Tag Archives: indietronica

Midweek Music: A-Trak, GRMM, Mt. Eden, Liem & Stephen

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You know the score, another week, another quintet of tunes. A nice mix of new hotness from a bunch of different places, so turn on, tune in and vibe out.

A-Trak is one of the last remaining DJ Jedi in this time of crisis. His Fool’s Gold label continues to be a bastion of quality and his Duck Sauce side project with Armand Van Helden brings funky joy to the world. This tune with Jamie Lidell fuses his impeccable timing with vintage funk and euphoric vocals. It gets better with each listen, you’ll see.
GRMM has consistently impressed me with his post-EDM sensibilities. He joins up with Father Dude, a featured vocalist I’m seeing around more and more each month. They come together to create a dope little Future track that perfectly captures what things can sound like when you really get out of the box. The rest of the Die Young EP, that this track is on, isn’t bad either, so don’t miss it.
This Spooky Black remix by Mt. Eden is a symphonic bout of melancholy we all have around this time of year. The Soulful Trap vibe that radiates from this track gives us all a wistful look at the changing of the seasons, thinking too much about things long past. It’s further proof that Mt. Eden continue to be a source for inspiration & inventive production work, years after their original remix EP swept the globe.
Liem came out of nowhere with this UK Garage tune that you could just put on and leave on. It’s a soothing club track that fits perfectly into a surprising amount of sets I’ve heard recently. I don’t know who this Liem is, but they sure can mix.

A vocalist known only as Stephen pushed out this interesting mix between euphoria & indietronica. There’s a chill in it to match the Fall air and a little bit of that “Lean On” feel that’s been infecting a number of tracks lately. Enjoy it and everything else you’ve heard today!

Midweek Music: SAFIA, EDEN, GRiZ, Lemaitre & Mos Def!

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summerLabor Day is Sunday ladies & gentlemen. How’s it feeling? Any last adventures? Crazy nights to spend out? Here’s five tracks to bomp as September rises.  SAFIA is so good. This trio makes some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard, and I am terribly mad they are thousands of miles from my shores. This soothing, soulful indietronica track does work and makes me think of that 40min just before the sunset. Great job SAFIA, you’ve got so much more to show us.
EDEN hit it out of the park on this one. The vocals on this are stupendous, with Leah Kelly joining in to push it to the next level. This is track 2 on a 9 track EP that’s surprisingly good from someone I’d never heard from until they showed up on my feed. I highly recommend Nocturne by him as well. HIGHLY.
 GRiZ has become the institution that we all knew he could be. Feelin’ High is quintessential electro soul that proves just how established the genre has become. When you’ve got so many haters you drop a track reminding people to leave em behind, you know you’ve done something right.
Lemaitre takes a tune from Madeon and cranks it up a couple of notches. The Bubblegum electro feel here is the quick pick me up we all need on this September Wednesday. The energy is infectious, with the vocal work from Passion Pit adding to the delight. It’s a great remix, taken from Madeon’s excellent source material. Definitely dance around in your chair kind of stuff!
 Last, but certainly not least, the new hotness from Mos Def. He’s rapping under his old name, giving all the upstarts a reminder why he’s one of the undisputed kings of flow. There is a lot to dive into here, so I’m just going to say that you probably need to listen to it multiple times to pick up on all the lyrical genius he’s crammed into the 3:40. This is his first in years, so don’t miss this, your hip hop brain will thank you.

Midnight Music: Archive – End Of Our Days [Indietronica]

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Hat tip to The Joy of Violent Movement for becoming my go-to source for indie, alt rock, singer-songwriter, hip hop & all things that you could go hipster over. Tonight, I’ve got some dopeness from Archive, a South London group that gets it right. This group does some great work, especially balancing the organic & synthetic aspects of their production. The beats that come in halfway through the track add dimensions that I was not expecting. It’s an echoic fusion that gives me hope for the future. This is the kind of sound I keep coming back to, putting the best of both out there, for all to see. I am already terribly sad I won’t be able to catch them as they’re still only touring in the UK, but wait for them to go London Grammar on the pop world, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. (via Joy Of Violent Movement)

Midnight Music: Ryan Hemsworth – Snow In Newark (ft. Dawn Golden) [Soulful Indietronica]

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I gotta give it up to Ryan Hemsworth. He got into my head a few years back, and has kept popping back in at all the right times. While I can’t say I’m a fan of every single thing he’s ever done, when he nails it, it’s fucking perfection. This soulful original is a perfect example. Ryan & Dawn (I know, I can’t call them that. Yet) hit all the right chords & resonance harmonies to make for something wonderful. There’s a quiet wistfulness in the song that makes for perfect Autumn music. Hit up Ryan Hemsworth if this is the first time you’re hearing of him, Dawn Golden too. Check the amazing video below. It’s so good there’s a monkey in it. Also Nepal.

Midnight Music: Lorde – Yellow Flicker Beat [She’s Back!]

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You thought she was a one hit wonder, and talked shit about her during her ascent to super-stardom. When you didn’t hear anything, you told your friends she was a one hit wonder and that you never really liked “Heroine” anyway. Guess what, she’s back bitches! Yellow Flicker Beat straddles the line between indie & electronica in a way only she can. This track is the lead single off of the upcoming Hunger Games Mockingjay Part I movie, just in case you didn’t think you were going to hear it a thousand times over the next couple of months. I am unabashedly a fan of her sound and her “zero fucks, do good art” attitude. I hope you’ll join me in getting excited for her next album, while bomping this to your hater friends.

Midnight Music: Faul & Wad Ad vs. Pnau – Changes (Lash Remix) [Potent Indietronica]

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Lash has been on a tear as of late, with a Cazzette remix and some work elsewhere on soundcloud. They’ve gotten my attention because of just how irrepressible they can be. This Changes remix from (group name of the month incoming) Faul & Wad Ad vs. Pnau (bless you) is pretty catchy & almost too sweet for most. This is a festival tune that I hope the Aussies get a hold of, with the Southern Hemisphere party season just starting to warm up. This may be a little too positive for the Halloween parties we’ve got incoming, but if you do hear it out, make sure to shake your booty. The track has gotten over 60,000 plays since it was dropped two weeks ago, so get in on the ground floor on this one.

Midnight Music: Cocoon – Cathedral (Dinnerdate Remix) [Indietronica]

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The moment that the guitars came in a little over a minute into the tune, I knew I had to make it tonight’s Midnight Music. Dinnerdate remixed this tune by Cocoon, giving it this indie house reworking that could not be more successful. There’s a groovy chillness to the tune that manages to stay upbeat without getting loud or in your face. I’m a huge fan of this style of music, which I’ve dubbed “Indietronica” over the years, and I can’t wait for the pop music engine to shift away from big room crassy house into this more melodic, artistic and acoustic sound. If that makes any sense. If it doesn’t, hit the tune below and show them some love on Hype Machine, Twitter and Soundcloud.

Midnight Music: Ruben Haze & Dirty South Joe ft. Example – One Way Ticket

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I’m super pleased this collaboration happened. Example has been on my radar for a few years now, carving out a respectable name for himself in the UK & worldwide. I give mad props to any male vocalist that can hang in the dance game, and he does quite well. Dirty South has done some amazing work & always kills it when he gets behind the decks at PACHA NYC. I’ve not heard of Ruben Haze before, but I won’t forget the name after this tune. There’s a serious Red Hot Chili Peppers vibe on the tune, but it inflects into this potent, but never oppressive indie-infused sound. I know that sounds kind of silly considering the fact that I’ve now used “indie” and “Pacha” in the same paragraph, but check it out and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I’m definitely looking forward to this EP now, as indietronica continues to be my jam. Kudos to This Song Is Sick for the tip.