In recent weeks, the interwebs have been buzzing with excitement over Shangaan electro, a speedy dance sound from South Africa. Now here’s the part where we’re supposed to step in and act like some kind of authority and tell you all about this “new” and “exotic” sound and remark on its rich cultural history or spew out some other music-blog jibber-jabber. But let’s just skip that little charade, because frankly, we’re not going to act like we know everything and we had never even heard of Shangaan electro—and neither had 99.99999% of everyone else, might we add—until the folks from Honest Jon’s put together the Shangaan Electro: New Wave Dance Music from South Africa compilation and tuned the planet into the music’s crazy polyrhythms, 180-bpm marimba beats, and soulful vocals. “N’wagezani My Love” is just one sample, and after hearing it, we’re definitely going back for additional helpings. (via Altered Zones)
No strangers to the world of fucked-up, screwed-down internet mixtapes, Salem has just released their I BURIED MY HEART INNA WOUNDED KNEE set of weird-sounding shit, which you can download here. No tracklist, no description, no nuthin’. Just some rope.
The folks at 92bpm turned us on to Huess, a fresh name on the UK beat-making scene likely to be getting increasing attention in the coming months. The producer draws a lot of influence from the usual suspects—J. Dilla, Prefuse 73, Boards of Canada, Madlib—but effectively filters those oft-referenced names into something a bit less familiar. Huess’ debut EP arrived nearly a year ago on Inaudible Answer, but a fresh batch of tunes has just surfaced, a freely downloadable EP called Broke. The title track from that new release is a shimmering bit of funky beat work loaded with earnest synth melodies and pristinely chopped vocal samples, all working in tandem to deliver one of the most soulful electronic soundscapes we’ve heard this year. Stay tuned for more jams from Huess when Inaudible Answer drops its first-ever 12″, a four-track EP featuring remixes from Fulgeance and Kelpe.
FaltyDL, as we know, is already a world-renowned post-garage producer, DJ, and occasional sushi chef, but we didn’t know he’s also a steady hand behind the video camera. Here, Drew Lustman mans the camcorder for his own clip for “Endeavour,” a single-take-style video that sees him traversing one of New York’s gorgeous bridges. Check it, and grab the “Endeavour” single September 12 on Planet Mu.
If you’re in the market for some professional-grade earphones with plenty of next-level bells and whistles, AKG has got your number—K 390 NC (MSRP: $199), to be exact. These earbuds flex the kind of pristine sound true audiophiles would swear by thanks to flight adapter and active noise reduction features, but are also built for the average listener looking for a set of headphones that fit comfortably and control whatever iToys you’ve got at hand. It’s said AKG’s K 390 NCs were made specifcally to play loud and proud for the whole of their lengthy lifespan. Plus, these bad boys are black, and black goes with everything.
“Cherry B” Byron might be most well known as M.I.A.’s hot-stepping hype girl, but, as one half of De Tropix, she isn’t ever content playing second fiddle. A partnership with DJ/producer Damon Bowen (a.k.a. Damon Alexander; formerly DJ Instinct), De Tropix cooks up a hyperactive blend of dancehall and global beats, infused with tinges of lovers rock and even country, which takes a decidedly in-your-face approach to the dancefloor. But to Bowen, it’s “just good ol’ skankin’ music.”
Bowen and Byron met through mutual friends while attending university in the UK. Bowen, who had already jump-started his musical career DJing on pirate radio and at venues around London, was studying at Thames Valley University in Ealing; meanwhile, Byron, a trained choreographer and singer, was studying music and performing arts at Fulham & Chelsea College, and working on music videos on both sides of the pond. After about a year running in the same social circles, the two finally connected over their complementary artistic abilities. “Then when we found out we [were] both Vincentians, it was over!” Byron recalls, of their shared Saint Vincent heritage.
The two hit it off immediately and soon began collaborating and performing together as De Tropix. Rather than a regimented approach, they instead bring an insatiable curiosity and the need for a good time. “We’re both strong characters, says Bowen, who spins the beats and tag-teams with Cherry on the mic. “Cherry is a wicked front woman; she gets the crowd involved, and she’s got moves for days.”
De Tropix’s style is a compelling “musical soundclash” pulling from the changing influences in both members’ well-traveled lives. “[We] have tuned into the vibes of our surroundings,” says Byron. “Our music displays just that.” Thrown into this mix is Byron’s Caribbean upbringing and Bowen’s childhood surrounded by a lively blend of calypso, soca, country, classical music, and pop in Luton, UK. Bowen also dabbled in hardcore and hip-hop à la NWA, Public Enemy, Pete Rock, Nas, and Wu-Tang as a teenager in his pirate-radio days before eventually moving into the London electronic scene, where he tapped into favorites Ray Keith, Nookie, and DJ Hype. He loves to mess around with new equipment, and is still constantly digging around uncharted musical territory. “It’s amazing what you come across in the local charity shop vinyl section,” he says. All these influences inevitably turn up in the duo’s club-ready tropical and dancehall tracks, such as singles “Oy Ya Yoy (Oi Oi Oi)” and “Bad Name.”
De Tropix’s highly anticipated debut full-length studio album has been a long time in the making. Byron refers to it as an eclectic “mixture of melodies that bounce in collision with the duttiest bassline”—or simply “sexy ragga.” The duo has been busy piecing together tracks with guest producers such as friend Nick Philpin, Parisian underground producer Blackjoy, JC, and Black Russian. De Tropix also hopes to nab some guest appearances from long-standing friend Elly Jackson (from La Roux) and “Vincy” celebs Mandrike and Minkah of Mystik Vibration.
So, what, no M.I.A.?
“If we missed an opportunity for a feature there, that would be silly,” adds Bowen.
Before Portland’s Reporter releases its debut album of dark dance-pop on August 10, we’ve got the distinct pleasure of bringing you the first of many Time Incredible remixes to come, The Miracles Club‘s take on “Lab Test.” The fellow Pacific Northwest outfit keeps the original’s dance beat, but otherwise transforms the tune’s angular post-punk into dirty, Chicago-style house tailor-made for your next all-night rave in Berlin. The remix’s exotic synth squeals are a particularly welcome addition. Stay tuned for more interesting takes on Reporter’s tunes from the likes of PDX’s other female-fronted, house-loving outfit, Soft Metals, and NY’s disco-house kings, Runaway.
Berlin’s premiere electro-informed house duo Booka Shade is only a handful of months past the release of its fourth artist album, More!, but the singles and new remixes keep coming. “Teenage Spaceman” is the latest, and this mix comes from Walter Merziger and Arno Kammermeier themselves. The producers take the opportunity to just about double their tune’s runtime, and go absolutely wild with its space theme. Booka Shade’s epic mix not only sounds like what you’d think bouncing (or dancing) on the moon feels like, but might also be the ideal soundtrack for traversing the vast, vacuous space between our planet and that distant satellite.
The Teenage Spaceman EP will be released August 30.
A man who has long pushed the boundaries of low-bit music, composer Tristan Perich, is set to release his latest piece of single-circuit music, 1-Bit Symphony. The unusual release will not be available on regular formats, as Perich has programmed and built an actual one-bit electronic circuit that “performs” his five-movement composition live when switched on and is housed in a CD jewel case (see above). The album’s press release expands on the process, saying, “1-Bit Symphony utilizes on and off electrical pulses, synthesized by assembly code and routed from microchip to speaker, to manifest data as sound. The device treats electricity as a sonic medium, making an intimate connection between the materiality of hardware and the abstract logic of software.” Friday, August 20, Roulette will host the microchip maestro for his album’s release party in New York, along with a performance from fellow electronics expert Shawn Greenlee. Watch a video of Perich talking about 1-Bit Symphony before it’s released August 24 via Cantaloupe, below.
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As he evidenced in full on this year’s wonderful Swim, Canadian music man Dan Snaith has equally soft spots for electronic-based dance music and summery psych-pop. His latest record as Caribou showcased a proclivity for the former, but Snaith sort of evens the playing field on this epic remix he’s crafted for the UK’s Silver Columns. The first half of his treatment for “Always On” is pure dancefloor brilliance à la Swim, and he even throws a bit of his own vocals into the mix. But as the track’s nine minutes pass the halfway point, the house lights dim, the lava lamp flicks on, some hippie girl wearing a headband and a bikini top slowly waves her arms in the air, and things turn a bit more late-’60s. Caribou’s remix culminates in a driving finale that—not unlike his excellent albums—demands repeated listens. (via FACT)
