Forget our favorite ladies (and one dude) of 2013. 2014 is her’ and it’s already topping them all.
And only someone such as Yukimi from Little Dragon could make it so obvious. She’s got something in her voice few singers can compete with in personality & character. Not only that, but the boys behind her are giving her production, like in “Klapp Klapp,” the compliment her sound needs to stay in the spotlight where music’s progressing right now. The only ones that may be able to do them better are Disclosure. Better yet, wouldn’t that be one hell of a collaboration.
Who do you think would collab best with Little Dragon? Gorillaz is tough competition.
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Electronic music more than ever shows us that it isn’t just about what sounds good to the ear. If you analyze every single sound in Phantogram’s ‘Fall in Love,’ you’ll miss out in the beauty of when it all comes together. Listen to her voice and let the beat fade into the background.
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Catching Flies lays out for us a four-track EP, titled The Stars, and my is it electro mastery. Vocal manipulation is almost becoming a necessity for my ears and I haven’t heard such fine manips since Madeux or TIP. Catching Flies borrows from a few fine vocalists for all four songs – Coldplay, Bajka, Mt. Wolf & the last which I couldn’t find credits for (credit your samples, people). In the end, some tripworthy tracks that’ll definitely be in my next beats to blaze to edition.
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‘Ninties Man’ starts off as a sombre jazztronic track to tune out to, but intensifies at just the right moment (wait for the drop it) to turn into one growing acid [jazz] trip. It’s one experimental ride, so don’t cling to it too tight… then again so is most of this site.
Bonobo’s Black Sands was my #2 album of 2010 and in ‘All in Forms’ was one of its best (‘Kiara‘ was The best). So when I saw Ninja Tune released a remix of ‘All in Forms,’ I might’ve been hesitant at first, but my intrigue kicked in quite quickly.
Letherette calms down the original ‘All in Forms’ for a remix on the smoother side of electro. This blog has shifted from the downtempo hip-hop//trip-hop//electronica styles to the EDM upbeat bangers before, but we’re always willing to switch back to chilled out soul like this.
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More than a few tracks on Mimosa’s SoundCloud do this SoundKlout justice. He’s got a real knack for taking the strange and whipping it with some melody. I do hope he gets some more tracks up on there soon – like the rap artists featured on SoundKlout before him, I think SC is only a taste of Tigran’s talent.
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The Remix Game got together a handful of fairly-known electronic artists back in ’07 to remix Bitter:Sweet’s original album, The Mating Game. With one of the sexiest voices I’ve ever heard, Shana Halligan’s vocals layered with these downtempo vibes make this prone to a somber groove with another. Make sure to give the full album a play, but here’s a few of my finest selections.
[audio:Bittersweet-Faith.mp3|titles=Bittersweet Faith (Thievery Corporation Remix)]
Appo has redone this classic to a newage/downtempo vibe. It’s a fresh take that’s perfect for a nice warm/sunny day. My only criticism is its long intro, lasting for just around four minutes. However, the beat is still a chill & relaxing set up for Bread’s beautiful vocals.
Also had to point out how much it reminds me of something DJ Frane would sample. Make it about 5x trippier and it could (puff puff) pass.
[audio:Make-It-With-You.mp3|titles=Make It With You (Appo Remix)]
We all need a mental vacation once in a while, and with Emancipator’s escapist sounds it’s the perfect remedy to let the mind at ease.
Stargate Studios recently used Emancipator’s “Lionheart” to help unfold the fascinating virtual manipulation that goes on in their studio. I don’t know which I’m more impressed by – Emancipator or Stargate Studios – but combine the two and get artistic look at how easy our eyes can be deceived.
[audio:Lionheart.mp3,When-I-Go.mp3|titles=Lionheart,When I Go](Download Link in Full Article)
A friend suggested I check out Emancipator’s Soon It Will Be Cold Enough a few months back, but I put it on the back-burner until recently. While browsing my feeds, I came across a song from the album that really hit the spot. Emancipator or Douglas Appling’s chilled-back, trip hop beats are steadily growing on me. I may not be an expert on the trip hop scene, but producers like this are moving me in the right direction.
The song that I mentioned above, as you probably figured out, is First Snow. Like a lot of the music I listen to, this song isn’t just for listening fun but seems to have a deeper meaning (yes, even without words). Another aspect I like about Appling’s music is how he switches up the tone in the middle of the track – a good example is at 3:00 in First Snow – similar to what DJ Frane does. I also found out, when researching the album, that it was mastered by Nujabes, a music legend for his jazzy/hip hop instrumentals. (R.I.P. Nujabes)
Alright, I’m off to listen to his latest album – Safe in the Steep Cliffs. Look this over and give me some input. What do you think the future for trip hop is
[audio:FirstSnow.mp3|titles=First Snow](Download Link in Full Article)