Tag Archives: house

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

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R9JRAqx

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: Adam Tell, Jaya Prime, Kove, Kaskade & Pantyraid!

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First non-tease warm weekday in NYC brings some bigger, happier, uptempo tunes for you. Carpe that fucking diem y’all!

Can’t say I’ve heard of Adam Tell, but this got recommended, and I’m so glad it was. Strong male vocals & oddly well-produced electro underpinnings give this an almost bohemian vibe. It’s plucky, chippy, almost indie. This fresh sound is what I’m hoping 2016 keeps pushing out, as fusion of genres like this is rare, and needs to happen way more often.

This is an older track, but I have been listening to it on repeat all week. Fusing the Ghost In The Shell theme with Nine Inch Nails, it’s massive, confrontational, heavy & dark. Motivating, while never pulling into abrasive territory. If you ever had a boss battle, or a training montage in Neo-Tokyo, this is the soundtrack to it. It’s one of my all-time favorites, produced by the fallen angel, Jaya Prime. While he no longer mixes/produces after an injury to his ear, his taste remains impeccable & he’s started producing visual art now that his audible art career is over. He releases a playlist of the best tracks of the quarter on his Soundcloud page, and you can bet your ass that’s gonna be my listening for the day.

Regular readers will know my love for Kove goes hard, and this is a great example of why. The D&B turned House sensation, this kaleidoscopic summer tune is deep, with a vintage feel, that wouldn’t feel out of place at Movement. It’s something to wear black to out of doors. Perfect for warehouse parties in Brooklyn and Sunday loft events. Enjoy the shimmering mid-tune build three minutes in, it’s one of the better ones I’ve heard this year.

Martyparty & Ooah don’t come together very often, but I’ve gotta make sure you know when they do. Pantyraid is an old school project showcasing the sexier side of the West Coast bass vibe that The Glitch Mob evolved from. This breezy, meandering bright tune has Bobby Saint hitting all the right notes in the half-R&B, half-bass track. Great tune for letting the coffee sink in. Ooah has always had a personal touch on social media, so definitely give him some love. Another tune from the upcoming pantyraid EP is up as well, and you can pre-order it here.

This is what you’ve been waiting for folks. Kaskade + deadmau5, and it may be so new deadmau5 didn’t even know it was coming out. This track is proof that the two of them could just tour by themselves and instantly sell out any venue in the world. The scintillating production chops we’ve come to expect from the both of them compliment Skylar Grey’s perfect vocals. Atmospheric, progressive, and apparently still a work in progress. If this ever sees festival play, people are going to lose their minds.

Monday Music: Greyhat, Ghostchant, Mickey Kojak, SBTRKT & Bobina

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Freeman KittyThe last Monday in March will be celebrated with Morgan Freeman, a black cat & 5 of the most legit things I heard last week!

Greyhat coming at you from Maine, with some soothing, almost vaporwave chillout. I say almost because there’s an indie punch to the track that’s much appreciated. It’s got a Blockheads classic psychedelic rock feel to it. Never too overpowering, but most certainly guitar-focused and liquid. Speaking of liquid, it pulls into a breaking, almost d&b tempo, before melting back into this lush indietronica that deserves roaring congratulations. It feels like driving through one of those rainbow 80’s videogame .gifs.

Ghostchant is one of my favorite UK artists. His fusion of garage, ambient, downtempo, trap & ethereal beats is second to none, and this kind of remix needs to keep coming. Pulling even more echo & melancholy into The Weeknd, this six minute rework is a giant made of clouds. So much work went into creating the atmosphere that The Weeknd’s vocals soar through, I hope he sees in. Ghostchant is one of the best producers in the game, and totally needs to do some work for huge pop artists. Bieber remix next perhaps?

I mentioned Mickey Kojak a little while ago, and when I said I’d keep my eye on him, I meant it. This one is hard to classify but makes me happy, a track that gives me hope for the future. Forward looking, while almost paying homage to Disclosure, this funky house track hits all the right notes. On point vocals, a surprisingly round & well produced bassline, decidedly non-tropical sounding pad work, and melancholy come together wonderfully. As it fades away, I’m left wondering, just like the last time I wrote about him, what’s coming next from this guy.
 Hadn’t anticipated new SBTRKT, but it’s always welcome. THE-DREAM shows up to provide some euphoric hip hop fusion with potent indie bass. It’s a frenetic, tense build, but that makes the drop/chorus even more gratifying. Well put together, with all of the elements playing their position, as it were. The auto-tune is minimal if used at all, and the almost euphoric break rounds out the 3:48 nicely. Quick fun & unassuming.
 This is dope. While it’s the most festival ready shit I’ve ever posted on this blog, I have my reasons, those being, Trainspotting. Any track that uses samples from Trainspotting doesn’t get turned off immediately. And I’m glad I didn’t. The first build is EDM as fuck, but the 2nd, real build is euphoric trance that we need more of. The samples remain useful throughout, and the music video is well edited. The build puts you in a crazy, serotonin filled place, which I hope to hear more of as the US festival season warms up. Bomp this ish loud, your music junkie friends will thank you. Big ups to Bobina for making this happen.

Bonus! A friend’s tune that he only hinted at existing, one of my tracks of 2015, is finally seeing official release! Yellow@TheLight has been killing it in the whispered quiet spaces of the Lower East Side and Bali, strangely enough. His vibe can’t really be described, so I’ll just let the track speak for itself. Metal drums, deep vibes, and a techno back bone come together to feel like a beach party from the X-Files. Half deep, half almost metallic, it really shows off the breadth & depth of the production competence Yellow@TheLight brings to the table. So hopefully you & I can convince him to do it more often. If you’re feeling this, he’s got a new mix out of similar depth.

Monday Music: Tristram, Mauro Picotto, Kim Brown, Zed Bias & Boombox Cartel

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12688233_1686565634952720_445355936491730263_nIt’s March, it’s Monday, so let’s get to the music! A couple of UK releases, dopeness from Monstercat, and a blast from the past awaits!

It’s been a pleasure to keep tabs on Tristram for the last three years. One of the first post-EDM producers I discovered, his work is always top notch, guaranteeing he got picked up by Monstercat in short order. After a brief hiatus, he’s back and we’re all better for it. This deep indietronica cut reminds me of Innerpartysystem & a number of fusion acts I’ve seen over the last couple of years. Superb composition and sharp execution as always.
Millions is a gorgeous, understated tune that builds into an exceptionally minimal crescendo. It’s a 6min experiment in what can be done with almost nothing. A couple of piano chords, a dope house beat, and a driving tempo.Kim Brown making it happen, thanks to Stamp The Wax for making sure I didn’t miss it.

Boombox Cartel came out of nowhere with this one. Stalking Gia & Boombox Cartel need to collaborate way more often if this is the product. Front & center is the Stalking Gia vocals, showcased & tuned perfectly. The Future Bass vibe that follows is a great one. Massive, optimistic & just a touch of a west coast to compliment the bass. It’s way too synthetic to be Indietronica, but seems too anthem-y for Future Bass. Either way you slice it, great tune & great work by Boombox Cartel.

When some think of garage, they think of Zed Bias. This footwork-y/garage-y tune features hypnotic vocals by Zoe Violet, and gives the footwork fan a lot to work with here. Issued by dBridge’s label Exit Records, the fast/slow melody pulls you along, as the chord work & soothing undertones help you drift off. Great work, definitely something to pick up if you’re a vinyl or dBridge enthusiast.

Rounding out the group is something wonderful for all you classic Trance fans out there. Mauro Picotto was essentially a household name in the 2000s (if your household had the entire In Search of Sunrise compilation set by Tiesto and remember when Sensation had a White & a Black). I don’t know if he’s come out of retirement or if he just never went away, but this is vintage as all get out. Passion has a classic piano vibe and there’s even an extended classics mix on the EP. Turn it on, and let the nostalgia wash over you. If you try really hard, you can almost hear the Y2K fear mongering.

Monday Music: Disclosure, Kuren, Miike Snow, Cruel Youth & Mikael Seifu

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This week, Monday Music is global once again! From the UK to Australia to Ethiopia, I’ve got a bunch of slickly produced, dope tunes that have been begging for your attention all weekend. Don’t leave them hanging ok?
First up, direct from Disclosure, a new VIP rework of Nocturnal. If you’ve seen them live you might be lucky enough to have heard this version, but it’s definitely a rare play for the rest of us. Not a whole lot to say about the UK Garage House savants that are Disclosure so, enjoy!

Kuren has been on my radar for a minute, steadily producing chill vibes of the highest quality. The wunderkind from down under re-imagined Better by BANKS and his signature style, infusing soulful and melodic elements into Aussie Bass & Future Trap, is in full effect here. Great start to 2016 for Kuren and this will be his year, you watch.
Miike Snow exists on the quieter, eclectic side of indietronica in my opinion. They’ve got an almost Royksopp-sound to them when they want, but are successful enough that they can get away with high concept videos like this. The timelapse creation process of the eventual symbol/animal the band is known for is a meditative, almost soothing experience. Put it on when you need to take a breath but still keep pushing forward.
https://soundcloud.com/igetrvng/mikael-seifu-how-to-save-a-life-vector-of-eternity by
This track hit my feeds care of Stamp The Wax, a cheeky UK music blog I follow. While the first 1:45 may seem a bit pedestrian, skip ahead or stick with it. 1:50 pulls into a surprisingly powerful deep groove using ethnic Ethiopian instruments and some powerful composition. It’s a much better track at that point and stays that way for the rest of the 6 minute odyssey. Very forward looking, while being something I would have literally never come across otherwise. Kudos to RVNG Intl. & Stamp The Wax for making sure I didn’t miss this.

Fresh New Tracks turned me onto Cruel Youth over the weekend, and I couldn’t stop myself from insta-sharing the track. This new sound is spectacular. Cruel Youth made me go look up what drug she’s referring to in the track, and it turns out, (Mr.) Watson is another word for hydrocodone & opiate pills. It’s got a serious Amy Winehouse tragic pop vibe. I really hope we can get to this one before they die of a heroin overdose. She’s going to be a star, and when it happens, you’ll know Fresh New Tracks & I called it.

Midweek Music: Shirk, Arbitraire, Snoop Dogg, Dark Sky & More!

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Advent - Stamp The Wax
While the holiday season bears down on us, that doesn’t mean the tunes have to freeze over. 5 more tunes, and not a cold shoulder in sight!

You don’t hear glitch hop like this much these days. I’m a huge fan of the orchestral feel that the track gives off. It’s almost got this mad scientist feel to it, as electro clashes with glitch and everyone wins. Definitely not something I’ve heard in some time, so even though I’m a year late to the party, Shurk got followed like woah.

Arbitraire showed up from nowhere with this winner of an indietronica tune. There’s a pretty high level of moodly dopeness here, with the track wandering into London Grammar territory at times. It’s hard to keep this kind of production under wraps so watch for this group, wherever they’re from, to start making digital waves in 2016.

Stamp The Wax is one of my favorite UK blogs & for the holiday season, they’re bringing out the Advent Calendar. A whole month of music leading up to Christmas, with all the proceeds going directly to the artists, with mastering, hosting and all of the trimmings being comped. This tune comes from Dark Sky, a hugely talented London trio. This 8:25 epic journey feels like it’s halfway between the worlds of techno, garage, minimal and topped with just a dash of Latin. It feels very Barcelona during Sonar Festival, with the tune oozing character but not in a hurry to get anywhere.

A tune from 2004 by a group called The Real Tuesday Weld, this is about as random as it is chill. The genre was dubbed Antique Beat, but this was 3 years before Beats Antique showed up, so it’s managed to be its own thing. The video is what happens when you let a YouTube producer loose on the Internet Archive. The track is as close as you can get to a modern iteration on the classic Steamboat Willy vibe of vintage jazzy lounge music.

This is one of those remixes you’ve heard over and over in tiny pieces. I kept hearing it on forums and had to track it down. It’s about 3 years too late, but if you’re legit looking for a celebration anthem for 420, a way to test out new speakers, or troll straight edge friends, I got you covered. Just don’t tell Dr. Dre.

Midweek Music: Otic, Dylan Reese, EDEN, Scott Bond & Kaskade!

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Take It Easy

This sleeper hit from Otic is exactly what your pre-holiday jitters need. This low-key drum & bass is great to travel or prep to. Whether you’re heading out on the town or over to the parental situation. It’s unassuming and definitely not aggressive. Not a whole lot more to say except, let it smooth you out.

Dylan Reese blindsided me with this one. It’s a strong offering, not what I expected, especially given the look and production. Everything clicks together, with Dylan providing good flow and making the right choices about where to go hard, where to tune and where to push the melodic breaks back in. He’s got a tune coming out on Dec. 1st, so here’s to hoping he keeps the hit streak going.

EDEN can do nothing wrong. How many artists do you know that cover Billie Jean without embarrassing themselves? This Future Pop tune does a couple of things correctly. First, EDEN doesn’t try to outsing MJ, which is the dumb thing most artists try. EDEN wins on production here, and secondly, it feels a bit differently melancholy, as opposed to the pop anthem the original will always be. Splendid work, can’t wait to hear about live gigs.

I’ve written about Scott Bond before, but this most recent 138 trance anthem is welcomed during this week of family & traveling great distances. It’s got the energy you don’t hear very often anymore, with the 138 space being crowded by the bro-y end of electro & progressive. This racing build breaks into exactly the pumping, driving trance drop us hard house enthusiasts can’t get enough of.

Kaskade decided to take a walk through some legit house done by Thomas Sagstad ft. Wildo. This Burned remix has the signature positivity Kaskade brings to all of his work, taking great parts of the original and shuffling them around, adding a healthy dollop of anthem. The tune feels sun-drenched, which is definitely needed this Thanksgiving weekend for us Northern Hemisphere residents. Hope it gives you a minor urge to dance around in your chair during Thanksgiving feast. Or afterwards to help work off them calories! See y’all next week!

Music Video With Kitty On Speaker. What Are You Waiting For?

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I’m stunned no one has thought of this before. Also, I have no idea how they got the cat to stay still for the entirety of this shoot. Lernert & Sander are two high concept artists out of Amsterdam, and did this great little video for De Jeugd Van Tegenwoordig for their song “Manon.” I have no idea how to pronounce this group’s name but I really don’t care. It’s a great little video and I now want all the gifs made of it. Get on that internets. The cats command it.

Midnight Music: Imogen Heap – Hide & Seek (JPOD Remix) [House]

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Imogen Heap - Hide & Seek (JPOD Remix)

Imogen Heap – Hide & Seek (JPOD Remix)

People travel the globe for a good house breakdown. The Armand Van Helden remix of Tori Amos was the first one of these pop reworkings, but every major pop, indie, alt & vocal heavy track worth its salt has been remixed by some of the most talented producers out there. Some hit the mark, some pratfall really hard, as you find out from that one weird guy who keeps sending you YouTube links. I found Imogen Heap’s remix offerings to be kind of lacking in general. There was a gorgeous simplicity to the original that most producers really couldn’t stay true to, plus it’s really embarassing when your vocalist has better production values than you do. However, JPOD’s remix won me over almost immediately. The funky breakdowns mesh with the synthy vocals & inspire thoughts of dancing to it at a trendy, tiny bar on Rivington somewhere. This is one for the Manhattan & Brooklyn nights if I’ve ever heard one. Head over to JPOD‘s Soundcloud & enjoy the Canadian knows what he’s doing.https://soundcloud.com/jpodtbc/imogen-heap-hide-seek-jpod-remix

Midnight Music: Ayesha Adamo – Midnight Elite (Harder Remix)

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Ayesha Adamo – Midnight Elite (Harder Remix)

You don’t hear this kind of sound too often outside of Who’s Afraid Of 138 & BlkMarket Membership events. This ethereal, almost psychedelic remix of Ayesha Adamo‘s new single Midnight Elite. This is a totally indie, underground producer here in Brooklyn who spent some time in China before triumphantly returning. I’ve had the privilege of booking her to perform a couple of times where she’s repeatedly a crowd favorite. You know you’ve made the right decision when dozens of people ask for her booking information 15min into the set. She managed to tape this video herself, showing that in today’s economy, you have to wear a thousand different hats. Getting back to the tune, the production value is solid, as is the heavy, drawn out remix ambiance. If you’re into it, check out the whole remix package on Beatport. And, because she’s so dope, here’s a DJ mix she did for Winter Music Conference a couple of months back, giving you another facet of her competence. Enjoy!