Categories
Music

Diamond Messages – You Were the One (feat. Steffaloo)

In the past few years, there has been an influx of electropop artists, or at least the public’s awareness of them. The chillwave subgenre has experienced a mounding increase of artists.  Retrospectively looking out from the mountaintop of the proverbial chillwave artists from the past few years, you can’t help but realize there was some real gold in them hills.  In their early material, artists like Toro Y Moi and Neon Indian modestly layered straightforward pop melodies over lo-fi beats.  They subsequently ascended to produce successful follow-up records, which were largely based on their bold and somewhat surprising, integration of live instruments.  After proving they actually had musical talent, it put to rest any inkling of them being strictly button-pushers.

In the same vein is Diamond Messages, the UK-based brainchild of Jason Craig and Katelyn Britton.  In the beginning of their career, they released infusions of downtempo beats with acoustical charm which yielded blissful imagery, with their under-the-radar EP Smoke and Mirrors.  With standouts like Liquid Summer the EP was truly a tease of bigger things to come.  And sure enough, fast forward to now and look how they’ve evolved.   Their newest single, You Were the One, throws a welcome curveball to their fans in a way similar to the aforementioned artists.  This time around, there are multiple elements to swoon over.   Diamond Messages create a vintage soundscape in You Were the One with vinyl sound effects galore.  With indie pop vocalist Stefalloo (pictured above) on board, her voice expresses longing that’s so sincere and personal you’d think she was singing right to you.  The jukebox-R&B drums provide the beating, yearning heart of the song.  It’s rare to have such an upbeat and groovy mood ascribed to the “one” that got away, and the contrast of the lyrics and the instrumentation fare extremely well.

After hearing this track, it’s hard not to be thrilled about the direction they are headed.  Shine on, you crazy Diamond Messages.

Diamond Messages – You Were the One

Categories
Music

Le Miel du Mois by Steph Lund: Mars 2011

There’s never been a ni$%@ this good for this long
This hood, or this pop, this  hot or this strong
With so many different flows, this ones for this song
The next one I’ll switch up – This one will get bit up
These fucks to lazy to make up shit
They crazy, they don’t paint pictures
They just trace me.” – Jay-Z

That verse is exactly how I would describe Steph’s LMDM series, especially after the bomb she delivers this month. March crept up on us thanks to the February’s short month trickery and on the 28th I got an email from Steph reading exactly as follows –

its march tomorrow…..!!!!?!??!?!

LMDM is usually a month long project and I have to admit I was a little worried when I heard it this time around it was going to happen in about 24 hours but like a true champ Steph stepped up and absolutely crushed it. By now you’ve probably figured out that you can’t figure this girl out, I mean Skeeter Davis into Star Slinger?! How does it work, how is each tape so different month after month and I tip my hat to yet another fantastic installment of LMDM…

What more can i say?
What more can i do?
I give this all to you…”
– Hovito (What More Can I Say)

A 1964 song opens this one. Another track I wanted to single out is Star Slinger’s remix of The Go! Team’s Apollo Throwdown and also the Diamond Messages track, which I fell in love with on the spot when EMPT posted it a few weeks ago. I found 3D Friends when we interviewed the SKINS 19 year old music supervisor from London, you can check out that interview here, and the closer to the mix, White Wishes is another one to check out (all of their material is available to download for free on their bandcamp page)- everything I listen to by them I love. Have fun in the March moments.

Le Miel du Mois at work? That’s much better than work at work! Download

Tracklisting:

  1. Skeeter Davis – Gonna Get Along Without You Now (Theresa Brewer Cover)
  2. The Go! Team – Apollo Throwdown (Star Slinger Remix)
  3. Diamond Messages – Liquid Summer
  4. 3D Friends – Lina Magic
  5. The Drums – Me and The Moon (Clock Opera Remix)
  6. Smith Westerns – All Die Young
  7. Foster The People – Houdini
  8. Pretty Lights – Forever Lost
  9. Yelle – Que Veux-Tu (Madeon remix)
  10. Phantogram – Let Me Go
  11. Royksopp- Keyboard Milk
  12. Lykke Li – I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix)
  13. Ravens & Chimes – Division Street
  14. White Wishes – Happy and Afraid

 

Subscribe to our newsletter