That time of year again, time for my annual track dump featuring a lil' bit of everything; get your house, techno and more fix for the new year right here. You go on out and have yourselves a good night and as always stay safe, enjoy the music, and have yourselves a very nice New Year from all of us here at ilictronix!
Gregory Crewdson - Untitled (Temple Street); Beneath the Roses
Hey all, hope your having a nice break from everything and all this December, thought I'd share some of my favourite alternative wintery songs before Wham's Last Christmas burrows any further inside my skull. Just gonna be a bunch of players this time, stay tuned for a rare and unsettling number from Boards Of Canada under their Hell Interface moniker and the new year's tune I repost every year from The Knife. Happy Holidays from all us at ilictronix!
After FlyLo dropped his twitter milestone collection of what goes on in his head I was feeling a lil' more hip hop stuff. Unfortunately as I was looking through my stuff I've posted about 80% of it... or so it seemed before I remembered a recent addition. More on that later, but anyways as the title suggests, today I'm gonna show off three different flavours of hip hop stuff I have lying around.
Dabs Myla - Attempting To Time Travel
Starting with a number from FlyLo's free .zipped idea box, he tweeted again not long after saying it would be more like the old school FlyLo sound, and he's not wrong. It might not be proper old school 1983 era FlyLo, but it certainly has an edge of Los Angeles to it. Would love to see it fleshed out into a full tune.
Now, onto that other recent addition I mentioned. The Metal Fingers Presents Special Herbs series is golden if you're lookin' for some more tasty instrumentals. Here's another of MF Doom's self produced tunes, this one's the instrumental to Doomsday from his debut LP. As good as that is the instrumental is far too sweet to pass up.
I never realised how far NOW had strayed from his original sound until I put him in with this crowd. Taken from his album Thought So... which was recorded on a massive roadtrip from Leeds to Ibiza, so there's a much more personal feel to a lot of the tunes I haven't heard anywhere else. The couple seconds of chit chat and laughter at the end does wonders for the atmosphere and makes the album an overall feel good experience.
Lucky Me decided to upload one new song everyday until christmas from artist such as Rustie, Hudson Mohawke or Lunice. You can check them all out here but but I'll give you my 3 favorites.
And as if this wasn't enough good news, The Glitch Mob released a song from their upcoming album that will drop in February. The song is called Can't Kill Us and gives me high hopes for their new album, it still has that great Glitch Mob sound, distorted synths and bass plus their signature drums, love it.
Today I want you to meet a couple of great aspiring music
producers bringing new audio experiences to a present electronic music world.
First man I want you to know is a great Portuguese producer Sun Glitters aka
Victor Ferreira, playing sounds from a Sun City for three years now. My first
musical experience of Ferreira’s work was his beautiful dreamy mix tape How To Be Dressed in blue, which became a soundtrack of my summer in 2012.
You can hear these romantic memories from warm summer
evenings here:
Soft lights, gentle whispers, shy gazes and romantic
glitchy dreams emerge in unique Sun Glitters music.
The reason I started my post with Victor’s work is this
brilliant new recent discovery his music led me to. Fresh and promising band from
France, called MWTE collaborated with Victor Ferreira and released an amazing first
EP Attraction to light.
Attraction to Light brings
sleepy vocals, gentle transparent bass waves blending with melancholic synth
moments and violin whispers.
As MWTE says, their music is about everything starting from
small everyday emotional realizations to deep apocalyptical thoughts.
They represent their track Dead and gone as some kind of modern day Dicken's "The ghost
of the apocalypse yet to come", where people wake up in post-apocalyptical
era, look back and regret when it’s already too late.
Each of the tracks in this EP has a strong emotional narrative and brings an outstanding musical experience. The listener will be taken to new ambient worlds where everything is painted in light pastel colours and buried in transparent fog.
As we all know that today is weekly Camel appreciation day, I have decided to share with you guys some awesome tunes to help get over that hump.
Now some of you may be asking "where have you been all these other camel appreciation days earl?" To that I say, *kanye shrug*(my laptop broke)
On to the music.
Todays tunes come to us from a great group out of Mexico called Le Touch Lads, my fellow writer Claude put me on to their amazing remix of one of my favorite songs "L.E.S Artistes" by Santigold(Santigold remixes are the key to my inbox guys) It has a very nice groove to it, and it makes me feel like im on a beach. 7/5 stars.
I'm quite excited. The Glitch Mob recently announced the completion of their new album, titled Love Death Immortality, set to drop in early February. Tycho also announced his new album, Awake, the other day. He also released the title track.
I got the opportunity to see Tycho live last year, and was also lucky enough to wait around for the live trio to come back on stage after a 3 minute encore chant. They played an unreleased track, without any visual accompaniment, something the entire live show uses. Since I heard them play it last year, I've been eagerly waiting for the new album. The title track from Awake really grabbed me at first, mainly because of the emphasis on the guitar, and away from those sweet synth lines. However, the synths quickly make a return, and so does the iconic Tycho sound. It doesn't sound particularly new or different, but I still quite like it. It retains that strange energetic serenity.
With my pre-order, The Glitch Mob were kind enough to offer up one track, Can't Kill Us.The whole track just throws energy at your ears, like an audio interpretation of dedication and adrenaline. These guys are really quite dedicated too. I've been following original member of The Glitch Mob, edIT, since I first heard his solo album from 2004. Among the extreme amounts of fan teasing these guys have put out the last month or so, edIT recently showed us just how dedicated these guys are.
"Man....... I have been staring at my computer screen for the past three years (every day) cranking on this Glitch Mob record. And as I sit here cranking on our live show it is such a surreal feeling to see a small slice of this album get wings and take off into the internet. Three years seems like a lifetime at this day in age to release an album..... And it is. But you guys deserve the absolutebest that we're capable of, and there were so many moments on this journey where I knew we could do better. I dropped everything and went all in for three years to work on this project, so thank you all for being so patient. We did this for you. I hope it was worth the wait. Can't wait to be on the ride with you all next year. Much love.
-edIT-
It really was worth the wait.
While on the topic of edIT's solo work, here's a taste from his 2004 release Crying Over Pros For No Reason. I'm quite sure edIT is now the pro. When I first heard this guys work, I was just inspired and amazed. I found this track absolutely amazing when I first heard it, and I'm still amazed whenever I hear it. Soothing guitar, silky vocal bends, clicks and claps, and a beat that never gives up the tempo no matter how crushed.
Sorry about the lateness on this one, been having some funny connection issues (luckily after the end of semester!). Anyways you all know I have a real fondness for lush synths, hell even the noises they make in general still excite me, and that's what this post will be all about. Here's the opener for F.U.S.E's Dimension Intrusion, which pretty much sums up that Artificial Intelligence era sound of Warp Records for me.
Moving back into familiar territory with some Acid courtesy of AFX. The Analord series is a love letter to the world of analogue from the Aphex Twin himself, and while they might not all be essential tracks, the collection as a whole is noting short of brilliant. Check out the lovely intro on this one.
And finally, Juno-60 junkie Oneohtrix Point Never throws his hat in with the soundtrack to a art installation piece he collaborated on last year. It's chock full of lovely arpeggios and the usual OPN affair, looking back you can definitely see where parts of this have come through on his latest LP R Plus Seven, and while the deliberately dated sound isn't for everyone I just love what OPN does with it.
Disclosure recently announced that they will release a special edition of their album Settle. Among the names of the remixers that will be featured on it are Dj Premier, Sohn and Larry Heard.
Today Dj Premier released his incredibly relaxing remix of Latch, he found exactly what to do with it.
Some of you probably remember our good friends from TEAM BANZAI. If you don't, you should check their soundcloud.
They just released a track I love, called Blondie. It has something I haven't heard for a long time, a heartbeat bass, it reminded me of Boys Noize's masterpiece, Heart Attack. But it doesn't stop here, the whole songs just works perfectly, just let it transport you out of this cold winter!
Now, WAEK. I had the chance of seeing them about a month ago, these three guys have a lot of talent, and this new track is here to prove it!
If you enjoy simple yet extremely effective synths and twists, you're in for a treat!
The same night I had the chance to see WEAK, I also "ran" into Pyramid, who gave us a killer set.
Why am I telling you this? Because 2 weeks ago he released a remix for The Swiss. He came a long long way since the first things I've heard from him, under an alias I am apparently not allowed to reveal.
Sorry about my last couple posts being all moody like, hopefully gonna rectify that with this one! Before that, one last bittersweet offering from Massive Attack's Sophomore LP Protection. Check out the alternate art from band member Robert Del Naja AKA 3D above.
Somethin' I've been holding onto for a long time is these acoustic covers of Aphex Twin by Andrew Flanders, the end results are a lot like the Leila cover of Vordhosbn from Warp20. Guy has a YouTube Channel full of 'em, he's not put any up since though which is a shame, check it out for a unique spin of the already unique AFX vibe.
And lastly, something from Shinichi Osawa's The One, tucked away on the largely electro LP are a few more chilled selections like this here one. Somethin' a little more feelgood for ya while I head into deadline territory, I'll try catch you all again soon though!
2013 is rapidly coming towards its end, and as this has been a very interesting year for me, I thought I'd take a few minutes for reflection. If you don't feel like reading what is by all accounts a blog post and not a music post, just skip the next few paragraphs and go for the flash players.
I really lost touch with electronic music. I can never be sure whose fault it was, really. Did I change? Did the music? Maybe I just got tired of seeing nothing but dubstep, brostep, chillstep, step step step BLOODY-FRIGGIN-STEP on every genre tag I came across. In truth, this is probably the story of two people who both changed and realized it was time to move on for each other's sake. The music I fell in love with was this happy indie-dance, electro-infused scene where rockers and ravers co-existed. 2007. 2008. Digitalism - Idealism. Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future. Does it Offend You Yeah - You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into. Justice - Cross. Crystal Castles. The Kitsune Maison compilations gave me tastes of everything going on and I loved it.
#5 was really weird
This is where I'm not sure what changed. 2009 was a huge letdown for me. 2010 was a huge letdown. I just couldn't connect with anything going on culturally at any level. 2011, Justice, Digitalism and SebastiAn dropped albums and I thought it was all coming back, but it wasn't. Culture was looking for that kid I had been in 2007 with a shaggy moptop, boundless enthusiasm and a Deviantart full of Daft Punk fan art, and I just wasn't that kid anymore.
Boba, circa 2008
But now it's 2013. I've spent the last year sitting in game shops playing Magic and D&D, helping friends move and move on, listening to the radio because I'm tired of everything on my player, and becoming a comic book junkie. Somewhere in all this, I began to reconnect. A friend of mine from work was moving out, and living down the street and owning a pickup truck, that left me with the boxes and furniture to transport. Searching for some packing tape behind my seat, I found a mix CD titled simply 'Electro', and popped it into the CD player. It was a collection of tracks from the first few months of Ilictronix (for nostalgia's sake, I plan on posting this list sometime later in the holiday season), and the memories just smacked into me hardcore and I began to regain my appreciation for it all. As we were unloading stuff at her storage unit, my friend mentions that she can bring her own music to her other job, and asked me if I could make some CDs of stuff like what I'd had going in the truck. So I began hunting through my music, putting together collections of all my old favorites. I began googling some artists, happily discovering many had come out with new albums or had them in the works. So far I've seen Klaxons, La Roux, Danger and a few others are slated for probable 2014 releases, and I've heard rumors of others...
To make a long story very short, 2013 is the first year that has supplied music I've been excited about in quite awhile. Granted, I'm not quite the underground-exclusive guy I used to be and Imagine Dragons and Capital Cities are mainstays on my playlists, but it's something. It feels like it felt back in 2008 when I first picked up Idealism and listened to Pogo for the first time.
Insert stock music photgraphy here
Since I've drawled on long enough, I'll skip on excessive commentary and just leave you with some of my favorite tracks of 2013.
It's no big news, I always digged what Duke Dumont did.
His latest production was on the Annie Mac show a few days ago and it is brilliant, so brilliant Annie had to rewind it to listen to the beginning twice, haha.
It's such an upbeat song with steal drumbs that will make you travel to the caribbean, you'll feel like it's not freezing outside anymore, but it still is sadly.
I also was pretty happy to hear that he got nominated for a the Best Dance Recording Grammy with his song Need U (100%).
In case you didn't get the chance to hear it yet, here it is.
What else is new this week? Daft Punk released a video for Instant Crush. It's nowhere near as good as the Homework/Discovery era videos, but it's still way better than the Lose Yourself To Dance one.
And I know it's not to everyone's taste around here, but I enjoy hip hop and rap, so I HAD to talk about Childish Gambino that just released his new album called Because The Internet.
Overall the album is very well done, Donald still knows how to write, the production is top notch as usual, it's a bit more conceptual than his former albums though, lots of interludes so I guess some people will find that a bit annoying (if you take out the less than 1:30min long songs you still are left with 13 songs to listen to).
Diggin' through my old posts on a nostalgia trip I saw some stuff I could easy bring back around, so enjoy the return of some lounge vibes! I got around to checking out Little Dragon after a recommendation from a friend and loving their contributions on Gorillaz's Plastic Beach. Their debut starts really strong, tunes like this just grab you from the get go.
Tea swiggin' bloke and fellow countryman Mr. Scruff has pretty much the same story with his album Keep It Unreal. His penchant for tidy basslines really shines through on the album, which fits in perfectly with the jazz-hop style he's got going on.
Something from one of my favourite vocalists to wrap it up, I first heard of Martina from the breakdown on Gorillaz's All Alone and just had to have more of her stuff. Check out her solo albums if you get the chance, they're incredibly well prdued but seem to be really underrated.
For those of us not in the northern hemisphere, summer is her. So avoiding all of the crispy-ice tunes, here's my personal soundtrack to summer. I like to spend my summers relaxing and being around those that one would wish to be around with such amazing weather.
That Summer Feeling
First up, some sparkly build up from Van She. I'll admit, I liked the original Walking On A Dream by Empire of The Sun, but I also hated to like it. Van She's whole remix is a build up covered in sunscreen wearing some high fashion shades and swimwear with tropical prints. It just works.
Next is some amazing chunky goodness from Pretty Lights. His first album, A Colour Map of The Sun dropped in early July, and I love it. Combining what can only be described as 'phat' electro lines with pseudo-sampled soul, Pretty Lights has created something beautiful. This track is a clear winner in my book, and just fills me with excitement for summer days.
Seemingly minimalist compared to Yellow Bird, Montreal based CFCF's remix of HEALTH's Good Tigers still slots perfectly into the summer vibes playlist. With an almost reggae base to it, smooth as silk vocal work and a beat that doesn't overpower the delicate nature, CFCFperfects the summer sound with little soundscape.
Released July last year, Purity Ring's debut album Shrines was a modest success, and sat in the U.K polls at #100. A strange mix of hip hop inspired beats, electronic dance anthems and indie, Purity Ring have sparked my interest. I'm rather excited to hear what their next album brings. Until then, Fineshrine is my choice track for the Canadian electro duo, and for beach activities.
My initial plan was to post the entire list, but it just keeps growing. So I'll make this the last one for now. In 2011, the Chemical Brothers crafted the soundtrack to Hanna, a movie that seems to have gone by largely unnoticed. While the movie is a possible 4 stars for me, the soundtrack holds some quality gems, gems that sparkle in the sun.
Hey everyone, Adam here acting as your holiday wingman with the goal of getting you all something extra for the holidays. So grab that mistletoe, get someone drunk on eggnog and get busy with these tracks.
Let's just start it real filthy with a track from the new R. Kelly album Black Panties. No introduction is necessary for the Pied Piper as his discography speaks for itself. This album could be his sexiest one yet with tracks like; Marry The Pussy, and Show Ya Pussy. The intro song Legs Shaking features Ludacris who delivers a verse that calls back to his own track, Fantasy. Black Panties is out December 10th. Should be used by people who posses extreme game.
Next up we have Swedish producer Markus Enochson with the track "Love Is On The Way". It's a great blend of Swedish pop and American r&b. The vocals feel like sweet nothings are being whispered into your ear. A panty dropper for sure.
For all you indie couples who don't want to throw it down but make tender love, here's something just for you from Incan Abraham. A warm track for couples who "love each others souls". It still sets the mood and gets the job done with a romantic deserted island vibe.
Since this is the holiday wingman guide, the XX's cover of Last Christmas is next. I swear everything this group touches turns into the ghost of sexy time past, and this cover is no exception. Probably the most in your face Jamie XX has ever produced but it's still a sultry take on a cheesy song. Its a great tune to play when you're double dipping with your previous fling.
If all else fails there's Mannheim Steamrollers God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman. It's old school, but for generations people have been getting "comfort and joy" during the holidays to this Christmas album and you should too. Heck turn it into a Christmas tradition, I know I have!
Remember wrap your candy canes with a stocking and happy holidays!
I've been up at the small hours again doing everything from rendering videos, making pictures to managing deadlines and more. And after all that I needed to just kinda shut off for a while, and here's what I put on to do just that, starting with a tune from shortlived UK electronic duo Alpinestars, taken from their second album that has a very wintery theme, White Noise.
And as I was listening it reminded me a ton of Kittin's cover of R.E.M's Everybody Hurts on her latest LP from earlier this year. Tucked away at the end of part one of the double album, it introduces the second half's vibe beautifully.
It'd been a while since I properly revisited Karin Dreijer's solo project Fever Ray, the album is brilliantly produced throughout and is still very fresh a good four or so years after it was released. I love the contrast between the instrumentation and her pitch shifted vocals.
Bringing us to a close we have something from near the end of 100th Window. The atmosphere built on the album is wonderfully bleak, I don't come back to it often, but when I do I fall in love all over again.
Another chill sesh to match the chill weather as I settle on down into work mode. First things first is a lil' something from my trance days, if there's one thing they did right it was the chillout aspect for those substance induced comedowns. Actually, I'd hesitate to label this one trance cos it doesn't actually get a beat going, its more like an ambient mix of the original really.
Speaking of, here's the deepest cut from the Golden Boy LP that unlike the last few I've posted actually features some vocal contributions from Kittin, though she disappears soon after. It's a little long for my taste most of the time, (especially given that 3 minutes of it is fading out) but sometimes its just right.
Flexible producers Blu Mar Ten broke their usual Drum & Bass mould in 2003 to release The Six Million Names Of God, a weird coming together of ambient, house and downtempo vibes. It's pretty solid, the ambient pieces are just stellar and the more upbeat parts give me a vibe not too dissimilar from Moby's Play from 1999. Give it a listen if you find it, the opening track is lovely.
Hi there, It's been quite a while since my last post, some of you might remember me as Here, but now I'll go as LRNT because... well because that's how it's going to be now!
So, since I spent a few months without posting, I guess the easiest way to start again is by telling you guys what I've been listening to during that time.
Most of the tracks I'll post here have nothing in common, that's just how my brain works, I like way too much different things in music.
Let's start with some happy upbeat japanese stuff from bo en and tofubeats.
But since I'm french, I can't escape things from Bromance, who would want to anyway?
Panteros666, the man with the purplest hair is back at it with a 2 tracks EP.
Bromance's newest member, Ateph Elidja used to be known as Rhaft, his first EP on Bromance will drop in december, but here's a treat, one of his old songs and his remix of Brodinski - Gimme Back The Night.
His first EP on Bromance will drop in December, and it will feature Little Mike from Birdy Nam Nam!
So that's all for me today. Feel free to follow me on twitter if you want, I try to post cool songs, or complain about train being late in France. @LRNT_
