Author Archives: Matthew Bloss

[NSFW] Autumn In June – HEROin KIDZ [TMN Video Premiere]

Posted by Matthew Bloss - September 1, 2015

Autumn In June
HEROin KIDZ

In the short time we’ve had to become acquainted with South Central LA’s preeminent voice of indie-pop Autumn In June, it’s safe to say we’ve become slightly enamored with just about every facet of his fascinating essence. First landing with us back in April on our premiere of layered indie-pop single “Hours”, and again in July on our always stellar Indie Dojo playlist with today’s focus, “HEROin Kidz”; Autumn In June’s unique and street-wise take on pop structuring has stirred up something beautiful within us. This morning, the young artist got with yours truly at TMN to premiere his latest stunning visual pairing to the aforementioned “HEROin Kidz”, which like its aural counterpart features some rather heavy content. Depicted in a shapeshifting and haunting neon violet and crimson ambience, Autumn In June’s video cuts between intimate shots of downcast drug and alcohol use through multiple subjects including powerful vocal highlights of the artist himself; which much like AIJ’s music offers a beautiful and rather jovial lens to consume some rather brooding composition.

If you’re in the workplace today, you might want to save Autumn In June’s “HEROin Kidz” for home as it features a dose of nudity and some graphic drug use, but we trust you and think you’ll be quite glad you did. Stream the entire music video before anyone else below.

[Funk/Disco/Pop] Equal – Shakedown

Posted by Matthew Bloss - August 31, 2015

Equal
Shakedown (feat. Seja)

Soundcloud

We’re always privy to pacing our Mondays around TMN with loads of feelgood, funkified listening vibes. After our tastefully programmed Monday morning Chill Dojo playlist, it’s time to keep scooting forward with some wiggle-inducing sounds. Urging the needle along on our Monday afternoon is Equal, a New York City DJ/producer originally from Asheville, NC who’s been making plenty of ripples in our music pond since the release of his single “Lost in the Evening” featuring the inimitable Gary Jules. Today, Equal’s dropped another slice of rarefied pop infused with plenty of proper funk and disco cadence, “Shakedown”, which features the vocal talents of Seja (ex-lead singer of Brisbane synth-punk trio Sekiden). “Shakedown” plays as the premiere offering from a debut, self-titled EP due out later this Fall, and it’s got us simultaneously waxing nostalgic for those old funky rolling guitar licks and looking to the future for more tunes riding the kind of neoteric-past edge that Equal has been.

About his latest single, Equal shared: “‘Shakedown’ was created when a group of friends from all over the globe got together for a night -Seja, Stella Mozgawa (Warpaint) and Johnny Mackay (Fascinator). A round robin of instruments, singing, and a bottle of whiskey later, ‘Shakedown’ was born. ‘Shakedown’ is the product of good friends getting loose on a hot Summer’s night. There was no end product in mind, only to have fun, hang out, and make music together.” Well if this is the result of simply having fun, we’d love to see what occurs when Equal really gets behind something in the studio. Shakedown” sees release on The Knocks’ fledgling HeavyRoc Music imprint, which is already carving out a special place in our Ninja hearts, so get with it and stream “Shakedown” above.

[Video] Grease (The Movie) – One That I Want (Xavier Dunn Cover)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - August 28, 2015

Grease
One That I Want (Xavier Dunn Cover)

Soundcloud

If you’re of the persuasion that none of the incredible singalongs from 1978 mega-musical Grease could be brought up to a beautiful, contemporary pace, well; we’re here to change that. After the success of his adaptation of A$AP Rocky’s “Fuckin Problems” and Rae Sremmurd’s “No Type”, unsigned Australian producer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Xavier Dunn has stepped up yet again, this time reviving that classic change-of-heart closing scene between John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, “One That I Want” from the aforementioned Grease. Adding orchestral arrangements and slowing the cadence to a breezy stride for his own adaptation, Dunn once again impresses with a vocal-oriented and highly emotive rendition.

But, we don’t just have the tune for you today, as we’ve accompanied Xavier Dunn’s wistful cover with the visual piece as well. A modern twist on an old classic, Dunn’s music video splices together videos of protests and rallies from the 60’s up to the present to solidify his message of non-discriminatory love. With all of the recent breakthroughs we’ve had towards marriage and love equality in the U.S., there still lies a fight waged by millions around the world for basic human rights, and Xavier Dunn’s message couldn’t have come at a more serendipitous time. Stream Xavier Dunn’s “One That I Want” cover above or indulge another one of your senses and check out the official music video below. Happy Friday Ninjas, and peace & love.

[House/Chill] Sammy T & Eric David – Come Over

Posted by Matthew Bloss - August 27, 2015

Come Over ft. Sammy T
(Original Mix)

Download

It’s been almost a year since we featured adept Denver house producer Eric David, so when his latest collaborative EP with Denver vocalist Sammy T, Purpose, got an official release yesterday, we had to check it out. Just as we thought, Eric David’s conjured up yet another crafty, technical, and accessible assemblage of club tunes. The standout single for us however was “Come On Over”. Pacing itself with a slow-burning yet head-thumping analog kick-drum , “Come Over” quickly falls in line behind a smooth and intoxicating bassline before Sammy T’s luscious vocal chords weave their way through David’s rolling soundscape. Furthering “Come Over”‘s addictive nature lie sprinkled guitar inflections layed down by Eric David himself, which on top of those other sticky elements result in a tune that truly bridges the sea between live vocal-driven pop and clean club-house. Stream “Come Over” above, be sure to scope out Eric David & Sammy T’s Purpose EP, and purchase the entire collaboration on iTunes here.

Bassically – Know This Land [TMN Video Premiere]

Posted by Matthew Bloss - August 26, 2015

Bassically
Know This Land (Original Mix)

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More often than not, house music is not a tangible concept. From its earliest incarnations, being warped and pushed through 909 & 808 machines, to its most current iterations which mostly come to fruition through the utilization of programs like Ableton, Logic or Reason; dance sounds tend to carry with them a distinction of being “computer” or “machine” music. Save for a selective smattering of live acts like Disclosure, KiNK, Hot Natured, Bob Moses and more; most sectors of club music are generally produced under the same formula. So whenever we’re tipped to a new live house music act we tend to perk up and take notice.

The latest apple to our eyes err… ears comes to us from the London Borough of Hackney, and they’ve got us entranced like few other live electronic staples ever have. Dubbed Bassically, the five piece ensemble are a live house music collective led by award winning, multi platinum producer and Fossil Studios founder Raz Olsher and craft sophisticated techno and compulsive house music through purely live and analog instrumentation. From a purely musical standpoint, Bassically takes their aural cues from the early electronic sounds of Chicago House & Detroit Techno with the contemporary touch of Berlin and London. If we didn’t see it ourselves, we’d think they were just another producer with how seamlessly and clean their sound plays, but Basically is so much more than that. To put you on our level, we’ve got the exclusive first play of Basically’s latest music video for their single “Know This Land”, which offers a unique look at the five-piece’s utterly unique and wholly captivating live aesthetic.

Check out the entire video below, and keep your ears to the streets for all things Bassically, as we have a feeling they might just be at the tip of every dance writer’s tongue to round out 2015.

[Deep-House] IDQ – Where Are You (The Shapeshifters Remix) [TMN Premiere]

Posted by Matthew Bloss - August 20, 2015

IDQ
Where Are You (The Shapehsifters Remix)

Soundcloud

No newcomers to the TMN pages, U.K. house vets The Shapeshifters –who last dropped by with their Kisch featuring single “The Chase”, are back again with another slice of club directed house music, this time in the form of a remix for IDQ’s “Where Are You”. Encased within the duo’s lively forthcoming Ibiza 2015 compilation mix album for their own label Love Inc, which also features a slew of standout unreleased singles from the likes of Doorly, Purple Disco Machine and more; The Shapeshifters’ deep and moody IDQ remix (and the entire mix) sees official release tomorrow, and before digital retailers got their hands on it, we’ve got the premiere. Staying in line with their classic house roots and history of thick, rolling electric basslines, The Shapeshifters remix folds in a subtle dose of arpeggiated synths, tonal harmonies and plenty of tasteful percussion to carve out their own vision of IDQ’s infectious single. This one’s got “dancefloor-destroyer” written all over it, so let’s get in the club spirit right now. Stream The Shapeshifters’ “Where Are You” remix above, and be sure to take a peek at their entire mix album’s (for which you can purchase the single tracks as well) tracklist before it drops tomorrow.

[House] Autograf – Dream (Sebastian Carter Remix)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - August 19, 2015

Autograf
Dream (Sebastian Carter Remix)

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It’s always a treat when two of your favorites–in this particular case the trio that is Autograf and Swiss producer Sebastian Carter–come crashing together, and this time around, we couldn’t have been more pleased with the result. The Autograf boys have been on what we music pundits like to call “a tear” as of late, racking up literal millions and millions of plays across listening platforms far and wide on seemingly every release, and their first original single “Dream” (released 5 months ago) may just have been the catalyst to that success. Of course, they couldn’t just leave those juicy stems alone without giving a handful of other adept artists a shot at molding them as well.

In stepped 21 year-old youngblood Sebastian Carter, certainly no stranger to TMN, and he’s dusted “Dream” with a signature blast of caressing house melody while maintaining the heart and soul of Autograf’s future-forward original. A penetrating yet muted four-four kick paces Carter’s revision while congruent, modal harmonies run aplenty on top of effected synth topline for a remix that plays as pristine as it is warm. We’d feel equally comfortable letting this one fly through our monitors whether in the middle of a jam-packed club floor, at our computer, or beach side with a mojito. So follow suit, and stream Sebastian Carter’s excellent “Dream” remix above.