Tag: Electro

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Music

The 2 Bears – The Night is Young

Multi-tasking is no easy task. I’m trying to do five things at once right now and I feel like I’m stuck in a bubble going up a hill. It takes patience, know-how, confidence, and of course, time. Sometimes, it feel easier to just give up on them all and rip my bong. At other times, I try to do all five at once. Neither strategy works.

So artists with two successful and innovative projects amaze me. The ability to create diverse musical sounds with diverse amounts of people is a skill I imagine you’re born with. It’s not easy being Clark Kent one minute and throwing on the cape a minute later.

And by day, Joe Goddard is best known for his efforts in Hot Chip. By night, Joe Goddard is half of The 2 Bears. The dude has skills.

Goddard’s day job (of which I’m minimally acquainted) comes with more critical acclaim and renown, but it’s the latter project’s time to shine. And with all due respect to Hot Chip, The 2 Bears’ sound offers far more intrigue and range, at least for me.

If you’re into genres, you can describe The 2 Bears sound as “Comfort House” to your friends. At its core, Goddard and partner Raf Rundell deliver relaxing house music–“house” with a knowing soul and a kind backbone. It’s a sound that’s increasingly difficult to find when discussing “electronic dance music” or as we once called it: House.

Two weeks ago, they released The Night is Young, and it doesn’t seem like enough people have noticed the stellar follow-up to Be Strong (also very nice). That’s probably because like the men behind the album, The Night is Young features a ton of exciting artists you won’t see on billboards and likely have never heard of.

It also probably definitely lacks a hardcore, major ($$$) marketing campaign from a mainstream label, as it’s out on the independent but always stellar Southern Fried Records.

But as noted earlier, this album has got what a lot of today’s electronic music lacks: roots and passion. Goddard and Rundell will take you to the wild jungle one song, the tranquil train station the next, and then to an enclaved beach party.

The iTunes description for the album notes African roots, and it’s obvious these guys draw from a wide variety of influences, from the tribal to the funky to the all-out housey.

And that’s fitting for a duo that formed as an homage to the godfathers of house.

Despite the “Bears” image portrayed, both Goddard and Rundell are heterosexual. The name honors house music’s gay roots, of which “Bear” is an associated term.

With an effort like this, you have to think the house lords like Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles (both openly gay) are smiling down upon this effort as they bop their heads in heaven.

I’m kind of amazing the title track doesn’t have more plays. Pure balearic melody and musical melatonin, it deserves your attention and more of the internet’s:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/170338496″]

This modern reggae interpretation may be the coolest track on the album:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/162954222″]

“Not This Time” is the catchiest tune on the album and perhaps the oddest music video you’ll see all year.

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Music

Kate Boy – The Way We Are

The first thing you’ll notice about this song is the drums. The driving drums, while not tribal, certainly inspire tribal movement. Uninhibited swaying, limbs akimbo, and pure delight, is what I experience when I listen to this song. The lyrics are a slap to the face, but not in a negative way. They demand your attention and the song is nothing but an ode to self.

This song essentially encapsulates the feelings that I experienced when I saw Kate Boy perform at Glasslands in Brooklyn earlier this week. I wish all bands demanded the attention of a crowd in a particularly small venue the way Kate Boy did, because there wasn’t a single person that wasn’t engaged in some way. I attended the show by myself, and quickly squeezed my way through the couples and adorable fan boys to something that was sort of the front. I was close enough to make eye contact with the lead female singer. The entire band wore the same outfits: black baseball caps, black loosely fitted outfits that showed no figure and no skin, with metallic strappy bits that came around their upper torsos.

The performance started and ended with a tremendous amount of energy and power. I’m talking about the kind of synth and drum playing that wasn’t created by hands, but by bodies. Full body involvement in this concert, and that reflected on the audience. I was alone and I danced my ass off. If that doesn’t say something, then the fact that almost everyone I could see was involved in some sort of bodily movement, surely relays my point. At this point in my life, I think enough people (including the you all, the readers of EMPT) know that dancing and what it unleashes in me, is one of the most important activities I can do for myself. It’s like a drug, the mind just goes on autopilot. It’s also a beautiful thing to watch the people responsible for making music get so into that their audience reflects their movements. I did it, I totally tried to copy the lead singers dance moves. Was I successful? That’s not the point.

Kate Boy showed me that they were not only supremely capable musicians on my headphones and in my iTunes library, but on a stage too. I was blown away by this intimate performance (not to mention, their first in the US), and I urge everyone to see these phenom performers as soon as possible. They’re on tour. So you can do that.

Here’s my favorite song of theirs, even though nothing beats the incredible build up from In Your Eyes. The beat in this one trumps all.

Enjoy!

Kate Boy – The Way We Are

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Music

EMPT Presents Indaba Music Weekly: Dimibo – Marathon (Intro Mix)

Dimbo

For today’s Indaba weekly, here’s a fun trance/electro-pop banger for your Saturday night.

Dimibo is a new act consisting of Brennan Loney (21) and Filip Pankovcin (20) from Seattle, Washington. Dimibo patiently build “Marathon” around strong melodies by adding more and more layers of intensity, until it erupts in the later half of the track. “Marathon” is able to blend elements of house and trance in a tasteful way that never loses site of the core rhythmic and melodic elements.

Marathon (Intro Mix)

Dimibo’s Souncloud page shows only one original mix – lets hope this is an indicator of future club hits.

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Music

Cash Cash – Overtime

tumblr_mgbj7xeZmi1rzacylo1_400

Hot. Damn. This track is just straight fire. “Overtime” basically sounds like Madeon, Knife Party, Daft Punk, and–yep–Marky Mark had a baby and that baby is extremely hyperactive and multi-faceted. This joints has got so much different sounds and samples going on in it that it probably shouldn’t work, but it most definitely does. Cash Cash has delivered a blast from the past and a shot to the future all in one.

My favorite aspect of electronic music is that it’s constantly reminding me of forgotten songs, ones I’ve never heard of, and sometimes even changing my perception of these songs. Yes, of course this means our favorite songs can be torn to shreds. But when a slight pluck of a vocal sample can be flipped on its ass and turned into an absolute party jam, it’s a beautiful thing. Mark Wahlberg’s brief rap career is generally dismissed as a gaff, but something very special aside from Dirk Diggler came from it.

It’ll be hard not to get pumped up about the weekend when Loletta Holloway‘s infectious hook enters your head. Coupled with this banging beat, set your weekend off

Cash Cash – Overtime

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Music

L’Equipe du Son – Slow Notion

L’Equipe du Son is a dutch outfit that I recently discovered. They’ve been putting out stuff under that monicker for 3 years now. The Slow Notion EP was just released some days ago. And it was only after further exploration of their material that I stumbled upon Lesson 1. Which I couldn’t possibly afford to not include here. Slow Notion comes from the forthcoming album The Odyssey Project with remixes from Martin Dubka, DJ Rocca and The Beat Broker. The big shiner from that EP is Martin Dubka’s Nu Disco remix, as it was featured on Aeroplane’s latest not-so-monthly mixtape. It’s good, but in my opinion it doesn’t come close to the original.

One of my favourite contemporary singers is Louie Austen — his album Iguana is nothing short of exceptional (imho). If you don’t know who he is, I’ll describe him to you like I do to my friends: Imagine if Frank Sinatra were alive and he sang electronic music. He is hands down the world’s only “electro crooner”. Point is, the main vocal in this song reminds me of Louie Austen with every note he belches and croons. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I’m head over heels over L’Equipe du Son.

This song is the perfect soundtrack for airplane travel or taking the highway at night. Right from the start with that airplane-passsing-by sound and the first verses from that characteristic vocal you know you’re in for a treat. It has a lot of the 80’s sound on it but also some 90’s too. If you listen to the vocal track separate from the music one, by themselves they are nothing out of this world. Good, but not out of this world. It’s only when you hear them together that magic happens. And that uniqueness to it shines through.

Sometimes it’s really hard to do this, but if I had to pick this week’s favourite track of mine, it would be this one. If you’ve always wanted to start learning french, Lesson 1 is the first thing you need to listen.

By the way, Louie has a new album that came out just a week ago called What A Comeback!.

L’Equipe du Son – Slow Notion

L’Equipe du Son – Lesson 1

Categories
Music Remixes

Junior Byron – Dance to the Music (Gigamesh Version)

Once upon a time, it was 1983 and disco was nearly dead. After a heyday in the mid to late ’70s, all the haters got together and hosted Disco Demolition Night in Chicago, cited as “the day disco died.” Disco was the music of experience, of letting go, and, let’s face it, freedom. People didn’t want to think about the reality of the world at the time. Watergate, an energy crisis, the Jonestown Massacre – who wanted to face the crumbling ideals of America? Disco lyrics didn’t have to say much, but the beat did have to make your body move.

You’ve probably never even heard of Junior Byron. It’s cool, neither had I. He released a few electro/disco tracks just a tad too late to find any substantial popularity. Another artist in the wrong era. But his summon to dance still rings true for anyone looking for momentary release from the cruelty of the world. Thanks to the masterful Gigamesh, we can experience a taste of history and create our own dizzying effects on the dance floor. So put on some shiny pants (or don’t) and follow Byron’s directions:

Dance to the music
Get down to the beat
Dance to the music
Move them funky feet.
I have heard some people say they could boogie down all day.
All they do is close their eyes and let the music hypnotize, they say.”

Junior Byron – Dance to the Music (Gigamesh Version)

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Music

AlunaGeorge – Your Drums, Your Love

Hey y’all! I’m bringing you the newest single from the London power-duo, AlunaGeorge, and it’s everything you’d expect and more from this emerging artist. Released yesterday, this airy track of unrequited love goes down easy in the ears and sends good vibes through your whole body. Dazed vocals blend into heavy 808 bumps and sync into singer Aluna Francis’ milky premature voice. It’s a song so simple in its production that it’s brilliant. All components of the track wash over each other with such coolness that you leave the song feeling refreshed.

What makes this song glide so smoothly over the airwaves is the ambiguity of Aluna Francis’ performance. She expresses her inability to connect with this other and their lack of attention towards her in a tone that’s both fragile and complacent. George Reid spins this all over a fuzzy hiss and boozy back-up vocal by Francis that sounds like a desperate plea. The more I listen to this track the more intricate I realize Reid’s work here is. Layers of kick-drums, 808’s, synths, space ship noises, Casios, chimes, and more create an electronic poppy soul sound that makes AlunaGeorge one of my personal favorite artists to follow this year and the next.

You can’t say that I’m going no where
’cause you don’t know where I’m coming from,
You can’t say that I’m going no where
but I have been trying to reach you for so long.”

Look out for their debut LP in early 2013!

Categories
Music Remixes

Milky – Just The Way You Are (Allen Walker Re-Write)

 

There’s nothing like a little feel good, uplifting tunage to kick off the week, and this Milky track is a definitely a box of fun. The original came out in 2002 and was (unbeknownst to me) a European dance hit with a pretty blunt message: don’t go a-changing.

Now, the mysterious, Cairo-based producer Allen Walker unearthed the hit, giving it one of his patented “Re-Writes.” Walker has a knack for taking popular tracks and editing in a slice of electro and disco elements to them. These edits excel because while Walker doesn’t drastically alter a cut’s foundation, he’s giving the tracks a new, weirdly modern feel to them.

Walker’s style and brand of music has been referred to as “Batman House”, as he’s prone to come swooping in with some flat out bizarre, Shinichi Osawa-ish sounds that will alter your perception. It’s unique, it’s complex, and it’s good.

This edit is definitely one of his calmer works, as his originals are a wild fusion of Electro, House, and Disco.  And like Shinichi–and Batman–you’ll either love or hate Walker. But I’m guessing it will be the former.

Milky – Just The Way You Are (Allen Walker Re-Write)

Bonus:

Allen Walker – Plastic Dude

Categories
Music

Santigold – The Keepers (The Knocks Remix)

Playing at Juanillo Beach in Dominican Republic

My boys Mr. J-Patt and B-Roc of The Knocks take this one out of the park. Fresh out of the oven they bring us their rendition of my favourite track out of Santigold’s album Master of My Make-Believe.

The song is not quick to the trigger and leaves a couple of surprises further into it. It’s an electro-infused spatial disco remix (with a hint of dubstep?). The synth work on the bridge makes you want to release yourself, and then, just then, it builds up to a drop that is sure going to make the crowd go wild.

For DJs it’s a perfect track to take the set to the next level. For the savvy consumer that includes this in their weekend playlist, it’s a gem — it’ll make the guests jump and talk about it all night.

Without further ado, I give you The Knocks treatment on The Keepers.

[Image Caption]: Although you can’t appreciate it, Broc and Jpatt performed in the picture above shoe-less. I witnessed this. They were so happy that day that they slammed one of the drums so hard that they broke it. It took place (I was gonna say last summer, but in my home island of Dominican Republic it’s Summertime all the time) last Christmas on the virgin beach of Juanillo Bay.

Santigold – The Keepers (The Knocks Remix)

Categories
Music

Justice – Genesis (Live)

I can’t tell if I’m hearing a crowd screaming in excitement or shrieking in fear of some horrific event about to take their lives. Either way, nice track by some of the coolest cats around. Rock on.

Justice – Genesis (Live)