Author Archives: Matthew Bloss

[Deep-House] Nightriders – Demand You (Ralphi Rosario Deepa Mix) [TMN Premiere]

Nightriders
Demand You (Ralphi Rosario Deepa Mix)

It’s always a treat to kick off Mondays after our excellent weekly playlist, The Chill Dojo, with some booty shaking House music. And, leading off our dance based selections today, we’ve got the first listen of Grammy nominated genre staple Ralphi Rosario‘s latest remix for Nightriders‘ “Demand You”. One of Chicago House’s pioneers as a member of the original 1981 ‘Hot Mix 5’ on WBMX Radio, Rosario is no stranger to any dance niche, this time offering a deep-house revision of the Nightriders cut. Shuffled hi-hats, peanut buttery thick kick-drums and a soulful chop of the original vocal track open Rosario’s ‘Deepa’ remix, while tinges of U.K. garage and Detroit techno effortlessly fold themselves in the form of scooting top-line synth and swelling pads. Clearly the dance legend hasn’t missed a beat, continuing to churn out excellent tune after excellent tune; and we’ve been falling all over this one since it came across our monitors over the weekend. Stream Ralphi Rosario’s take on “Demand You” above.

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[House] Bordertown – All This Before (Endor Remix)

Bordertown
All This Before (Endor Remix)

Back in May, we had a chance to feature the complete Part 1 EP  for U.K. House duo Bordertown’s “All This Before”; and it was no secret that the Whitney Houston sampled tune earned quite the coveted spot amongst our dance aficionados here at TMN. On the heels of the first round of remixes from Jack Ritchie and Volac, the tastemaking House-heads at U.K. imprint Love & Other have tapped another group of excellent producers to lend their remix duties to to the malleable club romper and we’ve landed our first taste through London floor-mover Endor. Endor leaves the original’s essence throughout his revision, pacing with some Chicago approved grand piano stabs and pitched vocal licks, but shifts gears, opting to pull “All This Before” further away from the more vintage House feel and into more contemporary club frequencies behind rumbling sub bass and apex reaching topline synths. It’s Friday Ninjas, follow our lead and take your listening to the dance hall. Stream Endor’s “All This Before” Remix above.

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[Indie/Funk-Pop] Favored Nations – Always

Favored Nations
Always

If you haven’t yet come into contact with globe-spanning electronic supergroup Favored Nations then a) You probably never beat Grand Theft Auto V’s complete story mode to be blessed with the single best closing song to a video game in “The Setup” and b) We wholeheartedly forgive you. The trio, comprised of indie-dance and house producer James Curd, Empires of the Sun guitarist Surahn Sidhu, and former Diamond Nights lead vocalist Morgan Phalen, are back with the announcement of a pending full LP release titled The Great Unknown through fledgling L.A. label Antler Records on September 18th, and brand new single “Always”. “Always” follows the forward thinking synth based framework laid down by Favored Nations’ past material, but flirts more tenderly with numerous funk-inspired sonic elements including a bit of Nile Rodgers tipping guitar licks and padded disco strings to unveil yet another, more mature corner of their songwriting abilities. We’ve been waiting patiently for new material from Favored Nations’ holy triumvirate for just under two years now, and we’ll happily consume “Always” ad nauseum until more trickles out of their camp. Until then, stream “Always” above.

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[Nu-Disco/Synth-Pop] Dim Sum – High Love

Dim Sum
High Love

Nothing says Summer quite like a breezy disco cut, and today French duo Dim Sum have come through with a buoyant, pop slathered take on one of our favorite warm weather mediums. After the recent release of their Coucou Disco EP and taking on remix duties for the likes of Odesza, and Foster the People; Dim Sum have reeled us in yet again with “High Love”. Featuring a skittering topline synth that breaks like beach waves, punchy four-four kick and a soaring vocal track, “High Love” plays like a Summer rooftop groover steeped in sophisticated melody. It’s always great to come across a young music project whose sound and concept is already intact, and Dim Sum will surely be on the TMN radar as their releases continue to drop. “High Love” will receive a June 29th release on French imprint Soundress, but until then, get your kicks here at TMN with a stream above.

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[Nu-Disco] Lifelike & Kris Menace – Ready 4 Love

LIFELIKE & KRIS MENACE
Ready 4 Love

Parisian producer Lifelike and Germany’s Kris Menace last teamed up just over a decade ago with their globe trotting smash “Discopolis”, which if those of us older Ninjas remember, was truly one of the first shots fired in what we’d now consider the nu-disco landscape. It was no surprise that nearly ten years later, as we heard the two dance forces had teamed up again for another dual entry “Ready 4 Love”, we more than took notice. “Ready 4 Love” composedly skitters on top of a vibrant, 80’s hearkening Roland 909 progression, lush claps & hi’s and modish disko bassline before settling into a directed sea of boogying club sounds. While much of today’s nu-disco and indie-dance associated records have a blueprint, pop structure in nature, it’s been artists like Lindstrøm, Todd Terje and Lifelike & Kris Menace that have been keeping the more musically inclined sector of us disko-kids sated with genre expanding work including this latest single entry into that elite group: “Ready 4 Love”. While we may have felt a little burned in regards to the decade long wait since the pair’s last joint-effort, “Ready 4 Love” is quickly making up for the time we’ve lost between releases.

We may have been a few days late to the party on this release, but with support already pouring out of TMN favorites Gorgon City, Tensanke and AlunaGeorge, it’s easy to see why we’ve been so wrapped up in “Ready 4 Love” and had to share regardless. Stream Lifelike & Kris Menace’s latest collaboration above.

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[Indie] Calvin Love – Automaton

Calvin Love
Automaton

It comes with a bit of emotional pain to reveal, that while he’s the man behind one of this writer’s most rinsed LP’s of the last 5 years (2012’s New Radar), Edmonton based psych-pop crooner Calvin Love just simply hasn’t been featured enough here at TMN. With a new full-length, Super Future, and an accompanying North American tour right around the corner, Love’s been dropping little morsels of celestial sensuality in the form of a slew of shiny singles over the past few months. His latest entry, “Automaton”, sees Love blend a lofi yet powerful rolling bassline with minimal guitar twang and his signature set of reverberant vocal chords to result in a sound drawing equal influence from new-wave and pop, blues and rock. While New Radar employed a much clearer ode to pop on some its most notable tracks, “Automaton” sports a much more tactile and analog feel; focusing instead on Love’s shaky refrain and live instruments rather than his past synth led work. Which in this case, has turned out to be a great thing

We’ve been hooked since first listen, and although we’re a little late to the party, we just couldn’t resist the need to get this one up on our pages. Check out Calvin Love’s upcoming tour dates below, and stream “Automaton” above.

6/13  – Brooklyn, NY | Northside Festival – Baby’s Alright
6/14 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East*
6/16 – Montreal, QC – Bar Le Ritz*
6/19 – Cleveland, OH – Happy Dog*
6/20 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen*
6/21 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue Entry *
6/23 – Missoula, MT – Stage 112*
6/24 – Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern*
6/25 – Vancouver, BC – Fox Cabaret*
6/26 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge*
6/27 – San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar*
6/29 – Costa Mesa, CA – The Wayfarer*
6/30 – The Echo – Los Angeles, CA*
07/01 – San Diego, CA -The Casbah*
07/02 – Las Vegas, NV – The Bunkhouse
07/04 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theatre
07/05 – Om aha, NE – Slowdown
07/06 – Columbus, MO – Café Berlis
07/08 – Detroit, MI – UFO Factory
* = w/ Jacco Gardner

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[Deep/Future-House] The Golden Pony – Die Inside Your Dance ft. Savoir Adore

The Golden Pony
Die Inside Your Dance (feat. Savoir Adore)

No strangers to The Music Ninja, underground Brooklyn production pair The Golden Pony have embarked on a rapid ascension into dance media mainstream over the past year. Most recently the genre traversing duo came to us with their deep take on The Chainsmokers’ “Let You Go”, while today, TGP has unveiled the first irresistible and completely original taste off of a brand new shiny record deal with Thrive Music: “Die Inside Your Dance”. Featuring a set of staccato vocal chops before melting into a full and longing refrain from fellow Brooklynites Savoir Adore, “Die Inside Your Dance” take its cues from the corners of proper deep-house polished with a contemporary shine. But of course, with over 5 million Soundcloud plays all through self-released music, it’s become utterly clear that the boys also know how to craft a dance hit encased within a pop-sensible structure; working their way into both the casual listener and overly scrutinous House-heads simultaneously. Not bad for a tune that  …“was written and produced in [their] Brooklyn Bedroom studio” either. Stream “Die Inside Your Dance” above to accompany this warm weather wave.

 

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