That hook! Gonna get me reminiscing for days.
Shormey’s Party Down was meant for some coming of age movie classic from the 70’s 80’s. At a high school dance or some shit, but she’s more than that. She’s a song for reflecting, tapping into the moment and thinkin about your past.
Marvin Gaye has got to be one of the most sampled singers of all time, but most producers pull off a shoddy side step of his original works. It’s hard as hell to find any rework worth saving, but of course Amtrac pulls it off, again.
The man can do deep house unlike most hyped-producers in the genre right now. It’s always fresh, but far from a fad. His latest takes a few lines from ‘Nothing Like The Real Thing’ (baby) and makes mind numbing, gutter house. I gotta dance to this at the club sometime.
Outside Lands begins my favorite time of the year. It’s good weather in San Francisco, except in Golden Gate Park where it’s held, and there are plenty of fun things right around the corner. Treasure Island Music Festival, Beyond Wonderland & SF MusicTech to name three.
This year’s lineup for OSL is looking to be one of its best. I’ve compiled 12 of my favorites, not including Elton, D’Angelo, St. Vincent, Leon Bridges & Toro y Moi. Their SoundCloud presence is lacking and 8tracks doesn’t give us enough numbers to give a damn about dat.
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Below the playlist we have two highlights from the festival, Odesza’s set and meeting Toro y Moi.
I need a good playlist for reflecting on. Especially when traveling long distances. Music that sounds like Toy Box’s Catahoula.
I know alotta people can’t stand a good kick drum when trying to relax, but I almost need it. There’s a lot of little things in Catahoula that doesn’t make it some basic electronic track. Something you should listen for, for the subtleties. The track has heart, texture. And those vocals chops, woof. Wonder where he got em.
I found out about a new band with some sweet female vocals from the latest live TuneIn sessions and it inspired me to create a playlist (everything inspires me to create a playlist). Or rather finish up a playlist I had been working on for a while, Indie Girl.
All of the women on here are backed by some amount of instrumentalists. In other words, it’s not just some electronic producer behind the boards. Basically, it’s not the usual electronic shit I post.
It starts off with a more jazz jam band kind of feel and gets into indie rock a few songs in. I even put a little punk in there. At least I think it’s punk. I don’t know punk. It finishes off with more of the mellower stuff.
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If you’re someone who manages bands or knows somebody who does, give Cloudsurfing a listen. They’re the band I saw at TuneIn and are in need of a manager, bad.
Yves Klein’s Look has a catchy little chorus. Something worth repeating at a club. Even the Lauren agrees. But it took Nam’pa to wrap it up nicely in a lazer y style of house. +The glistening electro bits is a nice sprinkle on top.
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.
First it was Doja Cat from LA. Then A-1 from The Bay. Now we’re back down in Los Angeles for Anderson .Paak.
The LA based rapper has a slyer sound than Kendrick and gets together with producers that are just as good. They’re both very good. But I just can’t put to words how much feeling his music gives me when listening to it.
I was actually just listening to a Renman Live episode, I forget who the guest was, but he talks about how being able to describe why you love an artist & song is essential to A&R. Well, I suck at that, but my voice, not my words, express it better. Unfortunately this is a blog, so you wouldn’t know that.
Relax in the House is even chiller to dance to than our Horizontal Disco list, but both can also be used for relaxing too. This however lays off the lyricists and goes for deep, melodic, four on the floor kind of music with short vocal cuts.
If you don’t like house though, I’m not sure you’ll want to chill in your house with this.
When I first saw Bishiclet remixed Janet Jackson, I was like naaahh, he ain’t gonna top his Miguel remix or the other Janet remixes I collected. He did both. Well, this might not have the longevity of his Miguel remix, but we’ll see about that.
His So Excited remix was so unexpected. It’s so hard for any producer to be consistently good, let alone come up with something borderline trendsetting. What he did to Janet’s voice, pitchin em on high like that, is best described as sounding like Yolandi Visser of Die Antwoord, except not having to deal with her rap Ninja.
The first night I had with this, I played it over & over at least a dozen times.