Great but strange funk tune. It starts off on a cosmic medieval vibe, then kickstarts the funk when you least expect it. Fast forward to 3:16 for a nice little surprise. Anyone remember those horns?
An indie tune from 2006 that features that great sound that my radio and stereo make when I'm about to receive a call. Cell phone feedback noise for the win.
Yes, it's been posted a million times so far. Cee-Lo, for those not in the know, is Goodie Mob's crooner extraordinaire, Gnarls Barkley's meal ticket and one hell of a unique and talented MC. This cut is off of his upcoming album, The Ladykiller. I try to avoid posting songs that've been overblogged, but there was something about this one that I couldn't resist. Soulful as hell.
And here we are again. I hope you haven't been turned off by the ridiculous JBeebz crap I posted yesterday, hahah. To win back your trust, here's the third volume of my weekly Canadian Club Crunchers series, which seeks to expose you to some of the fine talent in the Great White North. For those tardy mo'fuckas who've missed the first two volumes, you can check out Volume One here and Volume Two here.
Kid Aloha (Montreal)
I first heard of Kid Aloha through Montreal's loved/hated promoters Saint Woods, and due to that association, I never really gave his stuff a chance. However, his edits and remixes started popping up fairly regularly on sites that I respect, so I finally gave in, and I must say, I'm quite pleased that I did. Kid Aloha, originally from Hawaii, is one of Montreal's brightest young producers, and his stuff just keeps getting doper. His sound is hard to pigeonhole, and it is his creative and innovative take on music that keeps me coming back for more. His tunes have influences ranging from tropical electro house to 2step anthems, but they all have a distinct hip-hop feel to them. Maybe it's the drums, maybe it's the groove, but Kid Aloha definitely wears his love for instrumental hip-hop on his sleeve.
A few days ago, he dropped these two recent tracks in our inbox, and I figured I'd pass these along to you, our faithful readers. The first tune is a dope instrumental hip-hop track that has gotten play from Hudson Mohawke, Sam Tiba, LOL Boys and more. I definitely dig the eerie screeching sound and the drum pattern, and getting your tunes rinsed by big names like that can't hurt. The other track is, as he describes it, "a mix between Acid house and Funky house". The rolling synth line is exquisite and effective, I must admit. Even though this guy may be a relative unknown to a lot of you, you should keep your ear to the grindstone, as big things are in store for Mr. Aloha.
First of all, I have to give most of the credit for this post to blog homies Electro Toronto, a blog run by two tireless electronic music lovers who have exposed me to a gargantuan amount of amazing Canadian music in the past year, like Golden Gloves, a phenomenal Toronto dj/producer duo. They first started off by producing hard hitting electro, and have opened for the Bloody Beetroots, MSTRKRFT, Laidback Luke & Boys Noize, among others. These days, however, Golden Gloves are delving into the limitless possibilities of tech-house and techno, and are also known as extremely prolific djs. It is impressive that they put in that much work as DJs and still produce tracks that have that high degree of quality.
The first tune I've posted is a klezmer-influenced tech-house opus called The Mensch, filled with Yiddish chants, accordions galore and a galloping techy beat. Again, I have a weakness for strange regional influences, so this Fiddler On the Roof-esque anthem definitely gets a lot of support from me. The second track, a tremendous banger called Lemon Zest, is a powerhouse of a tune that mixes high-pitched synth stabs with a masterful techy backdrop. Citrus flavored house music, for the children.
It is completely surprising to me that Bowly has flown under my radar for this long. He is a Quebecois producer whose incredible productions have gotten support from such names as Cooly G and Ikonika, and threw down one of Mutek's best sets this year. Bowly is a maestro of bass heavy electronic music, and his original take on the UK Funky sound has produced some fantastic material. While most of his songs might not fit your traditional definition of club bangers, they all have an extremely sexy and jacking vibe that is sure to shred dancefloors. This is sweat inducing, malarial dance music that forces you to dance with reckless abandon.
I've included two of his songs this afternoon, but I don't know if I can properly describe them. Listen to his soundcloud and open your mind. Please enjoy responsibly.
Here's the throw-away post of the year. Only time we'll ever do this. I am tired as hell, so this is about as close as you're going to get to an update.
Kinda sounds like Sigur Ros. Ambient weirdness. Let's forget about the source material for a minute and devote the next half an hour to listening to the heavenly sounds of the bleating pygmy wart known as J Beebz.
We back again. Time and time again. On that hip-hop thang, again.
Traxamillion Ft. Husalah, Jacka, & San Quinn - From The Hood Reknown Bay Area producer Traxamillion gives us one fresh beat on this less known 2006 single. This is how it would sound if pure crack had a soundtrack! - You put your faith in sluts man you ain't seen enough - You put your face in sluts man you ain't real as us
Lil Keke Ft. Paul Wall & UGK - Chunk Up The Deuce Paul Wall spits one of the illest verses on this track, straight up boss from the South. - My jewelry shop sell more grills - Than George Foreman, baby now ya know - That ain't a igloo, that's my watch - And that ain't snow, baby that's my chain - That's not an ice tray, that's my teeth - And that's not a snowcone, that's my ring
- No 401K for a hustler - Just bleed the block and stack that paper - M.O.B. when it come to hoes - And a 40 cal when it come to haters
Beanie Sigel Ft. Rock City - Go Low I remember Cal had this on one of his early mix CDs he did in Whistler. It was a censored version though, so I hunted down the uncensored version on some lost mixtape. It was well worth it, song is dope.
Clyde Carson - Let's Go Back in Bay Area days. Another "quick google search of Bay Area rap" as some readers term it. You better dig this one fools. - I put it so deep, probably thought it was a ruler. - Ain't nothin' between us but aiiir.
The girl is like super cute for real, but I'm hoping the paper bag will convey my intentions.
Well in the past week I chilled quite a bit with my music guru. He is none other than Mr. MDMA. During a little chilling night with him and a few friends, a clip from Chromeo eventually surfaced. I was awestruck to hear them hanging out and playing with 80's pop/rock stars Hall & Oates.
One thing lead to another and we were watching the clip for the 2nd single off their upcoming album "Business Casual". This clip is something else, be sure to check it out!
A few days later, I was checking out Art Nouveau's August Chart and noticed Aeroplane had remixed this song. The Belgium producer slows down the vocals and adds an incredibly sexy disco vibe to it, brilliant!
To finish this up, I simply got to mention the imminent release Clockwork's "Elevated EP". Judging from the last post I did on L-A's own Henry Steinway, you should know I really dig this guy's input. I was even more stoked to see John Roman doing a remix of Airflow. Another chill dude I'm trying to support as best as a music blog can do.
It's kind of funny how one's musical tastes can morph, depending on the time of year. At the beginning of the year, I was heavily into tech house and electro house bangers, and it seems that as time goes on, I become way more mellow.
I've been listening to a lot of techno as of late, and my recent obsession has been bizarre electronic music that borrows heavily from latin genres, like guarachero and cumbia. Anything with an off-kilter tribalesque beat really appeals to me these days, much more than nosebleed electro does. On the other side of things, I've been also listening to way too much indie folk/pop. Somewhat chill vibes for a Sunday afternoon.
We've already posted about Art Nouveau a few times so far, ever since we discovered them earlier this year. They released this new tune for free on their facebook page a few days ago, and I must say they've proven their talent once again. This is a a very laid back tune, not a dancefloor destroyer like Miracle, but its subtle rhythm, tambourine rolls and medieval flute combine to make something special. This duo from Reims is making big waves in the electronic music scene, and will definitely be a name to watch out for in the near future.
This dude just doesn't stop. I really dig his output, and this song in particular has been my anthem for the past little while. It is a rather simplistic tune, to be honest, but that ascending melody and the great drums make it into a tribal dance hall anthem. I was going through the archives over at the amazing Mixpak blog, and came across an interview with Samo Sound Boy, and dude seems really quite humble and interesting.
He mixes club music with an interesting blend of latin sounds and influences, and the result is a great backdrop for tropical booty-shakin' raves. Enjoy his recent tune FIVE, which has been rinsed by the fantastic Sinden to great acclaim.
Selah Sue is a 21 year old from Belgium whose soulful voice and jazz-influenced songwriting have been earning her accolades across Europe. She's got a rather interesting vocal style that I've heard compared to a softer (and sober) Amy Winehouse. This particular song is pretty awesome, even though some might have a problem with a small white girl singing in patois. She covers Barrinton Levy during the chorus, and I think that she throws it down quite proper.
She's got a real soulful and earnest allure to her, and will probably be very popular in the coming years, if she doesn't succumb to the typical trappings of young artists in the music business. Here's a video of her performing it at a Tommy Hilfiger benefit show. Dig the extreme enunciation, peeps.
This Australian brother/sister group is probably my favorite indie find of 2010, so far. Their album Down The Way was the soundtrack to my month in Vietnam, and I've been happily discovering their earlier EPs and album recently. Their simple songwriting, folky tendencies, cute lyrics and soft acoustic sounds are probably what makes me love them so much. It just seems like really honest and heartfelt folk/pop music, which is like balm for the soul. Then again, maybe I have a weakness for somewhat nasal female voices that sing songs of longing (coughcoeurdepiratecough). Either way, I hope you dig this song, and this video of them performing it live. If you don't, that's cool, too. Take it easy.
I'm going to be going to the countryside for the next couple of days, and Calibar is spending the next 15 days in Europe, so Bynie will be your go-to man for updates. See you soon.
The songs featured on this blog are for promotional use only. Our goal is to promote the artists we feature, to expose great talent to a wider audience, and not to steal money from their pockets. If you would like a song removed, just get at us in the comments and we'll be more than happy to oblige. If you like the music we feature, then support the artists next time they roll through your city, either by going to a show, or by buying merchandise!
