Suburban Dream - Wandering Around

I've been following Suburban Dream for a few years and his latest - "Wandering Around" - is a downtempo piece that builds with elements of jazz and hip hop, giving it great texture, which is no coincidence considering this track is, in his words, "actually a tribute to Mark Farina's acclaimed Mushroom Jazz series which Ciaran [the man behind Suburban Dream] has repeatedly found inspiration from over the years. It builds beautifully, wrapping the listener within a curtain of sound." Suburban Dream continues to produce great chillout tunes that perfectly toe the line between ambient and head-noddin' electronic lounge music. I'm always excited to hear the latest from Suburban Dream - all his work maintains a dream-like quality (no pun intended) created with light synthetic sounds and pointed percussion that together carry a ton of weight. His songs are aptly named to fit the stereotypical suburban experience - "Wandering Around [looking for my friends]" "We Long To Be" and "They Start Out Using." As I was checking out his latest , I was also surprised to find a track that I hadn't yet heard: "We Long To Be" This downtempo track has a simple lyrical phrase punctuated with drug references and this sense of yearning, that is lifted by synthetic sounds that lighten the track and put it into the clouds (an effect of the drugs maybe?)

New Gramatik EP - #DigitalFreedom - Pretty Lights Music label

Gramatik (Pretty Lights Music) released a new EP last week called #DigitalFreedom. His sound is historically hip hop driven (like most Pretty Lights Music) with gritty funk elements and less electronic sampling than other PLM artists such as SuperVision, Paul Basic or Paper Diamond.

#DigitalFreedom maintains the foundation of downtempo hip hop but brings in a much stronger electronic element (mostly dubstep oriented) than his previous work. I've heard this shift across many of Pretty Lights Music's latest releases. Fortunately, they all incorporate new sounds without sacrificing the style that their listeners have come to appreciate. This is true for the new Gramatik release. It really does meld his style with new elements, and there's a healthy balanced mix of really organic hip hop samples and synthetic downtempo electro. Listen on SoundCloud and download his new album on Pretty Lights Music for free:

DJ EROK & Andy Ward - Live at Kulturez Store 4.1.12 - Mix & Pics, Downtempo/TripHop/HipHop

Yesterday I had the pleasure of DJing at Kulturez - my friend's apparel & skate shop in Cambridge, MA. It was a chill Sunday afternoon and my Boston DJ partner Andy Ward joined me to play some tunes. Always great to partner w/ the Kulturez crew - they have incredibly positive energy and style.

Big thanks to the Kulturez crew - Mayan, Jay, Andre - for hosting us, and to all my friends and supporters who came out for the session and Buy One, Get One sale! Check out the mix and pics below, and visit Kulturez.com for some t-shirts, kicks, art, culture and more. Especially check out two of my favorite t-shirt brands - Mayan Tamang and AllThingsRPossible.

I DJ for the first hour, Andy jumps on for the second hour, he and I alternate until the end. Enjoy!

DJ Shadow show review - 3.30.12 - House of Blues in Boston - the SHADOWSPHERE

Legendary producer DJ Shadow performed at House of Blues in Boston last night. His performance was nothing I've ever seen before - he climbed into a giant ball "Shadowsphere" which was placed in front of a giant projection screen. He performed in the sphere all night. The ball acted as a 3D screen that interacted with the projection on the background.

It was an elaborate, but simple and entrancing performance. DJ Shadow has been performing the "Shadowsphere" for nearly 2 years now, but it was new to me and I recommend it to anyone. He performed for 2+ hours and his attention to the crowd was great. He is a true performer.

DJ Shadow performed various tracks - classics like "Building Steam on a Grain of Salt" "Six Days" and "High Noon," along with music from his latest album The Less You Know the Better. DJ Shadow has been outspoken about the art of DJing being a performance, and he lived up to that message. He remixed on the fly, used an array of turntablism, synth and midi effects, live drumming and masterful mixing to refresh his tracks for a live audience. He performed various styles that he's experimented with through the years, ranging from trip hop, drum & bass, dubstep (new stuff), and pure hip hop.

Here's a few pics from the night, plus DJ Shadow videos and tracks to check out - and visit his site for his newest album, many more pics and other media:

Ninja Tune Solid Steel Radio Show - 3.30.12 - Stream & Download, expert trip-hop mixing & sampling by Coldcut, Yppah, DJ Food

Ninja Tune founders Coldcut and guests always produce incredible mixes for the Ninja Tune Solid Steel Radio Show. This month's is an amazing mix of contemporary and classic UK trip-hop tracks. The sampling and mixing is immaculate - no easy feat. Big props to downtempo veterans Coldcut and their guests this month Yppah and DJ Food. For those of you who aren't as familiar with Ninja Tune: Ninja Tune is a legendary music label that features downtempo and trip-hop artists, DJs and producers from around the world that are personal favorites of mine, including Amon Tobin, Bonobo, Coldcut, Kid Koala, Mr. Scruff, Yppah, DJ Food, DJ Vadim, and many more. This is one label I always recommend following.

Here's the full mix, to stream and download for free via Soundcloud, and the full track list at the Solid Steel website:

White Panda show/album review in Madison 3.22.12 - Stream/ Download new album Bambooyah, Pics & Mixed Feelings

  

I saw White Panda perform their new album Bambooyah last night in Madison, WI. The album is great - it's a fantastic new set of mashups of electro dance, pop, and a lot of classic samples and riffs, and the continuous mix flows really well. I had high expectations for this show - of live remixing and DJing - hearing new mashups on the fly. Yet, I came away with mixed feelings. Here's why:

1. White Panda are great mashup artists. Definitely download their music (as linked to above) - it was great to dance to their mashups in the club. They had the crowd going. But, it was clear that they were just playing their pre-mixed mashups with little live mixing or DJing.

2. They went on late - after 1 AM. That's acceptable in NYC or Chicago, but not Madison (IMO), where bar time is 2/2:30 AM. They played for an hour. If i'm paying a premium cover to see a DJ act I expect more than an hour.

3. Then they abruptly stopped. No cool down, no taper, no bravado, nothing. They just stopped their set and walked off. Lights on, show over. It was musical blue balls.

Bottom line: I really enjoy White Panda's latest mashup album - it is the highest quality production and mashup they've achieved yet - and I will continue to download and recommend their music. However, I'm unlikely to see them live again or recommend that anyone does. They have to deliver more if I'm going shell out a cover premium to see them live.

Nonetheless, I had fun despite my expectations not quite being met. Maybe I should just appreciate it for what it is - great music played really loud ;) Here's pics from the night:

Early Summer Jammin' - Pretty Lights vs. Summertime, Pacha Massive

It's ridiculously, unseasonably consistently warm in Madison, WI - it's been nearly 80 degrees for the last week and looks to stay around 70-80 degrees for at least the next week as well. This warm weather is spreading east - I like to think I'm sending Boston/NYC my warm weather ;) Everyone here has been in great spirits - its amazing what the weather can do for people.

In honor of this early "summer weather" we're having, I just wanted to post two songs that have made me feel particularly "summery" today: Pretty Lights remix/mashup from last year of "Summertime" and Pacha Massive's downtempo chill ballad "Just Want to See Ya." Keepin' me in a great mood... Enjoy

Jeremy Ellis & Maschine (Native Instruments) - Master of the Pads - never gets old

I just bought the Native Instruments Maschine groove pad and production studio software. I've been amazed at the power of this thing for a few years and finally pulled the trigger in getting one. Now that I have it, I've been immersing myself in tutorials and videos that I find inspirational and help spark my creativity. Jeremy Ellis is particularly inspiring. Thanks to the team at MC Audio in Madison for hooking me up with the product at a great price.