It has been awhile since I’ve made a post but Molly and Tara have been holding it down =)
Alright, now to business. Adam aka Ahab is someone I had to bring your attention too again. It has been awhile since I’ve moved back from Texas and Adam is one of those producers I got to connect with while there. People ask me all the time who I’ve been jamming too and figured that the next few post should be about those up and coming producers that I see a bright future ahead of them.
Ahab has had a few releases on his own and with Black Market Pharmacy.
I got a small taste of some freshies directly from him the other day. Now as I’m going through some music for some upcoming shows I’m playing, I thought to myself. Man, I need to make sure to hype this guys name out there because it’s only going to get better. If there’s a young new producer that is really standing out but making music that reminds me of the past lazer bass stuff, it’s Ahab.
I think we’ll be hearing the name Ahab a lot more as time progresses. He’s young and developing into an extremely talented producer. It’s always great to see a friend mature and develop their sound. Not to mention there’s the whole Black Market Pharmacy project that he is part of which consist of some other close friends.
Be sure to check out his Soundcloud to keep up with all his upcoming music! =D
With the exception of the lucky people who attended Lucidity, most of us are anxiously awaiting the beginning of everyone’s favorite time of year, FESTIVAL SEASON!!! I know I for one am super ready to bust out my (playa) dusty tent, LED’s , unicorn swag, and of course my best dancing shoes. As of now, I’ve got my season’s plans pretty much all lined up and the first official stop of my 2013 Bass Summer is in Black River Falls, Wisconsin at the Infrasound Music Festival.
Twin Cities Dubstep joined forces with the Untz.com to bring this young festival back bigger and better for it’s second year. Twin Cities Dubstep is a major player in the midwest electronic music scene, booking everyone from massive headliners to up and coming locals to classic favorites of every genre. Needless to say, the festival has stirred up a lot of excitement in that and surrounding areas and is proving to be actual competition against some of the bigger festivals, such as Wakarusa, that happen to be sharing the same date. The location is looking absolutely lovely and thanks to the late May date, the weather should fall at that really nice level right before the wretched midwest summer humidity (not my steez!). The festival grounds are nestled among a surrounding forest and includes a small lake whose shores will be home to a daytime beach stage. One of the best aspects of this festival is definitely it’s price. I was shocked to see the earliest early bird tickets at only $50 and even now the current price is at a mere $95 and will raise to a still-relatively-cheap-for-the-lineup $120 at the door. Plus a portion of the profits are going towards a Minneapolis non-profit, Save Our Schools, and their goal to save an inner city music program. Awesome! Located about 2.5 hours from Minneapolis, 3 from Milwaukee, and 4 from Chicago, it’s a super mellow trek from many of the major music hubs of that region. So basically if you’re around, there aren’t too many good excuses not to come out and play Ok enough shit about logistics, let’s talk music!
For many of you, you’ll be so sold at the next word that you might as well stop reading this now and go ahead and purchase your ticket : TIPPER. Although this fact might change with the new announcement of the Symbiosis lineup, Infrasound is the ONLY festival this summer that will be hosting this musical mad man/genius/higher being as their headliner and not only that, booked him to play TWICE on Saturday. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about the promised twilight downtempo set ( I’m pretty convinced a fairy is born every time he plays a song from Broken Soul Jamboree live) and I’m making a solid and public warning right now to gtfo out of my way during the second set cause this girl + outdoor sound systems + Tipper = elbow poppin, hip displacing, melted minded, third eye to toe dance floor ridiculousness. To complete the sensory experience, the legendary digital artist Android Jones will be supplying the visuals.
Another performance I’m really looking forward to is Liquid Stranger’s downtempo set. Known mainly for his masterfully produced and absolutely crushing Dubstep, Drumstep, and DnB, Liquid Stranger has toured all over the world playing bass music but Infrasound will be his first ever Downtempo/IDM set. Anyone familiar with his album “Cryogenic Encounters” or his pre Rottun work knows how magical this is going to be. Some more artists I’m personally excited to see are Haywyre, Billy Blacklight, Thriftworks, Grimblee, Mumukshu, Megalodon, Shwex, Bogtrotter, Smilodon, Loom In Essence, and Spankalicious! You can also catch some bigger name festival favorites : Gramatik, HeRobust, MartyParty, Luminox, and the beautiful Emancipator. Best part of all? Main stage is going to be on a gorgeous Funktion One rig.
The festivities begin May 31st, which is a little over three weeks away, so there is still plenty of time to get your ticket, your crew, your whiskey to share with me, and your beautiful selves ready for what’s sure to be an amazing weekend. I will see you on the dancefloor!
Recently I’ve been obsessed with the cheesiest music. Think super colorful and vibrant and bright, or as me and my best friend call it, “Azn Baby Music” because of it’s total absolute freshness and cuteness. But when listening to Mumukshu’s music, which fits into none of the above, I find myself back in the grimey swamps of bass I once knew very well. And I could not be happier to be here. His deep and textural sound exudes a heavy, dark, and alien flavor. There’s some excellent appropriately murky sound design in there with some very well done and interesting tribal vibed melodies. I’m sure it will really speak to some of you cosmic drifters, whether your journey be internal, external, or somewhere in between. I especially love his collaboration work with Shwex, whom you should all be expecting a post on quite soon. Associated with the mighty Enig’matik Records, he fits in well with the atmospheric, cutting edge, and indefinable work we’ve all come to know and love from the label.
Mumukshu, pictured above with Plantrae on the violin in Tahoe, is Jake Penn from Minneapolis, who’s currently studying Music and Technology at CalArts in LA and is starting to pop up more and more on lineups in the area. He’s young, inspired, and has a ton of potential, so start following him now, because we’re expecting some really great work from him in the coming year!
Similar to my post on Rustie, I feel the need to write this because I am completely blown away that I’m still introducing these guys’ work to people. In my humble opinion, Lunice and Hudson Mohawke are two of the most important producers in all of electronic music and when I first heard they were teaming up to create a collaboration project, I was elated to say the least. TNGHT (pronounced “tonight”) is the result of these two musical mastermind’s coming together and oh my god, is it some successful teamwork.
I feel completely silly using the term “Trap” when I feel like I have been listening to music composed in that exact fashion for years now. Maybe I’m spoiled because I grew up in the thriving Bay Area music scene, but this type of music is nothing new and I wish we could just look at music as music instead of needing to create these specific genres that get obsessed over and then for the most part almost always fall off because of it. Hip hop and electronic music have always ran parallel to one another and the similarities of most contemporary hip hop beats and electronic dance music are too extreme for me to even consider there to be a difference. But if you have found the recent popularity of the slightly minimalist hip hop/bass music hybrid we as a community now call Trap to be your forte, then you are in for quite a treat, because nobody does it quite like TNGHT does. Both of these dudes are very talented producers and are at the forefront of freshness, so you can expect basically anything that comes from them to be epic.
They released the below track for a slew of U.S. tour dates that included both weekends at Coachella. I was lucky enough to see them perform live on a great sound system in San Francisco on 4/20 and their stage presence, energy, and sheer skill made it one of the better shows I’ve ever seen. So for you first time listeners, let me introduce you to what could be your new favorite group.
There’s truly no words for how I feel about this producer’s work. His last album revolutionized my taste in electronic music and despite it’s 2011 release date, is still getting plays on the daily. He is far from new, having made tracks with Joker a few years back, and is definitely way past the point of “up and coming”, but yet I still find myself having to introduce his music to the poor people who somehow missed his huge shoot in popularity after the release of the one and only, Glass Swords. The artist I am talking about is Russel Whyte, known by most as Rustie, and I believe it to be absolutely crucial for every fan of electronic music to give his work a chance.
Glass Swords, his 2011 debut album, was by far my favorite release of that year and is without a doubt one of my favorite albums of all time. The release was massive and received rave reviews from listeners and critics alike. At that point in time, I hadn’t heard anything like it before. His shiny fresh synth work creates an otherworldy experience and it is the exact kind of musical world I want to always be in – lush and epic with heavily retro, hip hop, and science fiction influences. It is truly the music of my dreams and it so freaking well done. The two times I have seen Rustie perform, first in the desert at Symbiosis and then in a tiny, grimy basement club at SXSW, have been beyond phenomenal and incredibly fun, so I highly advise to do your best to not miss the chance to see him when he’s in the states. Basically all I’m trying to say is that I LOVE THIS MAN!
His most recent release,Triadzz/Slasherr definitely reflects the current state of electronic music, while still keeping a strongly unique Rustie style. Both of the tracks are absolutely amazing pieces that will straight kick your ass on the dancefloor. I anxiously await the announcement of a second album from him, but for now the perfection that is Triadzz and Slasherr will definitely keep me somewhat satisfied. Happy listening!
The last few days, the soulful and smooth beats of Penthouse Penthouse have been gracefully playing on repeat in the background of my life. I originally thought I didn’t know much about the two dudes behind this collaboration project , Preston James and Mike Parvizi (Papi), but I recently figured out that Preston James is Preston Walker from the excellent live electronic duo, Virtual Boy, a group I really loved after first seeing them perform live in 2010 but haven’t heard much from the last couple years.
Their name fits perfectly with their style of music, alluding to long nights that turn into early mornings on a top floor penthouse suite, Moët in hand, silk sheets, and booty all around. Penthouse Penthouse is part of the always impressive Team Supreme, a collective of top notch producers that take part in what’s basically a weekly beat competition, in which each producer is given an artist chosen BPM, two samples, one transition sound, and one remix and then creates a one minute track that is put together with everyone else’s into a podcast. I love the idea, it’s super fun, but not only that, the execution is amazing, for every producer involved in the project as well as the guests they choose are incredible. I was introduced to Penthouse Penthouse through their Team Supreme entries, but have now fallen in love with the work they’ve already put out on their soundcloud and can’t wait to hear more from the two.
Lucidity… What an all-embracing festival! It was like a breath of fresh air. Somehow it was even better than I imagined it could possibly be – one of my favorite gatherings that I have been to yet. The positive spirit and vibes that resonated through Live Oak Camp were supreme. Every time I looked around to soak in my surroundings I observed beaming faces, vibrant colors, friends giggling, soulful frequencies, beautiful artwork, playing children, souls connecting and engaging, and so much more. The festival was exceptionally well thought-out and much attention was paid to detail, giving participants a sensation of intimacy and inclusion. That’s all we humans really ask for, no?
I will touch on the magical moments that stood out the most for me. One piece of the Lucidity puzzle was completely different than anything I had ever seen before- Save the Mermaids. Next to the LucidStage one could observe beautiful mermaids basking in the sun, spinning around in the water, and doing tricks in awe. Yes, mermaids… tails and all! The mermaids “act as ambassadors to the sea by educating [the] community about human-sourced ocean pollution and advocating for lifestyles and behaviors that benefit the ocean environment.” And let me tell you, that was one hell of a way to do so! Another memorable part of Lucidity was Ego Trip’s Peacocking Party…. So many good peoples getting down! Sangria and peacock feathers were provided for all, and the sense of community was wonderful. Other things I loved about the festival – the “mapdanas” (rather than wasteful paper maps that create MOOP, organizers created tasteful bandanas that served as maps for participants – radsauce!), the delicious food, the super fun late-night silent disco parties, and the art gallery located in the center. Everything about the gathering was just incredible!
While in the land of lucid dreaming, I almost found myself pinching myself on a few occasions because I constantly felt that I was in a surreal parallel universe. Or even Lucid dreaming! If you are able to, I would highly suggest doing whatever it takes to come participate in one of the best festivals I have been to, Lucidity. Bless!
So earlier on I mentioned doing a ticket giveaway for Emissions Festival tickets. The festival is going to be absolutely incredible! You don’t want to miss this! Follow the instructions below; 2 winners will receive full weekend tickets for Emissions!
By simply liking Afro Monk on Facebook, you are granted 3 entries to the contest.
By tweeting about this contest you are granted 2 entries.
By sharing a post about this on Facebook, you are granted 1 entry.
Click on the link below for instructions…. Now get going!
Exciting news! Boards of Canada have finally disclosed details about their new album, Tomorrow’s Harvest, which is set to release on Tuesday, June 11. The Scottish electronic duo has been quite elusive in regards to the upcoming release, sending followers on an inquest for clues that finally culminated in a tease video.
This information was revealed via the band’s website today. Boards of Canada have progressively shared a series of numbers which is the password to their website. The password is “699742628315717228936557813386519225.” Plug those numbers in on their website to see the cryptic tease video!
This is the band’s first LP since “The Campfire Headphase” in 2005. The 17-song tracklist is below. Tomorrow’s Harvest
1. Gemini
2 Reach for the Dead
3. White Cyclosa
4. Jacquard Causeway
5. Telepath
6. Cold Earth
7. Transmisiones Ferox
8. Sick Times
9. Collapse
10. Palace Posy
11. Split Your Infinities
12. Uritual
13. Nothing Is Real
14. Sundown
15. New Seeds
16. Come To Dust
17. Semena Mertvykh
We’re so excited for this one! Stay tuned for a review of Boards of Canada’s full-length album.
Could it be? After almost a year of hearing it wasn’t going to happen, is it actually going to happen? Did the bass gods really hear my prayers? Today at around 3:30 PST, the Symbiosis Events fan page surprised us all by posting the above image as their new cover photo. As you can see in the image, it is implied that there is going to be a Symbiosis Gathering this year! No other details have been released as of now, but the 19-23 on the far left side suggests a September date, as those dates happens to fall on a Thurs-Mon in that month. Hell freaking yeah.
Somewhere between watching a full solar eclipse over gorgeous Pyramid Lake, crying out of happiness seeing Rustie play for the first time on Friday night, and witnessing the universe and my sanity with it implode into ever decreasing nothingness and then tumble back into a newly formed and more beautiful reality during Tipper’s eclipse set on Sunday, I figured out that Symbiosis Gathering 2012 might have been my favorite festival ever. The lineup was top notch and unmatchable that summer and the location was nothing short of phenomenal. I didn’t attend the legendary Symbiosis in 2009, but have heard nothing but the very, very, very best about it. That being said, I’m hoping 2013 will be their best year yet and I can not wait to hear more information. We’ll try to keep you guys updated here at Afro Monk and keep your eye out for news on their website.
Love and Low Frequencies,
Molly
UPDATE:
This morning, those following Symbiosis were given more details in the mysterious and cryptic hunt for clues about the gathering:
“The stage is set, and signed, and sealed
It’s time to forge ahead with zeal
Anticipation and excitement grow
For all the stuff you’d like to know
The time and place, or so it seems
Is the next piece of this crazy scheme
So gather round and prepare your head
Open three eyes and let your soul be fed
At this, the year of the water snake
Which is embodied by the lake
A place which you may never have heard:
The sun-drenched loch of old Woodward
The time and place you now shall learn:
A fortnight after the epic burn
The gathering begins on the fullest moon
19th of September, festivities begin at noon!
5 days of art, music, and adventure! An astounding assortment of sensory delights! Curious characters and eccentric explorers. Rare beauties and beautiful rarities. The wise, the wild, the weird, the wonderful. Dancing, swimming, and making merry together!
TICKETS GO ONSALE 14 MAY 10AM PST”
Symbiosis will be held September 19-23 at Woodward Reservoir, CA!
See all of you lovelies there!
Afro Monk
May 7th by John-Michael 
Tags: ahab, black market pharmacy
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Ok enough shit about logistics, let’s talk music!
