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Sounds From The Astral Plane (R.I.P. Austin Peralta)

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November 25, 2012
Live, Mixes, New Music, Remixes
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I can’t pretend to have known Austin Peralta or to be profound enough to properly eulogize him, but what I can do is recognize the enormous outpouring of love for a young man and transcendent musician who has tragically passed away. It’s easy to portray false love/appreciation through a computer screen, but I truly believe in the genuine nature of the hundreds of tributes that have popped up across the web. I remember seeing Austin at Low End Theory earlier this year and remarking on the ingenuity of his (quite literally) mind melting solos, but leaving halfway through the set nonetheless. Whether it was a lack of patience or just pure laziness, I can’t remember, but Austin’s passing has enlarged a feeling of deep personal regret. On a larger scale, Austin’s passing, like his music, is a remark on the ephemeral nature of life itself. So please, listen to this recording from Austin’s release party in Eagle Rock last year and recognize the incandescence that was Austin Peralta.

Hit the jump for the rest of the sounds…

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WD4D Exhibits Tasteful Sensibility In Live N Love Set

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November 20, 2012
Live, Mixes
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The Pacific Northwest’s electronic music scene has been a slumbering giant for quite some time, harboring enough talent to rival other major metropolis’, but without the vehicle to promote it. Over the past few years, the scene has begun to rev its engine and install important infrastructure that will ensure success for artists and labels for years to come. Much of the success to date is due to Decibel Festival, the annual four day event of all things good. Decibel has given shine to some of our favorite local labels including Dropping Gems, Hush Hush and Car Crash Set, and its organizers assist the scene all year long. Waylon Dungan aka WD4D is one of Seattle’s most talented producers and one that would most likely have been largely ignored a decade ago. Dungan has performed several times at Decibel and is a resident at weekly Stop Biting events. He recently opened for Astral Plane favorite Kid Smpl and Sweatson Klank (formerly Take) and exhibited a tasteful sensibility in his selections that is quite indicative of the scene as a whole. The set features a spattering of tracks from some of our favorite artists, as well as a few WD4D exclusives. As the Northwest awakens from its sleep, producers like WD4D and Kid Smpl will be at the tip of the wave so get acquainted. Stream and download below.

Bok Bok And Girl Unit Use Hardware In Heaven

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November 13, 2012
Live, Mixes
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There has been a growing trend in electronic music where traditional “DJ” acts are starting to perform “Live” sets. Now, I’m not talking about a DJ playing only their own music off of CDJ’s. Not some progressive house bullshit. I’m talking about an artist who has spent much of their life DJing, moving into the live realm, complete with drum machines, synthesizers and other hardware. Like every other trend, the results have been hit and miss. Some artists just don’t really know how to utilize the hardware they use in the studio in a live setting. Others are just plain bad at it. Pariah and Blawan’s Karenn project is an example of an act doing it live (fuck it) and doing it well.

It has been a relatively quiet year in the Night Slugs camp, and with the exception of Girl Unit’s huge Club Rez EP, some might be lead to believe that the foremost purveyors in club music are sitting on their laurels. Those people are mistaken. Bok Bok and Girl Unit’s recent one off set at London nightclub Heaven showed the two established producers breaking into new ground, utilizing hardware to the fullest extent for a raw, new live experience. The duo brought a TR-909, Drumtraks, Polysix, Juno 106 and an MPC with them and the results are marvelous, highlighting the technical skill of both producers as well as the malleable nature of using hardware. Girl Unit’s “Ensemble” sounds far more powerful in this setting and the occasional blips in the show add a human texture that doesn’t really appear in your standard DJ set.

Even though many (most?) of the live sets being trotted out are unrefined, it’s a good sign that electronic musicians are diversifying their bonds and moving into new territory. I respect the art of DJing as much as anyone, but it can only go so far and the reproduction of a sound on stage actively refutes the “pushing buttons”/”laptop musician” mentality.

Relive Myrryrs’ 30 Minute Boiler Room LA Set

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November 7, 2012
Live, Mixes
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One of the great things about Boiler Room is that, in the weeks after every event, we get to relive each and every great moment in breathtaking (ok, maybe not so much) webcam footage. Hallows Eve has come and past, but we can still relive the frightful Body High takeover from a few weeks ago. Today brings a short, but very rare half hour mix from Nashville’s own Myrryrs replete with enough low-rider music to carry you into the weekend. Oh and fuck the crowd. I know I’ve harped on it before, but can’t these crowds show a little enthusiasm. It’s especially bad at the LA shows *wink*wink*. Stream above and catch the podcast at your friendly (or not) neighborhood digital music retailer.

D33J Refines Live Set At Boiler Room LA

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November 4, 2012
Live, Mixes
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A few weeks ago, I predicted that D33J would become the next star to emerge from the Wedidit Collective. A string of impressive remixes incited me to make that comment and his latest appearance at Boiler Room Los Angeles proves that the man born Djavan Santos has the chops to do very big things. Toting an MPD32 and a guitar, D33J’s live set is a thing of beauty, combining constant melody with strong drum programming. If you’re in a rush, skip to 12 minutes in for a brilliant reverb filled romp around and just try not to beam bright. I don’t recommend missing a single second though as there are a few exclusives from the recent Anticon signee. Stream the mix below and look out for a podcast download in the coming days.

Halloween Special With DJ Funeral And Body High

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October 30, 2012
Live, Mixes, New Music
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At midnight on Halloween, DJ Funeral will release his debut EP on Body High, an odd combination of horror flick samples and club music. But not just any club music, Body High club music. The Los Angeles-based label has taken North American club music by the horns over the past 12 months and not let go. Not much is known about DJ Funeral, but he materialized out of thin air (or so I’ve heard) to perform at the Body High/Boiler Room event last Tuesday to play some spooky sounds.. Out of a stacked lineup including Samo Soundboy, Delivery and Myrryrs, Funeral’s set was impressively dynamic and featured the most unheard tracks, presumably from the new EP. Pop this on (or this Hits from the Grave mix) at your sexy halloween party if you have the guts. Stream above and have your trigger fingers ready come midnight on Hallows Eve.

Daphni Runs Through Three Decades Of House Music At Boiler Room

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October 13, 2012
Live, Mixes
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Full disclosure: attending Boiler Room is something of a dream of mine (hayyy organizers) that has yet to be fully realized. I’m currently abroad and I heard about the Decibel Festival x Boiler Room events in my hometown of Seattle I nearly broke down in tears. Similarly, I have been unable to attend any events in Los Angeles where I spend most of the year. That’s why it kills me to see an apathetic crowd like the one at the Daphni/Four Tet curated Boiler Room earlier this week. Sure it’s awkward to be on camera, but at least act like you want to be there. IT’S FUCKING CARIBOU UP THERE. Ok, deep breath. Rant over. Performing as Daphni (read our Jiaolong review here), Dan Snaith ran through disco, acid and deep house numbers that clearly influenced the album. There aren’t many DJs out there who can meld the sounds of the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s so effortlessly, but Snaith excels in a uniquely timeless manner. Stream the mix above.

Five Decibel Festival Showcase Recommendations

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September 25, 2012
Festivals, Live
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Over the past nine years, Seattle’s Decibel Festival has established itself as one of the premier purveyors of forward thinking electronic music in the world. While not quite as recognizable as names like Sonar or MUTEK, Decibel’s focus on live performance and technology, both through its panels and showcases, has elevated it to revered status among fans and artists alike. Like any festival, the lineup poses many difficult choices, but because Decibel is held at venues across the city, discerning festival attendees usually have to choose one or two events to hit a night. To possibly aid your decision making process, we’ve chosen the five showcases that we are most excited about. Of course, it’s impossible to predict which showcases will be the biggest hits and there will certainly be more than a few surprises. With legends like Carl Craig, Orbital, DJ Shadow and Erykah Badu’s Cannabinoids project on the bill, as well as a special visit from The Boiler Room, it is sure to be a special five days. And to be honest, you can’t really go wrong with any of the dB showcases. Without further ado, our recommendations…

Beat Prodigies Presented By LFTF Feat. Dabrye, Samo Soundboy, Kid Smpl, Keyboard Kid and Katie Kate (Wednesday September 26 @ Barboza 21+)

Unsurprisingly, the good folks at Live For The Funk have put together one of the most diverse, eccentric showcases of the entire festival. Beat Prodigies is headlined Beat scene legend and Dilla disciple Dabrye who has laid low for the the past half-decade. The Detroit native has only released one EP (as James T. Cotton), but his left-field sampleology still sounds as fresh as ever. Samo Soundboy is the founder of Body High and one of the foremost purveyors of American club music. His latest release, the 5 Dollar Paradise EP, is an exhibition in acid sounds bridging the TR-303 with contemporary club sounds that should light a fire under the Barboza dancers. Contrasting the upbeat hip hop and club sounds of the two headliners, Kid Smpl will bring the Night Bus vibes to the club. Rounding out the lineup are Keyboard Kid and Katie Kid. Expect tempos to swing wildly throughout the showcase and be prepared to vogue.. or whatever you do.

Find our Thursday-Sunday recommendations after the jump…

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Jim-E Stack Stands Out At Boiler Room NY

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September 14, 2012
Live, Mixes
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The Boiler Room’s American editions have been on fire lately, LA bringing in Friends of Friends and New York hosting a coterie of young production talent and left-field MC’s. At the end of July, hip hoppers Haleek Maul, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, Flatbush Zombies took the stage at Boiler Room NY and tore it done. The one seeming outlier on the line-up that night was Body High representative Jim-E Stack, but by the end of his, his place on the bill was more than justified. For some reason, the Body High sound works perfectly when surrounded by pure-bred hip hop. Stack, DJ Sliink and Myrryrs clearly play a ton of hip hop in their sets, but it still surprised me when this set fit perfectly in between the stark sounds of Haleek Maul and Flatbush Zombies. Stream the mix below and download it here.

Young Adults Get Deep At Boiler Room LA

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September 12, 2012
Live, Mixes
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I’ve had a lot of fun posting videos of Groundislava and RL Grime from the FoF takeover at Boiler Room LA over the past few days, but this Young Adults mix might just be the best of the bunch (and we still have Shlohmo and Salva to go). Young Adults is the perfect antithesis to the fist pumping shit show that most people in the US call house music these music. His mixing and song selection is sunny and subtle. There’s almost always a 4×4 kick going, but the music doesn’t drive as much as from meanders from place to place, exhorting your hips to move before you even realize it. Stream the set below and look out for the podcast in the coming days.