The Knocks – Dancing With Myself
After wrapping up their tour with RAC, DJ B-Roc and JPatt of The Knocks are back at it again with Dancing With Myself. With a dangerously sexy downtempo bassline, mesmerizing sax riffs, and suave vocals, Dancing With Myself boasts a thick groove that is sure to make your head bop into the early morning. 2014 marked a great year for the duo as they rolled out a string of fire remixes (including Haim’s If I Could Change Your Mind and The 1975’s Girls) in addition to releasing their silky summer anthem Classic. Keep an eye out – The Knocks seem ready to strike gold yet again with their upcoming debut album.
Check out The Knocks here.
Jaymes Young – What Should I Do
Seattle native Jaymes Young’s ascent began in 2013 after he signed with Atlantic Records and went on tour with London Grammar. September 2014 marked the release of his sophomore EP Habits Of My Heart, which beautifully showcased both his singer-songwriter and production chops. What Should I Do is a standout, laying down funky bass lines, crisp vocals and an irresistible indie rock/R&B-influenced chorus. Listen for the break at 0:56 — you won’t be disappointed.
Check out Jaymes Young here.
Jack Tipper & Mike McCann – Caverns
Jack Tipper is an electronic producer from Vermont who recently finished his music schooling at Middlebury College. For his senior composition study, he teamed up with classmate Mike McCann to write Caverns, a fittingly deep and dark cut marked by spacious drip synths, a catchy vocal hook and accompanying vocoder, and a level of depth that screams “talent”. Listening, I can’t help but imagine spelunking endless crystal caves and shadowy grottos — the two captured the theme extremely well.
Check out Jack Tipper here.
Cypress – Fruition
After a long period of silence, the blog is finally back and eager to pick up where we left off. We’ll start with New Orleans native Peter Klingelhofer, 23, who had been making aggressive glitch and step house since 2011 under the title Murder Beach. In 2014 he decided to turn a new leaf, unapologet- ically shifting his influences from the likes of Wolfgang Gartner and Knife Party to alternative electronic artists like Disclosure and What So Not. Now working with a new sound under a new name, Cypress, he caught our ear last month with Fruition. An original, in his words, “inspired by Flume’s Lorde remix and the new Odesza’s new album – this is the result.” You can taste Flume in the hook and What So Not in the build, but there’s a different flavor there in the mix that could, in the future, prove to be distinctly Cypress.
Check out Cypress here.
Kimbra – Settle Down (Sweater Beats Redux)
Sweater Beats had been dropping this track every night before headliner Chance The Rapper at the Verge Campus tour this fall, and now he’s finally uploaded it for all of us that missed out. A spin on Kimbra’s prog-pop original, it throws an alternate chord progression and beat with an attitude behind her blue quivering vocal line and doo-wop harmonies. Would’ve loved to hear this one live.
Check out Sweater Beats here.
Alexander Lewis x Brasstracks – Distant Memories
Feeling horny lately — A fresh graduate of the Manhattan School of Music’s jazz program, Alexander Lewis got back together once again with Brasstracks for something new, titled Distant Memories. Turning down the tempo since Life is Good, the New Yorkers managed to squeeze a lot of soul into less than three sweet minutes of Brooklyn beat. Those trumpet layers are the work of Ivan Jackson, if you want to give his solo work a listen. Can’t get enough of this combo.
Mura Masa – day 82
It’s been a while since Mura Masa released Miss You, the toy-box track that got us hooked back in September. Since then, the 18 year old producer has put out his debut LP, Soundtrack To A Death, achieving some big recognition across the web and growing an audience he deserves. He’s now back with new material — packed to the brim with bass, brass and R&B samples, here’s feel-good day 82.
Check out Mura Masa here.
Myself & Others Advent Calendar
Myself & Others is a year-old London promo group organized by freelance music journalists Tiffany Calver and Errol Anderson. The two usually bring budding underground artists to the fore with regular mixtape features, but in the spirit of the season, they’ve put together a musical advent calendar. Hip hop, soul, downtempo — each day is a new earworm coming from rising names like Karma Kid, Ta-ku, and Stwo. We’ll keep updating this playlist as Christmas day draws near; definitely one to keep coming back to.
Check out Myself & Others here.
Lips – Marian Hill
After a week-long hiatus, we’re back with new music. Samantha Gongol and Jeremy Lloyd together make Marian Hill, an electronic pop duo breaking ground with a new 7″ release yesterday — A-side Got It and B-side Lips — and despite the former reaching #1 on HypeM in October, the latter is our favorite song we’ve heard from the two yet (if you have a soft spot for AlunaGeorge, this one is for you). They met in their childhood, Lloyd hearing Gongol’s voice for the first time at a middle school talent show. After a few years working independent gigs in composition and songwriting, the two got back in touch and began developing a collaboration project: Marian Hill. Now at home in Philadelphia, the two are leaving an impression. And with Lips, they’ve brandished a lot of raw songwriting firepower and creative ammunition — lots of potential for the future.
Check out Marian Hill here.
Hudson Mohawke – Brainwave (Zach Witness Revive)
Often you come across a song that puts you on the fence. There’s something off about it, something different, something weird and jarring but that’s exactly what keeps you coming back. And while you’re vacillating back and forth, trying to decide black-and-white whether you like this song or not . . . your headphones fall silent and you realize that you’ve just finished your 6th replay. Face it: you love it. That’s exactly how I felt with Zach Witness’ interpretation of Brainwave that surfaced last week (inspired from Hudson Mohawke’s original concept piece). It has a lot of quirky charm, embellishing glitches and samples, and one of the most suspenseful builds I’ve heard in a while — tension snapped with the most rewarding and monumental release. So, if you feel like you need a little taste of something entirely different, give Brainwave a spin.
Check Zach Witness out here.
Opiuo – Life (KOAN Sound Remix)
KOAN Sound started out as a fairly nondescript dubstep project in 2008. But after three years of experimentation, the Bristol duo began to develop a niche in production techniques and start broadening the scope of their style. 2011 marked this turning point with the release of three EPs, the last being Funk Blaster on Skrillex’s label OWSLA, which rocketed to #1 on Beatport’s release charts. In addition to expanding on their glitch hop and dub influences, their music had been injected with a healthy dose of funk and groove. This new flavor grew over the next few years with concept albums like The Adventures of Mr. Fox, Sanctuary (which features some beautiful collaboration work that really draws outside the lines for KOAN), and my personal favorite, Dynasty, from earlier this year.
UNBLOOM – Feel This Way
UNBLOOM is a brand new electronic project, active for only a month now. This week saw the release of a second new piece online: Feel This Way. We exchanged a few words with the nameless producer working behind the scenes, and learned that UNBLOOM’s aim is to ‘explore the nuances of texture, juxtaposing sharp sounds with warm, pseudo-natural sounds.’ There is a reason behind the anonymity: ‘I have kept my name anonymous in order to avoid personal biases and prejudices from my closest peers. I wanted to attain an unbiased account of my music . . . I wanted to explore how anonymity could help (or even hinder) the music I create. I can say that I am 21 years old and live in a city outside of Toronto, in Canada.’ Feel This Way features some wonderfully layered synths and textures, and firmly planting UNBLOOM on our radar for the future.
Check out UNBLOOM here.
Stylish Rodent – Newfound Gaiety (Chartreuse)
‘Each track will be uploaded once I’m completely happy with them and feel they’re finished’ — Stylish Rodent has been slowly but steadily working on a new EP, titled Enigmatic. Listening to the three tracks he’s released so far, it’s going to be just that. A restless group of sounds indecisively vacillating between glitch and future bass, like the inside of his hyperactive mind. The latest single, Newfound Gaiety (Chartreuse), goes one step further. At times it can be sensory overload, to the point that a lot of its charm comes simply from trying to stay oriented as textures whirl around your eardrums. Alfie Morgan-Flower, the producer behind it all, has said himself, ‘this is the track I’m most proud of on this EP.’ And if you’re wondering ‘why Chartreuse?’, he explains: ‘Each strip of colour you see on the cover art represents a track on the EP. No real meaning behind this choice, just wanted to do something cool with the art direction for the release.’
Check out Stylish Rodent here.
Interview: Ollygon
We recently had a chance to talk with up-and-coming dance producer Ollygon. Despite being fresh out the gate with only three tracks published, he’s been gaining momentum since his original Double Jump was featured on edm.com, and we’re excited to see where his ‘Cute House’ sound takes him in the near future.
Black Sheep Music: Tell us a little about yourself. How’d you settle on the name Ollygon?
Ollygon: Well, my name’s Olly. I’m from York in England and I am 18. I used to release under another name (which I’d rather not say haha) since I started producing, but only a few months ago did I choose the name Ollygon. It was formed from my love of low poly art (hence the cover artwork), so my friend suggested the name Ollygon, and it really stuck with me – it feels organic and simple.
Folded Like Fabric – I Tried
I Tried is the first off an upcoming EP from Sussix duo Folded Like Fabric. The pair, Connor Sims on vox and Jay Mooncie on production, bring electronic elements to an alternative-indie sound that isn’t afraid to get a little experimental, while never becoming messy or tactless in the process. Mooncie’s work on I Tried is clean and clear as a bell, laying full-bodied string samples behind a swinging beat, accompanied by effortless bass and guitar parts. Sims, on the other hand, contributes a polished vocal keep all the ear-candy centered. I’m sure the rest of this approaching EP will boast a high caliber of quality and thought like I Tried — it’ll be a unique escape, and I’m really looking forward to giving it a listen.
Check out Folded Like Fabric here.
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