Latest Electronica Posts

Talal Qureshi – After Party [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Mark McNulty - December 23, 2016

Talal Qureshi
After Party with Rehma

Talal Qureshi has woven through so many styles of music throughout his near decade long career as a producer, from hip-hop beats to hard-edged dance and dubstep, ambient textures, and arrangements which rebuke genre. His new single “After Party” blends colorful synthesizers, strong drums and a sultry melody to create a fun and accessible sound that lifts high a radiant vocal feature from the 16-year-old singer Rehma out of Los Angeles.

If this track came on in a cab on my way from a party to an after party, I would be zoning. The elements are all there – a beautiful voice, synths that shmooze then soar, just the right amount of pop frills, and critical, kicking percussion. With the windows down heading to that after party, maybe just to find a certain someone, and this track would cinch it all together.

Qureshi, born in Saudi Arabia but based in Pakistan, continues to diversify his offerings. After remixing great pop selections and producing grade A instrumentals, it’s exciting to hear him bring in a vocal feature and create a catchy top-40 style tune. “After Party” is a preview of what we can expect from Qureshi’s upcoming Acha EP due out in early 2017.

[Album Review] James Lanning – Another Day Wasted

Posted by Mark McNulty - December 20, 2016

James Lanning, the man fam Maryland who merges urban exploration and hip-hop in New York City, releases a deep, dark and extremely relevant EP Another Day Wasted on Onamazu. The rapper’s debut EP is laced with the dark and depressed vibe of the broken buildings he loves to photograph, as well as the high-strung tension which likely pushes him to risk his life climbing skyscrapers.

The topic of mental health among musicians has breached the mainstream recently after Kid Cudi and later Kanye West both admitted struggling mightily with their selves. In a brief interview with Mass Appeal, Lanning states he wants to “alter the discourse” about mental health and the way mentally unstable people are treated when they come forth for help. Making music helps Lanning to channel his own frustrations, and that creative process lead to the cathartic tracks on Another Day Wasted.

The first cut, “Spring” features voicemail messages from the artist’s life set with a backdrop of tense string and music-box notes, culminating in a deep wave of bass. The abrupt finish leads into the chill-inducing title track on which Lanning bears his soul over a paradox of a beat produced by Kace. “People say that I’m crazy, but I say that I’m patient / what’s today but another day wasted?” Depression, the invisible illness, afflicts millions of people. Lanning exposes his own affliction to the world with no frills or filler, and for this, he’s to be commended.

“Run Away” and “Regina” find Lanning walking the thin line between sanity and success over more unique, wavy Kace beats. “Until 27”, featuring a hot verse from Michael Christmas, finally finds Lanning radiating a positive vibe and finding his step.

Another Day Wasted is a raw musical expression that blends hip-hop with more avant-garde ambient and electronica styles. The subject matter and the music can strike a chord deep within anyone who’s struggled with their own motivation and mental health. You can purchase EP from iTunes.

’JAMES LANNING – Spring’

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’JAMES LANNING – Another Day Wasted’

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’Run Away (Feat. Inas)’

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’JAMES LANNING ~ Regina’

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’Until 27 (Feat. Michael Christmas)’

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[Alternative/Rock] Nisus Cede & XHVIL

Posted by Mark McNulty - November 30, 2016

ONMZUSS027: Nisus Cede & XHVIL
Fake A Smile

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“Fake A Smile” by Nisus Cede and XHVIL is the 27th installment in the expansive Single Series from New York City’s eclectic Onamazu label. The Onamazu Single Series established a pattern for dark wave anthems and raw electronic experimentalism of the highest quality, but “Fake A Smile” is a more acoustic, sensitive offering that smacks more of Coldplay than Nine Inch Nails.

Netherlands native and Onamazu affiliate Nisus Cede, whose name is Latin for “attempted murder”, combines a most musical mind with a set of production chops that betray his very modest SoundCloud profile. The drum machine percussion he’s put together on “Fake A Smile” could easily be mistaken for the real thing – full of variation, fills, and crisp cymbals. The acoustic timbre of the drums pairs perfectly with the guitar and vocals tracked by Cede’s associate XVHIL, all of which is arranged along with a twangy stand-up bassline. “Fake A Smile” feels like new ground for the growing New York City collective Onamazu, which seems to be diversifying it’s offering with every new release. Hopefully the label’s future includes more of these unique, melancholic pop stylings from the Netherlands.

[Electronic] Nocturnal Status & Dillard – Death Stroke

Posted by Mark McNulty - November 21, 2016

Nocturnal Status & Dillard
Death Stroke

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Fresh from the onomatopoetically named Whump Collective comes a masterfully deep and diverse single, “Death Stroke”, composed by Nocturnal Status and Dillard. “Death Stroke” is highly danceable, with a deceptively smooth and steppin’ beat riding over sub-flexing background bass. There’s innumerable sonic snippets and details in the track. They flutter in and out with varying impact, until becoming more apparent when the sub bass drops out. All elements come together cohesively, which is no easy task. As the track moves along, a vocal sample is choked and manipulated, and some particularly industrial whumps, assumedly from Dillard, take center stage before the act is through.

Clearly some skillful sound design went into this number. Both artists traffic in inordinate amounts of bass and glitch, and can create contemplative chill music as well as chest-thumping bass jams. “Death Stroke” has a great balance of both styles. A free download is available here.

[Music Video] Samuel Proffitt – Глубина (Depth) ft. Naadia

Posted by Mitch Marzuola - November 14, 2016

We’ve come to know Samuel Proffitt very well through his steadfast acceptance of the somber. With the recent release of The Grey Notebook, he’s managed to explore it even further. “Depth”, the final song on the EP, beautifully brings together the heavenly voice of Russian vocalist Naadia with a lone piano bestrewn with waves of reverb and a haunting atmosphere layered with intangible emotional weight. Samuel strove for a simple, yet necessary message in this video, and he details it in his premiere with Rolling Stone Russia by stating:

It’s time that we move past this “us versus them” ideology and realize that Russia, and its culture, is beautiful, profound, and full of feeling. The Russian people are the same as we are: loving, compassionate, and imaginative. They create extraordinary works of art, music, and literature, so to write them off because of preconceived notions and a politically charged atmosphere would only serve to further cement this ever-growing close-mindedness.

This sentiment needed now more than ever. Samuel Proffitt’s wish is to unify, and getting the chance to glimpse across the globe in a dazzling display such as this can show us all that we’re much more alike than we think.

[Event Review] Lido gives it Everything in his return to Bay Area

Posted by Dominic Powell - November 11, 2016

As a trailblazer in the field and a posterboy to the new electronic movement, Peder Losnegård is far beyond needing introduction. Abandoning previous musical incarnations, Lido emerged as a preeminent producer a few years back, co-creating Halsey’s Badlands LP and touring around the country in support of his own works. While also gaining some notoriety for credits on works with Chance the Rapper, Alison Wonderland, and Banks, his star continued to grow brighter by the month. Over the course of 2016, Lido has made major headway in cementing his place among the dominant producers of the era – along with the likes of Flume, Hudson Mohawke, Cashmere Cat, and Jack Garratt.

Bringing his North American fan base a much anticipated step away from reality, the prodigal record producer, songwriter, and occasional rapper embarked on an ambitious 14-date tour in support of last month’s wildly popular sophomore release, Everything.

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[Future Bass/Trap] STEL LEO – Opal [TMN Premiere]

Posted by Matthew Bloss - November 9, 2016

STEL★LEO
Opal [The Music Ninja Premiere]

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There’s nothing we love more than kicking off the day armed with a freshly banging premiere for our Ninja faithful. Stel Leo is a genre-skirting, Bermudian artist who has had releases with Team Supreme, Top Cats, TheMOB and Friends with Robots; and also played live alongside STWO and more tastemaking artists. Today the electronic style bender touches down on TMN with brand new single “Opal”, and our fire is glowingly stoked to share it with our lovely readers.

A crisply layed two-step drum beat patterns “Opal” before giving way into a luscious waterfall of thumping low-end, popping snare placement, and a swath of clicky percussive elements which all culminate in a sticky-sweet melody. Although it wields a highly synthetic sonority, “Opal” simultaneously feels very soulfully tactile and personal, while still brandishing a call-to-arms to get to the dancefloor. While we’re sure most of our U.S. Ninjas will be more concerned with the important item on today’s docket -the Presdiential Election or something like that, we heard- but for a little distraction, stream our premiere of Stel Leo’s “Opal” above.