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Le Miel du Mois by Steph Lund: Septembre 2012

A person named Hadders (if thats your real name) left this comment on our wall last week and it said…

Hi EMPT, I’ve been following EMPT for the last 2 years and my welfare depends deeply on your LMdM mixes. They’re unbelievable. Can’t wait for the next one and thanks for the music…”

That made my day and it got me going enough to wake up this morning and finally put together the September 2012 edition of LMDM and unbelievable would be the best way to describe it. As usual, Steph manages to make an amazing tape that is a complete 360 degree turn from the last –

Well, tell me then which of these various styles you think is the best then huh? 
The best I hear is the combined, the best of all styles. Put them together.”

I forget what movie I got that from but it’s the best way to try describe Stephs style – a constantly evolving blend of everything great music has to off.  I love that. If you take a look at the world around us, it seems like everyone is trying so hard to be something, to be classified, defined and identified. There are benefits to that and it certainly is comfortable and makes thing easy to understand but my problem with such thinking is that the second you become so defined you’ve instantly limited your experience. I’m not just talking about music here, it applies to all facets of life and can lead to severe lameness if not carefully observed. You ever meet someone who has it all figured out? It’s boring. The only thing constant is change and that scares a lot people but it’s a beautiful thing, the world keeps moving, everything grows and develops and in my mind that’s something to embrace. That’s the vibe LMDM gives me because I never know what to expect. Each tape continues to seduce and keep me on the edge and it’s wonderful. So Hadder (if thats your real name), I’ll join you in thanking Steph for this great experience. From start to end, month after month it truly is unbelievable, enjoy.

12 tracks for September. With one bonus. A month that rolls from one season to the next, September leaves us desperate to keep the sun but the season will change no matter how bad we might not want it to. heres to celebrating what was and whats to come… “

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

Tracklisting:

  1. Crystal Fighters – At Home (Passion Pit Remix)
  2. Elite Gymnastics – Here in Heaven
  3. ALPINE – Hands (Goldroom Remix)
  4. Yuno – Sunlight
  5. Night Panther – Snudge
  6. Silent Rider – I Was A Bomb
  7. Cheers Elephant – Leaves
  8. ODESZA – Above The Middle
  9. Chromatics – Circled Sun
  10. Teen Daze – The Future (Jess Ruins Remix)
  11. Pale Seas – Bodies (Tropics Remix)
  12. Work Drugs – License To Drive
  13. Bonus: Tears for Fears – Everybody Wants To Rule The World
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EMPT Presents – S U M M E R : a n t i – w i n t e r 3d by Ryan Radler

I used to wanna rap like Jay-Z
Now I feel I could run laps around Jay-Z
Nas ain’t seen nothing this nasty
B.I.G. & Pac got it coming when I pass too
You got the mic, I ain’t the one you wanna pass to

My ni$*@s say my new shit past due
I paid dues, even got that shit tattooed
HiiiPoWeR on another plateau
I know you know we need a few plaques too…” – Ab Soul

I love those lyrics. That’s the confidence, belief and attitude one needs to make progress. You can never sit around looking at the throne as something that can’t be achieved. You work hard, create your own lane, challenge it and get what you demand from it – in order to be the best, you must challenge the best.

That 41st law mentality is what makes Ab Soul is one of my favorite rappers right now. Aside from being highly intelligent, he sounds driven, like he cares about being great, like he practices everyday and wants no one to question his ability as a rapper. That use to be the norm in Hip Hop, you couldn’t try to be rapper without being incredibly good at it. I’m not talking Mr. Brainwash good here, I’m talking Picasso great. You had to be amazing, you had to innovate, you had to have your own style, you had to be the real deal. In the age of “swag” rappers the playing field is different but it’s nice to know there are still people that still value mastery and perfection of their craft. So many people want recognition or success, few actually know what it really takes, even less are truly willing to do it.

So why all the talk about rap in during a Ryan Radler release? Well it’s simple, these tapes come with that same fire and artistic integrity to not just exist but stand out as something special and worth while. I love that energy more than anything in an artist, it’s seductive, irresistible and necessary. When are artist is in the zone and that energy translates to their work the observers mind opens up and respects it. That’s usually when people say – I don’t really like this type of music but this is cool. I haven’t heard a Ryan Radler tape that hasn’t done that to me and I love it. That said, press play on this one and feel the energy of someone working hard to be great. Immerse yourselves in the Ryan Radler zone, it will treat you right.

S U M M E R :  a n t i – w i n t e r   3 D

  1. GRAND RESORT – Night Is Dark
  2. MILES BONNY x B.LEWIS – Bottom To Top
  3. XXYYXX – Tied2U
  4. JOHNNY HAMMOND – Can’t We Smile
  5. WARPAINT – Undertow (Blackbird Blackbird Remix)
  6. SANDRO BRUGNOLINI – Alipid vs. Franciose Hardy
  7. GORDON REES – In a Bossa Mood
  8. FRANKIE ROSE – Know Me
  9. PHÉDRA – Aphrodite
  10. FINAL DJs – Salt On Our Skin (Sebastian Scotch remix / Normandy Edit)
  11. LABYRINTH EAR – Snow White (DREAMTRAK Remix)
  12. SMASHING PUMPKINS – 1979 (StardonE Remix)
  13. BRAIDS – Glass Deers (Teen Daze Remix)
  14. YOUNG MAN – Fate
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Le Miel du Mois by Steph Lund: Juillet 2012

If you haven’t noticed by now EMPT is in a new era. Some have noticed the new direction and expressed concern but in my mind if you’re not getting better you’re getting worse. Sometimes you have to be a little disruptive to move forward and break your comfort zone which may be keeping you stuck in a certain place or patten. Think of a company like RIM, what they were doing in their glory days was awesome, they innovated the smartphone yet they rested on their laurels and never disrupted their own patterns. Instead they let another company come along and do it for them. Steve Jobs always said it’s better to cannibalise your own products with something newer and better than let your competition do it for you, I couldn’t agree more.

That said, we’ve destroyed our old ways to rebuild something brand new and now we’re giving you more music than ever, more variety and more perspective yet it’s all still within the taste and style of the EMPT you know and love. We’ve got an all-star team of writers, Ryan Radler bringing nothing but mixtape greatness, Mollie keeping things going and oh did I forget to mention we still have Steph Lund’s beloved Le Miel du Mois on our roster…

Let’s take it to the basics, you in the midst of greatness,
My Martin was a Maison rock Margielas with no laces…” – VSVP Rocky 

So here we are another Monday, another installment of LMDM and it’s fantastic – tell me something new. As usual Steph covers the full spectrum constantly taking us to and fro bittersweet love, desperation, lust, hope, dance, chill out, summer times, good times, you name it. I can’t stress this enough, do not let your microwave listening habits interfere with experiencing this tape. Every single song was selected and sequenced a certain way for your listening pleasure so do yourself a favor, press play and let take on the LMDM experience, you won’t regret it. Enjoy.

Diamonds, pearls, they feel alright. when i see you standing there, the evening sun upon your hair. covered up with garden dirt. with just one glance you tear my skirt.”

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

Tracklisting:

  1. The N’ere Dowells – Comets
  2. Atlas Genius – Backseat
  3. Nicolas Jaar – With Just One Glance You (feat. Scout Larue & Will Epstein)
  4. Beach House – Myth
  5. The Concept – Gimme Twice
  6. MRTN – Slow (Apparent Motion Remix)
  7. Breakfast in Fur – Shine
  8. Purity Ring – Obedear
  9. Youth Lagoon – The Hunt
  10. Goldroom – Fifteen (Oxford Remix)
  11. Way Yes – Gino
  12. The Rapture – Sail Away (Digitalism Remix)
  13. Twin Shadow – Five Seconds
  14. Dont Wait Animate – The Hunger (Synkro Remix)
  15. Wild Belle – Keep You
  16. Zambri – Hundred Hearts (Teen Daze Remix)
  17. Nicolas Jaar – The Electric Prunes — Holy Are You (There Is No God Edit) [Reprise]
  18. Arthur Beatrice – Midland (Bwana Remix)
  19. Southern Shores – Take Me Anywhere

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Le Miel du Mois by Steph Lund: Avril 2012

t w e n t y o n e songs of Le Miel du Mois! What the f%*k is a Monday blues?

Steph is back with this installment of LMDM and it’s another wonderfully eclectic blend of everything you didn’t even know you loved. Stephs all-embracing approach to music is one of the reasons why LMDM has been and continues to be one of the most interesting mix tapes on any side of the globe. I don’t know about you but I get bored quick fast listening to the same music or style over and over. Musical monogamy is not a concept I can get behind. Our minds are capable of processing anything we throw at it so to limit yourself to just one style of expression or one type of artist is a crime of the highest order. Thankfully, once a month Steph delivers like that perfect lover everyone dreams of – unpredictable, surprising, interesting, risky and totally in tune with your wants and desires at the moment without you having to say a word. Gotta love it.

I have listened to Youth Lagoon on repeat more times than you should really repeat anything in one hour/day/week/month. Same for The Drums,  who are playing in New York this Sunday if you are in NY, go. Other monthly obsessions include the sun and no-reason car rides so I can listen to whatever I’m listening to (probably Youth Lagoon) longer before having to go inside. And here we go…

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

Tracklisting:

  1. Midi Matilda – Day Dreams (MyKill Remix)
  2. Craft Spells- Party Talk
  3. Neon Indian – Hex Girlfriend
  4. Germany Germany – Sleeping Pills
  5. Beach Fossils – Calyer
  6. Teen Daze – The Future
  7. Yppah – Film Burn (Feat. Anomie Bell)
  8. Wise Blood – Loud Mouths
  9. Young Liars – Colours (Teen Daze Remix)
  10. Youth Lagoon – Afternoon
  11. Phantogram – Don’t Move
  12. Oberhofer – Heart
  13. Grimes – Vanessa
  14. Slothpop – Magenta (WAY YES Remix)
  15. The Drums I Dont Want To Go Alone
  16. Caandides – Sun Way Too Low
  17. Niki and the Dove- Mother Protect (Goldroom Remix)
  18. Ornette – Crazy Extended Club Version (Noze Remix)
  19. Young Wonder – Orange
  20. Kindness- House
  21. Troubleman – Electric Guest
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EMPT Presents – S U M M E R : a n t i – w i n t e r 2 b by Ryan Radler

So I’ve been stuck in the Dominican Republic since my gig on Saturday thanks to the ultra hyped junior hurricane Irene. The irony of being stuck in the Caribbean because of a hurricane in New York of all places is pretty funny but it’s beautiful down here so I’m not complaining. Saturday at Praia down here was sick, the ShaveUrLegz.com did it up with the promotion and the place was packed and bumpin’ all night. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, these guys are doing something fantastic for Dominican culture and I couldn’t feel more privileged be a part of it. There will be a lot more going on between us so stay tuned for the exciting future developments.

In case you didn’t notice, I didn’t get around to posting much this weekend, the island sun was calling me and I had no choice but to listen. However, the show much go on and today we have yet another exclusive release from the main man Ryan Radler. I’ve been partying nonstop since I got here and now I’m finally poolside in my hotel with this tape in the background and the vibe is sublime. As you can see from this website, I’m not into musical monogamy, I listen to EVERYTHING, including country and that’s one of the reasons I love these tapes so much. Ryan wonderfully balances the chilled out summer theme but is never restricted to any particular style of genre. For the musically promiscuous like myself a wonderful treat. Anyways, you guys already know this by now so I’m going to go continue enjoying DR, won’t be back for at least another two weeks so I have to make it last. Enjoy.

S U M M E R : anti-winter 2b

1. Bury Us Alive – STARF*CKER
2. For Paulina – TEEN DAZE
3. Before – WASHED OUT
4. All Around and Away – WIN SISTER (TEEN DAZE REMIX)
5. Rio – ADVENTURE
6. Mr. Lucky (Goes Latin) – HENRY MANCINI
7. Chinatown – DESTROYER
9. Coconut Milk – CHOONGUM
10. The Echo – VOXHAUL BROADCAST
11. Fairlight – COM TRUISE
12. Money – THE DRUMS (CRAFT SPELLS REMIX)
13. Kelly Watch The Hole – CCC (FEAT. BEATLES)
14. Nordic Monster – TIMMY CURRANe Go – TW
15. Joanna – LITTLE COMETS (AMTRACK REMIX)
16. Little White Doves – DIRTY VEGAS
17. Everybody – PNAU
18. Midnight City – M83
19. Something Stupid – FRANK & NANCY SINATRA

EMPT Presents – S U M M E R : a n t i – w i n t e r 2 b by Ryan Radler by Et Musique Pour Tous

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EMPT Presents – S U M M E R : a n t i – w i n t e r 2A by Ryan Radler

Last week we experienced some major player hating from The Man that eventually led to a subpar release of anti-winter 3A. If you haven’t heard or downloaded that one yet check out last weeks post here and spread the word, the kid Ryan Radler is bringing nothing but heat and something that good should not be left unknown. We’ve had many set backs with The Industry & it’s minions in our day but every time we come back swinging even harder and this time it’s no different. We’re 4 weeks and running with exclusive releases of the absolute best summer mixtape series on the web and we couldn’t be more excited about it. When we’re done with the anti-winter series I’m going to do a post featuring all of them so you guys can see just what this guy is doing here. From the custom artwork to the limitless sounds, these tapes are bleeding style and we can’t take ’em for granted…

I ended up spending the entire winter of 2011 developing all my mixes. Cold, blustery weekends you could find me snug in my loft researching and archiving the songs that I would then throw into Logic Pro for the fine-tuning mix sessions. In a cathartic twist, projecting myself into the Summer through the mixes actually made me forget the void left after the January heat wave in LA. I have channeled my “yearning for Summer” through these mixes and now, after many months, we have finally arrived!

We like to use music around these parts for all sorts of healing so that philosophy is right up our alley. Is it just me or does that blonde have really nice hair? Alright, I’m gonna go get all my work done to this fantastic soundtrack, you should do the same. Enjoy.

S U M M E R : a n t i – w i n t e r 2A

1. Bermuda – KISSES
2. Eastover Wives – DENT MAY
3. Got Blinded – TORO Y MOI
4. Gone for Summer – TEEN DAZE
5. Albatross – FLEETWOOD MAC
6. Stillness is The Move – DIRTY PROJECTORS (HIDDEN CAT REMIX)
7. She Comes Alive – BABY MONSTER
8. From the Morning Heat – CRAFT SPELLS
9. Tunnelvision – HERE WE GO MAGIC (TEEN DAZE REMIX)
10. Summer Samba (So Nice) [Samba de Verão] – WALTER WANDERLEY
11. Weak Condition – MAXX FEMM (PAUL LAYTON)
12. Wait and See – HOLY GHOST
13. Que Veux Tu – YELLE (MADEON REMIX)
14. The Bay – METRONOMY (EROL ALKAN REMIX)
15. Do You Believe – POOLSIDE
16. Freebirds – LOVER LOVER
17. Sun – CARIBOU
17. I Want You – MARVIN GAYE

EMPT Presents – S U M M E R: a n t i-w i n t e r 2 A by Ryan Radler by Et Musique Pour Tous

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Le Miel du Mois by Steph Lund: Decembre

I live in a very music oriented world, a world which doesn’t necessarily require looking at the calendar too often. It is for this very reason that I heavily rely on the new installment of Le Miel du Mois to usher in a new month and keep me grounded. Yesterday however, Steph was so caught up that she couldn’t send me the song list and my whole equilibrium was immediately thrown off. I went into a weird time warp between November and December, time froze and needless to say there was no new mixtape to help me get through it.

Today, I woke up with an email containing the song list and I realized that if I wanted things to back to normal I had to quickly get to work. I labored tirelessly, obsessing over every detail during transitions, listening to every song over and over until I had the tape was ready for posting. As I expected, once the mixtape was complete everything came back to normal and the month of December was officially allowed to start and might I add, in style.

Once again, Steph nailed it to perfection. There’s enough flavors, moods, feelings and vibes to get you through anything that could possibly happen in the weeks leading up to the new year. Le Miel du Mois is officially therapy for the music lover – enjoy.

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

Tracklisting:

  1. Generationals – Trust
  2. The Legends – Air
  3. Teen Daze – Let’s Fall Asleep
  4. Candy Claws – Lantern Fish
  5. High Highs – Open Season
  6. Stephen Farris – Alphabet Soup
  7. Chappo – Come Home
  8. Young Magic – You With Air
  9. Glass Vaults – New Space
  10. Sad Souls – Wash of Cold River
  11. Headless Horseman – Sh8kr
  12. Vanity Theft – Anatomy (Houses Remix)
  13. Of Oceans – In Love, Not Limbo
  14. The Microphones – Headless Horseman


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Le Miel du Mois by Steph Lund: Octobre 2010

Well it seems like the bigger this blog gets the more it becomes a target… The latest battle in the war between EMPT & The Industry is by far the most entertaining and while I can’t got into detail for legal reasons let’s just say I’ll be making some changes to the way music is played on this site to meet the establishment halfway, whatever. To all the creative people out there, don’t hold on to your ideas so tight that no one hears about it but make sure you have bulletproof protection cause greedy and lazy people will do whatever it takes to get a piece of your pie.

That said, listening to this months installment of Le Miel du Mois was a therapeutic experience. First of all, this tape is ridiculously good. I mean the way the music fits the mood of the city and the fall season right now is beyond words.

You crazy for this one Rick (Steph)! – Jay-Z (99 Problems)

Once again Steph drops a mixtape so unique in vibe and style that you have to immediately regard it as your favorite. I think the reason for that is how in tune they are with the general feeling of the times which is quite fresh and might I add not very easy to do. Alright, I’m actually going to go run this tape back for the 3rd time this morning. I can’t get enough, enjoy…

CMJ is the third week in October in New York City. forthebeat is putting on a show October 20th with Transparent and ABC News Amplified. EMPT will also be a part of the night, and we’re all really excited about our line-up. More details on that next week. This month’s mix includes new releases from some of my favorite new artists including Home Video, Kisses, Summer Camp and Wise Blood. Another special track on this mix is newcomers Aux Arc from Savannah, GA. Look out for their first EP later this year, tentatively titled “It’s Hard Swallowing A Novelty.”

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

Tracklisting:

  1. Wise Blood – Strt Srns
  2. The Canyons – Apples and Pears
  3. Museum of Bellas Artes – Watch the Glow
  4. Real Estate – Beach Comber
  5. Two Door Cinema Club – Costume Party
  6. Warpaint- Undertow
  7. Evenings – Babe
  8. Home Video- The Smoke
  9. Kisses- Bermuda
  10. Aux Arc – Roundhouse
  11. Summer Camp – Round The Moon
  12. Pretty Lights – Maybe Tomorrow
  13. Winter Gloves – Plastic Slides
  14. Teen Daze – Driving Home From The Beach (The Feeling Of)