The Dragons

Aug 3rd, 2007 Breakbeat, Instrumental, Rock, Soul steve 1 min read

Leave it to Strictly Kev of DJ Food to unearth a monster of a forgotten California funk record. I guess the most immediately interesting thing about The Dragons is the fact that Daryl Dragon, one third of the Dragon-brother trio, is more famous as the “Captain” from 70s chart-toppers Captain and Tenille. Seriously. But together with brothers Dennis and Doug, the threesome managed BFI, shorthand…

Kim Hiorthoy

Jul 19th, 2007 Electronic/Dance, IDM, Instrumental steve 1 min read

The Smalltown Supersound label has been steadily putting out some of the most unpretentious yet forward-thinking “pop” music for sometime. Tussle and Jaga Jazzist may be the most immediately recognizable names, but Bjorn Torske and Kim Hiorthoy are strong contenders for the label’s most innovative solo artists. Hiorthoy, an accomplished graphic designer and artist, is responsible for much of the look and feel of the…

Ben Benjamin

Jun 28th, 2007 Downtempo, Electronic/Dance, Instrumental, Rock steve 2 min read

Not sure if you all know about The Hype Machine but if not, you should check it out. It’s basically an aggregator of all the music posted on every significant music blog out there. Seriously. Scissorkick and all the links to your left are there, in addition to hundreds more, and you can search by artists and find a handful (and more) songs available right…

Maserati

Jun 12th, 2007 Instrumental, Rock steve 1 min read

Been a while. I know. Work has been all-consuming for nearly a month but now, finally with a chance to exhale, I can turn to the accumulating stacks and chose from a number of new gems to post for you. So why not start the return to posting off on the right foot, with a new track from the newest album from Athens, Georgia’s Maserati….

Marco Polo featuring Masta Ace

May 21st, 2007 Breakbeat, DJ Weapons, Downtempo, Hip-Hop steve 1 min read

Thanks to Bastard Jazz’s head-honcho DJ DRM for this inaugural 2007 Summer jam alert! You may already know about New York via Toronto producer Marco Polo, but for those not yet familiar — and fans of golden-era mid-90s hip-hop — do not miss out on the automatic BBQ bangers on his new LP for Rawkus, Port Authority. There’s little not to love about “Nostalgia” from…

Mice Parade

May 10th, 2007 Rock, Shoegazer steve 1 min read

I used to loathe hippies. Not really for any particular reason; it was just part of the code lived by the young indie/punk rocker. No hippies. Sure, the reverence to shitty bands like Phish and the exaggerated use of patchouli always irked me, but god damn if those hippies weren’t always smoking the best wacky tabacky. Now older, none the wiser, I realize that to…

The Cinematic Orchestra

Apr 30th, 2007 Downtempo, Soul steve 1 min read

Big week of new music in store. Advanced apologies as the job has gotten the best of me over the last few weeks. But in that time I’ve received a superfluity of sickness, some truly unreal gems, with the biggest, baddest and most exciting the newest record from The Cinematic Orchestra, Ma Fleur, which is scheduled to land stateside over the summer. Longtime readers know…

Fridge

Apr 17th, 2007 Electronic/Dance, IDM, Instrumental, Rock steve 2 min read

It’s been about six years or so since the last Fridge LP and during that time each member of the UK trio has done nicely for himself. Kieren Hebden’s Four Tet project has garnered the most attention but don’t overlook the pastoral elegance of Adem Ilhan’s releases as Adem. And while third member Sam Jeffers may not have any solo work to reference, he’s formed…

Joe Beats

Apr 4th, 2007 Breakbeat, Downtempo, Hip-Hop steve 1 min read

Big apologies for not posting but the day job is getting the best of me right now. But good shit has been piling up and I have a large stack of some incredible music, first and foremost some new stuff from one of our favorites Joe Beats (aka Joey Beats), of Non-Prophets fame and currently associated with Cunninlynguists. Aaron was kind enough to remind me…

Pelican

Mar 16th, 2007 Instrumental, Rock steve 1 min read

Metal is currently waist deep in a really exciting transformative stage. Just look at all the former metalheads returning back to the genre with renewed excitement. Think about it — Mastadon, Jesu, Isis, Red Sparowes, Pelican, Converge etc. — all amazing bands twisting expectations about what metal is and should be. Personally, I like how these bands mesh a sort of mathy, indie melancholy with…

Thisish Volume 1

Mar 13th, 2007 Breakbeat, Downtempo, Hip-Hop, Instrumental steve 1 min read

I’ve read quite a lot about the Thisish crew before this post because I’m always curious how an often myopic hip-hop media approaches eclectic production. The truth is that for all his success, a celebrated producer such as Timbaland for example, who is often showered with deserving albeit hyperbolic compliments, isn’t really that forward-thinking or groundbreaking. In the context of mainstream music, there is little…