Hello again! The post about Two Fingers will have to wait, as I had a realisation on the way to my 8:30 class today. Last night I built a playlist for a party this Saturday. Should be a good one, but looking over it I realised: unusually many of the tracks featured Ms. Dynamite. These days she's a pervasive vocalist in British electronica, and I thought I should give her a spotlight here!
She launched her career with the Mercury Prize-winning debut A Little Deeper. With a strong social commentary and soulful vocals often over a UK-garage theme, it almost felt like UK's response to Lauryn Hill. Her second album did not fare so well, and her career hit a low point in 2006.
Then she came back! Somehow she was discovered by some big names in dubstep and other electronica, and has been in some great tracks since then. Worth checking out are the DJ Zinc tracks Wile Out and My DJ. Also, for any listener of Magnetic Man (and if you're not then you should be), remember Fire? Dynamite. Redlight picked her up for his What You Talking About single, and rising vocalist star Katy B collaborated with her for her track Lights Out. My favourite of her guest features, however, is today's song of the day:
Toddla T - Want U Now feat. Ms Dynamite
Now, I'm going through a bit of a dancehall phase, but regardless of mood this track is sick. Featured on the Ninja Tune XX compilation (see post from two days ago), it's definitely one of the dancier tracks the label has put forth. Toddla's consistently strong, and as the early releases from his upcoming album show, he's only getting better. And so is Ms Dynamite! She and Ce'cile and Natalie Williams and so, so many others breathe warmth and energy into the world of electronica. Enjoy the links, and more to come tomorrow!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Song of the Day: Round 25 - Elektric
Yo! I said I'd be back, and here I am. Today I'm writing about an artist that's got me pretty excited! I'm talking about London Elektricity.
As I've said before, Tony Colman is the CEO of Hospital Records and a drum & bass artist known as London Elektricity. He's been in the game for years, with such classic albums as Billion Dollar Gravy, Power Ballads, and Syncopated City.
Now, he's not as hard-hitting as some of his labelmates (Danny Byrd, Netsky, etc.), instead favouring a much more live-playable sound and physical instruments when possible. He even shows jazz influences at times. I'm a sucker for plucked double-bass in drum & bass, and he delivers. Now he's coming out with a new album, entitled Yikes! The song of the day is the first single from that album:
London Elektricity - Elektricity Will Keep Me Warm
This is a beautiful track, not needing any sort of heavy drop, instead being carried by the strength of the vocals. He's also released a couple other tracks from the album. Check out this site for a new music video from the album every Friday until (and including) the April 22nd release. Get excited! And get ready for a post on Two Fingers tomorrow.
As I've said before, Tony Colman is the CEO of Hospital Records and a drum & bass artist known as London Elektricity. He's been in the game for years, with such classic albums as Billion Dollar Gravy, Power Ballads, and Syncopated City.
Now, he's not as hard-hitting as some of his labelmates (Danny Byrd, Netsky, etc.), instead favouring a much more live-playable sound and physical instruments when possible. He even shows jazz influences at times. I'm a sucker for plucked double-bass in drum & bass, and he delivers. Now he's coming out with a new album, entitled Yikes! The song of the day is the first single from that album:
London Elektricity - Elektricity Will Keep Me Warm
This is a beautiful track, not needing any sort of heavy drop, instead being carried by the strength of the vocals. He's also released a couple other tracks from the album. Check out this site for a new music video from the album every Friday until (and including) the April 22nd release. Get excited! And get ready for a post on Two Fingers tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Song of the Day: Round 24 - I'm Back!...Again!
Hello Rhythm & Bassheads! I am back from an inexplicable hiatus. Much has changed! Suffice it to say that things have been going very well for me lately. Beyond that, I've been getting a ton of new music. Surprised? You shouldn't be.
Here's what I've been listening to lately! Finishing off my collection of Valerie Collective artists is Minitel Rose, with their solid album Atlantique. High vocals and tight 80s-style production, sort of a cross between Empire of the Sun and College. I also picked up Madvillainy, a classic hip-hop album from 2004. It's a collaboration between the genius producer Madlib and the tight lyrics of MF Doom. So dope!
I also picked up the Ninja Tune XX box set. For those who don't know, Ninja Tune is one of my favourite record labels, and I've got a whole post devoted to them! There are so many sick tracks on this album I don't know what to do with them all (enjoy!).
Beyond that, I got Bernhoft's most recent album. He's a solo guitar player who sequences and loops his own voice over itself, so he's basically a one-man band. Then I found Toddla T's newest single! Word is that he's making a new album, and that would just be awesome. Can't get enough dancehall and UK garage!
The biggest news of the past couple weeks in music is that Justice's new track Civilization has been leaked. Obviously I've got the link, so enjoy it! The last bit of new music is from London Elektricity's upcoming album Yikes! That's right, the legendary drum & bass producer and CEO of my favourite drum & bass label Hospital Records is producing again, after 2 years without releases. Tomorrow's song of the day will be devoted to him, so look forward to that! This man is a master.
This has been a bit of an athematic post...but now you're all up to speed! Dance on, readers.
Here's what I've been listening to lately! Finishing off my collection of Valerie Collective artists is Minitel Rose, with their solid album Atlantique. High vocals and tight 80s-style production, sort of a cross between Empire of the Sun and College. I also picked up Madvillainy, a classic hip-hop album from 2004. It's a collaboration between the genius producer Madlib and the tight lyrics of MF Doom. So dope!
I also picked up the Ninja Tune XX box set. For those who don't know, Ninja Tune is one of my favourite record labels, and I've got a whole post devoted to them! There are so many sick tracks on this album I don't know what to do with them all (enjoy!).
Beyond that, I got Bernhoft's most recent album. He's a solo guitar player who sequences and loops his own voice over itself, so he's basically a one-man band. Then I found Toddla T's newest single! Word is that he's making a new album, and that would just be awesome. Can't get enough dancehall and UK garage!
The biggest news of the past couple weeks in music is that Justice's new track Civilization has been leaked. Obviously I've got the link, so enjoy it! The last bit of new music is from London Elektricity's upcoming album Yikes! That's right, the legendary drum & bass producer and CEO of my favourite drum & bass label Hospital Records is producing again, after 2 years without releases. Tomorrow's song of the day will be devoted to him, so look forward to that! This man is a master.
This has been a bit of an athematic post...but now you're all up to speed! Dance on, readers.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Song of the Day: Round 23...Law School Husslin: The Final Chapter
Hello! I'm taking a one day pause from the hip-hop-history series for a special edition post! Today marks the release of the final chapter of my brother Jesse and company's Law School Husslin series. For those who don't know, these guys were dealing summaries pretty hard last year in the original Law School Husslin. After this groundbreaking debut, they've returned for a stunning finale! I give you today's song of the day:
Law School Husslin 2 - The Final Chapter
This has been in the works for a long time, and I couldn't wait for the release! As an entry into the Western Law talent show, I can only assume this will blow everything else out of the water. It's professional! Enjoy the tracks, and if you're in law, enjoy the references! So solid, Jesse!
Law School Husslin 2 - The Final Chapter
This has been in the works for a long time, and I couldn't wait for the release! As an entry into the Western Law talent show, I can only assume this will blow everything else out of the water. It's professional! Enjoy the tracks, and if you're in law, enjoy the references! So solid, Jesse!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Song of the Day: Round 22...Hip-Hop-History Part 2
Back for another round of hip-hop-history! Today's era: the early 2000s. Before I get started though, two shout-outs: First, to 2Pac. I forgot him in yesterday's post, somehow! Here are a few links to his tracks. He and Biggie were the two massive legends of 90s hip-hop. That brings me to the second shout-out, to Biggie Smalls. Today is the 14th anniversary of his death. To that end, here's a link to one of my favourite free-styles of his, against 2Pac. Enjoy!
2000 - 2006
This period holds a nostalgic place in my music library. Remember, I was only 13 in 2004, so tracks and albums from this period were some of my first musical experiences! The most personally significant from this period is the album College Dropout by Kanye West. Before he became an egomaniac, Kanye was a musical prodigy. I remember when my brother got this CD and I grabbed it and played it on repeat for...years. I was that 13-year-old singing "drug dealing just to get by"! Starting off with that track, We Don't Care, the album is a classic. All Falls Down, The New Workout Plan, Two Words, and Through the Wire were my anthems!
This was the height (in my opinion) of hip-hop's mainstream success. Artists such as 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Eminem, Jurassic 5, Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Outkast, Gnarls Barkley, and many, many others took part in this. Hip-hop also started to become internationally adopted. There are British artists like Ms. Dynamite from England, Japanese producers like Nujabes, and pretty much every developed country had a movement. The import of hip-hop to Britain spawned the grime genre, while many Japanese producers tinged their productions with the club jazz sound becoming popular at the same time.
One of the best albums (in general) in this period is Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by Outkast. It's pretty much half Big Boi and half Andre 3000, and it's the Andre half I tend to focus on. Featuring the classics Hey Ya! and Roses, other tracks tend to go forgotten. I'd like to point out my personal favourite on the album, and while it isn't a hip-hop track, I thought I'd bring it up while this album has the spotlight. I'm talking about My Favourite Things, the Squarepusher/Sound Of Music tribute track, masterfully executed and musically complex. It's a rewarding listen.
Also in this period is the rise of Lupe Fiasco, one of mainstream hip-hop's more talented lyricists, I've still got to get his new album Lasers, but Food & Liquor, released in '06, is awesome! Tracks to note are Kick, Push and Sunshine.
There was (and still is) a healthy underground hip-hop community in this period. Little Brother, One Self, Slum Village, Madlib, MF Doom, CYNE, and a whole slew of others kept the genre innovative. More popular (but still not exactly mainstream) artists include Ghostface Killah (my favourite Wu Tang member), The Roots, k-os, Pete Rock, Common, and others had solid releases.
I end this period in the year 2006 because this is the year of J Dilla's death. He was one of the most talented producers of all time, and I attribute (in part) the influx of instrumental hip-hop albums post-2006 to the release of Donuts and his death three days later. He had never been so popular in life as in death, and so many artists thereafter tried to emulate his innovative sound, and this will be explored tomorrow.
For now, enjoy the links! I'll be back with the stunning conclusion to this trilogy tomorrow.
2000 - 2006
This period holds a nostalgic place in my music library. Remember, I was only 13 in 2004, so tracks and albums from this period were some of my first musical experiences! The most personally significant from this period is the album College Dropout by Kanye West. Before he became an egomaniac, Kanye was a musical prodigy. I remember when my brother got this CD and I grabbed it and played it on repeat for...years. I was that 13-year-old singing "drug dealing just to get by"! Starting off with that track, We Don't Care, the album is a classic. All Falls Down, The New Workout Plan, Two Words, and Through the Wire were my anthems!
This was the height (in my opinion) of hip-hop's mainstream success. Artists such as 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Eminem, Jurassic 5, Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Outkast, Gnarls Barkley, and many, many others took part in this. Hip-hop also started to become internationally adopted. There are British artists like Ms. Dynamite from England, Japanese producers like Nujabes, and pretty much every developed country had a movement. The import of hip-hop to Britain spawned the grime genre, while many Japanese producers tinged their productions with the club jazz sound becoming popular at the same time.
One of the best albums (in general) in this period is Speakerboxxx/The Love Below by Outkast. It's pretty much half Big Boi and half Andre 3000, and it's the Andre half I tend to focus on. Featuring the classics Hey Ya! and Roses, other tracks tend to go forgotten. I'd like to point out my personal favourite on the album, and while it isn't a hip-hop track, I thought I'd bring it up while this album has the spotlight. I'm talking about My Favourite Things, the Squarepusher/Sound Of Music tribute track, masterfully executed and musically complex. It's a rewarding listen.
Also in this period is the rise of Lupe Fiasco, one of mainstream hip-hop's more talented lyricists, I've still got to get his new album Lasers, but Food & Liquor, released in '06, is awesome! Tracks to note are Kick, Push and Sunshine.
There was (and still is) a healthy underground hip-hop community in this period. Little Brother, One Self, Slum Village, Madlib, MF Doom, CYNE, and a whole slew of others kept the genre innovative. More popular (but still not exactly mainstream) artists include Ghostface Killah (my favourite Wu Tang member), The Roots, k-os, Pete Rock, Common, and others had solid releases.
I end this period in the year 2006 because this is the year of J Dilla's death. He was one of the most talented producers of all time, and I attribute (in part) the influx of instrumental hip-hop albums post-2006 to the release of Donuts and his death three days later. He had never been so popular in life as in death, and so many artists thereafter tried to emulate his innovative sound, and this will be explored tomorrow.
For now, enjoy the links! I'll be back with the stunning conclusion to this trilogy tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Song of the Day: Round 21...Hip-Hop-History Part 1
Hello! I've decided to do a little 3-part series for the next 3 songs of the day. I'll talk about the evolution of new-school hip-hop! Now, I'm no expert on the subject, but I do have music from all 3 period I'll discuss. I'll start off with the 90s, then the early 00s, and then the past 3 years. What I'll give are thoughts on the genre, not necessarily facts. Still enjoy the links and the info!
1990s
Rewind to 1991. This is the early end of my listening experience, and coincidentally the year I was born! Before this, the genre grew up as MCs rapping over various beats, originally over disco and later over electronic productions. These MCs, especially in the 80s, often had a socially conscious message. Now, I don't really have much to draw from pre-'91, so I'm going to jump ahead!
A Tribe Called Quest! 1991 is the year their classic album The Low End Theory came out. It's cool stuff, with stand-up bass plucking and jazzy saxophones and all. I'm a big fan of this style, but moreso with what Q-Tip did with it later during his solo career (more on that in part 3). Other great albums from this period include Common Sense's (now called Common) album Can I Borrow A Dollar? Then comes Dr. Dre's legendary first album after NWA, The Chronic. This is pretty much Snoop Dogg's debut, as he features on at least half the tracks. It's one of the foundations of the G-Funk hip-hop style, and has so many classics (despite the misogyny). The Ben Folds cover of Bitches Ain't Shit is just too funny though, I had to share it.
This is also before Ice Cube was in Anaconda, so I can still respect him. Why? Because of his legendary track It Was A Good Day from his album The Predator. There's also the early work of Pete Rock & CL Smooth to check out! Great production for a solid MC. Then comes Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde! This has always been one of my favourite albums. This is before J Dilla started producing for the group, but they still manage to pull off an awesome album through sheer talent.
In 1993 came Snoop Dogg's first solo album, Doggystyle. This is one of my all-time favourites, featuring such tracks as Gin And Juice, Pump Pump, Ain't No Fun, and one of the biggest beats of all time, GZ and Hustlas. A Tribe Called Quest (ATCQ) comes back with the album Midnight Marauders, another success. In '94, The Notorious B.I.G. released Ready To Die. Such a sick album! The late Biggie Smalls was one of the most talented MCs of all time. Too good.
1995 features Ol' Dirty Bastard's Return To The 36 Chambers, a classic. Shimmy Shimmy Ya! It also was the year The Pharcyde's album Labcabincalifornia came out, featuring the sick tracks She Said and Runnin', and my personal favourite, Drop. Loving the Beastie Boys sample.
1996 features (among many other things) The Fugees' release The Score and Jay-Z's first album Reasonable Doubt. Skipping up to '98, we've got Hello Nasty by the Beastie Boys, Black Star by Mos Def & Talib Kweli, and ATCQ's The Love Movement. There's also Jay-Z's first big hit Hard Knock Life!
In 1999 there are a lot of solid releases! Eminem's The Slim Shady LP was groundbreaking. There's the classic Life and Times of Shawn Carter by Jay-Z, and The Roots' Things Fall Apart. Last but certainly not least, there's the manager of Stones Throw Records', Peanut Butter Wolf's album My Vinyl Weighs A Ton. Top quality scratching and sampling.
Without further ado, I give you my favourite 90s hip-hop track, and today's song of the day:
Lauryn Hill- Doo Wop
Did you think I'd forget about Lauryn Hill? Embarrassingly, this album escaped my notice for 19 years until a little while ago when it was finally introduced to me. I've pretty much had it on repeat ever since! Check out some of her other sick tracks: To Zion, When It Hurts So Bad, I Used To Love Him, and Forgive Them Father.
I know this post is a bit long, but enjoy all the links! There are a lot of great releases from this period I still had to leave out to control the length of the post. Regardless, check all this music out, and get excited for the early '00s tomorrow!
1990s
Rewind to 1991. This is the early end of my listening experience, and coincidentally the year I was born! Before this, the genre grew up as MCs rapping over various beats, originally over disco and later over electronic productions. These MCs, especially in the 80s, often had a socially conscious message. Now, I don't really have much to draw from pre-'91, so I'm going to jump ahead!
A Tribe Called Quest! 1991 is the year their classic album The Low End Theory came out. It's cool stuff, with stand-up bass plucking and jazzy saxophones and all. I'm a big fan of this style, but moreso with what Q-Tip did with it later during his solo career (more on that in part 3). Other great albums from this period include Common Sense's (now called Common) album Can I Borrow A Dollar? Then comes Dr. Dre's legendary first album after NWA, The Chronic. This is pretty much Snoop Dogg's debut, as he features on at least half the tracks. It's one of the foundations of the G-Funk hip-hop style, and has so many classics (despite the misogyny). The Ben Folds cover of Bitches Ain't Shit is just too funny though, I had to share it.
This is also before Ice Cube was in Anaconda, so I can still respect him. Why? Because of his legendary track It Was A Good Day from his album The Predator. There's also the early work of Pete Rock & CL Smooth to check out! Great production for a solid MC. Then comes Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde! This has always been one of my favourite albums. This is before J Dilla started producing for the group, but they still manage to pull off an awesome album through sheer talent.
In 1993 came Snoop Dogg's first solo album, Doggystyle. This is one of my all-time favourites, featuring such tracks as Gin And Juice, Pump Pump, Ain't No Fun, and one of the biggest beats of all time, GZ and Hustlas. A Tribe Called Quest (ATCQ) comes back with the album Midnight Marauders, another success. In '94, The Notorious B.I.G. released Ready To Die. Such a sick album! The late Biggie Smalls was one of the most talented MCs of all time. Too good.
1995 features Ol' Dirty Bastard's Return To The 36 Chambers, a classic. Shimmy Shimmy Ya! It also was the year The Pharcyde's album Labcabincalifornia came out, featuring the sick tracks She Said and Runnin', and my personal favourite, Drop. Loving the Beastie Boys sample.
1996 features (among many other things) The Fugees' release The Score and Jay-Z's first album Reasonable Doubt. Skipping up to '98, we've got Hello Nasty by the Beastie Boys, Black Star by Mos Def & Talib Kweli, and ATCQ's The Love Movement. There's also Jay-Z's first big hit Hard Knock Life!
In 1999 there are a lot of solid releases! Eminem's The Slim Shady LP was groundbreaking. There's the classic Life and Times of Shawn Carter by Jay-Z, and The Roots' Things Fall Apart. Last but certainly not least, there's the manager of Stones Throw Records', Peanut Butter Wolf's album My Vinyl Weighs A Ton. Top quality scratching and sampling.
Without further ado, I give you my favourite 90s hip-hop track, and today's song of the day:
Lauryn Hill- Doo Wop
Did you think I'd forget about Lauryn Hill? Embarrassingly, this album escaped my notice for 19 years until a little while ago when it was finally introduced to me. I've pretty much had it on repeat ever since! Check out some of her other sick tracks: To Zion, When It Hurts So Bad, I Used To Love Him, and Forgive Them Father.
I know this post is a bit long, but enjoy all the links! There are a lot of great releases from this period I still had to leave out to control the length of the post. Regardless, check all this music out, and get excited for the early '00s tomorrow!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Song of the Day: Round 20
Well, I know I said I'd be starting a 3-part series, but that's going to have to wait until tomorrow! For now, I'd like to share some music that's gotten me through a rough set of work, and done so quite well. I had a brutal Operating Systems assignment due Saturday night, and at some point in that I decided to turn on what I now realise is a fantastic album. I'm talking about Heartbeats by Grum!
There are 3 artists that moved me through the work, and Grum is the first. Right from the start with Can't Shake This Feeling, this album grabs you with a modern take on an the 80s Italo-Disco sound. The title track Heartbeats is an obvious anthem, and the more serious Through The Night and playful Turn It Up are also awesome. There are more great tracks, but these are the highlights.
The second artist I checked out in this work period is Siriusmo. You may have heard his remix of Breakbot's Baby I'm Yours, but the rest of his stuff is even better! His music is meticulously produced, and it really shows. He's almost like a more upbeat version of another German group, Modeselektor. Some great tracks by Siriusmo include Femuscle, Wow, Einmal In Der Woche Schreien, Let Me In!, and Nights Off.
The final artist from this period is Anoraak. I'd describe him as a more chilled out version of Grum. His most famous work is Nightdrive With You, but his other tracks are solid too! Check out Long Distance Hearts, Sunday Night Fever, Can't Stop, and Cloud Rain Love.
All the links in this post are excellently produced and Grum and Anoraak have that sweet synthesized 80s sound that can really hit the spot. The song of the day is:
Grum - Cybernetic
So much energy! If I wasn't working while listening to this, I'd probably be dancing. Get your disco on! By the way, the topic of the 3-part post is new-school hip-hop! That's basically anything from the 90s onwards. Part 1 will be about the 90s hip-hop, part 2 about the early 00s, and and part 3 about hip-hop from the past three years and into the future. Get excited!
There are 3 artists that moved me through the work, and Grum is the first. Right from the start with Can't Shake This Feeling, this album grabs you with a modern take on an the 80s Italo-Disco sound. The title track Heartbeats is an obvious anthem, and the more serious Through The Night and playful Turn It Up are also awesome. There are more great tracks, but these are the highlights.
The second artist I checked out in this work period is Siriusmo. You may have heard his remix of Breakbot's Baby I'm Yours, but the rest of his stuff is even better! His music is meticulously produced, and it really shows. He's almost like a more upbeat version of another German group, Modeselektor. Some great tracks by Siriusmo include Femuscle, Wow, Einmal In Der Woche Schreien, Let Me In!, and Nights Off.
The final artist from this period is Anoraak. I'd describe him as a more chilled out version of Grum. His most famous work is Nightdrive With You, but his other tracks are solid too! Check out Long Distance Hearts, Sunday Night Fever, Can't Stop, and Cloud Rain Love.
All the links in this post are excellently produced and Grum and Anoraak have that sweet synthesized 80s sound that can really hit the spot. The song of the day is:
Grum - Cybernetic
So much energy! If I wasn't working while listening to this, I'd probably be dancing. Get your disco on! By the way, the topic of the 3-part post is new-school hip-hop! That's basically anything from the 90s onwards. Part 1 will be about the 90s hip-hop, part 2 about the early 00s, and and part 3 about hip-hop from the past three years and into the future. Get excited!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Song of the Day: Round 19...Mornings
Mornings are the worst! Who knew there could be sunlight before noon? As far as I'm concerned, the only good hours of the AM are between 12 and 5. Still, I'm told by reality that occasionally one must actually do things in the morning. In order to achieve this, I need to get in the right mood! Can't have Angry Morning Brian get in the way. How to mellow out, you ask? The right music!
There are certain tracks that don't move too fast, don't rage too hard, but still bring energy. They feel like they're shrugging off sleep so that you can do the same. The Chemical Brothers supply this with One Too Many Mornings and Where Do I Begin, both phenomenal tracks. Maybe you didn't wake up alone! If that's the case, let John Legend keep it going with Good Morning. In a jazz mood? Let The Heillig Manoeuvre start it up with Ladybug Waltz (you're going to have to get that one from me, too rare to find online). Hungover? Epitomize the feeling with one of Beck's stranger tracks, The Fucked Up Blues. You could even chill out to Adele's slow-moving Daydreamer. Maybe you're legitimately insane and enjoy masochistically waking up to Szerencsétlen by Venetian Snares.
Regardless of the taste, I think most of us can agree that today's song of the day really fits the feeling:
Star Slinger - Mornin'
This really hits the spot. Doesn't start off fast, but grows and finishes strong. Trust me on this one, you'll want to start your day with this. Or any other track in this post except the Venetian Snares one, that's only for homework time! Still, have a good morning, a good day, and get ready for my 3-part series of posts starting tomorrow!
There are certain tracks that don't move too fast, don't rage too hard, but still bring energy. They feel like they're shrugging off sleep so that you can do the same. The Chemical Brothers supply this with One Too Many Mornings and Where Do I Begin, both phenomenal tracks. Maybe you didn't wake up alone! If that's the case, let John Legend keep it going with Good Morning. In a jazz mood? Let The Heillig Manoeuvre start it up with Ladybug Waltz (you're going to have to get that one from me, too rare to find online). Hungover? Epitomize the feeling with one of Beck's stranger tracks, The Fucked Up Blues. You could even chill out to Adele's slow-moving Daydreamer. Maybe you're legitimately insane and enjoy masochistically waking up to Szerencsétlen by Venetian Snares.
Regardless of the taste, I think most of us can agree that today's song of the day really fits the feeling:
Star Slinger - Mornin'
This really hits the spot. Doesn't start off fast, but grows and finishes strong. Trust me on this one, you'll want to start your day with this. Or any other track in this post except the Venetian Snares one, that's only for homework time! Still, have a good morning, a good day, and get ready for my 3-part series of posts starting tomorrow!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Song of the Day: Round 18...Birthday Edition!
Do you know what day it is today? Yes, it's Thursday, but it's also my brother Jesse's birthday! Since he's the one that got me into music, I thought it'd be fitting to dedicate today's post to him and the music he's shown me. Get excited, this post is full of classics!
Some of the earliest tracks my brother showed me were rock music! That's right, I wasn't always an electronic music database. I'm talking Guns N' Roses and Red Hot Chili Peppers! Classics. The most significant stuff came a little later on, when I was introduced to 5 of my all-time favourite albums. They are: Hello Nasty by the Beastie Boys, Vegas by The Crystal Method, Dig Your Own Hole by The Chemical Brothers, Homework by Daft Punk, and You've Come A Long Way, Baby by Fatboy Slim. These are legendary releases. The first was my introduction to hip-hop, the second and third to big-beat, and the fourth to house. Vegas may be The Crystal Method's only good album, but it's damn good. Dig Your Own Hole is one of the most important albums of the big-beat era. If you've never heard Praise You then you didn't have a childhood. What better intro to house music than the most influential house album of all time?
So that was my childhood. The last of those albums came out in 1998, so I'm still pretty young at this point. I jammed on those and subsequent releases by those artists for a few years, but the most significant introduction was when I was 15.
Have you heard of Underworld? They were pretty huge in the 90s, the highlight (in my eyes) of their career taking place in 1999 with their live album Everything, Everything. This is literally my all-time favourite album, and has been for 4 years. Jesse played the live DVD for me back then, and I didn't know what to make of it. It's pretty tough to listen to Moaner without having heard trance before (real trance, not that Tiesto shite)! When I heard the album a few months later, however, it was like an epiphany. We picked up the CD, and I was hooked.
Other sweet introductions have been to (in no particular order) Snoop Dogg, Sublime, Phish, Weezer, The Pharcyde, Q-Tip, Kanye West, Bran Van 3000, Girl Talk, Aphex Twin, Rage Against The Machine, and many, many more.
I hope one day I'll show him as much music as he's shown me. These introductions have been the biggest influence on my musical tastes, and music would not be such a huge part of my life without him. I'm truly grateful for that. Happy birthday, Jesse!
Some of the earliest tracks my brother showed me were rock music! That's right, I wasn't always an electronic music database. I'm talking Guns N' Roses and Red Hot Chili Peppers! Classics. The most significant stuff came a little later on, when I was introduced to 5 of my all-time favourite albums. They are: Hello Nasty by the Beastie Boys, Vegas by The Crystal Method, Dig Your Own Hole by The Chemical Brothers, Homework by Daft Punk, and You've Come A Long Way, Baby by Fatboy Slim. These are legendary releases. The first was my introduction to hip-hop, the second and third to big-beat, and the fourth to house. Vegas may be The Crystal Method's only good album, but it's damn good. Dig Your Own Hole is one of the most important albums of the big-beat era. If you've never heard Praise You then you didn't have a childhood. What better intro to house music than the most influential house album of all time?
So that was my childhood. The last of those albums came out in 1998, so I'm still pretty young at this point. I jammed on those and subsequent releases by those artists for a few years, but the most significant introduction was when I was 15.
Have you heard of Underworld? They were pretty huge in the 90s, the highlight (in my eyes) of their career taking place in 1999 with their live album Everything, Everything. This is literally my all-time favourite album, and has been for 4 years. Jesse played the live DVD for me back then, and I didn't know what to make of it. It's pretty tough to listen to Moaner without having heard trance before (real trance, not that Tiesto shite)! When I heard the album a few months later, however, it was like an epiphany. We picked up the CD, and I was hooked.
Other sweet introductions have been to (in no particular order) Snoop Dogg, Sublime, Phish, Weezer, The Pharcyde, Q-Tip, Kanye West, Bran Van 3000, Girl Talk, Aphex Twin, Rage Against The Machine, and many, many more.
I hope one day I'll show him as much music as he's shown me. These introductions have been the biggest influence on my musical tastes, and music would not be such a huge part of my life without him. I'm truly grateful for that. Happy birthday, Jesse!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Song of the Day: Round 17...Double Feature!
Today is a double feature! This post will be huge! Why? Because I've done around two posts in the past two weeks, and that just won't do. The topic for today: music videos!
Some dismiss the music video as a promotional tool. Something to get the track plays on Much Music (in the 90s) or Youtube. That may be true for some songs. These tracks might have an interesting video, but it really brings nothing new to the table. Today's post is not about those videos, it's about the best of the best (of what I've seen).
A good music video is almost like a movie, without the necessity for plot. This means it can focus entirely on mood and feeling. Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy is the scariest music video I've ever seen, while Windowlicker is the strangest. For the latter, the music only comes in after 5 minutes, while the first half is a parody of modern rap videos. Chris Cunningham directed those, and he's one crazy bastard. Romain Gavras has done videos for Justice (Stress) and DJ Mehdi (Signatune), and both are excellent! They keep up a sort of plot while really capturing the feeling of the song.
Don't miss out on trip-hop videos! There are strong showings from Massive Attack and Unkle. The Unkle one is especially haunting, and its climax is one of the most interesting I've ever seen from a music video.
The longest music video I know of is Daft Punk's Interstella 5555. It is literally a movie created to match their second album, Discovery. I highly recommend watching it! Sweet animation, solid plot, and the best soundtrack of any movie ever.
Warp Records' artists consistently make great videos. You've got LFO (Freek), Squarepusher (Come on My Selector), Autechre (Gantz Graf), Boards of Canada (Dayvan Cowboy), and more. While Gantz Graf may be hard on the ears, listen for the accelerating and decelerating beat, and how the movement of the polygon matches it perfectly. Dayvan Cowboy starts off as actual footage of the highest skydive of all time.
Beyond Warp, you've got the dreamlike quality of Flying Lotus' direction. You've also got Spike Jonze! He's done work for The Pharcyde (Drop), Weezer (Island in the Sun), Fatboy Slim (Weapon of Choice), and many more. And yes, that is Christopher Walken in that last video!
Before I give you the song of the day, let me throw two more videos at you. First, Sunset (Bird of Prey) by Fatboy Slim. It just captures this feeling of freedom so well, truly amazing. Also, Flat Beat by Mr. Oizo, because it's dope.
The song of the day is:
The Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar
I would call this the best music video of all time. Notice how every beat element is matched to something appropriate in the environment, in perfect timing. A beautiful video for a beautiful song. The Chemical Brothers have always had amazing videos, including Let Forever Be, The Golden Path, The Test, Elektrobank, and at least 5 more.
Enjoy the links, and get excited! More RnBass tomorrow!
Some dismiss the music video as a promotional tool. Something to get the track plays on Much Music (in the 90s) or Youtube. That may be true for some songs. These tracks might have an interesting video, but it really brings nothing new to the table. Today's post is not about those videos, it's about the best of the best (of what I've seen).
A good music video is almost like a movie, without the necessity for plot. This means it can focus entirely on mood and feeling. Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy is the scariest music video I've ever seen, while Windowlicker is the strangest. For the latter, the music only comes in after 5 minutes, while the first half is a parody of modern rap videos. Chris Cunningham directed those, and he's one crazy bastard. Romain Gavras has done videos for Justice (Stress) and DJ Mehdi (Signatune), and both are excellent! They keep up a sort of plot while really capturing the feeling of the song.
Don't miss out on trip-hop videos! There are strong showings from Massive Attack and Unkle. The Unkle one is especially haunting, and its climax is one of the most interesting I've ever seen from a music video.
The longest music video I know of is Daft Punk's Interstella 5555. It is literally a movie created to match their second album, Discovery. I highly recommend watching it! Sweet animation, solid plot, and the best soundtrack of any movie ever.
Warp Records' artists consistently make great videos. You've got LFO (Freek), Squarepusher (Come on My Selector), Autechre (Gantz Graf), Boards of Canada (Dayvan Cowboy), and more. While Gantz Graf may be hard on the ears, listen for the accelerating and decelerating beat, and how the movement of the polygon matches it perfectly. Dayvan Cowboy starts off as actual footage of the highest skydive of all time.
Beyond Warp, you've got the dreamlike quality of Flying Lotus' direction. You've also got Spike Jonze! He's done work for The Pharcyde (Drop), Weezer (Island in the Sun), Fatboy Slim (Weapon of Choice), and many more. And yes, that is Christopher Walken in that last video!
Before I give you the song of the day, let me throw two more videos at you. First, Sunset (Bird of Prey) by Fatboy Slim. It just captures this feeling of freedom so well, truly amazing. Also, Flat Beat by Mr. Oizo, because it's dope.
The song of the day is:
The Chemical Brothers - Star Guitar
I would call this the best music video of all time. Notice how every beat element is matched to something appropriate in the environment, in perfect timing. A beautiful video for a beautiful song. The Chemical Brothers have always had amazing videos, including Let Forever Be, The Golden Path, The Test, Elektrobank, and at least 5 more.
Enjoy the links, and get excited! More RnBass tomorrow!
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