Author Archives: Mark McNulty

[Electronic] Artifakts – Hustler

Posted by Mark McNulty - December 14, 2016

Artifakts
Hustler [Free Download via Philos Records]

“Hustler” is the most recent release from the “ever-evolving hip-hop project” known as Artifakts, the musical mantra of Garret Meyer from Milwaukee. This cooler-than-cool, six-minute jam session may be the greatest work yet from this highly-capable producer. A sturdy funk bassline and drum break form the backbone of the song, while piano keys flutter above this foundation whimsically. Resonant samples from what sounds like a string quartet take center stage, followed by a saxophone sample. “Don’t you Know By Now?” a vocal sample repeatedly questions. The mix moves along modestly in this manner until an unexpected drop makes way for a wobbling space-age synthesizer.

Hip-hop was once made by collaging an infinite array of samples, and electronic music by manipulating drum machines and synthesizers often past their breaking point. Both of these once rarified techniques are more accessible to producers today. Those like Artifakts who take advantage of this embarrassment of riches can provide us with sublime soundscapes which simultaneously sound like they’re prepared in the past and flung backward from the future. Meyers is organizing so much musical material on “Hustler”, showcasing his skills for sampling and synthesis and creating a tune with tangible texture and warmth. Pick up a free download from Philos Records here.

[Electronica] Gramatik – Satoshi Nakamoto (Psymbionic Remix)

Posted by Mark McNulty - December 13, 2016

Gramatik
Satoshi Nakamoto (Psymbionic Remix) ft. Adrian Lau & ProbCause

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Gramatik has been a driving force behind the rising popularity of so-called genres like future funk and electro soul in the past few years. As the head of Lowtemp Music he offers a platform for any artist to release music, and on his 2016 album “Epigram” his futuristic, synth-laden, funkadelic sound continued to evolve. Psymbionic is an extremely talented producer who has risen to popularity in the wide swatch of new sonic ground which Gramatik and others helped to break. Although he explicitly steers clear of genre classifications, Psymbionic produces a strain of futuristic funk akin to the material on “Epigram”, so we were stoked hear of his new remix of Gramatik’s “Satoshi Nakamoto”.

Satoshi Nakamoto invented Bitcoins, and Gramatik maintains a thorough interest in tech frontiers. Fittingly, the thematic material in this tune matches the motif of Psymbionic’s current “Biohackers” U.S. tour. As for how the remix sounds, Psymbionic has preserved the most endearing elements of Gramaitk’s sample-collage style, while adding his own razor-sharp basslines and stabbing synthesizers to create a clever new arrangement. As technology continues to pervade every aspect of our lives, banging remixes like this – constructed with the finest musical technology and commenting on technological frontiers like the bitcoin era and “crypto currency” – are tunes to be treasured.

[Drum & Bass] Raw Q – Style feat. T.R.A.C.

Posted by Mark McNulty - December 13, 2016

Liquid V [Official]
Raw Q- Style feat. T.R.A.C. [Liquid V]

Soundcloud

New York, with its historical importance for hip-hop and its manic pace of life, is an appropriate breeding ground for a tune like “Style” produced by the familiar underground face Raw Q and the eclectic MC T.R.A.C. This jazzy liquid DnB beat featuring clean, cool rhymes is a heavenly combination for fans of dance music – two epic styles blended together for the price of one.

The Brooklyn-based lyricist T.R.A.C. (To Rule and Conquer) has been performing at DnB shows for over a decade, finally catching the attention of heads at Liquid V. The label showcases the best in underground liquid DnB as the sister label to the original drum and bass vanguard V Recordings. Raw Q has been diligently DJing parties throughout the five boroughs for years, specializing in high-BPM tunes like this one. “Style” is a particularly epic tune because, as it’s name indicates, it’s pure style in sound – a cut that makes you feel ten feet tall, or as T.R.A.C. says, “gotcha feelin’ like the day you wore your cap and gown.” Indeed it does.

Drum&Bass

[Hip-Hop] James Lanning – Until 21 (feat. Michael Christmas)

Posted by Mark McNulty - December 10, 2016

JAMES LANNING
Until 27 (Feat. Michael Christmas)

Soundcloud

James Lanning made his first salvo into the ongoing struggle for notoriety in New York hip-hop with the gutsy single “One” in March, 2016. The music video, filmed by the rapper himself, saw James climbing and teetering on top of Big Apple skyscrapers. Combined with his thick lyricism and daring flow, the audio-visual combination was a feast for the senses. Now the driven and introspective rapper is back in a big way with “Until 27” featuring a witty verse from the talented Michael Christmas. “Until 27” is the first single off Lanning’s upcoming debut album Another Day Wasted out December 16th on Onamazu.

Off the bat, this beat slaps. Producer glocque pairs the lo-fidelity of a classic hip hop beat with low-end bass manipulation from the realms of dubstep or glitch hop. This unique backdrop is well-suited for the unorthodox, rapid-fire lyricism of Lanning. He stays in the pocket, and with this beat there’s some wonderfully spacious room for him to rhyme. “You don’t like me? I don’t like me neither / He might be Eazy or he might be Bieber,” Lanning starts in, alluding to his crossover appeal or perhaps some inner tension. Michael Christmas’s verse is a splendid addition to the track, rounding out the ironic tune with a bit of humor. In a city of almost 9 million people, and probably about 15,000 rappers, Lanning is wisely flexing a fresh and unique sound to distinguish himself.

[Indie-Dance] Smith & Thell – ROW (Castell Remix)

Posted by Mark McNulty - December 8, 2016

Smith & Thell
ROW (Castell Remix)

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Smith & Thell is the creative folk-pop act hailed as the most exciting artist to emerge from Sweden’s developed pop music scene. The duo’s most recent single “ROW” resounds with a combination of the epic cadence natural to Scandanavian music and a pure pop melody that almost smacks of country pop from the United States. These familiar motifs make “ROW” perfect material for a fun dance remix by Castell, a DJ and adept remix artist from Stockholm.

Castell maintains the song’s original pace while beefing up the percussion to a level appropriate for the dance floor. The instrumental hook explodes into the mix as a twisting, high-pitched lead reminiscent of the tropical vibe from early Kygo material. All told, one Stockholm producer puts a delicious dance twist on an excellent pop hit from another Stockholm group, Smith & Thell. As pop music continues to borrow more material from the EDM realm, it’s great to hear a distinct dance remix on a fresh pop tune. When it call comes from the same city, that’s something to keep your eye (or ear) on.

[Alternative/Rock] Nisus Cede & XHVIL

Posted by Mark McNulty - November 30, 2016

ONMZUSS027: Nisus Cede & XHVIL
Fake A Smile

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“Fake A Smile” by Nisus Cede and XHVIL is the 27th installment in the expansive Single Series from New York City’s eclectic Onamazu label. The Onamazu Single Series established a pattern for dark wave anthems and raw electronic experimentalism of the highest quality, but “Fake A Smile” is a more acoustic, sensitive offering that smacks more of Coldplay than Nine Inch Nails.

Netherlands native and Onamazu affiliate Nisus Cede, whose name is Latin for “attempted murder”, combines a most musical mind with a set of production chops that betray his very modest SoundCloud profile. The drum machine percussion he’s put together on “Fake A Smile” could easily be mistaken for the real thing – full of variation, fills, and crisp cymbals. The acoustic timbre of the drums pairs perfectly with the guitar and vocals tracked by Cede’s associate XVHIL, all of which is arranged along with a twangy stand-up bassline. “Fake A Smile” feels like new ground for the growing New York City collective Onamazu, which seems to be diversifying it’s offering with every new release. Hopefully the label’s future includes more of these unique, melancholic pop stylings from the Netherlands.

[Melodic Dubstep] Au5 ft. Christina Soto – Freefall EP

Posted by Mark McNulty - November 30, 2016

The interplanetary bass music producer Au5 and the terrestrial vocal star Cristina Soto have come together to create a riveting and original four-song EP, Freefall, released through the Austin imprint Gravitas Recordings. Au5 has produced music at a prolific pace for years now, from neuro drum and bass to more melodic dubstep similar to the music of Seven Lions. Cristina Soto dropped her own debut album earlier in 2016 on Gravitas. Bass music junkies were introduced to her silky strong voice after Bassnectar remixed “One Thing”, produced by Gravitas label head Psymbionic and Maine’s own Of The Trees.

Soto’s powerful voice lends itself well to powerful bass music. Each song on “Freefall” would be a gem without vocals on account of Au5’s brilliant musical ideas and well-executed production. Bringing the human voice into the mix, and such an expressive voice at that, gives the robotic, space-age sounding EP a human tether, not to mention crossover appeal. She sings of emotional expression itself. “I need my occasional howling at the moon” wails Cristina on “Shock Diamond”, as the song crescendos into fluid drum and bass. “I’m only alive in the freefall” she cries on the title track. I’ve never been skydiving, well outside of a dream, anyway, but to listen to this EP with its abundant energy and beautiful scenery can give one the sensation of plummeting through colorful skies.

We’ve come to expect only the best in production from Au5, and he exceeds those expectations here. He weaves together the emotive note relationships of a grand piano or electronic keyboard with the subtle beauty of deep sub bass, and pairs soaring ethereal synth chords with the wet, dirty crashing lead melodies. The dichotomy between beautiful and ugly noise enraptures the listener on “Emergence”. One moment you’re flying through space on a rainbow super highway, and the next minute your space ship is being shredded molecule by molecule at the event horizon of a black hole.

An Au5 remix of “Emergence”, a variation on his own original, provides an epic closing for the EP, the equivalent of a rock power ballad minus the cheese and plus the 21st century. “Gravitas” means “weighty” in Latin, and there is nothing here which does not live up to that description, from the breadth of Au5’s massive productions to the deeply-felt freedom of Cristina Soto’s vocals.

’Au5 – Freefall ft. Cristina Soto’

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’Au5 – Shock Diamond ft. Cristina Soto’

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’Au5 – Emergence ft. Cristina Soto’

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’Au5 – Emergence ft. Cristina Soto (Au5 Remix)’

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