The New Law - Jiri

The New Law are back with an incredible glitch hop single that, in my ears, sounds like a continuing journey of the unnamed hero/outlaw from their last three albums into a Middle Eastern or old Eastern European underworld. "Jiri" is an ethnically-inspired song created entirely from samples and, according to The New Law, was inspired "by a street musician in Prague named Jiri Wehle. He plays the hurdy gurdy and sings epic Czech folk songs." The samples originate from the following songs: Jiri Wehle-"Pisen pro Barsinu", 4 Strings-"Take Me Away" and Styx-"Mr. Roboto". Stream & download the song here:

Show Review, Pics & Video: Ghostly International artist Shigeto live in NYC (Le Poisson Rouge, June 10, 2012)

I saw a side of Shigeto that I didn't quite know existed at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC. He was trained in jazz at the New School in New York and his studio work has an ambient, jazztronica vibe. But his remixes and original samples lately have been layered with ruptured electronic music that seem influenced by other Ghostly International artists like Mux Mool and Com Truise. His foray into other sounds was awesome live, and I was able to snap some photos and take a short video of his performance. The last 30 seconds of the video is a glimpse into Shigeto's new world, of deep broken beat electronic music that blew my mind. Definitely see Shigeto live (here's his tour schedule), listen to his tracks and check out the video and pics from his performance below:

Interview w/ Friendly Intentions, remix artists behind Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know ( Friendly Intentions Chill Remix)

Friendly Intentions is a remix and producer duo in Toronto, Canada. They shared their latest remix - Gotye - Somebody That I Used to Know (Friendly Intentions Chill Remix) - a fresh downtempo version of a great but arguably overplayed song. This track pushed me to check out more of their remixes and original productions that range from chilled dubstep to chillwave to progressive house. One theme I noticed in their work is they apply the best elements of a genre without over-use, which can be a risk especially with dubstep these days. Another theme I enjoy is how they adjust tempo and rhythm through songs. This is a nuanced and often underused production tactic that really keeps people listening. Check out an interview with Friendly Intentions below and listen to a selection of their work (and follow them on Twitter!):





Downbeatscape: What does "downtempo" mean to you and how does your style of music fit in?

Friendly Intentions: This is an interesting question...I'm just going to throw at you what I view as downtempo. Generally, the rate at which the snare drum hits dictates the tempo. So, music that's below 80 bpm is downtempo. Of course this can encompass an enormous variety of music, each with difference energy and atmosphere. The shuffle of the drums is very important to the general atmosphere and relaxed feel of a song. The more irregular the shuffle on the drums and percussion creates more of a lagging and "down" feel. For example, dubstep has that really slow headbobbing vibe. (Let's assume dubstep is 70 bpm due to the half step drum pattern).

DBS: How do you select a song to remix, and what is your approach to remixing?

FI: When choosing a song, we pick those that have an interesting base, yet have the potential to be improved. For example, Gotye - Somebody I Used to Know has a great vocal line, but we felt the instrumental was lacking. We added our own personal twist and are very happy with the result. So far the remix has been received better than expected.

DBS: Your work ranges from chillwave to dubstep to prog house. How has this range developed?

FI: Our foray in electronic music has been an exciting journey, learning about the intricacies of sound design and sound itself. Every time we set out to create a piece from a genre we've never worked with, it's full of discovery. Each and every genre has specific elements and challenges that are often unique to it. Our goal is to push the boundary of sound design, yet keep our songs aurally pleasing. Extending our musical vocabulary allows us to borrow elements and techniques of other genres and incorporate them in our production giving a more original, less cookie cutter sound. Look forward to some new downright dirty electro and drum and bass songs in the works.

DBS: As a duo, how do you work together to create music? Do you each have "specialties" or roles?

FI: Individually, we are good at creating parts of songs, but struggle to finish complete ideas. However, when working together in our small home studio, we rarely run into creativity problems. We can sit through hours and get plenty of work completed. We have been friends for many years before we even made music together, so our chemistry is great. We have similar mindsets and personalities, which helps workflow tremendously.

DBS: How is the Toronto music scene compared to others you have experienced around the world?

FI: The Toronto music scene is amazing. We travel frequently for our jobs and its hard to find a great city like Toronto in music. There are music events for even the most obscure sub genres almost weekly. Perhaps that's why we are not genre bound, but rather set out to make whatever seems to work at that point in time.

Mister Rogers Remixed | Garden of Your Mind | PBS Digital Studios - in downtempo fashion

I had to post this - it's going around the internet and it is absolutely beautiful. A wonderful tribute to Mr. Rogers with an incredibly innocent, pure and spirited message that we must never forget. Not to mention the song is quite good and it's actually in the downtempo vibe that I love to share. So please, enjoy this if you haven't seen it already and let it take you back to a time where the garden of your mind did blossom incredible things, and may we all allow ourselves to tender that garden for our lifetimes.

Pretty Lights - You Get High

Pretty Lights has been busy, playing festivals and concerts all over the country while producing his online podcast/radio show The Hot Shit and recently releasing a new single "You Get High" that does just that - gets you high on life in Pretty Lights style.

This Pretty Lights track is true to form in what we've come to expect from him - steady hip hop beats laying the foundation for a perfectly mixed mash of funk, electronica (lighter dubstep in this case) and glitched up vocal samples. According to Pretty Lights, this is the last single he's dropping before releasing a brand new album this summer on his own label, Pretty Lights Music. I'll be sure to share the release date on my blog or via the Downbeatscape Twitter handle when it is announced.

Hear "You Get High" by watching the video and Download it for free at Pretty Lights Music website:

Artist Interview & New Acid Jazz/Jazztronica Release: Outerattik - Attic EP

Outerattik, the UK's Jamie Smith, released his acid jazz Attic EP recently and it's a great downtempo tribute to the nostalgic early days of jazz that he discovered pouring through vinyl records in his parents' attic. As he progressed as a jazz musician, Jamie began to experiment with more acid improvisational techniques and electronic sequencing, creating a "jazztronica" sound that pays homage to his classical training and gives a nod to his interest in other genres like electronica and funk. Read my interview with Outerattik, listen to Attic EP and download his track Electro Funk #50 for free:



Downbeatscape: What does "downtempo" mean to you and how does your style fit into this genre?

Outerattik (Jamie Smith): Downtempo to me means groovy, laid back and atmospheric. Chillout music with some bite. Genres are so blurred that I find myself going in circles trying to define the music I produce. In essence, I produce downtempo with harmony and rhythms from jazz, funk and soul.

DBS: How did your interest in jazz develop and how has it evolved through the years?

Jamie: Early on I’d been playing and improvising over stuff that had some overlap with jazz: mainly American songbook material. My uncle introduced me to it, and how to play chords and improvise. A few years later I bought some jazz CDs and books and began learning how jazz worked. I plucked up the courage to go to a few jam sessions around town and eventually joined some jazz combos. It was a difficult transition from previously playing mostly classical music. Jazz is quite different and I spent six or seven years not being able to play well enough to record - really frustrating.

I’d also experimented with sequencers and computer music in my teens, and after playing jazz proper I wanted to combine the two. It was after playing in fusion bands and learning to play funk that I felt confident and versed enough to embark into acid jazz and form Outerattik.

DBS: How did you first get your start as a musician?

Jamie: Music was always in my family. My Dad still plays in a brass band (which I played in for a few years) and my Mum performs in musicals. I started piano lessons when I was six and began composing a few years later, first with pencil and paper then with a sequencer my parents got me for Christmas.

DBS: How do you like composing in the studio compared to performing live? How does the art of improvisation, so important in jazz, come into play in a studio vs. live setting?

Jamie: I enjoy both. Going from one to the other keeps things interesting. Playing live is exciting but often the sound on stage, especially if playing in a noisy bar, is a bit rubbish. Being in the studio allows you to concentrate fully on the sound and play with more nuance.

The stage tends to be where you can really stretch improvisationally. I find the studio experience to be quite tense because I know bad notes will be recorded! But on stage, you’re jamming in real time and can be spontaneous - I find that really exciting.



DBS: What gigs do you have coming up?

Jamie: I’m looking to take Outerattik live soon. I put some feelers out to other musicians to collaborate and I’m pleased with the enthusiastic response. Until then I’ve gotta write more tunes!

DBS: Where do you find influence for your songs?

Jamie: Sometimes I write tunes to reflect a particular experience I’ve had or mood that I'm in. Other times it’ll come from something I’ve improvised. This EP, particularly Attic Faery, has quite a nostalgic feel to it. The main inspiration was discovering music through my parents’ vinyl collection in the attic. It was quite eclectic.

DBS: Where do you see the future of downtempo music and of acid jazz in particular?

Jamie: Downtempo will always find an audience. It’s such an adaptable form. You can fuse it with other genres, like folk and jazz, and it works really well. Who knows what the next twist on it will be. I thought glo-fi a few years back was pretty good, bringing back that 80s pop sound but in a new way.

As far as acid jazz goes, I have a vested interested in a revival! They say these things go in 20-year cycles, don’t they? Musicians like BADBADNOTGOOD and Robert Glasper are having a lot of success at the moment with their jazz and hip hop sound, and a more mainstream audience is responding. So it’s an exciting time to be playing acid jazz.

New Label & Mix: The Bohemian Club

I've recently become interested in the work of Alistairr Read - a London downtempo and electronic producer. His work is a mix of chillout downtempo and lounge house electronic, with light melodies creating weightless overtones throughout. He also runs The Bohemian Club - a blog showcasing a variety of music ranging from traditional downtempo to various electronic styles.

From his success as a producer, music mixologist, and blogger, he has recently launched a music label under the same name - The Bohemian Club. Alistairr's label will release music ranging from "downtempo, to dub, to electronica and beyond" (his words). His label will showcase artists and music that break the "predictable mould of current electronic music and creates a path of its own." I love the spirit of this project and look forward to the range of downtempo sounds it produces.

Here is a mix by Alistairr of the type of music he finds inspiration from and is seeking to promote via his label - remember, if you're a DJ/producer/artist send demos to The Bohemian Club here:

Duck Sauce (A-Trak & Armand Van Helden) Interview - Governor's Ball is really their 1st NYC show as Duck Sauce!

I can't mention Duck Sauce and not share Barbra Streisand and Big Bad Wolf (Warning: video for Big Bad Wolf is, uh, weird)