Thriftworks (Jake Atlas) may be the most underrated producer these days. Given the bona fide quality of his production, not enough people know who I am talking about when I bring his name up. His newest release, Rainmaker, encompasses the perfect combination of eclectic sounds with stunning harmony and satisfying bass. It is my, and a few others’ who I have discussed the matter with, favorite bass album of 2012 thus far. I have no qualms listening to it all the way through and soaking up every second of it; the name is fitting as the album is perfect for a chill rainy day. Infiltrated with gorgeous strings, swanky bass, and some peculiar sounds that I honestly can’t even identify, the 14-track album is thorough and gratifying. Just as I feel myself falling into a state of relaxation the next track will be a gentle pick-me-up. I especially dig Teach Me How To Camelot; it’s more on the glitchy side than the others and I love the assortment of pitches. I have yet to see Thriftworks live but would love to… I hope to catch him at the Naughty Yaught: Valentine’s Day Party in San Francisco that Afro Monk is playing at as well. That looks to be one rockin’ party!
K Theory kills it with this huge mid-tempo release due out January 25th on Simplify Recordings. Teaming up with Blunt Instrument for two tunes combines the talents of these producers to bring us some fantastic sounds. Dylan and Dustin have been hard at work making some fantastic remixes and they plan to bring us lots more from their workshop this year. Strange how I was just struggling to find new tunes that I enjoyed and now K Theory brings me the 3ed release this week that has gotten me excited about music. Both tracks on this release are excelent, but my favorite was “Good and Gone” because of the blend of funky blues with the future sounds of glitch. I’m a sucker for the mixture of old and new. Check out the teaser now.
Just last week K Theory dropped a remix of Modest Mouse’s track Float on that I have already pictured going over huge at parties around my home in the northwest. Great remix of a old favorite. Grab a free download from the Simplify Recordings website!
Kalya Scintilla is ready to beam you to a totally different dimension with the new release “Dance the Spiral Never Ending” Ever release I have heard of his as been excellent in pulling my head out of every day life and transport me to somewhere totally new. This multidimensional tranmission is no exception. Grabbing influences of dubstep, glitch hop, and sounds from his home star system,”Whomp” and blending them naturally with the seductive sounds of the middle east and traditional gypsy. Hard to believe I’m sitting here watching snow fall as I listen to the release because my mind is somewhere all together much more exotic. Pick up “Dance the Spiral Never Ending” over atKalya Scintilla’s Bandcamp!
Knowa Knowone is back with with a brand new EP out on January 24th on 1320 Records. Things in my life have been super busy as of late and I have felt overwhelmed by the amount of new releases that find their way to my inbox, but when I heard news of this release I immediately contacted Knowa about getting a preview of these tunes which he was super generous with providing. Truth be told, my musical taste is all over the place right now and I’m personally struggling in what direction I want my musical journey to unfold. This release by Knowa brings things into focus and reminds me exactly why I fell in love with mid-tempo glitch hop. Full of booty shaking crunk vibes, deep bass, and psychedelia sounds that are uniquely Knowa!
Kaminanda’s new full length just came out today and it’s everything you’ve wanted in music if you’ve been suffering from a drought of good music. The new album Gateways of Consciousness picks up where we last left off on his past album Year of the Golden Tiger. Think melodic, tribal, downtempo, and sexy beats. It’s as if you opened up your mind and released all the acid build up.
This release comes at a perfect time as I gear up for a transition from bass music to more loungy downtempo beats. All I’ve been listening too lately is Thriftworks the past few weeks in regards to bass music. I’m grateful to finally get some new music that awakes my soul. This is where my heart and mind have been when thinking about music. There are not enough positive words for this release. This gets me really anxious for festival season to get started. I’m praying that this year there will be a bigger representation of chill music like this. Festivals lately seem to be focusing more on what’s hot and rage versus keeping a balance. I’d love to see a lot more balance towards the later hours of the night.
I’m hoping that Kaminanda will be booked for some of the festivals approaching. I’m really looking forward to meeting the man behind this music and thank him for his form of expression.
Be sure to grab this album and jam it on those journeys of your inner consciousness.
Ever since I heard their pleasant sound on the Bass From Above Volume 1 compilation, I have been tuning into Colorado pair Slim Thugz, comprised of Cody Yozipovic (Frequent C) and Julian Garland (The Candyman). Well Slim Thugz are no more – welcome their new alias, Crushendo! Today they released a dazzling minimix that showcases their project under this new alias; it is a glimpse at their upcoming debut EP, Drop Logic, which will drop on February 15th. The mix, which is up for free download, incorporates a tasteful amalgamation of melodic strings, “intelligent bass”, fresh hip hop samples, and assorted tempos. It starts off with a bang with their collaboration with rhyme master Kruza Kid, who has been featured in a lot of the Mile High Sound Movement guys’ production. The whole mix masterfully blends playful audio delights with a touch of gangsta elements, which I find to be irresistible. I have always loved Frequent C and Candyman’s signature flowy yet upbeat synth patterns; I like that whenever a track of theirs comes on my iPod I know right away who it is and know that I will enjoy it.
Although I did love the old alias I can see why they wanted to change their name; whenever I talked about Slim Thugz, a lot of my friends would be like, “Oh Slim Thug is rapping on Friday?”. No people. Slim ThugZ is playing, who I would rather see live any day to be honest. And I was blessed to see them twice when they came out to the Tahoe area – they absolutely crushed it! I really love the new Crushendo alias and think it is very fitting. Catch them live if you get the chance; they will be playing at the upcoming SnowBall Music Festival in Colorado in March which is sure to be an epic weekend. Check out the minimix below and be sure to grab Crushendo’s Drop Logic EP on February 15th!
iONik’s debut EP “Sexy Shapes” on Simplify recordings melds many diverse musical flavors together into one complex groove that is all win. I heard his mini mix a few days ago and was dying to get my hands on this release which Ian was nice enough to send my way today. Sexy Shapes quickly became the soundtrack to my day off from the mountains. What grabbed my attention first was the beats. He must have had funk on his mind when designing these beats because they are all types of sexy. The synths are layered all over with crazy complexity and detail, but keeps a clean sound without all the excess busyness. My favorite song on this release was Slightly Digital which is a straight up party destroyer. I only listened to this through headphones, but I can imagine it rocking a large sound-system with quite a punch! Pick up this release from additech.
Along with the New Year, I wanted to bring somewhat of a twist into the standard electronic approach of the blog. I thus introduce to you Colorado duo Bedrockk, comprised of producer/guitarist/vocalist Dave Marquess and live drummer/percussionist Phil Swain. Dave proclaims their composition style to embrace “a blend of r&b, dubstep, electro blues, and chopped and screwed rap”, and all of the above can undeniably be heard in Bedrockk’s debut album release, Get Born. As a consequence of their wide range of influences, the 12-track album has a lot of unique sounds and moods including swooning vocals, plunging basslines, striking drumbeats, rock-influenced guitar, lounge vibes, and chopped and screwed bits (have you ever even imagined all of that in one album?). Me being me, I personally love the mainly electronic-based tracks such as Streets are Shinin’, in which guitar, soulful vocals, and alluring frequencies intermingle effortlessly. I am also a big fan of Fuzzy Things which has a provocative feel with its incorporation of that deeper-delving yet downtempo bass. I also really enjoy Future Child. Download Get Born for free, you won’t regret it!
Bedrockk’s 1/1/12 debut release also marks the commencement of their record label/artist collective based out of Denver called Dirty//Clean, through which Dave claims they are “striving to push the bar with experimental and yet sexual/danceable music.” They have started off well as the release seems to accomplish just that with its lush sounds to move and groove to! Keep an eye out for Bedrockk – I foresee even more big things coming from them.
Decided to put a quick mix together of a bunch of the tunes I have been digging lately. Bit different feel then previous mixes I have put up on soundcloud so Id love some feedback! I have only been mixing for about a year now and play gigs here and there during that time. My motivation is purely for the enjoyment of the music. I have played stringed instruments for years and felt like it was time to try something new. So here is my 2011 Mix, No fancy tricks, Just solid tunes mixed in Traktor with the S4. Hope you enjoy!
It hasn’t been a secret on here that I’ve relocated back to my hometown Miami. Truth is I haven’t really made it a point to tell anyone except my close friends. The music community is so vastly different here and knew I was giving up a lot moving back to this market. It’s not meant to be taken in a negative sense. Unfortunately the music I’ve been playing/pushing doesn’t really have much presence here. We all know the meccas are Colorado & California.
I was lucky enough to discover a market in Texas that allowed me to do what I’ve always wanted to do… Play glitch-hop. I became extremely involved in Texas and turned my life focus on music for the most part. I’d go out every night and actually network/talk to people. I’ve always been shy and moved to Texas only knowing my roommate. Texas was a scary move but once I got there it took me for one of the best rides of my life. I was only in Texas for a year but it feels like I was there for over five years. The amount of talented artist is overwhelming! The festival crowd is full force and plenty of homegrown events.
Now that I’m back in Miami I’ve started an entirely new lifestyle. I know that bass music popularity has reached a new height but it has also left me much to be desired. I don’t want to become that bitter old man complaining non-stop. I’ve decided to put this mix out there to target the Miami audience and nightlife but at the same time tip my hat goodbye to this sort of style. It’s fun, party, dance, and rave out music but truth is I’m burnt out and have been for some time now I’m sure. If you follow me on FB and Twitter you’ll know what I’m talking about. I’m a mid range bass hater. Yes, I admit it.
It’s time to focus on a positive new attitude and something different that will brighten my spirits. 2012 will be the start of many new things. As I said my lifestyle is quite different now. I don’t go out anymore and I’m going back to my anti-social recluse ways. My nights consist of me laying around my dream apartment on the beach listening to chill out lounge music and playing video games. My roots are in trip-hop/downtempo/lounge. I’ve decided to focus on that for 2012 and create a sister site that will built around that vibe. Expect a soft beta launch around Feb 2012.
This doesn’t mean this site will be executed!!! Ed and Tara have been doing an incredible job and I’ll still be writing post but come to understand I won’t be as active. It’s time to expand the market. I’ll still be around at all the events but keep in mind Miami doesn’t offer acts that I’ve been spoiled with while living in Texas. The bass scene is very alive here but it’s very brostep/moombah oriented which truthfully I can’t vibe with. Along with the sister site launch there will be a new weekly event that will be created to support the new movement here. I’m super excited to see how this pans out.
Now about this mix. It was designed on the fly to get you moving and sing along. There are times where I need to get motivated to go out to the club or bar and these tunes get me all hyped. They are mostly top 40 remixes with me giving them an extra umphhh to them and adding my glitches live. It’s been over a month since I’ve played or even mixed since I’ve been so busy with the move. Not to mention like I said I’ve kept myself isolated in Miami so not looking actively to play out. It was fun to rock out in my new studio to this. Anxious to see what the reception of this mix will be.
Afro Monk
January 26th by Taradactyl 
Tags: Naughty Yaught, Rainmaker, Thriftworks
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