Author Archives: Clayton Warwick

Keiandra – Icing Sugar [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - February 5, 2016

Keiandra
Icing Sugar

18-year-old emerging singer-songwriter Keiandra has us caught in a delightful limbo. Most of the time, we’re able to peg exactly what type of situation a song would be ideal for. Consider it a pleasant side-product for the years of servitude to the industry. Yet, we’ve mulled over today’s premiere at length, and can’t quite decide what neat little box it fits into. Maybe that’s why we enjoy it so damn much.

“Icing Sugar” is just her second release, following up “Wanted,” which released just two months ago. After only a few releases, this budding young chanteuse has listeners wrapped around her finger, unable to shake her dreamy vocals. They seemingly carry so effortlessly on the back of well-crafted, ambient, and slightly industrial instrumentals, leaving an impression that this is a seasoned musical vet.

“Icing Sugar,” and all of it’s intoxicating allure, will be available on February 12th. Make sure to look for it on iTunes and Spotify.

[Secret Ninja Pass] This Week at Beta 2/4 – 2/7

Posted by Clayton Warwick - February 4, 2016

As we cross into 2016, we’re excited to bring you more opportunities to check out our favorite club. As you probably already know, we’ve been hooking you up with free entry to Beta for over three years now. We know you’ve had some epic times, catching some of the most legendary talent EDM has to offer, and we’re on board to keep this thing going. So, we’re once again giving you an opportunity to check out the best night club in North America for free. What all do you have to do to get in? It’s pretty damn easy. Just follow these steps:

– Head to the front door and enter the club before 11 pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Get there before 9PM on Sundays.
– Show this post to the cashier (Valid for 21+ only).
– The deal is valid for Saturday and Sunday.

See you on the dance floor.

Benny Benassi - 2/4

’Benny Benassi & Marc Benjamin ft Christian Burns – Who I Am’

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Epctic + Skism - 2/5

’Kill Them All’

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SWEAT - 2/6

’Already Sweaty – The Booty Mix’

Download

Robag Wruhme - 2/7

’Premiere: Cubicolor – Falling (Robag’s Uppa Baash Remix)’

Buy

[Hip Hop] thrills- Same Ol’ (prod. Lone Kawan)

Posted by Clayton Warwick - January 29, 2016

thrills
thrills- Same Ol' (prod. Lone Kawan)

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You’ll be hard pressed to find any hip hop reviews in my five-year tenure with The Music Ninja. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not that I don’t get down to some fresh beats and inventive rhymes – it’s just that I tend to gravitate towards other genres when I write. I spend my listening hours scanning the web for indie rock, folk, and a bevy of house tunes, which ultimately leaves me revisiting the classics when I’m craving hip-hop. That all got switched up today.

Enter thrills, who hails from Inglewood, California. After experiencing tremendous success with his smooth-as-silk re-work of Flume’s “Sleepless,” this burgeoning young talent has since released a handful of original pieces, including the days old “Same Ol.” And, “Same Ol” has caught my attention, leaving me brazenly grinning and nodding my head in approval.

What is it about this tune that has me replaying it over and over again? It could be the chilled-out, windows-down beat, produced by Lone Kawan. It could be the assertive, yet not overly-aggressive style thrills maintains in his flow. It could be because it beckons on the style from some of the storied artists I grew up listening to. Whatever it is, consider me, and the rest of TMN, the newest thrills supporters.

Hip/Hop

Opus Orange – Anatomic [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - January 29, 2016

Opus Orange
Anatomic

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It’s been a little over two years since we covered fresh new tunes from Santa Monica-based Opus Orange, which leaves us with this question: what the hell were we doing since then? This band has churned out some great music during our lapse, and somehow we missed the boat. Luckily, we found our orange colored glasses and are currently rocking them as we write this post.

“Anatomic” is the title track from this ever-evolving group, which can include one or more of the following at any given point: Lauren Hillman, Bernard Chadwick, James Neil, Piper Denney, Carlen Walth, Katie Hampton, Jo Pusateri, Rachel Chadwick, and Paul Bessenbacher. You can expect a healthy dosage of head-nodding goodness from today’s premiere, provided by the combination of driving percussion and a big, buzzing bassline. Accompanying those are some reverberating synths, frenetic guitar riffs, and delightfully distressed vocals which all come together in an extremely memorable experience.

If you’re one of our ninjas in SoCal, head out to their free EP release show tonight in Pasadena! You can find all the necessary details here.

Netsky on “Work it Out,” His Upcoming Tour, and Nobu’s Black Cod [TMN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - January 28, 2016

At this point in the game, we would expect nothing less than a jam-packed, busy-as-hell 2016 from our Resident Artist. Tours, festival appearances, a new album, and some free time in the kitchen will most assuredly max out his calendar for the next 11 months. With that in mind, we fired over a few questions to Netsky to get a better understanding of what exactly is on the way.

TMN: Hey Boris! Thanks for coming onboard for our Residency Program we’re excited to have you. Let’s kick things off by talking about what everyone is anxious for “Work It Out,” which is your second collab with Digital Farm Animals. You guys must have a good rapport. Talk to us about working with him.

Netsky: Hey! Thank you for having me. Nick (Digital Farm Animals) has to be one of my favorite writers/producers to work with. He’s got a unique take on vocal production. We both share a love for using crazy effects and techniques on vocals. I have a couple more songs with him in the pipeline and with every single song his voice sounds completely different. I love that!

TMN: The tune is simply gorgeous. What was the process like for this particular song? Melody first? Lyrics first?

Netsky: Nick wrote the chorus when he was in LA and showed it to me. I absolutely loved it from first listen and started working on the production straight away. The song started off as a 80s rock influenced half tempo track. It took us a while to realize that it sounded good on a drum & bass beat. But after a while it started sounding exactly like we both wanted. I think I’m gonna work on the original version to play live with the band.

Continue reading →

Beauty Sleep – The Dark [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - January 28, 2016

Beauty Sleep
The Dark

Soundcloud

It might be time to chalk up Belfast as one of the world’s most notable cities for budding young talent, after seeing acts like Two Door Cinema Club, General Fiasco, Pleasure Beach, and now, Beauty Sleep delight indie rock lovers around the globe.

This is undoubtedly the first you’re hearing about members Ryan McGroarty, Cheylene Murphy and Aimee Williamson, as “The Dark” is their debut single. Born out of a local house party, these three young musicians bonded over a classic party prank of using alphabet refrigerator magnets for vulgar amusement. From there, the band was born, and they headed to the studio to define their sound, which is what you’re witnessing today.

“The Dark” glows with radiating beauty, led by a luscious bassline, clean guitar riffs, and gorgeous alternating male and female vocals. Most notably, all three voices come together in heavenly harmonies, adding to beautifully constructed crescendos. Impressively enough, this tune is completely self-produced, which should give way to more incredible tunes very soon. In the meantime, you can officially pick this one up as of February 19th.

If you’d like to be a part of their coming out party, we highly recommend catching them on February 26th, at Bar Sub in Belfast.

Kylie Odetta – High Dreamer [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - January 26, 2016

High Dreamer
Kylie Odetta

Soundcloud

At first listen, you probably wouldn’t guess that Kylie Odetta is just 18-years-old. Her voice, both commanding and dreamy, carries a heft of a very seasoned musician. In fact, that voice has landed her opening spots with acts like Colbie Caillat, Gavin DeGraw and Mat Kearney, which should elude to the fact that she’s coming up in the scene, and doing so at a rather rapid pace.

“High Dreamer” is the title track from her upcoming EP, and we’re elated to be the first to bring it to your ears. It’s captivating from the get-go, drawing listeners in with calming piano, light percussion, and Odetta’s entrancing vocals. The chorus is particularly impressive, showcasing feathery soft falsettos that delicately soar higher and higher.

We have to assume that a fair lot of you are experiencing your first listen to this budding young artist. Click here to keep tabs on upcoming releases, including her High Dreamer EP, which drops February 12.