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
DOWNLOAD: Jihae - Simple Man (After Thoughts version)
Jihae is from New York, by way of South Korea, Sweden, Nigeria and the UK, and her music sounds just as traveled as she is. But fear not, this is nowhere near dreaded “world” music: her songs sound like a more sultry, jazzy, mature version of early Rilo Kiley, all electronics and light, lofty lyrics sung in sexy vocals. Granted, this version of “Simple Man” is from her new remix album After Thought, so it may be a little dancier than Jihae normally goes, but it makes for an even more fun listen. Enjoy!
Sounds like: Early Rilo Kiley, The Bird and the Bee, Nina Simone
SPOT FESTIVAL DOWNLOAD: Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Doubt/Hope
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The first Spot Festival band we’re posting about is one we’ve raved about already on the pages of RCRD LBL—Swedish alt. jazz duo Wildbirds & Peacrdrums. Their new single “Doubt/Hope” is taken off their debut album Heartcore, and it’s propelled by a completely wild drumbeat, and singer Mariam Wallentin’s Kate Bushian vocals. WB&PD are poised to be the crossover jazz band for this year and are passing through the States this month, so make sure to check them out.
Sounds like: The Bird and The Bee, Grace Slick
FEATURED: Portishead and Kling Klang and the SEEN RCRD LBL blog
Like every self-respecting music fan in the world, the SEEN RCRD LBL blog is going completely crazy with anticipation for the new Portishead record, Third, and their upcoming headline set at Coachella this weekend. The band haven’t been to America in nearly a decade, so obviously this is a big deal. We’re kind of dismayed (read: totally devastated) that there aren’t any NYC Portishead dates as of yet, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.
Always on top of it, SEEN also posted an MP3 from Kling Klang, who opened for Portishead for their recent European dates. Check it out:
Portishead and Kling Klang at the SEEN RCRD LBL blog
Download: Kling Klang - Nexus (Live)
DVD: Robert Mugge's New Orleans Music In Exile
Robert Mugge is a name you have probably never heard. It’s likely though, that if you like Jazz, Blues, Reggae. Zydeco, or Bluegrass (work with us here), you have seen one or more of his incredible music documentaries. Beginning in 1976 with George Crumb: Voice of the Whale, which featured a performance of Crumb’s Pulitzer prize winning piece, "Vox Balaenae for Three Masked Players”, Mugge has made close to 30 films that have examined music through people, place, and time. His subjects have included Sonny Rollins, Al Green, Gil Scott-Heron, Robert Johnson, and Irma Thomas, to name a few. Although it’s difficult to pin down an exact style, Mugge’s films are characterized by his willingness to allow the music and musicians to speak for themselves. Always well researched and informed, Mugge has an uncanny ability to make genuine connections with his subjects, ultimately leading to more candid interviews and deeper meaning in his work.
For Mugge, “music is a leaping off place for discussion of social issues, cultural issues, political issues, (and) even religious issues.” This ethos might explain why Mugge was so drawn to post-Katrina New Orleans. Having worked with many of the musicians of New Orleans in some of his earlier films, Mugge sought to side-step the emotionally charged issues of government response and racism in the wake of Katrina, and focus on the storm’s devastating impact within the New Orleans music community. Where did the musicians go? Were they planning on coming back?
STREAM: Carla Bruni - Those Dancing Days Are Gone
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Carla Bruni has been making headlines recently as that First Lady of France (for real) but let us not forget that her primary scene is music, not world politics... And totally laid-back, jazzy, sultry, amazing music at that. “Those Dancing Days Are Gone”, from Carla’s first English-speaking album No Promises, sounds like her fellow countrywoman Charlotte Gainsbourg’s loungy jazz-pop: soft, sweet vocals, insightful lyrics. The best part is the soothing harmonies in the second verse—wait for it. Chills.
Stream “Those Dancing Days Are Gone” at Carla’s RCRD LBL page, and make sure to keep your ear peeled for more awesome music from her and Downtown Records…
EXCLUSIVE DOWNLOAD: Birigwa - Njabala
Yes. This is absolutely 100% as rad as it looks. And let's get it said right away, before the sweaty histrionics get underway, that you'd be a fool to pass up this deep slice of pristinely soulful African folk jazz. Also, come to think of it, let's skip the histrionics. Because even when this ultimate, nylon-plucked smoothness devolves temporarily into frenzied screams and crosswalk whistle-blowing, histrionics are ill-suited for the float away ease of its effortless grooviness.
Birigwa, at the time of "Njabala," was a 23-year-old studying jazz at the New England Conservatory. The self-titled stunner that resulted from his time at the conservatory stands up tall and hustles as sweet as any Veloso, Joao or Jobim. Brazilian bossa nova at its honey-thickest and mellow-yellowest, informed by the energy and rhythm of African folk. Total treasure. Definitely pick up the full-length, reissued on Porter Records.
DOWNLOAD: Airwaves - Sock It To 'Em
Airwaves, a.k.a. Madrid-based producer Jonny Spencer, is not unlike the Avalanches or Sonny Jim, in that he samples pop and jazz tunes from the ‘60s and crafts them into dance-y instrumentals for the ‘00s, which is something we find quite commendable. Today we are featuring “Sock It To ‘Em”, a song that would seems as welcome on a Herbie Hancock record as it would on one by the Go! Team.
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