Tag Archives: The Astral Plane

Chants gives me goosebumps.

Jordan Cohen, better known to the world as Chants, has been making everything from lullabies (“Way Awake“) to topshelf makeout (“I Feel Like I Feel It”) music out of sleepy Madison, WI for the last five years. After getting a few EPs and remixes under his belt, Jordan offered last November’s I Feel Like I Feel It through Seattle’s Hush Hush Records. The album defined his sound as warm and lovely and catchy and somehow perfect in any weather. Favoring drums and doing everything himself, Jordan didn’t leave anyone much choice, but to look at him and the music that he is creating. We were lucky enough to get Jordan to send us over a mix and answer a few questions about who he is/what he does/how he does what he does. Stream Chants’ Mix For The Astral Plane below and get to know the sweet man/find a tracklist after the jump.

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Mike G Mix For The Astral Plane

By Gabe Meier

February 12, 2014

Mixes, Uncategorizable

2 Comments

Steeped in millennial culture and bred on East Coast club sounds, Austin-based DJ/producer Mike G draws lines between the Internet, insular regional scenes and the ears of young listeners. It would be impossible to place Mike, born in Los Angeles, in any particular genre or sub-genre, his music instead evoking everything you’d want from the “bass” music genre without any of its pedantic proclivities. You know him via releases on Car Crash Set, Freshmore and B.YRSLF Division, but Mike’s remixes, bootlegs and one-offs might just have garnered him even more attention. Maybe you heard his “Code Switch”/Divoli S’vere edit on the Night Slugs/Boiler Room event or saw his Thomas White remix burning up the web. It might have been his collaboration with Falcons that caught your eye, released through the wide-gazing Mad Decent. Gathering up breakbeats, horn stabs and volatile “ha” samples, from across the avant-garde of yore, Mike has developed a sound in both his DJing and production that is always accessible, but never pandering. It’s as implacable as it is fun, fully existing in the prosperous nether-region of the Internet, without crossing over into self-indulgent fapping. Mike’s Astral Plane Mix elicits all of the above, a genre smashing affair, pedal-to-the-metal affair that actively refuses to be boxed in. In a simple sense, the mix and Mike G’s musical output in general offers up a quintessential progressive spirit, constantly striving for change and apotheosis. Stream/download below and hit the jump to peep the track list.

Glacial Sound Mix For The Astral Plane

By Gabe Meier

February 6, 2014

Mixes, New Music, Uncategorizable

3 Comments

If you’ve been following the deluge of “new wave” grime round-ups in recent months, the name Glacial Sound will be quite familiar at this point. Often lumped in with fellow upstart outposts like Goon Club Allstars, Coyote Records and Liminal Sounds, the Dublin-based imprint only has two releases to its name to date, but label-head Paul Purcell has flipped a keen eye for talent and an adoration for vinyl into a groundswell of UK and international support. Launched last June via Rabit’s now scene-defining Double Dragon EP, Glacial Sound is nominally a grime label, but if you’ve spent any time with the aforementioned Rabit release or Murlo’s highly touted Last Dance EP, you’ll know that Purcell’s vision far surpasses anything that could traditionally be dubbed grime. Double Dragon is a spacious effort that derives much of its sound palette from Wiley’s Devil Mixes, but exists in a protean universe of wildly twisting melodic content that defies its influences. Hailing from Houston, Rabit exists far from grime’s epicenter, but has managed to funnel some of its most left-field elements into a final product that eschews the more stultified components of the original product.

Whereas Rabit has developed and maintained a sound that is mutually exclusive in its own right, Murlo has synthesized the bright sound palettes and skittering rhythms of Caribbean music like soca and dancehall into an ornate, fully original byproduct. More than just about any other producer, Murlo’s music, especially Last Dance, mirrors the multi-cultural, multi-denominational nature of contemporary London.

Both Double Dragon and Last Dance have created a sustainable platform for Glacial Sound and the future seems bright with an upcoming Rabit & Logos white label in store. In a remarkably short time, Purcell has attained what most labels struggle over for years: an idiosyncratic identity. For Astral Plane Mix 018, we asked Paul to showcase Glacial Sound and to give our readers a taste of what he’s listening to at the moment. The result is a whirlwind journey through the kaleidoscopic sounds of London and grime’s various mutations. We also asked Paul what he likes to listen to when he’s on the go as there is a certain sense of movement (or lack thereof) that is inherent in the Glacial Sound aesthetic. Check out Paul’s addition to our guest mix series below and hit the jump for his on-the-go selections and track list.