Stranger in a Strange Land

Sometimes, you have a need to expand your horizons a bit, you know, get out of your "safe zone" for a while. This is valid for anything: Food, clothing, etc. But where i find most difficulties is in music. I struggle to listen to something new and like it right away, and i have to think 2 or 3 times if i want to download it and keep it. But the great thing about having a music blog is have people send you stuff that i wouldn't normally listen to. Case in point is the following artist, called L.A. Calling: Real name David Corral, this L.A. born artist has created one the most peculiar and interesting i've ever seen. He describes himself as having a "multi-genre appeal" and here's why:

skip to 2:09 if you don't want to watch the incredibly cheesy beginning.

As you will be able to notice, the band that plays in this video seems like they should be a part of a heavy-metal band. And that's the whole point. David wants to blend metal stylings with electronic music, which at first glance looks odd, but it'll make more sense when you listen to the music.

The following stuff is all exclusive to ilictronix.

The first song is the one you hear in the video, called "Pussycat". This one sorta defines the artist's sound. It is a darker version of the Human League, in my opinion, less cheesy and less happy. However, i do believe that if this track was made in the 80's, it would've been a big hit.

Next one is "Krush". Here the rock/metal influences are more present, with the guitar making a constant marque on the song. But despite that, it still sounds very 80's, very synthy and all that.



Coming up is "Spin Head". I really like vocal work on this one, David is a very good singer indeed and this one has great vocals.

L.A. Calling - Spin Head

Finally, we have "Only Human Now", a slightly calmer song that doesn't really have much to be said that already hasn't been said.

L.A. Calling - Only Human Now

In case you want to know more, visit his website or Myspace. I also hope you comment, because i really think this guy can go far with this stuff, all he needs is some exposure.

Enjoy!

Lights and music,
Alex.

A Very Warped History 7: 1999

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When Nightmares On Wax dropped Smokers Delight in 1995, Trip Hop was going from strength to strength with records like Massive Attack's Protection, Tricky's debut Maxinquaye and Portishead's Dummy leading the way. It wasn't to last however; fast forward to the edge of the new millennium, Trip Hop is slowly fading away in favour of Drum 'N Bass and Jungle. But George Evelyn, or Nightmares On Wax, remained undeterred and brought us Carboot Soul which moves away from the ganja infused vibes of it's predecessor and instead brings more instrumentation and even a couple of tracks with vocals, courtesy of obscure soul singer Sarah Winton.



Onto the tracks, if there's one thing N.O.W does well it's intros, and Carboot is no different. Les Nuits sets the pace for the album perfectly, at the same time highlighting the progression in N.O.W's sound in both title (Smokers intro was Nights Introlude) and the actual composition itself. Have a listen, it's worth it.



A song I posted before, Morse is simply too good to pass up. After the brilliant intro you are treated to another 6 minute slice of awesome that just gets better after every breakdown as more stuff is added to the mix. also features one of my favourite basslines ever at the beginning.



N.O.W said that most of the music on Carboot soul is inspired by tunes he grew up with, namely Soul. And it's probably most prominent on this track. Incredibly funky with some obscure samples, all driven home by that great beat.



This next one plays a bit like Morse, featuring another one of my favourite basslines from the album, but it's much shorter at just 2 and a half minutes. Not much happens in it compared to some of the previous tracks, but Nightmares' production is so solid you probably won't care.





A bit of a wildcard compared to what came before and longest track on the album; Argha Noah is all about the documentary samples and low frequencies until about 1:50 when some sparse piano keys are introduced, many things come and go from the mix after this, things like organs and guitars popping up from time to time. Very hypnotic, with just enough variation to keep it fresh throughout.



The second song featuring full vocals, Survival is a slow moving R&B-esque number. Like Finer, the other track with full vocals, Nightmares' production takes a backseat as the focus shifts onto the Winton's voice and lyrics. That's not to say the backing track isn't good though.



Carboot's closing track shares similarities with Les Nuits, but with heavier beats and being generally more upbeat (well, as upbeat as chillout can be I suppose). And so the album ends the same way it began, albeit in reverse as the stings slowly fade out instead of in.



Just one more release to go before we hit the big 2K, though it's not big enough to warrant it's own part, so look forward to Warped 7.5 coming sometime soon! there's plenty to look forward to in the 2000's, including Squarepusher, Broadcast and even more from Boards Of Canada.

...And Spring Would Be A Beautiful Time In Egypt,
-Claude Van Foxbat

A Very Warped History 6: 1998

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Ah, the ever elusive Boards Of Canada. One of my favourite electronic acts of all time. brothers Marcus Eoin and Michael Sandison have been making music as Boards Of Canada since 1987 and recorded more than 5 other albums in that time. Copies of which were only given to family and friends (all the supposed copies floating around the Internet are fake with the exception of the Old Tunes tapes and Boc Maxima) before their big break with Twoism in 1995, the record that would lead to Warp Records signing them on.



Their debut on Warp, the excellently titled Music Has The Right To Children is one of the finest electronic albums ever recorded and is a perfect introduction point for anyone new to Boards, showing off their style of trip hop flavoured beats with some ambient style synths just below the surface. BoC also have a habit of making short melodic interludes that break up the other tracks, The first of which acts as an intro to the album.



This is immediately followed by the psychedelic, sample heavy beat fest that is An Eagle In Your Mind. The drone-y synths and the samples combined make for an interesting listen, Headphones recommended for this one.



As with a few other tracks on here, Turquoise Hexagon Sun featured on an earlier release, the Hi Scores EP, and I don't blame them for including it again on here. It's a brilliant track exhibiting all the flavours that are uniquely BoC: The beats, the melodies, the samples, and just a tiny hint of nostalgia lurking beneath the surface.



Another of the brief melodic interludes follows, this being halfway through the album, you've come to expect it at this point. But what comes next is nothing short of fantastic.



One of my favourite tracks from the album, Roygbiv. (a mnemonic for the colours of the light spectrum: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo & Violet) It was the moment the album clicked for me, starting with that catchy menacing sounding synth, slowly adding more to the mix until it becomes something truly special.



Another one of my favourites and track I've posted before; Olson. BoC really have a way of weaving emotion directly into their music, and Olson is no exception. It's awfully short but in a good way, because then the track stays just as sweet on repeat listens. An absolute classic.



Coming into the final stretch we have something that sounds a bit like early Autechre: Pete Standing Alone. Opinions vary on this track quite a bit, but personally it's one of my favourites, so much so I once had it on repeat for about 15 minutes without realising.



To play us out, what is in my opinion a perfect closer to this album. I'll let the track speak for itself here, literally.



And so ends another Warped post, enjoy the sounds and don't forget to drop me a line about these tracks, especially those of you new to Boards Of Canada.

All Nostalgic,
-Claude Van Foxbat

Good promos

Everyday I get emails from artists or labels promoting their new "320 KBPS EXCLUSIVE CERTIFIED HOUSE MUSIC BANGER". Most of the times I ignore these emails, mostly because the track is probably shit or because the promo was sent to another 1000 people, which sort of ruins the whole "exclusive" bit of the promo.

But sometimes I do get a nice little personalized promo, meaning some thought was put into sending this stuff. This song was sent to me back in mid-January, but I ignored it, thinking it wasn't any good. But the same man emailed me the track yesterday and I thought: "Meh, let's give it a go." And it is damn good.

That man is London-born singer Seb.

He's been releasing some stuff over the years, with some success, and now he put his vocals on Burns & Fred Falke's new collab "First Move", the successor of the dissapointment that was "You Can't Stop Loving Me".

This is a synth-filled, bassy and smooth track that's easy to listen to and it fits this cold weather we've been having (well, apart from Australians and Brazillians, the buggers).



And as a bonus, a remix from the good old duo of Alan Braxe and Fred Falke.

kelis · Bossy (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Remix) [feat. Too $hort]

Enjoy!

Freezing my ass off,
Alex.