We introduced you to Ronald Kaufman, AKA Kauf, with the noir thriller “Relocate” a while ago, and we’ve been following him closely since. It’s been a minute, but the Southland’s Kauf has checked in with a DJ set released through the Lost in Records website. He also has a remix for the Tony Castles song, “Heart in the Pipes” coming down the pipe later this month, again through Lost in Records, so we won’t need to wait quite as long for the next Kauf post…Kauf’s music truly captures the darker side of living in Los Angeles, and his captivating, darker perspective explains why he is currently one of the city’s quickly rising stars…
Happy Thanksgiving to those in The States! Enjoy one last tasty morsel from our favorite Los Angeles hipstertronic project, Magic Machines. His new single is “Come Back”, maybe put it on later to help rouse you from any minor food comas that often come with tryptophan intake….He’s currently working on a full length that should arrive this spring, with two of the LP’s tracks being offered before it’s release. For now, check out “Come Back” and download it as an mp3 or wav from www.magicmachinesmusic.com…
Adelaide-based duo MANOR materialized nearly a year ago as Nathaniel Morse began writing and collaborating with Caitlin Duff. Touched by The Beach Boys, Paul Simon, and the blurry brilliance of the Cocteau Twins among others, MANOR makes rich, intricate pop music driven by a jangling guitar, and built atop a foundation of multi-layered percussion. The duo’s first single, “Rhodesia”, inspires wonder while acceding skyward towards a spectacular crescendo where spectral, lilting vocals are aligned with Nathaniel’s icy, reverb-drenched guitar. “Rhodesia” is out now on iTunes, and MANOR’s debut LP is currently being recorded, and is due for release in 2012…
Snow Patrol have re-recorded U2′s song “Mysterious Ways” to mark the 20th anniversary of the seminal album Achtung Baby. The album has been re-recorded for a special CD, titled AHK-toong BAY-bi and is available with this month’s Q magazine, out now. Other contributing artists include Nine Inch Nails, Patti Smith, Depeche Mode, The Killers and Jack White, each tackling a track from the classic record just for this release. Snow Patrol will be releasing Fallen Empires this January 12 via Island Records. The current single, ”Called Out in the Dark” is now available for purchase via iTunes and the video can be streamed here…
The fresh sound from the electronic music holy city of Frankfurt comes courtesy of phantim,who always keeps us posted on his new stuff. A fresh twist on a track he’s been enjoying for months, phantim does a “Ringdingding” makeover of Laidback Luke’s “Natural Disaster”, and he also passed along a preview of his song “People Around” featuring US singer Kayla Taitz, coming out soon. Check out the preview clip, and stream phantim’s “Natural Disaster” remix below…
BlaQwell is responsible for the plume of funk emanating from the tri-state area, and slowly descending upon us all. Soundtracking a new party at the Volstead, NYC, BlaQwell has clearly made some life decisions, and he’s currently Livin’ Dissko, and it sounds like fun. The New York/New Jersey Based DJ/Producer is offering his hot, late-summer dance track as a free download, and while you’re there, take a second to explore the other dance-floor bangers available via his soundcloud…
“…When creating we pour everything out that has been collected in the head during decades of intense listening. One leg is always standing in the green grass of pop while the other leg is out on its own, wandering between places such as dance-floors, sandy beaches, cold concrete and a weightless existence in a bed or a hammock…” – Pallers
The duo known as Pallers is made up of long time friends Henrik Mårtensson and Johan Angergård, who connected while exploring Stockholm’s nocturnal scene, experiencing the glamor of Southern Spain, and slumming it on the floors of German clubs. Now, their first full-length album, The Sea Of Memories, will be available on September 27. The LP was produced and recorded over three years in apartments, basements, villas and cabins in Pallers*, La mar, Stockholm, Miami and Cape Town. (* ‘Pallers’ is the name of a neighborhood where one of the members grew up). Half of the duo is a photographer with a love for ambient, trip hop and electronica while the other is deeply involved in the world of pop, yet Pallers manage to integrate these seemingly incompatible components with a style and grace all their own…
TRACK LIST
1. Another Heaven
2. Humdrum
3. Come Rain, Come Sunshine
4. Tropical Fishbowl
5. Years Go, Days Pass
6. The Kiss
7. Sound Of Silence
8. Wired
9. Wicked
10. Nights
The new track from SAUR, is called “Snare Me Up” and it’s a different take on Moombahton; he’s thinking Dutch, Tech-House, and Moombahton combined into one. He’s also just supplied a remix for the new Frank Lucano EP, Baila, and that comes with other remixes from Italy, as well. SAUR is a very busy man, and we love hearing from him because it’s always something fresh and inventive, especially when he melds Mombahoton with Tech-House…
MF/MB/ makes music they hope will muster memories of any and all of the following: the countryside, city streets, the woods, concrete, cigarettes, alcohol, hope, despair, clubs, saunas, the autobahn, not good English, gay sex, straight sex, and endless studio sessions. They clearly have a concrete idea of who they are and what they do, and based on a handful of recent remixes, I’d say the self-promotion is appropriate. MF/MB/ just released their debut album Folded, on the Malmoe label Adrian Recordings, and are currently pimping a grinding, indistinctly industrial, remix of !!!’s latest track “Jamie, My Intentions are Bass”. Folded is available now (track listing below), and their !!! remix is available for download below, and check back for MF/MB/ touring updates!
TRACK LIST “FOLDED” LP
1. SECONDS AWAY
2. TUNE ON
3. THE GRAND CHASE
4. THE FINE DETAIL
5. 1000 TIMES
6. FOLDED
7. THE WINDOW
8. A BEAUTIFUL SIGH
9. HEAT LIKE THIS
10. THE BIG MACHINE
11. EVERY COOL BAND
Yes, July is over and the 2011 Pacific Festival is slowly inching it’s way nearer. On Saturday, August 13th The Oak Canyon Ranch (located in Orange County, CA) will play host to a litany of recognizable names, including Cut Copy, Calvin Harris, Toro Y Moi, and recently added headliner, and perhaps our greatest ambassador to west coast hip-hop, Snopp Dogg. We had mentioned previously our appreciation for the single day, concentrated dose of brilliance promised by the 2011 Pacific Festival, and to get you in the mood, the Official 2011 Pacific Festival Sampler is available now!
worship takes his inspiration from Science Fiction, maybe that’s why his synths sound like a space craft humming along. worship, AKA ED, has just completed the Out There EP for On the Fruit Records, and it comes with remixes by Justin Faust and The Phantom’s Revenge.He’s looking to release another EP after the summer break, and he hopes that until then you remember to Worship Yourself…
I figured OHYEAH had been holed up deep in the heart of Ninja City, hard at work and planning a triumphant reemergence. He reintroduced himself with a simple question; “Interested in some 80’s flavored skateboard italo disco?” That’s a tough offer to refuse, especially when it comes equipped with such a nostalgic visual aid. At a young age, had I been blessed with balanced, that would’ve been me zipping down Hollywood Blvd. accompanied by OHYEAH’s cascading synths…
The debut EP from The Glass Chain, Fer et Verre, foreshadowed greatness for the trio from Ottawa composed of creative principals Evan Mullen (Bass), Alie Lavoie (Vocals) and Nik Salad (Production, Beats & Synth). Catchy as hell, and moody, with sounds drawn from both the deep and concrete houses, Fer et Verre was balanced by warm, disco-drums that make perfect sense on a sweaty dance floor. The trio, now solidified as such, come from diverse musical backgrounds, so it would make sense for them to be a bit antsy, and eager to sharpen Fer et Verre’s captivating stylistic elements. Their new, no-nonsense EP, Circuit, shares it’s predecessor’s flair for the dramatic, but richer, and nuanced, and strategically layered to hold a dramatic tension throughout. “Bad Teenagers” is the first single, and it unfolds like a three act play, and ends with a lulling horn solo that nobody could’ve seen coming. “Bad Teenagers” alludes to what promises to be another strong collection from The Glass Chain, who we will be following as the Circuit EP is set to arrive on August 18th…
“I love Miami. I am from Miami. I take from Miami. I represent Miami to the rest of the world as a recording/performing artist.” – Jesp
It’s beginning to get warm and beautiful in Los Angeles, but Jesp has me thinking about TropiChops, Cuban Coffee, and deco adorned with neon. J. Espinoza proudly embodies the current Miami scene with his brand of electro-noir-pop that embraces the city’s darker side in a way that would send shivers up and down the back of Michael Mann’s neck. Since emerging on the Miami scene on June 5, 2009 @ Vagabond Fridays, Espinoza has worked diligently to hone his sound into something endemic to Miami, and the Magic City has responded with positive press reviews, radio play, and packed houses. I’ve always felt like Miami mirrors the same bi-polar feel of LA after nightfall, and Jesp’s music speaks to the nocturnal theatrics of any pulsating, incendiary, South-Floridian dance hole. Now in summer 2011, Jesp’s imagery has myself and others seriously considering taking our talents to South Beach, as he readies to release his highly anticipated EP Step Into the Dark. He introduced himself to us with his new track “Eat My Heart (Sharks vs Mermaids Edit)”, and his soundcloud is very strong, including a couple of personal favorites you can enjoy below, and keep watch as Jesp prepares to drop the Step Into the Dark EP…
Cascine currently has a very impressive stable of artists. We told you about Realism, the debut album by Cascine artist Shine 2009, as well as the first single from Chad Valley’s shimmering new EP on Cascine , entitled Equatorial Ultravox. Cascine seems to be the place for dreamy, blissful music, by artists dabbling in neo-Shoegaze, and, just in time for the summer solstice, Southern Shores have taken that recipe and added a tropical garnish to something already soothingly beautiful. The Atlantic EP, out July 12 on Cascine, is six enchanting songs where Southern Shores prove you can lower the BPM while elevating your heat-rate. “Night Is Young” is a vivid flashback of every perfectly wasted summer evening spent on the beach, gently swaying your hips and waiting for the sun to rise. I’d often wondered, “What if The Cocteau Twins played at a beach party???”. I’m left to wonder no longer, thankfully. I love how palm trees are peppered about urban centers as a reminder of places where the trees occur naturally, and for all of Atlantic‘s exotic locales, Southern Shores aims the focus not towards a specific destination, but rather an undisturbed fantasy. Atlantic is a hopeful prayer that paradise is out there, someplace, and wherever you experience the music, you can rest assured that beautiful places are waiting to be explored and adventures are always on standby…
