into-night event for you Saturday, showcasing a new Bushwick space that includes a big backyard and cavernous dance floors, for under 70 bucks.

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Monday Music: A-Trak, Jaya Prime, Panda Eyes, Kuren & DJ Fucking Shadow

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Doggie GogglesYou gearing up for summer? Let’s push the envelope with 3 new tunes, some 2014 quality & another one of my favorites from Jaya Prime. You best get comfy with Mr. Prime, because I’m probably going to force feed you highlights from his entire discography by the time Labor Day rolls around.


My boy Rishty is fast becoming another “must follow on Twitter.” Debuting on Zane Lowe’s World Record on Apple Music, this is going to permeate your aural landscape over the summer. Lush, uptempo & masterfully mixed by Brooklyn’s own A-Trak, there’s very little to dislike here. While hipsters may decry the simplistic progression, sometimes a summer beat is just a summer beat. Enjoy it! (Via This Song Is Sick)

Jaya Prime remains my favorite producer, so whenever I spiral into one of his earworms, y’all gonna hear about it. When you’re feeling happy and the NIN/GitS mashup isn’t appropriate, but you’re not exactly bubbling, his Massive Attack x Portishead mashup is exactly what the doctor ordered. He takes two of the biggest trip hop hits ever released and smashes them together, resulting in a tune overwhelming with feels. Scintillating production values, perfect awareness of the source material & a total lack of ego in the mix. What else could you ask for?

This one pushed itself into my head over the weekend. It was the soundtrack to some random YouTube video I watched, but I needed to pause that & find the original track immediately once it broke. It’s some of the hardest chip-electro that I’ve heard in quite a while. I’m a huge fan of what Panda Eyes is doing in the electro space. If you’re trying to DJ at ComicCon afterparties, SciFi conventions and anime raves, this is what your set needs to sound like. Intersperse some Sonic, Final Fantasy & Smash Brothers remixes and you’ll have the little nerds flying around the dance floor.


I mentioned Kuren back in February and now you can see why I’ve kept my eye on him, even though his tunes get taken down occasionally. This collab between him & Ben Alessi is where the indietronica & indie pop field is heading. You’re gonna hear a lot of stuff that sounds like this over the next year or two, but very few of the producers will be able to create such a gorgeous soundscape. Kuren is a head and shoulders above his competition, so I hope he makes it out of the AU/NZ bubble to bless some Western festivals with his dopeness!

DJ Fucking Shadow. While that’s the only thing I should have to say, some of my youngling readers may not know who that is. One of the luminaries that first reminded the world that DJs actually DJ, he’s back, with the first new hotness since 2011. With the tracks dribbling out slowly as we build to the release, I’ve got 2 for you. The first is an M83 styled introduction to the album, while Nobody Speak features Run The Jewels, the preeminent modern hip hop duo. There’s not much to say other than listen, enjoy & get excited for the June release & accompanying mixes.

Back to the Further Future

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Great wrap-up of Further Future on Burners.me. Gave me a lot to think about, especially after reading the flurry of good and bad things written about it over the last week or two.

Burners.Me: Me, Burners and The Man

Image: Peter Ruprecht Image: Peter Ruprecht

Kestrelreturns with a year 2 review of Robot Heart’s tech and music conference.

Last year I took a chance on Robot Heart’s festival debut. Now, one year later, that heart remains a lightning rod for any number of gripes about the social experiment in Nevada, and what it has become. Last week it became a literal lightning rod, as FF was body-slammed by mother nature. Last year the BLM’s shady permit-denial moves and the travel problems created by the “Fight of the Century” threw festival-killer curveballs at the event. This year FF was inundated by a season’s worth of rain in one day – so before anything else is said let’s all bear in mind that this crew of friends-turned festival producers are averaging 3 crises every 12 months.

For a fairly long and detailed background on last year’s event, the Paiute, and the infrastructure of…

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Monday Music: Hayden James, Slushii, Kinkajous, Prince Fox & Jai Wolf

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EDC NY is next weekend, so to celebrate, I looked for the least retail, non-EDM I could find. It took me on a journey that I think you’ll love, so dig in!

About a year ago, SAFIA’s Embracing Me hit my filters and I needed to immediately yell about it. To his credit, Hayden James has taken a spectacular track and given it a similar, although strikingly different feel. It’s got a surprisingly peppy house beat under it. The source material is used splendidly, while the chord work remains euphoric without approaching tropical. The breakdown during the 2nd half of the tune has a summery sunset vibe to it, as the vocals flutter above. It breaks back into what would’ve been an anthem two years ago, but is totally devoid of those elements now. Hayden James does some really good work, so don’t sleep on his ish.

I totally missed the pop tune this remix is based on, and I don’t actually recommend going to look for it, as this is vastly superior to the original. Slushii‘s  Future Pop style melds with an almost Chibi sensibility, and glides along like a Porter Robinson mix when he’s in a good mood. Great sound, strong lyrics that honestly make me think That Poppy needs to be a dance music vocalist. That kind of almost spunky style is sorely lacking. Also “you’re the highlight of my lowlife” is a smart as fuck lyric that needs to be in more party people’s minds. (via Fresh New Tracks)

I don’t usually post jazz on this blog, but I had to make an exception when I heard this. It’s moody, exceptional, forward looking and perfectly mastered. When lots of high art snobs complain about the decline of the classical & jazz listening markets, I’m just going to point them at Kinkajous. This 5 piece live-act is frankly something I could listen to every day. Their previous EP is a big helping of this, so if you’re into this kind of stuff, there’s lots more for you. Thanks to Stamp The Wax for this one.

I fucking love Prince Fox so much. Ever since seeing him kill it at BangOn! last summer, he’s been one of the artists I always toss out when people ask who is up & coming in Brooklyn. Plenty of bad producers have produced this kind of sound and it never comes off correctly. Either it sounds like big room, brolectro or some weird LA pop tune. Prince Fox was able to inject some Flume-y Future Bass style vibes into a some Indie Pop that is going to find itself in dozens of sets this summer. You heard it from me first.

Jai Wolf is another one of those Soundcloud success stories that warms my cockles. Why? Tracks like this. A soft, post-EDM tune that pulls some amazing elements from indie, pop, and where the festival circuit will be by the end of the year. The Foreign Family Collective, created by ODESZA, has some amazing music on it, that you won’t hear in a lot of other places. The collective and the track are a great way to glide through your Monday.

 

 

Monday Music: Saiph, GANZ, Wasted Penguinz, Soular Order & Leon Vynehall

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CbwrB1eW4AE26NcIt’s May! It’s Monday! Time for the music! This week, I went all out, looking hard for tunes you won’t hear anywhere else. A couple of new hits, a couple of old treasures I just dug up, all quality. Break on through to the other side with this quintet!
I stumbled across Saiph when I went searching for new drum & bass I’d never heard before. This Japanese starlet creates some of the most frenetic yet controlled tunage I’ve heard in years. There’s a “Porter Robinson on Adderall” feel to Ultramarine, one step away from being part of the Sonic & Knuckles vg soundtrack.
Hermitude & Flume, reimagined by GANZ. The Amsterdam stunner has an EP coming, but to keep us satisfied while we wait, we’ve been provided with a quiet flip. The sunny, shimmering bass is a great example of what’s coming from the Future Bass scene with the Aussie summer over, while ours has yet to start. Trust that the festival season is going to see quite a bit of this stuff, so get your Aviator sunglasses ready.
 This one is a bit out there, so if you’re not a fan of the harder end of the spectrum, you may want to skip it. For everyone who is a fan of euphoric hard trance & hardstyle, you’re gonna eat this shit up. It’s so positive & hopeful it almost qualifies as Christian praise music. Wasted Penguinz are not only in the running for best producer name of 2016, but also the track that goes the hardest without getting prickly. Hardstyle is almost impossible to do gently, yet, here we are. This is a track drenched with high production values & oxytocin, great work from the Swedish duo. Send this to your loved ones who can’t sit still.

Soular Order can do no wrong, having been repped here repeatedly over the years. His new hotness is nothing short of breath-taking. A voyage of ambient, bass-driven delight, the sonic perfection that Soular Order delivers is simply awesome, and I do mean that in the traditional sense of the word. Throw it into some expensive headphones and take it on a nature hike. Your tears of joy will thank me.  There’s even an additional alternate tape rework on a separate 2 track EP & it’s pay-what-you-want, so don’t stop, get it, get it.  Leon Vynehall has hit my radar a couple of times in the last couple of months, with this track really solidifying my opinion of him. The lush, jazzy tune called Kiburu comes at you with an expansive vision of what funky house can be. Guitar riffs, brass support, bass & some wacky percussion really fill out the vibe. Gotta give the credit to Stamp The Wax on this one. They’ve continually pushed the fresh sound into my face, so go show them some love.