Down Slow

My usual MO for tunes has gone out the window recently, since I bought more trip hop stuff for my collection and now I find myself walking the rain station with much more laidback stuff going on, here's a cross section of some I think you'll dig.

Atelier Olschinsky - Structures III (08)

Kicking off with an unreleased number from anti-artists The KLF. This was meant to be included on an EP in 1994 but they intentionally ended their music career, literally burned a million quid in cash and then deleted all the original masters of all their releases which is a bold move. Anyway, as the name suggests, this is a slightly more upbeat version of Madrugada Eterna from the Chill Out LP.



Another solid piece of history from AFX's debut on R&S Records, the timeless Selected Ambient Works 85-92. I always take the album out of my playlists just so I get nicely surpised when it comes back in again, take it in with a track so nice that it has an entire forum named after it.



A strange addition from Miss Kittin here, what starts as a experimental spoken word type piece completely changes around 2:40 where the track really comes into its own and shows off what Kittin can do with just her own voice, I love that aspect of the production on this one.



- Claude Van Foxbat

The Present Has No Rhythm

And thus, the Daft Hug was born...

Hey guys, it's Nite again. As I'm sure many of you are aware of, Daft Punk has recently sweeped the Grammy's, winning all 5 grammy's they were nominated for, including Album of the Year. As a way of celebrating their recent success, I'm going to put up some Daft Punk and DP related music on this post! Let's get started, shall we?

First off, we have an amazing remix of Daft Punk's Revolution 909 by Roger Sanchez! Definitely a great house track to groove to when you need something to dance to.



Next, we have the ever lovely Veridis Quo from Discovery. Perhaps the most Moroder-esque track the french duo has had until RAM, this tune is undoubtedly one of my favorites from their second album. It's absolutely fantastic.



Thirdly, from their HAA album, we have The Brainwasher. It's heavy, repetitive, and fun as all hell to dance to. Honestly, it's my personal favorite tune off of this album. 



The next two tracks are not Daft Punk tracks, but rather come from Thomas and Guy-Man's time at Roule and Crydamoure respectively. The first comes from Bangalter himself, whereas the second is from Le Knight Club, a French House group composed of Guy-Manuel and Eric Chedville (both of which owned the Cryda label, just as Bangalter owned the Roule label). Anywho, these are perhaps some of the best French House tracks to date, even if these tracks are over Ten years old. Such a shame these labels don't exist anymore...




Lastly, Daft Punk's live performance of Get Lucky with Stevie Wonder. While it's not studio quality, it's definitely decent, considering it was ripped from the TV. Enjoy it while it's hot!  



Here's to another year of Daft Punk! Hopefully we won't have to wait another 8 years to see a new album or a new Live album from them. Daft Love, Nite

Phillin' You In

I've dropped a lot of Stenchman on you over the years, here's a follow up to my last post on his latest house oriented project Philestine. Kicking off with another brilliantly titled bit that I barely missed out putting in my last Philestine update called Debbie Does Dover. Like a lot of his soundcloud stuff it's short but sweet as, can't wait for it to be properly released.



Something a bit more recent now, you can really hear the difference on this one as Stench really finds the sound he's going for. Once again there's a lot of promise from this little 2 minute clip, the transitions are beautifully executed.



Finishing it off we have another recent one that got me from the get go. That intro is nothing short of amazing, and I'm loving the way it just gives way as the beat comes in and decks you. I loved Stenchman's more downbeat dubstep output, and this is no different. Keep your eye on this one, the stuff he's putting out is consistently great.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Score

Film scores and soundtracks often hold great composition or songs, and that's what this entire post is about. I've been going through my music and made a list of my favourite electronic scores/soundtracks.

One of my favourite movie scores.

However, it's not electronic, so I won't post it. But I do recommend it.

I'll start it with one of the most gritty, industrial and brilliantly produced soundscapes from 2012. While it went by relatively unnoticed, Dredd (2012) was actually not a half bad movie. The soundtrack reflects the atmosphere of a grainy post-apocalyptic mega-city well; particularly by crushing, decimating or otherwise obliterating the majority of sounds.

Next is your friendly neighbourhood Hans Zimmer… with Junkie XL. I respect many of Zimmer's works, so hearing someone has remixed it made me worry a little. But, Junkie XL came through; after two minutes. My only quarrel with this track, is the two minute build-up. Great use of vocal samples and deranged strings.

Tom Holkenborg · The Dark Knight Rises - Bombers Over Ibiza (Junkie XL Remix)

As far as movies go, TRON: Legacy was really quite mediocre. I enjoy mixes of a large orchestra and electronic music, as shown by the last track. However, there are some points during the TRON: Legacy soundtrack that I feel the electronic sounds overpower the orchestra and throw the mood off. That doesn't occur in this track.



Time to back up a few decades. While I could have posted one of many Miami Vice themes, I chose this. I don't know exactly where in the show it appears, mainly because I don't watch it. Just cannot help but love the classics.



Rule number one.



Now we come to one of my biggest musical influences. The Nintendo 64. The thousands of hours I've spent playing to the same tracks, and they never get old. First up is a lovely piece from Perfect Dark. I just love the dark and gritty atmosphere. Rare games represent a good portion of my childhood.




One of my favourite tracks from one of my favourite tracks. Rainbow Road from Mario Kart 64. To me, it just has a nice cruising vibe to it. Every now and then, it reminds me of all those failed attempts to jump the track at the start. 



An Italian running around pyramids and strange mutant turtles to timbale and sitar? Of course! Lethal Lava Land from Super Mario 64.






Lastly, we come back to movies, and to my personal favourite in the Rocky series. Rocky IV.





~Sulphites

Dancing the Winter away...

Hey guys, it's NiteShade here with some more exciting tracks for you to listen to! Winter has obviously hit most of us hard, with temperatures hitting down to twenty or thirty below zero in some places. To help remedy the situation, here's some tunes to keep you jamming, while the Winter weather begins to (hopefully) settle down and warm up.

🍂NCT🍂 · Rain Beyond The Sun

Hope your weekend is fun-filled and safe!

Dancing the Winter away,

Nite

Ilictronix wingman series: part threesome

Awwww yeah that's right y'all, light the candles and dim the lights because your favorite wingman is back. It's a new year so start it off right by throwing it down to the sexiest tracks yet.

First up is a track from Chicago locals, The O'My's from the album Chicago Style. Honestly you play any cut off this album and that special someone will just melt with ecstasy. The song Girl It's Been Fun is a guaranteed raunchy time. The beat is sparse, the vocals are seductive, and the tempo is slow enough that even the most inexperienced person can set the mood. Perfect for tender, anniversary love making. 

Moving on to how couples in the south side of Chicago get down is a great track from Jody. With one EP under their belt and a great lalapalooza performance, this quintet is set for big things. There isn't much to say about this one, so let your loins do the talking. 

Wanting to seduce the sexy hood rat in your life? Look no further than Chicago rapper KIT. The track Fuck You is deliciously explicit. Makes the perfect soundtrack for the codeine fueled orgy you will have while listening to this. 

Live in the suburbs and want something more family friendly? Artist Rhye has you covered. Open is a great name for this one because it's a bonafide leg spreader. You can easily play this one in front of the children your going to make to this. 

Remember be safe! 

-Adam

Like a Phoenix Rising from the Ashes...

I have returned! What's up everyone? This is NiteShade speaking to you all. I've been away for quite sometime, due to the stress of college and life at home. Because of this, I had to drift away from the blog, having no real time or energy to make a decent post on here. Thankfully, I've managed to balance out my life enough to where I can return here, and bring you, the viewers, some excellent music to dance to! For those of you who do not know me, let me introduce myself...

My name is Gavin (aka Nite). I am 21 years old, and I have been a writer here since 2009. I am an avid lover of electronic music, ranging from hard techno to jazz/downtempo and house music. Oh, and bowties are cool. Just saying. Anywho, I've taken enough of your time with my words. Here's some music to give you an idea as to what'll be bringing in the future.











Stay tuned for more music coming your way!

Peace and Love,

Nite

Three More Flavours

Goldie - Life And Death (2013)

Same as last time: three tunes with different takes, kicking off with this free download put out last year by Metalheadz mainstays Commix. It's been stuck at the bottom of my payer since it's originally a .wav which is why it's taken me so long to post it, still check it out 'cos it's a loveley cut of liquid drum & bass.

Metalheadz · Commix - Fallen (free download)

Moving back along the timeline we got some drum & bass from it's heyday around the turn of the millennium from legendary label Moving Shadow. I remember hearing this one on the 99p 01.1 compilation I picked up form a HMV back then and the tune is still just as good. It's a little slower, a little more menacing than your usual affair and I love it, its a vibe you don't really get with the modern drum & bass scene (or at least the modern liquid funk).



Rounding it off with another freebie from a few years back from Stenchman's partner in grime Suspect. Can't say I follow him much outside of his stuff on these compilations, but this tunes been a firm favorite for about 3 years now. Much more on the chill side of the spectrum, the bass isn't going to rattle your desk too much and those little flourishes throughout are just fantastic.

Suspect - Tranqulity

-Claude Van Foxbat

Ambient

Tom Philips - Consider Our Haven: Supplement III (1968)

I got a real love for ambient music, problem is it's just not real popular so I kept it low key for the most part. But I'm gonna break that embargo today and share some of my favourites from the genre starting off with my most posted of the lot, Oneohtrix Point Never. He's really blown up in popularity in recent years which is quite surprising all things considered, there's a lot of quality stuff he's put out if you don't mind looking for cassettes.



As I said last time I put this up, Autechre have gained a rep for their unique brand of twisted melodic machine noises, but they have a real penchant for the ambient too. This one's fast replacing Nine as my number one favourite of theirs.



And of course, I couldn't go without mentioning a milestone release in the genre, Aphex's Selected Ambient Works Vol. II is pretty much responsible for kicking off my love of the genre, but I already waxed poetic about that a long time ago in the Wapred series. Instead of that, have the very first song on the LP which grabs me every single time; Cliffs.



And I can't write an ambient-centric post without giving credit to the grandfather of it all. Eno's Ambient I: Music For Airports from 1978 is an interesting album for sure, even from the title alone. The 17 minute opener simply titled 1/1 is a perfect summary of the album in both concept and sound.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Dead Lines

Robert Del Naja - Knife And Fork 4 (2013)

Rough n' long day today, in at 10 and having to hang around until about 3 for a deadline hand in. Good news is that's my last dealine for a while AND I have tomorrow off, so let's get to posting shall we? First tune to grace my ears as I left the building was the title track from Massive Attack's debut. Absolutely gorgeous sample in this one, still fresh after 23 years!



The second was a bit of a departure from the chill vibes I've been digging recently, tucked away towards the end of Oizo's first longplayer is this menacing sounding tune. As the title suggests it's a reprise style mix of the title track but honestly I love it more than the original. Oizo's little spoken word piece at the end after the final fade always catches me by surprise too.



It's not long befoe we're back in chill town though, with a little bit from short lived band Plone. Their sound is real unique and playful, it's a shame their second album never saw an official release. If you're digging the vibe I highly suggest you check out their debut For Beginner Piano, it's a lovely album.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Quick 1 2 3

Dabs Myla - Glossy Dreams In Electronic Town

Dropping by to write a quick post despite impending deadlines, regardless as the title says these are the first tunes that played as I hit shuffle when I got home, kicking off with Oizo's off kilter intro from his debut LP on Ed Banger Lambs Anger.



Long loved LP of mine Deep Cuts makes a return, on which The Knife dabble in the world of upbeat electropop. Silent Shout is still my favourite offering from them sure, but I'll be damned if Cuts isn't a near perfect album in its own right, I can never have enough of it.



And finally another visit from Unkle, this time with a decidedly un-trip hop styled track. It's A far cry from the moody samples of say Potishead or Massive Attack, it almost borders on techno in parts though DJ Shadow's production still shines through. I also dig that bass stab introduced around 2 minutes in more than is probably healthy.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Le Lounge Redux

Edward Hopper - New York Movie (1939)

Today I got to hang out in the gallery space I'll be exhibiting in tomorrow, and it's pretty sweet in all honesty, full of salvaged old leather sofas from the old brewery building that it used to be and with an added bar I was digging the vibe. While I waited I thought I'd set the mood and went looking for more loungy vibes, kicking off with a little something from Sebastien Tellier.



And then things got real moody, I recently put Portishead's debut back in my playlists just in case I needed some somber accompaniment courtesy of Beth Gibbons and friends. The album isn't as depressive as I remember it being though, here's one of the more upbeat tunes from Dummy, It Could Be Sweet.



And finally, a little more trip hop stuff from UNKLE back when DJ Shadow was still involved. It sets a lovely mood with its unrelenting drums and Shadow's brilliant sampling work scattered throughout and I couldn't think of a better summary of the album, I highly recommend checking it out.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Back At It

Indie184 - Have Fun (2013)

I'm back from the old holidays, hope you all had a nice one! I updated the lil' grooveshark widget on the sidebar and completley forgot about posting, so here's some stuff to make up for that! I originally planned these two to go up on their respective day but then life happened and I forgot. Better late than never anyways, so here we go with another acidic bit of audio from AFX with probably one of the best tracks from the entire Analord series, the way Richard commands that variety of synths is nothing short of beautiful.



Something not electronic now, but I honestly can't get David Firth's (of Salad Fingers fame) indie side project the Grape Digging Sharon Fruits out of my playlist and now seemed an ideal time to slip them in here. Like Locust Toybox and all his other stuff, it's all free and legal over on Last.fm or the band's blog so go and snag yourself some if you're diggin' it (no pun intended).



And finally something different again, Stenchman gave out one of his Philestine tracks for free through his FB not too long ago. Its not the sublime Feel The Same unfortunately, but it definitely scratched my itch, the old dubstep styling shines through a little more on this one than the others which actually works quite well with it. Can't wait to hear more from this project, it has a lot of promise! (No stream available as of 2020)

Philestine - Turn It Around Baby (Mix 2)

-Claude Van Foxbat

Changing Numbers

Happy new year readers! Hope your night is/was more eventful than mine.

 

My 2013 was average.

I figured I should keep the post 2013 themed, but I really am not with the times. So instead, I've decided to write about 3 Australian artists, with two tracks from each. Should be a decent list. First up is Sydney based producer Spoonty.

Spoonty has been producing his own music for roughly 3 or 4 years, "but it didn't start to sound good until about a year ago" he said. Recently he began working more closely with Nicole Millar, with the two having their debut live show coming up soon.



Spoonty's latest work is a 7 track release titled Infinite Bliss. Available as a digital download or one of ten only cassette tapes, the release holds some great potential. I chose my two favourites, K-Dreamer and Mall Goths. Both hold a strange vibe, I can never decide whether to relax to them or to get up and do something.



The first time I heard the initial synth line from Mall Goths, I instantly thought it was going to be a strange remix of the Dire Dire Docks stage music from Super Mario 64. However, I was wrong. The hip hop inspired beat and dreamy synth instantly just melt together, creating a strange mood.

"Mall Goths got its name because I always enjoyed the term mall goth for scene kids who hang out at shopping centers, and when I wrote the track, the spooky but also weird feeling of it seemed to lend its self well to the name"

My next Australian artist is Flume. In November, he released his debut self titled album, and reached #1 on the ARIA charts with this single. Simple, catchy and easily to dance to.



Less simple, but more danceable, the Hermitude remix of Flumes hit is my preferred mix. Largely due to that arpeggiating synth, the small drop at 1:20 put me into thinking I was listening to a remix by Danger.




The last two artists made 2013 releases, but the final artist made his last, and so far, only release two years back, in 2012. Barry Morgan from the World Of Organs in Adelaide's Sunnyside mall made his debut on Australian music quiz show Spicks & Specks back in 2010, and quickly became "one of the most popular performers on Spicks & Specks in 2010" (Adam Hills). A character created by Stephen Teakle, Mr Morgan uses only one instrument, his 1981 Hammond Aurora Classic. The pure character is enough, but the fact is, he really is a great organ player.

  This doesn't count as a song, I just love this video.

When I first got his debut album The Touch of You, I had no idea what to expect. But the first song just amazed me. "He put the boss in Bossa Nova"



One man and a Hammond created this.




Enjoy the tunes, and enjoy the day of recovery that is New Years Day!

-Sulphites