Author: Ryan Clover

Categories
Music Remixes Video

Ginuwine – Sø Anxiøus (GRUMBY REMIX) [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Just a month after their Mt. Fuji debut on EMPT, GRUMBY has quickly returned to the scene with another masterful piece of artistry. In this remix of Ginuwine’s “So Anxious,” the duo take you on another charged journey exploring the depths of the frequency spectrum with incredibly mesmerizing soundscapes.

In the accompanying video, directed by the talented KEY10, we see a man restrained to a past love, so much so that he’s lost within his own mind, obsessed with thoughts of her image. As he tries to break the chains, the memories grow in intensity and the man finds himself in a desert wasteland, surrounded by televisions broadcasting her image. Yet, as the intensity rises, he chooses to face his past, and we see him move forward into the future, the TV shutting off as he walks into the distance.

Equally stunning is the soundtrack, pairing moments of high anxiety with driving bass and heavy drum patterns, and moments of calm with ethereal synth vibrations.

Grab your FREE DOWNLOAD below:
Ginuwine – Sø Anxiøus (GRUMBY REMIX)

Follow GRUMBY here:
OFFICIAL WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
SOUNDCLOUD

Categories
Music

Honey Bones – Dragg

Honey Bones - Dragg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is my ideal pre-Fall jam. A meandering guitar riff and hazy chords scream summer, but the claps scream wake up bitches it’s sweater weather. Seriously, stop worrying about those strange summer growing pains because summer is over and WINTER IS COMING. Hasn’t anyone been paying attention to the damn Stark family?

Honey Bones is the digital collaborative effort between two life long friends now separated by state lines. California-based Ivan sends guitar/bass tracks to Idaho-based David who supplies vocals and production. The two have an incredible grasp of funk + disco + jazz technique, blending anthemic club riffs with laid back jazz sections.

“Dragg” is the first single off of their self-titled EP (Download Free Here) and has a phenomenal electro-pop vibe complete with mellow tones and a shimmering chorus, a formula similar to many high profile Swedish artists. Take a listen to “Dragg” below and keep an eye out for further releases.

Honey Bones – Dragg

Categories
Music

Grumby – Mt. Fuji

art by Ryan Clover
art by Binky

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s that break your neck shit that always stays with you. These are the beats that transcend the musical space and become something physical that exists with you. It sits next to you, jams with you, intermingles with the very depths of your soul.

Grumby are Texans, and good friends of mine, Andrew Why and Raj Singh, who have recently come together to begin work on their debut album. Mt. Fuji is the first offering from that album, and damn is it a good one. I’ve been watching these two grow as producers for a minute, and they are really now finding their sound as a production duo. The vibes, man…the fucking VIBES! There’s so much passion and emotive weight in the sample that I can literally feel the vocalists pain as he crys, “waiting to be there for you.” My girl has been in Italy for 2.5 weeks and I’ve been dying to see her. I’ve had this song on repeat since it’s dropped. It reminds me of how I feel when she’s around. We’ve all felt that, that burning desire to be with the ones we love, to help them, to comfort them, to laugh with them.This is the theme song for that moment. Let the bass line drown you, and may the keys lift you to the heavens. This is that Grumby thump, so get familiar.

heavy x mellow

Stream Mt. Fuji via SoundCloud below:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/105440410″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Categories
Music

EMPT Presents: French Press, Vol. 1

Artwork by Evelyn Wilroy

The idea for the French Press playlist series was a simple one. Create a playlist for a blog with a french name with the word French in it. Voila, the French Press series. Ironically, I’ve never used a French Press to make coffee, but I’ve heard great things, so I’ve stolen the name because I want these playlists to be compared to the quality of product delivered by these devices. Just kidding. Like I said before, French Press was literally the first name that popped into my mind when I decided to name the playlist. Blame it on the blog name. I could give a rats ass about a cup of coffee. I’ll take a woman in the morning instead.

The French Press playlists won’t cover a certain genre, or feel, or attitude. Simply, they will contain my favorite songs of the month (sometimes new discoveries from the past) and will hopefully take you through the motions of your day. These are turn up playlists, these aren’t turn down playlists, they’re both and sometimes neither. For me, that’s what I want a playlist to be, and maybe I’m selfish, or bias, but after you listen let me know where it took you.

I’d also like to extend a massive thank you to the talented Evelyn Wilroy, who designed the first tape’s cover art and who will also be designing the artwork for each of the following volumes. Follow her blog pleine de vie where you’ll be able to purchase her work and bask in her cool.

Jusqu’à la prochaine fois que nous parlons,

RC

French Press, Vol. 1:

1. Seyi – Icecold (feat. my flatmate)
2. Sampha – Without
3. John Wizards – Lusaka By Night
4. Waterstrider – Midnight Moon
5. X PRIEST X – Samurai
6. j.viewz – Far Too Close (2013 Edit)
7. Clubfeet – Cape Town (Panama Remix)
8. Capital STEEZ – King Steelo
9. Mark Kozelek & Jimmy LaValle – By The Time That I Awoke
10. Duke Dumont – Hold On (feat. MNEK)
11. Lion Babe – Treat Me Like Fire (Star Slinger Bootleg Mix)

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/103286746″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Categories
Music

Pomrad – Pomslap

Pomrad - This Day EP

Pomrad is the alias of Antwerp based jazz keyboard player, rising producer, and solo performer Adriaan Van De Velde. As Pomrad, he is signed to London art label Earnest Endeavours, and released his “This Day EP” in April. His first release came in 2012, the “Vlotjes EP,” and garnered critical acclaim from the international community. Comparisons to popular producers Hudson Mohawke and Rustie elevated Pomrad’s status as a producer to watch.

“Pomslap,” my favorite song from the “This Day EP” is an absolute stunner of a track, rooted heavily in 80’s funk, 90’s hip-hop, and jazz fusion. What really brings everything together for me are the talk box riffs that are eerily reminiscent of Daft Punk’s early work on “Homework” and “Discovery.” I am an absolute sucker for some funky robot melody.

Pomrad performs live as a one man band using synthesizers, midi controllers, and keyboards. Backing tracks are used only when he decides to kill a talk box or keytar solo. Do your ears a favor and pick up Pomrad’s “This Day EP” now.

Pomrad – Pomslap

Categories
Music

Slow Machete – Until Your Father Sleeps

Slow Machete - Until Your Father Sleeps

Slow Machete is the collaboration project between Joseph Shaffer and various Haitian singers. Prior to the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti sometime ago, Joe spent some time in the country visiting a friend who was living at an orphanage in Cap-Haitien.

Having fallen in love with Haitian music during his first trip, Joe became interested in recording the sounds of Haiti. During his trips thereafter, Joe traveled with binaural microphones to record singers and field sounds. He continued this process for four years, after which he found himself with multiple half-takes and practice session recordings. According to an interview with Pigeons & Planes, Joe stated that “most of the outtakes occurred when I asked them to perform again, but they wouldn’t convey the same emotional vibe as in the outtake. So you’d have a ‘moment’ in a song that was very powerful, emotionally evoking, and the song would cut short. During the re-take she’d be shy, or they’d start in a different key, or someone else would take that part. So you’re left with 10 seconds that are beautiful but too short to release as a choir song.” In order to create full tracks, Joe began mixing the recordings with his own production, thus birthing, Slow Machete.

“Until Your Father Sleeps” is the fourth track from Slow Machete’s first album, “Evening Dust Choir.” Deep, burning string swells and a muted brass section create the perfect soundscape for the male singer’s effortlessly raw voice. Chopped chant like vocals added during the chorus evoke an incredibly organic sentiment that pushed me over the edge when hearing the track for the first time.

Slow Machete has just released their new album, “Mango Tree,” and it is available for purchase on their BandCamp page. Proceeds from any sales of Slow Machete music will go directly to support agricultural and educational programs in Cap-Haitien. Do your soul a massive favor and purchase these albums, they are both a beautiful listen.

Slow Machete – Until Your Father Sleeps

Categories
Music

Séyi – Icecold (feat. my flatmate)

Séyi - "Icecold (feat. my flatmate)"

As of late it seems that artists releasing the first taste of their music are doing it ever so mysteriously. The first artist to really have captured my attention in this fashion was f y f e, who’s first track “Solace” was nothing short of incredible. Ever since (and I’m sure there were artists before him to do the same, so relax) SoundCloud pages for new artists have most commonly featured one track available only for streaming, vague location information, and little biographical remnants, if any.

Enter into the picture Séyi (pronounced “seh-yee”), an act from Birmingham, England, who is equal parts mysterious and amazing. There is little known about the artist (I’m not even sure if it’s a solo act or small group), but I could really care less as long as their next release is equally as incredible as “Icecold.” The song begins with cavernous drum kicks and high frequency distortion before we hear a melancholic male voice sweep in over subtle rhythm guitar. As he delivers his first verse, a low-fi “gregorian chant” type chorus fills out the bottom line excellently making for an incredibly captivating intro.

But wait, MAGIC at 1:54. Just when the blended male/female vocals have put you in a daze, Séyi hits you with a drop that takes the track to an entirely new level. What was once a slow meandering song has become a driving electronic jam similar to the sounds of SBTRKT, Lapalux, or XXYYXX.

Based solely on the strength of this track, I’d say that Séyi is going to be an act to watch in the remainder of 2013. Let’s hope the veil is removed and a second track is released. Until then, everything is ice cold.

Séyi – Icecold (feat. my flatmate)

Categories
Music

John Wizards – Lusaka by Night

John Wizards - Lusaka by Night

It’s a wonderful experience when you stumble upon an artist who’s music blows your mind. Honestly, I can’t think of many feelings that come close to those initial sonic induced goosebumps except for a warm bubble bath or a surprise chin tickle (from a masked stranger).

Anyways, entering into the vast musical landscape is John Wizards, an interesting duo that includes South African multi-instrumentalist John Withers and Rwandan vocalist Emmanuel Nzaramba, who combine to create a blend of sounds from genres you may have not thought mixed well together (i.e. electro-pop, reggae, R&B, tropicalia, high speed African dance music, etc.) Currently, the group has finished their forthcoming self-titled debut, produced wholly in Wither’s bedroom that he pays for by producing music for television commercials.

Biographical details aside, this is some next level sh**. This is music for a beach party. Music for a backyard grill session. Baptize your child to this. While your friends are still listening to Vampire Weekend’s new album (which was great), part the longest section of your hair to the side that is most definitively shaved and ask the group if they’d like to go on a journey with you, Lewis and Clark style, into unexplored musical territory. Don’t be ashamed to be that person because I’ve gone there and the milk tastes amazing.

John Wizards, out this September via Planet Mu.

John Wizards – Lusaka By Night