The more I listen to Electric Guest, the more Asa’s vocals remind me of Prince, especially when watching the recording of ‘Ritual Union’ in studio. It’s not just his falsetto or his similar vocal style, it’s his demeanor and how he pushes out his sound. The production, however, is quite the opposite. I guess it’s just a taste of what Prince would sound like if he went indie electro … not too shabbay.
As far as the actual cover of Little Dragon goes, Electric Guest tops it. I’m in love with both vocals, probably Yukimi’s of Little Dragon more, but how Asa’s vocals ride along with the beat and switches it up for the falsetto, puts this on heavy rotation. Now I gotta wait for someone to mash these two up… anyone
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/58259919" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]I love disco!! (no surprise) This blog has gone from hip-hop to electronica to mashups to dubstep to edm with some stops in ghetto funk & hypnotic soul, but I’ve finally arrived. (nu)Disco is my jam. See you in a couple months within another.
And of all the nu disco souls out there, Moon Boots may not be my #1 choice in disco right now, but he’s in the top two.atmosphere His latest remix of Alison Valentine’s ‘Peanut Butter’ pulls out all the MoonBoots bells & whistles that make his music so much goddamn fun to dance to. As far as Valentine, her vocals rides well with a soft touch. And although I usually like stronger lead vocals, I’ll trust Moon Boots on this one.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/57988160" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]Whats up with electro producers throwin in so many sax solos nowadays… cause I looove it. Like I’ve said time & again (it’s even getting old to me), there’s nothing that sounds better with electro music than that saxy sex (or however you say it). But unlike most electro/sax combos, this one’s fatty as f**k, in bass that is.
‘Smash the Funk’ is bass typical of that Pretty Lights sound – hip-hop sampled, electro-bass music – and it’s still mighty fresh to me… especially when you get sax involved.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/58040218" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]It’s not that I don’t like ‘The City’ (I do), but I almost expect too much from this barely legal producer, Madeon. I had some issues with his last release, ‘Finale,’ not because it wasn’t a brand of EDM that’s sure to make it mainstream or isn’t good in its own right, but because of what the ‘Finale’ original preview hinted at, much more progression. And as much as these last two, especially ‘The City,’ haven’t progressed to where I know his potential’s at, I’m well aware of his strategy.
‘The City,’ as bad of an intro as I gave it, is quality work once again by Madeon. The track taps into vocals by Zak Waters & Cass Lowe, which ride well with his beat breaks, but I have a feeling Madeon could spin any vocals around his beats right. This is sure to be another step that pushes Madeon into mainstream music and I couldn’t be happier about it – we need more pop stars who know their way around a beat like Madeon.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/57893809" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]I first got ahold of Love in the Circus with Rook’s remix of their song, ‘Clouds‘. And like ‘Clouds’, ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ sports some forward thinking production and the most b.e.a.utiful vocals provided by Leanna Rachel.
If you didn’t know by now, ‘Never Tear Us Apart’ is a cover (can you not read subtitles), which was originally done by INXS (it was pretty popular). But instead of just flat out covering the song with maybe a little twist, Love in the Circus brings in so many other goodies. From dubstep undertones (can’t oversell the dubstep anymore) to some fine brass solos, this cover is a treat I’m sure glad I dug up.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/20732339" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]Polica is a group from my area back in the day, the Twin Cities. But of course I forgot about all that and more importantly who they’re tied with when I moved to the Bay Area around the beginning of 2012. See, I kind of have a man-crush on their producer, Ryan Olson, because of his involvement in not just one, but two of my favorite Minnesota-based bands, Mel Gibson & the Pants and GAYNGS. Seeing that this is a remix though, I guess this won’t justify my love for Olson, but Alluxe does reinterpret him right.
Alluxe’s remix of “Lay Your Cards Out” takes on Channy Leaneagh’s original vocals, whom is also apart of GAYNGS, and speeds up the pace for a more danceable tune. What Alluxe especially does best is build on Leaneagh’s vocals and flushes ’em out just right for one sedating drop (done far better than the original). Leaneagh’s vocals, however, are a bit hard to interpret, as always, but I’m one for making up my own lyrics while listening anyways.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/56308632" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]‘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.
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.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/78135456" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]While preparing this post, my roommate wanted to remind me of the stereotypes in cultural music. With a cynical smile, he said that this reminded him of Slumdog Millionaire. And I guess if I hadn’t been listening to this Hindi infused electronic for the last year, I would’ve thought the same. So I guess the lesson here is to listen to different cultures’ music infused with your own to break down the stereotypes, and this time I have Sol Rising to thank for that.
Sol Rising reminds me of the electro infused Hindi I’ve been listening to, but without one main ingredient. Unlike Bobby C’s ‘Yogi Fire,’ ‘Distant Lands’ takes on the electro funk without the ghetto wobble. Both do it with a charm of their own, but either is a nice electro bump around Hindi music.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/56320293" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]This is one sexy piece of ass. Night Panther’s ‘Fever’ has horns a blazin’ in the back’round and it sounds sultry as f*ck with these vocals. I don’t know if I quite got this “Sex Pop” down just yet, but I sure as shit am diggin it for now.
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