[Ambient-Pop] ON AN ON – Drifting (Brothertiger Remix)

ON AN ON
Drifting (Brothertiger Remix)

Brooklyn-based musician and producer John Jagos has for years been dutifully recording an illusive and ethereal brand of synth-washed pop under his Brothertiger moniker and in that time we’ve fallen pretty hard. Jagos is getting primed to drop a full-length Brothertiger LP on us in December, Out of Touch, and on advance listen behind its eclectic bevy of singles including “Wake”, it’s quickly ascending towards the top of this writer’s ‘LP of the Year’ shortlist (which is actually starting to get pretty lengthy, but that’s neither here nor there). Today however, Brothertiger again dons the ‘remixer’ cap for a tune that’s been circulating like hotcakes this year, ON AN ON’s “Drifiting”. We’ve previously featured Duncan Murray’s take on this one, but Brothertiger’s official revision has really been tickling our penchant for morose pop stylings. Melting pads are folded in deftly amongst a genial sea of nuanced synth played like waves against a subtly tweaked ON AN ON vocal track. If this isn’t one of the more beautiful songs you hear this week, we’ll be left scratching our heads. Brothertiger’s “Drifting” remix comes as part of the always stellar Roll Call Records‘ 4-track remix EP of the same name, which also features mixes from RAC, the aforementioned Duncan Murray and Sammy Bananas, but you can stream Jagos’ remix above.

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[Album Review + Event Review] Neon Indian: Identity, the Chillwave Fallacy and Vega Intl. Night School

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Neon Indian at Social Hall, SF 9/22

Looking around the crowd at the newly minted Social Hall SF, it was apparent that the diehard group of fans had little idea what they were hearing. Attending a show by a favored artist is an unforgettable experience; the anxiety and foreboding feeling that they may bomb the performance, the hope against all hope that the one favorite song played on repeat 300 times that one summer is on their set list, the lofty and unrealistic expectations of them noticing your pinpoint gaze from the stage.

All of those unstable feelings – coupled with the awkward notion of repeatedly bumping shoulders with complete strangers – are made more bearable by the overarching fact that the mass of people is musically in sync. Artists take huge risks when touring a new album pre-release; when a fan base comes together to experience their latest works before hearing a single song, the performance can either fall flat or amaze. Alan Palomo’s performance, thankfully, accomplished the latter. Despite vague familiarity with the new material, the cluster rocked and swayed to the arrangements that have made Neon Indian into a renowned electronic producer.

Between his own eccentric swinging hips and a charmingly flat-footed signature shuffle (falling somewhere between Motown and Disco), Palomo also managed to keep an often-times lost crowd energized and in the moment. Continue reading

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[NYC Giveaway/Event Preview Playlist] BangOn!NYC Presents: Warehouse of Horrors 2015

Without a doubt, Halloween has become one of the single biggest days of the year in the U.S. music industry as far as simultaneous mega-events occurring from coast to coast. And as you may have noticed, we’re offering a number of amazing giveaways across a plethora of amazing cities. Of course, it just wouldn’t be right unless we included our friends in the greatest city in the world: New York. Known for their excellent music curation and overall visual and audio experiences (check out the amazing recap video from their last event ‘Elements’),  we’ve teamed up with our friends at BangOn!NYC to offer up a pair of tickets to this year’s ‘Warehouse of Horrors’ in East Williamsburg. This year’s Halloween event is absolutely loaded from top-to-bottom across a number of tasteful dance genres with TMN favorites including last month’s ‘Resident Artist’ Hayden James,  as well as Salva, Louis The Child, The Juan Maclean, Pumpkin, Action 52, FDVM, BOGL, and The Golden Pony. To get our blood pumping a little more, we’ve put together quite the eclectic dance playlist below featuring tunes from this year’s headliners which should have you jacking away the foreseeable week.

But, the fun doesn’t stop there either. We’re offering one lucky reader a pair of tix for the ‘Warehouse of Horrors’ and we’d love for it to be you!Entering our contest is as always, beyond easy. Just “like” The Music Ninja & BangOn!NYC on FB, click on this post header if you’re still on the TMN front page, and comment below with the artist you’re most excited to see. That’s it! And of course for our friends looking to secure their spot, tickets can easily be purchased at the link here as well.  We’ll all be using the Twitter hashtag #WarehouseOfHorrors all weekend so give us all a shout as well!

There are a few rules, of course:
– The event is 21+ Be sure to tell all of your friends to increase chance of winning!
– You are responsible for your own transportation.
– You must bring a valid form of ID to pick up your tickets at the Warehouse of Horrors Ticket Booth.

Good luck ninjas, start commenting below!

’Hayden James – Something About You’
’Hayden James – Permission To Love’
’Duke Dumont – Ocean Drive (Hayden James Remix)’
’Louis The Child – It’s Strange (Ft. K.Flay)’
’SoySauce – Broken Record (Louis The Child Remix)’
’SALVA – I JUST WANNA’
’RL Grime – Kingpin Ft. Big Sean (Salva Remix)’
’The Juan Maclean – Get Down (With My Love)’
’The Juan Maclean – Feel Like Movin”
’Wildlight – Twirl Me (Pumpkin Remix)’
’Buddha Bass – Tao (Pumpkin Remix)’
’FDVM feat. Josh Wantie – Brightest Light (Original Mix)’
’LOST CITY x BOGL – DARK HORSE (JNGL MIX)’
’Zenbi – Down (Original Mix)’
’Missy Elliot – Lose Control (Action 52 Remix)’
’The Golden Pony – Die Inside Your Dance feat. Savoir Adore’
’The Chainsmokers – Let You Go (The Golden Pony Remix)’
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[Event Review] CRSSD Festival – San Diego – 10/10-11

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(PC: Felicia Garcia)

 

“I must have went to house heaven, because nothing’s that divine.”

And that’s exactly how we felt after attending CRSSD Fest and being immersed in dance music for the weekend. Following the epic debut back in March, FNGRS CRSSD and Goldenvoice have put together another incredible two-day music festival that undoubtedly put San Diego on the radar for all the music fanatics in the world. When going to a music event, there are certain make-or-breaks that determine our experiences, and CRSSD has nailed all of them. Beautiful venue set-up, extraordinary theme-driven atmosphere, San Diegan food/drink sponsors, just to name a few awesome perks for all the attendees. Each one of the three stages held its own unique character, and featured artists that best fit the specific stage category.

The Palms stage was prepared in a greenery outfit which featured chill trap and future dance acts like Todd Terje, Blonde, Tchami and back-to-back acts with Goldroom b2b Le Youth, and Cashmere Cat b2b Trippy Turtle. The City Steps stage was a full-on display of deep house galore, as Hayden James, Anna Lunoe, Andhim, Claptone and many other took the stage. And finally, Ocean View Live is the festival’s main stage that featured crowd-pleasing acts like AlunaGeorge, The Flaming Lips, TV On The Radio and Zhu.

Continue reading

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[Denver Giveaway/Event Preview] The Music Ninja Presents: Teen Daze w/ Cemeteries, Shark Dreams @ Lost Lake Lounge – 10/22

Denver Event Giveaway
Teen Daze @ Lost Lake Lounge, 10/22

Perhaps our favorite single common thread around the staff at TMN is the ability to showcase artists in our favorite cities across the U.S. We’ve been able to bring some of our absolute favorite artists’ live shows over the years as presenters, and this Thursday (10/22) in Denver, we’re incredibly proud to bring another very special show to the Mile High City with Teen Daze. Fresh off of the release of  another excellent and critically applauded LP addition to the enigmatic producer’s catalog (he uses only his first name professionally), Morning World, Teen Daze will no doubt bring with him another excellent incarnation of an expanding live show to Lost Lake Lounge. We’ve been able to gradually witness Teen Daze’s steady evolution from his earliest work, which was often times lumped in with the ‘chillwave’ movement, to an artist whose rhythms and melodies have taken center stage and allowed the Western Canada based producer to offer a more engaging, and even dance-oriented concert experience. Needless to say we’re chomping at the bit for another chance to see Teen Daze in such an intimate venue.

The night’s opening flavor kicks off quite tastefully as well with Portland via Buffalo ambient-pop experimentalist Cemeteries. Also coming off of an extremely well executed LP, Barrow, which had us drawing up comparisons to the current arc of post-punk revivalists and darkwave flag bearers including The Soft Moon, and A Place To Bury Strangers. Just excellent stuff really. Rounding out the bill is newly formed Dream-Pop troupe Shark Dreams, who thus far have released only one demo and have our curiosity piqued with their worthy entry into the world of singles.

Of course, when we present a show, we’d rather not just talk about it, but get our savvy readers in on the fun as well, so we’re giving away not one, but two pairs of tickets to this Thursday night’s show. As always, entering our contest is beyond simple. Just “like” Teen Daze, and The Music Ninja’s Facebook pages, and comment below on why you’re excited or deserve to win. That’s it! We’ll notify our winners Thursday afternoon, the day of the show at 12:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Stream our preview playlist below to get your ears ready, and good luck!

For those of you looking to secure a ticket, don’t fret either as tix are still only &10.00 for this one. Snag them here!

There are a few rules, of course:
– The event is 18+, so tell all your friends to increase your odds of winning!
– You are responsible for your own transportation.
– You must bring a valid form of ID to pick up your tickets at the Lost Lake Lounge door.
– You must find a TMN representative and let them buy you a drink (perhaps a Red Bull for our non legal friends?)

’Teen Daze – Along’
’Teen Daze – Morning World’
’Teen Daze – Brooklyn Sunburn’
’Cemeteries – Luna (Moon of Claiming)’
’Cemeteries – Summer Smoke’
’Cemeteries – Feed’
’Shark Dreams – Frozen Love (DEMO)’
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[Alt-Pop] Brothertiger – Wake

Brothertiger
Wake

It’s no secret around here at TMN that the synth-washed electropop project of Brooklyn-based musician and producer John Jagos, Brothertiger, has resonated deeply with some of us over the years. In July we premiered Brothertiger’s collaboration with Rose Quartz, “Pleasure & Pain”, and today Jagos has dropped the latest piece to a forthcoming, Indiegogo crowdfunded LP, Out Of Touch, in the form of “Wake”. “Wake” sputters out a balmy, smooth vocal wrapped around his usual brand of off-kilter electronic pop structuring for a feel that is simultaneously familiar, unique and addictive. Brothertiger’s latest leans ever so slightly toward a corner of yacht-rock, but the ambient tones utilized here wash over its listener like an enveloping fog to create a soundscape that touches upon numerous aural aesthetics. “Wake”, is an entrancing and an all-around utterly lovely tune combining a number of things we love about Jagos’ Brothertiger project and a welcome peak into his impending Out Of Touch long-player. For those looking to get a leg-up and show off your collecting chops in the process, pre-order your special green-vinyl copy of Out Of Touch (due out December 4th) here. Stream “Wake” above.

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[TMN Exclusive Interview] Autre Ne Veute Riffs on His New Album, Watered Down Tequila & Shapeshifting

Autre Ne Veut
World War Pt. 2

Arthur Ashin, who has grown much more readily recognizable as his Autre Ne Veut stage moniker over the years, has been one of our most looked-to tastemaking artists since his excellent Anxiety LP in 2013 and sterling catalog as a whole, which dips its toes into experimental R&B, soul, pop, rock and more. Most recently, Ashin’s latest single “Panic Room” stirred up something darkly beautiful within us once again and the busy artist has also been making the press rounds on behalf of the latest Autre Ne Veut full-length, Age of Transparency, which is getting set for an October 2 release via Downtown, along with an accompanying U.S. tour. We wanted a deeper look into one of the most enigmatic and creative minds within any capacity of music, and got to catch up with Arthur for quite the random interview. Be on the lookout for a show near you in the coming months, and in the mean time, read our full interview with Autre Ne Veut below.

The Music Ninja: You’re getting ready to release Age of Transparency, your third proper full-length after both your excellent self-titled debut in 2010 and of course the highly praised Anxiety in 2013. We’ve gotten a few tastes of AoT with “World War Pt. 2”, its jazz-tinged counterpart, and “Panic Room”, but wanted a little more insight as to what sets Age of Transparency apart from your other works including the Body EP. You were dealing with some rather heavy emotional stuff around Anxiety, what was your headspace like on your latest LP?

Autre Ne Veut: It is more naturalistic in tone.  There are more nods to 70s Rod Stewart, ECM style jazz recordings, Alice Coltrane, Pharaoh Sanders, Ornette Coleman, Astral Weeks than there were on Anxiety.  Spiritually, it feels a bit more related to the self titled album than Anxiety, or rather like a hyped up improvement or something.  Still laden with self doubt and anxiety, but I try to tackle it from a bit more of a remove at times.  That said, the vocal sound on AoT leans in even more than on Anxiety, it is dryer, more present, more tactile.

TMN: If we’re not mistaken, at one point you made a living as a jingle-writer. Not many people are aware of this fact, but do you think any of that job has seeped into Autre Ne Veut and added a bit of added accessibility to your sound whether it be a conscious move or not?

Finish the rest of the full transcript for our Autre Ne Veut interview after the jump!

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