Are you down with “TFB”? Well you should be. The prevailing trend in techno over the past few months has been to go as big, chunky and dark as possible, but few can pull off the analogue sound quite like Kowton…. Well expect for Karenn, the collaboration between Blawan and Pariah. All three of them on the same cut is kind of like Hannukah come early (l’chaim). For now, we’re stuck with short previews of the original and remix, but there’s something to be said for allowing anticipation to bubble up. These cuts are not for the weak of heart so stay away if you don’t think you can stomach them. Stream Kowton’s “TFB” and Karenn’s remix below.
Dauwd has inexplicably flown under our radar for quite some time now, but with the Heat Division EP upcoming on Ghostly International (in conjunction with Pictures Music), it’s time to give the man some well-deserved praise. “And” is the first offering from the aforementioned EP and represents the best of moody garage while still managing some heavy nod-ery. Most artists become heavy-handed when they make attempts at moodiness, but Dauwd handles the task with aplomb, weaving acid warped acid tones into some fairly standard garage percussion. Stream below and cop Heat Division on March 12.
Just in case you needed some reassurance (you shouldn’t) that Boddika and Joy Orbison are masters of the universe (or at least my universe), Boddika lets loose the “Mercy VIP” and now the pair get together for “&Fate”. Like the “Mercy VIP”, “&Fate” will appear on Nonplus Records’ upcoming Think & Change compilation. Like the “Mercy VIP”, “&Fate” is a meticulously constructed groover that is sure to get both hips and thighs moving at the same damn time. Unlike the “Mercy VIP”, “&Fate” falls on the deeper side of the house/techno spectrum and is certainly less of a peak time anthem. Think & Change drops on March 11. Don’t sleep.
In proper form, Jacques Greene let loose “Quicksand”, one of the standout exclusives from his recent FADER Mix. Greene finds a suitable middle ground between his impossibly smooth work (usually released on his own label Vase) and his more hard-edged productions (often released on Martyn’s 3024) on “Quicksand” and the result is as indulgent as ever. Like the best house music, the kickdrum is the heartbeat of the song and Greene’s masterfully yearning sample leads the listener along the path to ultimate fulfillment. “Quicksand” doesn’t have a release date yet, but we’re waiting on the edge of our seat for a clearer glimpse of this gem. Stream below.
When great minds meet, the results are often cataclysmic, but when great minds with equally bombastic impulse meet, the fireworks are really set off. A collaboration between Just Blaze and Baauer would have seemed farfetched six months ago, but we survived the apocalypse last month so anything is possible. “Higher” is not for the weak of heart, and while the Hova samples might be a little, let’s say outdated, the lights shine especially bright on these two impresarios. Burn this motherfucker down. Or something like that. Stream below.
Remixing a classic is always risky business, but when done right, the results can often be spectacular. Astral Plane interviewee Monolithium recently took on Jacko’s megahit “Billie Jean” and essentially abstracted the fuck out of it. The result is a syrupy slow jam worthy of only the dirtiest of dirty late night escapades. Think a zip and a double cup but with more Quincy Jones. The Victoria resident is giving away the retwerk for free.99 so hop on the vibe train below.
Ifan Dafydd has maintained a low profile since emerging out of the UK with the Amy Winehouse sampling “No Good” back in 2011, but that doesn’t mean he’s been resting on his laurels. Last week, Dafydd reentered the music world’s collective conscious with the sublime “Celwydd”. It might not be the most innovative jawn you’ll hear this week, but it’s one of the more beautiful post-“Hyph Mngo” attempts you’ll come across this side of James Blake. Pitter patter percussion and chopped beyond recognition vocals are propelled by those silky smooth synths. The bassline adds some indulgent funk, but are mostly extraneous in the grand scheme of “Celwydd”. The track will appear on an upcoming compilation from Recordiau Lliwgar, out March of this year.
I had the pleasure of seeing Teed perform his full live set in December at the Fonda Theatre, and it was a mind-bending, immensely pleasurable experience. Orlando’s musical stylings are deeply nuanced, technically perfect and huge, but also accessible as pop songs. This quality shines through on a healthy snippet of a remix of Foals’ “My Number” (available to stream below, the only release info given being “Out Soon x”). I really like talking about songs, but I feel I don’t need to on this joint; its worth is rather self evident. Enjoy, and maybe get up and dance a little 😉
I’m coming at this review firmly entrenched in Henry Laufer’s corner. Not in the dickriding sense, because to be honest I don’t really fuck with some of his stuff, but just in terms of really respecting him as an artist and being willing to entertain the most absurd, abstract ideas of what he may be incorporating into his work and taking everything I pull from the listening experience as somewhat intentional on his part.
Like much of our generation, I get fucked up and sorta like, idk, think about stuff quite a lot. Let’s say I get Laid Out. That’s a pretty fun/fruitful thing to do in this world of constant stimulus and information. It certainly is a unique perspective, one in which I can divorce myself from all the mechanisms I normally use to sort the overload of information pouring into my brain through the Macbook/eyes/ears corridor into meaningful bins. In my weird, drug addled state of being, those bins become a little more convoluted and bits of knowledge that I have accumulated mix together and lead me to some very wacky conclusions about things and how they work.
Much of what enters my being through the computer/sensory superhighway comes in the form of music. I deal with an improbable number of different permutations of frequencies and macro-arrangements of frequency clumps upon which I vaguely cast the “808 drum machine” schema. Ever since becoming obsessed with “Top Back” by T.I., that instrument has meant a lot to me, even though I didn’t know it for years. The same with synths composed generally from saw/square waves, which have constituted the underpinnings of harmony in western pop music for a minute now.
That’s why I fuck with the instrumentation on “Later” by Shlohmo SO TOUGH. I can listen and discern the different 808 hits that I have become so familiar with, the underpinnings of the huge synth bass tones, and I derive pleasure from the “comfort foods” in the soundscape. Yet, there is a carefully wrought gauze over each of his instruments that is never static; it moves, sometimes imperceptibly, but it always pushes each of his sounds forward into what comes next, and it gives everything the sense of novelty that is so prized in contemporary electronic music.
Shlohmo is one of those “pop-conscious” producers, and thus, in a critical analysis of his music, you gotta spend some time thinking about the vocal element. His treatment of vocals has been, dare I say, groundbreaking across his entire Places EP-and-after canon. He doesn’t just put cool effects on well-chopped vocal snippets, he does it in a way that crafts an entire layer of meaning beyond what those voices may be saying. There is a careful attention to inflection that makes utterly digitized voices seem so human and emotive. He takes this to the next level in the lead single from Laid Out, in which a fuzzed out voice relies on his careful effects processing to impart any meaning on the listener. The fact that, without any heterogeneous syllables, I can understand that the voice is saying “I feel it” at the soaring drops is a testament to the skill with which Shlohmo wields his “Ableton Voice”, managing to marry technical skill with the visceral impact of pop. Well done mans.
So as to not leave my earlier run on sentences about drug use hanging, let me get into the arrangement of the elements in this tune. The most salient impression I got from my first listen to “Later” was how much of a jump in song structure and development this represents for him. It’s subtle, there are few clues to guide you out of a 6 minute trance, but for me, this song is centered around three big moments, which have this awesome chorus/drop hybrid feel to them. Between the drops, the arrangement swirls around to give this awesome pushing/pulling sensation that sets up the big moments with a sense of eventuality. There is a moment of silence, and then, boom, you feel it. To me, these moments represent my hazy flashes of realization in the midst of some drug induced stupor, and hearing a sonic representation of these ephemeral occurrences puts me in a thoughtful, open-minded place. I’m sure different people will have different reactions to this music, but I think this is art that forces a personal reaction in the listener if he or she listens closely. That’s why you should listen, and listen carefully to this song.
Shlohmo’s ‘Laid Out’ EP drops March 5 via Friends of Friends/Wedidit.
In these dark times of pop music, two of R&B’s seminal masterminds have emerged from the shadows and injected a little class into America’s pop lexicon. New singles from two of the most commercially successful acts in recent memory, Destiny’s Child and Justin Timberlake are backed by production from Pharrell and Timbaland respectively, and rather than buckling to the “EDM”-tainted sound that characterizes most of today’s radio smashes, both producers provide soulful, gritty pieces of future-oriented revivalism that make me smile.
As a genre, R&B possesses a futurism that is firmly rooted in music tradition, one of the traits that make it so critically satisfying. Old soul samples are juxtaposed against contemporary crooning, making for a rich listening experience that appeals to people young and old. In the world of half-assed electro house beats and Jason Derulo, that populist appeal is smothered by a digital sheen; cheap thrills take the place of musicality in a more traditional sense. 2013’s first two big budget singles utterly abandon the oppressive polish of the pop output of the past few years and bring back the realness. A sexy swing knocks the barrage of over-compressed kick drums out of the spotlight and I think the world is a slightly better place as a result.
The Astral Plane 