dreams

giraffage – ‘computer city’

As hard as it may be to believe, the Chicagoland area is experiencing a thunderstorm at the end of January. Luckily, it’s going to freeze over by Thursday so that’s going to make the walk to classes entertaining. Well, hopefully for me and not any passerby who come across my face planted in the cement.

With the album releases coming our way this year, as well as some already out, there’s quite a lot to look forward to. Nosaj Thing dropped his sophomore LP, Home, after a four year hiatus from his debut album which is beset with rich and thoughtful production. Do nab it if you hadn’t already.

We also have impending releases coming our way from Danny Brown, Baths, Mister Lies, and the San Francisco producer, Giraffage.

Giraffage came on my radar back in 2011, when he released his LP, Comfort, and claimed my heart from that day forward. It’s one of the happiest albums I’ve ever listened to, glistening with warm synths, dream-pop melodies, and a hint of nostalgic romance. In 2012 he went on a European tour with XXYYXX and since then has signed a record deal with Alpha Pup Records and is even going to be opening for Nosaj Thing at his show at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco on 2.21.2013. If you’re in the area, try to get out there, it’s going to be a killer show.

Last week, Giraffage posted a remix of an old school Perfume track called ‘Computer City.’ Now, if you’re not aware of Perfume, they are a trio of girls from Hiroshima who dominate the JPop world with their success lying with electro-producer wizard, Nakata Yasutaka. He’s also the genius behind Capsule and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and heads both the mainstream J-Pop scene as well as the underground, grittier DJ sects of Tokyo. Nakata is known for his complex synthesizers, extremely auto-tuned vocals lent by his female vocalists, with an impeccable balance between warm melodies, heavy dance-hitters, and even the occasional ballad. He’s one of my idols in electronic production really only tying with Nujabes.

The remix begins with the vocals, which are distorted, toned down, and taken a lot slower than the original ones sung by Perfume. Giraffage made them take on this melancholic quality to it, which is exemplified through the multitude of synths he has layered and a subdued bass line. The break beats add a distinctly Giraffage texture to the song, and the waves he takes you on makes for some of the best walking music of the year. He takes the insanely catchy hook from the original song in the vocals and makes it his own which is what stands out the most. Despite the lyrics being in Japanese, it’s never thrown in your face which makes it easy to listen to for any fan.

The only major qualm I have with the song is the mix down which is jarringly different from the rest of the track. それより, この歌はかんぺきです。

This remix is up for free download on his SoundCloud page. Additionally, if you click the link in the picture you’ll be taken to Giraffage’s Bandcamp page which actually has his Comfort LP available for free download via name your price. I’d donate a bit to the kid, though, to further his funds for music making capabilities.

-jo.

different sleep – infinite EP

My second to last semester of being an undergraduate student is coming to a close and I find that I keep hitting inanimate objects in a futile attempt to understand where the hell time has gone. As I direct my weekly panic attacks about the future to my parents, I can’t help but reflect on what I have accomplished, and what time I’ve wasted in being a directionless twenty-something.

While it doesn’t solve anything to harp on the past and debate the woulda-coulda-shoulda’s, as a senior I’m finally recognizing all the annoying advice my parents gave me as kid as something I should have actively followed. I’m a second generation Indian which should, theoretically speaking, make me a doctor, lawyer, astronaut, mathematician, or Indian breeding machine. Alas, I fear I have eternally disappointed my parents in pursuing music, baking, and a general distaste (i.e. lack of talent) in the sciences.

I COULD PROVE THE AMERICAN DREAM CAN COME TRUE, IF I BELIEVE.

Okay, enough shouting, my shift pinky hurts. Let’s bring in the latest EP by Different Sleep aptly named, Infinite. I’ve been very behind in writing this blog post due to school and life obligations, so please accept my sincerest apologies.

FIRST LISTEN

1. Be My Center

We open with one of my favorite Different Sleep releases from June which I dedicated an entire blog post to months ago. You can read that here. More on how I feel the song works in context with the rest of the EP later.

2. Infinite

We now have the title track to the EP and the first six seconds remind me of Baths production style, though less minimalist. It has rolls and waves sprinkled throughout the song making it an alternative song in a soundtrack for Ponyo. It has this twisting buildup and breaks into a very ‘old school’ Different Sleep production style. The sampling is on point with other artists on the Svengali label which is what draws me to their music to begin with. I can’t get enough of this song, it’s a stunner and makes me tear up thinking about memories of the past.

Also, I finally figured out what this song reminded me of – Taragana Pyjarama’s song, ‘Ocean.’ If you haven’t heard it already a link to it on YouTube can be found at the end of the post.

3. 2013

From the start it has an upbeat melody and boppy synths which leads to a lot of furious head nodding. The buildup in the first minute is so well executed. Different Sleep proves to be a very capable, diverse producer because this is a DANCE TRACK. It’s got a very Euro feel to it and is catchy as f**k. I’m freaking out so hard in my apartment right now because this EP is continuing to throw surprises. #@*($&#)@*( already building the perfect set for a sexy dance party with this track as one of the spotlight songs.

4. Make It Real

 The song starts off with a very dreamy quality to it. Coming off the energy-driven ‘2013,’ this adds for a nice transition into a dream of wandering through a forest on that horse from The NeverEnding Story. Straying awake from the darker tones the previous song introduces us, the synths and echoing vocals adds for a very sweet sound. It has a smooth beat which further adds to a dreamworld I never want to leave which is highlighted by the sounds of footsteps at the end of the track which makes it the perfect close to a phenomenal EP.

SAS

Both in and out of context, this EP absolutely nails it. Really loving all of the releases Svengali has put out on their label with a lot of Chicago artists being repped hard. It gives me insurmountable amounts of joy to have such mind-blowing music come out of this city because it’s been a part of my heart for over two decades now.

The EP is up for free download off the Svengali bandcamp page with a link to it in the picture above. DOWNLOAD IT. LOVE IT. SPREAD THE WORD.

As mentioned above, here’s Taragana Pyjarama’s song ‘Ocean.’

-jo.

svengali – oº˚slow˚ºo

I don’t understand why technology has to be such an asshole sometimes. Here I am, all excited to start working on music production with my Maschine and my computer decides to not read the hardware.

Jerk.

Now I’m reinstalling the entire software in the hopes that I can get it to read again. It sucks though, I was on a creative high and the technological world decides to put a damper in my plans.

Mind over matter, jo, remember that. Yes, sometimes I refer to myself in the third person when I’m in a particularly trying situation.

Update: Spent three hours re-installing Maschine software and fixing plug-ins and finally got my hardware to work. Excited to try my hand at beat making.

The other night, one of my favorite up and coming producers (in the same world as Mister Lies, Different Sleep, and Soleman) dropped a stunner called “slow.” This has been on repeat for the last few days much to the dismay of my neighbors.

From the get go it’s a gorgeous medley of breaks, R&B samples, luscious bass lines, and lovely synths. The distorted vocals creates an atmosphere of playing in fallen leaves and long walks in chilly weather. I especially enjoy the middle portion of the song when we leave the first major breakdown and enter into a realm of vocals and an intense buildup. Svengali proves himself to be a well-versed producer based on this release and his compilation of artists, including himself, on Svengali Vol. 2. He’s really quite apt with dream pop and electronica in general, sampling from a wide range of places to create dynamic sounds.

I’m obsessed with this song and feel I may be in an eternal honeymoon phase with it.

-jo.

mister lies

There’s something about summer nights in Chicago that puts me in a funk. Maybe it’s my distaste for the heat mixed with perfect circumstances for night walks that makes me all moody yet excitable for music.

Such is the case when listening to Mister Lies.

This kid (yes, a child, he is only 19) is a wizard with ambient music, down tempo, and something he and Different Sleep coined ‘ambient gospel.’ He’s a Chicago local with a penchant for dream making.

This past Wednesday was his official debut in Chicago as a producer at this dive bar/music venue in Wicker Park called Empty Bottle.

Holy goodness.

That kid knows how to build a solid set list, not to mention listening to any Mister Lies song on massive speakers is a very humbling experience. The music has a cascading effect on your body – my friend and I didn’t speak for the entire set. That’s a very rare occurrence for us. The only qualms I had about his live performance is the amount of time he spent fiddling with effects. I get that for this kind of music it’s difficult to throw curve balls, but it would’ve been cool to see him deconstruct his songs and put them back together on stage. Baths, Nosaj Thing, Daedelus, Star Slinger, among others, have a similar MO as trigger artists. Having DJed a decent amount and seeing enough electronic shows, I can say that just messing with the effects and EQ’s isn’t enough for me to stay interested.

I’m being hard on the guy, he’s only done a few shows. He’ll figure out a solid groove for himself soon enough.

Earlier this year he released his Hidden Neighbors EP which is absolute gold. I can’t tell you how many nights I spent walking all over my campus at night, or laying in bed losing myself in thought to “Cleam” and “Morgan.” The Jessica Blanchet vocals on “I Walk” are ethereal and yet grounding in the way Mister Lies messes around with them. The music surrounds you rather than something you only listen to.

I don’t know, this kid makes me act a damn fool when a track of his comes on.

Overall, Mister Lies has a very clean production style. It’s minimalistic (which I adore – how very Japanese of me) yet still lush and dynamic enough to keep interest. A friend of mine and I had a long conversation about the way Mister Lies makes music, in that, while it is heavily ambient, the bass lines and drums he sneaks in makes for a more musically rich experience. I find that, while being a big fan of ambient music, songs tend to get wrapped up droning instruments that the song loses itself. It becomes repetitive, boring, and overall a general waste to listen to multiple times.

“Cleam” comes dangerously close to doing this, with it being roughly six minutes long. It’s such a gorgeous composition though, that listening to it alone at night keeps it from falling into the stereotypical down tempo trap. The song has, wait for it, an unbelievably sexy bass line. The vocals make you want to sleep with someone in a destructive way with a man saying to “make a move.” How can you not?

The kid has a gift for composing his music. From the pianos, synths, drums, and especially the bass lines, he proves himself as a natural musician. He recently tweeted that he was heavily considering not making music anymore, not even three months ago, but holy damn is the music community glad that he did not partake in said decision.

We’re just over halfway through the year and Mister Lies has an impressive array of releases on his bandcamp and soundcloud pages. I hope he spends some time working on his live sets ’cause I know there is a lot of greatness coming from this kid in the near future. My spidey senses are going off non-stop about it.

-jo.

different sleep

Producers these days are getting to be so young, or rather, the internet is allowing for these bedroom musicians to foster their talents and make a name for themselves at an earlier age. Look at Madeon, or the duo Bondax from the UK – the first has already performed at Coachella, while the latter supported Star Slinger for a portion of his UK tour. These kiddies are screwin’ with my head.

Cue in Chicago producer Different Sleep. You’ll typically see his name paired with his fellow producer-friend, Mister Lies, both sitting at a pretty 19 years of age. Different Sleeps first single released on his bandcamp page offers for very promising future releases (which we have seen with his joint EP with Mister Lies, “Mass”).

FIRST LISTEN

  1. Next Time I See You
    It opens with recorded “city-scape sounds” followed by a sentimental acoustic guitar over a quiet bassline. The song, with its eerie breathing interspersed throughout the track creates a nostalgic atmosphere. Then, suddenly, it breaks! Are we led to a happier place? There’s a promise of it under the xylophone, making what was a song meant for staring out at the Chicago skyline in the late hours of the night with tears for company, into a nostalgic, yet fond, memory. I wouldn’t be surprised if anyone shed tears over this song.
  2. Turbulence
    Maybe it’s because I listened to this song at 4AM one night (morning? Night? I’m an owl) but it definitely had a happier vibe to it. The song offered a clear day-to-night transition for the single, and although it isn’t an upbeat song per se, it’s a track which offers a sense of completion for the overall fluidity of the release. That probably doesn’t make sense, but I don’t really care, it’s the wine talking.


    SAS

    Putting this single on reverse made me feel so down: this is a release meant to be listened as stand-alone tracks, or as it was released. If you listen to it on shuffle, beware – you will feel just a little more sad about life and stuff. I have a soft spot for somewhat depressing music so I’ll probably bombard ya guys with posts with similar downtempo songs.

    Keep your eyes out for this guy, big things are gonna come from him, especially if he’s tag-teaming with Mister Lies.

    Keep it secret, keep it safe,
    -jo.