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Oneohtrix Point Never Signs to Warp, Readies New LP

Brooklyn experimentalist and co-owner of the Software imprint, Daniel Lopatin (a.k.a. Oneohtrix Point Never) has announced that his next album is set to arrive this fall via electronic music institution Warp. Read more » 

  • Filed under: news
  • 06/19/2013

Deep Inside: Zomby 'With Love'

Zomby's DIY PR strategy is some unholy alliance of Aphex Twin's pranksterism and Kanye West's egomania. Those with enough stamina to follow the technically anonymous English producer—now based in Brooklyn—on Twitter are treated to a daily psychodrama where flashes of insight are woven into a running commentary on fashion, music, how cool his dog is, and his love/hate relationship with Apple products. This is all more or less expected of a highly functioning stoner who's too famous for the underground and too underground for what remains of the mainstream, someone who wants to retain control of his public image while reminding us that he could care less about it. With Love is as frustrating and compulsively consumable as Zomby's online presence, yet it suffers from its own consistency in almost exactly the same way. Read more » 

Download: Plaza "Fish Water"

First Listen

To celebrate the recent release of his debut record under the Plaza moniker, SF producer Johan Churchill has offered up a robust tune full of sweet synth licks, funky basslines, and fresh, evolving rhythms. Aptly self-described as "electro-lounge" music, the "Fish Water" groove showcases Churchill's production chops with his crafty synthesizer use, often creating crisp and interesting timbres despite relying on the aforementioned instrument for most of the recording's melodic sounds. The pace of Plaza's unreleased production is rather quick, and the fact that it's still danceable despite its sharp turns is a testament to Churchill's talents. Plaza's debut LP Flip Phone is out now via Sound Boutique.  

Average: 7.6 (3 votes)
 
 

Review: Quasimoto Yessir Whatever
Label: Stones Throw

Calling Otis Jackson Jr. prolific would be an understatement. Throughout his long and storied career, the Oxnard, California native and Stones Throw heavyweight has put out dozens of releases under a litany of pseudonyms and side projects, and although he's arguably most well-known for his production skills as Madlib, his rap alias Quasimoto and the two LPs released under that name, The Unseen and The Further Adventures of Lord Quas, have also garnered considerable recognition. However, Jackson's material under that name seems to have been put on the backburner for the time being, considering the last Quasimoto release dropped eight years ago. In an attempt to honor Quasimoto's body of work or—hopefully—build hype for an upcoming album, Stones Throw has seen fit to compile and put out Yessir Whatever, 12 tracks of Quasimoto and Madlib rarities recorded over 12 years. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 06/19/2013

Video: Dense & Pika "Move Your Body Back"



London techno duo Dense & Pika has put much emphasis on its reliance on analog and outboard gear to achieve a heavy, punishing sound, and the new video for the DJ/producers' recently released "Move Your Body Back" aims to extend this aesthetic choice to their visuals. Read more » 

  • Filed under: news
  • 06/19/2013

Download: DakotaBones "Samurai"

Fractured boogie producer DakotaBones (a.k.a. Benjamin Christensen) is a Detroit-based newcomer whose "Samurai" tune is more than happy to makes its influences known. Holding a steady groove at the tune's outset and brandishing every corner with slowed-down disco touches and SoCal-touched synth swells, this isn't the deepest of cuts, but it's not meant to be. Christensen seems to approach "Samurai" with his tongue firmly in cheek—the obligatory samurai sample pops up for barely a second—building a lighthearted tune meant to be funky, make the listener smile, and that's about it. Still, DakotaBones' sounds go deeper: He recently released his first full-length effort, Ø (artwork above), via the MJ MJ imprint, which is a decidedly more experimental project than the playful chops heard on "Samurai." 

Average: 6.7 (7 votes)
 
 

Review: Swindle Long Live the Jazz
Label: Deep Medi

After self-releasing The 140 Mixtape and the Curriculum Vitae full-length in 2007 and 2009 respectively, Long Live the Jazz is Swindle's first label album, and it shows him at his surest, most stylistically steady mode yet. After releasing, at times, various strains of urban-influenced dance music, from the glitter-heeled UK funky and melodious broken-beat of his Who Said Funk EP, to his expert grime production for MCs and crews including Roll Deep, Mz. Bratt, and Badness, the South Londoner has settled into a brightly embellished, jazz-inflected style of dubstep. Long Live the Jazz is being released on Mala's Deep Medi label, an imprint known for offering true quality; this LP does nothing to sully its reputation. Read more » 

  • Filed under: review
  • 06/19/2013

Fort Romeau Delivers New Mix for Ghostly

In the wake of announcing his new single for Ghostly last week, Fort Romeau has turned in 70 minutes of soul-tinged, melodically enhanced house music for the label's ongoing podcast series. Read more » 

  • Filed under: news
  • 06/18/2013

John Talabot, Oneman, Maceo Plex, and More Added to Unknown Festival

Croatia's Unknown festival is continuing its ambitious start, booking many of the world's most prominent electronic artists for its second annual event this September. Read more » 

  • Filed under: news
  • 06/18/2013

Download: Heartbeat(s) "(We) Knew All Along"
Label: 1080p

Ex-LOL Boys member Markus Garcia has been drip-feeding new material via SoundCloud since the duo announced an indefinite hiatus over seven months ago, but now, the Vancouver-based producer has announced his first official solo release as Heartbeat(s), an album called Home Remedies. Lifted from that offering, "(We) Knew All Along" is a dancefloor-focused house number, with melancholy chords and hazy vocals (allegedly a duet of Garcia and a friend recording over Skype) balancing the hardware-driven track's emotive core. Heartbeat(s)'s debut release is out today via the brand-new, tape-only imprint 1080p. 

Average: 7.6 (38 votes)
 
 

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