All posts by hoatie@hotmail.com

Experimental

Materializing from the intergalactic zone of Queens, New York, Macula Dog produce a bonkers electronic music that floats through star clusters and old Radio Shacks.Two guys sit opposite each other, one with an electronic drum kit, the other with a large assortment of synths and samplers. Both have damaged-looking alien puppets sitting on their shoulders. They create the kind of music you imagine the Devo-loving shift manager at a cryogenics warehouse would play late at night. – Noisey

Blj Jks – Lakeside

Afrocentric

The reach of Western monoculture, the end of apartheid, the Internet, mp3 file-sharing…we may never know what seismic historical shift to thank for the musical stew that is South Africa’s BLK JKS. But in the 21st century, this quartet has been loosed from history and geography. Rather than build upon Ladysmith Black Mambazo or Thomas Mapfumo (who defined South Africa’s Stateside musical influence in the 1980s) or attempt an East-West melding à la Graceland, BLK JKS emulate the grandiose rock gestures of their peers and contemporaries: TV on the Radio, Radiohead, U2. Already experiencing success at home when tastemaker Diplo encountered them, BLK JKS (guitarists Lindani Buthelezi and Mpumi Mcata, bassist Molefi Makananise, and drummer Tshepang Ramoba) soon were entering New York’s Electric Lady studio with Secret Machines’ Brandon Curtis as producer for their 2009 EP Mystery. Flashing all the (slight) overreach of a much-anticipated debut album, After Robots still exuberantly delivers. “Banna Ba Modimo” bests the Mars Volta at their own game: anthemic, knotty, horn-laced, explosive. “Skeleton” is a prog-dub concoction lanced by Buthelezi’s falsetto, which recalls TVOTR at their most eclectic, while “Lakeside” evokes them at their catchiest. And epic centerpiece “Kwa Nqingetje” reimagines OK Computer if it had been unwittingly downloaded by teens in a Johannesburg township. Let the mythologizing begin. – Spin 

Psych-Rock

Hazy Sea is an instrumental stoner rock trio from Athens formed in 2015 exploring the stoner and desert rock sound. Electric Abyss is their debut full length album, filled to the brim with fiery passion. 7 tracks of top notch Heavy Rock grooves. – Youtube

Psych-Rock

Naxatras is a hard psychedelic rock band from Greece. They have been playing together for three years developing their sound. This year sees the release of their first LP. Naxatras recorded the album live 100% analog at Magnetic Fidelity Studios with a guy named Jesus. Only analog equipment was used during the recording, mixing and mastering stages. Naxatras recorded the album at a small village in northern Greece in just 3 days.- Youtube

https://youtu.be/WNjyvtjAmUo

Lewis Del Mar

Rock

Concert Review: Lewis Del Mar // The Basement // 10.10.16 -Lewis Del Mar is an American rock duo from Rockaway Beach, New York City. Consisting of childhood friends singer and guitarist Danny Miller, and drummer and producer Max Harwood,  the group first received attention in early 2015 when their debut single Loud(y) was featured in the number one spot on Hype Machine. They released their debut EP in January 2016 which peaked at number 7 on Billboard Emerging Artists.Their self-titled debut album was released on October 7, 2016 through Columbia Records. – Wikipedia

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Psych-Rock, Rock

From the “Watch Out” (1970’s) LP. Zimbabwe Psychedelic Rock.
n an explosion of rock music that spanned from Nigeria to Zambia during the late 1970s, the revolutionary Zimbabwean rock movement, although rarely recognized and widely obscured, played a distinct role in its nation’s musical history.
This is the first time that Watch Out! will be released outside of Zimbabwe. In the liner notes, project curator and researcher Matthew Shechmeister writes, “The people who made this record, and the world it came out of, make for the most compelling and heart wrenching story we’ve ever heard behind an album we’ve featured.”
A culmination of afrobeat, heavy jams and psychedelic sounds, Zimbabwean rock uncovers the underground sound that has come to make up the distinctively African genre. As a part of the counterculture movement that took root in the country during the late 1970s, Wells Fargo rose to fame as Zimbabwe entered the last decade of its war for independence. In the face of a systemically racist and oppressive Rhodesian government, rock became an outlet for expression- Youtube

https://youtu.be/A2hS_w_v1-0

 

 

Techno

Soukie & Windish. The duo consisting of Fritz Dyckerhoff and Nayan Soukie has been creating quite a string of acclaimed releases since 2008 and have become clubbers favorites with tunes on labels like Darkroom Dubs, Time Has Changed or URSL in the past eight years. Now they’re a making their Upon.You Records debut with their new Mountain EP. – Soundcloud

House

London’s fast rising producer duo, Toyboy & Robin, have been infectiously fusing the sounds of house music with slices of garage, bass and everything in between. Raised on a healthy diet of Garage and 90’s RnB & Hip Hop Toyboy & Robin, started gaining admirers early in their career when they released ‘No More Sunshine’on UK Independent label Sccucci Manucci, which went on to reach number one on Juno and positioned a spotlight firmly on Toyboy & Robin’s slick garage-flecked productions.- Windish Agency

Jazz

Fusion-influenced jam band Snarky Puppy make exploratory jazz, rock, and funk. Formed in Denton, Texas in 2004, Snarky Puppy feature a wide-ranging group of musicians known affectionately as “The Fam,” centered around bassist and leader Michael League. They debuted with the concert album Live at Uncommon Ground in 2005. Since then, the band has built up a loyal following with a steady touring schedule and a handful of well-received albums including The Only Constant (2006), The World Is Getting Smaller (2007), Bring Us the Bright (2008), Tell Your Friends (2010), and groundUP (2012). In 2013, Snarky Puppy released the album Family Dinner, Vol. 1, which featured a cover of Brenda Russell’s “Something.” The song proved a hit and propelled the album up various digital download charts. In 2014, they shared a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance for the song, and recorded the live We Like It Here in Utrecht, Netherlands. The set was released on Ropeadope. Late in the year, Snarky Puppy signed to Impulse! Sylva, their debut offering for the label, was released in April of 2015. The album was greeted enthusiastically by the international press. They followed it with two live documents. The first was World Tour, a 32-disc box featuring their 16 favorite concerts. The deluxe package was sold exclusively through their website. Early in 2016, they issued the audio/video disc set Family Dinner, Vol. 2, a documentary follow-up to the first Family Dinner, recorded the preceding year. It showcased the band during a concert (and included guests Charlie Hunter, Susana Baca, Salif Keita, and David Crosby), in interviews, and backstage sequences. In April, the group struck again with Culcha Vulcha, their first studio album in eight years. It topped jazz albums charts the week of its release. ~ Matt Collar- I Tunes Review

Here is a 13 song playlist of some of my favourites. Click top left corner to expand playlist.

To view the entire playlist, click the top left corner.

Deep House/Deep Techno, Techno

For more than the last decade, Ron Flatter has been enriching the house and techno landscape with his own direct and energetic productions and warm, groove-driven DJ sets. Initially the young German was a keen skateboarder and hip hop fan, but the lure of dance music soon pulled him in and he has never looked back since. Over the years he has turned out a high number of consistently excellent and innovative tracks that are filled with unique sound design, fresh melodies and plenty of dance floor drive. He has done so on labels like Pour La Vie, Still vor Talent and Traum Schallplatten, always evolving with each new release and exploring fresh new ground. Plenty of taste making talents ardor the world have all played his productions in the past, and recent cuts like “Stupid World” and “Desert” have taken DJs by storm: they combine heavy drums with light, emotive pianos and well-timed breaks that thrill and surprise just when you least expect- Soundcloud

Funk & Disco

Vulfpeck is an American funk group founded in 2011. The band aims for a sound that is minimal, raw, and approaches that of a live performance. The band has released four EPs, two albums, and a silent album on Spotify titled Sleepify – royalties from which funded the band’s admission-free tour in 2014. The band’s latest album, The Beautiful Game, was released in October 2016.- Wikipedia.                                                                                                          Here is a 16 song youtube playlist I put together.

To see the whole playlist click top left corner

Beats

Ta­ku is a modern day renaissance man. Rising to prominence as one of Australia’s most in­ demand beat-makers, the Perth ­based artist (real name Regan Matthews) has found himself curator of a rapidly expanding, multi­disciplinary creative empire. Borne from a late ­night sideline to his day job selling health insurance, Ta­ku’s music has quickly become a global, full­ time concern. From early days uploading chopped hip­hop cuts to Soundcloud, the “genre ­killer”’s prodigious credits now include ambitious projects like 50 Days For Dilla, high ­profile remixes for Flume, Chet Faker, BANKS, Childish Gambino and Justin Timberlake, as well as a clutch of co­writes, production efforts and countless self ­releases.- http://www.windishagency.com/artists/taku

https://soundcloud.com/takugotbeats/sets/25-nights-for-nujabes

https://soundcloud.com/takugotbeats/sets/remixes-compilations

Folk/Singer Songwriter

Lady Lamb is a New Hampshire US artist whose music is an impressive blend of folk, pop and indie rock. Heres a 19 track playlist I made with songs ranging from just her and her banjo to full blown high priestess fuzz rock. Pretty talented young lady. 

To scroll through the whole playlist just click the top left corner.

Rock

Everything Everything are an English indie rock band from Manchester that formed in late 2007. The band have released three albums to date – 2010’s Man Alive, 2013’s Arc and 2015’s Get To Heaven- Wikipedia

To see entire playlist, click the top left corner.

 

House
Sometime last year, hazy dance music from Vancouver party/production/DJ collective Mood Hut began to resonate with a wider audience. Mood Hut, which counts Cloudface, Pender Street Steppers and about a dozen other acts among its ranks, initially self-released tapes, mixes and a few vinyl EPs that displayed equal fervor for analogue house, new age and outré jazz. Their shadowy web presence, containing screeds on Vancouver city politics, hints at a febrile DIY community emerging from the cloudy Northwest.
Mood Hut began to forge connections with the global underground by hosting DJs from out of town at basement parties. Ben UFO described the cassettes he was given on a trip to Vancouver as “really strange dusty house stuff with an aesthetic leaning towards noise,” a description that could apply to productions by fellow party guest Max D. It’s fitting that Max D’s Future Times is now bringing Mood Hut to the world. -Resident Advisor

Modern Classical/Piano

Zoë Keating (born February 2, 1972) is a Canadian-born cellist and composer based in San Francisco, California. Keating performed from 2002 to 2006 as second chair cellist in the cello rock band Rasputina. She is featured on Amanda Palmer‘s debut solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer. In her solo performances and recordings Keating uses live electronic sampling and repetition in order to layer the sound of her cello, creating rhythmically dense musical structures. As of 29 October 2012, Keating uses Ableton Live and SooperLooper software[1] along with Keith McMillen Instruments’ SoftStep Foot Controller.[2] Her self-produced album One Cello x 16: Natoma was four times #1 on the iTunes classical charts and “Into the Trees” spent 47 weeks on the Billboard classical chart, peaking at #7. She is the recipient of a 2009 Performing Arts grant from the Creative Capital Foundation. Wikipedia

https://soundcloud.com/zoekeating/sets/into-the-trees

Deep House/Deep Techno, Techno
Edward Wagner’s 4th release for his own EWA label heads in a dark and emotional direction as the Glaswegian based producer delivers his 3 latest offerings.
‘Trills For Thrills’ features poignant cello melodies underpinned by marching beats for a distinctive sound where its elements are woven from seamless harmony to deliberate division.
‘A Date With Darkness’ takes a similar line but here the strings have an ominous application. It’s a driving techno cut with a touch of EBM influence that builds into a cacophony of resonance.
‘Engima’ is the final piece with Wagner giving us more of a stripped back workout, portraying a tech house drive while still maintaining the moodiness and string-laden rudiments of the other tracks.

Techno

 Ciphers EP is a rich assemblage of deep sonic excursions showing throughout a strong coexistence of organic and virtual elements. The record opens with ´Ciphers´, where a fast paced sandy groove is driving high on drones via sparking ambiances. Second track, ´Hailstones´ is basically a beat knocking its way outside, under a heavy hi-hat hail, slashed by snares and haunted by holographic spirits. On the B-side ´Lucifero´ carries a mellow but powerful mood, sounds like a morning star that gradually transforms into a supernova, is definitely the more dancefloor oriented cut of the release. Closing the vinyl, the slow-footed ´Cocytus´ is the complete opposite of its previous track, because of a cold, grave rhythm, treated like a windswept tree. Finally, the only digital tracks, ´Mantle´ and ´Displacement´ are perfectly resuming Wata Igarashi sound signature, as trippy gatherings of crafted beats joining drones and deformed soundscapes, the first is mind stressing and epic at certain stages, while the second vibrates so dreamy as it´s made of percussions and supernatural blows. -Midgar Records

 

Uncategorized

Biography

A singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist — with an emphasis on the latter — Farao paints hypnotic electronic-acoustic soundscapes that are at once rooted in approachable folk, off-kilter orchestral rock, and spaced-out electronica, with the underlying tone of a storm brewing. Farao is the performance alias of Kari Jahnsen (Hella Better Dancer, Anna Lean & the Orchids), who was born and raised in rural Valdres, Norway. She relocated to Oslo before writing and recording her eponymous debut EP in Reykjavik, Iceland. Also partly recorded in London, England with Mike Lindsay of experimental acid folk combo Tunng, the indie folk/electronic Farao EP was issued via Something Nothing Records in 2014. With Jahnsen newly operating out of London and Berlin, Farao’s debut full-length, Til It’s All Forgotten, was released in September 2015 on Arts & Crafts in North America and Full Time Hobby in Europe. Produced by Lindsay and mixed by Grammy winner Andrew Scheps (Adele, Lady Gaga, Hozier), it offered a more percussive, indie rock sound still governed by ethereal vocals, a diverse instrument palette, and a cloudy atmosphere. ~ Marcy Donelson