Alright, this shit is just getting too damn sexy. If you knew me in “real” life, you’d know this is just way too sexy for me. I’m in fact the polar opposite of how sexy this is (I’m workin on it). Anyways. These Russian fucks going by 5 Reasons make some soulful shit that, again, is just too sexy for me (I can’t highlight this enough). However, most of the soul in this actually hails from good ol’ Nashville, Tennessee. Patrick Baker has some fuckin charm in his vocals and 5 Reasons adds just the right touch to it. So Sexy.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/86067436" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" /]I forget how we met, but WMNSTUDIES & I got something goin on. I loved their Too Damn Dope remix so much I went through their entire SoundCloud sounds and came up with two other female vocalists remixed right. They’ve got a sound similar to Late Nite Tuff Guy, relaxing the hell out of me each & every time, and I can’t wait for what’s next on the agenda. These somethings are So Smoooth.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/82820966" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" /]When I first heard this, I thought it was some track of Anna Kendrick off the Perfect Pitch soundtrack …not that I’ve listened to it… Anyways, I originally thought I’d be one of the first to post this ‘Rich’ track, but boy was I wrong. As it stands, this porch-friendly jam sesh has hit 50,000 plays on SoundCloud and I’m sure there’s a helluva lot more to come. Hope these two team up for some more, alotta room for growth here.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/82077726" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" /]First few listens of ‘XIX’ and those Angela McCluskey vocals are the only thing I wanna talk about. Yet like so many other distinct vocalists, they’re so hard to put into words. What I will say is that Paper Diamond & Christian Rich matched her sound right with one cosmically-rich beat. Plus that future soul theme doesn’t hurt, love me some skewed up vocals.
One thing I am questioning is how much Angela’s voice feels drowned out at times. But to its credit, it can be done well, and actually has been specifically with Paper Diamond. But who knows for now, it’s hard if not impossible to fully digest a song in less than 24 hours.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/85194919" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" /]This SOHN beat is a bit out there, but that’s what we love best. It’s got a very crisp sound to it and put together with these indie-sedating vocals, ‘The Wheel’ is one electro-indie seduction. My one issue with it goes back to the beat. The sample of the sticks get to be too repetitive and just doesn’t have enough variance. Still, some very good qualities to it, namely those vocals.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/60989516" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" /]Rhye’s 3 Days has been growin on me for the last few. Robin Hannibal pulls the beat forward with her voice, directing it ever so slightly. And that switch up with about a minute left, love it all the more every time I hear it. Her style reminds me of an old R&B queen, but I can’t quite pin it yet. Thinkin Sade, but she’s always on my mind, so… there’s that.
Props to Hype Machine Radio, aka d_e_v, for this beaut. We’ve got a nice remix of Rhye’s comin out soon, so make sure to tune in for that (or just listen in now).
[audio:3-Days.mp3|titles=3 Days]It’s starting to surprise me how well these remixers are taking their originals to somewhere completely different than it first intended. Krono, a duo out of Paris, took this “So You Think You Can Dance,” pop-plastic song and flipped it on its Soul. Check out the original song with the video below and compare it to this heavy, soulful remix with a smooth & steady beat. Sogood.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/84118776" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" /]I’ve been wondering what the name and who this is by for far too long now. I caught it on an Afro Monk mix a few months back, but there really wasn’t any proper credits. Finally though, I found it on another mix and with a little more digging around I finally found the name to this sure to be Silence favorite.
‘Cherry Blossom’ is another one of those new soul songs with chipmunk like vocals. I hate explaining to people what this new type of soul is – once you put chipmunk in there, all credibility goes out the window. But when chimpunk is done right, it’s some of the most soulful music that’s been out in decades. Tell me this doesn’t sink you down to the very soul of your existence.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/65190792" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" /]This isn’t a remix. Shook has taken snippets of Ghost Beach’s ‘Been There Before’ and completely rendered them from an alt-rock electro piece into a slow disco meditation. The melodies sound similar but this remix is so damn different to the original that “remix” is definitely underselling it. What Shook does to these vocals makes for some sexy disco highs. So catchy in my head-y.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/76018338" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" /]SF MusicTech’s SoundCloud has been an obsession of mine over the last few months. I loved listening in on all the conversations these music-tech aficionados were having and knew I had to take the train up to San Fran for this year’s conference.
My experience at SF MusicTech 2013 was, however, more of a learning experience in how conferences function rather than the music-tech topics being covered. And as much as I’d love to go into my many blunders at the event, I’ll keep those goodies to myself. Instead, here’s a few of the panels I enjoyed while attending the conference. I’d also like to get into what I thought the conference was missing, other than a babysitter to tell my dumbass what to do.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/81962099" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" /]