Category: General

The Lights EP – Sinjin Hawke

January 25th, 2012 · · General No comments - Tags: ,

Last month Sinjin Hawke put out this EP and it’s great. Not because every song sounds perfect, but because he’s really pushing things forward. Every song contains so many ideas, it’s often overwhelming. Take my favourite track, Crystal Dust. On the one side you have Hudson Mohawke brashness with a massive brass loop, and then the other half of the song is silky smooth. And this isn’t just head-scratching experimentation for geeks, as shown by the ridiculous track which comes straight after, The Ballad Of Martyn Bootyspoon. Despite it’s flaws, this EP shows a lot of talent, and I can’t wait to see where he goes with it.

Forget (Shlohmo Remix) – Lianne La Havas

January 16th, 2012 · · General No comments - Tags: ,

Seriously. Every time. Shlohmo is just on the top of his game at the moment. I can’t think of another producer right now, who’s every remix is an instant classic. Anyway, this time he’s taken on Lianne La Havas, who has a stunning voice, which I think is amplified by Shlohmo’s production. All he needed is a bit more jazz guitar. This week, I’ll be posting my top albums and tracks of 2010, and they’ll be a lot more Shlohmo in there as well.

Download here

Simulat – Cosmin TRG

December 31st, 2011 · · General No comments - Tags:

One of my infatuations this year was techno, in all it’s forms. Whether it’s lo-fi broken kicks, or the ultra pristine snares you find on Kompakt, or the hectic glitched percussion from 90s Warp artists. I’m not the only one who saw this genre become popular, and I’m expecting a lot of great examples next year too. Anyway, one of the techno albums that got released this year is Simulat, from Cosmin TRG. He has a great reputation for doing whatever he wants and shifting genres from release to release, with his debut not quite being techno, but close enough. Enjoy my favourite track from the record.

Lillasyster

[I] Softly, We Go.. – Evenings

December 23rd, 2011 · · General No comments - Tags:

With the rest of the album’s tracks being mainly three minutes or shorter, [I] Softly, We Go.. stands out with eight enchanting minutes of ambience, smooth drones and laid-back improvisational percussion.

Light the Way – Africa HiTech

December 22nd, 2011 · · General No comments - Tags:

One of my favourite tracks of the year, easily, is the hectic Out in the Streets. Light the Way is completely different. Though it too is an intensive track, it soothes you, rather than leaving you agitated. You literally feel like you are soaking in the track as it surrounds you with sweeping synths and soft voices, despite the pounding drums relentlessly moving forward.

Do Whatever You Want All the Time – Ponytail

December 15th, 2011 · · General No comments - Tags:

This month, I am trying to dedicate myself to only listen to 2011 releases in an effort to choose my personal highlights of the year. One of the choices which didn’t make the cut, but is great nevertheless, is the final album by Ponytail. Relentless, overly-enthusiastic and fun, the album plays out just like the cover. So enjoy some crazy rock music.

Flabbermouse

Noname EP – 123Mrk

December 10th, 2011 · · General One comment - Tags: , ,

Picking up where James Blake and Fantastic Mr Fox left off, 123Mrk uses sliced vocals, two-step rhythms and some white noise to create a seriously funky EP.

Invisible Colors

No Place To Go – Howlin’ Wolf

December 7th, 2011 · · General No comments - Tags:

In my quest to learn more about “The Blues”, I came across this fantastic collection of Howlin’ Wolf‘s work. The compilation features fourteen tracks and both the quality of the recordings and the styles vary greatly throughout. One track will be a standard blues and the next will have a life of its own, powerfully hypnotic in it’s raw intensity. Such as this one.

No Place to Go

Rock Co.kane Flow (ft. MF Doom) – De La Soul

December 5th, 2011 · · General No comments - Tags: ,

De La Soul are best known for their crossover debut album, 3 Feet High and Rising, but a lot changed over their long history. In their last album, The Grind Date, De La Soul prove how hard they can hit with the album finale, Rock Co.Kane Flow. Everything about the track, whether it’s the beats, the flow or the title, shows that they can be just as tough as anyone else out there. It’s a classic.

Pinch & Shackleton – Pinch & Shackleton

November 24th, 2011 · · General No comments - Tags: ,

Pinch & Shackleton’s debut album came out last week, much to everyone’s surprise. The two dubstep heavyweights managed to pull together a concise piece of work, with mind blowing bass lines and tight percussion jittering on top. It’s the kind of music where the elegance lies in its simplicity, as each part is carefully placed into the arrangement. Make sure you listen to this one on loud to fully appreciate it.

Torn and Submerged