night

speakmansound – make days make brothers EP

It’s been two months since I’ve last written a blog post which is pretty bad for a music-dedicated site. This past semester has been hectic, with the last month being a complete blur of papers, projects, Japanese presentations, and book reports. This, however, doesn’t prove to be a viable excuse seeing as this blog is one of the few things that makes me feel fulfillment and happiness, so I’ve really got to work on this whole time management concept people have been telling me about.

In case you were wondering, no, I will not make that a New Year’s resolution because I don’t believe in that load of garbage. I always strive to improve myself every day, so I don’t see the need to set these huge, possibly unattainable goals at the beginning of the year. There are so many curve balls thrown at you in the course of 365 days so it’s better to adapt to change rather than force it. Some people, though, really need the start of a new year to motivate themselves, so if they can keep to it, then by all means, どうぞ。

I’ve been meaning to write on this EP I stumbled upon via Eton Messy, whom I follow for a lot of UK garage, 2-step, and chill tracks, called Make Days Make Brothers by SpeakmanSound. They make up a pair of brothers, Todd and Guy Speakman, who write and produce for the pure pleasure of it, attempting to create music which successfully cross-genres, and also partake in sound design for friends and movie pieces (from what I’ve seen). Make Days Make Brothers also happens to be their debut EP and hot damn, is it impressive.

 

1. Survive This and Dance

This is probably one of my favorite songs of 2012. It opens with a heavy, yet minimalistic bass line interspersed with hi-hats in the background and gradual samplings of vocals. There’s a break with some xylophone sounds then the drop into an all-consuming, sexy, and dance-heavy melody. You can hear that the brothers use an actual drum kit, bass, and MIDI gear to create the sounds. With a sampled voice saying “get down” throughout the song it’s nigh impossible to stop yourself from dancing to this track. Hands down a gorgeous, well-produced electronic song.

2. Finding Will

With such a strong opening the brothers introduced to us with “Survive This and Dance,” they take it down a notch with “Finding Will.” This too has a strong bass line with a similar melodic buildup to STAD. It’s a subtle song, continuing with the somewhat dark, ominous mood the first track brings out. There are actual vocals to the song though they are indiscernible but really enhance the overall effect of the production. It definitely holds its own in the EP.

3. For Days Spent

I’ve listened to this song the least on the EP but it’s not out of disliking it. For the flow of the EP and setting the mood, this song is perfect in production, placement, and aesthetic. There’s a driving, punchy bass line, quiet hi-hats, shakers, and a layering of synths that makes for a hauntingly beautiful song. It’s a reflective piece, suiting the overall sentiment of ending a year and beginning anew. I tend to listen to sadder, more nostalgic songs to reflect on how my past year has gone, and this is a fantastic candidate for that thought-process to fully develop. I’m actually tearing up listening to this as I write this post.

What, I get emotionally invested in music, stop giving me that look.

This EP is probably going to be in my playlists for much of the next year even though I’ve been obsessed for four months already. Keeping my eye on these guys for all of their upcoming releases.

As an aside, when I was finishing this post I noticed Felix Cartal post his 2012 reflection blog entry and apparently we share the same feelings on New Year’s resolutions. Kudos to him. You can peep that post here. He’s a solid writer (majored in English, if I recall correctly) and had an impressive year for himself.

Happy New Year everyone!

-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.

groundislava – suicide mission ft. baths

We’re nearing the end of the year, and I have to say, some of the collaborations this year has put out has blown my mind away. “Money Makin'” with Dillon Francis and A-Trak; the producer trio Hoodcats (shortcircles and James & Evander); Felix Cartal and K.Flay dropping beats in “Rest Your Mind”; Different Sleep and Mister Lies teaming up for their glorious Mass EP; and so many other have made this a compelling and musically rich year. This is the best time for producers from around the globe to get together and push boundaries in genre blending and putting out experimental music, since listeners are craving for diversity.

Such a fantastic time we live in, seriously.

The other day, Groundislava released his music video for the collaboration he did with Baths (one of my all-time favorite producers) to the tune “Suicide Mission.”

It opens with echoing vocals and a lo-fi drum beat which breaks into Baths distinctive singing style. “Suicide Mission” is an ethereal, spacey song that makes me want to watch videos of the Milky Way and drift through universe. The video game bleeps throughout the track add to the sci-fi vibe Groundislava and Baths have going on in the song. The accompanying music video makes little sense to me, but it fits the atmosphere of the track perfectly. This is probably one of the better collaborations of the year and it makes me want to hear more tracks with the two of them working together. Excellent production and almost comical video style but it works perfectly for Baths and Groundislava.

-jo.

becoming real – slow memory (damu remix)

This weekend was the first time that I spent the duration of it (with my mama in tow) doing activities special to my campus. I ventured out to our micro-breweries, attended the annual beer and chili-taste-off festival, and even went to one of the largest farmer’s markets to my part of the state. Maybe it’s because I’m a senior and have decided to (finally) show some semblance of school spirit that I indulged in these excursions.

Or, rather, it’s because I feel so left out. Nah, that’s not true, I do plenty of killer things in Chicago and surrounding areas to not feel burdened by my lack of being on campus. Worth it.

An electronic producer who has a real knack for throwing curve balls in songs released a remix the other day which has been playing repeatedly on my music player. Damu, such a love of mine, released his remix for Becoming Real’s song, “Slow Memory.”

The slow, gradual introduction to the song leaves a quickly satiable taste in your ears. It breaks into broken drums and distorted vocals creating a very nighttime-esque mood to the track. It’s got elements of his LP, Unity in it, but also has a Kenton Slash Demon feel to the song as well. The overall atmosphere is like entering an underground, Euro dance venue with off-kilter songs in its midst. The synths and drums are what does it for me in this song with the echoing vocals in the background adding for a sultrier feel to the song. There are tell-tale Damu samples sprinkled throughout the song, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s one of the quieter songs he’s released from his past tracks, but, for me, it is one of the strongest and most dynamic songs he’s had thus far.

Time to night walk, over and out.

-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.

spectre waltz – affirmation

In the last few weeks of stagnant summer heat slowly changing into my favorite season, fall, there’s nothing quite as refreshing as baking desserts for the school year. I noticed a significant decrease in the amount I was churning out this past summer due in part to being at home and not having any of my designer baking tools at the ready. Yes, I spend weekends perusing Williams Sonoma and Sur la Table in pursuit of new gadgets to add to my growing collection.

Right now, I’m avoiding Japanese homework like the plague and have instead baked a batch of homemade brownies which will soon be sitting in my stomach happily. Nom nom nom.

This past weekend, I spent time back in Chicago to see Amon Tobin perform who is now one of my new favorite performance artists. That stage. Those effects. Legendary. While at the show, I noticed Mister Lies post about a song by Spectre Waltz called “Affirmation” and I’ve been waiting to play them on my main speakers. Let’s do this thing.

FIRST LISTEN

We open with some static noise like putting on a new record. It begins layering echoing synths on top of an entrancing female vocalist singing inaudible words. Then, the bass drops and it turns into a very out-of-body experience. I feel like drifting at sea among ethereal mermaids and schools of fish. It changes tone and goes into a grimier place, with a calm drift turning into a raging storm. It’s a subtle shift from the rest of the song, but it is still sensual as all hell. Goodness me, my body is shaking because of this bass.

SAS

In anticipation of Nosaj Thing’s upcoming album (three years since Drift is far too long a time), I’ve started making night drive mixes again, and “Affirmation” is going on those, for sure. It’s a gem.

The song is up for free download off Spectre Waltz’s soundcloud and I’ve already started following him. Superb work, good sir.

-jo.

TNGHT – TNGHT EP

I’ve always been the kind of person who doesn’t care for natural light in apartments. The more cave-like the place I’m living in is, the happier I am. This year is a big change of pace for me, since not only do I have many windows (three in total), I also have a street view; this makes my favorite pastime, creeping on people, a complete and total win. Despite having to deal with sunlight and general life-related noises (hah) I get to watch bros and their female counterparts do what they do best – exist.

What did you think I was going to say, eh? Get your heads outta the gutter.

Just the other day I go to watch five guys sit in a row at the bar with their MacBooks out, most likely trying to beat the Korean student population in StarCraft. The beers helped, I’m sure.

Having my own place again means that I can listen to the strangest music in my archives without anyone (roommates, neighbors) pestering me to turn it down. An even bigger perk? I have a corner apartment meaning I can be as loud as I so desire and can redecorate whenever the feeling comes to me.

A friend sent the self-titled EP by TNGHT my way and I haven’t been able to stop playing it repeatedly.

1. Top Floor

It’s like the start of some adventure movie set in caves. Rattlesnakes, echoing voices, and seamless transition into one of the sexiest drum beats I’ve heard in awhile. I like the eerie vibes the song puts out from the get go setting the stage for a heavy EP.

2. Goooo

#*$(&#@*_#$. I couldn’t stop freaking out the second the drums kicked in coupled with overloading synths. This became a fast favorite of mine because of how the song sounds so grinding. Goodness me. It’s got such a dirty feel to it and makes me want to take my shirt off. Okay, done, now I feel more at ease.

3. Higher Ground

Fun fact, as the VMAs are going (not watching since I’m devoid of cable), Calvin Harris tweeted that he played this song for all of 25 seconds. Can you blame the guy? It’s reminiscent of Damu vocal play with heavy synths, bass lines, and kick drums going strong. This is the clear stand-out track TNGHT intended for and it makes me all sorts of warm inside.

4. Bugg’n

Okay, I have a fear of children making noises that I can’t see. I was instantly creeped out by the opening baby gurgling but I still enjoyed the song. Not a favorite off the EP but still a solid track throughout. The water drops as a beat served as a nice surprise from the rest of the song, kind of reminding me of Diplo production. He likes that watery kinda sound, ne?

5. Easy Easy

Another banger which TNGHT cleanly delivers for the EP. It ties together all the previous songs, bringing in production elements from each track making for a holistic sound. I really enjoy the song, even though it isn’t as strong of a sound as “Goooo” or “Higher Ground.” It’s got a great driving factor, though, which makes it worth putting on my fall playlists.

I wasn’t as quick to post about this EP as I should have been but that’s okay – better late than never, deshou?

-jo.

submerse

It’s not uncommon for me to have crushes on inanimate objects, cartoon characters, cities, or anything which cannot be turned into an actual relationship (like a flesh and blood human). Back when I was a kid, I went to Georgia and fell so in love with the state (not that weird – I used to also run around saying I was a reincarnation of a T-Rex to my first grade class) that I told my parents I was going to marry Georgia.

Georgia is not a person. Georgia cannot give me any physical love in return. Georgia can, however, give me peaches and Forrest Gump quotations.

Fast forward to 2012 and you have a somewhat older and better traveled 20-something who now has a massive, all-consuming crush on Tokyo. This doomed love affair encompasses people who have a similar affinity for the city and Japan, especially musicians.

Cue in submerse. Around half a year ago, Rob Orme, the mastermind behind fusing Japanese pop, garage, and an onslaught of various sub-genres moved from his home country of the UK to Tokyo. Some, like myself, would say it’s one of the smartest moves he could have made.

Since the move he’s released vinyl EPs through Apollo and Project: Mooncircle. His songs are full of life, from sampling day-to-day sounds of the high-pace Tokyo lifestyle and the breath of the city, you can feel what Orme is experiencing as his music plays in your headphones.

Having been to Japan a couple of times now, I’m right there with Orme. I walking through Yoyogi Park, meandering through Shibuya, ogling the shufflers in Akihabara, and spending hours riding on the subways.

I’m not that well versed on garage music as a whole but from what I’ve heard out of this guy (young man, rather) is impressive. The female vocals are fairly common in garage from what I’ve read and heard in the past, but they’re familiar to me in all the haunting music I have in my library. One of the best examples I can think of is Myrkur’s “Why,” with its brooding, terrifying video game quality to it. Not necessarily bleepy, just the vibe of it – kind of like going into the End of the World level of Kingdom Hearts, y’know?

“Never Again” has a very different feel from a typical submerse track because it’s more of a sub-genre than a garage-centric track. This song has been a long time favorite of mine by submerse because of its depressing quality (noticing a trend here?) and of how lush it is. He really is a Midi wizard and you can hear how much time he puts into each song, even if they come off as something fairly simple. Brilliant.

Submerse started popping up on my radar after Nakata Yasutaka released “Pon Pon Pon” by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. Submerse remixed it on his soundcloud page and I found myself bobbing along to it and began hunting through various tumblrs trying to pick up more of his heavy-handed Japanese inspired music. I quickly discovered, however, that his darker music was equally entrancing. His “Mix About You” made me cry immediately after he opened with one of my favorite Stars of the Lid song, “A Meaningful Moment Through a Meaning(less) Process.” It’s not too often a mix tape is so well done that I listen to it over and over again, especially at night.

I realize this post is not as heavily focused on the breakdown of individual submerse songs as I typically do with other artists. This is mainly due to Orme’s extremely well-executed production style. One soundcloud comment remarked that his drums were so clean that you can eat them. Yes, it’s absolutely true. You can literally taste how beautiful each part of a submerse track is on its own, and as a full product. Delicious.

I recommend hitting up his soundcloud page (linked in the image above) and listening to more of the songs he’s put out this past year while he’s in been in Tokyo. Even if you’ve never been there, any appreciator of night walks and introspective cities will find a comrade in his music. I’m looking forward to hearing more city oriented tracks from him  – he’s going to be in Tokyo for another year before heading back to the UK, and by that time, you’ll be able to hear his growth and thoughts on living abroad spread out in all of his releases.

An interview Orme did with Factmag, which is a personal favorite he’s done so far, can be found here. It’s one of the best written interviews I’ve read in a long time, and does better justice in explaining Orme’s thoughts on J-pop, garage, and what his music actually is than I ever could.

Also, for added reference, here’s a link to Myrkur’s “Why” so that you may add an older, glorious song to your night drive playlist.

-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.

empty pockets

I’ve always wondered what kind of criteria someone has to have to become a crayon/ice cream flavor namer. It’s a job I’ve always coveted because equating colors and flavors to unlikely material is one of my favorite past times. Clearly I have too much time on my hands, but in any case, it would be a bomb job to add to my LinkedIn account.

Some of these people, I think, are on the song-naming circuit. Sometimes song names make zero sense when you listen to a song, kind of like a good portion of modern art. Dance music, especially, can piss me off with names. Making the repetitive vocal track as the name of a song is really clever, you know? It never gets old.

That got slightly side tracked, my bad. Back to the main point of this post which is highlighting one half of the beloved James & Evander dyanmic duo, Adam Myatt, also known as Empty Pockets. He branches off from his usual dream pop production pair to create a melancholic downtempo medley of delicious songs. Gosh, nothing makes me happier than downtrodden, depressing beats.

1. Can’t Decide

Like the bandcamp page described, the murky vocals and slithering acoustic guitar is a perfect blend of sunny rain. Not the annoying kind with rainbows and crap, but a constant transition between the two. This had an Iron & Wine feel to it (probably with the vocal bending) but not in a twangy way that can annoy me about the band. This song is riddled with nostalgia and coffee, making for a well balanced early morning tune.

 

2. Jan. 25th, 1982

Sad song. While there’s no clear indication of what the date means to Myatt, there’s clearly an overwhelmingly melancholic quality to the song. It wasn’t as big of a stand out to me as far as the EP goes, but it does make for a song I enjoy thinking to.

Screw grammatical errors.

3. Shipwrecked Shell

The first thing I thought when listening to this track is a Postal Service esque feel to the rhythm and timing of the song. It brought me back to middle school and listening to their music on bus rides home. Maybe I was one of those typical angsty teenagers, but it did bring an onslaught of memories one late night while listening to this song. It’s got this gritty feel to the synths and drums which, not only makes you depressed, but also angry. It’s an interesting composition with the perfect name to go with it. It makes you feel empty and lost just like a shipwrecked soul.

 

 

Listening to all of this James & Evander music, as well as shortcircles and other Oakland based producers makes me want to move out to that city. Who knows – it may join the list of prospective cities I move to after Vancouver and Tokyo.

You can download the free Empty Pockets EP off Myatt’s bandcamp page which is linked to the photo above. Go have fun and stuff.

 

-jo.