We anti-Valentined last year with our Hip Hop + Heartbreak, thanks to the help of mimb, and this year we’re covering everything but (hip hop).
Most of heartbroke (as fuck) is some sort of soul music along the electronic scale, leaning heavy on electronic near the end.
If you’re in for a lonely Valentine’s this year, I hope this makes for a good background soundtrack.
The first time I ran into Madelyn Grant’s name was on Odesza’s Sun Models. I had recently uploaded the track to SoundCloud and she had contacted me about including her name in the title. The only reason I hadn’t in the first place was because they really chopped and skewed her vocals, making her voice barely recognizable. But she was real nice about it and it seemed more than fair.
About two months later and I see Madelyn Grant on FKJ’s Waiting. I didn’t remember she was on Odesza’s track at first, but once I did I was all the more in love. Madelyn has a breathtaking voice, but even better she knows how to use it – a much bigger problem with most vocalists.
Since then Madelyn has collaborated with a favorite of mine, Emancipator. I asked her how she got to collaborate with all these legitimate producers and she said, I sent them my demos.
That’s it. In Odesza’s case they were requesting female vocalists, but the other two she just sent them a sample. That’s all it took. How the fuck does that happen? Oh wait, that doesn’t. Minus with Madelyn.
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I’ve put together a playlist of my favorite songs of her’s as well as another list for producers she should also send her music to. Although, this time I think they should be doing the reaching out.
Our favorite female vocalists of 2014 had a part two and this was going to be it. But so many of them were downtempo electronic, so we decided to make something more specific out of it, and brought in some older tracks.
Our electro relaxations has been our most popular playlist to date, other than the beats to blaze to, and we always wanted to include female vocals over the relaxations. And here it finally is…
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We’re finally getting our favorite musicians of 2012 out there. Remixes & heavy sampling have made up most of the other best music of 2012, but the rest of these are all originals (at least for the most part).
I also decided to change it from 2012’s best musicians to the most promising. They may be our favorite musicians of 2012, but they’re probably all new to you – except Frank, Madeon & Miike maybe.
Also remember, not every one of these may be your favorite style, but you’ll definitely find a few you’ll enjoy for a good while.
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Soul music is back with a whole new influence. Just two years ago I couldn’t find a half decent disco track, let alone anything funk or R&B. So like I do best, I filtered the shit out of the web and found me some good ol’, new-fashioned Soul music. This new style of Soul, however, isn’t like before, there are all sorts of electronic influences grown in. So let’s take a look at my Soul obsessions of 2012 and see what’s in store for the future.
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I think I’ve narrowed it down to two things that I like so much about Two Inch Punch. One’s pretty straightforward, while the other’s not so clear just yet.
My first experience with TIP was his remix of Birdy’s ‘People Help the People,’ manipulating her vocals with a varied charm. TIP always pulls off the chop & skew with any vocals, harmonizing ’em at just the right moment.
The other thing I like so much about T.I.P deals with his experimental productions. It’s not only his hand in pushing this progressive style of electro soul or “lovestep” forward, but the whims he goes off in. Try out ‘BrokKen’ and see if you can hear it for yourself, it’s a bit of nonsense at first, but you’ll warm up to it quite quick.
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This is how much I love & appreciate what Two Inch Punch does. So much that I’ll post shit from the worst of the Waka Flockas, Flame. In his ‘Rooster In My Rari’ remix, TIP brings that lovely-step to the increasingly popular trap world. It’s like the hyphy movement, more for fun than real enjoyment. I may not be listening to this in a month (or a week), but I appreciate talent wherever it may roam, even in the worst of weathers…
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Half of what a producer does is finding the right vocals. Vocals are what carry a track forward and if they fall short, everything else will crumble. TIP may be onto some next level lovestep, but the vocals he provides are even one step higher.
I first fell for TIP in his remix of Birdy’s ‘People Help The People’ (with a passion) and now I’m struck by ‘Moon Struck.’ It’s just that organic lovestep is so.damn.charming. It really is far beyond where most music is at today. I do wish he would provide where he got the vocals from, though…
Two Inch Punch takes Birdy’s “People Help The People” and makes it one beaut.a.ful love rework. Can’t get enough of this revival of soul flavored with electric love. Actually reminds me of a few Weeknd reworks (just a tip for what TIP should rework next).
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