With A Bang 3: Revelations

That time again, where CVF lays down some ammo for your prospective new year's get togethers or whatever you lot are planning. The one time of year (one day late this time) where I ration the words for this one and instead just hand out some ammo to blast on NYE to make sure yours is the best sounding night on the block. So without further ado here we go!

Takashi Murakami - Tan Tan Bo (2001)

You go on out and have yourselves a awesome night with this lot and as always stay safe, enjoy the music and have yourselves a very nice New Year from all of us here at ilictronix! We'll see you on the other side in 2015!

Philestine · GENIUS IN A BOTTLE

Have A House-y Xmas

Dropping by with an even quicker pot as your early Christmas pressie. From the lovely folks at Crydamoure records, making sure your holdiays are filled with lovely house goodness. Keep wrapped up while you unwrap your gifts, and I'll be back with my annual NYE track dump very soon!

On The 20th Day...

...Of Christmas Van Foxbat gave to you; a boatload of good tunes. Hello all, just dropping by for my usual art + track dump, see y'all on the other side!

Gustave Caillebotte - Rue Halevy, Seen from the Sixth Floor (1878)

Been re-watching the Bebop again, and lemme tell you it's just as good as ever. The soundtrack deserves an honourable mention naturally, but what's even better is some cuts from the remix LP featuring names like Ian Pooley and Luke Vibert! Here's one of my faves from tea-loving beat crafter Mr. Scruff.



On a similar funky note I have fallen back in love with the bass work of Squarepusher. The man is a virtuoso on those strings, there are tracks that maybe show this a bit better but for my money, this track from my favourite of his albums Hello Everything is all I need.



And no jazz/lounge heavy post would be complete with the tune that introduced me to trip hop before knew it was called that back in '99. And even then it'd take me a good 10 years to find that out and track the tune back down. Ladies and gentlemen: the E-Z Rollers, take it away.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Azealia remixed

Hi



I heard this great slowed down remix of Azealia Banks's new single, Chasing Time by Hyper François.

It's all I love, mesmerizing synth and vocals all over, it's seriously addictive.



It made me remember these two other remixes of Azealia Banks that I really like so I thought I'd share them too of course !

An all time favorite, by no other than Kaytranada



And this now almost 3 years old but still as fresh as yesterday edit by Ren Riz



Enjoy!
-@LRNT_

Winter Playlist(pt 1)

Got some new tracks for you guys to bump in whatever cold(?) weather location your speakers might be located in.

tohska - Synchronicity

sleep2 - Thotty

Ownglow - Tension

Camuz - Suzanna

Be Easy, 

Earl

Names of 2014

Hi



It's this time of the year again, this time where you look back and remember your best memories!

I decided it was time to post about the new names of 2014, the ones that already made it big times as much as the ones to remember for 2015 because you'll defintely hear again about them.

Erson Rybod

First one that comes to my mind is Erson Rybod. What do we know about Erson Rybod? Pretty much nothing, and that's what he is all about. Behind this really well done skin mask hides Louisahhh!!!'s protégé, who so far only released a 10 seconds long messy sound and one of my favorite set this year on Rinse fm. He started being active on instagram earlier this month, always wearing his mask, always doing strange stuff and very often hanging around with Louisahhh!!! so it's kind of safe to say that something is in the works, probably to be released on Bromance Records.

I had the chance to see him dj last month, as he opened for Gesaffelstein at Le Zenith and it was a strong set, no doubt about it. I love musicians who are not only musicians but who work on their appearance, their universe and the overall feeling you get when you see and or hear them, Erson mastered that.

Here is his impressive Rinse fm set, tracklist in the comments section, as usual.

Extreme Precautions

Next one is not really a new name but a new alias, Mondkopf's. Extreme Precautions is his new side project.

Over the years, Mondkopf's style grew from minimal electronica to super oppressive and dark techno, and it was clear that his style will continue to go further into that genre when he released Hadès last February. The question was, would it still be music, or would it just be something filled with terrifying sounds? Well it's a bit of both and it is done with the talent he's known to have.

He released his first untitled album, filled with untitled songs that you can buy on Bandcamp.



Untitled 6

Ateph Elidja

Let's stay in the techno field, the genre I listened to the most this year --more on that in an upcoming post-- with Ateph Elidja.

Ateph Elidja is not new around, he used to release songs under the name Rhaft before, but it was so different it is safe to say that he was born again under this new name. I had the chance to run into him and chat for a few minutes at the end of a show at Le Showcase where the whole Bromance and Zone family was playing, beside being good at what he does, he is very humble and nice, which is always a plus.

Signed on Bromance Records, he dropped mesmerizing techno songs and remixes this year. I cannot picture 2015 without at least 2 EPs from this man. I was most impressed with his original songs, you recognize his style and atmosphere instantly, something between alarm sounds, deep notes and twists.

ZHU

Now, ZHU.

ZHU came out of nowhere in the beginning of 2014, and is now nominated for the Best Dance Recording Grammy award alongside Basement Jaxx, Disclosure or Duke Dumont. His biggest song is the one you probably already heard a couple (of hundred) times, Faded. That song reminds me of tracks such as Bulletproof from Laroux, as in EVERYONE remixed it including The Magician, Lido, ODESZA... most certainly because of how catchy the vocal part of that song is.

Lido

I did mention Lido above, and he's in the list too, what a coincidence, right?

Lido is a young and crazy productive producer from Norway. With his 4 notes signature he always includes in his song, he managed to release some of the most impressive remixes this year and a great EP, I Love You Too, that got remixed by artists such as Para One or Hoodboi.

For some reason, his style strikes me as very japanese electro-ish on songs such as Money, while sometimes it's definitely trap infused. No matter what you call it, it's good, and that's what matters in the end.

s h a m a n a

s h a m a n a produces mostly ambient trap, and uses things you would not really think about when it comes to it. You'll hear samples from Sonic the hedgehog, Mario or vocals by the Destiny's Child etc...

While some of his productions can sometimes feel a bit uninspired to me, overall the quality of each of his productions is great. I'm not a huge fan of ambient trap, but he does it very well.

Spectre//Sound

Last but not least Spectre//Sound, from Senzu Collective, where artists such as our friend Alecks Awklr releases countless quality productions.







Enjoy!
-@LRNT_

Days Off

Semester is over finally. Not out of the woods yet with the whole dissertation and all but whatever I'm taking a proper day off as compensation. Enjoy some choice relaxation selections from me.

José de Almada Negreiros - Black And White (1929)

Blu Mar Ten deserve an honourable mention as being one of the warmer albums I have on this winter. The opening track has been a long time favourite of mine, it's incredibly well done and a massive departure from their previous Drum & Bass shenanigans.



Said before it took me a long time to gt into Thievery because I was convinced that the Americans just couldn't do Trip Hop like us, which wasn't unreasonable given it was born out of Bristol and that. Turns out I was wrng on multiple levels. The Corp. sure don't do the moody vibes of say Portishead, but that's not what they're about. For example tey do a whole bunch of other stuff, take their most recent album Saudade for example, which is pretty much lounge come bossa nova through and through. And I totally adore the opening track:



And of course local hero of mine Nightmares On Wax is never far from my playlists. Here's one tune I missed out posting in my semi-review, was released just before the LP and only further sold me on NoW's newest. The man hardly disappoints and is by far and away one of my favourite ever dealers of chill tunes. Deffo check him out if you haven't already.



-Claude Van Foxbat

A look back at 2014

As we close out 2014 lets take a look back at some of the best and worst albums of the year and make predictions about what is in store for '15. While it was a dry summer with limited releases it wasn't until autumn hit where shit hit the fan and we had great release after great release. Its easy to think that this year was weak overall especially compared to last year, but we did get some classic albums that we all will be listening to for a long time. While Rap suffered the worst, we did see the huge rise of Future R&B, and when Top 40 had a rough year we did see the takeover of PC Music. Its hard to complain when we got albums from Flying Lotus, AFX and Thom Yorke...



This list is in no particular order, I loved these albums equally.


RatKing – So It Goes
Other than run the Jewels 2 this was one of the strongest rap releases this year. With killer features from King Krule and Wavy Spice, this trio from the New York borough of Harlem debuted with a modern take on gritty east coast boom bap rap. Its hard not to be hooked after hearing the single Canal, with a killer sample, it sounds so New York you can almost smell the rotting trash on the sidewalk.
Clark – Self Titled
You have to feel bad sometimes for Clark. One of the biggest slept on artists from Warp, Clark makes music that’s incredible experimental yet unbelievably cinematic. While a lot of albums disappointed this year, Clark delivered one of the best albums since his magnum opus “Body Riddle”. Winter Linn sounds like a more mature version of his hit single Ted and Silvered Iris harkens back to Clarks work on the album “Turning Dragon” Even the track There’s a Distance In You feels like the best elements of “Totems Flare” but expanded even further. This album has been the perfect companion during brutal Chicago snow storms.

Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
It always takes me a while to fully unpack a new Flying Lotus Records. I still am discovering new sounds on “Cosmogramma” and even “Until the Quiet Comes”. “You’re Dead!” is a culmination of everything Steven Ellison has done to this point. It feels like a final exam and Flylo wants us to all know he has full mastery of his craft. I was nervous I was going to be disappointed with this one, news that Kendrick and Snoop were on it, I like many had flashbacks to the mistake SBTRKT and Rustie made with their albums this year. You’re Dead! meets all my expectations and more. It’s exciting to see Jazz Fusion get exposure like this and having Tundercat all over this record helps with making a dense genre like this somewhat accessible. PREDICTIONS FOR NEXT ALBUM: It won’t be a Flying Lotus record it will be a Flying Lotus and Thundercat Release and they will both have equal roles.
Thom Yorke – Tomorrows Modern Boxes 
I’m not sure why this release got so much hate. If we leave out the distribution method and make the album stand on its own its pretty solid. Focused, brief, and catchy, TMB blows his last album “The Eraser” out of the water. Anyone who follows Radiohead or Thom’s careers shouldn't be surprised on what they hear during the albums 38 minute run-time. No, this is not groundbreaking but we also cant expect revolutionary work from an artist's every release, and if your biggest complaint is that it doesn't reinvent the wheel then you need to check your privilege.
Hundred Waters – The Moon Rang Like a Bell
There is a lot to hate about this album; a synth-pop group, they are from Florida, and worst of all they are on Skrillex’s OWSLA imprint. If you are able to look past all of that (especially Florida) you will walk away smitten from this groups debut. Like Tomorrows Modern Boxes, its not revolutionary but just a solid listen start to finish. For best results listen to this one at 3am when the party is over when the world is spinning and you are lying on the ground, let front woman Nicole Miglis take all your worries away.
Arca – Xen 
Wow! This is what I call a debut! From production credits on Yeezus to helming the production of the new Bjork album, Venezuelan producer, Alejandro Ghersi has everything going for him right now. One of my favorite releases of this year, I had flashbacks to when I first heard Los Angeles, or the Richard D. James album. A strong visual aesthetic is married to his work because of his relationship with childhood friend Jesse Kanda. It could be said that together they are this generations Aphex Twin and Chris Cunningham. Completely different from his earlier EP’s Stretch 1 & 2, Arca uses his signature vocal manipulation maybe twice during the entire album. It was a risky move but proved to be successful, Arca will be one of the most in demand producers by this time next year, guaranteed.
FKA Twigs – LP1 
Move over XX, Young Turks has a new cash cow and her name is FKA Twigs. Destined to become a household name FKA Twigs had a pretty remarkable album. With production credits from Arca, Twigs’ sound is sexy, sensual, heartbreaking and atmospheric, and while the album art can be a turnoff to some, LP1 is the best PBR&B record this year. Now that she is dating Twilight star Robert Pattison, it will be interesting to see if she molds her sound into something a bit more commercial.


Death Grips – Niggas On the Moon
TOO NOIDED TO WRITE ANYTHING, THIS ALBUM GETS ME SO HYPE AND ANGRY!!! BJORK IS NOW A CERTIFIED BOSS ASS BITCH BECAUSE OF HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS ABRASIVE, EXPERIMENTAL LP.
Todd Terje – It’s Album Time! 
If you can listen to this one without smiling once, something might be wrong with you. This release was cute, funky and spunky in all the right places.
Real Estate – Atlas
Jangle-Pop hasn't died yet thanks to New Jersey based band Real Estate. This one made the list because of its incredible hooks and the fact that they recorded it here in Chicago. Atlas makes you feel like lying on the beach while you watch clouds pass you by. It's the album you put on when guests are over and your trying to set a pleasant mood. It was a great follow-up to their last album Days but you get the feeling that there is no where else to go from here. *Special Award* The safest and most harmless release in 2014*
Perfect Pussy – Say Yes To Love  
Can singer Meredith Graves be insufferable, Yes. Could this band be an industry plant? Also yes. Is the name stupid, Yes Yes Yes. Even with all of the politics and negativity surrounding this noise punk band, Perfect Pussy was the shot in the arm this summer needed. In your face and ready explode at any minute Perfect Pussy had an absolutely dense debut this year. Between this release and the new Death From Above 1979 album, punk and noise had a pretty strong commercial year.
PC Music – Various
PC Music is one of the most bizarre things to happen to electronic music in a long time. What exactly is it though, Bubblegum Bass, American K-Pop or something deeper?  Coming out of seemingly nowhere PC Music releases took the underground by storm this year. It’s hard to explain to others what the appeal of this is; it’s so glossy and shinny that you can feel your brain melting. Listening to some of label head A.G. Cooks mixes you get an idea about where this bizarre scene came from. It sounds like a continuation of the sounds that the Lucky Me crew has been doing for a while. Elements of Juke, Trap and Eruotrance can all be found with each single. A killer visual aesthetic is married with the entire label and should become even more outrageous now that they have backing from XL Records. Never has there been an imprint that was more divisive out of the gate than PC Music, especially with their lead single “HEY QT”. It’s best to see this whole scene as high brow performance art.



Honorable Mentions:
Kelis – Food
Shamir – North Town
A$ap Ferg – Ferg Forever
Spoon – They Want My Soul
Alvvays – Self Titled
Mr. Twin Sister – Self Titled
Schoolboy Q – Oxymoron
Caribou – Our Love
Aphex Twin – Syro
Sia – 1000 Forms of Fear
Ought – More Than Any Other Day
Quirke – Acid Beth
OBJEKT – Flatland
Savages – Words To the Blind
Royksopp & Robin – Do It Again
Tennis – Ritual In Repeat
Parquet Courts – Content Nausea
Andy Stott – Faith In Strangers
Little Dragon – Nabuma Rubberband
Liars – Mess
Mr. Oizo – The Church
Lykke Li – I Never Learn


Things that I'm sure were great, I just didn't listen to them enough to know for sure: 
The entire sacred bones label
St. Vincent
Actress
Zhu
Angel Olsen
Sharon Van Etton
Dirty Beaches
Les Sins
Xiu Xiu


What did I hate this year:
First Aid Kit – Stay Gold
Grimes – Go
Perfume Genius – Too Bright
Rustie – Green Lantern
SBTRKT – Wonder Where We Land
Swans – To Be Kind
Sisyphus – Self Titled
U2 - Songs of Innocence
Coldplay – Ghost Stories
Ariel Pink – Pom Pom
Julian Casablancas and the Voidz – Tyranny
Mac Demarco – Salad Days
Sun Kil Moon – Benji
Lana Del Rey/Black Keys – Ultraviolence/ Turn Blue
Usher


Predictions for 2015: 
Cassettes will hit critical mass next year, thanks a lot Ariel Pink….
The return of Hardstyle, much to the dismay of every scene
Jamie XX will finally drop an album
James Blakes album will be great but sound slightly dated, especially if people get tired of the Future R&B scene
Disclosure drops a new album and it the shittiest thing since gorgon city’s debut
Rap will have a huge year with releases from Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper and Kanye
Kanyes next album will be number 1 on every list next year
The St. Louis music scene gets adrenalin shot because of frustrated youth.
Detroit Ghettotech makes a comeback. *Fingers Crossed*
Being done with Christmas music Sufjan Stevens makes a 4 part album containing original Easter songs
Robert Pattison drops an experimental Drone album and it’s critically acclaimed
Iggy Azalea’s follow up record bombs harder than Robin Thickes’ Paula
Hudson Mohawke drops a new album and it pales in comparison to Lunice's forthcoming album
Burial gets production credits on the next Taylor Swift album.


-Adam 

Busy Ain't The Word

Yo. Apologies for no updates in a while, shit is crazy when handins are about. And even though I have a hand-in tomorrow I'm gonna spend a lil time and send some tunes your way. Standby for aural.

Ivan Shishkin - In Winter (1883)

Funnily enough been mad into Moby this winter so far. Had to catch up from the way back where I was at in Play/18 territory. Those are still more than solid albums, deffo check them out if you missed them in the last 15 or so years they've been about.



Also dug out my old Pretty Lights stuff. Even tho I remember his second effort being a lot lot weaker than his first (mainly due to the amount of tracks, stretched waaaay too thin). Not to say it doesn't have it's moments. This one's been surprising me a lot lately on shuffle.



Winter mainstays the 'Sopp continue their dominion in my playlists. The Undertsnading Seems to be might overlooked outside of the (admittedly amazing) single What Else Is There?. Deffo look the rest of the album up tho, it's perfect for this time of year and is still solid nearly 10 years on.



-Claude Van Foxbat

While I was out.....

Oh hey, it's good to be back! Finals are done, I'm all caught up with my listening list and down to clown. Wow the ending to this year has been absolutely stacked with great releases and our end of the year lists are gong to be so hard to make. Until then, here are some of my favorite tracks I've been listening to.

With the re-release of GTA V its been fun to go back and listen to Flying Lotus station FLYLOFM and the remastered version has some new unreleased tracks. One of my favorites from this mix was an exclusive from Clams Casino - Crystals. This is one of the busiest bangers I've come across especially from someone like Clams.



I am really hit and miss on Acid but this newest release from Daniel Avery's titled Drone Logic was really close in changing my mind. One of the best and danceable cuts form this album was All I Need, I love the juxtaposition of the kick drum and the synth thats just slathered in reverb. The vocals are deliciously sexy especially mid track when a voice demands that you "taste it"

Daniel.Avery · Daniel Avery - All I Need

Jon Hopkins absolutely blew me away with his album Immunity so I'm thrilled that he is in Japan recording a new album. In the mean time he dropped a stellar essential mix along with this small EP that feature "Asleep Version" remixes on some of immunities best tracks. The standout is Form By Firelight and it features vocals from Raphaelle Standell.




This next one was tough, I want to hate Ariel Pink and write him off as blog fodder but ill be dammed his newest album Pom Pom had some pretty interesting ideas that kept me coming back.

smileforme_ · Ariel Pink - Lipstick

Worlds Fair is a rap collective from Brooklyn and their work so far has been pretty solid and sounds almost like something the Pro-Era crew would put out if they weren't stuck up their on asses. Anyways this is from their mixtape B.o.t.p.


I'm sure you all have seen a decent amount of hype for Andy Stott's new album faith in strangers and honestly its all true. I actually first heard of Andy fairly recently on Matthew Prain's mix he did a couple of months ago. I was absolutely lost in this album and after I heard this track I was instantly hooked. There is a lot to love with this one, the brooding baseline and a post apocalyptic synth line and those eerie vocals make this one of the best of the year.
-Adam 

New Track Reviews(1st of Tha Month Edition)

wake up, wake up

Lets get this started.

Datcalm - Too Close

This song is great, Datcalm got the funk.

Flames of Industry - Gluttony

 A really dark, cyberpunk type thing.

Holly Drummond - Fade (LoftyLows Rethink)

Beat goes HARD, Rethink indeed.

Years & Years - Desire (Rainer + Grimm Remix)

For all the #Hashtag#Sadboys#HashTag# and  #Hashtag#Sadgirls#HashTag# out there

AND OF COURSE

Be Easy,

Earl

EVK RADIO (Day Late Edition) [Soundcloud player broken as of 2020)

wazzam

New mix for you guys, stars hard and ends that way too, enjoy!

Soundcloud this time.

Be Easy,

Earl

Workin' 2: Electric Boogaloo

Oh man the days are sneaking up even quicker, I almost forgot to do a new post. Here's some of today's tunes for your enjoyment.

Indie184 - Sublime

Still loving the newest Moderat LP; the opener was the first I heard of it with that promo animation and it's still as good as ever, here's hoping for more from Apparat and the Modeselektor boy soon!



Fitting songs time, only I miss having some leeway with free time and not having a dissertation to write and oh god my life is falling apart. Have some Lykke Li to make it all better.



A friendly reminder that Omni Trio is amazing at what he does. Who doesn't love a good slice of old school chilled Drum & Bass? I certainly needed it at this point in the week, so here it is for all y'all.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Gloomy Sundays VII

Skipped out on a couple of these, but I'm back now with even more tunes to drag you down before monday, So without further ado let's get started.

John Lautermilch - The Decision (2009)

More UNKLE with well known sad boy Thom Yorke on vocals. There's nothing really like it on the album, but that's not to say it's bad it's just a bit of a left from the trip-hop vibes of the rest of the LP.



Winter means more OPN. Nothing like analogue ambient brilliance to see the cold in. One of the shorter bits from Rifts though it feels like it lasts an eternity. Lopatin keeps its sedate here, there's no surprise arpeggios or descent into noise like some of his other tracks, just lush sounds throughout.



David Firth of Fat-Pie fame has been making a splash as of late with animating a video for Flying Lotus and all, few people seem to know he also does music under many a psudeonym. Much like his cartoons there's often a dark streak in them.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Ilictronix Radio 2(EVK Radio 3)

Konnichiwa Reader senpai

This is EVK RADIO 3

A bit more heavy hitting than the last go round, after all the whole world loves some 808s.

Shouts to Claude for the art!

Be Easy,

Earl

Workin' Workin'

Hello I have been working all day on videos and PDFs here is some music that has seen me through those tasks and also some art for your eyeballs.

Syd Mead - Costume Concept for Yori (Tron)

Roulé remains a top quality source of house for y'all to enjoy. Especially when it's got one half of Daft Punk behind it. Here's Together again, best put to use in the encore for Alive 2007. Still a solid track on it's own tho.



Jazz is always good. Who doesn't like smooth jazz? Here's some from Squarepusher. Not much like this on the album sadly, but what there is a joy to listen to. 'Pusher is very flexible when it comes to sound, and tracks like this only make that more apparent.



Along that same line, nobody can hate Ambivalence Avenue, the LP is just so well done that I still have it in regular rotation since I got in in '10. Here's a solid exhibit of a Bibio instrumental, if you did it go and listen to the full LP, you won't be disappointed.



-Claude Van Foxbat

You've Got Red On You

Been waiting to make this post for a long time. you know Weebl? of Badger, Badger, Badger and Amazing Horse fame? well for a long time he's been running a fictional synthpop group dubbed Savlonic. He's got a well documented love for bands like Ladytron, and the main character of the band is even based on Ron Mael of Sparks so that should give you some pointers in terms of sound.

Now it goes without saying that like all things Weebl these are essentially parody tunes, but some of them could pass for more serious ones. It's kinda a shame really cos he has a knack for catchy tunes and if he really wanted to could easily make a serious record. Still love them as they are though, there's some amazing lyricism that makes for some non-sequitur verses. Have a selection of my favourites from their recently released kickstarted album Red:







Get Savlonic's debut Red here:
Weebl's Shop
Bandcamp
iTunes
Amazon

Downtime

Hello all, gap in my schedule so I can lay down an actual post and not just some soundcloud players. Full winter mode engaged as practically every single piece of upbeat music I own has been put away for storage, here's what I got on ATM:

Jeremy Mann - Rooftops In The Snow

100th Window is essentially perfect for this, a much more cold and artificial experience then say Mezzanine was. The dark patch the band was going through reflects very well in most of the LPs tracks. The intro for this one is gorgeous, and Massive's regular vocal guest Horace Andy shines bright too.



Winter wouldn't be complete without OPN now would it? Every December since my first listen back in 2010 I dust off the Rifts compilation and warm myself up on that sweet analogue fuzz. The opening track is the one that sold me, and one that still stands tall in my stack of ambient to this day. A perfect introduction to Oneohtrix Point Never if you're new, check out the Rifts compilation for more, they re-issued it a couple years ago with some extra tunes.



Re-visiting Röyksopp's output after my last post has been a great experience. Tucked away on the end of The Understanding is this gorgeous tune which gives me the same warm fuzzies that they did with Sparks from Melody A.M. back in 2001. As a penultimate track it's almost perfect. I wouldn't say it summarises this album's content so much but that's fine by me, I do love when they end on a downtempo note.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Ilictronix Radio PT UNO(EVK radio pt 2.)

Suggested listening pose

WELCOME TO EVK RADIO.

This is Earl. Also EVK. Also Evan.

Anyway welcome to the first of many mixes by moi, track-listing is provided. 

- Earl

It All Ends

Some of you in the know may have seen that my two favourite Scandinavian music folks are calling it a day, I expected it of The Knife after they went on the massive tour they were doing considering they last did it in 2006 on a way more local scale. I can deal with that, Silent Shout is one of my top ten albums and they've had a good run. But the other one is hitting me surprisingly hard...



I honestly didn't expect Röyksopp to be calling it so soon, I mean they were just gearing back up with the Late Night Tales and Robyn collab and whatnot. They're calling The Inevitable End, and wave goodbye to "the traditional album format" and they said they'll keep making music. And I certainly hope so, Röyksopp have been on my music radar since 2001 and I don't know how I feel about such a big cornerstone of my listening history to just suddenly stop, they've seen me through a lot over the years.



However if this is it for albums, I do think the album is a fitting end to the project, it's the perfect blend of their vibe with just a small hint of bitter-sweetness and a bigger focus on lyrical content. Think What Else Is There? and you're about there. Now excuse me while I reflect on 10+ years of Norwegian electronic and maybe cry a little.

-Claude Van Foxbat

Friday Quickie (Link broken as of 2020)

Seems Oizo's been causing a stir by releasing another thing on FlyLo's Brainfeeder label. He set things straight on twitter tho saying quote: "hey internet freaks, I never left Ed Banger Records !!! I just joined BRAINFEEDER ! nothing's wrong !". not an unexpected move after FlyLo's obvious love of Oizo what with re-issuing his second LP on vinyl on Brainfeeder and that. Check out the snippets they put up the other day here, it's shaping up to be another twisted slice of Oizo goodness!

Winter Is Coming

Sorry for the sparse posting but I'm sure you all understand after the last one why I took a little bit of a break. In more upbeat news Clark has a new LP out and it is killer. If you're new to clark start here, move on to Body Riddle and never look back, he effortlessly dances between beautiful ambient and lush sounds to what I best heard described as Melodic Grit. The guy is as serious contender for my favourite warp act of all time along with the many other classics they have on their roll.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Gloomy Sundays VI

Isidro Escamilla - Virgin of Guadalupe (1824)

This Sunday I actually have a reason to be gloomy. No one should have to see their friend put in the ground, especially one who probably lived more than the rest of us combined. But here we are anyway. So long J, I'll always remember you for never giving a shit about what anyone thought of your opinion, being the first person to show me John Martyn and your love of tattoos and body art. Thank you for being a friend and thank you for being there when I first arrived and had no one. I was a boy then but now I'm a man. Thanks for all the good times and I'll see you on the other side.







-Claude Van Foxbat

Spooky Sounds

Halloween time, time for tunes. Had some really great picks in the last couple of years and I hope to continue the trend! Without further ado onto he tracks! (no art this time b/c I don't have any scary paintings, so have this picture of a bat)

Starting off with a more recent tune from recently covered Swede Simon Viklund. This tune was made for some Hotline Miami / Payday crossover and it's pretty stellar. It really captures that neon drenched 80s feel of the Hotline soundtrack and the bank robbing vibes of Payday quite nicely. With just a smidgen of inspiration from artists like Danger & Feed Me, this one better be on your playlist for the 31st!



Kittin with the opening track from her suitably spooky album Batbox. Her production is on point as usual, unlike the dancefloor/listening sides of I Com, her second definitely dwells more on the dancy side of things. If there were ever a rave in a haunted mansion, this would be the tune to open it with for sure.



And finally some FlyLo with some wonky disjointed beat action form the Pattern + Grid World EP. It took me a while for some tracks on the EP to click for me, this one included, but when they did it was magic. Save this one or the morning after when everything is still a little hazy.



-Claude Van Foxbat

New Track Reviews(pt. 2)

Hello.

Get ready for the ride of your life.

Reese + Lil Uzi Vert - 400 Degreez(Marcus Dominic + Benny Jets)

Damn that was a long title. But this song is awesome so its okay. 7 stars out of 3 1/2

Black Boots - This Shit Will Fuck You Up

Black Boots graces the world with this Hallows Eve banger, my shit was indeed fucked up after a listen to this.

Syn Cole - Bright Lights( The Voyagers Remix)

No words. Just Listen.

Epic Empire - Doin It

I really REALLY like this, very good for head nodding and general wilding out activities.



Be Easy

- Earl

Down In The Dumps

Saw Stenchman on twitter lamenting his music career recently. We can't have that now can we? as a staunch supporter of all things stinky I had to do something about it, so how about another plug for the stenchman? He's recently put a lot of stuff for free download on his soundcloud so feel free to get your mitts on it; here's some choice ilictronix endorsed samples. Get out there and support the man!



-Claude Van Foxbat

New Track Reviews(pt.1)

Hello

Lets get this started.

Wayward - Ugetsu(EP)

Shout out to Wayward for this awesome EP. 5 stars

Brika - Gold

Brika kills it again with Gold, definitely lives up to the name.

tohska - Lacuna Bloom

The vibe of this track is incredible, i cant wait to see what tohska does next.




Be Easy
- Earl

Gloomy Sundays V: Micro Edition

A whole week without a post. Damn son, been a long time since I seen that. It's alright tho cos we loop back around to being sad again. This one's gonna be quick cos I'm not at my usual PC, but I got some tunes for ya.

Miwa Ogasawara - Aufgang (2013)

Aesop Rock probably isn't your first choice when you consider what we've posted before, but this one is a serious contender for me, I'm sure you'll be able to figure out why if you know me a little and pay attention to Aes' lines he lays down here.

"I love you all with all that's left of me, For helping try to kill what made a mess of me."

I always Ladytron having a much more moodier output than they do. Maybe it's an Electroclash conditioning thing coming off the heels of Kittin & The Hacker's joints. Regardless, when they do go down that route it's always golden. If Gary Numan and Kraftwerk showed us anything it's that synthesizers are brilliant backings for the downbeat.

"Don't want the same ghosts for company this evening"

And finally we're just going to revisit an old favourite of mine. I've written a bit about Seefeel before, granted their not everyone's bag and all but I still say this is probably the finest example (alongside Spangle from the Starethrough EP) of what they do well. This track in particular is just lush with sounds.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Gloomy Sundays IV: This Time It's Personal.

How was your weekend? Awesome? Fantastic? Well unfortunately just like everything else in your life it's coming to an end. So do a line of Prozac, put on your comfiest pair of slippers and wallow together, this week might be your worst yet.

Alex Colville - Horse And Train (1954)

Lets start with a whimper off Arca's new album Xen. Many of you know Arca through his production credits on Kanye's Yeezus, and FKA Twigs EP2 and LP1. His debut full length Xen is unlike anything I have ever heard and is a strong contender for AOTY. The track "Wound" has a beautiful cinematic feel to it with a soaring orchestral backbone. Once the empty and cold vocals roll in the track transcends to the next level. The lyrics are undecipherable and that's OK because the pain you're feeling is also hard to put into words.

Arca · Wound

What happens when you combine the hopelessness and trashiness of Florida with the shame of being associated with Skrillex?  Hundred Waters! Signed to Skrillex's OWSLA label, Florida natives Hundred Waters have a pretty dark brand of synth pop. Their label debut "The Moon Rang Like a Bell", was the soundtrack to countless nights of crying myself to sleep. The highlight of this amazing album is the track"Down From the Rafters". Lead vocalist Nicole Miglis has a beautiful and haunting voice that fills up whatever empty room you're in.

Hundred Waters · Down From The Rafters

Oh hey look its our favorite depressed frontman Thom Yorke! His newest album Tomorrows Modern Boxes is a music lovers "quart of ice-cream after a breakup" One of the standout tracks is "Interference".





The description from Rock Genius sums this one up perfectly:

"In the song, Yorke sings about the transience of our lives, our loves, our identities. We have moments in time that seem to be so eternal, but in reality it will and does come to pass all so suddenly."

How does it feel when the lead singer from your favorite band knows your life is worthless?


Lets close out with a track from Sharon Van Ettens ultra depressing "Are We There?" This one always leaves me speechless so I wont say too much about it and spoil it for you.

Jagjaguwar · Sharon Van Etten - "Your Love Is Killing Me"

I would say this is a good playlist when studying for midterms, but lets be honest you don't need to study, you are going to fail all of them.

-Adam 


I've crawled out of my dissertation den to lay down some additions of my own. When the pressure's on and you have to not fuck up at all because otherwise you've wasted three years of your life, you will not get your degree and good luck getting a job in this post-industrial landscape of Northern England it is difficult to stay peppy. So I don't. Have some existential Brian Eno to help with that.



And when you see them all, somehow managing to live it up, go out an do what your stereotypical students do and manage to write a dissertation too. You wonder if it's all in vain, spending time writing when you could be out with them. If only you lived closer to the town center and didn't have a 1 hour commute to do, perhaps it would be. Don't dwell on it though, distract yourself and sit down with a brew and read over some academia again.



You are again wracked with doubt about whether your work is good enough, or will ever be good enough. As the last render of the night's bar slowly fills to complete, you look outside and wonder if winter is getting darker every year. Shutting down your workstation, you clamber off to bed. Another early morning bedtime. The small things make it worth it, tomorrow's another day and we can do it all again.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Automated 5: Future Proof

Thought I might have some downtime after the last post only to be immediately slammed with more dissertation work. So with that in mind here's another quickie to tide you over until the next one.

Roy Lichtenstein - Reverie (1965)
Click here for huge (3318 x 3974 px)

Dug out Broadcast again, and again another example of how tunes grow on you over time. I skipped over this one plenty just because I'm not a huge fan of the intro, but keep on listening and it just gets better. Nailed it in completely Broadcast fashion, Trish Keenan was a talent gone far too soon.



More from FlyLo's Ideas .rar, This one got a lot of press just from the title alone (which is admittedly pretty great) but they kinda let it overshadow the tune itself. Think the other Jazzy cuts from Ideas like Oatmeal Face and Wake Me and you're pretty much good.



Daft Club gets an awful lot of bad press in the DP community. Yeah it's not the best jump coming straight after Discovery but it has it's moments, like that Slum Village mix of Aerodynamic which is quality. Also the intro is a tune I fall in love with every time, from the nostalgia pangs of the Dial-Up intro 'til the very end. Perhaps one of the most lush tracks the Punks have ever made.



-Claude Van Foxbat