Category Archives: Of

20 Tracks of January 2013

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In what will be a monthly exercise I’ve put together a collection of tracks from various artists that released awesome ish during the month of January. Some big names, some small names, some chill, some sexy, some that will make you want to rage. Shout out to all the artists that made it on the list and I look forward to the next 11 months of awesome playlists for you guys. Not too much to say other than, comment if any tracks really catch your eyes, or if you don’t understand why one made the list while another didn’t.

 

Earworm of the Month: Chronicles of A Fallen Love by The Bloody Beetroots (ft. Greta Svabo Bech)

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I have to make a public apology. I had the chance to see The Bloody Beetroots both at Electric Zoo and Webster Hall multiple times, and I passed on each occasion. I’m not really sure why, and frankly, considering the track that has been on daily/hourly rotation for a while now, means I need to ensure I don’t miss the next time they’re live in the tri-state area.

Greta Svabo Bech slides into the tune 20 seconds in, with a silky vocal line to compliment the smooth housey beat. It all plays along very nicely, almost drifting into top 40 realm, until a minute in, when the anthemic electro kicks on. This is definitely dirty, but there’s this major chord that would kick the ass of any dance floor it gets dropped on. It’s almost too hard to be progressive, but you only get 40 seconds until it pulls back into that silky fun piano, beat & vocal work. The oscillating between driving house & playful vocals hits a crescendo at 3:38, when the track’s vocals & chords sync, pulling you up and ensuring a potent frisson as long as you still have working auditory nerves.

Get it on Beatport: http://www.beatport.com/release/chronicles-of-a-fallen-love/978045
& iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/chronicles-fallen-love-single/id567556377?affId=1930871

And check out some more of The Bloody Beetroots awesome sauce right here:

Party of the Month – Digital Love

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Fresh off their success at the End of the World, this post-apocalypse 2013 is starting out hot for Digital Native. Working with another Burning Man camp called The Love Muscle they’re pushing out into their first big event of the year. I’m not really sure where they got all this talent, but the event is kinda drenched with it and I hope no one is selling plasma to pay for all of this awesome. 

From an aural perspective, Digital Native never disappoints. Besides the ever-present deep house delight that is DJ Pony, another Digital Native stalwart B3AR will be making an appearance. His mix of Manhattan house & a dash of whatever he’s feeling at the moment, whether it’s electro-swing, some upbeat IDM or other surprises are always welcome, and he’s kept dance floors packed in at least three states by now. Joining him is the Sultan of sexy bomping base & breaks, Alex Funk, who is making the trip up from Baltimore to join Evan Collier, Dirtyfinger & Dopeshoes behind the decks. Dopeshoes drops a mix of house, R&b, disco & the occasional dancehall track, and while I can’t speak to the other two DJs, I have no doubt they’ll be able to melt my face with the best of them.

One of the things that keeps me coming back to Digital Native parties is their no-bullshit approach to art. Every offering they serve up has dollops of blinky, shiny painted/techy/fluffy goodness. The Centerpiece is rumored to be a luminescent heart the size of your average raver, but way less drunk/on ketamine, but probably just as bright and glowy in the dark. Add in some great body painters, old school lanterns, art car ridiculousness and live art creation by Craig Johnson II, there’s plenty of eye candy to match the sweet shit they’ll be putting out of the speakers. And just in case you were concerned, the door will be massaged by the deliciously luminous Guncle, who will put his website back up so I can link to it one of these days. The infamous BEX will be Mistress of Ceremonies for the evening’s festivities, who, besides being a general lady about town, is skilled in enough ways of performance, healing & dance that she’ll keep you distracted, occupied and enjoying yourself for hours.

Here’s all the details make sure not to miss it. My last party of the month recommendation was fucking sweet, and I bet you I’ll be 2 for 2 with Digital Native proving me right once again. And yes, it’s 21+, so no worries about being over-run by younglings when you’re just trying to have a good time.

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/456206274442342/
Tickets: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5167022704

EP of the Week – Anybody Out There by Stan SB

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This week, I’ve got this tight little EP that I am kind of excited about. I am a big fan of non-EDM genres pulling in beats and other elements from trance, drum & bass, techno, dubstep, etc, but I get very sad when I hear good beats being wasted on bad pop. This kid got dropped on me by MrSuicideSheep, and I dashed for the EP. I wasn’t really sure if the single was just a random track or the sound. Boy was I in for a treat.

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EP of the Week – Leaving by Skrillex

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It seems that the majority of r/dubstep misjudged Skrillex and his big room dub focus. Skrillex got famous for playing the kind of hyper-aggrandized dubstep that I lovingly describe as “Transformer Porn.” When you take the sounds Michael Bay gave the Transformers and you imagine them having sex, BAM, Scary Sprites. While people can hate on it all they want, Sonny’s hard work, playing the heartland of America and irrepressible positive outlook & joy for making the music is undeniable. You can see this in his Rolling Stone interview or his acceptance speech at the Grammys. And this week, Skrillex reminded us very hard how much he respected his roots, in addition to shaking up our identity of him pretty fundamentally.

Leaving is straight up some American Future Garage. I specify as such because most of the Future Garage that people are rocking out to these days is UK-based. And the inspiration for this kind of sound and in fact a lot of other artists in the space Leaving explores is the one and only Burial. He was featured on a previous EP of the week, and Skrillex has thanked/named Burial & the rest of the Brixton Dub crew for the work they did to blaze the way for Skrillex to shine and bring this stuff to America’s heartland. The track not only pays homage to Burial, but it does so in a very American, Skrillex-esque way. The signature style that allowed him to shine so brightly is being put into this minimized, stripped down beat, groove & heavily modified sample which works perfectly. I can’t wait to see what effect this has on Skrillex’s approximately 4 billion listeners.

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Mix of the Week – Natural Drift by Yellow@theLight

Yellow@theLight is a project by a dear friend, Chris LaMear, who deserves as much credit and press for his work as possible. This stuff is freaking amazing. I was originally introduced to him over a year ago and could not ignore his attention to detail, perfect execution and absurdly good track choice. The mixes and produced tracks flow like wine, and even with what’s occurred in his home neighborhood of Breezy Point (one of the areas hit hardest by Sandy) there is a positive and joyous sound throughout his latest mix.

Flowing from deep house openers to some pretty fun disco & funky house, all in the first 20 minutes, followed by some progressive & electro’y goodness. This guy has range and I have no idea where he gets his tracks, but they all rock. One ridiculous groove after another. He knows how to create transitions and builds that lend a massive confidence to the dance floor. There is this aura of celebrity and fabulousness with a lot of his set work, and this is no exception. However, it’s got a huge heart, and there’s this really warm groove to where he goes throughout his mixes and live work. It’s never nasty or off-putting, and even the dirtiest of electro and dubby goodness still doesn’t grate at the senses. A very thin line to walk, and he dances along it.

This is central to where I think DJing is going to go over the next 5 years. Being able to maintain a recognizable sound, across different sub-genres & even genres of EDM. Flux Pavilion, DeadMau5, Skrillex and others all have a signature feel to them. They’re recognizable and you can get a sense on the dance floor of when you’re listening to one of their tracks or set work by them. Yellow@theLight is fast generating that same signature feel. 32min in is one of those moments. The massive, triumphant electro’y, dubby goodness makes me think of my man tearing it up behind the decks, to as large of a crowd as possible. The amazing breakdowns after 33ish combined with the mean as hell vocals & dubby build give way to some amazingly filthy electrohouse.

I still cannot understand how this guy hasn’t been picked up by Mau5trap or someone in LA. This sound remains absolutely ridiculous and I was given the extreme pleasure of living near a weekly residency he had in my hood for a little bit. This mix continues to win all over the place and you’re better off listening to it and the previous ones that have been put out all over the spot. Get at it. Tell em Terry Gotham sent you.

http://yellowatthelight.podomatic.com/
https://twitter.com/YellowTheLight
https://www.facebook.com/pages/YellowTheLight/125974349166

EP of the Week – “Staggering on Rooftops” by LuQuS

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LuQuS is one of these acts that I can never nail down. I listen to a track, it squats in my mind for a few days and then disappears, without me adding it to a playlist or writing it down. But, thankfully, soundcloud reminded me his new EP got dropped so I made sure to put it in my face.

Roads is a really neat little tune that shows off the fantastic attention to detail LuQuS puts into their work. The melancholy Future Garage is a particular favorite of mine, especially when it veers into Burial-homage territory which definitely happens in You’ll Be, the second track on the EP. The echo work, pianos, beats, snare taps and distortions are all wonderful and definitely speak to that ambient, almost rainy feel that only a few artists/producers have really been able to capture.

We’re In the Dark pulls that same high production value in through an even more compelling vocal set, giving the sound this lovely & human quality that can sometimes be lacking in a lot of the more minimal end of downtempo, chill & garage. There’s also a sexy feel to the vocals that will get it added to quite a few playlists I wager. Black & Blue is one of the pre-released singles that had floated through my head before the EP was dropped that made me sit down and notice what this guy was doing. The fluid beat mixed with the ghostly dancing vocals really capture what’s possible when it comes to Future Garage as a genre. The beat moves along at just enough of a clip to keep you from getting bored/falling asleep, and the piano echoes off of the vocals which keeps the mind occupied, but not exhausted.

Masquerade is an absolutely lovely track that highlights all of the stuff on the EP but really allows it to grow out, like a tree in the sun over time. The bass taps & drum work are spot on as always and the chord progression goes only as far as it needs to as it accompanies the shimmering vocals. A solid addition to the genre and a great new producer makes his mark. Thanks LuQuS, can’t wait to hear more.

12 Tracks you Missed in 2012

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So, instead of jerking around with the words best or top, I’ve decided to collect 12 pretty excellent tracks that meant something to me in 2012. Quality tunes I’m not sure got out into the greater internets but definitely deserved to, and Soundcloud gave me access to all of them. So, here they are, in no particular order.

Pacific Air – Float (TheFatRat Remix)

This is what I hope all pop music sounds like eventually. I’ll just leave it at that. TheFatRat is what I hope all of Z100 sounds like by 2014.

Flux Pavilion feat. Example – Daydreamer

Example is one of the artists that my general adoration for all things Flux Pavillion has led me to. A fantastic vocalist that links up with all of the right bass-related minds across the pond, this collab with Flux is a cadanced march of awesome. The triumphant wobble of Flux with the strongly accented & attituded vocals makes for a righteously good time,  amplified by the excellent drum work throughout, especially two minutes in when it explodes into further sweetness.

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Mix of the Week – A State of Trance 592 – Top 20 of 2012

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This is more of a public service announcement than anything else. This week, Armin’s ASOT podcast counted down the top 20 trance (progressive, epic & uplifting) tracks for the year. This 2 hour compilation is a round up of the favorites that were voted on. And because it’s Armin, the votes number in the 5-6 digits from people around the world. I still cannot imagine that this guy has been putting out 120 minutes of Trance weekly for the last…592 weeks. I’m a huge fan of Armin, here’s a track you probably haven’t heard by him:

10 years of trance. And people still assume that the genre is encapsulated by Sandstorm, Children and that one time they saw/heard Oakenfold back in the late 90’s. Armin’s track recommendations have become a staple of the trance community, influencing dozens of weekly/monthly podcasts by other EDM artists, from Ferry Corsten (Corsten’s Countdown) to Tiesto (Club Life) to Paul Oakenfold’s wonderful Fluoro series. The proliferation of regular music/mixes being put out by the best (and the newest) artists regularly is something that we would have killed for back in the days of sharing music over AIM, Napster, NewsGroups and trading beats/midis with floppy disks.

The track selection is definitely a great representation of trance in 2012, with huge favorites like “I’ll Listen” by AvB & Ana Criado, multiple tracks by Andrew Rayel, who almost seems genetically engineered to produce tracks for ASOT. W&W, Markus Schultz, Solarstone and Aly & Fila also made the list with some stunning tracks, plus a new favorite for me, Giuseppie Ottaviani, an Italian trance producer I’d just never heard of before. Definitely someone I’ll have to keep my eye on.

Great mix of tracks for traveling, cleaning up the house before relatives arrive or just celebrating the season.

This is Terry Gotham.
Peace on Earth & Good Will Towards Men.

Party of the Month – End of the World by Digital Native & Entwined

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While there are dozens of parties every weekend here in Gotham, every once and a while, a special one happens that just may be different than its competition. Tonight, at an abandoned church in Brooklyn, I believe one of those will be happening. The Mayan Apocalypse is upon us, and as long as the music is good in the handbasket, come what may. And that’s why I’m naming this End of the World party, Terry Gotham’s Party of the Month.

The reasons are multitudinous & compelling. The two room venue will have plenty of art and of course the body painting that events of this caliber usually come with. The music in the cathedral starts out with DJ B3ar, a house DJ with a penchant for electro-swing, Alex Funk, discussed here previously for his dirty electro funk, Barney Iller, the impresario of bass and beats, and EZ, the king of the big room. In the mausoleum, the music is even more impressive, with two of my favorite locals, DK, of Toad and Kostume Kult fame, and DJ Pony, the consummate professional and Duke of Deep House. And of course, the door will be manicured by the only man that would still be fabulous while the world ends, Guncle himself.

If you remember Limelight, then there’s no reason to not want to come on out, listen to some great music and perhaps even close your eyes and pretend you’re back there one last time. If you have no idea what Limelight is, you owe it to yourself to party in a church at least once in your life. Considering the world’s gonna end today, what are you waiting for?