Ciara has been getting a lot of love in the electronic community. Which I'm pretty ok with. I've always loved abstract pop remixes (as anyone who reads A D V A N C E D can easily see). Here are two dope ones. The first is for those who love the R&B flavor that NGUZUNGUZU were kicking on "The Perfect Lullaby" and need more. They slice and dice and stutter the original into a dance nirvana.
Then we have Jacques Greene who samples the same song but builds a different more traditional techno track around it to a dreamier effect. I love the way he stretches out her line "got me feeling like a foo-oo-ool" to convey a wistful and beautiful sadness.
NGUZUNGUZU don't play by the usual dance rules. Their beats are alien, mixing all kinds of genre's from post-dubstep bass to techno to kizomba to zouk to a bunch you nor I have even heard of yet. They are artists who put a lot of unique creative energy into their music and as a result always sound so fresh and new. Their new EP Timesup is coming out july 5th on the newly founded Fade to Mind label which is run by the artist Kingdom who previously released albums and eps on the super hot British record label Night Slugs. Fade to Mind is going to be a sister label which focuses on the bass music coming from the U.S. and if NGUZUNGUZU's work (along with Kingdom's) is any indication of the caliber of music they are going to put out they are going to be a force to be reckoned with. NGUZUNGUZU are also going to be touring the east coast with avant pop stars Gang Gang Dance in July. I wish they were coming out west. Those shows are going to be amazing. Sample the tracks from Timesup below.
I've also included a past NGUZUNGUZU favorite of mine below. This one will blow your subwoofers and tickle your brain with tons of delicious psychedelic accents. It's so bangin' it makes me wish I could dance super bad.
The video which I've included below is by Leilah Weinraub and it's nuts too. Get ready. The part where you go inside the computer model of the glass sculpture is so weird it's amazing. Also the dancing cgi hair pieces.
I don't know anything about this...just heard it via How to Dress Well. But it's gorgeous. And apparently from Berlin. Spare, new school r&b, with manipulated broken vocals (both the sound and the feeling behind them). Listen. Cry. Download. Buy their album for only one dollar! Also...I'm pretty sure it was not released in 1995 as the Bandcamp site claims. Unless o F F has a time machine and brought an auto-tuner, Pro-Tools and a copy of Burial's Untrue back to the era of lo-fi indie rock.
I first heard Araabmuzik on the this song: Cam'ron--"Spend the Night" (prod. by Araabmuzik)
The production was awesome. I loved the idea of chopping up trance into something good. It was perfect for Cam'ron who, along with the Diplomats, has used such lite-rock as Cyndi Lauper and Jefferson Starship to gangster ends. It inspired me to discuss with some friends how cheesy trance and house were ripe for re-appropriation. My friend told me that "there was a time for trance music and that time is done." I responded that "there was NEVER a time for trance music...and that means that it's time is coming." Now Araabmuzik has a new album, Electronic Dream, thatis purely instrumental and runs with the idea. "Streetz Tonight" was just named a "Best New Track" over at Pitchfork and it's really excellent. You can stream the song above...I think there's a download link attached to the youtube video site...but I didn't do it.
Here are a few other tracks from the album. Just starting to listen but I'm really digging it. Araabmuzik--"Free Spirit" mp3
Shabazz Palaces has been one of my favorites for a minute now. Former Digable Planets MC Ishmael "Butterfly" Butler has been reincarnated as Palaceer Lazaro. Apparently age made him weird, bitter, and totally gangster, and he released two amazing albums in 2009 year. The new album Black Up is out on June 28 and you can stream the whole thing at NPR. Here are a couple of my favorites of theirs. Both are window rattlers. Get excited.
This is a track from Black Up which adds gorgeous female vocals to the mix. The whole album is excellent and seems to up the abstraction and rhythmic complexity. My brain is still wading in it. So nice. Shabazz Palaces--Recollections of the Wraith mp3
Here is a new song by How to Dress Well released by the Adult Swim Singles Program. I don't really watch TV but I'm super grateful for any new How to Dress Well material. The new song is classic HTDW, so it's gorgeous, packed with hooks, noise and sonic detail. He melodically references the Michael Jackson song "Will You Be There?" but don't let that sway you one way or another. It's called "Us in the Sense of Forever" and it's title and mood is particularly appropriate to my mood tonight. Get it at the website here. And listen below:
Clams Casino is one of the hottest producers around right now with write-ups and rave reviews from everyone from Pitchfork to The Wire to Rolling Stone. He consistently pumps out songs that combine insanely gorgeous gauzy melodies and samples with banging beats and heavy bass. Pretty much every song he makes is the shit. You can get a whole mixtape of free instrumentals that he made and sent for free to MC's and were used by people as diverse as Soulja Boy and Lil' B here. A few days later he released another set of songs on his Twitter which I obsessively downloaded individually but are collected conveniently for you here. I pulled out a couple of my favorites from there if you just want to try a couple songs out first.
The first is "Motivation" which was used by Lil' B and was actually the first time I heard Clams. I was blown away by the music and wanted more...and then magically he put out a whole mixtape with just the beats. Clams Casino--"Motivation" mp3
The next one "Illest Alive" takes Bjork and twists her into a gangster R&B songstress (something she wouldn't be opposed to given her past collaborations with the Wu-Tang Clan (I would've killed to here the conversations between them)). Clams Casino--"Illest Alive" mp3
Finally Clams is coming out with a new album, Rainforest, on my current favorite label Tri-Angle Records (home of How to Dress Well, Balam Acab (stay tuned) and Holy Other (see tomorrow's post) among others). Rainforest is the first collection of tracks he's made specifically as songs...not instrumentals for MC's to spit over. You can stream the whole thing and pre-order it HERE. It sounds absolutely awesome. Extra detail, more song structure and bigger builds for even more emotional heft (something he already specialized in...especially in the realm of rap inst.). Here is a track from the new album. Buy it. He makes great music and has been giving a ton of it away for free. Let's thank him. Clams Casino--"Gorilla" mp3
Here's the official video for another track from Rainforest called "Natural" which uses footage from the excellent Werner Herzog classic Aguirre, the Wrath of God. THIS SONG IS SO BEAUTIFUL. Step to it all. You will not regret.
ps-Clams also recently released a new mix via FACT magazine. I don't even have enough time to listen to all this...how does the man have time to produce all this? His college work must be suffering. Clams Casino--FACT mix
Physical Therapy makes gorgeous, abstracted, versions of rap and R&B. His Alicia Keys remix (in the previous post below) made me search madly for anything and everything by him. Below are a few of the favorites I've found. First he samples Lloyd's "Lay it Down" and throws it into a ping-ponging echo chamber of beauty. He does thing same thing to David Banner's "Get Like Me" to the point of abstract haze. Super sweet. Stuntin' is a habit.
My Father is my hero. He built an incredible life for himself and for his family with very little help from anyone. Despite his amazing accomplishments and success he is one of the most modest, honest and good men I have ever met. He is also one of my closest friends. I can't even begin to tell you how much he has been there for me in some of the toughest situations you can imagine. I have been through some heavy stuff and my father has been and is my truest friend and support. On top of all that he is pretty cool guy with intelligent thoughtful taste. Growing up he played motown on our stereo almost every night. From Jr. Walker and the All Stars' "Shotgun" to Smokey Robinson and the Miracle's "Tracks of my Tears," our record player added a little bit of soul to our evening dinners. Mostly I remember Sam Cooke though. Our Sam Cooke LP of the classic "Man and His Music" got more play time than anything in our house. I think we had to retire it because we had pretty much worn the grooves out. Every song on that LP is a classic. But my Dad and I have a favorite. "Having A Party" is one of the best songs of all time. It swings and totally puts you in the best mood. Relaxed, loose and fun. If you haven't spent any time with Sam Cooke and only know a few of his hits I hope that this will give you and entry point to explore his amazing music. Any of his best of's are a great place to start. Truly one of the greats of all time. I'd like to bring the warmth and love and beauty of his music into your life, the way my Father did for me.
This song sums up everything there is to say about the beginning of love. I heard this remix first and LOVED IT. Absolutely my favorite song right now. I have since listened to the original and been frightened by how similar it is and how an Alicia Keys song is kinda my favorite song...but whatever to that snobbery. This remix is incredible. Physical Therapy totally ups the bliss out. If you only get one thing from Advanced get this. This also goes out to that true special someone.
Here is this sick remix of The-Dream's "Rockin' that Shit". The original is excellent. The man is genius with hooks. The remix takes it to an extra level of ethereality that I really like. E&E heighten the blissful love behind the sex. This goes out to that special someone. We all have them. Whether or not it exists in real life.
Here is another song that showcases some of How to Dress Well's vocal stylings in a true bump and grind fashion. Active Child's new album will be out soon. I'm interested to here it. From the sound of this song it will be some future R&B and we all know that shit sounds so good right now.
How to Dress Well has basically taken over 6 of the 10 most played songs on my ipod. His album Love Remains has just gotten better and better since I first got it about 7 months ago. That is not something I can say about a lot of music. Here he talks a little about his new orchestral EP that takes 3 of the songs on Love Remains and also presents a new song which you can hear above. "Suicide Dream 3" is going to be on his new full length in a non-orchestral format which is due sometime in the near future possibly called Total Loss. You can preview the other version on HTDW's new mix "Transmissions from a Wistful Place". Dude is really emotional but SO REAL.
Nas is someone who is a true legend and I am a huge fan. Some of his output is nothing less than amazing (see all of Illmatic) but some can be mind-numbingly lame (my favorite example is "I Can"). Here he is nothing short of the O.G. that we all know he can be. No chorus. Minimal beat that even breaks to let him spit fire acapella.
Ok. For today I have my dungeon themed track from Inga Copeland who is one half of the enigmatic recording duo Hype Williams. Their brand of blunted bass music has been a favorite of mine for a while now. Just two London youngsters combining elements of dubstep, psych and lo-fi. And some desperation. I love this song.
Ok so I've been meaning to do this for like a 7 year minute but here it is now. Not perfect but just getting it started. This is going to be a place for me to post new music that is blowing my mind primarily, with some of my art and photos and writing thrown into the mix.
I have a total banger to get this started.
This is an exclusive cut from Nguzunguzu's new amazing mix "The Perfect Lullaby." They are two dj's who are on to some totally next level shit. The whole mix is worth getting and is available for free but if you are anything like me you want to be able to listen to the juiciest bits without having to fast forward all over the place. So I wrote them and asked them if this song was available as an individual track and THEY SENT IT TO ME.
EXCLUSIVE! It mixes Ashanti's "Foolish" (an awesome guilty pleasure a few years back) with some Kizomba which is a genre of dance music coming primarily from Angola. It is truly a jam that has a message. A fresh sound and a totally catchy and danceable banger. And unfortunately I am in such a place in my life that Ashanti's words speak to me. Maybe you've been there too.
Get the whole mix here. It's some breezy summertime music. Tight, airy beats with R&B vocals. Check out the Brandy/Monica "Boy is Mine" remix that kicks the whole thing off. SO GOOD.
