Author Archives: Matthew Bloss

[Deep/Tech-House] Sam Smith – Lay Me Down (Maya Jane Coles Remix)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - March 9, 2015

Sam Smith
"Lay Me Down" (Maya Jane Coles Remix)

Over the course of the past few years, London based dancefloor dignitary Maya Jane Coles has undoubtedly cemented her position as the current Queen of underground house and techno. With globally viral and absurdly tasteful original releases on established dance labels like Hypercolour, Dogmatik, Real Tone, 2020; one of the most lauded entry into the fabled !K7 DJ Kicks mix series, and an incredible debut entry into the world of long-players with Comfort on I/AM/ME; MJC’s stock has become one of the most sought after in the world of electronic music. Today, the British dance bender has taken things towards the more accessible end of the house pool, delivering a moving remix for the Grammy’s newest sweetheart, Sam Smith and the John Legend featuring single “Lay Me Down”. Maya Jane Coles weaves a deep and perfectly swung bassline with Smith’s unreplicable incantations to take “Lay Me Down” from a slow burning ballad to a moving and shaking slice of dance. Trust us, listen now.

[Nu-Disco/Chill] Ekkah – Last Chance to Dance (Goldroom Remix)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - March 5, 2015

Ekkah
Last Chance To Dance (Goldroom Remix)

Soundcloud

The King of that laid-back, Summer inflected disco dance sound, L.A.’s Goldroom last graced these welcoming pages of TMN with the syrupy sweet and chilled out original “Til Sunrise”, and today returns with another tactfully executed disko revision of Ekkah‘s “Last Chance to Dance”. The former bedroom producer turned entrancing live experience has by now established a signature blend of house & nu-disco somewhere around a breezy 110 BPM’s; which works wonderfully with the UK based duo’s poppy soundscape, playing back and forth between dancefloor fairy dust and its original, hooky stems. Once again, we’re swooning over another Goldroom cut, and for those of us who will find themselves as part of the proverbial “festival circuit” in the coming months, check out the string of live dates below.

UPCOMING SHOWS:
Mar 14: San Diego @ CRSSD Festival (Live Set)
Mar 29: Miami @ Ultra Music Festival (DJ Set)
May 17: Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Fest (Live Set)
May 23: Bradley, CA @ Lightning In A Bottle (Live Set)
June 4: Arkansas @ Wakarusa Music Festival (DJ Set)
June 25-28: Michigan @ Electric Forest (Live Set)

[House/Indie-Dance] Digital Farm Animals – Only Love Can Save Us

Posted by Matthew Bloss - March 4, 2015

Digital Farm Animals
Only Love Can Save Us

Soundcloud

London based producer Nick Gale, whose Digital Farm Animals solo project has shown a deft versatility clearly missed by hoards of pigeonholed electronic producers, last arose from a release slumber a month back wielding a new single “Didn’t Know”. On the heels of the Yasmin featuring dancefloor dart, we were also promised a steady stream of new music and luckily for us, Digital Farm Animals has held up his end of the bargain by dropping another nod to club jams, “Only Love Can Save Us”. Landing somewhere between club-house burner and indie-dance diamond, “Only Love Can Save Us” offers yet another revealing glimpse into the full spectrum of Digital Farm Animal’s musical gaze. The second the tune’s opening synth progression lays an airy foundation, we were filled with a nostalgic teenage yearning before a carefully placed kick-drum comes careening in to establish a more danceable cadence while carrying us back to the ground. It certainly looks to be a breakout year for Digital Farm Animals, and we’ll gleefully be consuming every morsel along the way.

Justin Jay Talks Dirtybird, Larry Levan, and Marriage Proposals [TMN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

Posted by Matthew Bloss - March 2, 2015

Disciples
They Don't Know (Justin Jay Remix)

Soundcloud

This month we had the chance to flex our tastemaking muscle by featuring one of the hottest exports in dance music, who has made a name at the tender age of 21 on one of the hottest labels in dance music. Of course, we are speaking of Justin Jay, and Claude VonStroke’s Dirtybird Records cohorts. Last week, the deep and tech-house sparkplug gifted us with a TMN Resident Playlist, and this weekend, we got a chance to get a little more in depth in regards to all things Justin Jay. Check out the entire transcript below.

TMN: First of all, we wanted to thank you for taking the time to be our featured ‘Resident Artist of the Month’. We’ve actually been closely following your career arc since How Goes the Dynamite, which if we’re not mistaken was almost three years ago now, which is absurd to think that you’re only what, 21 years of age now?

JJ: Yeah it’s pretty crazy, man!

TMN: It’s hard to believe how rapidly developed and mature your sound has already become in a relatively short amount of time putting out tangible releases. Especially within a niche in which many American listeners wind up not actually discovering until the usual pit-stops through ‘EDM’, or festival sized dubstep and trap. From a personal standpoint, have you had any exact moments which you feel helped shaped the scope of your music production or steered you away from more commercial sounds?

JJ: Growing up in LA was really powerful because me and my friends were exposed to artists like MSTRKRFT and Justice back in 2007. We got into it then because it sounded new and exciting. That craving for freshness is huge.

TMN: Some of us Ninjas love to geek out about artist’s studios. What programs, machines, synths or anything else are taking up the most amount of your time currently as a producer? And what does your entire studio layout look like when laying down a new Justin Jay track?

JJ: I’m super bare bones. I have a midi keyboard and a laptop, which is all I really use. Although, I recently got a few old-school drum machines, which have been super fun to work with.
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[Dance/Chill] Great Good Fine OK – Too Much to Handle (Shook Remix) [TMN Premiere]

Posted by Matthew Bloss - March 2, 2015

Great Good Fine Ok
Too Much To Handle (Shook Remix)

Soundcloud

Last week we featured the first remix for Brooklyn based indie-pop troupe Great Good Fine OK‘s latest single “Too Much To Handle” from the always stellar Penguin Prison. Following that outstanding take, is the second offering from GGFO’s official remix selections; this time coming from enigmatic electronic producer Shook. Shook instills an almost Balearic atmosphere on top of his revision, fusing recognizably glossy and warm dance backing onto ripely plucked instrumental stems from the original. Furthering this one into a space of melancholy yet buoyant bliss is Jon Sandler’s soothing falsetto; which sits like a melting pad of butter on a big ol’ stack of Shook’s musical hotcakes. Those hotcakes of course being blithe synth stabs and a carefully arranged percussive melody of course. We’re beyond happy to bring you Shook’s remix of “Too Much to Handle” before anyone else, so hop to it before the rest of the blogosphere gets their hands err… ears on this gem.

[House] Dirtytalks – Keep On Walkin’ ft. Give In

Posted by Matthew Bloss - February 27, 2015

Dirtytalks
Keep On Walkin' Ft. Give In

Soundcloud

Friday’s carry a bit of a dancefloor feel here around TMN what with our Friday Party Playlists (sorry for missing the last few!), and live shows galore on the brain for much of our staff. So needless to say, this writer’s choice day to feature some foot shuffling, soulfully smooth house music happens to be this one. Dirtytalks is the collaborative house project of Boulder, CO’s Sloane Peterson and one of Los Angeles’ quickest rising daughters of dance Bathhouse, and their latest tune “Keep On Walkin'” has been hypnotically wrapping its way around our heads all afternoon. Featuring vocal work from another bubbling L.A. dance purveryor Give In, “Keep On Walkin'”, strikes a delicate balance between garagey percussion, and a deeper side of house while simultaneously keeping intact a refreshing pop sensibility to serve as the perfect tune heading into the weekend. Join us, and listen to Dirtytalks’ lush house soundscape above.

[Synth-Pop/Chill] Night Drive – Easy to Lie

Posted by Matthew Bloss - February 24, 2015

Night Drive
Easy To Lie (Original Mix)

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While swimming through the standard sea of press e-mails and Soundcloud feeds, the day for this writer began to feel rather bleak musically. That is until Austin, TX duo Night Drive and their newest single “Easy to Lie” made it no less than one bar into its brooding pulse of nostalgic 80’s synth-pop. The pair’s nostalgic view on electro-pop sometimes deviates more closely towards the bubblier side of things, but their latest dip into more introspective lyricism and gloomier instrumentation marks our favorite release from the pair’s studio thus far. And previous Night Drive fanboys and girls need not fret either, as “Easy to Lie” is still dripping with doses of powerful pop synthesizers, but this time around they’re reeled back with the surgical precision to simultaneously highlight its emotive center ever so beautifully. “Easy to Lie” comes as the second taste of an upcoming debut full-length Sound Control Records, hopefully due out later this year. Let this one close out your day of school or work perfectly. We did.