DOWNLOAD: Beat Pharmacy - Drifter
After leaving his native South Africa and his punk band behind for New York City, Brendon Moeller immersed himself in electronic music. Many mind-expanding sessions spent with albums by The Orb later, Moeller hit upon something which would stay with him forever: the laconic and reverb-heavy sounds of dub techno. His style has grown immeasurably since the 90's, taking on reggae and soul as Beat Pharmacy, dance floor-oriented dub techno as Echologist, and a gritty, experimental mix of both under his own name.
"Drifter," his latest single as Beat Pharmacy (on Deep Space Media, a sub-label of Wave Music), glides between the lazy river ambient burbles and jazzy house, replete with taffy-stretched horns, heady organ vamps and a dribbling guitar riff. This one cries out for an easy chair and dimmed lights, but don't be surprised if you start wiggling in your seat as you explore the insides of your eyelids. The complete single includes three additional versions for the DJs in the house.
Sounds Like: The Orb, Global Communication, St. Germain
VIDEO THRWBCK: M83 - America (2003)
We're pretty stoked to see unbeatable French electro juggernaut M83 at the Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight. We haven't seen M83 (aka Anthony Gonzales) since he toured his 2005 record Before the Dawn Heals Us, and we can't wait to see how the songs from his new, brilliant album Saturdays=Youth sound like live. We're sure we'll tell you all about it, but in the meantime check out the video for "America" off of M83's second album Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts.
DOWNLOAD: Para One - Finale
Para One rose to fame as one of the main producers of Parisian rap outfit TTC, but that’s not his only claim to notoriety. He was also a founding member of now-defunct improvisational electro group Fuck-A-Loop, and has remixed artists as varied as Ellen Allien and wildly popular Japanese popstar Ayumi Hamasaki. His newest project is totally wild—he produced the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed coming-of-age movie Water Lilies (Naissance des Pieuvres), which was in the official selection at Cannes last year and was just released in America. It’s funny to think of film festival audiences sitting back and listening to music produced by a member of one of the most notorious French rap groups in history, but we guess dude has range. Check out the decidedly ambient track over at the Institubes RCRD LBL blog.
Sounds like: Brian Eno, Vincent Clarke & Martyn Ware
Para One at the Institubes RCRD LBL blog Download: Para One - Finale
DOWNLOD: Fenin feat. Gorbi - A Try
More ambient dance pop from the SEEN RCRD LBL blog, this time from Berlin based electro mastermind Fenin. Fenin uses ambient, dub, IDM and soul to suck you into his blissed-out world of electronic down-tempos: like Moby and Massive Attack holding hands at the end of the biggest Ibiza comedown of all time. It definitely helps that Been Through, Fenin’s latest LP, comes straight form the roster of German techno heavyweights Shitkatapult Records. Head over to the SEEN blog to check out the video for Fenin's new single “A Try” and a hot download…
Sounds like: Moby, Massive Attack
TOUR: Efterklang announce their first US tour
Danish electro folksters Efterklang have finally announced their first-ever American tour, and we couldn’t be more excited. We’ve been hot on the heels of this collective ever since they remixed “Campfire” on Grizzly Bear’s Horn of Plenty: The Remixes album a few years ago. Since then, we’ve rapaciously devoured every Efterklang song we can get our hands on. Their Múm-like droning instrumentation makes their music perfect for that awesome time of day right before you’re about to fall asleep from utter exhaustion but you still have to send a couple of emails or whatever, and you desperately need a piece of music to carry you through the next hour of your life. We posted the tour dates after the jump, and here are some streams of a couple of songs of the band’s 2007 album, Parades.
Stream: Efterklang - Him Poe Poe
DOWNLOAD: Carmen Rizzo - Shadows Ramin Sakurai (SBL Remix)
We’ve never really come upon an ambient world record before, but as the man once said, there’s a first time for everything. Carmen Rizzo is all encompassing: songwriter, musician, producer, member of influential electronic world music trio Niyaz. Today we’re releasing the SBL remix of his solo track “Shadows Ramin Sakurai”, which is a soothing mix of light percussion, echoing samples and lush-yet-fragile female vocals reminiscent of Stina Nordenstam (remember her?). All things considered, not a bad way to start your week.
VIDEO THRWBCK: Air - Sexy Boy (1998)
This weekend, we're severely wrestling with that fact that Air's seminal ambient pop record Moon Safari was released ten years ago. Way to feel old, right? We remember bringing "Sexy Boy" to school to play on our Discman and everyone freaking out because it was so awesome. To ease the psychological neurosis that will inevitably transpire from this anniversary, Astralwerks are reissuing the LP with loads of bonus tracks and such in a few weeks, so keep an eye out for that jam. In the meantime, savor the "Sexy Boy" video above.
EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOAD: Lymbyc Systym
Brothers Michael and Jared Bell are Lymbyc Systym, chilled out electro duo that seem set out to perfect the genre of ambient indie rock. Sounding like Múm and really early Air (only repping Phoenix, AZ), Lymbyc Systym use analog and digital keyboards and glitchy drum beats to craft an IDM soundtrack to your most blissed-out dreams. The SEEN RCRD LBL blog released two of their tracks today: “Truth Skull”, from their album Love Your Abuser, and a remix by the San Diego electronica collective The Album Leaf of “Fall Bicycle”. Both songs posses the same dreamy composition that we described earlier, so we definitely wouldn't recommend listen to this band while driving or operating heavy machinery. Great for that midday lull in the office, though.
Download: Lymbyc Systym - Fall Bicycle (The Album Leaf remix)
STREAM: Fuck Buttons - Bright Tomorrow
Oh techno, how can I do you justice? I hate you so much. But once in a while there's a band, and I'm talking about Fuck Buttons here, a band that breaks down those walls of prejudice and opens your heart. So to all the M83s, the Orbitals, the Ratatats and now, the Fuck Buttons, I salute you. They're from Bristol. The UK. And they make such overwhelmingly huge sounds, such lung-paralyzingly mesmerizing music, that you can't help but take a knee.
EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOAD: Edward Bostitch - Lone Wolf
Twenty days later and the fan mail's still pouring in for Edward Bostitch. Like we told you last time, E.B. is a couple of 15-year-olds spinning boredom into rambling atmosphere that can only roughly be labeled "song." Clearly they've been listening to M.Ward and Panda Bear but they're not trying to knock em off. Not trying to get signed or win fans or even really make music. More like they're letting us eavesdrop on their far out, and to most of us forgotten, young dude states of mind that go everywhere and nowhere and never really settle down or second guess themselves. Obviously growing older is a rotten idea. Here's some of the fan mail and two more exclusive Edward Bostitch downloads.
"that edward bostitch is so good it almost hurts my feelings."
"They deserve a greater audience on the basis of their music, not just their age, but the latter certainly amplifies the impressiveness of the former. I'm more worried they may grow out of whatever it is that causes them to make such a glorious noise than anything else. They need good looking after."
"can we get them famous???????"
Yeah let's try.
DOWNLOAD: Edward Bostitch - Lone Wolf
DOWNLOAD: Edward Bostitch - Riddles & Rhymes
DOWNLOAD: Edward Bostitch - Balderdash
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