Razoof - Reggae & Dub Mix 2013 - Sunday Jammin'

Razoof drops another chilled reggae and dub mix, perfect for my Sunday morning, and perfect for my return to the blog after a few months of transitioning from grad school to my new job in NYC. Love it here, and I'm excited to be back sharing tunes with you!

RAZOOF-DJ-Mix-Reggae&Dub-2013 by Razoof on Mixcloud

Upside of Down: Elite Force Breakbeat Mix London 2013

Here's a bangin breakbeat mix from Elite Force out of London. This DJ is known for his breaks, which are much more popular in the UK and Europe than in the US. It's certainly not a "downtempo" or "chill" mix like you'd generally find on my site, but like all musicheads I enjoy many different styles and tempos, so I share this as part of the "Upside of Down" feature. Breaks are close to my heart as so much of what I love about DJing is the rhythm and percussion. Enjoy!

Solid Steel Radio Show 8/2/13 ft. DJ Moneyshot (Classic Hip Hop, Breaks, Funk)

Check this awesome new edition of NinjaTune's Solid Steel Radio Show. The Solid Steel guest mixes are always incredible mixes and this is no exception. DJ Moneyshot drops classic breaks and beats for a fantastic weekend flavor. Get your groove on:

Queendigo Placid Jazz - Boutique des Fantasmes

Love this new track by Queendigo - an internationally inspired downtempo fusion of reggae and eastern european sounds, for chillllllin

Paul White - Watch the Ants

I'm very excited for Paul White's new EP "Watch the Ants" - coming out July 29 on One Handed Music. I love his style of experimental electronic hip hop. It's quirky and chill, very interesting to listen to. Check out the EP teaser and watch for it to come out on July 29!

Mister Rogers Remixed (B-side) - Sing Together

PBS Digital Studios and Symphony of Science's John Boswell does it again. Another fantastic and touching remix of Mister Rogers. I share this because 1) the music is a great composition in line with my musical taste, and 2) the message is in the same spirit that I created my blog - to share and create and use music to uncover truth and cultivate wonder about the world around us and within ourselves. I don't often get sentimental with my posts, but there's always a deeper exploration within the music that I experience, and I hope you do too.



(FROM PBSDIGITALSTUDIOS ON YOUTUBE:) HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN REMIX:

1. Get the sounds on Soundcloud:https://soundcloud.com/pbsds/sets/mis...

2. Upload your track to Soundcloud and add it to the Mister Rogers Remix Group: https://soundcloud.com/groups/mister-...

3. Share your track on twitter. Use the hashtag #singtogether and tell us using @PBSDS.

Moduloktopus - Black Bay (Re-Lit Jive ft. Myss Ripley)

Another great jam by Boston-based producer and Ableton extraordinaire Moduloktopus. Love the quirky percussion, strings and jive theme:

Congo Natty - UK All Stars

For Sound Spectrum Saturday, here's a new track from dub and jungle luminaries Congo Natty. This is pure UK sound, if you haven't heard much jungle or D&B, let this be an opener. Congo Natty brings many years of natty dread sound together with UK jungle and dub fusion, plus a crew of their musical friends and family. This is the first "single" off Congo Natty's upcoming album Jungle Revolution, out on Big Dada Records (a sister/sub label of Ninja Tune) on July 1. Check it: 

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

I've listened to Daft Punk "Random Access Memories" a few times now. Here's my super brief simple review - what you need to know: I like it. It's a pure musical experience. It's very true to Daft Punk's foundational style - simple, catchy, repetitive hooks & rhythms that sink in over a few listens. Get it and listen! Here's a great short interview with Daft Punk about their approach to the music and the recording process with their collaborators:

Ninja Tune Label Showcase - New Tracks & Mixes in 2013

Ninja Tune has been a "go to" label of mine for many years. It was a key inspiration of mine when I first started to discover "downtempo" music and forms of electronic and international fusion. I had heard a Coldcut track (the artist duo who founded Ninja Tune) on BBC's Radio 1 and Blue Room show back in the early 2000's and I followed the trail...it led me to Ninja Tune.

I subscribe to Ninja Tune on Drip.fm - an amazing service that allows users to pay a monthly subscription to a label an in return get ALL of that labels releases in turn as they come out. Ninja Tune releases music from so many amazing artists, including Bonobo, Emika, DJ Food, Kid A, Toddla, Leatherette and more.

Here's a huge set of amazing tunes and mixes that Ninja Tune has released in 2013 from these artists and more. It's 5 hours of amazing music - vibes ranging from downtempo, trip hop, grime, chillout, lounge house and more:

New DJ EROK Mix - The Tripnotic Conclusion

Just in time for the weekend...my latest mix, recorded live last week at Natt Spil lounge in Madison...

New Pretty Lights Album out July 2 - "A Color Map of the Sun"

Pretty Lights' latest album "A Color Map of the Sun" will drop July 2! And it will be available for free at www.prettylightsmusic.com as has all of his albums - but only on the DAY OF RELEASE! This album, if the latest single ("Around the Block" ft. Talib Kweli) and this album trailer is any indication, will stay true to Pretty Lights vintage sound. What's different is that this album will be original recordings with live instruments, written by Derek and his collaborators.

Pretty Lights - Around the Block (ft. Talib Kweli)

New Pretty Lights single "Around the Block" - from new album coming out July 2! Free download here

Daft Punk - "Get Lucky" - new song trailer debuts at Coachella

No question that Daft Punk's new album is one of the most anticipated of the year - and they released a new song trailer this weekend at Coachella. The trailer for "Get Lucky" features Pharrell and that vintage Daft Punk sound.

The Fugees X Cali Swag X Henry Pope - Ready to Dougie

I heard this edit/mashup of Fugees vs. Cali Swag District vs. Henry Pope in Henry's Source Festival set and I wanted it - I wanted to rip off his idea and put it into my sets, haha! It's a perfect balance of classic and chilled hip hop, with modern bumpin bass and electro beats. And then I just got an email today that he put this Edit on Soundcloud for all to hear and use - it's f***ing DJ gold! I've got three gigs coming up in the next two weeks and this will fit perfectly into two of them - I can't wait to play it. Thanks Henry!!!

Keep em coming! Listen and download here:

Friendly Intentions - Beautiful Clothes

I have a love/hate relationship with Dubstep these days. I hate that it's generally overused and so many producers and labels have taken good artists and just thrown dubstep into their music and devolved into "wall of sound" imitation crap. But when I hear dubstep done really well, with some finesse and character, especially downtempo melodic dubstep, I f***ing love it! And Friendly Intentions shared a new track that falls into the latter category - "Beautiful Clothes" - a "vintage dubstep" downtempo track sampling the Beach Boys. Friendly Intentions is a Toronto production duo with experience in DJing, EDM and metal/rock bands. They're like a Canadian version of Skrillex. Listen to the track and learn more about it from the duo themselves: 


I asked Friendly Intentions about the inspiration and "vintage" theme behind the track and here's what they had to say: "We are big fans of older songs particularly groundbreaking songs. This [Beach Boys] song was released in 1966 and was extremely innovative for its time, from its composition to the instruments used. We are also fond of the beach boys singing because often they use well thought out vocal harmonies and the two brothers: brian and carl wilson, have excellent voices that punch through a mix well.

The inspiration from the song came from the warmth that the intro had. It presented a deep and wonderful atmosphere which we felt we would work into a relaxed unique song. We felt like that the main chorus of the song did not fit so well with the intro of the song since the released version of this song was recorded in 4 different studios giving each part its own defining character. It seemed like that part stood out the most of the original song. Rather then doing a remix we decided to more or less sample the intro/verse and expand it. All the composition was done with derivatives of the current existing melodies and a new chord progression. We also wanted to keep the vintage and warm essence of the track so the way the song was mixed was something similar to the way songs were mixed during the mid to-lade 1960's using vintage analogue equipment with not so much eqing and more dynamics. The result of this was something we decided to name "Vintage Dubstep" since it has the warm feel of the 1960's and the elements present mimic earlier synth sounds in terms of timbre."

Here's another side of Friendly Intentions, a great electro-house track with a funky vibe, produced to get you GOING!!! 

Gramatik LIVE SHOW Review

I've been a fan of Gramatik for many moons, and have loved hearing his sound shift and evolve over the years. He is produced and distributed by Pretty Lights Music - so if you like Pretty Lights then its a sure bet you'll dig Gramatik. His sound is rooted in hip hop percussion and rhythms, with blues, jazz and funk melodies spattered with modern doses of electronic and dubstep elements. He's an artist who has taken the best of dubstep and applied it to his style without diluting the spirit of what he's really trying to do. His music can be downloaded for free at the Pretty Lights Music record label website.

I loved his live show last night. His lighting set up was really cool - an industrial feel with two large video screens, one served as the a backdrop and the other was the front of his DJ/setup stand. If you've seen Pretty Lights' older shows (3-4 years ago), it was kind of like Pretty Lights' setup when he was first blowing up. The sound was incredible and Gramatik didn't just blast dubstep - he played a real sweet balance and mix of his old and new and focused on what makes his style unique - a blend of jazz/blues/funk elements with modern electronic. I'd recommend ANYONE go see him. Here's a video that gives you a taste:

DJ Shiftee on the Traktor iPad App

This is why I love and use Traktor... I'm not DJ Shiftee level, but I'll keep practicing!

The Upside of Down: Freestylers ft. DV - Calling Me Home

UK breakbeat and jungle legends Freestylers are back this summer with their fifth album, and the first single - "Calling Me Home" - is a balanced breakbeat banger that I'm LOVING right now. Get it free here:

DJ ATOM - Lounge MicroHouse Mix

I was recently turned on to ATOM, a DJ in Stamford, CT who specializes in "micro-house", a more glitchy twitchy electronic orientation. His sets are quirky and creative, and I really enjoy this downtempo lounge set he put together in the past year.

Tripnotic Series Part 2 - EROK Live at Natt Spil

Here's my latest set - Part 2 of the Tripnotic series I've dubbed at Natt Spil lounge in Madison, WI. There will be a final Tripnotic Part 3 coming in April, my last set at Natt Spil before I depart Madison for New York City. This set...Part 2...is quite chilled, starting with some acid jazz/trip hop, eventually wavering in and out of downtempo dubstep, funky and minimal house, and back to very chilled grooves to end the night.

Bohemian Club Releases - Jelly Llama, Kurt Baggaley, Neil Brett

Alistair at The Bohemian Club label is fantastic at sending me new tracks from the artists he helps distribute. He recently sent me a slew of electronic tracks that I'm really enjoying. All of them are fantastic, and a few really caught my attention with their downtempo electro lounge style, particularly from these three artists, straight from Alistair (thanks for all the info and music!):  

Jelly Llama - Jelly Llama is Jim Geatches, a musician and producer who has been dabbling in electronica since the 90s. Influenced by Leftfield and Orbital, he combines synthetic loops, subtle percussive layers and obscure film samples, weaving together ambient, minimalistic electronica and breakbeat to create music that cannot be easily categorised. His first release was 'Reveries of Orange EP' on The Bohemian Club last summer and he is currently working on his debut album. Check out "Reveries of Orange" here:



Kurt Baggaley - Kurt Baggaley is a producer from England. He gained attention writing for labels like Electrix, SCSI-AV and Templedog since the 1980's, using mainly analog hardware. He writes and produces under many guises, which allow him to dabble in many styles without putting himself in a box, such as Dr. Futurist (electro), Tactical Systems (techno-bass), Tau Sagittarii (experimental/electronic scores) and under his own name (minimal/synth). His tracks are nice and steady, and the track "Natural Phases" really caught my attention - listen and watch "Natural Phases" here: 




Neil Brett - Neil has been interested in electronic music since he bought his first 12 inch record and watching the film Break Dance. He got into break dancing, collecting street sounds electro albums, and quickly learned how to use drum machines and synths. At sixteen he bought his first keyboard and was heavily influenced by acid house, at least as much as he can remember. Check out the track "EasyK" below and you'll hear the influence....

Sound Spectrum Saturday - Vacationer, Gelka, True Nature, Moduloktopus

Here's the latest edition of Sound Spectrum Saturday - giving you a range of sounds so you can choose the soundtrack to your weekend. Here's a few mixes and singles that I've really been enjoying, ranging from some really primal bass music to signature downtempo and trip hop that Downbeatscape was founded on:

Gelka - Flying Clouds Mixtape - downtempo hip hop and chillout mix



True Nature - On the Sly Anniversary Mix - primal/deep bass mix



Vacationer - Good As New (Data Romance Remix) - downtempo



Moduloktopus - Turkish Clubbish - trap bass track

Pretty Lights - The Day Is Gone

New Pretty Lights track - "The Day Is Gone" !!! Pretty Lights at his best, chillin w/ a dash of bass, funk and electro hop .... bring this down w/ the best and the crown...

Henry Pope - Source Festival 2013 Mix

Great to hear another awesome mix from my boy Henry Pope out in Los Angeles, spinning an awesome set of eclectic tunes, with heavy bass and a range of chilled and uptempo beats to give the audience a lot of flavor. You'll hear funk, dub, trap, hip hop, glitch, breaks and even brazilian beats in this mix. And many thanks to Henry for giving me some props and glad he was able to use some tracks that he dug from my own sets and blog posts. Enjoy this mix, its dope!

Extraordinary Magnitude Vs. Blackstreet - No Diggity 2013

This is an amazing mashup track from the new producer group Extraordinary Magnitude - composed of five Brooklyn beat makers Gramatik, Illumntr, Eric Mendelson, Drastiq and Buffalo Analog. I'm most familiar with Gramatik, Buffalo Analog and Illumntr and am super excited to hear these guys' collaboration album drop in July. As a teaser, they've blessed us with this really incredible acid jazz, trip hop track of instrumental beats with the acapella of Blackstreet's No Diggity. I dare to say, I think this version is even better than the original...and if its a vision of things to come, then I can't wait for the album "Proportions" to drop this summer. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook to hear more as it comes...

Chilled DUB: Jahtari Promo Mixtape for SKANK IT UP

It's mad chilly in my part of the world today, but I heard this mix (shared by a friend MorningSteppa - a fresh downbeat DJ and music curator in New Zealand) and it brought sunshine and warmth into my day.

This mix is a collection of super chill, beachy dub - just fantastic for lounging around or relaxing, or gettin deep with some of your closest friends. It's a promo mixtape for a dub/reggae party SKANK IT UP happening in Paris next weekend, if only I could be there... though I can't be there I'll be listening to this mix, check out the tunes and the track list below...



1. Jahtari Riddim Force - Gunshot Dub demo
2. Jahtari Riddim Force - Tascam Riddim demo
3. Tapes - Make Dem Dub
4. Soom T - Summer Days
5. disrupt - Summer Days Dub
6. disrupt - R2D2 Riddim demo
7. Mr. Williamz - Dancehall Hobby
8. Kenny Knots - Herb From Grow
9. Speng Bond - Tann Up Solid
10. Maffi - Robotron Dub
11. Part2Style - Fever
12. Tapes - This Weed's Making Me Nervous
13. Speng Bond - White Horse
14. Mr. Williamz - Sit Down Steady

Moduloktopus - FutureClassics MIXTopus Mix and a Look Into the Imagination of the Electronic Music Chameleon

MODULOKTOPUS is officially a producer to watch. This Dominican Electronic Music Chameleon is creating amazing remixes and original beats in Boston, making waves around the country and via many blogs, like EarMilk and FutureClassics.ca - where he recently created the first in a Mix Series called MIXTopus. 

Moduloktopus has amazing range, which is what I look for when I write about and promote music. This guy and his sounds really caught my ear. His remixes are extremely creative and vivid, and pull from various electronic genres. Many are dance oriented, several of which are in various downtempo styles, fusing hip hop, trap, DnB, jazz, international flavors, and electronic sounds. I reached out to Moduloktopus to have a "discussion" about his music. I was excited to hear he's soon releasing new collaborations with rising stars NOMS and BRITE LITE BRITE. Like I said, Moduloktopus is someone to watch - he's got an amazing attitude, philosophy, sound and approach and that's what creates memorable music experiences. Read the interview with Moduloktopus below, listen to the MIXTopus and watch "Formless"!

DOWNBEATSCAPE: What's in a name...Moduloktopus?

MODULOKTOPUS: Suggested by my best friend Jose Gil Bernabe, the name is inspired from He-Man villain Modulok, whose powers included the ability to shape shift his body parts into weapons and plan complex schemes. I decided to infuse the name with the mythical reference of the Kraken and the Camouflage skills of cuttlefish. From those sources I created the name Moduloktopus. My interpretation behind the name is an Electronic Music Chameleon on a mission to adapt his imagination to any style he touches.

DBS: Tell me more about the set MIXTOPUS you just released with FutureClassic.ca...

MOD: Since I began uploading music on Soundcloud, Gabriel Pitman who runs the blog Future Classics, has always provided support for my releases. He wanted to start a mix series for his blog and I used it as an opportunity to start a new series of my own. MIXTOPUS consists of originals and remixes from my body of work. It also includes a lot of unreleased productions to make it special. This first one goes through 32 tracks in 50min. My goal is to make one every month or two for a specific blog, and include as much music as I can.

DBS: When did you get into music production and what does the future hold for you?

MOD: I got into production in my teens after my CDJs broke down. I had no money to fix them so I learned beat-making instead with Reason 2.5. Since those days I tried imitating my influences, but my real voice in production developed when I made the duo Dice Motion with Joel Friedman. We experimented so much and learned to piece together songs from start to finish. The future for me is uncertain, but I'm looking forward to playing more shows, artist collaborations, weekly releases, monthly releases, remixes, videos, and an undying effort to spread my diversity to various scenes in electronic music. I only want people to always expect something new from me every week.

DBS: What type of song do you look for when doing a remix?
MOD: I can pretty much play around with any essential element of a song to make a remix. What I look for is something easy to sample and to improvise with melodic or rhythmic twists. Most of the time I'll just recreate the original with a different flavor or experiment making my own dance floor hybrid version. My vision is to always find an uplifting feature to develop cause that's what the original song will initially do for me.

DBS: You collaborate with video artists and other producers when creating tracks, how do you connect with other artists and what is your collab process like?
MOD: Collabs happen naturally. Mostly because I come from a background of being in a band and acquainting with musicians on a daily basis. Always grateful to have musicians I am a fan of be my friends (Noms, M Constant, Jonathan Hoard, etc.. to name a few). It's a growing experience to have them add their musical strengths to your songs and push what you do in ways you never thought possible. When I was approached by videographer Michael Gold, we became fans of each other's style and the energy to work was seamless. He is such a chill guy to collab with cause he'll take my tracks and visually flip them inside out regardless of genre. Being a fan, having flexibility and staying inspiredly committed are the best qualities for a successful collab.

DBS: What producer, DJ or artist would you love to collaborate with?
MOD: I'd love to collab with so many, but to keep it simple I'd like to use the soulful side of my sound to go with: Sid Siriam, Jesse Boykins, Dvnny Seth, Hiatus Kayote, Erykah Badu, Lapalux, The Underachievers, Saul Williams, Sonnymoon, Bjork, Thriftworks, and Prefuse 73 to name a few...  On the Dance Music side I'd love to collab with Ookay, Willy Joy, DJ Sliink, M|O|D crew, Cashmere Cat, RL Grime, Herobust, DJ Rashad, Obey City, MikeQ, Brenmar, Hucci, Freddy Todd, Flosstradamus, gLAdiator, and many more... For the most part I'm pretty open when it comes to collaborating with anyone as long as the music serves its elevating purpose and reaches people. I encourage anyone out there who wants to collab to hit me up. At the moment I can announce you I'm collabing with Noms, Brite Lite Brite, and Jonathan Hoard for some releases in the upcoming month.

DBS: What's your take on the whole "trap" music explosion?
MOD: I have my personal view on it. To me Dance music will be Dance music regardless what tag we apply thru the ages. Whenever I see a genre being overgeneralized or overexposed, I like to use that opportunity to mix it around with other genres or ideas that could give it a different character and add diversity. For example in “Bessie's Bounce” I mix Baltimore Clap with my twisted trap style, “Wiggizm” trap with DnB, or on “Fckn Dance Flow” I infuse trap with Juke.

As long as producers can create music with an honest voice and authentic personality, any generalized music term can begin to diversify. Which is the situation when we look at the word Hip Hop for instance. I even believe trap is just another shade of Hip Hop, which for me is liberating when you think of the places to draw inspiration from.

In terms of the current hype cycle it's going thru, I'm pretty happy the dubstep lazer blasts have calmed down, and that 808 style beats with minimal elements can create the same effect on people. It has also made the entry level for producers easier to access, but the ones who thrive are the ones that stay connected supporting each other, refining their craft and share their authenticity with other artists. Now a days everyone who makes it big in “EDM” starts by remixing or collaborating with others. It's safe to say that when genre names explode it's that much easier to find people with a common taste, but you need to bring something different to the table that can stand out inside the genre. The best way for me to do this is mixing different genres or composing without thinking of genres at all.

DBS: "Formless" is a track that really caught my ear and eye, but it has a different feel from many of your tracks - how would you describe your musical range and what influences you to work with certain sounds and styles?
MOD: Good question. “Formless” is one of those situations where I didn't bound myself to genres, I was looking to simply piece together my sonic interpretation of Bruce Lee's words. That is what actually led to its diversity. As iconic as Bruce is, he resembles a wholehearted way of life and a big reminder that you gotta put your best up front. When a motivation like this is the key what drives the song, the results will always astonish you. It really gives me a confidence to leave my comfort zone and question how far can I take the music. The downside might be that I can't play this at a club, but the wisdom in its challenges can transfer unto the next club track.

DBS: Is there anything else you'd like to add?
MOD: Yes, Big Thank You to Downbeatscape for allowing me to express my views, and supporting my music. I'm currently looking to book more shows, so I encourage anyone out there to hit me up if you like what I offer. Also pay attention for new Souncloud releases and feel free to tell me what you Like, cause I love having fans be part of my creative output.

Formless - Moduloktopus from Michael Gold on Vimeo.

"Formless" by Moduloktopus

Be FORMLESS. This original track "Formless" and kung fu/Bruce lee video edit is by Boston-based producer sound man Moduloktopus. This guy has really caught my ear, with some amazing remixes that range in downtempo style from deep trap to glitchy and almost ambient trip hop. His "Formless" track connects with me at a deeper level - you don't just sample Bruce Lee without truly appreciating his higher philosophy. Stay tuned for more from Moduloktopus - I intend to share more...

Be FORMLESS.

Formless - Moduloktopus from Michael Gold on Vimeo.

George Solar - Comfy Dub Mix #13, IbizaSonic Radio

Sometimes its good to kick back and enjoy this beautiful life and all the sounds and energy that swirl around us. I like to do so with some COMFY DUB - a chilled theme that George Solar has been offering through his original tracks, DJ sets and radio show for several years now. Though, I hadn't heard a Comfy Dub mix from George for a bit, so when he posted his latest COMFY DUB radio mix I instantly listened...and haven't stopped. It's so chill, perfect for mornings or anytime when you need a bit of atmospheric dub to lighten and tap the brakes a bit, sometimes we need to slow down and appreciate the joy and energy that is inherent in BEING. Now, I'm gonna go dub out with some COMFY DUB...

COMFY DUB radio #013 on Ibiza Sonica by George Solar on Mixcloud

Monday Mix: DJ EROK - NattSpil Tripnotic Live Set

Here's my latest mix - a live set I performed at Natt Spil Lounge in Madison, WI a few weeks ago. I love DJing at Natt Spil - it's a true DJ's venue, where DJs experiment with new songs, techniques and combinations 7 nights a week. Its a great venue for me, as I can mix a range of downtempo and uptempo styles over the course of 4 hours. This live set starts with some atmospheric downtempo dub, a quick transition into chilled out trip hop, then into a mix of international fusion and electronic genres of varied tempo, and the last 45 minutes is the cool down, very chilled.

I like to plan the first 30-45 minutes of a set because it gets me into a rhythm, and I can test what is working with the audience. I am very happy with how this set turned out, but I don't quite get into my flow until 20 minutes in. So be patient with this set - it is nearly 4 hours and you will be rewarded with the entire journey. The set list is below - enjoy!



Actraiser - Phantomile
Beat Assailant - Chronik Break
Antibalas - One Dub
Thievery Corporation - 33 Degrees
Stephen & Damian Marley - Jah Army, Revelation Pt. 1
Rae & Christian - Bring the Drama
Tensei - Think Twice
Rae & Christian - Flip the Mic
Suburban Dream - We Still Do It
Suburban Dream - Wandering Around (Spooky O Mansion Remix)
DJ Cam - Kalimba Groove
The New Law - Blood Red Sky
Eliot Lipp - The Snake
Mux Mool - Death 9000
Emancipator - Jet Stream (D.V.S. Remix)
Pretty Lights - Total Fascination
Michal Menert - The Keep On
Rykard - Get Your Groove On
Emancipator - Rattlesnakes (SaQi Remix)
Danny Massure - Pick It Up
Nickodemus - Desert Dancer (Zeb's Slow Camel Remix)
Photek - Shape Charge
Karsh Kale - Milan
Parov Stelar - Between the Machine
Hilight Tribe - Maori Beat
Zion I - Human (Bassnectar Remix)
Stephen Walking - Walkers
Gramatik - Illusion of Choice
Paper Diamond - Imagine the Possibilities
Eliot Lipp - Mountain
Roxiny - Belong (Moduloktopus Remix)
The Crystal Method - True Grit
Karminsky Experience - The Hip Sheik
Femi Kuti - Truth Don Lie
Emancipator - Bury Them Bones (Marley Carroll Remix)
Audion - Just a Man
Trentemoller - Killer Kat
Nickodemus - Peaceful Island Life
Hossam Ramzy - West Naima
Hossam Ramzy - Brazilian Pearls
Photek - Quadrant
Trentemoller - Evil Dub
Eliot Lipp - The Wolf
Pretty Lights - Up & Down I Go
Rae & Christian - Divine Sounds
Petty Lights - Take the Sun Away
Danny Massure - Skanky (Zamali Crystal Bells Remix)
Tycho - Coastal Break (Lusine Remix)
J-Boogie / Dubtronic Science - Chopsticks Dub
Thievery Corporation - Holographic Universe
St. Germain - Sure Thing
Slugabed - Moonbeam Rider
Actraiser - Phantomile
Great Skies - Like All Good Summer Moments

Sound Spectrum Saturday - Music by Emancipator, Project 46, Waxhole.com, Tru Thoughts and Daddy

I'm back from Costa Rica where I was truly off the grid for two weeks, and I'm ready to share great (and always interesting in SOME way) music. Today's Sound Spectrum Saturday includes music new and old from established and emerging artists. Give it all a try, you never know what you might like...enjoy and remember, stay chilled!

Emancipator - Emancipator is a Portland-based experimental trip hop duo of a production DJ and violinist. They've been releasing amazing independent trip hop on Loci Records (Portland) for several years and they have a new full length album coming out January 29. I saw them live last night in Madison with Mux Mool (Ghostly International, Detroit) and Tor (Loci Records, Portland) and they put on a great show. These tracks are some of my favorite:





TheWaxhole.com Chilled Wax Vol. 1 Compilation / Mix Tape - I'm so glad I found out about TheWaxhole.com - another downtempo blog with similar tone and substance to mine, full of a variety of chillout mixes, styles and artist interviews. The blog has many contributors and is very clean. Not to mention they curate their own mix tapes of great downtempo. Check out their their compilation:



Tru Thoughts, Menagerie "Spiritual Jazz Selector Mix" - Tru Thoughts label (UK) is home to Quantic, Hidden Orchestra and many other artists that fuse jazz, hip hop, and international fusion into a true melting pot of a label. Menagerie is a "spiritual jazz" project on Tru Thoughts, and this is a nice selection/mix of jazz styles, including acid jazz, classical and even some afro-beat in there.



Project 46 - The Killers - Miss Atomic Bomb (Project 46 Remix) - Project 46 (Canada) continues to drop great dance and electro tracks on labels like MonsterCat, along with independent remixes. This latest remix is a harder house version of The Killers' "Miss Atomic Bomb."



Daddy's "Love In The Old Days (Kolour Kult Remix)" - FAIR WARNING: This video is kinda messed up. It's a trip to watch and may be disturbing to some. Daddy is James Franco's band and Kolour Cult just remixed one of his songs, and James Franco directed this video which was just released. Based on James Franco's artistic chops this video is worth checking out - I'm kind of conflicted of wether I like it or not, but in the spirit of sharing different things that I'm listening to I wanted to give you the option to critique and experience it as well. Check out the interview with James Franco about the video and his music project on Vice.com