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

Ah yes Monday, Sunday’s hangover returns once again…

In recent news, the S&P downgraded the U.S. Credit and apparently no one knows what that means, the stock market is in shambles and it’s only getting worse, Big Boy from Outkast got arrested on drug charges, great times all around my friends. Thankfully, Mondays on EMPT now mean the release of a new Ryan Radler mixtape and let me tell you folk, there’s nothing like some good music to keep your perspective in these times. Last week Ryan sent me an email kicking it about the inception of these wonderful mixes and I’m posting here because it sounds like me an all of my friends every weekend and listening to the tapes it couldn’t make more sense. Anyways, I gotta go work on the music for a few restaurants but press play on another wonderful mixtape, check out Ryan on Facebook and try to ignore the 25% loss on your portfolio, it will get better as usual. Enjoy.

Back in my loft, I began dreaming of Summers-gone-by. I remembered one of my favorite summers back in 2008 in Van Nuys, CA.

1. Crashed random friend’s house + Belonged to gay x-pornstar (Scariest/Nicest guy I ever met)

2. One very clean, but very ghetto “above ground” Pool + Floating blow-up chairs

3. Blistering hot valley sun + Not a cloud in the sky! 

4. 12 pack of Corona + 12 slices of lime

5. The Bestest of Friends + One great little Basenji Dog named “Ghost”

6. The “Western Electric” Summer mix PodCast + A really powerful set of surround-sound computer speakers 

Item #1 through #5 were enough to make the day a perfect “10″, but it was #6- my friends’ Summer mix music on the stereo- that made the day live on in my mind, Without the music that made the soundtrack of my Summer, I might have forgotten all about this glorious time in my life. The mix was filled with summery Rock & Roll, Electronic, and Folk music infused with 70′s loungy vintage organs and horns with conga breakdowns and dirty jazz tones.. The podcast spoke to me. It reached out and grabbed me by the floaties and slowly drifted me around the pool. It popped the caps of my beers. It took all my calls and forwarded them to voicemail. It held my hand and kissed me on the cheek and told me everything would be alright- and it was.

I have searched high and low for this mix, but to no avail. No one seems to know where it came from or how to get it back. It was at this moment that I decided that instead dropping into my usual winter depression, I would begin my own homage to this one summer day and resurrect the Summer mix that I had loved so much back in Van Nuys. 

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

1. Jump in the Pool – FRIENDLY FIRES
2. Make You Mine – MIAMI HORROR
3. Pacific Theme – BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
4. Un Homme Et Une Femme (Chant) – FRANCIS LAI
5. New Theory – WASHED OUT (RAC MIX)
6. Lisztomania – PHOENIX (Classixx Version)
7. Only Love Can Break Your Heart – I BLAME COCO
8. Puppets – DEPECHE MODE (ROYKSOPP REMIX)
9. Glad to Know You – CHAZ JANKEL
10. Heaven’s On Fire – THE RADIO DEPT.
11. Rad Racer – WORK DRUGS
12. Solitude Is Bliss – TAME IMPALA (MICKEY MOONLIGHT REMIX)
13. Zebra – BEACH HOUSE (RING TRACK REMIX)

EMPT Presents – S U M M E R : a n t i – w i n t e r 3A by Ryan Radler

Where am I? I’ve been rockin’ for a good 27 hours now,  was in the studio with the Oos & Ahhs all day yesterday, pulled an all nighter to finish curating the music for a restaurant and then realized this morning I have to hook you up with this months mixtape – Go, go, go…

Life in the fast lane
Surely make you lose your mind
Life in the fast lane, everything all the time…” – The Eagles

This months installment of LMDM is arriving 17 days late but in my opinion perfectly on time. I’ve been meaning to post about 9 of the 14 songs on the list which goes to show you how similar Steph and I are when it comes to music. There is much to be said about this line up, but I want to avoid too much talking because and let Mai 2011 shine. I’m pumped to finally have the new LMDM and I know a lot of you have been waiting so here it is, enjoy.

I decided to open this mix with Naked and Famous’ :48 intro called The Source which then goes into The Sun, my favorite track off the new album, besides Young Blood, and ended this month’s mix with one of my favorite Paris DJ’s Walter Sobcek, and his new remix of Parisian artist, Keren Ann, called My Name Is Trouble- the opener and closer of this month’s mix sets somewhat of a tone, which depending on the individual could feel completely different from one person to the next.

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

Tracklisting:

1. Naked and Famous – The Source
2. Naked and Famous – The Sun
3. Youth Lagoon – Cannons
4. Lykke Li – I Follow Rivers (The Magician Remix)
5. Blackbird Blackbird - Hawaii (Niva Remix)
6. Wave Machines – Keep the Lights On
7. Washed Out - Eyes Be Closed (SposhRock Remix)
8. Loud Valley- Daytona Beach
9. We Are Trees – Colorado
10. Siriusmo – Idiologie
11. Purity Ring – Lofticries
12. Holy Ghost! - Wait & See (CFCF Remix)
13. PEPEPIANO – Flesh Rails
14. Walter Sobcek- My Name Is Trouble

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A while back I got an email about a guy named Ernest Greene who said he was a bedroom producer with some cool music I should check out. I instantly fell in love so I posted it on EMPT shortly after. It seems like everyone immediately caught on because it became one of the most visited posts on this site, in fact it still is. That bedroom producer was Washed Out. At this point Mr. Greene is a common name for those keeping up with the lo-fi chillwave crew but the influence in his Life of Leisure EP had on that movement was instrumental and worthy of a reminder.

We haven’t heard much from Washed Out in a while but I wanted to post two tracks which may have gotten lost for a lot of people since they weren’t on any of his EP’s. The first track is called Belong and was released on the 9th installment of the Kitsuné Maison Compilation. That compliation is great, if you’re not familiar with it make sure to check it out. Belong is one of my absolute favorite Washed Out tracks and it’s phenomenal. Everything from the track screams style, summer, passion and meaning…

Let me see who you are
Don’t try to hide the world that you belong
Let me see who you are
You’re better off where you started from

I know it’s where you want to go this time
I see you where you are
Don’t fight
You’re about to figure out it’s fine…”

Second is the Washed Out Remix of Small Black’s Despicable Dogs from the Small Black/Washed Out EP.  There’s really not much to say about this, it’s also amazing and the mood it sets couldn’t be more blissful. It’s damn near impossible to listen to this and not feel better. It’s the middle of the week and I know most people are at their jobs which isn’t always the coolest things but press play on these two tracks and fade away into the fantasy. There’s something about this kind of music that makes me crave the coast, it’s so interesting how music can take you somewhere else like that, enjoy.

Washed Out – Belong

Small Black - Despicable Dogs (Washed Out Remix)

Unfortunately, we’re in the middle of a snow storm in NYC and there’s nothing pretty about it. Everything is closed so I can’t order delivery and since I don’t cook there’s no food in my apartment, these are rough times friends. As has become customary, my only answer for bad weather is good music so this morning I woke up looked out the window and immediately knew it was time to put Toro y Moi’s Causers of This on the turntable.

Chaz Bundick along with Washed Out, Neon Indian and Memory Tapes  is one the main ambassadors of the relatively new genre dubbed “chillwave”. While I could do without the cheesy name, I can’t get enough of the sound. The style is understated, relaxed, dreamy, musical and when you think of it totally out of touch with the the times, I love it. Toro y Moi’s music manages to embody pretty much every genre to come before it but innovates so much that it ends up feeling like something completely new. If you’re in NYC then you’re probably stuck at home working so kick back and enjoy.

You go where I was…”

Toro Y Moi – Low Shoulder

Holy shit it’s November and I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is another year has nearly passed and you feel like you haven’t done crap with you life – lame. The good news is that Steph Lund has been kind enough to provide you with some new inspiring music to play as you make your resolutions so you don’t repeat the same mistakes yet again – fresh. That said I present you guys the latest version of the beloved monthly mixtape Le Miel du Mois By Steph Lund. Every month is my new favorite for totally different reasons and November is no exception.

Le Miel du Mois: Novembre

Yeah Yeah Yeahs = love. Heads Will Roll has been on a previous Le Miel du Mois, BUT, there’s no real rules to Le Miel du Mois except for consistency in awesomness, plus i’m not shy to repeat – in case you didn’t know that about me “and if you dont know now you knowwwwwww”

Happy November, happy fall, time to embrace the cold and get warmer via bigger headphones and larger boom boxes to shield you from the wind. Rock on.

*Breakout artist for Le Miel du Mois Novembre: Delorean. I am already in love with Delorean, even though theycurrently only have 4 songs out there, check out their EP, favorites include deli (on this mix) and seasun – original and the remix – both on their myspace page, here: http://www.myspace.com/deloreandanz“

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

1. Delorean – Deli
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Remix)
3. MSTRKRFT – Heartbreaker (Featuring John Legend) (Laidback Luke Remix)
4. Black Lips – Veni Vidi Vici
5. Electric Tickle Machine – Gimme Money
6. Florence + The Machine – You Got The Love (The Xx Remix)
7. Metric – Monster Hospital (MSTRKRFT Remix)
8. Washed Out – Feel It All Around
9. Simian Mobile Disco – I Believe
10. Miike Snow – Silvia
11. Electric Wire Hustle – They Don’t Want
12. Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension
13. Mayer Hawthorne – Green Eyed Love (Classixx Remix)
14. Phoenix – Love Like a Sunset – (Animal Collective Remix)

If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m obsessed with anything coastal.  I live in a high rise less then a block away from the Hudson River and as with all post I’m admiring the boats docking and helicopters flying off into the sky as I write this. I sit in front of my window like a little kid doing the same thing day after day – La vie en rose. In the summer I’m sneaking away to  all my favorite small towns, turning off my phone and coming up with all my ideas, plans and answers, I mean those Corona commercials make me go into withdrawal during the winter, it’s bad. Anyways, you get the point, I really really like the water.

The feeling of being out a sea, laying on the beach or even just the air out there is something else for me. Every so often a band comes a long that captures that feeling in their music and I instantly get addicted. This summer it was Air France, this time around it’s a act called Washed Out from Columbia, South Carolina. I’d describe Ernest Greene’s sound as dream pop/lay out on the beach life is good music. I said in my Air France post a few months back that the only band that can change my state of mind on call is Van Morrison, I wouldn’t say Washed Out can do just that but it sure does come close. These two songs are from Washed Out’s Life of Leisure LP which was released yesterday. S.A.B. Beach Music, enjoy.

Sorta like a dream isn’t it? No better.”

Washed Out – New Theory

MP3

Washed Out – Feel It All Around

MP3

P.S. Here’s a very cool mash-up from the hood internet that mixes Feel It All Around with Wayne & Birdman’s Southside. Reminds me of that old school pimped out UGK first album Ridin’ Dirty. If all you know of hip hop is the new stuff I highly recommend you travel back to 1996 and buy that, classic.

Washed Out – Feel It On The Southside (Feat. Lil’ Wayne & Baby)

MP3