It's pretty easy to forget that Avenge The Virgins is a Montreal-based blog, given that we don't really promote any local shows that often. We like to encourage local talent a lot, by posting their songs and exposing them to people who may not have heard their music, but we're kind of lacking on the show promotion thing.
Well, recently, it's come to my attention that a few local promoters that I dig are bringing the very talented Hudson Mohawke to our shores, so I figured that I might as well show a little bit of love to the 514, given that I've already posted about the opening acts (and recent LuckyMe fam), the inimitable Hovatron & Lunice.
I've included the details, and I wrote a few words about each producer/dj so those who aren't familiar with them can get a little heads-up. This show is bound to be a hit, given the amount of raw talent that's going to be in that room. These guys are devoted to producing, and have an almost freaky obsession with synths and bleepy sounds. Anyone livin' in Montreal who has a fondness for sub-bass and innovative and danceable glitchy electronic music should be at this show. If not, the terrorists win. Even if you aren't too crazy about the songs that I've posted tonight, give it a shot. It's pretty cheap, compared to a lot of the trash being promoted these days, and you're definitely going to have a great time. At the very least, blaze a dutchie and take a chance. You won't regret it.
Le Belmont Bar (4483 St-Laurent) $ 13.30 + Service Charge + Taxes. Starts at 10 PM
Hudson Mohawke
Hudson Mohawke, or Hudmo, as he's most commonly known, is an electronic music prodigy. He was the youngest UK DMC champion, and was signed to Warp records with almost no songs in his repertoire. Since then, he's become something of a DIY icon, founding LuckyMe & just being plain awesome in general. His music is the purest form of instrumental hip-hop, with crazy glitchy soundscapes being conjured out of thin air. Hudmo has inspired legions of followers, and his laid-back and incredibly trailblazing approach to the game makes him a figure to watch in the coming years. Oh yeah, this dude's mixes are nutsbar, too. Guy must smoke a loooooooot of trees.
Hovatron, as previously mentioned, is one half of famed Turbo Crunk DJ group Mofomatronix. He's been running, promoting and DJing some of the best parties of the past few years, along with parter in crime Seb Diamond. The recent Night Trackin' events at Velvet are their ideas, and they always come correct. Hovatron is a hardware aficionado from what I hear, and his apartment is apparently stacked with all sorts of controllers + synths. His recent rap & rnb reworks are really spacey and eerie, and the mix he did for Lowriders was amazing. It's kind of hard to describe his sound, but to paraphrase an interview he gave recently, he's just doing him. Good enough for me.
Red Bull Music Academy graduate, being signed to LuckyMe, releasing ungodly amounts of free music. This dude can't really lose, in my opinion. He comes from the future, a place where people communicate in glitchy stutters and whooping bass sounds. His music sounds like getting a robot high. Either I'm really pretentious with the little descriptions, or it's late and I'm running out of steam. Either way, Lunice's music really speaks for itself. (Out of touch = Hall & Oates on mescaline)
Things have been quiet in Avenge The Virgins land for the past week, admittedly. No worries, people, we're not dead. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be posting a HUGE LuckyMe post, with a bunch of goodies from Hudson Mohawke, Hovatron & Lunice, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
In other news, I'll be leavin for Vietnam this weekend for a month (backpackin, ya diggg), so Bynie + Calibarr will keep you fiends happy while I'm gone. Fear not, there will be still be regular updates, and we hope to reveal some nice top secret goodies by mid-summer.
The Fader dropped this London producer's EP a few days ago, and I must say, I'm quite impressed. His myspace describes his music as a mix of Grime & 2-step garage, but I'd say it has much more in common with the new wave of weird dubstep comin' out these days. (The Fader calls the genre Luvstep, a lil' shout out to the great Dirty South Joe + Flufftronix mix of the same name that came out in February). Either way, his music emphasizes dreamy synths and meandering basslines, with a little bit of smooth bluesy vibes thrown in for good measure. Hovatron's r'n'b remixes came on after this song in my itunes shuffle list, and I must say, it fit quite perfectly. Recommended.
Hearing Three Six Mafia's "Pussy got you hooked" is the first time I have ever heard this song, in which its memorable violin crescendo is sampled and takes center stage. After that, Ghettotech producer Bitch Ass Darius sampled it for personal fave "Ride", and its melody got forever cemented in my head. Soon after, I discovered the original sample, this smooth Atlanta R'n'B slow jam. I love these simple panty-peeling Southern ballads.
Yes, people, I went there. For the first (and definitely the last) time, I am posting black metal on Avenge The Virgins. It would take forever for me to explain the depths and intricacies of Varg Vikernes & his Burzum project, but I will just say that this particular song is one of the reasons that I started being open-minded towards electronic music & repetitive synth riffs, back when I was a pimply faced little elitist metalhead in my teens. Really fuckin' bizarre song to post on the blog, I'll admit, but just wanted to give a little insight into the strange path that led me to my love of electronic music. I'll understand if you hate this, because honestly, it's scary. HAIL STAN.
The very first post on Avenge The Virgins was a feature on Ninjasonik, so I figured it might be time to come full circle. My love for this crew runs deep, and I think that they are making some of the most hilarious and awesome music out there. Teenwolf, Telli & Jah Jah are some of the most creative & forward thinking artists in New York in my opinion, and their output is always daring. Haters are going to hate, but they will rap over ANYTHING and make it sound fresh to death. Words cannot really describe their appeal, it's more like a feeling, a mindstate. Ils sont le futur, bow down. No chains and studs, just tats & plugs.
This Swedish duo recently released their debut on the mighty Palms Out Sounds, and it has become one of my favorite bangers of the moment. Translated as Food, Women, Beer & Weed, this is a short but intense dance floor destroyer. The always-on-point and awesome dudes over at Electro TO said it sounds like a harder version of Teki Latex's Dinosaurs With Guns, and as crazy as that sounds, I'd have to agree. I cannot really describe why this song is effective, it just is. The earth-shattering drums and the insane rave stabs probably have something to do with it, but it is the whole package put together that really makes this one of the best songs of the year so far.
I've also included the videos to Bars & Mat Bira Kvinnor Weed, as a little bonus. Really dope videos, in my opinion, ones that complement the songs quite well. As always, hope you guys enjoy, and thanks for your unrelenting support. We appreciate it.
Since I first posted about The Filth things seem to have gotten a little hectic. The group "lost" a member, if I understood correctly he joined after the first remixes were done and they never got a chance to work together. A UK electro label approached him recently and he'll be doing an EP for them soon enough. They'll also be releasing his three last remixes on vinyl and on Juno. Even with so much to deal with, Matt hit me up with a new remix of Rihanna's Rude Boy and an old remix he had done for a friend's funk band. Check out the songs below and go see his drum and bass project under the name of Faction.
New York get the bloody money, dirty cash. I've always loved this song, off of their debut album The War Report. The grimy, minimal production, with the understated yet haunting piano loop, allows the rhymes to shine. They spit about the intricacies of the dope game, and their menacing boasts sugarcoat this late nineties New York classic.
Addison Groove is takin the blog world (fuck the term "blogosphere") by storm with its incredibly strange anthem "Footcrab", which has a range of influences. There is a wave of new dubstep that is growing in popularity, one that doesn't even really sound like traditional dubstep. No wobbles, more emphasis on dark atmospheric sounds and samples. Dubstep is no longer the world of smelly dreadlocked stoners, instead, it seems that it has allowed itself to progress and assimilate other genres, the most recent being Juke.
Juke is a regional sound, born out of Chicago, which if I'm correct is influenced by Chicago House, and has taken a bit from Baltimore club as well. Minimal production, usually just a kick and a snare, with an 808 tom sounds thrown in for good measure, and repetitive vocal samples all characterize this genre. This is a remix by Baltimore's own Uncle Jesse, a great duo making really dope club music. Baltimore Club is no longer a popular genre of music in hipster circles, but there are devout producers still making amazing and innovative club music, regardless of its popularity outside of their cities. The Brick Bandits are the dons of that shit, and Uncle Jesse are another who show great promise. This remix might not please all of you, but listen to it on a good system and open your minds. Uncle Jesse are el dope, pay attention.
This instrumental has always fucked with my buzz. There's too much going on, too many crazy buzzing alarm noises, people rapping way too quickly and way too many pounding drum sounds. Good song, all things considered.
Bynie & Calibaba get back from New York tomorrow, so they'll probably throw something your way. If not, I'm sure that I can manage.
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!
