Tag Archives: soul

Monday Music: The Code, New Phynix, Dream Beach, Soy Sauce, Feki & ROIS!

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Snow Spring - Terry Gotham - Peehs

Photo by Peehs: http://peehs.deviantart.com/art/snow-spring-112436421

Monday Monday (so good to me)! Another balmy week is before us Gothamites! To celebrate, here’s your usual 5pack of dope tunes & a bonus EP slapped on the end! One oldie from Dream Beach, but mostly new hotness. Let’s dig in!

Kicking things off is a peppy, moody How Deep Is Your Love future remix. Calvin Harris usually doesn’t leave a lot of room to improve on his signature sound, but the way the track almost waves in the breeze works perfectly. The Future Trap vibe can be over done, but no bed squeak noises, quality production and a couple of satisfying drops make it great for an office chair dance party. Great work by The Code, can’t wait to see what they do next.

I’d not heard of New Phynix, but this original got my attention. It’s a great example of where Progressive is going now that the Big Room trend has been dead & buried. This is very much still a mainstage/anthem track, but the abrasive electro sounds from 2 years ago are all gone. Instead, we’ve got a driving bassline & rounded synth stabs, making for an impeccable “get hype” tune.

Switching gears entirely, Dream Beach has been killing it for a while. It’s hard to describe the sounds he creates, but it definitely needs way more attention. His occasionally melancholy, occasionally euphoric, always dope vision has made for a bunch of great releases. Faintly Jersey Club, faintly future dreamwave, the track is everything I want from a 90’s hip hop remix. The mix completely re-envisions the song & brings us a triumphant new look at the classic Biggie track.

Not everyone may remember “Suga Suga” but, if you do, you remember how it was on every dance floor for months back in 2003. Soy Sauce brings us all the way back with this syrupy dope remix of the original. Winking future elements, soft chill vibes & his own excellent vocal work. If you’re a fan of his vocal stylings, check out Imad Royal while his beatwork will be featured on Soy Sauce. Delightfully relaxed and sexy, it might deserve a spot on your Valentine’s Day playlist.

Feki, the young star from of down under, brings his A-game once again for a sweet reworking of Anna of The North‘s soulful tune “The Dreamer.” It’s got an almost Lana Del Rey/London Grammar vibe to it, which is high praise to someone I’m not sure anyone outside of AUS/NZ knows of yet. The Future vibe is in full effect, and the fusion between organic & synthetic couldn’t work better if we handed it to Flume himself.

Bonus!

I usually only do 5 tunes a week, but I had to make an exception for this EP from ROIS. A duo out of LA so far below the radar they don’t have 100 Soundcloud followers yet, so you know it’s a juicy find. It’s a light, forward thinking take R&B that we’re not hearing much these days. While most are pushing towards the Jersey Club sexiness, Vincent Coleman & Nick Hughston make a strong case for your attention using a more vintage style. Is Future Soul a thing yet?

Midweek Music: White Boys, MitiS, GRMM, Lookas, KSHMR & Vaski

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These Irish guys said they’d let me know when their new single was out and they came through. This is a funky, indie flavored track that really makes me want to go to the party this was filmed at. Excellent effort by White Boys, and I can’t wait to see where they go with this sound. Here’s to hoping they invite me to the next party. I’ll show up. Even if it’s in Dublin. That kind of scene is totally worth a hop across the pond for.

GRMM is an Australian stunner on Hegemon records. This future tune took me by surprise. It almost shimmers as it smooths along the avenue. Travolta Cool is such a clever title for a relaxed track like this. Now I’ll be following this dude around the internet like the weird, creepy sonic stalker I am.

MitiS is a force of nature. I don’t care if you’ve followed him for years like I have, or if this is the first time you’ve heard one of his tunes. His signature fusion of electro, progressive, trance & chillout make him an act to remember. I interviewed him way back when. Who knows if he even remembers now that he’s a big star. If you don’t know why, put Forever into your face.

This Song Is Sick debuted a stupendous chillstep track this weekend. KSHMR & Vaski collab with Francisca Hall for a lovely, edgy dubstep track that keeps it taut. This one is some new hotness that should be getting a lot of attention this week already.

 Lookas keeps things real, and I’m so glad to hear some originals from this guy after a string of dope remixes. This kind of anthem trap that gives you hope for the future and doesn’t remind me of white guys with dreadlocks at all. When it could be performed live with a drum line you know it’s dope.

Midnight Music: Jaymes Young & Phoebe Ryan – We Won’t [Vocal Indie]

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Jaymes Young is the He Man to Phoebe Ryan’s She-Ra in the Eternia that is Indie Soundcloud. Now that we’ve put that exceptionally tortured metaphor behind us, this track is exquisite. Phoebe Ryan joins Jaymes for one of the best duets since that summer we were all singing about “now you’re just somebody that I used to know.” This skill when it comes to lyrical genius and tonal perfection from both singers is second to none, and I really do believe both of these artist need solo pop careers. Each has been featured on this site before, Jaymes earning an Earworm of the Month tip, with Phoebe being my Valentine’s Day release. The mastering is second to none as usual, so I really hope this goes le viral.

What Lies Beneath: Jae Jin @ The Bitter End

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Jae Jin This was one of those impromptu, week night shows that I rarely make it out to anymore. I say that, but these up & comers are making it harder and harder to stay home. Jae Jin is a friend of mine. Since we last hung out, a lot has changed. Not only did he beat cancer (again. No, seriously, again. This dude is a fucking champion), but he left behind a career as a MD/MBA candidate to pursue a life of music. As someone who has seen how much those guys make, I can tell you he’s earned my respect, and that was before opened his mouth.  It’s hard to describe, but Jae has stage presence. He’s able to control an audience and kept the weeknight crowd excited and into it. We all go to shows with the “if it’s boring I’m out in the first 15min” in the back of our minds but he earned our asses in seats for hours. This guy not only had the chops needed to keep our attention, he was kind, aware & attuned to the crowd when it came to being real on the mic.
Jae switching from guitar to piano in the middle of the show was a strong move that I think solidified  just how much skill, talent & drive he has. He knocked out a bunch of tunes on the piano with his backing duo & solo, ending the show on a high note. Which he hit. Because he can. All in all, I was tremendously pleased to see just how far my man has come.  Make sure to take some time to dig and give to Jae’s PledgeMusic drive. Not only does it get this crucial album made, but it’s connected with Johns Hopkins Pediatric Oncology. The rest of his NYC performance dates are below. If you can make one of these, don’t sleep on it. As I said before, you want to get in on the ground floor with Jae Jin. He’s going places.

May 15 – Lovecraft – 7pm
May 26 – Rockwood Music Hall – 6pm
June 11 – The Bitter End – 8pm

 

Earworm Of The Month: Foy Vance – Be The Song (Epatage Soul Edit)

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Foy Vance - Be The Soul (Epatage Soul Edit)If you want a good idea of what the inside of my mind has sounded like for the last couple of weeks, just put this on repeat. This duo, made up of Alex Toni and Rodion De Charme out of St. Petersburg has created some amazing tracks, but this one is a fantastic stand out. The combination of soulful lyrics, soothing beats & perfect production is the reason why it’s been on daily repeat. They recently came out with a new track, which can be listened to here. They are able to capture a smooth, almost hopeful melancholy that you don’t hear in dance music much these days. Listen to this in the sun, or while walking in the light.

Midnight Music: Hummingbird – Fool

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A little while back, I brought y’all this cool EP by an artist named Allume. Thankfully, she’s kept the work going, including with one of her compatriots Souda. This new group is called Hummingbird, and they’ve got the indietronica sound down pat. This almost mournful, yet potent track is a winding delight. The soothing vocals and the soft, but persistent synthy bass got into my head and hasn’t left. So now it’s in yours. It’s good for one of those moody days where you want to feel good, but you can’t deal with sunshine & lollipops in your ears. Great work from down under. I really need to get to a festival in Australia. 

Midnight Music: Ibeyi – River

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Hey now, new awesomeness. This twin-sister duo of French-Cuban ladies by the name of Ibeyi push out some of the best live production I’ve heard in a while. This is a fantastic combination of sounds, with a severe dose of feels. The vibe has a moody intensity that feels like what would happen if trip hop, a competent drum circle and some blues hung out. It doesn’t need to be in English to get the point across. This is a really fresh sound, even though it seems to have a vintage flare to it. I think there’s a lot that artists can do in this space, so I’ve gotta give it up to the Joy of Violent Movement blog for pushing this kind of stuff out. The post has a bunch more info on the artist, so if you’re into it, get into it.

Unearthed Carl Cox Mix At Twilo. For Serious.

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Something like this doesn’t come back very often. My boy Agent Orange found this & it’s crazy good. This was recorded at one of the dopest places to exist in NYC. Twilo will never come again, and with the current legal infrastructure in NYC, there is very little any of us can do to change that. However, we can enjoy two hours of some of the best music spun on the island of Manhattan, ever. This mix spans easily a dozen subgenres, with some great gems that will bring you back. If you’re a geezer like me, this mix is going to bring you back to a simpler time. And if you’re a youngling, this is what music sounded like when people could still acquire MDMA in pill form. It was still cut with stuff, but that stuff was like, Stacker 2 & Dexatrim, not Methylone & Face Eating Salts.


via Agent Orange

Midnight Music: Willow Smith ft. SZA – 9 (LMC Remix)

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WillowWillow has done slightly better creatively than Jaden as of late. While The Karate Kid remake remains wonderful, Jaden’s twitterstream is…messy, to say the least. Willow seems to have done a little bit better, with her soulful, respectful music career getting off to a great start. This remix from a young kiwi by the name of Liam Mcalister. This is a smooth remix that definitely makes me want to listen to both Willow and Liam. What a proper remix should inspire of course. Let it swish around and see that you can use trap for the forces of good as well as evil.  (via Fresh New Tracks)

Puddles Returns With A Perfect “Hallelujah” By Leonard Cohen.

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Puddles Pity Party is one of the most authentic & crushingly beautiful performers out there now. A sound that legitimately surprises while it compels, with artistry & execution to match. This is now my favorite version of the song, and I’m expecting it to get picked up for all of those sad montage scenes movies use the tune for any minute now. I’m all about Puddles Pity Party, and I couldn’t be more happy that people are starting to know about him. This performance out in San Francisco is a great example of what Gothamites have in store for them if they check out his show at Joe’s Pub on Tuesday night (h/t to AF for the tip). That’s something not to miss y’all. If I ever found a genie, I’d probably use one of my wishes to get an interview with Puddles. Man, that would be an amazing conversation I wager.