Tag Archives: 90s

Midweek Music: DZZ, Mobil, Win & Woo, The Kairi Collective & Priscilla Sharp

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summer New week, more music! One classic, couple newbies, all quality & no bullshit. Wide variety this week, so let’s get into it!  DZZ came out of nowhere on this one. With a premiere on Nest HQ this week, DZZ is going places. This tune is at once chippy, future and melancholy. The production values are off the charts on this & the drippingly synthetic vocals are stupendous. This is my sleeper hit for the week, so get into the whole EP here.

Collectives are so hot right now. The Kairi Collective dropped this release and I couldn’t be happier that they did. This chilled vibe is unmistakeable. The glitchy, dubsteppy sounds work perfectly with the classical violin, piano and shifting chords. Really looking forward to where Pensees, Quok & Jan Amit are going with this as this effort is tremendous.

 I’m so glad Tropical has turned into an element of music production, instead of a genre of music. Just like dubstep before it, people are realizing that steel drums & sexy sax do not a song make. You still need a hook and possibly some catchy lyrics. Win & Woo have a great little ditty here, and have a soaring mainstage career in front of them as long as they do the work.

This one takes a minute to get going, but you want to give it the time it deserves. Like a girl who knows what she wants, this track takes its time and really explores a sound that’s both future & 90’s vintage. I don’t know how to describe this, except maybe if Cyndi Lauper did some K & then took some allergy meds. And I mean that in the best possible way. It’s like if The Eurythmics had a Macbook to produce on. Trust me, you want to hear this. Priscilla Sharp knows what she’s doing so don’t disappoint her.

Classic trance vibe right here, and it’s from 2013. This really doesn’t need any further introduction besides it being euphoric trance that needs to be played on high volume. Mobil does amazing work here, so show it some love. And if someone can clue me into where I can get more full-length mixes of this style of trance, hit up the comments.

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?

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.

 

Johnny Rotten, Drummer Robert Williams & Judge Judy (For Real. 1997)

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Johnny Rotten on Judge Judy?! This is kind of incredible. Laughing Squid picks the choice quote from the 2:45 of artistic bad behavior:

“He’s a nudnik but you don’t have to be disrespectful.”

I won’t spoil who comes out on top, so check it out if you want to hear that delightful accent in full effect. ANARCHY IN THE…oh, yes, ok, I’ll quiet down, sorry Judge Judy. (via Laughing Squid)