Anytime I’m ever feelin the blues, I take to disco to cheer me up and Luminaire just may be my main man for it. He always pulls out the most catchy choruses and his latest is no exception.
I should’ve posted ‘Shake’ when it first came out, but I wanted to sit on it a bit. At first, it didn’t compete with ‘Dream Lowe‘ or ‘Missing You,’ but I’ve since warmed up along the way. Once again Luminaire touches on my disco nerve just right.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/93491621" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]
Been a long time fan of Raw Poetic – he’s one of the main reasons for this blog – but when I first heard ‘Stealin Bread,’ it sounded like a whole ‘nother man. Raw P’s been changing up his style lately and it may not compete with the nostalgia of his earlier tracks, but I can more than respect a musician trying to change things up, not enough do!
Way back in the days of RPM, I knew Raw P as one smooth ass rapper who glided over his band better than most singers.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/16281872" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]
More recently though, he’s been experimenting with his sound in a more blues rock styled pace (still gliding well, though).
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/48251698" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]
His latest release, ‘Stealin Bread,’ however, shocked/confused the hell out of me because I could barely tell it was him at all. Maybe with time, age and everything that goes with it, his voice changed to a more raspy, aged rhyme… or maybe he’s just doing some more experimenting. Whatever it is, I don’t see enough change in most musicians that I see in Raw P and that right there is something to take notice to.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/55712764" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18"]
Poolside is daytime disco at its finest. From slow builders like ‘Only Everything’ to more funked out pieces like ‘Why You Wanna,’ there’s a relaxing daytime jam that’ll fit any of your synth high needs during these summer sun times. Check ’em out for yourself and if they fit your niche, go for the rest of Poolside’s Daytime Disco, it’s a healthy set.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/54965574" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" width="60%"]
Lovelife’s ‘Tonight’ almost instantly reminded me of some popular indietronic track, which I finally figured out to be ‘Electric Feel’ by MGMT. I still can’t describe what it is about the two exactly, should’ve studied music more, but I know it’s got to do with the bassline, that funky, funky bass… maybe the drum pattern I dunno, help me out here, people.
Great vocals & chorus too – rides well with that bass.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/52611331" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" width="60%"]
Outside Lands 2012 has an eclectic set of artists to say the least. I’ll be covering it this year and even though my main goal is to see acts I’ve never heard before, there are a few I know who I’ve got to see! Check out my top picks for Outside Lands 2012 below and let me know who I should and shouldn’t see (here‘s the full line up). If you happen to be going as well, hit me up in the comments or on Twitter and we can meet up!
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/5711680" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" width="60%"]
Oren Lyons’ first single, ‘Forever Found,’ starts off as a pleasant orchestral piece, but doesn’t get to its glory quite yet. Kristianne Bautista’s vocals may not come off that heavy at first, but once she builds on it, her power soars along the way.
One thing I did notice needing some fine tuning was its production. I felt at times like the quality was degraded, and even though this could just be my attempt at trying to find something to criticize (or maybe just my speakers), it’s been stuck in the back of my head since the very first listen.
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/53097541" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" width="60%"]
Like too many SoundClouders before them, Pimpsoul & Neon Steve decided not to include the vocals they sampled for what I’m guessing is out of copyright fears… or is it something else Whatever it may be, we’ve got to find a solution so musicians get the proper credit they deserve. Thankfully, after a lil’ digging around, I found out who these two sampled.
When I first heard ‘Merry Go Round,’ I thought Pimpsoul & Neon Steve were sampling the Jackson 5. But after getting these things wrong more than once, you tend to check your work before posting it to the public. ‘Merry Go Round’ actually takes an obscure Supremes’ vocal sample and gives it a “complete funk facial.” And as much as I love the bass buzzing ghetto funk, how they perform the vocal breaks is what impresses me most.
[audio:Merry-Go-Round.mp3|titles=Merry Go Round]
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…
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/55085154" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" width="60%"]
For the next six weeks or so, every friday we’ll be releasing a remix off Fullhaus’ Traplanta in a series we dubbed #TGIFF (see if you can figure it out). Each highlights a rapper from Atlanta remixed with that trap charm.
For our very first week, we’ve get one catchy little shit that’s been spinnin ’round my head all day. ‘See it From the Front’ may be getting a little obnoxious getiin trapped in my head!, but this remix featuring Aleon Craft, Gangsta Boo & Schlachthofbronx is one seriously fun, summertime jam to romp around to. Although, I’m still trying to figure out if trap is catchy in the worst or best of ways… (both)
[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/55076545" iframe="false" params="player_type=tiny&font=Arial&color=292929" height="18" width="60%"]
For about a year now, I’ve only accepted music through my SoundCloud dropbox. SoundCloud just makes it much more efficient to organize and search through submissions than traditional email. And as many problems as SoundCloud needs to fix for us bloggers, there’s a bigger problem we have with musicians and their etiquette on SoundCloud.
Here I’ve highlighted the proper etiquette on how to submit your music to blogs using SoundCloud’s dropbox. Mind you, this isn’t some quick fix, but partly a long-term plan to separate yourself from all the other SoundClouders who spam our inbox (you know who you are!)