Sunmonx’s debut release “Power Salad” is one I have been waiting for all winter because I’m a sucker for live instrumentation blended with top notch production. Sunmonx consists of the Australian duo of Opiuo’s tight production style with Austero’s down under funky guitar rifts. This tight fusion of production blends together pieces from many genres including bass music, blues, and funk. I picked up moments that really reminded me of Signal Path’s funky guitar while other tracks slowed things down and had a much chiller organic sound. The Australians have been killing it this past year and this release is no exception. Power Salad is true to its name, a sonic fusion that explores new dimensions of the electronica spectrum.
Sunmonx is releasing “Power Salad” on March 21st, but you can get it Pre-Release on Interchill’s bandcamp and Addictech March 7th.
One of my favorite Bass Innovators Nico Luminous is providing a new audible treat with releasing his 3ed Ep entitled “Unearth the Diamond.” Personally, I only got turned on to the LA, based producer last year from JM the creator of Afromonk.com, but he has become part of my constant rotation, his tracks finding their way into my dj sets and mixes. Don’t get me wrong, just because I was late to the scene, Nico Luminous is a longtime member of the Bass community sharing the stage with some of the greats including, Vibesquad, Dave Tipper, and Heyoka. Hopefuly, I will have my first pleasure of hearing a live performance at the up and coming Lucidity Festival! The specific sounds that set Nico Luminous ahead of the pack in my mind is how he makes electronic music sexy. He stretches the limits of his software and pulls together elements of the bass genre into one seamless package that is a pure sex. Catch a show this spring and hear for yourself, Nico has a busy touring schedule taking him from Coasta Rica to Texas, Cali, Nevada, Utah and Washington. I hope to catch up to this talented individual this spring and enjoy the positivity his music brings to our community and the larger galaxy. In Nico Luminous words, ”Music is nourishment for the soul, a bridge to unseen worlds. I’m grateful to have dedicated my life to something that brings people together in Love and Peace.”
Pickup your copy of this Masterpiece and support one of the true Innovators of our Bass Community at his Bandcamp page.
Luke with Blunt Instrument sent over their new release “The Pocket” over a week ago and it has been my nonstop soundtrack for all my mountain adventures this week. I was feeling guilty that I couldn’t get to town sooner to get a post up about these killer tunes. These guys are coming out swinging and can backup the noise they are creating. Dropping their first release in over a year on Simplify Recordings, Blunt Instrument worked hard in the lab to bring some fresh tight productions to the table. Each tune is polished and ready to destroy some dance floors. I can tell you from personal experience that these tunes put your brain in a perfect mindset for playing in the powder slopes! My favorite tune on the Ep is the title track, the pocket, with its driving beats and its energy filled bass, but I’m just a ski bum with a music addiction. Don’t take my word check this release out for yourselves.
Must admit if I had to pick 3 acts that I would be really excited to watch perform this summer, Blunt Instrument, would be on that list. Hopefully they will make it stateside. Make sure to keep up with with their plans and any new tunes they release on their facebook page. Http://facebook.com/bluntinstrument
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!
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.
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.
“You are obviously getting paid….I have checked your blog and it sucks….you play everything safe…you are paid off by muti..
headtron and thats about it….you miss so much… your blog has become old news …..Your Part of the problem….Your the PEPSI of my industry……Living off us real producers…..YOUR BLOG SUCKS……”
I just got this message and wanted to share it with you all because you know how much I get paid to write blog post. LOL.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!
Guess I’m doing something right if have my first official hater.
Sucks I can’t use this to make more cash on this post. hahahaha
Afro Monk
March 2nd by Mr Ed 
Tags: Austero, interchill, Opiuo, Power Salad, Sunmonx
Sunmonx’s debut release “Power Salad” is one I have been waiting for all winter because I’m a sucker for live instrumentation blended with top notch production. Sunmonx consists of the Australian duo of Opiuo’s tight production style with Austero’s down under funky guitar rifts. This tight fusion of production blends together pieces from many genres including bass music, blues, and funk. I picked up moments that really reminded me of Signal Path’s funky guitar while other tracks slowed things down and had a much chiller organic sound. The Australians have been killing it this past year and this release is no exception. Power Salad is true to its name, a sonic fusion that explores new dimensions of the electronica spectrum.
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