New Tokimonsta – “Sore”

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November 26, 2012
New Music
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As de facto matriarch of the beat scene, Tokimonsta has a lot of bass weight to support on those shoulders of hers. Of course, the South Gate native handles the responsibility with aplomb, constantly expanding her production resume and fine-tuning her DJ skills. Toki has been relatively quiet over the past few months, but yesterday we received “Sore”, a self-described “orchestral epic-ish beat” that ranges in tone from low rider gangster music to sci fi cinema. Hopefully this means Toki is getting back on her grind and releasing a new tape soon. If you give her a shout on Soundcloud, she might let loose a download of “Sore”, so yeah, give her a shout. She deserves it. Stream below.

Nicolas Jaar Collaborates With Teddy Roosevelt On “The Ego”

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November 25, 2012
New Music
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In which Nicolas Jaar conjures the revenant of Teddy Roosevelt to school y’all on the finer points of the universe. “The Ego” is actually one of Jaar’s more open-aired tracks, but when matched with the odd vocals, some taken from a recent Obama interview with Rolling Stone, it’s downright unsettling. I can’t imagine what Nico Jaar’s ideal Thanksgiving would look like, but I’m sure it would sound something like this. Stream and download below.

New Fat Trel – “Make It Clap” (Prod. Lee Bannon)

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November 25, 2012
New Music
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So our favorite DMV badman Fat Trel made a song about his favorite strip club. Apparently he’s not alone either, because the Stadium Club has over 20,000 twitter followers. With Lee Bannon behind the boards, Trel takes the “Bands A Make Her Dance” approach on “Make It Clap” in both subject matter and sonic qualities. This new brand of strip club music is based on a sort of attack and release philosophy, wherein your ratchet rapper of choice says gully, demeaning shit over time-stretched production (not actually time-stretched, but in a hip hop sense). It’s all about building and relieving stress, and while the MC isn’t necessarily expendable, any no fucks given Southern rapper can fit the archetype. That being said, Trel is no slouch on “Make It Clap”,  running through regional references as fast as he’s losing bands. So yeah, shouts out to Fat Trel. Shouts out to Lee Bannon. But most of all, shouts out to the Stadium Club. Stream and download below.

 

Hype Williams En Galicia

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November 25, 2012
New Music
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On Thursday, Inga Copeland and Dean Blunt (sometimes known as Hype Williams) performed at Berlin’s legendary Berghain. A friend who attended the show reported that Copeland and Blunt’s set was short, but almost entirely made up of unheard material, the most awe inspiring (in his opinion) is what we now know as “Galice”. The song is something of an anomaly in the Hype Williams canon in that it is more club oriented than most of their output, but also features clairvoyant vocals that are somewhat reminiscent of Air’s early output. “Galice” drags you along behind it as much as it playfully tugs at your shirt. Gunshots and sirens give it a reticent air, but Copeland’s vocals are strikingly heartfelt. Apparently, “Galice” is off of a tour album called London 2012, which will surely be making the internet rounds soon. Stream below and grab the track for free here (warning: it’s a big file).

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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Ryan Hemsworth Remixes Monolithium’s “Bounce 4 Life”

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November 24, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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In which Ryan Hemsworth keeps it in the ‘Nuck family, contributing an official remix to Monolithium’s Bounce 4 Life EP. Initially, Hemsworth dulls the raucous nature of the original, maintaining its large-scale sound, but instilling a more pensive attitude. By 1:45 though, Hemsworth’s remix work slows down and gets even bigger, percolating synths offset by a massive low-end. Add another notch in the Hemsworth remix belt folks, this dude still holds the heavyweight title. Stream below and cop the Bounce 4 Life EP here.

Nacho Picasso Is Black Narcissus

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November 24, 2012
New Music
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Hallucinating at Narcissus’ pool

I’m lead to believe that Nacho Picasso celebrates black friday differently than the rest of us regular folk. Yesterday, the Moor Gang rep let loose the 9-track Black Narcissus, featuring production from associates Raised Byy Wolves and Eric G. Nacho is at his best non-sequiter game on Black Narcissus, serenading bitches in Compton and Finland and getting blown like old Nintendo cartridges. The more you know. The chemistry between Nacho and the two production outfits isn’t quite as impressive as his work with Blue Sky Black Death, but his hallucinogen-inspured paranoiac raps still sound as good as ever. The tape is presented by Seattle’s own Alive & Well and is available for free download.

New Jonwayne – “Watching Me” Feat. Quelle And Zeroh

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November 24, 2012
New Music
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Jonwayne has had quite a year, upping his beat game, entering the rap world with a tape released through Stones Throw and becoming the GOAT of MS Paint. His latest loosie, “Watching Me”, sees the La Habra resident contributing in all three categories, supplying Zeroh and Quelle with a lazy Sunday afternoon backing, an entertaining stream-of-consciousness verse and another brilliant cover. Quelle does what he does best, which is throwback backpack-y rap, and Zeroh steals the show with his nasal flow. They’re honored that you’re watching them. Stream below.

Lunice Remixes T-E-E-D’s “Trouble”

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November 23, 2012
Uncategorizable
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Photo courtesy of The FADER

Lunice and Orlando Higginbottom, stage name Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, are two of my favorite characters in music. Not necessarily favorite artists, but when it comes to antics and eccentric personalities, few top these dudes on the intrigue scale. It’s no surprise then that Lunice’s take on Higginbottom’s “Trouble” is also a load of fun. The remix actually falls on the low-key side of each artist’s production dichotomy, but Lunice’s airy synths and sharp drum hits are exactly what the doctor ordered for a lazy long weekend. Stream and download below.

Ryan Hemsworth Remixes Black Atlass’ “Castles”

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November 22, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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I’m going to be brief here, because you probably have better things to do today. You’re probably familiar with Ryan Hemsworth at this point and dude just turned in another brilliant remix, this time of Montreal 17-year old Black Atlass’ “Castles”. The remix is typically wavy and another must have in the Hemsworth canon. Black Atlass is also well worth checking out. You can download his debut EP for free here. The Weeknd comparisons are unavoidable and I expect to hear a lot from this dude in 2013. Stream and download the remix below.