This is a site for the eclectic music listener. Explore downtempo, deep house, chillout, glitch hop, dub, world fusion, bass, & more. I am E-ROK - welcome, and stay chilled...
National Geographic has it's own record label, Nat Geo Records, with bands that you may have heard of, including Bedouin Soundclash, Balkan Beat Box and Grupo Fantasma. The label is a growing collection of great international sounds. I really look forward to following this label and the work of its artists.
Additionally, the National Geographic Music web site has great interviews with artists beyond their label, music videos, playlists and a newsletter. Check out some tracks on their SoundCloud page:
I'm really pleased w/ Max Tannone's newest mashup project - Ghostfunk - which is Ghostface Killah rap vocals mashed with vintage afrofunk and psychedelic rock. It's really well done. I've been impressed with his mashups, including Jaydiohead (Jay-Z + Radiohead) and Mos Dub and Dub Kweli (Mos Def + dub/reggae; Talib Kweli + dub/reggae). Get all the tracks for free via the Soundcloud download portal below:
Thievery Corporation released their 6th studio album today - "Culture of Fear." Being a die-hard fan of their sound - dubbed the "Outernational" Sound for their fusion of eastern, reggae, jazz, funk, hip hop and other-worldly beats - I instantly downloaded the album.
The album has a real downtempo flow, and doesn't includes some of the more electronic and reggae dance-hall type tracks that were prevalent on their last album, "Radio Retaliation." Instead, the first half of the album has a much more loungy jazz and funk feel, focusing less on synthesized sounds combined with international instruments like sitars and ethnic drums, and more on jazz drums, and roots rock guitar. This first half is reminiscent of the Cosmic Game - Thievery Corp's 4th album and one that was a departure from their signature "Outernational Sound." The title track - Culture of Fear - has an incredible flow delivered by Mr. Lif, though its lyrics and message is almost paranoid and conspiratory, I like the song itself but the tone of the lyrics can be distracting - even like the cover art to the album - the "big brother" like camera is mostly just disturbing and not very thought-provoking.
The second half of the album shifts a bit from the jazz and funk vibe, and is more dubbed and almost ambient in nature. It's much more reminiscent of their earlier albums, like "Sounds From the Thievery Hi-Fi" (my favorite album of theirs). I admit to being a Thievery purist - so this second half pleases me more than the first half of the album. Songs like "Is It Over" and "Free" are much more wandering and dynamic dreamscapes of songs that engage listeners in different ways, from deep bass and primal drums to ethereal synthesizers and siren-like female vocals. The track "Overstand" is a chilled reggae track, true to form of what we've also heard from Thievery Corporation's last album - Radio Retaliation.
Check out a teaser of the album below. For a limited time, Thievery Corporation is also letting fans stream the entire album for free here.
My buddies DJ Andy Ward (Wicked Good Records, Boston) and electro artist/producer Jeff Keenan (Boston) got together one day, picked out a few records and created this track from random samples from the crate. Love the international, eastern vibe with the high operatic vocals and shuffling beats underneath. Well done guys!
Right now, I honestly like the sample better w/out the vocals. THAT SAID, I can see the vocals growing on me, especially when the full track is released and when I can mess around with it in a DJ set.
Boom Festival 2012 is July 28th to August 4 - Portugal! Boom is an incredible festival built around the universal and primal ideal of peace, love and creation - manifested through the arts. It's a cross between Woodstock (and it's peace/love vibe) vs. Burning Man (it's experimental, utopian ideals) vs. Electric Zoo (amazing electronic music - from downtempo international to psytrance). I've seen and discovered DJs here who have blown my mind, from Dasha Rush (minimalist electro) to Heyoka (San Francisco, tribal dubstep) and it's all about letting yourself go and embracing the primal nature of music.
There's all sorts of live music and DJs - outdoor tents the Groovy Beach, Sacred Fire, Dance Temple and, my downtempo favorite, Ambient Paradise.
