This week (technically Monday) marks the 10th anniversary of one of the most challenging, beautiful, and intriguing records of this millennium. A spasmodic, convulsive compilation of glitch melodies, head nodding beats, quick rap verses, and expansive soundscapes. Prefuse 73′s One Word Extinguisher isn’t just IDM or hip hop or downtempo. It focuses on evolving sounds into music, cobbling them together only to rip them apart over and over again.
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May 9, 2013 - See more posts by Alec
Beat Making Lab is an incredible new PBS show devoted to music and empowering young people. Created by producer/DJ Stephen Levitin (aka the Apple Juice Kid) in partnership with professor and hip hop artist Pierce Freelon, who both teach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Beat Making Lab crew brings portable studios “small enough to fit in a backpack” to youths around the world. Their goal is to make a social impact by giving young people the tools to change their lives through making songs and beats. The first episode takes Freelon and Levitin—in collaboration with Yole!Africa—to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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May 8, 2013 - See more posts by Andi
Created as a part of the Yours Truly and adidas originals “Songs from Scratch” series, this track from Nosaj Thing and Chance The Rapper has been on repeat for me all day long. “Paranoia” takes the laid back, atmospheric beats of Nosaj with the hazy flows of Chance floating gently over the top. Chance’s verses alternate somewhere between a melodic lullaby and a chaotic stream of consciousness. Nosaj’s beats are tender and abstract. Pairing the two together you get track that’s easy to get lost in.
Not to be outdone, the artwork for the single is pretty awesome. Designed by Mario Hugo, it features both Chance and Nosaj, though in a pretty distorted way, surrounded by all kinds of random objects. Here’s what Mario had to say about the piece.
Pleased to have directed and illustrated the single sleeve for this fantastic little track. The cover really spoke paranoia, and there are threatening little faces hidden throughout.
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May 7, 2013 - See more posts by Bobby
Remember the days of B-sides? You really loved that one single from your favorite band so you’d by the 7″, only to discover the incredible B-side that rested upon the other side of the record. Those moments are becoming more scarce but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
Glasgow band The Pastels, having not released an album for over 16 years, announced that they’d be releasing a new album called Slow Summits on Domino Records on May 27. They’ve also decided to release a 7″ of their first single “Check My Heart”, which is paired with the B-side “Illuminum Song”, a song I found so absolutely charming I had to share it. It’s kind of twee pop at it’s very finest, with singer Katrina Mitchell’s voice floating over a gently strumming guitar back by horns and flutes. It’s kind of perfect for a spring day.
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May 6, 2013 - See more posts by Bobby
Ryan Hemsworth might be one of the fastest rising DJs and remixers in the game. The 22 year old producer certainly has his own style and sound. As opposed to the multitudes of heavily-layered, over manipulated trap-house artists, his style lends more to the shoe-gazing, half speed beats. He redid Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin’ Bout You” with snappier drums and a heavier melody. And, quite excellently, redid the TFIB favorite “Open” by Rhye into a heavier, speedier club jam. And for me, his mix for Diplo & Friends has been one of the better mixes of 2013, combining ambient, ethereal, and dubtrapr™ like few can.
Yet it seems like his remix of “Genesis” by Grimes might be one of the few tracks of this year to get the idea of a remix right. Upon initial listen, the track feels like a swirling reduction of Grimes’ iconic piano lines, her voice phased down to smack against the bass. But the drums kick in, then, finally, the heavy harmony in the compressed synths. Splicing the lyrics into pieces, the echo-drenched “My heart” almost never leaves the mix. It’s a crystallization, a focused reinterpretation of one of the best songs of 2012. Just as good as good on the beach as it is on the dance floor.
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April 30, 2013 - See more posts by Alec