New Tune Tuesday (3/31/15)
–Written by Kevin Madert
Nero – The Thrill (Fawks Flip)
Firing it up this week is Fawks, a multi-talented producer who’s quietly carved a home for himself in genres ranging from future house to liquid drum ‘n’ bass. This tune is a beautiful exercise in the latter, making the most of the uplifting synths and massive kicks of Nero’s original tune and augmenting them with skilled subtlety. The original vocals are kept intact, a choice that works to both connect the listener back to the original and pairs perfectly with the tempo shift. Grab this one as a free download and show support for a rapid riser who you’ll be hearing plenty more from in the near future.
GRiZ – Say It Loud
Funky see, funky do: The long-awaited follow-up to Rebel Era is finally here, and it’s a statement from the Detroit-based sax symbol. The message? “I’m here to stay and I’m ready to play.” The formula remains relatively unchanged, as Grant brings his tenured ear for funked-out productions and his laudable skills on the saxaphone (Big Gigantic who?) to bear on eleven new tracks. Where the producer’s fourth album differs is in the details. Say It Loud gives us a wider range of genres and production elements than its predecessors, a testament to GRiZ’s maturity as an artist. Check back soon for a full-length review!
Read More
New Tune Tuesday (1/20/15)
–Written by Kevin Madert
Dreamt – Perpetrators (Wessanders Remix)
It’s often said the only guarantees in life are death and taxes. I’d like to petition the powers that be to add a third clause to that cliché: “Wessanders putting out quality music.” The Boston native is back again with another massive rework, convalescing several styles into a smorgasbord of delicious, deep bass music. He builds the track slow and steady, utilizing the original track’s instrumentation and vocals to compliment his augmentations rather than as a way to get from point A to point B. Once he’s eased you in, the wave breaks and the drop cascades around you, subtle in sonics yet sweeping in scope. There are a myriad of minor things going on beneath the main thrust of the track that tell me Wessanders is a hell of a producer – something I already knew, but don’t mind being reminded of – and if you’re like me your cursor will be hovered over the repeat button long before the final notes pulsate into the ether.
Above & Beyond – We Are All We Need
They’re not reinventing the wheel, but damn are they good at manufacturing them; Jono, Tony and Paavo (together, Above & Beyond) have finally delivered the long-awaited follow-up to 2011’s genre-defining Group Therapy. While We Are All We Need doesn’t hit home quite in the same way – and let’s be honest, how could it? – it’s still a solid collection of vocal trance and progressive tracks. WAAWN features familiar contributors on some of its best songs; “Sticky Fingers” is a dark, electro-tinged number with vocals from Alex Vargas, and it’s hard to pick my favorite vocal contribution from longtime collaborator Zoe Johnston, although the title track is an especially emotional one. Most importantly, there’s surprisingly little filler for a 16 track steady-beat album, and one playthrough has me itching for my second. While A&B didn’t go out on any crazy, experimental limbs on this album, they succeeded in adding another high-quality piece of work to their already impressive catalog.
Read More
New Tune Tuesday (1/13/15)
–Written by Kevin Madert
Jax From The Future – 3015
Many of us spend large portions of our lives worrying about “the future,” – this intangible period of time that’s consistently laid out before us but impossible to lay our hands on. Then there are those of us who possess such innate talent and tastemaking ability that such fears are rendered irrelevant. Friend of the blog Jax From The Future falls into the latter category, and his newest tune “3015” showcases not only his production range but his desire to dive headfirst into the unknown, leading the charge rather than waiting for another artist to pave the way. The four-minute tune traverses a taut tightrope, balancing the structural framework of future bass against subtle but present deep house stylings. The lengthy intro sees Jax testing out his MIDI drum prowess (a skill he’s recently added to his live arsenal), altering the feel of the tune multiple times without making any drastic shifts in tempo. By the time the drop kicks in with those quasi-upbeat, shuffling synths (think Two Fresh with darker intentions) you’re immersed in the sonic realm of the song, something he has a nifty knack for accomplishing. Because he calls home the place many of us fear, Jax From The Future gives us novel and forward-thinking music by default – a feat that finds bloggers like myself counting the days until his next release.
Read More
New Tune Tuesday (12/16/14)
–Written by Kevin Madert
Soohan – Made In Baltimore
DMV natives in the know are plenty familiar with the multi-genre hijinks of Soohan. He’s played more events in the area than can be counted. As the co-founder of Baltimore-based company Manifest, he’s been responsible for a steady stream of talent – from Ott to Moon Hooch and plenty in between – gracing venues in and around the city in the past few years. And this week he’s given us even more, in the form of his debut album Made In Baltimore. Labeling it is difficult, but if I had to generalize I’d call it intelligent booty bass – it’s a trappy, bouncy romp delivered with a self-aware wink. The eclecticism contained in these 11 tracks is commendable even for a man of as many talents as Soohan, and the sound design and sampling is consistently wonderful – borrowing from Mulan and Ace of Base in the same song is an instant win in my book. It’s free on Soundcloud and pay-what-you-want on Bandcamp; we encourage you to support local music and buy it if you can.
Read More
New Tune Tuesday (12/9/14)
–Written by Kevin Madert
Culprate – Deliverance
Inspected mainstay and general beat peddler Culprate seems to make two kinds of music: straightforward and anything but. Deliverance is decidedly the latter – so much so that I’m struggling to fit it into a category, or indeed compare it to anything else. Sure, some of the more atonal elements are indebted to Amon Tobin, and perhaps you can hear shades of Tipper in the expansive downtempo soundscapes. But “Deliverance” is an album that rises above its influences; Culprate swirls them together like a sonic chemist, utilizing the elements he already possesses to manufacture wholly unique compositions. “Acid Rain” is a bloop-fueled, breakneck sprint through no less than four genres. “Within” bubbles and builds into what could almost be called dubstep – if only for a few measures. Throughout, acoustic guitars twang, ethereal voices vocalize, flutes toot, bells ring, and all manner of other sounds round out the vast sound palette Culprate has constructed. This is a daring endeavor, and it paid off; Deliverance is an easy contender in the top ten albums of 2014 conversation.
D.V.S* – Comfort Zone
A while back we reviewed the first single from this album, “We Could Be.” It was a sultry future jam that had us itching to hear more, and today is the day. “Comfort Zone” is an eight-pack of steady downtempo brimming with chilled-out energy. Released on Loci Records – the label run by fellow chill expert Emancipator – this album is an appropriate accompaniment for the cold months ahead. “Winter Is Coming,” for example, plods along in perfect emulation of the season it’s named for. Other tracks, like the disco-bouncing “Elbow From the Sky,” and the off-beat “Scents And Paints,” stretch the definition of “downtempo,” yet even these don’t feel frantic or overwhelming. It’s an interesting direction for D.V.S*, and we hope his partnership with Loci is just beginning.
Tincup – City Lights
This young producer is quickly rising through the future-trap ranks, and with “City Lights” he’s delivered another dancefloor-ready speaker-shaker. It’s just heavy enough to satiate those traditional trapheads, and just playful enough to appeal to the more informed listener, with more than enough of the glitchy, non-traditional sound Tincup has grown more and more comfortable utilizing. It’s head-nodding, it’s not overly serious, and it’s damn catchy – plus, it’s available as a free download.
Craz – Multicolored Diamonds
As a total unknown turned Bassnectar collaborator, Craz has got to be feeling pretty good about himself. The New York native co-created a white-knuckle banger in “Thursty,” and I was hoping beyond hope that his follow-up, “Multicolored Diamonds,” would live up to the lofty expectations set before him. The layered, slow-building tune oozes with Nectar influence, and possesses a production level befitting a much more seasoned producer. It’s both delicate and in-your-face in all the right places, and in my mind solidifies Craz as anything but a one-collab-wonder.
Bleep Bloop – 10 Watt Lazers
Self-described as his “favorite” of all the music he’s ever made, this three-track EP is trap at its oddest and most intriguing. It has all the hallmarks – the high hats, the gang vocals, the heavier-than-heavy sub-bass. It also has a uniqueness about it that fans of Bleep Bloop know quite well, opting to use a small amount of stems and samples instead of overloading each track with unnecessary sound. The result is three tracks that are both sonically normalized and hugely diverse within their defined parameters. In less words, it’s quite good.
Stel*Leo – I Told You
Unsurprisingly, the Friends With Robots crew continue to pump out fresh, quality tunes. Ahead of the release of FWR03 (set to be an all-throwbacks mixtape), collective member Stel*Leo just dropped a futuristic track with some creepy altered vocals and a hell of a bassline – not to mention a fun little breaks interlude. It’s a short, sweet track; a perfect primer for FWR03, due out this Thursday.
Read More