Thursday 28 July 2011

A Very Warped History 10: 2002 (2 Of 2)

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2002 would see Nightmares On Wax take a slightly different approach to a new album. Having moved away from his previous techno work with ex-bandmate Robin Taylor-Firth to bring us the stone cold chillout classic Smokers Delight in 1995; which was followed by 1999's Carboot Soul which was a suitable sequel, and showed a progression in sound from the previous record whilst leaving room for more.



Mind Elevation is perhaps the black sheep of all NOW's releases (to the point where I debated even posting it at all). In it, George Evelyn takes a more mainstream approach to the sound that made the last two albums so popular. Now, the mainstream approach isn't why this album is very hit & miss with me, it just... misses something. For example: I've said a few times in the past NOW's intros to his albums are almost flawless, this one being the exception, it clocks in at just over 7 minutes and for the first few minutes it's fairly catchy, but it soon overstays it's welcome.

Despite this, the second track is better, it's a more suitable length for what it is. However this album does have some gems in it, and the first shows itself three tracks in: Sporting a sound progression similar to that of Morse from Carboot Soul, it finally captures that sound I'd been waiting for during the first two tracks.



Right away the album hits a twofer, Following it up with one of the singles and the first of the more mainstream oriented tracks on here, expanding upon the couple of tracks with vocals from Carboot Soul. And while it's nothing like those tracks, or like anything from NOW we've heard so far and it's perhaps not aged very well either. Despite all this I still think it's good track.



Three for three next, with another track reminiscent of the sound of albums previous. Built around a single loop, NOW works his magic to keep it fresh and interesting throughout, if a little short. It may not have the instant impact and appeal of some of his older tracks, but it's still unmistakably NOW.





I was originally going to give this one a miss, but it came up on shuffle and it turns out I'd forgotten how good it sounded. Again it's another delve into the mainstream side of things, bringing yet more vocals to the table. And surprisingly unlike Date With Destiny, it's aged quite nicely. A testament to both NOW's production ability and the voice of Chyna Brown.



Another case where NOW's production shines, the sounds of 70s 80s set it up perfectly for the period piece lyrics laid down by LSK. The track is catchy enough to grab you from the very first few notes and just does not let go. One of the places where the album truly shines.



And I'm going to gloss over the last few tracks to bring you the final one. The last few tracks are just as good as the ones previous, but this last one stands out to me the most, setting up where he's taking his now trademark sound over the next few LPs. Which is done in perfect style by laying down a trademark 7 minute chilled number.



Definitely check this album out if you've liked everything NOW related so far, it's patchy in places, but it has its moments and those moments are brilliant. Those of you who weren't such a big fan of this album, don't worry, the next few are pretty much golden and , dare I say it, almost compare to Smokers Delight in terms of quality. If you're looking to pick this up, have a look and see if you can find the 2CD version, it has a mix by NOW on it that is basically a retrospective of his tracks until this point. (and curiously has the track Thoughts labelled as Heaven instead)

Pretty Fly,
-Claude Van Foxbat

Monday 25 July 2011

Promos of the Week #4



Apologies for the delay, but it's been a busy few days.

The first feature goes to British artist mjz, who shares his latest track "AIP".

It's a track with a nice vibe throughout, and just when it starts to go a bit dull, it goes quite dark in the end, but remaining very good until the end. He says he's unemployed, so employ him, labels.

mjz · AIP


Up next we have Dutch trio Routines, and their latest track "Young Hearts".

This semi-pop track has a nice 80's influence and a very dark vibe, thanks to it's brilliant bassline, along with well placed vocals. Good stuff.



Now we have Ukrainian artist Castel. I can't get into the Facebook page (edit: Fixed.), so that's about all i know.

"Catmurch" has a somewhat soundtrack sounding intro, which morphs into a slightly hard synthline, that at first listen sounded like it was gonna ruin the whole, but just added character to it.

Castel - Catmurch

And now for something a bit different, coming from 10-man group Engine Earz Experiment, which are in the same wave as Magnetic Man. And hurrah for us all, they actually make dubstep that won't split your eardrums in half.

Case in point is this remix they did for Nitin Sawhney. The intro is great (i'm a sucker for simple piano riffs though) and it builds into this somewhat typical dubstep wobble, but the whole track has flow, which keeps it from being boring, but isn't over the top like plenty of dubstep you hear nowadays.



Next Promos of the Week will be out Saturday because of this delay, and then the usual Wednesday spot will resume.

Enjoy!

Hold deg sterk Norge,
Alex.

Saturday 23 July 2011

Rainy weekend tracks

Hi again.

Just a few tracks I'm enjoying in this shitty rainy weekend.

Let's start with a very pop remix by Discotech pretty simple but it's efficient.



The kind of track I'm always a bit afraid at first, but I remembered DOCTOR ROSEN ROSEN's remix of M.I.A. - Internet Connection and it was pretty badass so I decided to check this one aswell, I'm thankful I did. It's such a powerful track, the progression at the beginning, plus the vocals in the back really make the main vocal sound good.





RAC is the kind of guy that has so much stuff on his soundcloud it's hard to decide what to listen to when you discover him. Here are my two favorite remixes so far, but be sure I'll post about him a few more times, he has a lot of other good tracks.





One of the 350 thousand remixes of a Ladytron track, this time by Punks Jump Up





Two epic tracks from Robotic Pirate Monkey's new EP, yes this is dubstep, yes it samples old songs, YES I LIKE IT.

That one obviously samples The Presidents Of The USA - Peaches so if you have a "damn I know that guitar" feeling, that's quite normal !



Oh and this one samples Aerosmith - Dream On Pirate Robotic Monkey really knows what to sample, damn.



I'll end this post with something... creepy ? 2 tracks from Gesaffelstein's new EP Conspiracy Pt.2

Viol is by far one of the best tune I've heard this year, mind blowing.





Thanks to Nesgui that made me discover Gesaffelstein a few months ago ;)

Enjoy !
-Here

Thursday 21 July 2011

The Disco Sandwich

Hey guys, I received a very nice mail from GMGN today.



They are releasing their EP The Disco Sandwich friday on Juno ! It's a really sweet 8 tracks long nu disco EP, featuring great remixes by Poka, She Said Disco, Wine And Cheese and Pardon My French !



But that's not all, of course not ! They had the kindness of making an exlucive mix for ilictronix. (Tracklist in the comment section, but this time I wont forget to post it, really !)

GMGN ilictronix Mix by gmgndjs

And last, but not least, a brand new remix of an oldschool song by Gil Scott-Henron !

Gil Scott-Heron - The Bottle (GMGN Remix) by gmgndjs

Alright, I think that's enough for today, but we'll hear from those guys again, for sure.

Enjoy!
-Here

Wednesday 20 July 2011

Marble Players and a MagicTape

Hi, very quick post once again, still at work...

The Magician's back again with a lovely MagicTape, featuring his new remix of Scenic - Another Sky.



Tracklist in the comment section !

And something else new, a remix of Rimer London - Put Your Gun Away by Marble Players (Surkin, Bobmo and Para One)



Enjoy your rainy summer !
-Here

Wednesday 13 July 2011

Promos of the Week #3

This week I've got 3 brilliant promos to show you.

First of all, we've got Irish group Le Galaxie, with their single "Midnight Midnight".

It's a dirty, synthy track, but maintains a constant pop-groove throughout, which is notable and makes this track very enjoyable.

They released an album this past May, which you can hear and buy here.



Now we've got Turkish group Kitschcraft, who have released a new EP recently.

This is my favourite track of the lot. It's in a similar style as the previous but bit still quite danceable and nice to.

Not sure where you can buy the EP, but you can listen to it here, it's good stuff.



To finish, something a bit different, by LA duo Bastille, who also have a new EP out.

The track is called "Bumpin" and it's a happy-dappy Disco House track with all the essential elements: a funky sample, a bassline and most importantly, a cowbell.

Incredibly groovy and joyful, this should keep you on your feet for a while.



You can get the whole EP for free here.

Enjoy!

Flobadobdob,
Alex.

Tuesday 12 July 2011

Pop Culture

Hi guys !

Really quick post from work, but I had to post it as soon as I watched it in the train :D Madeon finally released an official video for his Pop Culture track, better quality, longer track (the synth part was missing from the one I had the opportunity to watch in the past, thanks to some epic guy from the US that I won't name !).



When I told you that that man was a genious, see, I was right !

E N J O Y !
-Here

Saturday 9 July 2011

Essential Tracks Collection Part I: Dub Mixes

Hey everybody,it's Nite with another musically packed post to keep you grooving all night long. Today, I am going on to show you some of the finest dub tracks I have found upon the interwebz,whether through purchasing or otherwise. Now before I go into detail, I just want to make one one thing clear: Dub Tracks are NOT Dubstep tracks, so don't expect heavy wubbing or ear splitting basslines, okay? Good.

*Ahem*,When I say Dub Tracks, I refer to Dub Mixes/Songs. What's a Dub Mix,you may ask? Well simply put, it's usually a mix of a track where the main lead of the song (Read: vocals) is taken out of ,or altered in such a manner that it changes the sound of,the original track. For example, take Daft Punk's Around The World, and remove the main vocals,or just put it in for some spots in the track for a few seconds at a time.You pretty much have a dub track right there. Dub initially was a genre that originally came from a style of Reggae in the late 60s, but soon became a popular method used in the 70s to the 90s mainstream music. Basically it took the song, and put major pronunciation upon the Drum and Bass parts of the track, which would usually involve removing or chopping the vocals to achieve this effect.

Essentially, Dubbing strips the track down,leaving it with its primal beats and grooves.

While not really mainstream anymore these days, Dubbing has become EXCEEDINGLY popular with House and Electronic tracks these days, especially with House music. (A/N: Seriously guys, It's hard not to find a Vocal House Single that doesn't contain a dub counterpart to it.) I think you get the picture now no?

Alright, I'll get started with the tracks. Remember: Not all Dubs are vocals free. Sometimes it's just a chopped up loop, or just a quick lyric run through and the rest is just instrumental.It could have lyrics through it, but it could be just pieces of it,who knows? Dubs differ, so don't expect each to have the same process throughout the track.



And just to let everyone know, this next dub you see here is exceptionally rare and VERY HARD to find. It's taken me well over two years to obtain and I was only able to get my hands on this with the help of a friend and one unlikely spot (read: torrent site.) If you ever see a person named Baloo pop up on the chats, thank him gratuitously for this, enjoy it!







Interaction (feat. Michelle Weeks) - Show Em How We Do It (Phil Kelsey's Chain Break Dub)





Bringing the Beats,
Nite

Soundtrackin'

So, I fixed my laptop and can now finally post reliably again. which means for the past couple weeks I've had not much to do than embrace my inner nerd by planning out my photography work and playing lotsa them videogames. If you're like me, most of the time you're making fictional soundtracks to films in your head which is a fun habit right?. Well, give me an option to make my own custom soundtrack for a game and... you can see where this is going.



First up is WipeOut HD along with old school shooter Rez and Audiosurf are like the best music visualizers EVER. And they're all pretty much built for techy sounding tracks. Which gives me an excuse to bust out what little trance I have.





Now not a lot happens in this track to start off with, but it all turns to awesome at about 4:50. It's well worth the wait. FUN FACT: The blokes from Slyder would later go on to form Shiny Toy Guns, who covered this song.





And finally, something from Clark. One of the standouts from Body Riddle and like the album it's perfectly balanced but a bit short.





Change in atmosphere now as we move on to MotorStorm, which calls for fast paced in your face loudness. Which I can do. Tracks after this pic of this ilictronix-mobile I made.



Drum & Bass and Electro are a certainty on pretty much anything I can custom soundtrack, moreso with this. It all kicked off when this noisy abrasive beats barrage popped up on shuffle, I give you by far the punniest artist in my collection, µ-Ziq:





One of my favourite electro tunes from way back. Teenage Bad Girl, like SebastiAn and Analog Worms Attack era Mr. Oizo, bring that nice rough 'round the edges sound that works so, so well.





And Lastly, Originally from it's own EP along with You Are My Sun, Bells is your usual Vitalic affair. Only with a lot of extra added guitars and whatnot, the breakdown at 1:45 on this one is some pretty heavy stuff.





And that's all from me, my school year ends soon though, so expect a lot more productivity from me over those 6 weeks :)

Nerdin' Out,
-Claude Van Foxbat

Thursday 7 July 2011

Scotch



Not that kind, actually. Scotch is a band from the heyday of Italo Disco, notorious for have a few really bizarre songs. I really dig their stuff for the most part, because they really knew the way to do awesome 80s synths. It would be prime sampling material, but I myself just feel wrong trying to use their work myself, so the closest I've come is a cover of their track Penguins Invasion with my buddy. We're still working on that.



With this one, the vocal version is a little more rare because the instrumental version was more popular. When I first found it, it wasn't even on youtube, but now it's a little more common. It's silly and fun.



I don't even get this one, but it's interesting.



Also, as a bonus, the freaky, stupid music video for Disco Band. I'm not sure what inspired this. But it's funny.



Anyway, have a good day.
-Boba

Wednesday 6 July 2011

Promos of the Week #2



This week, I've got 4 new promos for you, all in different styles.

First of all, some funky house courtesy of Just Kiddin', a british duo, who released their first EP a month ago.

This one is "All The Way to Love", my personal favourite, with a smooth bassline and good vocal samples, making this a nice summery track.

You can get the whole EP here.



Next up comes Dubmood, a French artist who has released his first EP this past March.

It is a slightly dirty electro/chiptune sound, but it doesn't go over the top, which is something that happens very often when making this sort of stuff. I have to admit i don't understand the vocals, but it's a minor problem.

I couldn't decide what track to put here, so have the whole EP.



Now we've got some spacey disco from Finnish artist Lumeet, who's showing us the debut single, "metacharm".

It's very 80's, quite dreamy and a brilliant work allround. If it had some vocals, it could've been a big hit back in the days of bright polyester jackets and mullets.

You can buy it here, and pay whatever price you want or just download it for free.

Lumeet - Metacharm

Finally, something a little darker from Danish group Battlekat and British artist Hyetal.

This remix of "He Didn't Want a Lovesong" is very beautiful and relaxing and the double beat gives it a bit more intensity. Very nice stuff here.



Enjoy!

Brap,
Alex.

Monday 4 July 2011

Gaming tracks

Oh hai there.

June's been a pretty busy month for me, but now I'm back at work, so I might have more time to do posts :)

I'm not sure tho, my schedule is pretty tight between troubleshouting / changing motherboards (seriously, how do people SMASH usb ports so often, WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THEM ?) at IBM and nerd raging at aimbotters on APB...



So this post will be related to the geekiest side of my days.

The key to feel freakin godlike on any game is obviously having electro (or metal, I used to listen to that before too, nothing beats a good old Slipknot or Disturbed... oh memories...).

What do I recommend ?

If you enjoy trance, well, trance ! Aly & Fila, Saint Rush, Dash Berlin, that kind of stuff.

More a dubstep kind of guy ? Skream is the man, imo. Also Feed Me or oldschool Rusko (I'm talking before O.M.G.).

And if like me, you enjoy everything, here is a little selection of bangers with the progression that will make you feel better and better while the track progresses until you reach the "OMG NOONE IS AS GOOD AS ME".

The first track is gonna be a bit weird coming from me, because it's a remix of Lady Gaga. Weird, right ?

Porter Robinson achieved one more time so simply make one of the deadliest remix of the year, he's simply that good. The chopped "I'm. On. The. Edg'." just does it for me.



Next is an old Switch & Sinden remix of Santogold. Simply one of my lucky songs :p



The mendatory Noisia.



Killing synth, nervous progression, what more could you ask for ?

Animal Machine - Persona (Para One Remix)

Didn't know that one, discovered it in the Electro Beat radio of APB (which is actually really decent for a video game integrated playlist), loved it ever since.



And I'll end with two of my favorite trance tracks ever, so you're warned, if you don't like trance, you might not enjoy those two.





Enjoy!
-Here

Friday 1 July 2011

A Very Warped History 10: 2002 (1 Of 2)

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This time on Warped, we take a look at Boards Of Canada's follow up to their critically acclaimed Music Has The Right To Children. It takes a slightly weirder approach to the now trademark BoC sound, melding the already present nostalgic overtones with some downright strange elements. Samples of Numbers Stations, Backmasking, references to the Branch Davidians (As seen on the In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country EP before it), Hypnosis and even some slight Satanic implications (the total length of Geogaddi is 66:6), but make no mistake, this is still Boards Of Canada doing what they do best.



This LP doesn't have that slow dive into sound that it's predecessor had, it just cuts right to the chase with an excellent re-affirming of why BoC are so well regarded in the electronic world with this; Music Is Math.



But it's not long before it also let's you know this isn't the same Boards Of Canada from 1998, and do so with a track you may recognise from David Firth's Salad Fingers series; it's a melodic interlude, but with a menacing crackle and fizz lurking just below the surface, summing up the new sound of the album nicely



Geogaddi also embraces the simplicity found on the In A Beautiful Place... EP, with more than a few songs built around a recurring melody or theme. While some of the EP tracks dragged a bit; the tracks on here are more refined, with more variety and less length.



1969 features both backmasking and Branch Davidian references, the song is structured so that more layers are added as time goes on, starting with a simple 4 note loop and progressing from there, but rather than feel arbitrary, the breaks are balanced in such a way that everything flows together in a quite natural way to form the end experience.





And what's a Boards album without it's token ambient soundscape? well, there's several on Geogaddi but like Olson from their sophomore effort, this one stood out the most to me, just because it packs so much nostalgia and emotion into a small time frame, it's amazing and perfectly encapsulates the essence of BoC.



This song also stood out to me, and coincidentally happened to follow Over The Horizon Radar in the tracklist. I almost don't know what to say about it, everything from the production to the title is perfect. This track alone makes it more than a worthy successor to Music Has...



Dawn Chorus ushers in the last 4 or so tracks of the album, which crank the weirdness factor to the max. All but one of these is a BoC patented ambient soundscape, and the very last track is simply 1:46 of silence (some say to achieve that 66:6 runtime). I was torn between two of these, either this track or Diving Station, eventually Corsair won out. Normally I don't really care much for the drone side of ambient, but this track has enough subtleties to keep it fresh throughout.



And because I'm not going to post the track of silence, Magic Window, instead have this Japanese bonus track that I went to track down many moons ago, it may ruin the 66:6 runtime and have the weirdest samples of the entire album (even weirder than the Leslie Neilsen nature documentary on Dandelion), but it has some of the best sounds on the entire album. Plus it's nice after the rollercoaster that is Geogaddi to have it end on a high note.



I picked this album up along with Music Has..., so both albums kind of got merged in my head, I was new to BoC then and basically put them both on shuffle. It's been a while since I've listened to Geogaddi and I'd forgotten how good it was, it was quite nice to come back and have it almost be like my first listen. Anyway be sure to tune in next time where we will have another follow up to a classic album, Nightmares On Wax's Mind Elevation which hopefully shouldn't be too long depending on when I can get my computer woes sorted.

1969, In The Sunshine,
-Claude Van Foxbat