LP Spotlight: Flight Facilities – Down To Earth
With a spotless reputation for churning out some of the best electronic singles we’ve heard in the past few years, Sydney duo Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell finally have lift off with their debut full length. Avoiding the temptation to assemble a premature greatest hits album, they’ve taken a stab at a cohesive piece of work, picking four of their eight previously released singles. Down To Earth features a host of talented fellow Australian musicians while crisscrossing with quick flights from genre to genre, decade to decade. While at times the layovers feel contrived between tracks that are not all instant classics, Hugo and James have managed to produce an enjoyable journey that serves Flight Facilities well enough as a premier LP.
Jack Beats – Just A Beat
It’s Halloween, the infamous night where kids eat way too much candy for their teeth to bear and ‘grownups’ drink way too much alcohol for their livers to stand. What with the ghouls and ghosts roaming the streets and clubs tonight, things are bound to get a little weird and otherworldly. So, we decided to share one of our most bizarre favorites to fit the mood: Jack Beats’ Just A Beat. Happy Halloween!
Check out Jack Beats here.
EP: Mazde – Shifted Thoughts
Stoney Roads is a passionate and reliable Australian editorial organization that’s been promoting hot dance music since 2007. Today they’ve taken the next step, proudly announcing the launch of Stoney Roads Records along with the newborn label’s first release: Mazde’s Shifted Thoughts EP. Mazde, a 20 year old producer from Germany, got a big break with his remix of Disclosure’s Help Me Lose My Mind (playing off the popularity of Flume’s take on You & Me) climbing to well over a million plays. Tastefully drawing from trip-hop, house and bass influences, Mazde built up a unique and polished sound through a substantial collection of remixes and originals, and Shifted Thoughts is short but sweet proof that he has a lot to offer in the future.
Authr – Breathe
Couros Sheibani, the man behind London’s Authr, put his first track Breathe online only months ago . . . and it sounds like the work of a seasoned electronic veteran. Mellow yet upbeat, simple but intricate, with a vocal hook that grabs you quickly and won’t let you go until its over. Since Breathe Authr has been turning out new tracks monthly (definitely check out Belief here), with plans for an EP on the horizon.
Check out Authr here.
Lemaitre – Wait feat. LOLO
Norway’s nu-disco duo Lemaitre signed to Astralwerks Records (Swedish House, Chemical Bros, Kooks . . .) earlier this year to release their latest work, Singularity. The four-track EP received mixed reviews, with many claiming the group’s deal with Astralwerks came hand-in-hand with a shift in their sound–departing from the nuanced indie dance instrumentals of earlier releases like The Friendly Sound and the Relativity EPs, and adopting something much more vocal and pop-centered. We’d have to agree, though on its own and taken out of context, Singularity is still a wonderfully easy listen. Our favorite from the album, Wait, holds up to their older style more so than the others, and has been a go-to for a while now. Check out the Elephante remix too: a loud electro flip that manages to retain the funky flavor of the original and build on a few ideas from the bridge. Hopefully we hear more like these in the future from Lemaitre, though it’s probably safe to say that The Friendly Sound days are behind us.
Check out Lemaitre here.
Bondax – All I See (Remixes)
All I See was one of biggest hits of the summer. And today, finally, it was officially released. Accompanied by three worthy remixes featuring TCTS with an uptempo piano-driven edit full of conga and marimba, Darius with a deep and grooving lounge house cut, and Pomo with a funky riffing bassline, it’s worth a revisit now to explore the original in a few new forms (even if you’ve already played it far too many times over). You can find the Pomo remix below–grab a copy of the album for full-length tracks.
Check out TCTS here, Darius here, Pomo here, and of course Bondax here.
Bonobo – Kong/Ketto (Live)
Last year pioneering electronic artist Simon Green, or ‘Bonobo’, produced what many would call his flagship album: The North Borders. It built on the charmingly experimental style that we had come to love over a period of four albums and 15 years of growth. Emotive, complex, transformative, it also saw the introduction of a cast of new vocalists to accompany Bonobo’s arrangements both in the studio and on the stage. Less than a month after the album’s release The North Borders Tour began, a caravan of sound stopping in North America, Germany, France, Russia and more featuring both Bonobo’s solo DJ sets, as well as elaborate performances with his 12-piece live band.
Cage The Elephant – Take It Or Leave It (Nebbra Remix)
More horns! With punchy brass stabs and hi-hat-heavy step beats, a Nebbra edit always seems to stick out. There’s something to be said about the diversity of the artists he’s remixed so far: Lily Allen, Phantogram, Odesza, Cage The Elephant . . . and they all seem to work so well with his signature. Although Nebbra’s rework of Take It Or Leave It throws the song in an entirely new light, Matt Schultz’ vocals sit so naturally in the mix that I’d be hard pressed to tell if it wasn’t an original (except for the fact that Cage’s Melophobia has refused to leave my car stereo since it’s release almost a year ago).
Check out Nebbra here.
Basenji – Heirloom
Future Classic is an Australian label and touring agency that has managed the likes of Flume, Flight Facilities, Chet Faker, What So Not, Cashmere Cat, Wave Racer, Panama . . . too many to mention. Long story short, they’ve just added Sydney bass producer Basenji to their ranks, announcing his first release for the label, Heirloom, along with a launch party to kick off a debut Future Classic tour. Really looking forward to upcoming tracks like Heirloom–Basenji’s coming out swinging.
Dawn Golden – All I Want (Manila Killa Remix)
Manila Killa is killing it. The now DC-based electronic producer from the Philippines absolutely lit up after releasing his recent remix of Dawn Golden’s All I Want, which gave that somber downtempo vibe a unique twist into future house gold. At the time I’m writing this, it’s boasting well over half a million plays, and once you give it a listen you’ll hear why. Manila’s been gaining popularity ever since he hit #3 on HypeM with a remix of Mike Posner’s Please Don’t Go, and with all the buzz around his latest he won’t be stopping any time soon.
Check out Manila Killa here.
LP Spotlight: Porter Robinson – Worlds
Back in February, Porter Robinson revealed the title of his new full-length album, Worlds, with a 10-hour long promo video. Resembling some alien transmission sequence, the footage got everyone very interested, fans and critics alike. Yesterday the album was officially released, and in his own words: “It’s the hardest I’ve ever worked on anything, and without question it’s my favorite music I’ve ever made.”
Autograf – Future Summer
Chicago trio Autograf has been around for less than a year, but in that time they’ve been jumping up charts and crafting a veteran sound–smooth, intricate, and textured. Making a name for themselves in future house, a small but growing niche corner of the dance world, every remix they’ve released so far is unique enough to be mistaken for an original. When the sun came out they started their Future Summer series, where one new track is pressed every month, on top of a few beach-ready mixtapes.
Video: 20syl – Kodama
French producer 20syl (a member of C2C, the 4-man scratch music collab) recently released this video for Kodama, and it’s a trip. Shot at home in his garage over a four day period, 20syl’s hands bring the song together piece by piece, playing instruments, making tea, and solving a rubik’s cube all at once. For a song with so much texture, the video definitely did it justice. Like with each new listen, new textures and details seem to appear out of nowhere—every time, you’ll find something you didn’t see or here before.
Check out 20syl here.
AlunaGeorge – You Know You Like It (Remixes)
Bondax Remix:
You know that you’ve come across a good track when, no matter how you spin it (or how many times you spin it), it keeps bumping. A couple months ago, London electro-pop duo AlunaGeorge released Body Music (Remixed), a follow-up to their debut LP that dropped last year. While the whole record is filled to the brim with ear candy, featuring trending names like Cosmo’s Midnight, B-15, and Shadow Child, I wanted to focus on the one song that’s been stuck in my head nonstop since I first heard them, aptly named You Know You Like It.
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