Afro Monk

Every once in awhile I feel like I’m completely behind on music. My good friend +verb tipped me off on probably my favorite label right now, Robox Neotech. It’s captain and head honcho is Doshy, one of the illest around. Don’t sleep on ANYONE on this label. Demokracy is the next release for them and WOW. Seriously WHOA.

Demokracy provides some of the best earcandy I’ve experienced in years. Double Star EP is a collection of well placed glitch, wonky, beats, bass, and mind blowing samples working all so fluently. Chances are you’ll probably hear this and your mouth will drop or you’ll throw your headphones to the ground and be like JM what the hell was that. Either way it’s all sort of win in my opinion. You can grab this EP on Beatport on February 12th. All I know is the track Voight Kampff is going into my set as we speak. Time to warp this bitch! Expect much more from this label as some of the headiest cats in the game are prepping their releases. The beloved NastyNasty will be putting out a release that I’m dying to get my ears and hands on. Also +verb will be putting out a release on here that I can only pray it appears one day when I wake up sometime soon.

Thank you Doshy and everyone part of the Robox Neotech family for providing some of the most innovative new sounds. Expect to hear tons of stuff like this when you see me live. These beats are just way too much fun to play with.

Now for a special gift from them, a tune for me to give away!
Remember where you got this from cause glad to share this stuff with you!
DOWNLOAD: Demokracy – Starhaven

I’m proud to bring you info on the new enabl.ed release Saccharine Morning. This is one of the first upcoming releases that I’ve completely been taken back by. Why? It’s IDM, yeah that music tons of you make fun of by saying “ohh because other music isn’t intelligent” or “IDM sounds so elitist”. Guess what who cares what it’s called but thank God there is a genre that encompasses this type of sound. It’s been awhile since I’ve followed IDM but as of the past few weeks I’ve been venturing into the deep abyss that surrounds sounds like this along with glitch, beats, and ambient.

Global Vortex brings you this stunning release. It’s great to see a label putting out something like this. It’s not often you run into quality production like this along with much press behind it. The good people of Global Vortex sent this over and glad they did. It fits perfectly into what my style is evolving into. You can expect that entranced fun state when you hear every track. Enabl.ed brings some serious emotions into this one and hope you all check it out.

The single drops today and the full release is February 18th!
If you are remotely interested in IDM I suggest you check this out.

BUY: Single

Ben Samples is truly the most prolific producer out there in the Glitch-hop / Dubstep genre. I’ve said it a hundred times already but this guy never stop pumping out tunes. You’d think he would have slowed down with his extensive amount of shows around the States but nope…. Ben is back with another release and this time it’s on Simplify Records. 2011 has been a good year for Simplify and this is just Q1 for them. This release is everything you’ve come to love from the sounds of Samples. It’s got that heavy crunk lazer dubstep feel this time around. The last track features one of my favorite Colorado producers Omega. Chris is probably one of the most under-rated dubstep producers out there. It’s only time before Omega becomes a regular name you toss around with the big boys. Be sure to go dig into Omega Dubstep’s quality tunes out there. One of my favorites are his CocoRosie remixes and this time he throws down on a Samples remix which shines!

Skyscraper comes out February 18th but Ben has been kind enough to throw up the release on his Soundcloud. Be sure to check out the latest tracks from one of the crunkest cats in the game, Ben Samples!

GoldRush is about to drop his release Love Hz on Valentines Day this year! If you’re not familiar with him you will be soon. He is a producer out in the West Coast repping sexy intricate music. After giving the Love Hz release a few times everything just made sense. The title Love Hz describes the balance and irony of Love at it’s best. Except one of the best intro songs with a luvstep vibe turning into one of those heavy dubstep tunes we’ve all come to enjoy. The tracks flow nicely and have that warm fuzzy feel to them in different parts blended with that pain we all know that comes with Love expressed in aggressive bass lines at certain points. The release has some tracks that just blew me away. S.C.Honey is one of my favorites and a track I’ve been dropping in my sets for awhile now. The vocal work makes tracks give such depth to the tune leaving you want it to go back and take your heart away.

GoldRush has quite the future ahead of him as he has support and surrounded by some of the biggest emerging artist in California. He is one of those guys who is already part of the culture and ready to release his sound out to the world. Love Hz is a perfect introduction to what is to come and an example that Luvstep is alive and bringing the bass. He has put together a promo mini mix to help promo the release. Get a small taste of what is to come this Valentines Day from GoldRush!

Love Hz Promo Mix Tracklist:
Carpe Diem for Lovers
MySkye
S.C.Honey
It’s When I Miss All of You
Because – [GoldRush remix ]
SuperSymmetry
PopRocks
Astralover
Bjork – Joga [GoldRush Attack of the Black Smoke Remix]

BUY: Goldrush – Love Hz

ill-esha & Ron G have come together to begin a fairly new label, True Score Theory, to share the music they come across that deserves a respected home.

2009 marked the beginning of the label and has many plans for the years ahead. Their goal is to create a soundtrack of releases to hit every mood and micro-expression of ones life.

Antiserum is one of the most talented and unique producers in the game right now. His release with ill-esha on Dub Police absolutely crushes it. He recently came together with Vinja and MC Messinian. This two track debut on True Score Theory he creates a bridge into the world of dubstep and hip-hop. Messinian adds stylish vocals over these hypnotic bass lines which make for a perfect blend.

Bang Out & Sound War create a deep reggae and dub vibes that are quite rare to hear in the mess of overly aggressive dubstep tunes. The MC work on both these two never crosses the line of being too much or too little like many tracks similar to these. Be sure to check out the clip previews below to understand how Antiserum & Vinja has created the perfect melodies on both of these tracks.

Be on the look out here on Afromonk.com for an exclusive remix off the brand new Cherry Blossoms EP by ill-esha!

The Cali based duo Virtual Boy trained by none other than the great Steve Nelepa are getting ready for another EP out on Alphapup! Symphony No. None is absolutely breathe taking. It takes you back to such a familar place where cinema and old 8bit games meet when you were young. They write  such delicious synth lines that leave you hanging for more after every track. These two are seriously on that next level juice and ready to blow up.

Preston Walker and Henry Allen clearly have a grasp on what it is to express true emotions on these four tracks. The opening track Thrust explodes with a vividly clean intro line and slams you down with epic 8-bit sounds that reaches such a climatic drop that makes you just gasp. Breach of the Descendants takes you to a mellowed out chill ambient vibe from the start as you feel as everything around you has stopped but you’re on an escalator passing the world by slowly. The Future Holds a Beat takes you on an exciting tour of colorful beats and melodic bass lines. Mass closes off this release with one of the most hypnotizing intros I’ve heard. This track by far steals the show and can only wait till I get to start a set with this one. Once the beat kicks in it’s all systems go for one of the interesting tunes I’ve heard in 2011. It’s as if the beat stretches and contracts like an accordion. The sway and feel to this one sends chills… The closing line is gorgeous and encompasses such beauty with the perfect amount of bass that will have you reaching for a lighter and the repeat button.

Symphony No. None is due out February 1st, 2011 on the infamous Alphapup label.

Tracklist:
1. Thrust
2. Breach of the Descendants
3. The Future Holds a Beat
4. Mass

The lovely people at Alphapup have allowed me to give away my favorite tune off the release, Mass. Be sure to pick this one up! This is a for sure hit and perfect opener.

DOWNLOAD: Virtual Boy – Mass

Freddy Todd is as legit as they come. His musical background as a kid has lead him to day. Freddy reps Detroit hard and is ready to show you whats up. It’s been almost a year that I’ve been waiting for a copy of this release. Neon Spectacle Operator debuts a grand picture of what Freddy has going on. This two disc LP is just the beginning and only another landmark day to embrace Freddy’s talent. There is no way I could list all my favorites because each tune slays with heavy bass lines and sullen melodies.

I assure you each and every tune on this LP will get you moving. The opening tune describes it perfectly with the sample, “I make it easy for you to bop to this.” Get ready for an incredible journey into bass, dubstep, glitch, idm, etc… Freddy will have you hooked from the start and just when you thought you had enough the 2nd disc starts up.

Be sure to check out Freddy at a city near you. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to spend a week-end with him and Elfkowitz when I brought them into Miami during summer of 2010. Super awesome dude to be around and from the moment of meeting him you know Freddy means business. He really knows whats up with music whenever he talks about it. It’s great to see this release finally appear a few days after Elfkowitz Prolific EP dropped. Detroit bringing it!

Pick up a copy of the album on Additech featuring collabs with some of the most talented producers in the game: Black Mic, ill-esha, Joe Mousepad, Lila Rose, Augusta Morrison, Elfkowitz, Unc and Athena Koumis.

BUY: Freddy Todd – Neon Spectacle Operator

Preview:

Much respect and love to Freddy!
It’s finally out!

Big ups to Simplify Records.
2011 has been insane!

Papa Skunk (aka Dan K) is a producer and DJ based out of Boulder, CO and a member of The Skunk Boyz. He’s been playing music for over 10 years and started producing electronic music 2 years ago. For production, he uses logic instead of the most commonly used ableton which is why his sound might be a little different from other producers with similar styles. A few days ago he released a 7 song all original EP for FREE through his soundcloud page. The release is a lot of fun and makes ya wanna dance. It’s a nice mix of glitchhop, dupstep, and crunk with some appropriate samples. The samples used in the track “What’s a Rave” make me smile

I could see An-ten-nae recruiting this up and coming producer for one of his next acid crunk compilations. Check out the tracks here and grab the free downloads:

A Skunk is Born EP [FREE D/L]

And you seriously need to grab his “Remixes Round 1 ep” which he also just put up for free download on his bandcamp page along with this release. It includes some quality remixes of tracks by Ludacris, LoBounce, Elli Goulding, and Samples. Grab it here: http://papaskunk.bandcamp.com.

The Skunk Boyz are throwing a benefit show on January 20th in Denver with the Mile High Sound Movement (Project Aspect, Unlimited Gravity, etc.). They are going to donate all the money to a local children’s charity and hope to give electronic music a better image in the community. The lineup is stacked: Bass Science, LoBounce, Unlimited Aspect (Unlimited Gravity vs Project Aspect), Papa Skunk, Animus Invidious, and Ecliptik.  Papa Skunk will be debuting some new unreleased material at the show too! You can find more info and check out other upcoming events at www.theskunkboyz.com.

Thanks for the hot free tunes Dan and I love your quote on your bandcamp page so I’m gonna share it here:

“I’ll keep putting out the free music, you guys keep dancing!!”

-EA

EA@afromonk.com

Hey, what’s up!  It’s EA.  I’m baaaaack!  Got my new computer with a hard drive 5x larger than the last and ready to start downloading shit loads of muzak again.  I’ve been trying to catch up on all the releases I’ve missed, the tons of emails in my inbox, facebook, soundcloud, etc… and for the 1st time ever I can honestly say that I am overwhelmed with the amount of good music being thrown at me.  But that’s not a bad thing, trust me!  I’ve been sifting through the tons of submissions we’ve gotten recently to afromonk and this Circuit Imprimé ep from the French duo Turnsteak is definitely a stand out.  There’s some proper glitched out tunes on here that leave me wanting for more.  There’s even a nice little remix of Ill-esha’s “Risky Rutabaga.” Best part of all is that they’ve put up the release for free.

Pick it up here: Circuit Imprime

-EA@afromonk.com

Having missed most of EOTO’s late-night set at this past summer’s Wakarusa, I was ready and waiting to settle into a long night of free-form, fully-improvised electro and dubstep from the side project of  Michael Travis and Jason Hann, both of The String Cheese Incident. Before they took to the Zydeco stage, a familiar face beat them to it – Alabama’s own White Noise, also known as Grant Willis. I’ve seen Grant perform quite a few times now, but he always has something in his set that surprises me; this time it came in the form of a remix of Nit GriT’s “Grit Shifter”, a track I’ve played on my radio show as one of my personal favorites. Lighting by March One Music added to excitement as the crowd eagerly awaited the main act.

As I mentioned, I hadn’t had the chance to witness a full EOTO set yet and really didn’t know what to anticipate. The duo’s love for live improvisation guaranteed a journey through multiple genres — but I had no idea what I was in store for. To explain it best, I think I’ll quote the wide-eyed kid I ran into during the 15 minute set break, describing his take on EOTO’s performance; “It’s like I have no idea how we got to where we are now but I sort of remember where we came from and even though the two are on opposite ends of the spectrum it sort of seems like we’re where we’re supposed to be, when we’re supposed to be there.” Heady? Maybe. True? I think so.

If I had recorded EOTO’s entire set, then broken it up and played in back out of order, I honestly believe much of the awe-factor would be lost. The composition of the performance as a whole has this inexplicable way of connecting the audience to the performers to such a degree that, as unnamed kid was trying to explain, it is clear that the audience is being intelligently guided through a deliberately mapped journey through sound.

EOTO continue their tour with stops in Charleston, SC and Jacksonville, FL and will ring in the New Year with Dieselboy, Heyoka, NastyNasty, Nit GriT, Freddy Todd, Jantsen and S.P.E.C.T.R.E. at a three-stage extravaganza to be held at City Hall in Denver, CO.