Afro Monk

So first things first – how can you not want to give a listen to a group that calls themselves Robotic Pirate Monkey? This fun trio from Boulder, CO brings the heat in their 4th release, Colors in Disguise. The nine-track album is upbeat, unique, and all-embracing; it provides an easy listening, soundtrack of your life kind of feel. Sprinkled with vibrant melody, tasteful samples, and resonant bass, the dynamic album leaves you with a feeling of bliss and exuberance. I have already been consistently listening to and really digging Rio de Fuego, which they released quite some time ago. The rest of the album is nothing short of brilliant! I love the deepness of Moon on the Man; the pulsating bass had me grooving in my chair at work. I think that Pantone Polygamy might be my favorite overall as I tend to lean towards synthy vivacious tunes.

I caught these guys at Lightning in a Bottle 2010 and have to say I really enjoyed their live set. They seem like the kind of guys you’d want to kick back and crack open a beer or light one up with. I’m also stoked to see them again at SnowGlobe on New Years Eve – if you’re at the festival (which you should be – the lineup is insane), make sure you don’t miss Robotic Pirate Monkey!

Grab Robotic Pirate Monkey’s free new release, Colors in Disguise, here.

Here’s to amazing, FREE music!

Of Porcelain aka Josh Mayer is no joke my favorite producer. Anyone who has ever talked to me about producing music eventually knows that my biggest influence would be Of Porcelain. The downtempo trip-hop artist is most well known by his other alias Ooah of The Glitch Mob. He also has other projects he is part as well such as PantyRaid and The Seedling Escape.

Josh has created such an impression with me that he’s probably one of the few artist out there that still feel starstruck whenever something appears from him. Despite recently seeing him preform with MartyParty as PantyRaid at Lightning in a Bottle he regained my faith that there’s a possibility of some more Of Porcelain or melodic sexy music still inside him after that underwhelming Superior EP. Watching him play you could see Marty jumping up and going crazy during the heavy aggressive basslines and you could see Josh just chillen grooving. It was obvious when Josh picked a tune as you could see him swaying to the chill beat and getting into it and see Marty just standing there. It’s interesting to see and hear the obvious differences in their music today. You can really tell the parts Marty wrote and the parts Josh wrote.

This new track by Of Porcelain brings so much faith back into music and where I first fell in love with chill glitchy beats. Ooah’s most recent track on soundcloud The Love I Need almost left me questioning if he was just experimenting or changing his sound towards this new direction PantyRaid was going for. He is extremely busy now with the upcoming Glitch Mob tour and has quite the insane life touring with Marty as well so I can only hope after the tours tone down we will see Of Porcelain revisited or hell even The Seedling Escape. Kitty D has been on a role as well and still has that unique sound which continues to stray away from the heavy bass beats. I can’t tell you how disappointing it is to see so many others fall to the trap of making heavy dance floor bangers.

Josh, Thank you for what you do and the music you create. I think I speak on behalf of many of your fans and lovers of music when saying this: PLEASE Of Porcelain album is way long overdue and in this brostep era something beautiful is needed baddddd. Take your time. BUT please everyone is craving something new with those hypnotic tones you’ve shown in the past. See you at the Dallas date if not out of town for a show. Much Respect & Love.

Grab the NEW Of Porcelain tune off the Seek Sick Sound Comp Vol. 2

Gladkill, will always be a legend in my book. I’ll never forget when he first caught my ear when he entered The Glitch Mob contest. I was completely star struck once I spending more time checking out his work. I made it a mission of mine to push this guys sound like no other. I’ll never forget getting his short mix for his last release Ghostwork. I had just moved to Dallas that week-end and I must of listened to it 10x in a row. I played it to my good friend Gooddroid and she even was impressed considering she is one of the pickiest out there like myself.

Fast forward to todays world and I just was in California for Lightning in a Bottle where I got to see Boris aka Gladkill show the west coast bass scene how it’s done proper. It was his debut of his new release to a large crowd. It was a honor to see him received so well. Boris has become one of the closest people to me whether he sees it or not haha. He’s the one dude that I see walking around and can relate to the most. His attitude and take on this whole thing is one of the most humbling I’ve seen so far. He is one of people I always enjoy running into and just kicking while walking around and lightning up with whoever is around. It doesn’t hurt that his music and style is probably some of the best in my ears.

Boris has matured a lot in this EP since his last Ghostworks release. You can hear a deeper and more developed sound. The release flows smoothly with tones you are familiar with when it comes to Gladkill yet has a bit more depth and feel to it. I had the pleasure of hearing some of this while it was being finished up and wow you can really hear a difference in quality and improvement over the past couple months of following his music.

I can’t wait for you all to experience Lovelost! June 13th marks its official release on Made in Glitch. Also expect to see his remix of ill-esha’s Only Fair to appear as it instantly became an instant classic in my book after my first listen of it. Keep watch for Gladkill coming to a festival near you. He’s on fire right now melting hearts on stage at many of this years major events. Expect a mini mix of Lovelost to appear soon as it will be added here once I get it =)

Nothing but tons of respect and love for my good friend Boris.
Truly one of the great producers of our time.
I’m glad to call him a friend and have had opportunity to spend a good amount of time around him.

ill-esha, one of the most talented and beautiful women in the business has recently put out a small EP, Cherry Blossoms, out on TrueScoreTheory. The title track features her hypnotic vocals and signature bass sounds we have all come to love.

Along with her title track comes a group of all stars that take their stab at what they’ve taken from this track. All of the remixes are full throttled with extra bass and dance floor ready. The legendary Trillbass squad dialed in a heavy hitting remix that builds up and drops seamlessly. East coast bass king Mindelixir produces another mind tingling remix which gives you a small preview of what his next full LP might sound like. Lastly Dan Wall and Ron Gee close this EP off with some fire business.

Be sure to catch ill-esha while she’s tour all over the States. Can’t wait to see her again on my adventure to Lightning in a Bottle this year!

BUY: ill-esha – Cherry Blossoms

Also be sure to grab the FREE Splatinum remix

Stephan Jacobs is interesting in his fans to help him out a bit. He is getting ready a lot of shows ahead and his laptop is on verge of dying due to all the changes. After talking to him a bit he told me that as he is gearing up a whole new live setup with some new toys and now running solely WAVs instead of Mp3s and his laptop is starting to give up.

Stephan decided that he’d put some of his work hard work up for sale to help raise the money for a new laptop. He is selling some of his NI Massive patches that he has built. Any starting producer or even experienced one could get a lot of value out of this $15 package. This is a way to help a fellow musician out as well as gain some knowledge on what one of the rising stars has been doing.

Not only has he decided to sell this product he put together but he’s also giving away his Emancipator – When I Go remix as a sign of good faith. This track explodes and has such great depth to it.

Be sure to be on the look out for Stephan as he embarks on some exciting shows such as Coachella next week and Lightning in a Bottle at the end of May. I’m looking forward to catching up with him as it seems like awhile now. Also word on the street is he has been working closely with Love and Light on some tunes… Who knows what’s ahead with that… A collab EP, tour, etc… ? The world may never know but expect something…

BUY: Stephan Jacobs Massive Patches

Lightning in a Bottle Pre-sales are available TODAY only (Monday 2/28)!

If you’re not familiar with Lightning in a Bottle you might have heard people calling it LIB. It’s a festival hosted by The Do Lab in California and promises some of the best music related in the Glitch-Hop, Whomp, Dubstep, Live Electronica, and Bass. This year the event will take place May 27th – 30th.

I am constantly asked about festivals and if I ever recommendation any it’s going to be LIB every time. Imagine top quality production with some of the freshest producers and DJs featured along with tons of breathe taking art, workshops, speakers, and more!

Pre-sales are $175 and will be at that price for only 24hrs. This post is a little late but JUMP ON THIS ASAP!

Official ticket sales begin tomorrow and will be priced at $195. The final price at the door if it doesn’t sell out will be $225. I’ll be honest with you, it won’t surprise me if this year it sells out.

For more information please visit their website at Lightning in a Bottle 2011.

BUY: Lightning in a Bottle 2011 tickets.

Last year it changed my life entirely and highly recommend this event to any first time festival goers!

Stephan Jacobs is a rising star in the glitch hop world. He’s 1/2 of Keether which has done a lot over the years for the west coast community. Stephan has been putting out quality tracks throughout the entire year. 2010 has been a monumental year for him establishing himself as solo performer. I had the pleasure of getting to meet him for the first time in person during Lightning in a Bottle this year and even got to catch his renegade set out there.

It’s my pleasure to bring you his 2010 year end mix filled with all originals. As you can see all the hard work he has put into this year shines in this mix. He’s had some amazing collaborations and has many more tracks up his sleeve. Be on the look out for touring dates with Sugarpill in 2011 and an incredible live version of Level Attack.

Nothing but respect for Mr. Jacobs. As many of you regular readers know I have been looking for an apprenticeship to begin learning production. The spot was filled by Stephan awhile ago. Unfortunately I’ve been swamped by endless amounts of work and lack of wireless internet at my new house but once I’m all ready we going to work. Can’t thank him enough for offering this opportunity to learn from one of my favorite producers and great friend.

Tracklist
1. Bluetech – Leaving Babylon (Stephan Jacobs Remix)
Notorious Thugs Accapella
2. Ben Samples & Stephan Jacobs – Nano Puppy
3. Ellie Goulding – Under The Sheets (Stephan Jacobs Remix)
4. Stephan Jacobs & +Verb – Blind Dreams
5. Stephan Jacobs & Sugarpill – Level Attack feat Naada (Original Mix)
7. Stephan Jacobs & ChrisB. – Flux Capacitor (Luniz Edit)
8. Stephan Jacobs – Hyperion
9. Stephan Jacobs – Top Shelf

DOWNLOAD: Stephan Jacobs – All Original Mix

Kraddy is BACK with full force! Today we get a small tease of his upcoming release Labyrinth. This EP is going to smash some crowds. I’ve heard bits and pieces of it and wow serious bass is coming your way. No Comply will be filling the dancefloors everywhere you go so get ready and be sure to download this tune. Kraddy will most likely be heading to a city near you while he tags along some dates with Ana Sia. The last time I saw him was at Lightning in a Bottle and this guy is no stranger to a party. He’ll have probably at least 5 girls dancing up on stage with him as he slays the masses. Kraddy thank you sir for all you have done to help bring the glitch and bass. Jesus why hasn’t anyone used that… Glitch & Bass. (runs and registers the domain).

Be sure to be on the look out for the Labyrinth EP due out November 9th on Alpha Pup and the epic album release party at the greatest weekly on Earth, Low End Theory!

Download: Kraddy – No Comply

The Do Lab presents Lightning in Your Ear! The album is finally out and is completely free or pay what you like. Anything you give as payment is given to http://criticalbeats.org. There’s a ton of quality tracks off this release so be sure to download this. It really does take me back to the festival. Much respect and love to everyone who is part of this.

The Confluence is doing big things and have quite some amazing releases due out in the near future. Check out this fresh video showing some fresh previews of what they have in store. Big ups to The Confluence and what they are doing.

Decibel Festival 7

Decibel Festival is upon us today! I’ve put together my personal picks and where I hope to make it too this week. Unfortunately I won’t be getting into Seattle till Thursday night. After the Flying Lotus showcase was announced I had to buy an entirely new ticket since I was previously arriving on Friday night. I’m beyond words excited for the next couple of days! It’ll be my first time going to Decibel and Seattle. I met many Seattle residents when out to California for Lightning in a Bottle and can’t wait to link up with familiar faces across the States. The amount of talent in this festival will take you back. I see myself running around Seattle trying to catch as much as possible. Friday night is going to be complete madness!!!

I want to personally thank my buddy Pressha! He’ll be hosting me at his house. Much love to you for that and had to mention that since it’s a big deal to me. Thank you! Also much love out to Shilo from DanceFever5000, I know you put a list of events you chose and hope they are not the same exact one but do at the sametime, LOL. Big up to Bass Drop crew and all those out who are  in Seattle who made Decibel possible.

Wednesday

Workshop:
WORKSHOP 3 : BUILDING A CUSTOM CONTROLLER
& THE MIDI FIGHTER CONTROLLER 4:00 pm

Event:
GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL LABEL SHOWCASE
NEUMOS : 925 E Pike
PANTHA DU PRINCE /live + av/ 12:15 am – 1:30 am
LUSINE /live/ 11:15 pm – 12:15 am
GOLD PANDA /live/ 10:15 pm – 11:15 pm
MUX MOOL /live + av/ 9:30 pm – 10:15 pm
Visuals by ZACHARIAH WALKER
Doors open at 9:00 pm : 21+ : $18 Door / Free with dB Pass

Thursday

Workshop:
WORKSHOP 4 : FROM THE STUDIO TO THE STAGE 2:30 pm

Event:
FLYLO AND FRIENDS
NEUMOS : 925 E Pike
FLYING LOTUS /live/ 12:15 am – 1:30 am
ESKMO /live/ 11:15 pm – 12:15 am
LORN /live/ 10:30 pm – 11:15 pm
SAMIYAM /live/ 9:45 pm – 10:30 pm
TRUCKASAURAS /live + av/ 9:00 pm – 9:45 pm
Visuals by AUDIOPIXEL, KILLING FRENZY
& ZACHARIAH WALKER
Doors open at 9:00 pm : 21+ : $25 Door / Free with dB Pass

Friday

Workshops:
WORKSHOP 6 : CREATE A DIGITAL PROMOTION PLAN 1:00 pm (Shilo & Erica’s workshop!)
LECTURE 2 : THE ILL METHODOLOGY 6:00 pm

Events:
THE ART OF RHYTHM
MOTOR : 1950 1st Ave S
BEATS ANTIQUE /live/ 12:00 am – 1:15 am
EMANCIPATOR /live/ 11:00 pm – 12:00 am
PHUTUREPRIMATIVE /live/ 10:00 pm – 11:00 pm
PHIDELITY /live/ 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Visuals by LOOPTID
Doors open at 9:00 pm : 16+ : $20 Door / Free with dB Pass

RED BULL MUSIC ACADEMY ON THE FLOOR
NEUMOS : 925 E Pike
MODESELEKTOR feat. PFADFINDEREI /live + av/ 12:30 am – 1:30 am
MOUNT KIMBIE /live/ 11:30 pm – 12:30 am
HEADHUNTER AKA ADDISON GROOVE /live/ 10:30 pm – 11:30 pm
TEEBS /live/ 9:40 pm – 10:30 pm
SHLOMO /live/ 9:00 pm – 9:40 pm
Visuals by CPU, AUDIOPIXEL & ZACHARIAH WALKER

Saturday

Events:
dB IN THE PARK
BROAD STREET STAGE : 400 Broad St
BLUETECH presents SATORI SOCIAL /live/ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
NOSAJ THING /live/ 4:45 pm – 6:00 pm
NASTYNASTY /live/ 3:45 pm – 4:45 pm
MAT THE ALIEN /live/ 2:15 pm – 3:45 pm
SPLATINUM /live/ 1:15 pm – 2:15 pm
PRESSHA /dj/ 12:00 pm – 1:15 pm
Live mural painting by ERIC ORR (presented by CRANE Stand)
Gates open at 12:00 pm : All Ages / 21+ Beer Garden
$10 Door / Free with dB Pass

BEATS PER MOMENT
MOTOR : 1950 1st Ave S
VIBESQUAD /live/ 12:00 am – 1:15 am
ALEX B /live/ 11:00 pm – 12:00 am
LOW LIMIT OF LAZER SWORD /live/ 10:00 pm – 11:00 pm
MACHINEDRUM /live/ 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Visuals by LOOPTID
Doors open to 10:00 pm : 21+ : $20 Door / Free with dB Pass

HOTFLUSH LABEL SHOWCASE
BALTIC ROOM : 1207 Pine St
SEPALCURE /live/ 12:30 am – 1:30 am
SCUBA /live/ 11:30 pm – 12:30 am
UNTOLD /dj/ 10:00 pm – 11:30 pm
INCYDE /dj/ 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Visuals by KILLINGFRENZY & TASARA
Doors open at 8:00 pm : 21+ : $17 Door: Free with dB Pass

Sunday

Event:
dB IN THE PARK
THE BROAD STREET STAGE : 400 Broad St
PLASTICIAN /dj/ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
12TH PLANET /dj/ 4:15 pm – 5:30 pm
MARY ANNE HOBBS /dj/ 3:00 pm – 4:15 pm
PRAVEEN /dj/ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
JIMMY HOFFA /dj/ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
JUST ONE /dj/ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Live mural painting by ERIC ORR (presented by CRANE Stand)
Event begins at 12:00 pm : All Ages / 21+ Beer Garden : $10 at the gate /
Free with dB Pass