Set to the pace of thundering percussion, “Breathe” is fresh, delicious, and primed for your ears. It comes to you via Dublin-born Christian Cohle, who apparently wears many hats, including producing, singing, songwriting, and expertly pan-searing sustainably caught salmon. Okay, that last one was a shot in the dark, but you never know.
Grounded with a contemporary pop flavor, twisted up with a modern, yet sophisticated electronic backbone, Cohle’s style has a familiar feel, yet stands alone. His vocals should do more than enough for anyone who fancies the likes of James Vincent McMorrow and James Blake and his production skills effortlessly cross boundaries and genres, tapping the virtual shoulders of indie dance fans.
No matter how you choose to approach “Breathe” you’ll walk away satisfied. Seeing as how this is one of his first releases, we can safely assume you’re in for a whole hell of a lot more.
MEUTE is one of the more refreshing things we’ve come across lately. Made up of a collection of 11 talented, traditional drummers and horn players, this German-based group delivers eye-opening, smile-inducing, and thoughtfully crafted renditions of some of the world’s largest dance anthems, including Flume, Deadmau5, and Solomun.
In the midst of their first North American tour and debut album release, we had a chance to connect with Founder/Trumpeter Thomas Buhorn to see how this intriguing outfit came to be.
TMN: Thank you for taking a moment to chat! Let’s start with your ‘origin story’ so to speak. Did this project start off with the intention to do what you’re doing now?
TB: To be honest, yes. We were convinced, that the combination of hypnotic techno music played by an acoustic marching band in a very distinguished and energetic way has the potential to be very explosive. Due to the fact that techno music is international and without borders, we always hoped, that we can travel around the world with it. Now we do, and it’s big fun!
TMN: This tour is your first in the States. What does it mean to you guys to be able to fly across the pond in support of your debut live album?
A: It means a lot to us. The US has a big heritage of brass bands, jazz, and also electronic music. We love all that stuff and combined it with our European way of playing music. So we are very proud to show it to the folks here and are very happy that the people seem to like it a lot.
TMN: You’ve already hit a few cities already. How has the reception been so far?
A: The people went crazy – so did we.
TMN: Backing it up a bit — are you traveling with the full ensemble?
A: We always do!
TMN: That has to be quite the undertaking for a travel planner. Are you bringing instruments with you, or renting some over here?
A: Our Tour Manager is working very hard and very good. So it’s possible to bring our own stuff. Most of the instruments are custom made, so we are happy to have them.
TMN: One of our favorite renditions is Flume’s remix of Disclosure’s “You & Me.” Talk us through that day in Görlitzer Park. It seemed like such an experience for those who were there.
A: It was the day of an evening performance in a club in Berlin. Sometimes we go outside during daytime and make some surprise performances. So always stay tuned on our social media, sometimes we give some hints in advance!
TMN: Looking back, how did you come about choosing larger-than-life dance tracks for your interpretations?
A: Just because they invite people to dance, and we can bring something new to the world. The sound that arises out of that combination is quite special.
TMN: Have you ever received any love or kind words from the original artists?
A: We always ask them, and luckily they’ve always liked it. We already did stage performances together with Laurent Garnier, Solomun, and Stephan Bodzin.
(btw you can find some quotes from some of them here: www.meute.eu/about)
TMN: What’s next for you beyond this tour?
A: We will release a new studio album next year. And hopefully, we go on touring around the world!
The German creative DayFox has blessed us with some good ol’ happy music. The single “Lioness” dropped as a free download and has been marketed alongside DayFox’s catalog as royalty free music for other creatives like vloggers, streamers etc. Which is perfect, because “Lioness” has just the right sound for sync opportunities.
“Lioness” is a poppy electronic anthem that blends breakbeat percussion, heavenly vocal chops and calming keys together in a magnificently beautiful way. DayFox really honed in on making this sound iconic and accessible as possible. It’s not necessarily a groundbreaking tune in any regard, but it certainly is one of the strongest electro pop tracks we’ve heard this year. And now we’re looking forward to even more from Dayfox.
It was only fitting that the 150th episode of TMN Radio was one of the most eclectic yet — a true testament to how the show has pushed my music explorations forward. This episode features music from Nigeria, Mali, Turkey, Niger, France, The Congo, Ghana, England, Sweden and more making it the most internationally focused episode to date. Highlights include the beautiful Tuareg guitar of Tinariwen, psychedelic renditions of Turkish folk songs from Altın Gün, a summer essential from Ghana-natives Onipa and a medley of tracks in honor of French engineer/producer/artist Philippe Zdar who tragically passed last week. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to put this show together every week for nearly 4 years now. Help keep BFF.fm thriving and growing by contributing our Summer Sustainer fundraiser here.
The dog days of Summer are just around the corner, which brings with it a host of certifiably sunny synth and dance tunes for our sonic consumption… for better or for worse. And while the songs themselves are always aplenty this time of year, sorting through every impending Summer’s slew of quality entries can be another feat entirely. But when that consummate symbiosis of timing, production and feel coalesce so harmoniously through one song; it makes these endless hours of perusing absolutely worth it.
Enter Denver based dream-pop duo xOxford (pronounced “oxford”) and their syrupy-sweet yet deeply emotive debut single “Be Yours”. “Be Yours” rides a sticky topline synth, soulfully booming reverberations ensconced in delay, and an infectiously soothing analog bassline that has this one ear-worming its way through our house monitors like few before it.
After years toiling as solo artists, the pair -comprised of singer/songwriter Rhema Srihartiti who as as a vocalist has lent her voice to blog hits from the likes of Tim Legend & option4, and prolific Denver producer & DJ Eric Lake- seem to have finally landed on a project which provides the breathing room to truly express their artistic range and tastes. “I feel like coming from dance music, a lot of times we can take ourselves too seriously, xOxford is a really fun project. We take it seriously, but we don’t take ourselves seriously. Music can be super-powerful and super-political, but sometimes it’s important to just have fun and have songs to relate to and sing to.” From a couple that cites influences as obvious as New Order and LCD Soundsystem, to contemporary influences including Provoker, Black Marble and Eli Escobar; these are exciting words to a music writer’s ears.
xOxford will be polishing up more singles, and a planned EP as we head into the Summer, with their debut live show set for Denver’s Underground Music Showcase. Until then, stream “Be Yours” above and be on the lookout for plenty more from xOxford in the coming months.
Challenging the American perspective on dance music, offrami is the cultured LA producer that enlightening the masses with each release. After exploring his craft professionally for a few years, offrami scored official remixes for notable artists by the likes of Nick Jonas and Bishop Briggs. On a mission to blend world cultures through his humbled creation, the Lebanon-raised artist traveled across the globe to film a music video in Kenya, showcasing daily life in an often misunderstood region.
On a mission to unite music from all over the world, it’s safe to say that offrami is fearless. His latest track “Kumbaye” featuring rapper Rotex is a breezy afro-centric dance joint with a colorful presence. Channeling the sounds of an oceanside vacation “Kumbaye” is as profound as it is lively. Driving hooks and catchy rhythms cascade atop Rotex’s buoyant flow, making “Kumbaye” one of offrami’s finest tracks to date. More than just music and creation, offrami is a mission-driven initiative.
Rapidly approaching, from July 26th through the 28thDenver’s preeminent indie music festival, The Underground Music Showcase has announced its lineup for 2019. After updating its format last year, and adding a plethora of new stages and venues, which now totals four outdoor main stages and over 20 indoor venues, The UMS looks to once again take the city by the reigns for one amazing weekend in late July. Dotting the top of this year’s bill are the likes of Empress Of, Honne,Chicano Batman, Black Mountain, Tuxedo, Earthgang, and Still Woozy for a certifiably heavy hitting slate of headliners; but as always, the talent buyers for the UMS have flexed their mid-card and local muscles just as hard.
Additional national support includes Yves Tumor, DRAMA, LEIKELI47, Y La Bamba, Miya Frolick, Gardens & Villa, Tessa Violet, Spooky Mansion, Greyhounds, Dressy Bessy, DBUK, Kainalu, Clavvs, Rapperchicks, Rich Jones, Divino Niño, Parallelephants, Deezie Brown, and Garrett T Capps. Coming out of Colorado, we’re getting perked up for the much buzzed about set from synth-pop duo xOxford (pronounced Oxford) who will be making their live debut at the festival, as well as Mile High stalwarts including Falcon Punch, YASI, Andy Immerman, Nasty Nachos, Bud Bronson & The Goodtimers, DeCollage, Milky.WAV, and loads more.
Are you a really big fan of music? What are you waiting to get the best dj speaker to make everyone at the party have fun? Check out these set ups professional DJ’s have uploaded to use and learn.
