Jim-E Stack’s “Bubble Boy” Out Today On Body High

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July 3, 2012
2012, New Music
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Los Angeles has been the hub of club oriented electronic music on the West Coast for quite some time. That has resulted in dozens of artists labels dipping their toes into the melting pot of regional scenes that have emerged over the past several years. A number of labels have had success within the club realm, but only one, Body High, has mastered it with an impressive streak of fun-loving consistency. Sporting releases from DJ Sliink, Myrryrs and DJ Dodger Stadium, the young label run by Samo Soundboy (of DJ Dodger Stadium) and Jerome Potter (of LOL Boys) has taken the City of Angels by storm. Their newest release comes courtesy of San Francisco native Jim-E Stack in the form of the “Bubble Boy”. Stack has made quite a name for himself with his remix game, but his original work is a complex menagerie of club and hip hop influences. Whether drawing from New Orlans, Chicago or Baltimore, Stack has managed to infuse his own unique flair to original releases. Stream “Bubble Boy” below and head over to Boomkat to give some love in the form of paper money.

The Cedaa Interview

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July 2, 2012
Interviews
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Amid the Evergreen trees and towering mountains of the Pacific Northwest, an emerging bass music music scene has spread its roots. From the experimental, earthy sounds of Dropping Gems (check out our interview with Aaron Meola and DJAO here) to the space age riddims of Ill Cosby’s Car Crash Set, the Northwest is quickly becoming a breeding ground for forward thinking electronic music. Simon Ho aka Cedaa is spearheading that movement. With a spot on Kingdom’s prodigious Fade To Mind label, Cedaa has melded the worlds of Chicago juke and Southern hip hop with effortless aplom. We spoke with Ho this past week in Seattle to find out more about his background as a drummer, favorite live experiences and faulty press sheets. The 21 year old is one of the rising forces in the West Coast’s distinct brand of club music and is pushing the proverbial bass music envelope in exciting, new directions. Hit the jump to catch the full interview.

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Gold Panda Remixes Minotaur Shock’s “Saundersfoot”

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July 2, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Sometimes it’s frustrating when an artist teases his fans like Derwin Schlecker aka Gold Panda is doing right now. It’s been almost two years since the Panda’s last full length, Lucky Shiner, and while we’ve received several EP’s and 12″, nothing quite as revelatory as the album has surfaced. Nonetheless, when Schlecker drops bombs like his most recent remix of Minotaur Shock’s “Saundersfoot”, there’s not much to complain about. Apparently recorded through an old 1960’s German mixer, the remix maintains the raw analogue feel that Schlecker has maintained throughout his career. The simple yet beautiful chord progression allows the syncopated percussion to drive the track, reminiscent of Four Tet and Burial’s “Nova”. Sometimes frustration is misplaced. Stream the remix below and get it for free over at XLR8R.

Com Truise Makes a Space Age Epic

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June 27, 2012
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Princeton, New Jersey producer Com Truise first grabbed my attention about a year ago with a wonky, neuvo-eighties remix of a neon indian song. This was in the wake of that whole chillwave thing, so neo synth pop was everywhere, but that tune stood out. This more recent effort is in another league. Almost completely devoid of vocal samples, the tune still grabs your attention with meticulously designed and layered synths, which possess a fat, analog quality and an utterly space age vibe at once. The sounds develop and morph throughout the song, and the structure defies convention in a wonderful way. This song is miles away from trap music, a rare and fantastic quality these days. Stream it at the Ghostly soundcloud, and check out his forthcoming LP, In Decay, here.

Viette Presents Ratchet Blendtape Vol. 1

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June 27, 2012
Mixes
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This guy Viette has been on fire lately. For his latest feat, he’s let loose the Ratchet Blendtape. It’s like Girl Talk if Girl Talk was… you get the point. A more apt comparison is Ryan Hemsworth’s Truancy Mix and this is every bit as good (not a light statement). Whether effortlessly mixing Juicy J into Dark Sky, or laying Mike Jones over Rustie, Viette comes out on top. Check the full track list after the jump and stream and download below.

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Jim-E Stack Remixes Reptar’s “House Boat Babies”

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June 26, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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San Francisco native current New Orleans resident Jim-E Stack has been on quite a roll with his remixes. In the past he’s taken on A$AP Rocky, Kirko Bangz and LOL Boys to great effect his take on Reptar’s “House Boat Babies” is no different. This one’s got a nice tropical feel and expands into an ebullient dance riddim around 1:45. Stream below and download here in exchange for an email address.

Treasure Island Music Festival 2012 Will Feature The xx, SBTRKT, Toro Y Moi

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June 26, 2012
Festivals
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Imagine a beautiful fall day in The Bay, I know there aren’t many, but bare with me. You’re on the strange man made flotilla known as Treasure Island and facing the city of San Francisco. All around you are people of all age, race and gender. Directly in front of you is a stage with around 15 girls booty dancing with Buraka Som Sistema. Kuduro blast from the speakers as the crowd collectively loses their shit. It’s a strangely serene scene as the San Francisco skyline looms in the distance and water laps at the shores of the island. It makes for one of the most unique festival experiences you’ll ever encounter.

The 2012 edition of TIMF is similar to past year’s in that it splits the two days into basically dance/hip hop (first day) and I guess indie rock (second day). Day one is pretty perplexing honestly. While acts like SBTRKT, Matthew Dear, Grimes and Toro Y Moi are all enticing, why does Girl Talk command the closing spot? He’s been doing the same schtick for the better part of eight years now, a schtick that was never all that cool in the first place. Anyways, rant over. Day Two’s headliners more than make up for Day One’s fallacies.

What can I say about The xx that hasn’t been said? I’ve been known to make rash, sweeping statements, but I can say that they are without a doubt my favorite band. With M83, Ty Segall and Best Coast also on the bill, some of the best dance parties might actually take place on Day Two. Even if your not a huge fan of the lineup, I highly recommend checking out the festival for its location and superior production alone. Check out the lineup video below and the full bill after the jump.

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New Machinedrum – “Luster”

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June 25, 2012
New Music
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Whether he is working as Machinedrum, Sepalcure or Dream Continuum, Travis Stewart just continues to pump out forward-thinking tunes. Whether he’s delving into jukewith Om Unit, hip hop with Azealia Banks trance tropes with Lone, the North Carolina native just doesn’t stop. His newest tune, “Luster”, will be found on Electronic Explorations’ 50+ track compilation due on July 1st. A smooth percussion heavy cut meant for the club, “Luster” is just another success to add to Stewart’s rapidly growing resume. Head over to Little White Earbuds for a free download and stream below.

Groundislava Releases TV Dream EP On FoF

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June 25, 2012
New Music
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Photo by Barney Patterson

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it now, we love ❤ Friends of Friends. Shlohmo, Salva, Tomas Barfod and Ernest Gonzales are some of our favorite artists and the Pop Massacre mixtapes are out of this world fiya. It’s not surprise then that their latest release, Groundislava’s TV Dream EP, is another exhibition in excellence. Eschewing much of his previous sound, largely made up of 8-bit sounds and boom bap beats, the Los Angeles-native instead embarks on a revisionist take on 80’s synth pop. TV Dream is comfortable in the realm of Summer music, while still managing to maintain enough credibility to ensure year round airtime. At only 15 minutes long, it’s a quick listen, but is quite satisfying despite its brevity. Nostalgic synths are Groundislava’s go to and he milks them to the fullest. The title track, featuring vocalist Clive Tanaka, is the clear standout and invokes the M83 sound circa 2005. It’s soaring, pensive and cinematic. The rest of the EP fails to keep up at times, falling into cliché one too many times, but it’s not like Groundislava is pretending to embark on a brand new trail. The EP will only knock you back $5 and if you’re going to pay for music, why not give your dollars to FoF. Stream and/or buy via Bandcamp below.

Massive Attack Comes Out Of Nowhere With Remix Of Nas’ “The Don”

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June 25, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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For the longest time, I ignored the vast realm of electronic music (or I thought I di) as a whole. My high school years were filled with Def Jux and Duck Down and I rarely strayed to far from the world of hip hop. I did listen to trip-hop though. DJ Shadow was a constant and Portishead was my go to when I was in a shitty mood. I never delved all that deep into the fleeting sub-genre, but the aforementioned artists had a long lasting effect on my music tastes and occasionally my psyche. More than any other act though, it was Massive Attack that had the longest lasting effect. Blue Lines is one of maybe a dozen albums that I have to listen to once a month or so. It’s a little bit of an obsession. The Bristolians have soundtracked too many sad, strange and occasionally happy moments in my life to count. As the duo progressed over the past two decades, I lost some interest, but Blue Lines never left the rotation. Even though I truly believed, with every bone in body that electronic music was a fucking waste of time, one of my favorite albums also doubled as one of the greatest electronic albums of all time. Anyways, on to the song.

When I woke up, I expected to find the usual slog of trap and four on the floor house and techno on my social media feeds/inbox. I might have let out a little yelp when I saw this track though. 3D and Daddy G reworking the best track Nas has released in a minute? Yes please. Once I saw that it was only 3D, with the help of collaborator Tim Goldsworthy, my excitement slightly dipped, but only slightly. The track is classic Massive Attack, displacing Salaam Remi, Da Internz & Heavy D’s original banger from the club to whatever dimension trip hop inhabits. The sampled vocals take on a hypnotic quality, while Nas doesn’t lose any of the vim or vigor of the original. It’s classic Massive Attack and I couldn’t be happier to hear it in 2012. You can stream below and if there is a god (I should probably stop using that one) it will be out sooner rather than later.