[CFCF brings the best on his third edition of the NIGHT BUS mix series, ft. Arca, Burial, a new track & more.]
10/31/14
Listen: CFCF - NIGHT BUS 3 mix
[CFCF brings the best on his third edition of the NIGHT BUS mix series, ft. Arca, Burial, a new track & more.]
10/30/14
Listen: Angel Olsen - "May As Well"
10/29/14
Watch: FKA twigs - "Video Girl"
FKA twigs drops haunting visuals for "Video Girl", our favorite track of her LP1 release. [Directed by Kahlil Joseph]
10/28/14
Listen: Giraffage - "Tell Me"
Giraffage is gearing up to release his 5-track No Reason EP come November 18th via Fool's Gold. He dropped the first single today in "Tell Me", a smooth R&B jam that's in line with some of the Bay Area producer's best tracks. It looks like he's staying away from samples completely on the new EP, but we could care less if all the tracks are as groovy and danceable as this (see: "Tell Me" breakdown). You can pre-order No Reason here.
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10/27/14
Listen: BAILE x Camille Corazón - "Too Much"
Brooklyn-based producer BAILE is hot off last month's From The Depths EP, one of our favorite releases of the year so far, and it's no surprise that his latest track is a further exemplification of everything we loved about the project. BAILE teams up with songstress Camille Corazón to deliver a collaboratively heart wrenching piece, pairing vocals with the low-registering reaches of production that BAILE shows an adept affinity for. What results is a mesmerizing display of dizzying synths and an even more impressive performance by Corazón, who effortlessly floats over the winding beat. Check out "Too Much" below.
Watch: Sirma - "Trigger"
Check out the appropriately dark video for Sirma's chilling "Trigger". [Directed by Daniel Goldhaber & Michael Bucuzzo]
10/22/14
Listen: Tkay Maidza - Switch Tape
10/21/14
Listen: little cloud - "you"
Stockholm-based producer little cloud contributes a great track to Ryan Hemsworth's Secret Songs, a "by friends" project that has seriously been responsible for some of our favorite releases so far this year. With "you", we are treated to an airy, inescapably weightless beat that rides varying levels with ease. The highs trade with the lows so harmoniously that the whole cut feels like a calm and steady inhale-exhale cycle. In this way, the track does the artist's aptly-labeled moniker justice: "you" is on some beautifully engulfing, floating cloud tip. It is by no means little, though, as rolling drums and hi-hats kick in halfway through to create an impressively soaring composition. You can download "you" below for free.
"i used to write more than anything and this song is the closest ive come to making music that sounds like how i felt when i was writing. does that make sense?" -little cloud
10/20/14
Listen: Architecture In Tokyo - "MUTUAL (ft. YUNG BAE)"
Summer has been gone for a minute, but don't tell Detroit-based producer Architecture In Tokyo that. The artist's latest collaboration with YUNG BAE is a breezy, "nu-disco" tune that should've been occupying summer playlists a few months ago. It may be too late for that, but "MUTUAL" is still every-bit as vibrant and jammable regardless of seasonal context. Architecture In Tokyo's self-titled LP is coming soon via cassette on AMDISCS.
Listen: Redux - "Vibe"
Check out the short, piano-driven "Vibe" from the Parisian producer Redux. The track is aptly-named, with its smooth and permeating melody evoking images of late night solace. It only runs for two minutes, but it comes and goes with an effortless, quiet demeanor that we love. Download the track for free below.
10/18/14
Watch: Shabazz Palaces - "Motion Sickness"
Check out the video for "Motion Sickness", our favorite track of the recently released Shabazz Palaces LP Lese Majesty. [Directy by TEAN]
10/16/14
Listen: LUH - "Unites"
It's been a minute since we've heard from WU LYF (now defunct) frontman Ellery James Roberts, but it appears there'll be some upcoming releases from the always-ambiguous figure. Today we have the first material under his adopted LUH moniker (Lost Under Heaven, another obscure acronym) in "Unites". The track is noticeably simpler than previous endeavors from the artist, yet it's held together by the same triumphant core attribute: Robert's agonizing croons blare through as clear as ever. This is larger-than-life, anthemic, and everything we could hope for in a post-WU LYF world. Ellery James Roberts describes it best:
"Unites is a simple song. A song of longing for balance in a world where we slump & grind to a senseless algoriddim of fractious complexity. A song for lovers, numbered by the placid plateau of conform-core modernity. The personal is political as never before, and all those that make the choice to step away sing Luvah's Song. I wrote this for you, for her, for every longing breath lost under heaven's refracted light. Are you ready to see this world open up before you?"
Listen: Lemonade - "Come Down Softly (et aliae remix)"
Et aliae's addition to the Cascine team is a naturally welcome one. The producer's rolling and lush sounds perfectly meld with the label's prominence of floating dream pop, and we'd honestly be disappointed if Cascine didn't pick her up. Et aliae remixed Lemonade's "Come Down Softly" as a coming-out of sorts, exemplifying an adept ability at bringing out the best in vocal tracks. The result is an impressive transformation of an already-danceable track into an even more budding and infectious tune. We can expect more vibrant production from the artist come spring of next year in her scheduled debut EP for Cascine. For now, check out/download the excellent rework below.
[via]
Listen: Evenings - "Gardener"
10/15/14
Listen: Y//2//K x POLO - "Butterflies"
Producers Y//2//K and POLO come through with a blaring and dizzying collaboration in "Butterflies". The two enlist menacing soundscapes and aggressive highs that straight up attack, riding rising and falling melodies to create a banger that we wholly dig. Stream/download "Butterflies" for free below.
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10/14/14
Listen: Marian Hill - "Got It"
10/13/14
Listen: Blaze Tripp - "We Here"
Australian-based producer Blaze Tripp recently put out his We Here EP on Never Slept, and it's safe to say we slept on this 2-track project. Luckily, you can still cop the release for free for the next month, so it's not too late to immerse yourself in the future-trap stylings (future-chill? We don't know anymore.) abundant on the Never Slept label. Download the We Here EP for free and listen to the lightly pulsing title track below.
10/12/14
Listen: Jessie Ware - "12"
Check out Jessie Ware's brilliantly low-key and sultry album outtake "12". We have no idea how this didn't make the cut for Tough Love. You can pre-order her upcoming sophomore LP here (out October 21st) and stream/download the excluded track below.
Listen: Mura Masa - "Day 23: Have Faith In Me"
18-year-old producer Mura Masa comes through with an astounding, soul-infused beat in "Day 23: Have Faith In Me." This one sounds like an extended cut of a "classic" Kanye sample, which we are absolutely okay with. Check it out below.
10/11/14
10/10/14
Watch: Ryan Hemsworth - "Snow In Newark (ft. Dawn Golden)"
Off Ryan Hemsworth's upcoming Alone For The First Time LP, out November 4th on Last Gang/Secret Songs. [Directed by Martin C. Pariseau]
10/9/14
INTERVIEW: Lost Film
SD: It seems like you’ve had a busy past few months. What’ve you been up to? Where does music fit into your life priority-wise right now?
Jimmy: I've definitely been keeping busy. Over the past 6 months I got engaged, quit my job of 4+ years, moved from Boston to Northampton (MA), then got married a few weeks ago. After we moved, I took the summer off and wrote songs everyday for about 3 months straight.
SD: What happened to Orca Orca? Why the change this time around?
Jimmy: There are a few reasons for the name change. First, I was really never fond of the name. I didn't expect it to turn into a full band and when we'd be on tour and have to tell people our band name, I never wanted to tell them. I did like getting Killer Whale figurines from people though. The timing for the change was also deliberate. Since I moved away from where the rest of the live band members lived, it wouldn't feel right playing shows under the name Orca Orca even though the songs are all still solo recordings.
10/8/14
Listen: Tennyson - "With You"
The aqueously smooth (as always) new track from Tennyson is filled to the brim with buzzing ideas and sultry melodies. There's a jazzy tinge here that we absolutely digg. You can pre-order the "With You" 7" here and stream the cut below.
10/7/14
Listen: Sweater Beats - "Dark Matter (ft. Allie)"
[Off Sweater Beats' upcoming Cloud City EP, which can be pre-ordered for FREE here.] [out October 28th via HW&W]
10/6/14
Listen: RHEYA - "Chihiro"
Sweden is really holding it down right now in regards to up-and-coming synth/dream pop acts. A few days ago we heard two sprawling singles from Olsson, and now we have delicatley wistful melodies from RHEYA in "Chihiro." Listen to/download the drained and hazy track below (YOUTHCULT is involved somehow) and check out more of their singles here.
10/5/14
Listen: Drift Prism - "White Willow"
Drift Prism throw it down on their out-of-this-world debut self-titled EP. They're from South Africa. Yeah. You read that right: South Africa. Drift Prism are purveyors of forward-thinking independent sounds from the unexpectedly budding music scene (see: SMACM), and we're definitely on the lookout for more "South African underground" acts after hearing this. Check out "White Willow" below, the astonishingly blaring 4th track off the 5-song release. You can download the EP name-your-price here. [via]
10/4/14
10/3/14
Listen: C Y G N - "4 Couleurs"
French producer C Y G N just put out his cassette-exclusive Labyrinth Of Mirrors a few days ago on Goldie Records. You should definitely cop the limited edition release here for some smooth diggs, and check out/download the slick and varied non-album cut "4 Couleurs" below.
Listen: Olsson - "Dimma / Lambada"
Looking for something a little different? How about some lush, visceral swedish pop? Emotion comes through (in a big way) with a beautifully exotic release from newcomer Olsson, who constructs plush and gentle sprawling soundscapes on his debut single "Dimma / Lambada". +1 for the artwork. Look out for an EP this winter, and listen to the pair of tracks below.
10/2/14
Listen: Maxo - "Not That Bad (ft. GFOTY)"
Everything about this new track from Maxo is quirkily on point. The Brooklyn-based producer effortlessly creates twitchy video game-inspired soundscapes, so the enlistment of the always-interesting, always-bouncing PC Collective vocalist GFOTY results in a naturally colorful and irresistibly jam-worthy collaboration. You're basically getting everything that the dope cover art suggests, which we wholly digg. Check out "Not That Bad" below.
Listen: BAILE - "Head To Heart"
We're really excited to be jamming the new vibes-heavy digg From The Depths EP from Brooklyn-based producer BAILE. Check out "Head To Heart" below, the mesmerizingly downtempo closing track from the sweet 4-track release. Cop a download here (via Color Station).
10/1/14
Listen: Sister Crystals - "Obsidian"
Chicago-based dream-pop duo Sister Crystals are gearing up for their sophomore release following their great 2013 self-titled LP. Today we have the vibrant "Obsidian", a glowing track that infuses jangled guitar riffs with soft vocal deliveries to create a golden, sun-emitting coastline aura. It's all color on this new digg. Check out the single below.