EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Roy Davis Jr. - I Have A Vision (feat. Erin Martin) (The Juan MacLean Remix)
Roy Davis Jr. is one of Chicago's most well-known and respected house music Dons. Soul-inflected uptempo tunes have remained his forte, carrying that flag through impeccably curated and mixed DJ sets the world over (hear a recent one from this past summer over at the Sunday Best website) and a discography that has spanned more than a few decades and sub-genres. Now the people at Scion A/V have turned a piece of Davis's music over to a more contemporary set of producers, soliciting versions of his tune "I Have A Vision (feat. Erin Martin)" for the next installment in their stellar ongoing remix series. We've been given an exclusive preview of our man The Juan MacLean's version, which is, in a nutshell, epic space war acid house; Larry Heard caught in Titan A.E. or something like that. Grab the track below, and look out for the official release of "I Have A Vision" on January 27th, featuring additional reworkings from legends-in-their-own-right Fred Falke and Todd Edwards.
Sounds like: Kerri Chandler, The Juan MacLean, Broker/Dealer
Roy Davis Jr. - I Have A Vision [feat. Erin Martin] (The Juan MacLean Remix)
Previously:
The Twelves - Be My Crush [The Juan MacLean's B-LIVE Rio Mix]
The Juan MacLean - Happy House (Original)
The Juan MacLean - Happy House (Lee Douglas Remix)
The Juan MacLean - Happy House (Prince Language Dub Mix)
The Juan MacLean's RCRD LBL Page
DOWNLOAD: Amp Fiddler/Sly & Robbie - Drama Inside
Musical dream teams often suffer from a bit of frayed nerves on account of aspiring stars trying desperately to impress their idols. So it's nice to find a well-matched pairing -- in this case the legendary reggae/roots duo Sly & Robbie and Detroit funkster Amp Fiddler -- that seems undaunted by the situation and ready to play music. Together, the threesome crafted the Inspiration Information double LP which ensnares funk, soul, hip-hop, jazz, reggae and pop in its 11 tracks. "Drama Inside" offers a look inside, its syncopated percussion and bass licks forming a funky vehicle for the Fiddler's crushed velvet pipes to lament the state of his love. Luckily for listeners, the "drama" is limited to themes, not the making of the music.
Sounds like: Recloose, Sly & the Family Stone, Moodymann
DOWNLOAD: Kutiman - Music Is Ruling My World + No Reason For You
What Swedish rockers Dungen did for fuzzy psych rock in 2004, Israeli artist Kutiman has done for free-flowing psych funk in 2008. On his self-titled debut album, Kutiman (aka Ophir Kutiel) taps into the warm, bumping vibe of 70's Afrobeat and George Clinton records and pours it into his own tunes. The golden Rhodes melodies, wah-wah guitars, chipper horns and smoky-voiced divas are so spot on it's easy to forget you're listening to a new album, even though it's quite fresh and enjoyable. Of course we've got the best of the bunch for you: "Music Is Ruling My World" features the sultry vocals of Karolina sashaying across James Brown-tight horn charts, guitar swipes and drums strikes. Things get more rocking on stomper "No Reason For You," with the commanding pipes of Elran Dekel leading a head-bobbing charge. Who knew Israel could funk this hard?
Sounds like: Antibalas, Fela Kuti, Parliament Funkadelic
DOWNLOAD: Laura Marling - Man Sings About Romance
Based on the soft chords in the opening forty seconds of "Man Sings About Romance," you'd think that Astralwerks signee and Mercury Prize nominee Laura Marling was settling in for another slow-played folk gem. But those ivories perk up pretty quickly and Marling runs headfirst into quicker tempos and scattered shakers, turning the tune into something that would draw worthy comparisons to sprightly singers like Regina Spektor and Yael Naim. Overall, it's a charming, wise-beyond-her-years track that had us at the beginning but wouldn't let go once it picked up. And for that we're thankful; it rained for awhile in New York today and we needed this.
Sounds like: Regina Spektor, Yael Naim, Jessica Lea Mayfield
Laura Marling - Man Sings About Romance
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: Chester French - She Loves Everybody (Neptunes Remix) + Original
Chester French is not one man with a slick name but a band of two who met as freshmen at Harvard, soon thereafter began making music together and somehow wound up becoming the new pet project of a one Pharrell Williams. Yes, that guy. While Max Drummey and D.A. Wallach's rise to almost-stardom is just short of unbelievable, one listen to their catchy electro-soul and the pieces begin to fit: these guys are the first producers to emerge from a group of kids that didn't grow up listening to hip-hop but still digested Neptunes beats through pop radio. In other words, Chester French specialize in the mechanical, futuristic bump of their heroes, mentors, and label bosses, but interpret it almost completely through the prism of post-Boy Band pop music, writing songs for the MGMT set that make MGMT sound like Slayer. The duo just released their debut EP, She Loves Everybody, through Star Trak, and, along with the original, we've got an exclusive Neptunes remix of the track up for download. On their version, Chad & Pharrell have basically invented the genre of Blade Runner Bmore, taking little more than the original's a capella and adding some processed breaks and Tron-worthy synth drops behind. It's pretty fresh stuff, specially available for you as part of our one-year-anniversary celebration. We'll be dropping a lot more exclusive awesomeness in the near future, so stick around for that.
Sounds like: any Max Martin record, MGMT, Kotchy
Exclusive Download: Chester French - She Loves Everybody (Neptunes Remix)
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - The Sun Ain't Shining No More (Thomas Gold Remix)
The Danish duo The Asteroids Galaxy Tour is all guilty pleasure: a whiff of 1970's psychedelic funk with a sprinkle of 1960s pop-soul and a whole lot of 2009 attitude. Mix in bumping Thomas Gold house and this remix of "The Sun Ain't Shining No More" becomes a recipe for an all-night dance-off. (After all, Gold is famous for turning up in Ibiza in full body glitter......) We warn you, keep an eye on this Danish act- before they start selling out concerts near you; catch 'em in NY this week at Pianos (November 19th) and at their GBH show @ Webster Hall on the 21st.
Sounds Like: Dusty Springfield, Amy Winehouse, Marvin Gaye, Ministry of Sound
Exclusive New Download: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - The Sun Ain't Shining No More (Thomas Gold Remix)
DOWNLOAD: Those Dancing Days - Hitten
I suppose it's real easy to write off 5 Swedish girls just out of high school making sugary sweet pop music, but if you did you'd be missing out on some of the kitchiest fun this side of the Pixies Three. The combination of Northern Soul, girl group innocence with the powerful vocals of those soulful white girls out of the UK come together in a three and a half minute burst of tears tinged hopeful pop perfection on "Hitten," - translation "the hit" in Swedish. Sugar never sounded so good.
Sounds Like: The Pixies Three, The Ettes, Johnny Boy, the Okmoniks, Adele
DOWNLOAD: Voice On Tape - Marry You When Yr Sleeping
His music may not be the most apt for the approach of a Friday night, but Voice On Tape certainly seems a fit for these autumnal times. Ear engager “Marry You When Yr Sleeping” is typical of much of the Californian-based solo artist’s work, Lou’s voice seeming to hover between the hot and the cold as if wracked by some fever brought on by a change in the weather, looped and shivering against a backdrop of strummed chords that let tales of uneven love and bickering unfold with the basic threat of a shotgun should her father dare disapprove. It’s that threat that sets Lou apart – that and the implications one can take from the fact he refuses to tell me his surname, an anonymity more reminiscent of random bar-room encounters with sore troubadours than the all-too-eager sincerity of the wimpy folk multitude.
Sounds like: Fleet Foxes, Elliott Smith, Bon Iver
EXCLUSIVE NEW DOWNLOAD: The Herbaliser - Words
The creeping feeling that winter will soon have us in its icy mitts grows as many of us pull out our heavy layers. So there's no better time to let your brain, at least, take a quick holiday to warmer climes care of The Herbaliser. Being from London, the five-piece funk/soul/rap troupe know the need to escape dreary weather, and their lively tunes are just the ticket. Take "Words," an exclusive track from the sessions that birthed their recent album, Same As It Never Was. Its funky stomp, glinting with a barrage of cheerful horns and coated in sexy coos, is not yanked from a dusty vinyl, but rather the work of The Herbaliser's spot-on brass section and charming vocalist, Jessica Darling. And while you're stretched out on the mental porch in your mind, MC More or Les peppers his rhymes across the loping groove, recalling the days when most rappers celebrated their vocabulary. Now nicely ask your roommate to be a good cabana boy and get you another beer.
Sounds like: The Roots, Gang Starr, The Coup
Exclusive Download: The Herbaliser - Words
Full-band Tour Dates for The Herbaliser:
11/11 - New York, NY- Knitting Factory
11/12 - Montreal, QC- Le National
11/13 - Toronto, ON- Revival
11/14 - Ottawa, ON- Babylon
11/15 - Hamilton, ON- Pepper Jack's
11/18 - Chicago, IL- Darkroom
11/19 - Minneapolis, MN- The Varsity Theater
11/20 - Winnipeg, MN- The Academy
11/21 - Regina, SK- The Distrikt
11/22 - Saskatoon, SK- Louis'
11/23 - Edmonton, AV- The Starlite
11/25 - Calgary, AB- The Warehouse- Calgary
11/26 - Whistler, BC- Garfinkel's
11/27 - Vancouver, BC- Commodore Ballroom
11/28 - Seattle, WA- Nectar Lounge
11/29 - Portland, OR- Doug Fir Lounge
11/30 - San Francisco, CA- The Independent
12/01 - West Hollywood, CA- Echoplex
DOWNLOAD: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - The Sun Ain't Shining No More
Since a London amigo recommended “The Asteroids Galaxy Tour” months ago, via a grimy, eccentric jazzy “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”-esque Youtube video, I've been waiting with 'bated breath and whisp’ring humbleness' for them to come to the States....(sorry Shakespeare, but you described it better than I ever could).
The souls behind The Asteroids Galaxy Tour are Lars and Mette, Copenhagen-based buds. Be it the stars, moon or the fates, their career has taken off a bit like an asteroid of sorts; when Amy Winehouse (while still lucid) played in the Danish capital, she insisted they open for her, which led a swell manager phoning them up and signing them, which led to an i-pod commerical, which led to them bursting onto various stages around the world- showing off their psychedelic-pop (and Mette's why-shower?-flower-power head-mop and pixie voice). Maybe not in that order.
Well- their asteroid is about to crash down on you; turn up your speakers to "The Sun Ain't Shining No More" and try to pick out allusions to B-52s, a bit psychedelic, and a lot of 60's soul.
Sounds Like: B- 52s, Aquarius/Hair, Amy Winehouse, Marvin Gaye
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