Obey City‘s debut EP, Melted Magic (artwork above), saw its release last week via the Brooklyn beatsmith’s own blog/imprint, Astro Nautico, and here we have one of its standout tracks, a smooth piece of future-bass work called “Snickers.” Beginning with a few choice chords and some unassuming percussion, “Snickers” gradually rolls into an intoxicating rhythm, pushing forward while flashes of hand percussion and sparkling bell sounds appear at its edges. The hypnotic beat eventually finds its way to heavier drum sounds, with an array of snares and claps (and some deliciously pitched rolls) taking this one into summer party vibes territory. This tune, along with the three others found on Melted Magic, can be had for free over on the project’s Bandcamp, and a video for “Snickers,” full of psychedelic images and chopped footage, can be found here.
Up-and-coming SoCal label Proximal just shared a brand-new compilation, a sizable mixtape called Beat Stew Vol. 3. Among the contributing producers featured on Vol. 3 are Leaving Records boss Matthewdavid, Portland beat head Devonwho, Proximal label head Sahy Uhns, Dâm-Funk collaborator Benedek, and many others. The mixtape is available now for free download through Proximal’s Bandcamp.
Austin, TX-based solo artist Stefanie Franciotti (a.k.a. Sleep ? Over) continues to blow us away with the latest tune to surface from her forthcoming Forever LP. Before Hippos in Tanks drops that record, we can indulge in the spectral beauty of Franciotti’s shadowy pop inclinations, which is showcased in full effect on “Romance Streams.” Sleep ? Over surrounds her blown-out drum beats and thick bass tones with starlit synth melodies, angelic coos, and a thick layer of warbling tape hiss to give her new single a distinct otherworldly vibe throughout; it’s like a lullaby from a place without daytime. Needless to say, we’re excited to hear the rest of Forever when it’s released on September 27.
If you consider yourself to be a true Moog nerd, we suggest you read this one while no one is around because you might come upon an uncontrollable urge to shriek or start involuntarily salivating, as the legendary Asheville-based company has announced the release of a free controller plug-in to use with its MF-105M MIDI MuRF pedal. If you’re lucky enough to own one (or two) of these beautiful pieces of gear, then be prepared to have its powers considerably expanded thanks to this DAW-friendly VST plug-in, which not only allows you to save and recall settings on the device, but also allows you to adjust an “envelope scale” (which serves as a “time multiplier” for your envelope without affecting the envelope shape), allows the user to directly control the LFO rate at all times (wobble, anyone?), and—drum roll please—allows for complete automation of every parameter and function on the MF-105M. You can download the VST MuRF controller for free here.
One of the more hyperactive tunes from Machinedrum’s just-released Room(s) LP for Planet Mu, “GBYE,” is paired with some colorful, fast-paced imagery for this music video. Producer Travis Stewart, who we had the pleasure of speaking with for this feature, apparently made the piece himself, which further goes to show just how versatile this guy’s talents really are. And if you’re in the need for even more Machinedrum, check out details on how to score a free digital EP, called Ecstasy Boom, from the tunesmith here.
British vocalist and post-punk experimentalist Anika will soon take the dubby jams from her self-titled, Geoff Barrow-produced LP over the pond and onto the roads of North America. The artist and her band will kick things off on September 27 in New York City before travelling around the continent and finishing their tour at Moog Fest in Asheville, NC. You can check out the full list of dates below.
TUES 9/27 – LPR / NYC @ Le Possion Rouge THURS 9/29 – Princeton, NJ @ Princeton University FRI 9/30 – Philadelphia @ Vouyer SUN 10/2 – Asbury Park, NJ @ All Tomorrow’s Parties MON 10/3 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s WED 10/5 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar SAT 10/8 – Toronto @ Wrongbar MON 10/10 – Chicago @ Empty Bottle FRI 10/14 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios SUN 10/16 – Seattle @ The Crocodile TUES 10/18 – Arcata, CA @ The Jambalya WED 10/19 – SF @ The Independent THURS 10/20 – LA @ TBA TUES 10/25 – Austin @ Emo’s FRI 10/28 – Asheville, NC @ MoogFest
As if the release of his stellar DJ-Kicks mix compilation wasn’t enough to satiate fans of Motor City Drum Ensemble, the German producer has lined up an all-star remix package for “L.O.V.E.,” the only new original MCDE production on the album. Scheduled to enter the world on August 8, “L.O.V.E. (The Remixes)” will include reworks from Kyle Hall, Wolfgang Voigt, and Smallpeople. If the remixes even come close to approaching the quality of the deep and soulful original track, this will be one hot slab of vinyl.
Bay Area blog-cum-label Mapzzz—which is, incidentally, co-run by XLR8R scribe Glenn Jackson—just released a new batch of tunes as part of its ongoing series of free EPs, this time from RaveDeep (a.k.a. Dave Reep, the man also behind Elephant & Castle). The prolific Oakland-based producer starts off his three-song Mapzzz EP12 with the woozy sparkle of “Wonders,” a bass-heavy track that straddles the line between amorphous ambient music and loosely crafted house. Reep goes on to further explore eclectic genre pairings throughout the rest of his EP, all of which you can grab as a free download here.
Veteran producer and turntablist RJD2 has teamed up with vocalist Aaron Livingston to form Icebird, an outfit that utilizes “the psychedelic soul for which the Philly music scene has long been known.” The duo will soon release its debut LP, The Abandoned Lullaby, via RJD2’s own Electrical Connections label on October 11. Talking about his new project, the producer says, “It is truly a best-of-both-worlds collaboration. More than as a player, singer, or engineer, production is my strongest suit. And Aaron is truly one of the most unique, clever, and gifted singers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. The two elements complement each other perfectly.” You can check out the artwork and tracklist for Icebirds’ The Abandoned Lullaby record below.
1. Charmed Life 2. Just Love Me 3. Going and Going. And Going. 4. King Tut 5. Wander 6. The Return of Tronson 7. Spirit Ache 8. I’m Green 9. Gun For Hire 10. In Exile 11. Please, Don’t 12. Find Yourself
Our resident stylist Andrew Porter waxes casual on men’s and women’s must-haves.
A.P.C. x K-Way Windbreaker K-Way windbreakers are classics. I always wanted one when I was younger, but never knew where to get them. As it turns out, France was the answer to that question. The K-Way Claude Klassic jacket was born in Paris in the ’60s. Thus, this A.P.C. collaboration makes perfect sense… in a French sort of way. I’m a big fan of color blocks, so this tonal blue canvas parka speaks to me. Unfortunately, it’s speaking to me in French and alls I’m seeing is this high price tag. If you can afford it, go for it. Otherwise, check out the normal K-Way line here. That lily one is looking pretty right-on to me.
Topman Rihanna T-shirt I have a lot of great old punk shirts, but I think my days of wearing tattered old Void tees may be over. I turn 29 in two weeks, and maybe homeless-chic isn’t the best look for me anymore. Perhaps it’s time to step up to a world of more “sophisticated” music-oriented t-shirts. In other words, I’m not going to sell out, but I’m ready to buy in. Enter the Topman Rihanna shirt. How great is this? Photographic prints are pretty much the best, and who doesn’t love Rih Rih? A shirt like this is a good statement piece. It says, “I’m an adult who’s comfortable enough with myself to wear a t-shirt featuring a pop star loved by tweens across the globe.” I’d like to put in a request for a Robyn shirt as well—but I’m going to pass on Ke$ha.
Casual Follow-up While perusing the net the other day, I came across two items that made me want to follow-up on past posts. The first being the white t-shirt and the second being the espadrille.
So as it turns out, I wasn’t the only one feeling the Hanes white t-shirt as a summer must. Apparently Supreme was as well. Check out their collaboration Gotta say, as a passionate lover of the white tee. I have to give Supreme props for this one. I wish I could have beat them to the punch with a Hanes x Casual Fridays collab. Hanes reps, are you reading this?
As for the espadrille, Opening Ceremony did this line with Soludos, and they look pretty stellar. The florals look fresh and the linens are top-notch as well. In all honesty, the laceless espadrille makes me look like I have lady feet, but maybe they work for you… especially if you’re a lady. Either way, for $35 you can’t complain!
