Post-Render Blues

Just finished up a big video project I've been working on for fellow writer Evan, and as much as I won't miss the ever increasing render times, conversions and compression, what I will miss is having it to do. I've been at it for nearly 4 months as of now, and I don't know what to do with myself, so I thought I'd share some tunes that are helping me cope.

Edward Hopper - Compartment Car

Working the last remnants of my latest cyberpunk binge with everybody's favourite Jazz cats from the 2040's The Seatbelts. If I were given it in a blind test I'd swear it was almost a Mr. Scruff track given that bassline and the overall feel. This one's a must listen for all you folks out there like me that like a bit of that Scruff style in our lives.



Not gonna lie, I'm kinda feeling all things Hip & Trip Hop right now, and its been a long time since I've had the pleasure of Pretty Lights' debut. It's up and down gorgeously done, shame he moved away from the style so quickly, guy's got a knack for instrumentals and I'd love to hear more.



And finally, the unsung heroes of trip hop in my collection, The Deadbeats (or just Deabeats, as they were on this first LP). I dig their style a whole bunch, the album this is from, Lounging certainly lives up to its name, it's a lovely little time capsule back to the turn of the millennium, so whack this on and have a lazy day like it's 2000 again.



-Claude Van Foxbat

Working For The Weekend

After spending the last couple of days wrestling with a website that seems to hate chrome with a passion, I should really take the weekend off, but I can' be doing that because I have deadlines to meet so that's gone out of the window. Luckily I've had time between renders to catch up on what's been happening out in the music world, specifically with my long time label romance Warp.



New Squarepusher first! From upcoming LP Damogen Furies which has killer artwork. Given his most recent albums I wasn't sure what to expect. Not in a bad way mind, just not sure what style he'd be doing this time. I was expecting to hear some more of the Z-Machines in there but they aren't on this track at least. It starts off pretty Squarepusher-esque but some synths come in later which give me a lick or two of Glass Swords-era Rustie. And I'm perfectly fine with that.



The new HudMo's been blowing up a ton too. I'll be honest and say that I've never been a fan of his trap direction (but I did like 100HM so there's that), but that intro had me VERY interested. I'm diggin' this track a ton, Irfane who you may recognise from Breakbot's releases lends his talents to the track and makes a treat to listen to.

-Claude Van Foxbat

Midweek Madness

Guess what, after a seemingly hectic schedule I now have Easter off, so I'm going to do the usual celebration and hook you up with some tunes courtesy of what I'm feeling at the moment. Tracks as always after the art!

VitaliV - Blue Blue Chip

Been sticking to the usual mode of shuffle instead of subscribing to a dedicated editing soundtrack, which leads to some good moments like when Modeselektor pop up to say hello with Let Your Love Grow. Makes the tedium go a little bit easier when this one comes on.



Even more so when the massive pile of stuff I've added to my library recently comes up, with Simon Viklund's consistently great soundtrack for Payday ringing in my ears as I shift anchor points and keyframe lights. Just as good for jamming to as it is for heistin' to.



Also surprisingly a lot of my old Bloody Beetroots stuff has been coming up which is always nice. Can't say I've kept up with them since the release of the LP this is taken from, Romborama, maybe one of these days I'll have to catch up. But for now, I'm going to be transported back to 2009 on those lovely syths.



-Claude Van Foxbat

1-800-ilictronix

I've been playing a lot of Hotline Miami 2 lately. Other than being super hard compared to 1 it also had a reputation to live up to with the soundtrack and so far it has more than delivered. I'd be hard pressed to find all of my favourites so I'll just cherry pick some from the studio's soundcloud.



Long time friend of the blog Magna is in there, I've been patiently waiting to see what track of his they used and it didn't disappoint. It appears pretty early on in the game, and has blown up a ton recently and rightfully so.



El Huervo was responsible for possibly my favourite track from no. 1, Daisuke, what's on the table this time though is a few shades darker than that track, but remains just as sick as ever.



Of course, it wouldn't be a Hotline Miami game if there wasn't a tune that got absolutely drilled into your skull. Here's #2's for me so far, I didn't know the track name, but as soon as I hit play feverish memories of slamming doors open came rushing back.

-Claude Van Foxbat

Music For Freelance

You ever get an album that becomes much more relevant as time goes on? I've had this remix album in my collection for nearly 10 years now and only recently have I used itfor the title's intended purpose as I settle into my life as a freelance video editor (You can see my showreel if you're interested here!) But enough about me, let's get onto the tunes.

Obviously Cowboy Bebop's soundtrack has a whole reputation of it's own, a well deserved one I might add. A lot of potential for remixes on it too, I've already posted some of the bigger name ones such as Mr. Scruff & Luke Vibert, but there's other highlights to be had. Take the Remix of Space Lion, transforming a Jazz meets world music number into something a little more lounge-y.



A surprising contribution from Ian Pooley is also a highlight. I remember going expecting some House style goodness, especially considering the original Fantaisie Sign was a lovely jazzy Drum & Bass piece. Instead, Pooley serves up something not too disimillar from the Bossa Nova direction Thievery Corporation took on Saudade.



Rounding us of we have a rework of a track I have a love/hate relationship with. I'd be lying if I didn't say I loved the original, but some days something about that scratchy beat of the intro just grates on me. Luckily Ian is here to solve that problem, keeping the smooth parts of the track intact and arranging them over an even smoother backdrop. A treat to listen to. And with that it's back off to work I go!



-Claude Van Foxbat

Updater

Seems weird for me to have to only go in one day a week but have more work to do but hey ho, thats how things is. I'll still drop by now and then to give out tunes. Like right now for example!

Takashi Murakami - Jellyfish Eyes

Not been too long since I posted this one but it's been repeating on me hard. I've told the tale of Autechre's protest EP before, both in a post and a full 3 page essay I did like 2 years ago. Long story short, in the early 90s the UK government tries to ban outdoor raves with 'repetitive beats', Autechre respond by writing a tune in which no two bars have the same beats. Classic, and the tune's not too bad neither.



On a vocoder kick again as usual and one of my favourtie underrated bits from Monkeytown is helping me scratch that itch. Deliciously smooth, 'Selektor have a penchant for the chiller side of things, here's hopign for more with this vibe on the follow up!



Also decided to go all out and put all the Analords on my phone for commute listenin'. AFX remains a wizard with analogue gear, even when it isn't in the extreme style of say Drukqus or any of the later Aphex Twin LPs. This one will always be a favourite.



-Claude Van Foxbat

What Year Is It? (Part 1)

Well hello there, old friends.

Some of you may remember me, others may not, so let me formally introduce myself. My name is Brodie Hamilton and I am a software engineering student from Australia, although some of you may know me better as Colour: that guy from the internet. While it really does not seem like that long ago, I was once a writer here at Ilictronix (back in 2010, wow that was a long time ago hey?). But now, after 4 years of being a follower, lurking quietly in the background, I have returned to share some of the gems I've found on my travels. One of the things Ilictronix has distilled in me over the years is a love and respect for disco, French and funk house, and that is exactly what I plan on bringing you today.

I wanted to dedicate this post series to songs that severely pre-date their actual release, and have somehow found a loop in the time-space continuum to find a way back from the past to delight music lovers in the present. Believe it or not, but every one of these songs was released in the past twelve months. Unfortunately the number of songs I wanted to include was too much for a single post, so I am going to split them up into a series of two for your enjoyment. The first post is going to be dedicated to those old-school disco vibes which made me fall in love with the house genre all those years ago. The second post will focus on a mashup of the various other funk house genres. So grab a drink, slip into something comfortable, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

Ahh, remember the good old days known as the 70's? Yeah neither do I. Being a 90's kid meant I missed out on this decade of implacable fashion, various social and political change, and not to forget the awesomeness that was/is disco. Thankfully the best bits have continued to influence our world all the way into the current century, and also thankfully the worst bits have been all but forgotten *cough* flares *cough*.

Cassara is a producer from Germany currently signed to a German/UK label known as Pole Jam Vinyl. 'La Vela', his tracks from just over 8 months ago, combines a funky bassline and that damn catch loop into a fast paced nu-disco track bursting with nostalgia.



Now lets slow thing down a bit with the disco powerhouse known as Ghosts of Venice. GOV have cemented themselves in the online disco community as one of the kings of disco house, and this track proves exactly why they are so loved and respected. Oozing disco vibes in every direction this track provides a repetitiously catchy loop with a damn fine funky bassline. And those vocals. Oh my lord. Those. Vocals.



Next up is Mr Joey Chicago, one of the gems I've stumbled upon while trawling SoundCloud, and he's a keeper. Dropping beats from Germany. Wait, Germany? You mean Chicago? Nope, definitely Germany. Anyway, while his SoundCloud may not get the greatest number of hits, his tracks reflecting classic disco house sounds is a trove of treasures for the old school disco and house fans and he has proves again and again that this guy is a pro when it comes to making catchy loops.




Right now it's about time I expose some serious talent from my end of the world. Both James Curd and Luke Million are two seriously talented blokes from nowhere else but my little city: Adelaide, Australia. These two excellent producers have teamed up to produce a track infused with some of the more traditional disco vibes all wrapped in a beautiful nu-disco package. While this track may not have quite the timeless vibes many of the other previous tracks had, it is refreshing to hear slightly more traditional disco elements emerge within the Australian house scene, and this track has been on solid repeat on my playlist over the past 8 months and doesn't appear to be leaving it any time soon.



Thanks for tuning in to Part 1, please stick around for Part 2 which should be up sometime in the next few days. I would also love to hear from you so if you're feeling the old disco nostalgia please hit us up in the comments below and let me know what you think.

Stay funky,
- Colour

Ilictromix: Beauty Product

My inbox gets an obscene amount of promos, most are terrible EDM remixes, some are death metal, but once in while I stumble upon something truly remarkable. After hearing the single from Beauty Product and reading their promo I knew that they were on to something unique.

This is how Beauty Product describes the music:

              "Luxury adult contemporary dancefloor heat for rich people who can't be bothered to move very fast. Sometimes too much still isn't enough." 

And the Genre?

"slowhouse, cheesefunk bangers"

The music and art coming from this German project is almost tongue in cheek but catchy enough to keep your attention and wanting more *Think Vaporwave* Its music that drips with style and oozes with total confidence. Its hard to wipe the smile off of my face when I first heard this mix and I know that you all will love it too!



TRACKLIST
Beauty Product - Vulgar Discourse
Space Dimension Controller - BBD Alignment
Kassem Mosse - 578
Juju and Jordash - Schmofield
Beauty Product - We Are The Potraviny
Luke Abbott - Whitebox
Funky Family - Funky Is On (Leo Mas and Fabrice Instrumental Dub)
Lindstrom - Vōs-sākō-rv (Todd Terje Extended Mix)
Joe - Claptrap
Beauty Product - Obscenity With Badminton
Reinhard Voigt - Robson Ponte
Sabla - Spirits (Ital Rework)
Ramadanman - Don't Change For Me
Air Max '97 - Shape Cut
Andy Stott - Up The Box
Beauty Product - Wild Parvenu
Delroy Edwards - Always 
Falty DL - Do Me
Demdike Stare - Eulogy


After hearing a mix like that I had to know more about what exactly is going on with this scene, so I talked with Beauty Product about how this project came to fruition:


So other than the description in your first email how would you describe your style? 

The sound itself is pretty influenced by 80s - early 90s dance music (Italo, boogie, early house) - warm, fuzzy, reverby tracks that can be upbeat party music and kind of sad at the same time. The other influence on the Wild Parvenu track would be AM radio adult-contemporary pop from that same era, which is generally terrible music but also kind of strange and fascinating - stuff along the lines of Captain and Tenille. So from that comes some of the vocals and synth solos as well as the mood - a 1980s over-the-top luxury vibe that's both funky and kind of tacky. A bit like the Scarface soundtrack. All that said, when making music I really love experimenting with new sounds and ideas so the result of that is a pretty wide variety to the overall styles.

So the imprint you are on Strategic Tape Reserve, could you tell me more about it or how many artists are on the roster? 

Yes, Strategic Tape Reserve is a weird, small, very DIY label that sometimes poses as a government organization. It's released music by 2-3 other artist. So far, most of the releases have been more experimental than Wild Parvenu, but coming up is a techno release as well as something which is pretty ambient. And another Beauty Product single before too long.

What was your early production work like and how did you end up with the sound you have now?

My earliest productions were cassette 4-track hiphop instrumentals when I was 15 or so. Very hissy jams. I've been producing dance music in a variety of styles (techno, glitchy electro, etc) for about 6 or 7 years, but the Beauty Product sound is a pretty recent development.I love melodic electronic music, but I don't really care for shiny, highly-produced EDM. So this style lets me make dance tracks with poppy, developing melodies without devolving into epic trance major chords, which is satisfying. I like music that has isn't "perfectly" produced and is kind of rough-around-the-edges (like a lot of early electronic dance music). Studio funk! Also, over the last few years I've been putting together a small analog modular synth and I think the old-school hardware has had an effect on the direction of the music. 

For those who love the Wild Parvenu project what should we listen to next? 

There will be more Beauty Product music released this year!

Are the people in your local scene receptive to what you are doing? 

I've gotten a really good response from people about this cassette. When I play out live sets, I tend to go for more of a up-tempo, techno sound than the more relaxed Wild Parvenu stuff. I'm working on bringing it all together. In Germany people are definitely enthusiastic about electronic music and also open to new sounds. So this is good.

The imagery with your music is so closely tied together, which came first, and what was the inspiration? 

I put together the packaging and I wanted it to have a kind of Don Helney soft-rock on the beach kind of thing. I think the soft-focus and cursive script goes well with the washed out, reverby, but kind of detailed and ornate sound. The cassette is packaged with a motivational poster, which is a bit of a joke, but I think kind of works with the release for some reason.

Find More of Beauty Product or Strategic Tape Reserve


Adam

Turnin' Tables 2: Electric Boogaloo

Sorry for the quiet patch, been bloody busy with interviewing new course applicants again. Good news is we're all done on that front so I can lavish you with audio again so without further ado lessgo:

Pam Glew - Mika (2011)

Remnants of my Cyberpunk binge remain as I am digging a bunch of soundtrack stuff.Yoko Kanno's reputation is well deserved in the soundtrack world, and her techy contributions to the Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex are pretty special, here's a taster with Monochrome:



It's not all distant techy stuff tho, as recently I've been giving what could be my favourite beat of all time a revisit. The tune that turned me onto Blockhead when I checked out the credits on Aesop Rock's Daylight EP, it's just as sweet without Aes's lyrical contributions:



And I've also been giving Games a fair spin. After exhausting the Ford & Lopatin album I've been revisiting their old EPs and Mixtapes. And Strawberry Skies is still as solid as it was on release, Lopatin must know I'm a sucker for his kind of synth sound, I fall in love with it every time.



-Claude Van Foxbat