Axiotronic - Of Latitude and Longitude

2009
Electronic Eel Records
Buy

8/10

So much electronic music is conceived as little more than a means to some separate end. It's a shame, yes, but it's also a reality: house is for dancing, trance is for getting fucked up, electro is for nostalgia, etc. This current state of affairs makes Axiotronic's latest release all the more refreshing; Of Latitude and Longitude is presented as electronica, wholly undanceable, produced for its own sake. Unfortunately, this purity of intent will, in all likelihood, preclude the album from ever attaining a wide audience - if it isn't spun in the club, most in the community won't take notice. Michael Spinka's Axiotronic project might prove to be Philadelphia's best kept secret...(Read more at the Silent Ballet)

Bassnectar v. Lupe Fiasco: "Land of the Lupes"

Thank God it's...Thursday?

Actually, yes! T-minus one week until Sinden spins Webster Hall and Boys Noize comes to Summer Stage in Central Park.

Until then, here's some new Lorin Ashton (aka Bassnectar) for your downtempo/dubstep consideration, a pretty nice mash-up of some chill beats and the original Lupe Fiasco anthem, "Kick, Push".

Straight from the horse's mouth:

I took the beat of a long-overdue unreleased tune called “Stretch Reflex” and melted it together with the synths and melodies from another song that was supposed to be on Underground Communication, but ended up getting saved for later. It was written as a pensive homage to the dead, the original melodics sound like a black metal song but in this version they have kind of a nice 1990’s Orb or FSOL feel to them…that sound will never get old for me! Then i took some of the prettier melodies from that song and mixed them with a Lupe Fiasco acapella (i looooove his voice) and it became one of my favorite tunes to close a party with.

Bassnectar embarks on a North American tour kicking off tomorrow, July 31st, in Boulder, CO.

Songs of the week: 7/28/09

Laidback summa traxx
***
songs of the week #27
1. Blue Skies (The Twelves Remix) - Noah and the Whale (Cruisin' down A1A, top down)
2. Berlin Without Return - Voxtrot (New Voxtrot, off of the single dropping next Tuesday, August 3rd)
3. High Together - Siriusmo (Shares top honors, along with Boys Noize's "Jeffer", for song of the summer)

Another manic Monday

Not much today, just a killer Radioclit remix and a random mix that I got sent over the weekend from a British DJ called Jackamo. They're both pretty fun electrohouse, and the mix takes a minute or two to pick up, but once it does, it's definitely worth it.

Enjoy!
***Divine Gosa (Switch Remix) - Radioclit (As heard in a couple of Boys Noize sets this summer)

***Boom Selection Vol. 3 Mix - Jackamo

1. Bring Me Down (Stanton Warriors Mix) - Zac Tomms
2. Tonights Today (TLGB Remix) - Jack Penate
3. Bullet Proof (Tepr Remix) - La Roux
4. Dirt (The C90s Remix) - Headman
5. Confusion Girl (Crimes Against Disco Remix) - Frank Music
6. Para De Grahcina (Sticky K Remix) - Crookers
7. Televizion Rules The Nation (Dirty Disco Youth Remix) - Daft Punk
8. Closer - Lee Mortimer
9. The Reeling (Shuttle S Super Club Mega Mix) - Passion Pit
10. Ghost Girl (Blatta & Inesha Remix) - Telepopmusik
11. The Line (Loop Da Loops Downtown Dub) - Lisa Stansfield
12. Hard Times (Jack Beats Remix) - Patrick Wolf
13. Spend the Night (Kitch n' Sync Remix) - Danny J. Lewis
14. Dirty Bass (Original Mix) - Jackamo
15. Losing My Mind (Edu K's Electric Kool Aid Mix) - Koochie
16. Funky Lover - Mini K
17. Roqology - ??
18. Y'All Want Mo (Sinden Remix) - Detboi
19. Put The Needle On The Record - Parabeats
20. Hands Up - Yacek

Gathering of the Vibes 2009

As many of you might (might not) know (care), this morning marks the beginning of the annual "Gathering of the Vibes" in Bridgeport, CT. The festivities are split between the Main and Green Vibes Stages, beginning early and running late until Crosby, Stills & Nash close things out Sunday evening at six.

I sincerely wish that I was still in the Northeast for the summer, as I know that my friends will all rub in my absence from 4 days of what is sure to be debauchery at its finest. So, instead, I'll live vicariously through the funk tributes and stoner jams of yore.
***

Deep Banana Blackout's tribute to the legendary James Brown @ Vibes 2007

Casting call: We're hiring!

Calling all masochists - we're (I'm) hiring (looking for unpaid labor)!
If you enjoy writing, enjoy music, enjoy writing about music, or are rolling on ecstasy and just feeling super generous, then you might be right for this humble website. I've been looking to expand coverage for awhile, but frankly when I'm not enrolled in college classes I'm working a full time 9 to 5, so it can be a little difficult to devote hours and hours at a time to this blog. Add on to that my responsibilities at The Silent Ballet and as head of WCDB's electronic music department, and suddenly my scant seven posts (this one notwithstanding) in July so far makes a lot more sense.

Desirable traits:

• Mastery of the English language


• Familiarity with the cursed "blogosphere" (God, I hate that word)


• General musical knowledge AND/OR


• Extensive knowledge of a particular niche/genre


• A sense of humor


• Ability to contribute every week or so

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in (why you would be, God only knows), please send me an e-mail or leave a comment on this post, and I'll get back to you with more details. I'm not anticipating an overwhelming surge of correspondence, so I'll keep it informal...for now.

Good luck!

Crookers & Co. to host a party with real potential

I hate to marginalize large segments of my potential audience by catering to inherently regional interest, but when I saw this, I simply couldn't resist.

On October 10th, Terminal 5 in Manhattan will play host to Italain virtuosos Crookers and 2009's hype of the summer Major Lazer, alongside the dubstep stylings of Rusko, and a whole host of other Mad Decent friends.

This could be massive. From the first time I ever heard their breezy synth stabs on Kid Cudi's "Embrace the Martian", I've been hooked on Crookers, quite eager to see the two in person. I'm hoping it'll be worth the three hour bus ride from Albany.

I'm hoping.

Songs of the week: 7/21/09

It's so weird to think that July is on the downhill, another summer past its apex. There's been some interesting things afoot in the industry over these last couple of months, and this fall is shaping up to be one of the most exciting release seasons of recent memory (that is if Brand New actually makes good on their September release date!)

It's also rather weird to see how my tastes have changed over the last year. I didn't know that this was possible, but I think that I might have burned myself out on mellow indie rock, and the material I cover here reflects that. So, true to form, here's some questionable rap, textbook electronica, and a little drum and bass thrown in for good measure.

L'chaim.
***songs of the week #26:

1. Too Many Rappers (ft. Nas) - The Beastie Boys (MCA apparently has cancer, but no reason not enjoy this new track. Gotta love the "NY State of Mind" reference in that first verse!)
2. Right Hand Hi - Kid Sister (You be the judge)
3. Ready for the Weekend (High Contrast remix) - Calvin Harris (Sick breakbeat remix of Harris' new single)
4. Hyper Invisible - Axiotronic (Reminds me a lot of i am robot and proud - which is a good thing)

Bibio - Vignetting the Compost

2009
Mush Records
Buy

7.5/10

To those of us whose introduction to prolific British producer Stephen Wilkinson's Bibio came with Ambivalence Avenue's 'Pitchfork Best New Music' ambience, it might come as a bit of a shock to hear that said album is a drastic artistic departure. Want proof, Sherman? All you've got to do is wake up Mr. Peabody and set the Wayback Machine to five months earlier...(Read more at the Silent Ballet)

Old School Hip-Hop Documentary

So apparently I've been snoozing for the last two years, but I stumbled across a three part Dutch documentary on the birth of hip-hop in the South Bronx, and I've gotta say, it's pretty interesting. Hell, maybe even worth a viewing or two?

(Documentary, entitled Big Fun in the Big Town, courtesy of VPRO.)

***
The first part focuses mainly on Grandmaster Flash, as he explains and demonstrates the turntablist technique of extending the break on a funk record:


This next part showcases Doug E Fresh's considerable beatboxing skills, as well as some interviews relating to the correlation between hip-hop and gang violence:


And finally, Run DMC & company:

2000 & Late

So, it's been pretty apparent that something's been preoccupying me of late. My posts have again fallen into a rather irregular schedule, reviews and songs of the week have been neglected in favor of some unknown distraction. Well, this is what I've been working on - a nice summer mix to help celebrate this website's one year anniversary.

Maybe in another year's time it'll actually be profitable? Here's hoping!


2000 & Late - Andy Kissner
Hold up - it's a mix of some summertime jams for the general consumption, curated by yours truly. It took about a week to make and it'll take about an hour to listen to, so click the link above and tell me what you think.

1. I'll Be There - The Jackson 5
2. Jeffer - Boys Noize
3. Boom Boom Pow - Black Eyed Peas
4. Thunder - The Prodigy
5. What You Need (The Proxy Remix) - Tiga
6. 1000 Cigarettes - MSTRKRFT
7. Youth Alcoholic (Etienne de Crecy Remix) - Fox N'Wolf
8. Hold The Line (Tommie Sunshine, Il Diablo & Mixin' Marc Remix) - Major Lazer
9. Show Me Love vs. Be - Robin S vs. Steve Angello & Laidback Luke
10. Part Of Me (AutoErotique Remix) - Chris Cornell
11. Township Funk (Sinden Remix) - DJ Mujava
12. Gladiator (Steve Aoki & DJ AM Remix) - AutoErotique
13. Old School Astronomy- Boxcutter
14. Night Shift (Benga & Coki vs. Amit) - Sonic Truth
15. Stuck In The System - Joker
16. Kalemba (Reso's Aguardente Remix) - Buraka Som Sistema
17. Touch My Horn (Crookers Remix) - Jesse Rose
18. Howling - Drop the Lime
19. Call Me (Blende Remix) - The Body Snatchers
20. Shine Shine (Shadow Dancer Remix) - Boys Noize

Antifilm - IO

2009
Statler & Waldorf
Buy

6.5/10

With its eclectic backgrounds, lush accompaniment, and murmured vocals, IO has all the makings of an indie classic. It could have been the next You Forgot It In People. Instead, Danish band Antifilm has come up with something more along the lines of Feel Good Lost: a great first step, but not quite there...(Read more at the Silent Ballet)

Remembering the King

Michael Jackson, 1958 - 2009
Thousands of people converged upon Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles this afternoon to pay tribute to the recently deceased King of Pop, Michael Jackson. But you already knew all of that, and frankly, if you want news, I'd suggest you try CNN before you come here.

Nah, what you come to people like me for are pretty pictures, videos and sounds. So, here's some of that.

***
First off is a video of Mariah Carey and Tres Lorenz performing the Jackson 5 hit "I'll Be There". It takes Mariah a few bars to find her voice, but from then on it's a pretty moving performance.


Next we have what will undoubtedly stick out as the soundbyte of the summer - a tearful goodbye from his 11 year old daughter, Paris - a JFK Jr. salute of sorts for our generation.


Finally, here's the best tribute to Michael Jackson I've heard so far, an hour long mix courtesy of Chris Read. It's pretty aptly titled too.

THE LEGACY: World's Greatest Jackson Tribute Mix - Chris Read

bvdub - A Prayer to False Gods

2009
Shoreless Recordings
Buy

6.5/10

At its most banal, A Prayer to False Gods sounds like the jarring hum of unshielded stereo wire. But when bvdub (San Francisco disc jockey Brock Van Wey's nom de guerre) hits his stride, the result is nothing short of sublime...(Read more at the Silent Ballet)