There has never been a dearth of producers coming out of London, but picking through them isn’t always the easiest task. For every James Blake or Burial, there are dozens of have-nots. Last week, we spoke with an artist who seems destined to fall into the former category. Theo Darton-Moore aka Stavrogin is a 20 year old producer originally from a small town outside of Brighton, but now based in London.
Stream: Stavrogin – “Chicago ’46”
It would be easy to shove Stavrogin in with the masses of producers under the future garage/post-dubstep umbrella, but his music is far richer and more elaborate than most. Darton-Moore is currently attaining a degree in Music Production for Film and it shows in his music. He often uses foley sounds (use of everyday sounds) at the start of his production process.
Stream: Stavrogin – “Frqncy // With Desimal”
We spoke with Darton-Moore about his influences outside of the electronic music world, what it’s like to live in London and who he’s listening to. Check out the entire interview after the jump and be sure to be on the lookout for Stavrogin in the future. Dude is making waves. Also, be sure to check out Darton-Moore’s Tumblr (straylandings.tumblr.com), an excellent place to learn about new artists that might otherwise not make it stateside.
There’s really no sense in attempting to understand Blu at this point. After releasing his Madlib collaboration album, UCLA, he succinctly pulled it from his Bandcamp. Furthermore, like so many other Blu releases, the album was entirely unmastered and bordered on unlistenable at times. With all the talent in the world, one would expect Blu to invest in a little mixing here and there. Yesterday, he uploaded a new project to his Bandcamp (luckily still up there), this time a remix tape of 2010’s NoYork!. The nine-track release features Knxwledge, Hezekiah, Von Pea and more. It is, unsurprisingly, incredibly low quality, but it’s too nice to ignore. Von Pea’s remix of “My Sunshine” is outstanding. Unfortunately, Blu is asking for nine dollars for the tape, but I’m sure you can work a little bit of internet magic and unearth it.
We’ve been fairly absent from the blog this week, because of various nature excursions and other computer time limitations. Luckily, we’re back now and ready to continue bringing you the phonk. Amid a hectic SXSW filled week, a large amount of new music was actually released, much of it from the hip hop world. As a result, we bring you this special edition Sounds From The Astral Plane as a summary of the week’s happenings.
Stream: Nas – “The Don” (Prod. Salaam Remi, Da Internz and Heavy D)
Nas never ceases to amaze me with his tenacity on the mix. Dude has been in the game for over 20 years, and while there will never be another Illmatic, Nasir will go down as one of, if not the greatest, rappers of all time. Following last year’s “Nasty,” a sickening tear over minimalist percussion, Nas brings us “The Don,” produced by Salaam Remi with a helping hand from Da Internz and the late Heavy D. I can imagine Nas turning on the radio, hearing “Work Out” for the millionth time, calling up Salaam and hitting the studio. This shit is gully.
Sene is one of those MC’s who everyone has heard of, but no one really thinks twice about. He’s worked extensively with Blu, but none if it has made waves like the latter’s collaborations with Exile, Fashawn and Mainframe. It might be time to give Sene a little respect. “Backboards,” conveniently featuring Blu, is downright beautiful, eliciting comparisons to The Visionaries. Also, Blu on a mastered track? Pretty unheard of over the past couple years. “Backboards” is off of Sene’s upcoming Brooklyknight album, dropping April 24 on Plug Research.
There isn’t much to say about Danny Brown that hasn’t been said. Read this Passion of the Weiss post for details. “Baseline” is as minimalist as Brown gets, allowing the MC to get ugly with the rhymes. If glorified drug usage, misogyny, and one of the most unique flows in contemporary hip hop interests you, then download “Baseline” above.
Squeaky production from Toki and majestic vocals from Rucyl = chilled out bliss. Hopefully this is a sign that the wait for a followup to 2010’s Midnight Menu will soon be over.
Chicago DJ/producer Brenmar has publicly stated that one of his main goals is to get “people to hook up at the club.” This track will certainly do that. Brenmar ramps up the sex appeal for his take on Texas crooner Kirko Bangz’s “Drank In My Cup,” turning the syruppy original into a dance floor anthem. This is club music at its best.
“Worst Job Of Good luck” is off of London label Bullet Train Records’ Bullet Train Allstars compilation. It’s the best track off the comp and features incredibly clean production from Pale mixed with some pitched down vocals. Nice minimalist cut right hurr.
Stream/Download: Dam-Funk – “Serious”
There is never a shortage of new material on Dam Funk’s Soundcloud page. It fells like every week or two, he throws a superb new cut on their as a free download. Dam plays all the instruments on “Serious,” a jazzy track with that trademark Dam Funk sound. It’s no surprise that Dam can meld his sound into a jazz aesthetic, but it is still damn impressive.
Stream: Nocando – “Miyamoto Musashi” (Produced by DNAEBeats)
Low End Theory is in Japan right now. Nocando released a song about legendart samurai Miyamoto Musashi. Sounds about right.
Action Bronson supplies the raps. Party Supplies supplies the beats. It’s fantastic. Oddly enough, the first track, “Pouches of Tuna” uses the same beat as the Sene’s track above. Not sure if Party Supplies made it, or what, but I have to say that the Sene version is better. Beyond that confusion, “Thug Love Story 2012” sounds like classic Ghostface-ish. That comparison is getting a little old at this point, but it’s just too hard to ignore on tracks like this. Download Blue Chips from DJ Booth above.
Watch: Nacho Picasso and Blue Sky Black Death – “Rammin”
More visuals from Lord of the Fly, this time for the grimy “Rammin.” If you can get over the overdone effects, this is a pretty enjoyable vid. This is what The Weeknd sees when he hits the club. Some real XO shit.
Happy St. Patty’s Day everyone. While most of you are probably out getting into all sorts of illicit shenanigans, we’ve got a quick tidbit for you. Dutch artist Martyn, who released his latest album (Ghost People) on Brainfeeder, is featured in this week’s BBC Essential Mix. Pete Tong has managed to bring in quite a few impressive names to the show including Azari & III, L-Vis 1990 and Scuba, but this is by far my favorite of the bunch. The mix features exclusive cuts from Jacques Greene, Trevino and Jon Convex, who all happen to be on Martyn’s own 3024 label. The mix also features the new Four Tet/Burial track (“Nova”), some L-Vis 1990 and Boddika, transitioning from between techno and slower bass cuts with ease. Stream the mix below and check out the full track list after the jump.
Six weeks ago, the Sasquatch Music Festival lineup was released to much fanfare. Like all festivals, some hated the lineup while others loved it. For the more levelheaded, it appears to be a very balanced lineup with a deep undercard. From here on out we will be underscoring the lesser-known Sasquatch artists by highlighting a different artist each week. Beyond delving into each artist’s bio, sound, etc., we will attempt to give some insight into what will make their performance at Sasquatch so amazing.
The past several weeks we’ve covered Sasquatch artists who by and large only perform their own material. This week, we’re taking things in a drastically different direction. In 2005, Brian Shimkovitz, a recent graduate of Indiana University and an ethnomusicology major, spent a year in Ghana on a Fulbright Scholarship. While in Ghana, Shimkovitz acquired a number of cassette tapes of local artists. On his return to his home in Brooklyn, Shimvokitz launched a blog to share the tapes with his friends. That blog, Awesome Tapes From Africa, is now one of the premier sources for “world” music on the web. Along with the blog, Shimkovitz now takes his show on the road, Djing with cassette tapes, as well as running an Awesome Tapes From Africa label. Last week, we spoke with Brian about his live sets, the label, where to look for awesome cassettes in Los Angeles (Little Ethiopia), and most importantly, if he’s excited to play at Sasquatch. Brian was incredibly helpful in making this interview happen and provided us with articulate, well-thought out answers. Brian also recently moved to Berlin so let’s show him a little love stateside. Read the entire interview after the jump and be sure to bookmark Awesome Tapes From Africa.
It feels like it’s 2009 again. It’s been three years since the release of The xx’s seminal self-titled debut, but as the fourtet gears up for a second go around, xx mania is revving its engine as well. Jamie xx stuck his neck into the solo realm and immediately became an indie darling after releasing the “Far Nearer”/”Beat For” single and his remix of Gil Scott-Heron’s last album I’m New Here. The xx are scheduled to play at numerous festivals across Europe and elsewhere this summer and have publicly stated that they are currently working up on a follow up to The xx. One result of the unique use of silence on their debut was a deluge of remixes from all corners of music realm. Some made perfect sense (Dark Sky, Four Tet, Mount Kimbie, Nosaj Thing), but most were cringe worthy. Without any new material to work with, amidst the excitement over a new album, it appears that some producers have begun to look back to the debut for inspiration. One of those happens to be 17 year old up and comer Beat Culture. This remix of “Shelter” borrows heavily from Burial (no surprise that he’s listed as an influence), but with an added twist. The song lacks the subtlety of most Burial productions, but that doesn’t necessarily negatively effect the remix. Beat Culture also lists Hudson Mohawke as an influence who places about as far from Burial on the minimal/maximal spectrum. If Beat Culture can fall somewhere in between the two, while maintaining his signature style, the teenager has a bright future ahead of him. Stream/download his remix of “Shelter” below.
Last week we featured Obey City’s juke-inspired remix of Schoolboy Q’s “Blessed.” This week, the Brooklyn resident is back with a remix of Astro Nautico label-mate Paul Jones’s cut “Bad Haircut.” Obey City flattens out the original without losing its funky flavor. The well-placed synth pads and a repetitive rhythm dominate the track, but it’s the breakdowns are what really draw you in. Download the remix below.
I’m going to keep this one short and sweet, because of some formal education imposed time constraints. Two of the most talented producers in Seattle just released one of the best instrumental releases the city has seen in sometime. WD4D (member of the Stop Biting Crew, more to come on them later) and Suttikeeree (formerly Dead Noise) released the After School 2 EP on Fourth City Records earlier this week, and boy is it great. It reminds of Hudson Mohawke’s most recent Satin Panthers EP, not so much in its sound (although the two do share some key characteristics), but in its range tempos and sounds. “Quest For Fire” transitions between dubstep basslines and sped up vocal samples, while “Ride-By Music” features a chopped Cool Kids sample and sound about a million times better whippin it down the freeway with two 16’s in the back than on my shitty macbook speakers. After School 2 is one of those perfect synthesis of experimental hip hop and bass music with a maximalist ethos. If you cop any new music today, make this it. It’s free, but only through tomorrow.
Five weeks ago, the Sasquatch Music Festival lineup was released to much fanfare. Like all festivals, some hated the lineup while others loved it. For the more levelheaded, it appears to be a very balanced lineup with a deep undercard. From here on out we will be underscoring the lesser-known Sasquatch artists by highlighting a different artist each week. Beyond delving into each artist’s bio, sound, etc., we will attempt to give some insight into what will make their performance at Sasquatch so amazing.
If you are a Seattle native, attend or attended the University of Washington, or have spent anytime at house parties in the University District, chances are you have seen Beat Connection play at least once in one form or another. The duo, originally made up of Jordan Koplowitz and Reed Juenger, have been DJing and performing for around three years now and built an impressive level of notoriety in the Seattle music scene. Since their days on the UW party circuit, the band has gone through quite a few changes. In 2010, Jordan and Reed released their debut, the Surf Noir EP, with the help of friends Jarred Katz and Tom Eddy, both now members of the band. The EP quickly became a hit and Beat Connection began to play at various clubs and venues around the city. Eventually the blog world took notice and the EP took off. The band, now at four members, signed with UK label Tender Age and are currently prepping an album for a 2012 release date.
While their output to this point has been fairly minimal, the Surf Noir EP was an excellent debut and sounds even better live. Beat Connection’s sound falls somewhere between Beach House and LCD Soundsystem. That’s a ridiculously wide net to throw, but the band has shown that they can carry the torch for both driving punk-addled dance music and unassuming, tropical tunes. Reid and Jordan’s DJing days shine through on tracks like “In The Water” and their remix of Cosmic Revenge’s “Memories.” You can also tell that Reid and Jordan have spent some time on the decks based on how well Surf Noir flows. As good as each individual track sounds, the EP sounds remarkably smooth and complete from start to finish. As fun as the dance-floor oriented tracks are, the majority of Surf Noir gives off a completely different mood. Tracks like “Same Damn Time” and “Theme From Yours Truly” have a youthful vulnerability about them that belies the struggles of growing up.
Coming back to their penchant for rowdy live shows, Beat Connection should excel at Sasquatch. One of the few bands in the dance tent, they will most likely get an early time slot, but based on the crowd at Capitol Hill Block Party, people will come out for the show. It’s easier said than done, but Beat Connection just make people dance. It’s exultantly unpretentious dance music and it’s nearly impossible to hold back from jumping into the mass of sweaty kids. Beat Connection will be playing in the Banana Shack over Memorial Day weekend.
Well this is quite the coincidence. Back in February, we covered cloud rap aficionados MainAttrakionz performance at Pomona College. La Hambra beatsmith Jonwayne just happened to be opening up for the Oakland duo that night. In a comical turn of fate, legendary IDM producer Odd Nosdam mashed the two unlikely collaborators into one track using Main Attrakionz “Chap 3” and Jonwayne’s “Bowser I.” The track would undoubtedly sound better yell-rapped in a dark club, but what you do? Shit bumps. Stream/download below.
I’m going to keep this one short and sweet, because of some formal education imposed time constraints. Two of the most talented producers in Seattle just released one of the best instrumental releases the city has seen in sometime. 
The Astral Plane 