Latest Experimental Posts

[Ambient] Pure One – Become

Posted by Ash El Gamal - September 28, 2016
Pure One
Become
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Every once in a while I’m sent a submission so different that I’m not quite sure what to do with it. Such was the case when Pure One landed in my inbox over a year ago with her experimental, ambient and stirring sonic landscapes.  The more I listened, the more appreciation I gained for its subtleties, intricate arrangement and soft drum patterns. Rather than evoke the standard instant gratification many expect from music, Pure One’s work feels more focused on transporting listeners to an astral plane of reflection, growing in depth with each listen.

“Become,” the first single off her upcoming Deva EP encapsulates that style as she chops her silky vocal chant of “become your truth” adding reverb among other psychedelic accents. That obscuration teamed with expertly placed piano keys and unconventional, soothing percussive elements results in something that truly evokes self reflection if you allow yourself to truly get lost in it.

While it’s difficult to pinpoint clear influences, fans of artists like Bjork, Sigur Ros and Four Tet may enjoy this one. Listen for yourself above and look out for the Deva EP, which is due out on Bandcamp October 16th via Cora Records.

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Austin Paul X SNDNGCHLLZ X Byrdipop – Binary [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - September 14, 2016
Binary
Austin Paul X SNDNGCHLLZ X Byrdipop
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Miami based Austin Paul, SNDNGCHLLZ, and Byrdipop have come together in a collaborative track that’s absolutely mesmerizing, and they pulled it off in less than 48 hours. What’s even more impressive is the fact that these three haven’t previously worked together. They were partnered up in a celebration of local music by the forthcoming lll Points Festival, which takes place October 7th – 9th, at Mana Wynwood.

This is the the third release on the festival’s 1st compilation, with one more release yet to come in the pack. “Binary,” as they’ve titled it, is a wonderfully sonic listening experience that pulls elements from RnB, ambient electronica, and pure experimental bliss. It only takes a few seconds to lock you in, and once it does, you’ll be wondering where you can get more.

Hopefully this admirable project from lll Points Festival helps inspire these budding artists to work together more, because, quite frankly, we need more.

There are still tickets available, so if you want to see acts like M83, Thievery Corporation, LCD Soundsystem, Method Man and Redman, Black Coffee, Earl Sweatshirt, and close to a hundred more, we highly recommend picking them up now.

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[Event Preview/Playlist] The Underground Music Showcase – 7/28 – 7/31 – Denver, CO

Posted by Matthew Bloss - July 27, 2016

It’s no secret at all that The Underground Music Showcase in beautiful Denver, CO has become a mainstay for our Mile-High Ninjas, and as we’re just a day out, we are once again gearing up for another edition of one of the U.S. festival scene’s best kept (not-so) secrets. One of the few remaining music gatherings in the fair city of Denver to eschew the typical smattering of major label festival fare, The UMS boasts a lineup of over 400+ acts strewn across various shops and bars dotting Denver’s historic South Broadway district, and we’ve been salivating like one of Pavlov’s pit-bulls in anticipation of this year’s entry.

Headlined by a number of intriguingly eclectic acts including Poliça, Thee Oh Sees, Sunflower Bean, Allah Las, Lee Fields & The Expressions, and The Bright Light Social Hour as well as some of the city’s most promising acts like Flaural, Shady Elders, déCollage, The Yawpers, Inner Oceans and Sunboy; 2016’s version of The UMS offers us yet another tastefully curated weekend of music in one of the best settings possible. We’ll be out in full force all weekend, and in anticipation of this year’s festivities, we’ve put together a playlist highlighting some of our favorite UMS artists. Get your sunscreen ready, and we’ll be seeing our Denver friends in the sun all weekend!

 

’POLIÇA – Chain My Name’
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’Thee Oh Sees – Web’
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’Sunflower Bean – Easier Said’
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’Allah
Las – Buffalo Nickel’
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’The Yawpers – Sister Mary’
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’Lee Fields & The Expressions – You’re The Kind Of Girl’
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’Bright Light Social Hour – Escape Velocity’
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’Flaural – Mind Field’
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’Inner Oceans – WILD’
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’Sunboy – Oracle’
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’Shady Elders – Pale Blue Dot’
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’déCollage – Rise Above’
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[Event Preview] Enchanted Forest – Black Oak Ranch – 7/22 – 7/24

Posted by Clayton Warwick - July 17, 2016

It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that we love to get down, let loose, and imbibe quite often. However, we also understand the importance of taking care of the temple and making sure our ninja minds stay fine-tuned and on point. With that in mind, Enchanted Forest and its healthy dosage of sweet grooves in a life-altering collective social environment is calling our name next week.

For four days, festival-goers will be part of a once-in-a-lifetime musical and cultural experience, with more than 70 internationally-acclaimed live and electronic musical acts, including Shpongle, The Polish Ambassador, Ayla Nereo, Hamsa Lila, PANTYRAID, Minnesota, Fanna Fi Allah, Autograf, Lila Rose, Thriftworks and more.

In addition to the lineup, Enchanted Forest is also home to what they call, “NorCal’s Sauciest Soiree,” where visitors are encouraged to “fully embody their highest and truest self.” That means inside this fairytale woodland setting are 50 workshops in yoga, dance, movement and flow arts instruction, led by globally-renowned teachers. Yoga not your jam? Maybe you’ll find something of interest at one of over 60 educational workshops and forums covering subjects around relationships and sexuality, science and spirituality, health, wellness, nutrition, and ancestral arts.

The forest is full of healing sanctuaries, foam dance floors and, of course, plenty of shade for comfy camping. Forewarning, if you’re trying to booze up, it’s maybe not the festival for you, as they have “Get saucy, not sauced” policy, which promotes a safe, alcohol-free environment. But, after marathon party sessions at festivals like EDC, Coachella, and Ultra, this could be a very welcomed break.

Before you dive into the playlist we curated for you, we also should mention that our friends over at Cadence & Cause have your chance to win two (4-Day All-Inclusive) Yogi Passes, a Saucy Spa Pass (in case you need a shower), and a $100 gift certificate for merch at the festival. Your entry will help impact a cause that really hits home to the show’s promoter’s – planting new trees in American forests – so events like this can continue to happen for a long time to come.

’Thirftworks – The Newter Shooter’
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’Lynx – Picture (The Polish Ambassador Remix)’
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’Wildlight – The Tide – Rain’
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’pantyraid – Wanting Moves’
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’Where are ü now – Ember Island cover(Minnesota remix)’
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’Minnesota – Hold Up’
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’Minnesota – Living Together’
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’Doja Cat – So High (StéLouse Flip)’
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’Owl City X Said The Sky – Fireflies (StéLouse Edit)’
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’Champagne Drip – Open Your Eyes’
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’Champagne Drip – Moonlight’
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’Autograf – Dream.’
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’Autograf – Metaphysical (ft. Janelle Kroll)’
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’Autograf
Future Soup (ft. Patrick Baker)’
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[Psych Rock] Jagwar Ma – OB1

Posted by Dominic Powell - July 16, 2016
Jagwar Ma
O B 1
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I was first introduced to Jagwar Ma via BIRP’s May 2013 release. In “Man I Need”, I found a 9-minute long primer to what would soon become a favorite genre of music. The influences of indie rock, glitz-pop, and psychadelia came together to form a symbiotic masterpiece with each piece complimenting the others. While Jagwar Ma has been touring regularly, fans have not been exposed to new material since the debut of Howlin’ in 2013. This week, the first single from the soon-to-be released album Every Now and Then, “OB1” has hit the airwaves.

Opening with a glitzy, reverb heavy loop set under Gabriel Winterfield’s vocals, the track wastes no time to root itself in the same psychedelic framework that made the band so popular in 2013 – and propelled Lonerism to universal acclaim in 2012. “OB1” plays out nicely over the course of a lengthy five and a half minutes, giving an ode to previous works like “Uncertainty” and “The Throw” which take equally as long to build up.

As the song unfolds, a subbed out bass line and a 90s-rock guitar riff carry the bridge and the hook respectively. Overall, “OB1” is a return to form for Jagwar Ma and gives fans a hopeful glimpse into what is in store from them in the second half of 2016. In addition to dropping a new album, fans can catch what is – in my personal opinion – one of the best live performances that exists all over the globe this summer and fall. Jagwar Ma’s website can be found here and a few of their tour dates are listed below the music video.

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The Mystical Music of the Islamic Sufis arrives at Enchanted Forest [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

Posted by Lyle Maxson - July 15, 2016

For some, the gathering of like-minded, free-spirited individuals in the forest for 4 days of non-stop music, workshops, speakers, and art is enough to transform the soul. To show you another way to live, a more enriched, fulfilled way of seeing the possibilities all around us. But for others, this is not enough. To satisfy the desires of a diverse crowd, Enchanted Forest doesn’t stop there. They bring some of the most unique attributes of the festival scene into play, including a liberating #freethenipple campaign, 24-hour shower parties, a 100 percent alcohol-free experience, and a “Save The Planet” charity initiative with Cadence & Cause, where you can win 2 all-inclusive tickets to the festival simply by donating.

To top it off, Enchanted Forest brings with them some of the most well know and carefully selected musicians the festival space has to offer. Including a fascinating 8 member Qawwali group called Fanna Fi Allah.

Qawwali music is something that most of us from the festival world have never heard of. It is a cultural phenomenon in South Asia and has been around for almost a thousand years, so why are we introduced to it now?

We sat down with their founder Tahir to ask a few questions of this uniquely inspiring band before heading into the forest.

TMN: So, how long have you guys been around and where do you play most of your music?

Tahir: We have been touring for 16 years and actually only play about 5% of our music at American festivals. Most is spent in Pakistan, India, and the Punjabi cultures in South Asia and the Middle East.
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[Experimental] MODEL 86 – When You Realise… EP

Posted by Hank - July 11, 2016

After hearing MODEL 86’s song “MONO” which was released a couple months back, I knew I would have my eye on this London-based producer. He is fresh to the scene but he is no novice to the world of creating music. His inspiration and ability are up there and if he keeps to this route he might become a well known taste maker. “MONO” served as a stellar promotional single preceding a full EP. It communicated the general sound and feeling behind the idea he had for this project, and it had me eagerly waiting for more.

Now the entirely of the EP is upon us and the creativity MODEL 86 was able to bring to that single resonates throughout the whole album. It is titled, “When You Realise People Are Not One Dimensional Characters In A Movie Of Your Life.” This abstract unorthodox title fits the album’s unique style. Throughout the record, MODEL 86 dives deeper into his inspirations and experimental curiosities.

With hip-hop, electronic and pop influences, MODEL 86’s songs span a diverse sonic palate. The two leading tracks, “Holdin’” and “MONO” are much more straight forward compared to the second half of the album. But the tracks flow together well. “NEED 808” serves as a perfect midpoint. It resembles a disjointed popular electronic song where a catchy melody is taken by storm, overrun by quick high hats, unpredictable hip-hop rhythms and glitchy vocal chops.

Any fans of forward-thinking hip-hop and electronic music will find something special here. So explore the new MODEL 86 EP, “When You Realise People Are Not One Dimensional Characters In A Movie Of Your Life.” 

’Holdin’
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’MONO’
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’NEED 808’
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’Fake Life Jackets’
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’Fallin Dust And Snow In A Ray Of Sun’
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