It's the Supersound

Nardwuar was reppin yvr hard at SXSW. Danny Brown, A$AP, and now Kendrick Lamar. Good stuff.

posted by @clarkbs

This is one of my favourite tracks off the latest album from Perfume Genius, If you haven’t given it a listen I suggest you do.

Perfume Genius- Hood

Get down and boogie with the fONKSQUISH collective and this new remix of their track “Vibe Out”! Sunny vibes!

Lo-fi psychedelic synthpop masterfully done by Ladyhawke. Not only does she sing on this track, but she also played the drums, bass, and keys on it as well. Her new album, “Anxiety” is set to drop on May 25th, from which we have the first single, Black, White & Blue.

Ladyhawke – Black, White & Blue

The 30th Annual Canadian Music Week is winding down. A lot of stuff was going on this year — one of the most notable things was the comeback of Canadian rock group, Treble Charger. Do you remember their single from 2000, American Psycho? Oh man, the nostalgia. Anyways, here are my picks for tonight.

** Be sure to follow me on Twitter @feeonalui and @awmusicblog for live tweets from tonight’s CMF festivities!

The Indies at Royal York Hotel – Canadian Room. All Ages. Doors at 7PM.

There’s a pretty stacked line-up at the 12th Annual Independent Music Awards (a.k.aThe Indies) tonight. I AM so excited to see that Passion Pit is going to be closing the awards ceremony. Here’s the list of performances:
7:50PM - Pavlo
8:00PM – The Pack A.D.
8:20PM – Young Empires
8:40PM – Treble Charger
9:05PM – Dan Mangan
9:45PM – The Sheepdogs
10:25PM – Rich Aucoin
11:15PM – Passion Pit

Girl Walk // All Day at NFB Cinema. 18+. Doors 8:30PM.

“Girl Walk // All Day is a feature-length dance music video and tale of urban exploration that follow three dancers across New York City. They turn the city’s sidewalks, parks, and stadiums into an evolving stage as a story of rebellion, love, and discovery unfolds. Shot entirely in public spaces, and funded entirely by crowd-sourcing, Girl Walk // All Day is a statement about the power of community and public space. Set to the album All Day by mashup musician Girl Talk, it’s also an insanely fun love letter to New York.” – Description from CMF Info page

Girl Talk – Oh No

Housse De Racket w/ Nightbox and Grahmzilla at Wrongbar. 19+. 11PM – 2AM.

This evening dance-friendly set at Wrongbar is sure to be a fun one. Housse De Racket, a French electro-rock duo recently released their second album, Alesia, via Kitsuné. I can’t wait to strap on my dancing shoes and shimmy the night away to Housse De Racket, Nightbox and Grahmzilla (originally from electro-rap duo Thunderheist). It’s going to be HOT in Wrongbar tonight.

Housse De Racket – Roman

More Info…
CMF Schedule: http://canadianmusicfest.com/schedule/

Spring is here.  The season of one night stands, hay fever, and good fucking music.  Okay I regress, one night stands are seasonless.  Sorry mom. To celebrate this amazing time of year, I suggest taking a moment to blast some Sol through your headphones.

Hailing from Seattle, Sol is the American equivalent of Shad . And while he’s no stranger to the music game, he’s recently made waves with “Yours Truly”, which dropped in January.

It’s success is no coincidence, as it has everything you could ever want/need from a solid hip-hop album. It possesses both solid lyricism and banging beats with just the right amount of sentimentalism.  He’s so much more than 16 bars.

Here are two of my favourite tracks:

Sol – Yours Truly 

Sol – Paint 

posted by @clarkbs

LFTF Presents: LUNICE // SXSW 2012 from LFTF on Vimeo.

Sick! Lunice performing live at the Broken Teeth Unofficial SXSW Showcase.

LFTF Presents: LUNICE // SXSW 2012 from LFTF on Vimeo.

Sick! Lunice performing live at the Broken Teeth Unofficial SXSW Showcase.

Moonlight Matters just keeps delivering the goods! After fantastic remixes for Lana Del Rey and Adele, the Belgian producer adds yet another cool female artist to his oeuvre. Check out his ’80s discofied take on Charlotte Gainsbourg‘s “Anna”, to be included on her new remix EP out April 3, alongside remixes by Tom Furse and Clock Opera. You can find the original version of “Anna” on her excellent new album “Stage Whisper”.

STREAM: Charlotte Gainsbourg – Anna (Moonlight Matters Remix)

More on Charlotte.

Upcoming single from Lone on R&S Records.

This track comes via @tristanorchard,  who was lucky enough to catch 2 Chainz down at SXSW.  Mad jealous.

The one-liners in this song are seriously off the hook. Can’t wait for his third solo album that is expected sometime this summer.

2 Chainz ft. the Weeknd – Like Me 

posted by @clarkbs

Brennan Green has come a long way since he recorded his first record on Balihu back in 2001 with collaborations with the likes Daniel Wang, Lindström and most recently a remix for Art Department. Last year, Brennan co-produced Kid Creole & The Coconut’s album “I Wake Up Screaming”.

Tomorrow night – March 24th – sees Brennan heading over to legendary Fabric in London for a set in Room Three together with DJ Kaos, here’s a funked up mix of disco/boogie that makes us wish we could be there to get down.

Download: Brennan Green – Fantasia PT1 Mix (official.fm download link)

Albums from dance music producers seem to be an ever increasingly rare event. Dance music fans who aren’t DJs kind of get shafted these days, seldom getting to really delve into synergistic collections of songs from one artist.  Laberge is doing his best to balance out this inequality with his new mini-album Extended Vacation… a release that’s equally listener and DJ friendly. Laberge made Extended Vacation entirely on his MPC and it’s stuffed with lots of crunchy drums, jazzy keyboard runs and deep deep vibes. You can purchase it directly off his bandcamp page for $5… here are some highlights:

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Laberge on Soundcloud
Laberge on Facebook
Laberge on Twitter

Some new heat from Pat Lok (via On The Fruit) – once the track reaches 5,000 plays they’ll be giving it out for free!

Friday fun from Drop The Lime and Nadastrom.

ROCK THE CAUSE with us on Friday March 30th, 2012 at 8:00pm at the Dominion House! (Windsor, Ontario

3 AMAZING bands: Against All Evil, Aurelia, and Ravenscode will be providing the ROCK, $13.50 pitchers of beer, $6.50 mini-pitchers (INCLUDING MIXED DRINKS!!) all night, and raffles for great prizes like LCBO gift cards, restaurant vouchers, spa and beauty gift cards, Pistons tickets and all kinds of other stuff!

During the summer of 2011, Co-Organizer Nickie Soucie traveled to Libode, South Africa to do research on violence against women at an organization called Soul Winners Support Centre for Women and Children (registered (057-288 NPO).

A major problem in Libode is the lack of independence on the part of women. This in turn creates dependency of women on men in their lives, which prevents them from leaving situations of abuse and exposes them to unwanted sexual contact and AIDS/HIV.

The money from this fundraiser will be used to turn a small concrete building in the middle of rural Libode, into a functioning support center.

The event’s main goal however is to fund the purchase of 3 sewing machines, and an embroidery machine. We also aim to train at least 100 women and girls with the new sewing and embroidery machines, so that they can learn a method of income generation, as well as increase their confidence and self-worth. We also hope to start a vegetable garden to support child headed families and women living with HIV/AIDS, since those people are generally unemployable due to stigma and health breakdown.

This has been successful in many other local villages, and with your help and support, we think it will also be successful in Libode!

Tickets only $7 in advance, and $10 at the door! Email rockthecause1@gmail.com for advance tickets.

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO SOUL WINNERS SUPPORT CENTRE FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN!

Against All Evil- Wake Up

Here’s a mix for the weekend from Brussels based DJ Slow, who also happens to be the leader of the Pelican Fly pack. He goes in hard with this mix and even includes that anthemlike Richelle remix of our very own Marcus Price and his track “Continental Skank” (the remix can now be downloaded via the Discobelle Records Soundcloud).

“Our 18th podcast comes from Brussels native, Pelican Fly label head, and quite the bad boy on the decks — Thomas Duval aka DJ Slow. Right from the jump, after Canblaster sent us a promo for FLY001 by Richelle, this and each following release made its way into our collective DJ crate. Releases from Sinjin Hawke, Mister Tweeks and Lucid followed along with remixes from artists like LOL Boys, Sam Tiba, DJ Sliink and more, making Pelican Fly a definite label to keep tabs on. Along with a newly crowned Pelican Fly production squad consisting of DJ Slow, label co-founder Richelle and Mister Tweeks, the crew hosts a regular party at the illustrious Social Club in Paris which is also home base for many of our favorite Paris crews as well.

Salva and Shlohmo hit up Social Club with DJ Slow and mega homie Guillaume Berg while in Europe earlier this year, and these cats really did their thing. Therefore we thought it time to showcase DJ Slow’s label, aesthetic and musical taste for our next podcast. He combines styles like Atlanta Rap and Jersey club into South African house and sleazy Techno, with the rawness of UK Grime — making Slow’s sound that of a perfect blend for the dance floor. Great amount of exclusives and all around acid-trip-booty-sweat vibes on this one.”

Frite Nite Podcast 18: DJ Slow (direct link)

Tracklist after the jump.

Maybe it’s because I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve listened to this album, but I can probably quasi-mouth every word of every track on Happy to You. I can at least start humming the start of the next song in the two second void between tracks. Three years later after their debut, this second full-length from Miike Snow is pretty much just as expected: similarly catchy but with slightly more breadth. It achieves the same goal and still gets stuck in your head at the end of the day, but this time it’s a less monotonous and more inventive in delivery.

It’s as if Miike Snow tapped into the other side of Scandinavian pop, incorporating more orchestral flourishes without turning their back entirely on their well-crafted niche blend of electronica-meets-art-pop. They’re just switching out some synths for piano-led ballads.

There’s still the one-two-step of the straight cut beat, but rather than pounding it to death with the slightly unforgiving bass/snare combo, there’s a lot more dancing around the beat on Happy to You with playful syncopation and quirky emphasis on offbeats. But this is Miike Snow, so there’s obviously still the strong backbeat, only it’s more subdued and less of a main character.

Continue reading: Review & Stream: Miike Snow – Happy To You

Read more articles like "Review & Stream: Miike Snow – Happy To You" on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing.

There’s a good chance you’ve heard of 16-year-old Chicago rapper Chief Keef at this point, thanks to his now almost-ubiquitous (at least locally) hit, “Bang” as well as David Drake’s fantastic Gawker profile, the comment section of which reminded me why I never read comment sections. The responses mostly ranged from disapproving to irate, in smug tones of so-called “real hip hop” heads: “Yikes. I love hip hop but this does nothing for me, pretty boring. The CunninLynguists should be the next big thing, not this shit”; “I haven’t been paying attention to rap in recent years, but has it gotten this dumb and simplistic?”. It seems it’s always the people least in touch with what rap looks and sounds like in 2012 that feel the need to weigh in on it the loudest; if there’s no overtly positive message to be preached, if it doesn’t genuflect towards your dusty idea of what rap should be that hasn’t been updated since 1996, then it’s clearly just worthless, right?

This is to say—if you identify with the above sentiments, the rappers featured in this post aren’t for you. You’re free to stop reading. But know that Chief Keef, whether or not you approve, is poised to be the biggest breakthrough Chicago rapper since Kanye West signed to the Roc. Personally, I haven’t felt so excited about Chicago rap since, uh, Kanye West signed to the Roc. Chicago, lacking an easily identifiable regional sound, unlike rap scenes on either coast, has often been associated with backpackers like Common. With the Internet age’s “post-regionalism” though, these sorts of regionally-specific scenes are less important (A$AP Rocky is the most obvious example), resulting in Chicago rap sounding like a mash of styles from all over (which makes sense, as it’s literally in the middle of it all geographically), particularly Southern Brick Squad-style rap.

Maybe because of this national accessibility, or maybe just due to good timing, it seems like Chicago rap is having a moment, with Chief Keef and King Louie (whose more mature yet goofy style I prefer to Keef’s) at the forefront. But there are a lot of young Chicago rappers, like Keef (and usually in his circle of collaborators), largely unknown to people outside of Chicago high schools (Keef’s main audience). Most of their music can’t be found outside of YouTube, and there’s little to no information about their backgrounds. Because this is not rap music for bloggers, or rap music for ‘96-or-die aging heads, or rap music for trend hoppers that started saying “trill” this year. It’s rap music by and for kids who live in the neighborhood with the highest murder rate in the nation.

What’s most exciting to me is that, unlike pretty much any other rap scene I’m familiar with, the girls are doing it as well as the boys—hard ass girls not out of high school that carry themselves like bosses and brandish handguns in their videos. You’re most likely not going to see them on Pitchfork or whatever, but they deserve as much attention as Keef is getting right now. Like I said, there’s not much information available about any of these girls—it’s hard enough finding mp3s of tracks aside from YouTube rips—so consider these brief introductions to just a few Chicago girl rappers. If you’re curious to find out more, YouTube is your best bet.

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SHADY–

I first heard Shady when King Louie jumped on a remix of her best track, “Go In”. The video (at top) for the original track is my favorite as far as Chicago girl rappers go; fuck a Kreayshawn, THIS is one big room full of bad bitches (watch for Katie Got Bandz to whip out a tiny handgun halfway through). Its catchy chorus chants “eat the team”, which you’ll hear a lot in all these girls’ songs; it shows up on local Chicago trending topics on twitter as well. You can probably guess what it means.

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KATIE GOT BANDZ–

Katie Got Bandz (the girl with the gun in the “Go In” video) has a tough, husky, relaxed flow, and the chorus of “I Need A Hitta” gets stuck in my head constantly. “Hitta” is another word you’re going to hear a lot among all these kids (see Lil Durk’s “I’m A Hitta” which I believe might be what this song is in response to), which basically means a street soldier.

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PRETTY N PINK–

See, told you about “hitta”. Pretty N Pink is an all-girl trio (I think? Although some pictures show four members…try googling them, it’s impossible), the members of which probably have the most technical skills in terms of flow of all the girls on here. This song is LARGE.

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SASHA GO HARD–

By far my favorite of the local girl rappers, and the one with the most potential to succeed on a more national level, is Sasha Gohard. She’s badass yet charming, her voice is strong, and she has the broadest stylistic range of all her peers (including Keef, honestly). Her very solid mixtape Glory Girl ranges from girlish love songs to rattling street anthems. “Welcome To The Real World” is the stand-out—a bad bitch “that’s my man” call-out, and the DJ Kenn beat just owns.

I recently discovered Klic through Monki‘s show on Rinse FM. She was playing his remix of “Let’s Run Wild” by Beca and his sound is quite applicable to my personal taste; straddling the line between Garage and Deep House. That goes for most of his stuff anyway, “Post” is more of a dark, straight forward “four on the floor” style tune. Grab it below and the rest of the free Winter Compilation (via Wicked Bass) on SoundCloud.

Klic – Post

Taking this forthcoming track from Rufus Wainwright straight to an underground club. The original will be released on his upcoming album,Out of the Game (set for release in the UK April 23rd, in Canada April 24th, and in the US May 1st). Hope you gals and guys enjoy!

Rufus Wainwright – Bitter Tears (Odd Year Remix)

Rufus Wainwright – Bitter Tears (Odd Year Remix) by oddyear

OG Ron C just dropped his “Chopped Up Not Slopped Up” redo of A$AP Rocky’s modern classic LoveLoveA$AP mixtape, dubbing it LiveLovePurple. Download it below:

Continue reading: Download: A$AP Rocky – LiveLovePurple Mixtape

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Hailing from Chile is Alex Anwandter with “Cmo puedes vivir contigo mismo?” (translation: How can you live with yourself?) It’s a straight up house number with superb production.

Alex Anwandter – How can you live with yourself?

A$AP Rocky affiliated rapper/producer SpaceGhostPurrp has signed to the storied 4AD records (their current roster includes: The National, St. Vincent, tUnE-yArDs, Twin Shadow, Grimes) and will release his Chronicles Of SpaceGhostPurrp album real soon. For now, you can stream and download a track called “No Evidence.”

Continue reading: Check Out: SpaceGhostPurrp – “No Evidence” MP3

Read more articles like "Check Out: SpaceGhostPurrp – “No Evidence” MP3" on PMA | Pretty Much Amazing.

The “Purple Swag” H-Town Allstars remix, chopped not slopped by OG Ron C. Download the whole LiveLovePurple tape for free here.

mp3:
A$AP Rocky :: Purple Swag (H-Town Allstars Remix feat. Paul Wall, Bun B & Killa Kyleon)

I’ve really been getting into Starfucker, also written as STRFKR for the censors. I listened to a few of their tracks back in 2010/2011 but didn’t give them serious attention till now. They’re just fun, and most of their songs sound like a party. I’d throw a bunch of them onto a playlist. Especially their awesome and thick, bubbly base cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

Starfucker – Biggie Smalls
Starfucker – Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Starfucker – Florida
Starfucker – Bury Us Alive

These guys sound like a bunch of doods who played in a bunch of super successful rock bands and then decided to get together and have a bunch of fun. Hailing from Seattle Washington, Kithkin is comprised of Kelton Sears (Bass, Vocals, Drums), Ian McCutcheon (Vocals, Drums), Bob Martin (Keys, Vocals, Drums) and Alexander Barr (Guitar, Vocals, Drums). Growing up in the darkest regions of the Cascadian Empire, the boys grew up on a strict diet of percussion and rhythm, forced to eat nothing but spiders and leaves in between twice-daily 10 hour long drum circle sessions. Check out their track “Ampersand” from their debut album Takers and Leavers.

Posted by John