Latest Synth-pop Posts

[Indie-Dance/Nu-Disco] Midnight Pool Party – Disease (Eau Claire Remix)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - July 29, 2015

Midnight Pool Party
Disease (Eau Claire Remix)

D.C. based indie-dance and disco bender Eau Claire just might be one of the hardest working producers in the dance game right now. It seems like not another week passes without another gem bubbling up from her, and after most recently appearing with us behind a shiny take on Saint Motel’s “Just My Type”, Eau Claire’s back with another window into an ever-evolving production psyche on a remix of Midnight Pool Party’s “Disease”. While the original fits squarely into that shapeshifting indie-dance niche, Eau Claire showers a glossy revision with ample disco synths, subdued percussion and some mid-track vocal filtering that would make Imogen Heap quiver with delight. While this writer might be a sucker for sunny dance beats which hearken visions of rooftops, beaches and pools; Eau Claire stands above much of the pack with her tightly wound production and crisply composed dance structures. If Eau Claire keeps rolling on like this, we have a feeling it won’t be long before she’s being mentioned in the same breath as some of the underground dance scene’s biggest names. We’ve already been doing exactly that. Stream Eau Claire’s remix for Midnight Pool Party above and for our friends in the U.S., take a peek at Eau Claire’s next slate of performances below.

Eau Claire Upcoming Shows:

July 31st – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
August 8th-9th – Palm Springs, CA @ Splash House
August 22nd – Brooklyn, NY @ Elements Music Festival
August 29th – Los Angeles, CA @ Skybar at Mondrian

Mr. Kitty – In Your Blood [TMN Premiere]

Posted by Tyler Trew - July 24, 2015

Mr.Kitty
In Your Blood

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Austin’s Mr. Kitty is sharing his new single off his upcoming album, Fragments, which will be released late in August. For now, we have “In Your Blood,” an 80’s style synth pop track that the internet gets for the first time here with this ninja premiere.

Not many tracks can make you feel as though you went back in time, in a good way. “In Your Blood” does just that with a nostalgic sound headed by soft synths and cloudy soundscapes. Like to sing? With this song you can sing along, but first, you’re gonna have to pop it on repeat and learn. That shouldn’t be an issue, as “In Your Blood” is a record with a ton of character behind it. If you like what you hear, then maybe pop on over to Bandcamp and pre-order the Mr. Kitty album.

Synth-pop

[Synth-Pop] ROOM8 – This Place Again ft. Polina

Posted by Matthew Bloss - July 22, 2015

ROOM8
This Place Again (feat. Polina)

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L.A. based electro-pop duo ROOM8 have steadily been on what Vegas gamblers like to call a “heater”. Recently the pair have been dropping single tasty morsels in the lead up to the release of an EP later this fall, namely “No Hard Feelings” last month, and now “This Place Again”. The pair aren’t skimping on guest star power either, utilizing the incredibly fitting vocal stylings of Russian-bred Polina who has strewn those breathy reverberations for the likes of Tiësto, Eminem, Steve Aoki and one of our favorite electro staples: Felix Cartal’s “Don’t Turn On The Lights”. Without a doubt, the pairing of ROOM8 and Polina has resulted in a pure, 80’s washed pop single that’s been hooked on this writer’s office monitors since first listen. ROOM8’s deft use of loopy acid synths against Polina’s incantations and what sounds to be an analog set of drums works together beautifully, and has us throwing around that weighty “Summer Anthem” tag pretty freely. Let us know if we were right, and stream “This Place Again” above.

[TMN Premiere] Brothertiger X Rose Quartz – Pleasure & Pain

Posted by Matthew Bloss - July 21, 2015

Brothertiger X Rose Quartz
Pleasure & Pain

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Two of our absolute favorite indie and pop blurring entities, Brooklyn’s Brothertiger and Denver’s Rose Quartz, have come crashing together this morning, and we couldn’t be happier with the result. “Pleasure & Pain”, our joint effort in examination, has actually had quite the lengthy path before seeing a full release this morning. Rose Quartz lead vocalist and songwriter Ethan Converse, and Brothertiger’s heart and soul John Jagos first layed down their saccharine sweet synth-pop collaboration during last year’s Underground Music Showcase in Denver, CO before either of the two had begun recording with their current, full band iterations. As for the tune itself, Converse’s delicate yet direct refrain leads things off atop a wiggling piano lead and what is unmistakably a heavy dose of Jagos’ analog synth work before reeling on vocal duties himself for “Pleasure & Pain”‘s sticky chorus. While this one may reflect an earlier glimpse of the pair’s musical psyche as opposed to the more dynamic and involved directions we’ve seen things arc with both bands, we’ve been absolutely hooked and reminded why we fell so hard for both groups in the first place. And, as if we could be any more excited about this year’s UMS (read our preview and check out our playlist here!), in anticipation of both Rose Quartz and Brothertiger’s performances they’re giving away “Pleasure & Pain” completely on the house from Rose Quartz’s Soundcloud page here. Stream “Pleasure & Pain” in the form a brand new and shiny ‘TMN Premiere’ above, and for our friends joining us at UMS 2015, be sure to jot down both set times for Brothertiger and Rose Quartz listed below.

UMS Performances:

Brothertiger – Thursday, July 23rd – Eslinger Gallery @ 11pm

Rose Quartz – Saturday, July 25th – Main Stage at SSFCU @ 5:30pm

[Future/Deep-House] Class Actress – GFE (SNBRN Remix)

Posted by Matthew Bloss - July 14, 2015

Class Actress
GFE (SNBRN Remix)

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It’s been far too long since we checked in with one of dance music’s fastest rising commodities (well… May really but who’s keeping track?), SNBRN. During the time we’ve been covering the burgeoning producer, we’ve seen him spread nearly every facet of the underground house game to a rapidly expanding fanbase, whom may have never had the pleasure of experiencing such an intoxicating sound without him. From SNBRN’s deeper iterations, to those housiest of indie-dance originals, and some funkified G-House in between, we’ve only seen a steady rise in both consistency and quality while tackling the Southern Californian’s addictive catalog.

Today we got our hands err… ears, on SNBRN’s latest offering, a dark and groovy remix of Class Actress’ “GFE” and were yet again hooked on another earworm. While the original, which was produced by one of electronic indie music’s most respected artists Alan Palomo (of Neon Indian and VEGA acclaim), plays a little more buoyantly, the tune here takes a murkier turn under the guise of a dark, commanding bassline, weighted drums and flitting chords; which, set against Class Actress’ soaring lush falsetto and Palomo’s malleable stems plays like a melting pad of butter on a thick stack of hotcakes. We’re hoping to hear this one in the midst of a late-night club bender very soon, but for now, stream SNBRN’s “GFE” remix above.

[Event Review] Tanlines & Mas Ysa – Denver, CO

Posted by Matthew Bloss - July 10, 2015

All photos courtesy of Aimee Zawacki

Living inside of the blogosphere bubble can provide its users with an absurd number of inspiring positives; usually before many other consumers even have the chance. This adage was on full display last weekend as a buzzing gaggle of Ninjas took in an intimately moving performance from both Canada’s fastest rising avant-pop export Mas Ysa, and NYC experimental-pop darlings Tanlines.

First and foremost, we’ve had a rapidly expanding soft spot for the one-man musical stylings of Thomas Arsenault (who by the way was the biggest sweetheart in the world) and his Mas Ysa project, and had been anxiously awaiting his first ever Denver performance on our favorite foot-high stage in the city. With no local openers slated on the bill, we were coaxed into arriving near the opening of the Larimer Lounge doors to make sure we didn’t miss one minute of one of our most anticipated sets of 2015. Then, there he was. Arsenault slunked onto stage -shrouded in drapey black fabric, black hair already lacquered with backstage sweat, and as barefoot as a hobbit- straight into an enclave of Roland drum machines, MIDI controllers, vocoders, and synths. With the grace of a lofty gazelle, Mas Ysa gently worked into an opening cut; a cover of a yet to be identified Lower Dens single, and while Arsenault’s content doesn’t scream and demand its listener’s attention like so much of today’s most saturated pop music, the young Canadian commanded the small room’s attention with a relative ease usually reserved for already established veterans.

Standing inside of a shelter of machines, mic in hand, Mas Ysa moved through a few more cuts from his forthcoming debut LP Seraph, including a minimal and Nicole Miglis-less version of “Gun” and a stunning reimagining of “Arrows” (check out our feature on the tune here), with a subtly endearing physical presence that felt part Chris Carrabba and part Ian MacKaye, while we were musically transported from more streamlined vocal synth-pop as on “Look Up” to more baroque, melancholy affairs utilizing Arsenault’s slick grasp on the gritty techno and nuanced electronic indie contained within the structures of songs like “Sick” and “Running”.

’Mas Ysa – Look Up’

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Read the rest of our event review and check out some more photos from our evening with Tanlines & Mas Ysa after the jump!

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[Electronic] Chimes – Pieces

Posted by Dominic Powell - July 8, 2015

Chimes
Pieces

Soundcloud

There are few moments more satisfying than discovering a new artist or collaboration. Today, we have an exciting EDM group out of London who goes by the moniker of Chimes.

Chimes, a new partnership between British producer Draper and vocalist Paul Aiden, is the latest summer project sure to garner widespread acclaim by EDM fans. Their newest single, “Pieces” is unrelenting excitement in the form of sound.

Waves of percussions and synths set over sultry verses are a few of the ingredients that go into giving this tune an infectious quality. The phrase “song of the summer” is a timeworn cliche, often overstated and inapplicable to the song it references. With that being said, “Pieces” has the potential to become a crowd favorite if it is added to the rotation of other touring producers as festival season continues to gain momentum.

Check out “Pieces” above, and keep an eye out for what else they have in store for the music community on Soundcloud.