Posts in Music

Wow. just wow. this new single from The Horrors is one of the more subdued but catchy singles of the year. I know I know the band’s aesthetic or how they carry themselves might not be everyone’s cup of tea but musically its just refreshing, at times it reminds me of why I loved U2’s Achtung Baby or INXS when I was really young and I have to name drop those records because everyone else is saying Joy Division. The video below is simple and stylized pretty well, good lookin’ band.

Ariel Pink melts together some of the more popular sounds that we’re the softer side of the 70’s but adds that lo-fi touch. He would be the last character i’d expect to use a saxophone but makes it work, can’t wait to buy this record.

Zomby is one of the more well known dubstep guys in the US I think because of his digital releases get a ton of love on iTunes US and eMusic, he can be hit or miss for me but Digital Fauna grabs me right away with its catchy drive, nothing reaching for attention, and this switch up to shuffle right in the middle of the song.

You know how if you sometimes see something more than 7 times and then you finally are like okay i’ll buy in and I guess i’ll check it out, that’s how it was with Fruit Bats. I’m still on the fence of if I like it, I guess I can add it to my upbeat Americana folder, in there with America and a few Old Neil Young songs I like….there, not to shabby, maybe i’ll put it on cassette and drive cross country with it.

The Horrors – Whole New Way

[audio:newhorrors.mp3]

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Can’t Hear My Eyes

[audio:arielhear.mp3]

Zomby – Digital Fauna

[audio:digzomby.mp3]

Fruit Bats – The Ruminant Band

[audio:fruitbats.mp3]

The Horrors – Whole New Way video

New Bibio music coming from all angles, man just when I getting into Vignetting the Compost then Ambivalence Avenue came along and blew my mind and now a new EP? life is good.

A new Washed Out EP is out as well, this Phone Call track is on repeat every day in my room, I think this might be his best song yet, it doesn’t count on a slow tempo and gets me excited about what else this guy can do.

I hope HudMo starts producing Top 40 because he’ll add a fun aspect to the whole stale genre, his snare hits have a funny sound though, like some cartoony feel to them I can’t put my finger on it, either way it unique, I also like how he gets his synths to sound like a cassette player is eating his tape.

I got to hang out with Leo 123 while Eliot Lipp and Mux Mool we’re in town, a really funny guy and knows his synths really well too. He has that Disco/Hip Hop fusion sound going, loopy yet a ton of good synth playing over it all which I can always respect.

Bibio – Carosello Ellitico

[audio:bibioill.mp3]

Washed Out – Phone Call

[audio:phonecall.mp3]

Hudson Mohawke – No One Could Ever

[audio:hudmono.mp3]

Leo 123 – Silvo

[audio:silvo.mp3]

Today is a big day for the Suite series (The Rorschach Suite, The Synchronicity Suite, The Nocturnal Suite), the third edition has come out on Ghostly International. The series is a various compilation collection that explores the variety in electronic music. Also, celebrating the 5 year anniversary of Moodgadget we made the last 2 Suites only 4.99 on iTunes which both have 20 songs each, I hope you all can enjoy something on here, there is some major melody going on in these songs, below is a great description by the talented editors at Ghostly:

“Ghostly affiliate Moodgadget Records exclusively releases music by up-and-coming artists; with the Nocturnal Suite, Moodgadget not only “exposes the diversity in electronic music” (the label’s mission statement), it unites dazzlingly talented, like-minded artists working in wildly divergent stylistic fields into a grand, unified whole. Like its predecessors, the Moodgadget-curated Rorschach Suite and Synchronicity Suite, the Nocturnal Suite plays like a lovingly assembled mixtape, compiling brief, catchy, electronic-minded pop songs built for obsessive repeat listening.

The Nocturnal Suite is eclectic, but even among its stylistic diversity (the liquid space-disco of Faux Pas’ “Rose’s Lament (Gadget Edit),” for instance, sits right next to Wild Yaks’ caveman-like “Crazy but Not Afraid,” which flanks 800Beloved’s Psychedelic Furs-esque anthem “Galaxies”), there’s a distinctly nighttime-y mood, folding acoustic guitars and sleepy vocals in with its distressed beats and synths. Daedelus’ remix of Praveen & Benoit’s “Chiaroscuro” clothes a distant clattering beat in ambient reverb swells and wisps of orchestral flutes; Bluejay’s “Blurry” wraps its bedroom electro-pop around a deliciously melancholy hook; City Center’s “Summer School” is an exercise in pastoral dream-beat, a psychedelic fog of a track that drifts like a late-afternoon beachside nap.

The Nocturnal Suite encompasses dance music, indie rock, synth-pop, experimental instrumentals—and, yes, electronic music—but its emotional core is its biggest asset. Even in the closing track, Daniel Johnson’s deadly serious cover of Sophie B. Hawkins’ 1991 classic “Damn (Wish I Was Your Lover),” the pea soup-thick production turns the jaunty original into a much more resonant affair; it’s a fitting end to a compilation that turns every genre it touches into perfect late-night listening.”

Mux Mool – Ballad of Gloria Featherbottom

[audio:nocmux.mp3]

Bluejay – Blurry

[audio:nocblue.mp3]

Wisp – Arpeggiating Edgar

[audio:nocwisp.mp3]

Landau Orchestra – Wheel of Fortune

[audio:nocland.mp3]

Faux Pas – Rose Lament (Gadget edit)

[audio:nocfaux.mp3]

The new echochord release by Quantec is the perfect day starter, it doesn’t ask for much of your attention and evolves nicely, a great pick up for the fans that love deep and dubby.

Lush might have a headache of an album cover for their 4AD release of Spooky but the music is anything but, last night I heard De-luxe at the bar at 4am and it made my night. I love how less harsh this is compared to MBV and also, how did this band tour with Ride? must of been a pretty large contrast night after night during those tour dates.

Theo Parrish is a edit genius, plain and simple.

I went to see Bonobo and Eliot Lipp last night in New York, Eliot killed it, he played a ton on the SH-101 which reminds me of 2Pac for some reason. My favorite track still by him is Beamrider but he also played a couple other favs by others like Sorcerer, Michna and Mux Mool. I like the uniqueness of not only is it being a Live/DJ set but he also plays on top of other people’s music, its kind of a different way of thinking about an edit of a song and seeing it live nonetheless makes it kind of special to see him play every time.

Quantec – Absolute Level

[audio:abs.mp3]

Lush – Laura

[audio:laura.mp3]

The Dells – Get On Down (Theo Parrish Re-Edit)

[audio:theodown.mp3]

Eliot Lipp – Rap Tight

[audio:rtight.mp3]

Update: The 12″ is now available for Pre-Order at the ISO50 Shop.

The new Tycho single, Coastal Brake, is finally all set for release. Above you can see the 12″ vinyl cover art including the reverse and stickers. There is also a limited edition poster with alternate artwork folded into each vinyl sleeve — I’ll post more on that and the process of creating the artwork as we get closer to the release date.

I got the finished vinyl in the other day and they look great — I’ll post up some pics next week. The official release date for the vinyl and digital is December 8th but we will be taking pre-orders starting November 2nd at The ISO50 Shop. I’ll be posting more details as the become available. | Comment on this post

Update: apparently you can hear one of the remixes from the 12″ via the Ghostly Discovery App. If you dial in these mood settings, the resulting playlist should include the Lusine remix of Coastal Brake (you may have to click next a few times). Enjoy.

One of the best live shows i’ve seen this year will be out in Europe this November. Benoit Pioulard who is a pretty popular musician that I post about on this blog will be hitting the road and playing one of the more beautiful experimental live sets you’ll ever here. If you live in France then it looks like you have like 5 chances to catch him, nice.

EU Dates
Oct 31 Museum d’Histoire Naturelle . Nantes, FR
Nov 3 Planet Claire (Radio Session) . Paris, FR
Nov 4 The Lexington . London, UK
Nov 6 Compilotheque . Brussels, BE
Nov 8 Cave 12 . Geneva, CH
Nov 9 Hans Wurst . Berlin, DE
Nov 12 Comptoir Général . Paris, FR
Nov 13 Les Musicophages . Toulouse, FR
Nov 14 Musée Fenaille . Rodez, FR

US Date
Dec 10 The Artistery . Portland, Oregon, US

Benoit Pioulard – Palimend

[audio:palimend.mp3]

Benoit Pioulard – Ardoise

[audio:ardoise.mp3]

Benoit Pioulard – Loupe

[audio:loupe.mp3]

I spent a ton of time last night with some of the pop ambient series on Kompakt but the early years which got me into the old Mille Plateaux catalog and other Kompakt ambient albums as well. So here are a few songs that made the early 2000’s really enjoyable, makes me think about close friends designing minimal futuristic flyers and teaching myself Adobe Photoshop late at night. I don’t know if can ever relive that again, you know being excited about Wallpaper magazine, minimal glitchy websites like seeing 2advanced.com for the first time, and mod backpacks, way to go 2001!

Triola – Leuchtturm

[audio:leuc.mp3]

Sybarite – Secropia

[audio:srite.mp3]

Fridge – Cut Up Piano And Xylophone

[audio:cutpiano2.mp3]

Andrew Thomas – Fearsome Jewel 3

[audio:fearsome.mp3]

Simon Scott of Slowdive and Televise keeps the beauty from the guitar coming with his new album on the Miasmah record label. Miasmah’s discogs says “we want to make music for scenes and places” and this song Introduction of Cambridge does just that, what a wonderful way to start an album or even your evening.

I don’t know much about Pogo, I have this feeling that someone cut up and slowed down Passion Pit, Empire of the Sun, The Avalanches and a Disney movie to make it, pretty enjoyable idea for a song.

An original Detroit DJ now Brooklyn friend Lauren Flax is making bigger moves into production. Her single You’ve Changed that came out in June just dropped some remixes, I still like the original the most but this remix definitely caught my ear.

I know this is like the 3rd Neon Indian song i’ve posted in the last month but the album just went on sale today and i’ve loved it but I never had this song, probably because he sampled Pineapples, how are you gonna sample Pineapple’s without pissing off every Italo Disco fan ever, I hope this guy knows what he just did, good luck legal department:

Pineapples – Come On Closer

Simon Scott – Introduction of Cambridge

[audio:cambridge.mp3]

Pogo – Alice

[audio:pogo.mp3]

Lauren Flax – You’ve Changed (feat. Sia) [Kill the Rocket’s Slam Dance Remix]

[audio:siaslam.mp3]

Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms

[audio:chasms.mp3]

You want a gentler side of M83 or Telefon Tel Aviv for the upcoming winter months? well Jakob Skøtt and Anna Cecilia will have a beautiful Syntaks LP out very soon to fill that void. They’re giving away this 2 song EP on here for free.

I’ll never give up the opportunity to post music by Studio, this duo can’t do no wrong in my mind, I love how they give us almost 10 minute on this “radio edit”. 1:30 and beyond you get this enjoyable reverse sounding low end mixed with a slowly churning rhythm section, its worth sitting thru all the slight changes.

My friend Wisp will be on tour with Venetian Snares this month, check out the tour dates here and the song above, I have no doubt in my mind he is one of the most talented composers of melody in the 21st century.

Where The Wild Things Are comes out this week and to celebrate here’s the Arcade Fire song from the trailer. Who’s going? i’m going with my mom I think since she told me this was my favorite book from when I was younger and that i’d actually introduce myself to strangers as one of the monsters.

Syntaks – Sudden Dream

[audio:suddend.mp3]

Studio – No Comply (Radio edit)

[audio:studioradio.mp3]

Wisp – Roads Up Over

[audio:roadsup.mp3]

Arcade Fire – Wake Up

[audio:arcadeup.mp3]

Edit by Scott: FYI: Will Calcutt used a Canon 5DMKII to shoot these videos. Really amazing stuff.

There is techno out there and then there’s Audion, I remember the first time I heard Matthew Dear play as Audion and I was standing right in front by the stage and holding my hair with clinched fists, I remember looking down and I actually pulled out a good amount of hair from my head.

The slow build and swelling of sound can only be explained by the feeling if your getaway ride is a helicopter thats trying to start in a warehouse while a bunch of people with guns are coming after you(that we gotta go go go nightmare chase feel), you’re just watching the propellor false start and finally it just feels like the power of a typhoon hits you and you getaway at the last second.

I don’t think anything in dance music is this high end, unique, and hypnotic. Audion plays at a slow pace which seems to be the magic behind keeping people dancing at 5 am still because people still have the energy unlike some crap club DJ pace. The installation visuals are wild looking, I can’t wait to see all of this live. I was actually at the DEMF/Movement show where all the masked people walked around, I was one of them funny enough, really freaked people out. Below is some info about the Live tour scheduled in the US:

“In ancient Greek, “Hecatomb” is the word for “large-scale sacrifice or slaughter”; in Audion’s universe, it’s a live audio/visual experience like no other. Hecatomb is a dazzling and gorgeous assault of light that spins and twists into the ether. Musically, it’s the new live Audion—a relentless percussive onslaught that will leave you breathless. A whirlwind of light and sound, Hecatomb was created by longtime Audion art director Will Calcutt and renowned artist Eno Henze.

Audion spent the summer bringing Hecatomb to a series of European clubs and festivals—now, he’s trucking the whole light-and-sound spectacle to North America. Check out the dates, and take a peek at the new audion.me for photos, video, news, and other Audion goodies.”

TOUR DATES
11.06 San Francisco, CA @ MIGHTY
11.07 Los Angeles, CA @ AVALON HOLLYWOOD
11.12 Montreal, QC @ KARMA
11.14 Vancouver, BC @ LOTUS SOUND LOUNGE
11.19 Washington, DC @ MUSE
11.20 Chicago, IL @ SMART BAR
11.21 Toronto, ON @ FOOTWORK
11.28 New York, NY @ LE POISSON ROUGE

Audion – Mouth To Mouth

[audio:m2m.mp3]

Audion – Vegetables

[audio:veg.mp3]

Hot Chip – No Fit State (Audion remix)

[audio:notfitaud.mp3]

Blackstrobe – I’m A Man (Audion’s Donation Mix)

[audio:audman.mp3]

The Juan Maclean – Happy House (Audion Remix)

[audio:happyaud.mp3]