Please accept our vaguely sincere apologies for the lack of posting over the weekend. Cal's housewarming party was a bit heavy on the good stuff, so I've spent the past few days regaining my senses. Ugh. Well, here's the second installment of my weekly Canadian Club Crunchers series. As always, if you have any suggestions of Canadian artists that you think should be included in this segment, don't hesitate to hit us up at the usual address.Sean Roman (Toronto)
This producer does not have an enormous repertoire; in fact, there are only about 4 or 5 of his songs on the internet. However, as I really enjoyed "Phone Call", a tune of his we've blogged about in the past, I was curious to find out more about him. It turns out Sean Roman is actually quite known in the Canadian music scene, under a different alias. While his recent stuff is more in the haunting dance/disco vein, Sean Roman's background is actually in Drum N Bass, where he is known as Mutt.
I'm not the biggest fan of dnb, but I can definitely see how his background influences his newer disco house-ish stuff. I've always thought that Sean Roman's music had a very haunting vibe to it, and after listening to his material as Mutt, I can see where the two intersect. His newer stuff is proper minimalist disco-house that builds a terrifyingly sexy groove with very few samples. Less is more is an adage that definitely applies to Sean Roman's material, and if he continues releasing these memorable tunes, then he will definitely be a name to watch in the years to come. It's kind of interesting how some dnb producers make amazingly groovy tunes when they switch over to house.(DJ Zinc is the one that immediately comes to mind, but I'm sure there are plenty of others)
Sean Roman- What to do
Sean Roman- Lick
Myspace
His Blog (as Mutt)
Zeds Dead (Toronto)
To be quite honest, I'm a very recent convert to these dudes' music. I can't say that I've been following them for some time, as their remix work has mainly gone unnoticed by me for a while. Perhaps it is due to the wobbly dubstep that they push, a genre of music I find overdone and oversaturated with shit, but I must concede: I've been missing out on some talented producers. Strangely, even though Zeds Dead's music does contain a massive amount of wobbling and chunky basslines, I admire how layered they make their remixes sound.
These guys are masters of atmospheric backdrops and eerie buildups, and every single remix that I've heard so far piles on the ghastly sounding synths to great effect. I dig the fact that producers are realizing the limitations of dubstep, and are being open-minded in their sampling/influences. These two tunes seem like they could be the bastard children of Burial & Skream, mixed in with "traditional" wobble-step as to not piss off the purists. Color me surprised, but this shit is actually pretty dope.
The Moody Blues- White Satin (Zeds Dead remix)
Radiohead- Pyramid Song (Zeds Dead Illuminati remix)
Myspace
Soundcloud
Mad Kids (Montreal)
Mad Kids are two producers/djs from Montreal, and have made a few appearances on Avenge The Virgins already. I can only rehash what I've already said, but these dudes are rising stars in the tech-house scene. Their brand of percussion-focused ethno house has garnered such acclaimed admirers as Brodinski, Camel, Mowgli, Teki Latex and more. Every single release that these guys put out seems to be a pretty big hit, deservedly. These guys have put in quite a bit of work as DJs around Montreal, and it is nice to see it pay off for them.
Mad Kids are mostly known for their hard-hitting tribal rhythms and their high-energy DJ sets, as well as being purveyors of some damn fine tech house. If you want to know what tunes are taking the house world by storm, go see these guys the next time they pass through your town, and prepare to be impressed. Montreal's young guns are taking the world by storm, baby.
Mad Kids- Bolo Bomba
Lorcan Mak- Crack Shack (Mad Kids remix)
Myspace
Soundcloud
Take it easy, everyone.
-Matt
