Saturday, December 25, 2010

Brooklyn Bound


I'm moving to Brooklyn in a few days with my very lovely girlfriend and I don't know how long it will be until my next post. Before I leave Gainesville, FL (about fucking time) I'd like to leave everyone with some tracks that helped me grow up while I was here. It might look like a weird list but these tracks  really helped me on my path of music geekery and and becoming a DJ or at least somewhat of one. This might be my college playlist, maybe? I might look very cliche after all of this? I'll take that. 

Oh, and the new James Blake album leaked so get you hands on it some how. It's really, really, really good.


The Beatles: "Revolution 9"
This might have been the first time I heard an abstract and minimal song placed on a pop-rock album. The song sounds silly to most, but I was impressed very much with the balls the Beatles had to put this long track on a commercial rock record. I think I actually read that John's the only one who wanted it on the record. Either way, here it is.


Bob Dylan: "I Want You" 
I think at this time I was in love and I liked the way he expressed that idea. I couldn't find cliches in Dylan's writing and thought his words came off more genuine than what I heard in pop (as much as he didn't want to be considered pop) music before. Dylan also got me into the Beat Generation writers like Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. Both writers made me change the way I thought about literature in that they didn't do what they were suppose to do and had this very unique perspective on the world. This I liked.


The Velvet Underground: "I'm Waiting for My Man"
"I'm Waiting For My Man" to me is almost like one of the first rap songs. It's about what's happening on the streets away from the eye of the white collar working folk, but also about buying drugs. The train thump drum beat in this song is what really makes the song interesting besides the already ballsy lyrics. This showed me that you didn't have to be traditional in your song writing. 


Can: "Vitamin C"
This was one of the most important times in my life. I started to realize I liked production, interesting approach to song writing and music that overall didn't do what it was supposed to do in pop standards. I still think this beat is one of the more interesting ones I've heard in years. 


Ricardo Villalobos: "Dexter"
Villalobos was to me what to jam bands are to some kids. I just didn't want to take a hand full of drugs and dance all day at a festival with 10,000 other smelly kids with the same intention. Villalobos made smart bedroom music that sounded really good in a nice pair of headphones or a really nice sound system. It also made me feel more patient towards music on a whole. The song is nine minutes and some change long but it never really loses momentum. There's not too many sound artists that could pull that off. This was also when I decided that I liked house music for the first time. 


Liquid Liquid: "Optimo"
This track convinced me that you could be punk, indie, hip-hop, disco or a house music person, but as long as you liked interesting sound and dancing you were would like this song. This song might have made me a dance DJ as much as Villalobos made me a bedroom DJ. One of the best things I saw this year was watching Liquid Liquid on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon perform "Cavern" with the Roots, even the Roots seemed stoked. To me it was like seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan. 


Animal Collective: "Leaf House"
Another really good example of interesting music from kids who weren't doing what they were suppose to do with music. It was like Brazilian Tropicalia, hip-hop (at least samplers being used), weirdo pop, and folk all came together. It's really cliche to like Animal Collective as a white kid, but damn those guys have been doing a really great job not doing the same thing twice and being constantly progressing into whatever they want to be.


Madvillain: "Accordion" 
As much as this could be white boy hip-hop, Doom still sounds hard and that he won't take shit from nobody. As weird as the lines are "Hey you/ don't touch the mic like there's A.I.D.S. on it", the music still comes off raw and original. I never thought an accordion could be the main melody maker in a hip-hop track either--- I was wrong. I heard that Doom and Madlib are working on round two of this project; I hope this is true. 



Motor City Drum Ensemble: "Raw Cuts 3"
I try to listen to house tracks on the reg but it's hard when songs are nine minutes long, you work full-time and you have a girlfriend. I got really lucky to hear MCDE aka Danilo Plessow production of Detroit techno, Chicago house, and classic disco and soul. These are all things that I enjoy very much. If you're an organic, soul or analog type person this might be the guy that gets you into house music. 


Burial: "Ghost Hareware"
A friend of mine comes to Gainesville a few years ago (right before Untrue came out). He plays me the Burial's Untrue album and speaks about so romantically that I feel that I missed out on something truly important. My internet is not hooked up my new place so I can't get a hold of it. Luckily for me a local record shop has the Ghost Hardware EP. I buy it and start listening to it a lot and try to figure out how to use it. I feel it goes well with the downbeat early night stuff like Nobody and Flying Lotus. I throw this on one night when my friend who originally played me Burial came to town. He immediately lets me know I've been playing the track too slow. I feel like an ass but we both decided the track sounded cool both ways and that I mixed it in well either way. This is the first dub-step artist that I really got into and then I started paying attention to more UK club music. 'Nuff said. 


Thursday, December 23, 2010

Best Tracks Playlist from 2010



Best of 2010 Playlist


01. Here We Go Magic: "Casual"
02. Lindstrom and Christabelle: "Music In My Mind"
03. Nite Funk: "Am I Gonna Make It"
04. Onra: "The One  (feat. T3 of Slum Village)"
05. Dimlite: "Diana Won't"
06. Flying Lotus: "Kill Your Co-Workers"
07. Les Sins: "Toss and Turn"
08. Thomas Fehlmann "Permanent Touch"
09. Teebs: "Double Fifths"
10. Gil Scott-Heron and Jaime XX: "NY Is Killing Me"
11. Joy Orbison: "So Derobe"
12. John Roberts: "Even or Not"
13. Deerhunter: "Memory Boy"
14. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: "Round and Round"
15. Darkstar: "Gold"
16. James Blake: "CMYK
17. Beach House: "Lover of Mine"

Click here to hear the playlist. (Just let the first video play and when the song's done the playlist should just play through. If you want a physical CD, let me know and I'll try to drop one off to you or mail it to you)

Beach House on Conan


I can't believe I missed Beach House on Conan the other night. Beach House might win as my favorite live show that I was lucky enough to see this year. I think at the beginning of each song at the show I said "I love this song". I was really surprised to see their record in so many top albums lists 0f 2010. Way to go Beach House.

I'm home for the holidays and I don't have a whole lot to do. Expect a lot of posts.

Monday, December 20, 2010

I Love London


My girlfriend and I are moving to NY in a few days and we're really excited about being in New York for New Years. I don't want to talk trash about other cities and their choices of New Years parties but I did take notice of the list of acts playing in London on New Years and had a moment where I just wanted to hop on a plane and go (if I could). I'm very excited about this New Years and I'm sure if it's anything like last years New Years, it's going to be unforgettable. Either way, take a look at London's New Years Parties list (via Pitchfork). It's almost too good. 

LONDON, ENGLAND
-Sonic Youth, Shellac, Factory Floor, the Pop Group, DJ Stuart Braithwaite (Mogwai) - Hammersmith Apollo (ATP Strange Days)
-Matthew Dear, Joker, Roska, Seth Troxler, Damian Lazarus - The Tunnels (Eastern Electrics NYE)
-Friendly Fires (DJ Set), Riton, L-Vis 1990 - XOYO
-Steve Bug, Jay Haze, Terry Francis, Cassey, Hearthrob - Fabric
-Caribou - Flowerpot
-Carl Barât (DJ Set) - All Star Lanes Brick Lane
-British Sea Power - Koko (Club NME)
-Four Tet, James Holden, Jamie XX, Nathan Fake - Corsica Studios (Trouble Vision X Deadly Rhythm)
-Matthew Johnson, Åme, Move D, Mark E, Gerd Janson & Tim Goldsworthy - CAMP (Phonica Records)
-Mala, Toddla T & Redlight, Nicky Blackmarket, Sukh Knight, P Money - TBA venue (Urban Nerds X ATG)
-El-B & MC Roller, Channel One, Daddy Skitz - The Big Chill House

-Mark Ronson, Annie Mac, Katy B, Fake Blood - O2 Academy (Together)
Here are some tracks I thought were appropriate for this post. 



Monday, December 13, 2010

Top 10 Lists Part 3





(The Dream)


An old good friend (Axel Anderson) of mine via Brooklyn who produces, edits, DJs, and web designs just sent me his top 10 of 2010. It's another list in no particular order. That seems to be the popular thing to do with my friends. Check it out. It's the only single track list on the site.


In no particular order:

The-Dream - Veteran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt0KoGu4RU8





OFWGKTA - Up Chopped and Screwed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrFWBrU0KyI





Ramadanman - Work Them
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utvgs27fT4U






Jody Breeze - The Way I Move
http://soundcloud.com/ghettophiles/jody-breeze-the-way-i-move






Girl Unit - Wut
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc6ZqhJWRhE




Dinah Washington and Max Richter - This Bitter Earth / On the Nature of Daylight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXHGoaEtmFM




Geiom feat Marita - Sugar Coated Lover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTQ4TBOYAe8




James Blake - Limit to Your Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOT2-OTebx0



Arthur Russell - Come To Life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IksudTFX42c
* Came out at the end of 2009 but so damn good I'm putting it in.




Darkstar - When It's Gone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgqHWQToHas



(Ramadanman)

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Top 10 Lists Pt. 2


(James Blake)

I feel like every year I make a years best list and then I always want to change it a million times. Hopefully this year---that's not the case.

 1. James Blake - Klavierwerke EP (all the EPs are killer though)
 2. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest 
 3. Actress - Splazsh 
 4. Joy Orbison - The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow
 5. Mount Kimbie - Crooks and Lovers
 6. John Roberts - Glass Eights 
 7. Four Tet - There Is Love In You
 8. Matthew Dear - Black City
 9. Beach House - Teen Dream
10. Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma 

James Blake: "I Only Know (What I Know Now)"

Joy Orbison: "So Derobe"

(Flying Lotus, Cosmogramma)
Runner-ups
Tame Impala - InnerSpeaker 
Wild Nothing - Gemini 
Shed - The Traveller 
Prins Thomas - Prins Thomas
Thomas Fehlmann - Gute Luft 
Best Coast - Crazy for You
Onra  - Long Distance

(Onra)

Onra: "The One (ft. T3 from Slum Village)"



(Matthew Dear)

This list comes from a good friend of mine, music geek and local boutique owner in Gainesville F.L., Matthew Turner. 

In no order, except for #1.

1. Matthew Dear - Black City
2. Gayngs - Relayted
3. Beach House - Teen Dream
4. Kanye West - My Dark Twisted Fantasy
5. The Fresh and Onlys - Play It Strange
6. Jonsi - Go
7. Four Tet - There Is Love In You
8. Tobacco - Maniac Meat
9. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
10. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest


Matthew Dear: "You Put A Smell On Me"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm8kPVSbbS4

Four Tet: "Love Cry"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxkFfbejcMk






(Gonjasufi, A Sufi and Killer)
Runner-ups
Gonjasufi - A Sufi and A Killer
Cloud Nothings - Turning On
Big Boi - Sir Luscious Left Foot
Twin Sister - Color Your Life
Flying Lotus - Cosmogramma

Twin Sister: "All Around and a Way We Go"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLjnTO6k2dU


Gonjasufi: "Duet" 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDZ31YQvxWY



(Four Tet, There's Love In You)


(Guru)

I sent an e-mail to a few music friends about a top 10 list of the year. I got a reply back from my friend Jay Lang (aka DJ CurbCuts) about a Guru top 10. I'm a big Guru and Gang Starr fan so I was all for it, so check it out--here it is. 

DJ CurbCuts Top 10 Guru Tracks In No Particular Order
"Code Of The Streets" - Hard To Earn
"No Time To Play" - Jazzmatazz Vol. 1
"DWYCK" - Hard To Earn
"Mass Appeal" - Hard To Earn
"Take It Personal" - Daily Operation
"Full Clip" - Full Clip
"You Know My Steez" - Moment Of Truth
"Tonz O Gunz"- Hard To Earn
"Ex Girl To The Next Girl" - Daily Operation
"Moment Of Truth" - Moment Of Truth

 Gang Starr: "Mass Appeal" 

Gang Starr: "Moment of Truth"


 Bonus Tracks:
 "Loungin" - Jazzmatazz Vol. 1
 "Just To Get A Rep" - Step Into The Arena


 Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal R.I.P. 1961-2010




Sunday, December 5, 2010

Top Albums of the 2010


Here's a few lists of top 10 records of the year from a few music geeks that I know or that I DJ around with on occasion. All the lists are really good and if you're looking for a list with a non bias slant (meaning none of us are paid off by sponsorship or by labels), its a good place to look for records you might have missed out on this year. 





Dan Snider (Resident DJ out in St. Augustine and Jacksonville) 

In no particular order

Earl Sweatshirt - Self Titled
Curren$y - Pilot Talk 2
Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Pt. 2 (Return of the Ankh)
Shit Robot - From the Cradle to the Rave
Matthew Dear - Black City
Mount Kimbie - Crooks and Lovers
James Blake - CMYK EP
The Dream - Love King
Onra - Long Distance
Floating Points - Vacuum EP
Actress - Splazsh




My main man Larry G.out in San Francisco (Minimal, Tech and House DJ)

Bonobo - Black Sands (highly recommended, classy and well put together)
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (space rock...period)
Todd Terje - Remaster of the Universe (poppy coolness)
Prins Thomas - Prins Thomas (The sound of Robert Johnson and German space age disco)
Four Tet - There is Love in You
V/A -Pop Ambient (like furry little kittens softly massaging my balls)
Thomas Fehlman - Gute Lift (old dude knows what is up)
Martin Buttrich - Crash Test (just a great album for dancing the 4/4)
Michael Mayer - Immer 3 (nice addition to the series)
Actress - Splazsh
Patrick Pulsinger - Impassive Skies (very interesting stuff...also appears on Immer 3)
John Roberts - Glass Eights (surprise from nowhere. nice stuff)
Sascha Dive -Restless Nights
Wolf and Lamb - Love Someone

and I like Pulshar.




My most frequent DJ partner-- Ernie Hotsauce

Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 
Guido - Anidea
LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening 
Darkstar - North
Fly Lo - Pattern + Grid World
Gucci Mane - The Burrprint 2 HD
El Guincho - Pop Negro
Rick Ross - Teflon Don

Dam-Funk - Toeachizown (Came out riiiight at the end of 2009, wasn't released on vinyl until 2010, so I count it) 


Guido: "Mad Sax"
Darkstar: "Aidy's Girl Is  A Computer" 


As for my own list...it will be out sometime this week. I want it to be perfect so I'm really thinking about it.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Deerhunter on Conan



Deerhunter made their debut on television last night playing "Helicopter" from the bands new record Halycyon Digest. 

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Les Sins (Toro Y Moi side project), Gil Scott-Heron remixed by Jamie XX, and John Talabot




Les Sins is the new side project from Chazwick Bundick of the chillwave act Toro Y Moi. This new project is more disco/house than his former material. I'm really digging this. I'm glad he got more into producing dance music. Toro Y Moi sounds good in the club and all but it's not really a way to get a party started. Toro Y Moi is meant for the very beginning of the party or on the drive back home. Either way, it's always good stuff.

Chazwick started off playing in a band called The Heist and the Accomplice in high school with some classmates in South Carolina of all places. It's hard to imagine this music coming from someone who grew up in South Carolina but I suppose Washed Out came from the same place.

The release of Les Sins was put out on Carpark Records (the same label as Beach House, Light Pollution and Dan Deacon) and is heavy on the Daft Punk. Not in a bad way though like all these new electro wannabes. This comes off a bit more legit. The guitar work, samples, bass and drums are all very Daft Punk influenced. It sounds like it would be fun to produce this and even more fun to play live.

From the Lina 12" on Carpark Records:
Les Sins: "Lina" mp3
Les Sins: "Youth Gone" mp3



Jamie XX is remixing the whole Gil Scott-Heron (soul, jazz, spoken word, funk, and proto-rap artist) record, I'm New Here. When I first heard about this project I was very interested in hearing what this would sound like. The first track I heard remixed was "NY is Killing Me". It's a chill dubstep track with excellent high pitched female samples and of course Gil Scott-Heron samples as well. I really love the soul feeling of the song. It makes the cold production of Jamie XX sparkle. I'm really looking forward to hearing the rest of this project.





In the past week I could not stop listening to Spanish disco/house producer John Talabot. I first heard his single "Sunshine" sometime last year and haven't been able to hear enough of his production since. He's done remixes for artists such as the xx, Delorean, We Are Stranded and Tahiti 80 and he's also done countless edits. All of which have a sunshine tingled, disco/house take on the above mentioned artists. I just downloaded (literally it's playing in my headphones right now) his Summerized mix. If this is what Barcelona (where he's from) sounds like, I missed out last time I was there (in 2007). Talabot is also on the Permanent Vacation label which is the same as label as Tensnake and Azari & iii. I always close with this, but I'm looking forward to see what this guy produces next.

Tahiti 80: "Darlin (John Talabot's Oscuro Baile Remix)" mp3 (via XLR8R)
John Talabot: "Matilda's Dream" mp3
John Talabot: "Sunshine" mp3

L-Vis 1900 and Kingdom @ Czar in Tampa



L-Vis 1990 and Kingdom in Tampa
Monday November 2nd in Tampa, FL I was very lucky to see the UK DJ/Producer L-Vis 1990 and the DJ/Producer Kingdom from NYC. About 4 weeks before the 2nd I was told that these artists are coming to Florida and I was very,very surprised. Kids in Tampa don't really dig UK Funky, House or the sounds of the above mentioned future bass DJ/producers. Despite the Florida scene, I was excited nevertheless. I'd never seen DJs that I really love and this would be the first time so I started making plans with some friends to go to the show. Unfortunately, only 2 of my friends knew who or what the artists were. No Buneo.

On the way to the show we tried to sell some more of our friends on a free show in Tampa by no one is really into Tampa so it was a no go. I almost got my girlfriend to go but she had a school project due so that wasn't happening either.

I got picked up around 7 and hit the liquor store to avoid over priced drinks at the bar. We just ended up with a flask of whiskey and some smokes to keep us entertained for our 2 hour road trip.

We pull into Tampa around 9:30 and go to the club only to find it's not open yet (doors at 10:00). Food is on all of our minds so we hit up Tampa's famous Mema's Alaskan Tacos. The food is on point and we killed enough time just for doors at Czar to open. As soon as walked in I asked for the drink specials. As soon as the bartender told me they had $2 Rogue Amber and $2 Rogue Porter I almost did a triple back flip. In Gainesville, Rogues go about $5-$7 a pint. This was already a start to a good night.

The first 2 DJs are not really mixing and just kind of playing whatever to get people into the mood. The first DJ, Rob Wonder played some Burial and that's about all that was memorable. It wasn't a bad set but one that I ignored. The second DJ was Blu Jemz, who is a Turntable Lab Radio DJ. He's set was all over the place as well. He wasn't mixing but dropping tracks and not really sticking to a genre or meshing too well. I think maybe both these guys can kill it but since they're opening they were playing whatever.

By the time Kingdom got on the decks I already had 3 pints and a shot so I was feeling pretty good. Kingdom started off with the track "I Need Love" by Roska. I was already into this seeing that I've never heard anyone play this track out live before except and my friend and frequent DJ partner Ernie.
Everyone started gathering around as soon as Kingdom hit the decks to see what this guy was going to do/play. He played pretty chill for about forty-five minutes until L-Vis 1990 hit the decks. HOLY SHIT!

When L-Vis started playing his first track, the crowd really started to move and get into the Kingdom/L-Vis realm of musical selection. I got really excited and was surprised kids were getting into it. I was losing my shit and I was wishing I had a posse of friends to enjoy this with. I couldn't really tell you too much what L-Vis played but it was great, exciting and fresh sounding. I know he played a few tracks off his label Night Slugs which he runs with fellow DJ/producer Bok Bok. The weird thing was is that this club didn't have any dance lights. If they had them, they were not in use.

In the end most kids left early but L-Vis's set just got better and better as the night went on. I ended up being asked to leave as I was talking with Ezra Rubin (Kingdom) and James Connolly (L-Vis 1990) about how kids in Florida don't like house music very much, but they're more into hard electro and heavy dubstep. I almost see that stuff as the metal or pop-punk of the electronic music scene. On the ride home I slept the entire time and woke up in home in Gainesville, FL.


L-Vis 1990: "Forever You"
Kingdom: "Mindreader "