For the past few months, we’ve been pretty excited about the release of the new album from Seattle avant-soul lady-duo THEESatisfaction. You already heard “QueenS” and “Enchantruss,” which were impressive on their own, but the entire album is very strong and never boring. The album, titled “awE naturalE,” was entirely produced by the ladiesthemselves, Stasia Irons and Catherine Harris-White, better known as Stas and Cat. Shabazz Palacesare also featured on two tracks, which makes for an unbeatable combination of groove and flow utterly unique to the two groups. One thing is for sure, THEESatisfaction are unlike anything you’ve heard before, and that plays undeniably to their advantage as they attempt to distance themselves from today’s well-known hip-hop artists. Additionally, it should be noted that Stas and Cat put on a fantastic live show, and we can’t wait to see what they have for us at Sasquatch this year. Stream the album right here via NPR.
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.
OF Tapes Vol. 2 isn’t set to be released until Tuesday, but this morning we bring you two cuts off the album. One is a track by Frank Ocean, who features on several other songs on the album, but limits his solo presence to this song. The track (called “White“) is extremely minimal and rather brief, but Ocean’s crooning carries it through enjoyably. Listen over at Prefix.
The second leaked track, on the other hand, is over ten minutes long, so brevity is not an issue. It is notably less official, as well, having been pulled from unknown Tumblr blogs around the web. But this song, “Oldie,” features an excellent appearance from recently-returned Odd Future member Earl Sweatshirt, whose lengthy verse is certainly a welcome addition to the track. Stream the track (via one of the aforementioned random Tumblrs) right here.
Back in February, we expressed our anticipation for Geoff Barrow‘s upcoming hip-hop album (in collaboration with over 35 other artists), under the moniker Quakers, which is due out on Stones Throw on March 27th. Today, you can listen to a new track off the album; this one is called “Smoke,” and it features one of our favorites here at the Astral Plane, none other than Jonwaynehimself. Stream “Smoke” right here:
And here’s “Fitta Happier,”featuring Guilty Simpson and M.E.D., another single off the album, which was released last month:
Things have been a little quiet this week, because it seems everyone who has ever made or listened to music in their life is down at SXSW in Austin, but there’s still some good stuff making its way to our ears. For example, One Little Plane, also known as folky singer-songwriter Kathryn Bint from Chicago, has released a new single called She Was Out In The Water, produced by none other than Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet. The light, dreamy single is just a taste of what we can expect from One Little Plane’s upcoming full-length, Into The Trees, which will be released on Four Tet’s Text Records in May of this year. Also noteworthy: Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood plays bass on this track.
If you’re having trouble waiting until March 20th to hear The Shins‘ new album, Point of Morrow, I have good news. Starting today, you can stream the album in its entirety via iTunes. Thus far in listening to the album, it seems that the new release is just enough of a departure from the band’s previous work to make it accessible to a wider audience, while still staying true to The Shins’ original style and James Mercer’s unmistakable voice. Search “Point of Morrow” in the iTunes store, or head to the band’s website for a link, to stream the album now.
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.
The Astral Plane 