Tuesday, May 30, 2006

In-Tune: Lola Dutronic



Style: Downtempo

"Lola Dutronic are a French Pop/Electronica duo consisting of British-born Producer, Remixer, Multi-Instrumentalist Richard Citroen and Vocalist Francoise (Frankie) Hart. We play Lo-fi Downtempo Electronica, sometimes in French, sometimes in English, and once, even in Japanese. We started out as a remix project (Paul Hyde, Katrina & The Waves etc.) which later took on a life of it's own. Our first album "The World Of Lola Dutronic" came out in 2004 (or 2005 depending on where you live). It hit No.1 at campus radio in Canada at the end of 2004. We've been compared to St. Etienne, Air, Ivy & Francoise Hardy. Songs from our first album have been featured on such TV shows as "The L-Word" (our song "Les Cheveux De Mon Amour" is the soundtrack of Helena & Tina's housewarming party), "Godivas" and "Perfect Strangers". "Girl On A Motorcycle" hit the Top 20 in the Montreal dance charts. "Airport" was subject of a remix contest on Acid Planet, with 500 entries. Our version of Francoise Hardy's "Ma Jeunesse Fout Le Camp" hit No.3 at radio in Quebec. Our French Pop/Breakbeat meets Serge Gainbourg version of "Walking On Sunshine" hit No.6 on several DJ Pool charts. We've also received extensive airplay on CBC Radio, and specialist shows like The Lounge King in Montreal and Rodney Bingenheimer at KROQ in L.A. Rodney used to spin our trip hop version of The Monkees' "Porpoise Song" (our show closer). We recently came across a web posting where someone was wondering why we weren't getting as much attention as Stars etc. Well that was very nice of them. We were wondering that ourselves! We've just finished up the final mixing on our second album "The Love Parade" which will be released in a few months on Bongo Beat Records. It's a real step forward for us, with less cover versions and more of our own stuff. We're really looking forward to it's release. In fact the label just sent us the cover illustration, but they won't let us show it to you ;) When it comes out...you'll be hearing from us!! :)" - Lola Dutronic

Visit the website:
http://www.bongobeat.com/

Available at:
http://cdbaby.com/

Highlights:
Beautiful World
Song for Edie

Friday, May 26, 2006

In-Tune: Dj Fresh


Style: Drum n Bass

"It is rare to spend thirty minutes on a drum and bass dancefloor and not hear a tune prdouced by Fresh. He is not only Knowledge Magazine's reigning best producer in the world for two years running, but Fresh was known as the front man of now defunct smash DnB band, Bad Company, with whom he won the same accolade the year previous, alongside DnB Arena's accolade of The Best DnB Tune of All Time with 'The Nine'. DJ Fresh was also voted high up in DnB Arena's top 10 DJs. Escape from Planet Monday is a rollercoaster ride through the many musical facets of Fresh's imagination. From the tense indie rock of Nervous (Featuring Apollo 440 and Gaye Bykers on Acid's Mary Byker), the quirky funk of Pink Panther and Funk Academy, rave anthems X-Project, Living Daylights II and the massive 'Immortal' to the sultry and experimental sounds of 'Closer' on which he collaborates with DJ Shadow (one of Fresh's musical heroes), the ride continues with 'Throw' where Neil Tennant from Pet Shop Boys adds a dreamy edge as Fresh talks through the verses, persuading the listener to follow their heart and escape their own Planet Monday. A surprising collaboration with Pendulum 'Babylon Rising' has been a firm favourite amongst the 'Liquid' heads of the drum and bass scene as previewed exclusively by Fabio and Grooverider over the last couple of months. New versions of Submarines, All Strung Out and All that Jazz complete the package for the ultimate Fresh listening experience." - Dj Fresh

Visit the website:
http://www.dogsonacid.com/

Highlights:
Floodlight (Dogs on Acid) Original Mix

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

In-Tune: Scientific American


Style: Electronica

"After a string of successful production projects, Scientific American presents his Mush Records debut, Strong for the Future. Featuring ten tracks that capitalize on the fresh sounds and dynamic production of IDM without sacrificing the music's soul, the album mixes elements of electronic dance music, hip-hop, and rock into a single hybrid. With beautiful electronic compositions that could fit neatly on The Leaf Label ("Strong for the Future"), chop and paste hip-hop influenced productions reminiscent of music on Warp ("Between Urban Movements"), or classic vocal tracks that sound like the Flaming Lips produced by Boards of Canada ("Drift in Place" which features vocals by John Atkins of 764-Hero), Scientific American has created an album that will surely be recognized as one the most expertly produced releases in the Mush catalog." - Scientific American

Available at:
http://mushrecords.com/

Highlights:
Strong for the Future

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

In-Tune: AM Architect


Style: Electronica

"A.M. Architect is the side project of Diego Chavez aka Aether216, and Daniel Stanush aka Magic Note , lead guitarist for the band, the Panic Division. A.M. Architect's music combines Rhodes played by Stanush combined with Chavez's intricate pixelated drum & melody samples. The project developed on down time with the Panic Division & continued via email with each other exchanging beats and melodies. Although it is generally accepted that beauty is subjective, A.M. Architect's music cannot escape being described as such." - A.M. Architect

Available at:
http://www.antipop.net/

Highlights:
Upon

Monday, May 22, 2006

In-Tune: Leksha


Style: Electronica

"Key phrase: "order in chaos". Solid, crunchy, almost hip-hop-esque rhythms underpin the expansive glitches and pads on this EP from Russia, but a healthy dose of unpredictability is retained." - Leksha

Available at:
http://www.archive.org/

Highlights:
Mark
Qdsm

Friday, May 19, 2006

In-Tune: Loka


Style: Electronica

"Hailing from opposite sides of the Mersey pond, Loka's music provides a soundtrack for a world where ambiguous morality and perverted desire fraternize with an uneasy thoughtful calm. By turns seductive, sleazy, unsettling and evocative, Loka's multi influenced aural excursions tell tales aplenty, but not necessarily with a happy ending. After early encounters highlighted a mutual passion for soundtrack scores, electronica and late sixties improvisation, Karl Webb and Mark Kyriacou immediately set about working on material that would form the basis of their forthcoming album. Recorded at their infamous river side studio 'The Bugger Hut,' with Eamon Ellams in the percussion seat, the fruits of these sessions gave birth to Loka's first outing for the label 'My Life's In These Bottles' which was included on Ninja's 'Xen Cuts' compilation in 2000." - Loka

Available at:
http://www.ninjatune.net/

Highlights:
Beginningless

Thursday, May 18, 2006

In-Tune: Broker / Dealer


Style: Electronica

"Equipped with an array of samplers, sequencers and vintage synthesizers, San Francisco wunderkinds Broker/Dealer make catchy minimal electronic music equally suited for the den or the dancefloor. Simultaneously channeling the aquatic dub of Berlin's Chain Reaction label and the genre-defining minimal techno of the Kompakt imprint, on their debut full-length, Initial Public Offering, B/D recalls German electronic artists like Mike Ink, not to mention Metro Area's innovative electro-disco. Featuring subterranean basslines, ambient synth pads, dubby beats and interlocking pop melodies, Broker/Dealer's porous, punchy tracks and classy melodic nuances have been eliciting comparisons with the likes of early Mouse on Mars and Thomas Brinkmann since the release of their first 12" on the well-respected Cologne label, Traum Schallplatten, home to B/D heroes Process, Dinky and Phillipe Cam. Having recently contributed a Process remix to the Traum artist's tribute record, Re-Processed, mixed by Doc Martin on the brand new Fabric 10 compilation, and anticipating an appearance on the Death Before Disco anthology (forthcoming from PrinceHouse), Broker/Dealer are receiving a phenomenal amount of well-deserved recognition for an outstanding young band at the beginning of a promising career." - Broker / Dealer

Visit the website:
http://dreamchimney.com/brokerdealer/IPO/

Highlights:
Opening Night

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

In-Tune: Martsman


Style: Drum n Bass

"Martsman returns on Exegene with two tight crunchy slabs of robot breaks. Since his debut release for Exegene, he's been showing his glitchy expertise on labels such as Offshore and Plain Audio which have been greatly recieved. With more release on Breakin', Counter Intelligence and more on Offshore it's time we got him back for another round of distorted xeroxfunk for Exegene." - Martsman

Available at:
http://www.archive.org/

Highlights:
Roads
Blob

Monday, May 15, 2006

In-Tune: Posthuman


Style: Electronica

"Posthuman are cousins Rich Bevan and Josh Doherty. Rich grew up in Scotland, while Josh's childhood was split beetween the UK and Australia. They first began writing music together at the age of 15 with old drum machines, and an array of tattered electronics in the attic of a family home. Due for release in April 2006, 'The Peoples Republic' signals a departure for Rich and Josh from their traditional electronic roots. Drafting in guitarist Tom Brady, and Maximo Park keyboardist Lukas Wooler, their new material is a more organic take on the grey area where post-rock meets electronica, with guitars clashing against electronic shimmerings, and vocal perspectives on religious politics, existential yearning and the banality of modern life." - Posthuman

Visit the website:
http://www.posthumanmusic.com/

Highlights:
Wrongful Eyes

Friday, May 12, 2006

In-Tune: David Last


Style: Electronica

"David Last was raised in University towns in the Midwest, the son of a professor and a standup comic. In Austin Texas, as a kid at the end of the 1970s he was intensely interested in drawing, music making, and projected super 8 images. At this time he discovered Kraftwerk and a love for rhythmic music, as well as having an appetite for orchestral film soundtrack records. As a teen living in Madison Wisconsin in 1984, under the influence of electro hip hop from New York City radio, he began making electronic music with a small analog synthesizer and a couple of tape machines. His organic-electronic musical approach is an expression of his interest in many musical forms, and an expression of his sense of humor. Not satisfied with just the squared-off robot rhythms of most electronic music, most of his tracks have a natural rhythm feel that comes from his own percussion playing. Not happy with the purely synthetic palette chosen by many electronic artists, David arranges string parts, brings in friends to play instruments, and plays instruments himself on his tracks, chopping up the end result and re-arranging everything into hypnotic new hybrids. His use of textures, rhythms, or sounds from non-western music is a natural outgrowth of his location, in New York City, where the entire world co-exists in the same space. To ignore these sounds, foods, and culture is difficult or impossible in this town. As such, he doesn't feel these sounds are "exotic" sounds at all... merely the sounds of people living their lives in the city, listening to their music, bumping into one another, and creating a new kind of community." - David Last

Visit the website:
http://www.davidlast.net/

Available at:
http://www.theagriculture.com/

Highlights:
Cat-Silver
The Push Pull

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

In-Tune: Otsu.Vihara


Style: Electronica

"In which Andrew Latham, better known as Mayfairgrin, lets off some steam. From the blissful ambience of opening track "Psybuuria" to the thundering three-part epic "Narrow", and the varying degrees of what comes inbetween, Phearofobia is a study in harshness and relentlessness." - Otsu.Vihara / Nishi

Available at:
http://www.archive.org/

Highlights:
Saturated
Starflux

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

In-Tune: White Hole


Style: Electronica

"The two music activists Hanno Leichtmann and Nicholas Bussmann aka White Hole have gathered their experience and produced one album for both brain and feet. The Pink Album combines hiphop electronica and jazz elements. So nod your heads and shake you hips for this KYO release." - White Hole

Available at:
http://www.kitty-yo.net/

Highlights:
Peter Builts

Monday, May 08, 2006

In-Tune: Neon8


Style: House

"When producer-composer Neon8 creates progressive house tracks, he rubs the soul into his deep grooves. The results are smooth, danceable tunes made as much for the dance club as for headphone stimulation. Breakfast Loops is a debut EP that promises a future of solid grooves from this producer." - Neon-8

Available at:
http://www.archive.org/

Highlights:
Couch
Deep Deep

Friday, May 05, 2006

In-Tune: Irish


Style: IDM

"'Manufactures' was released as a self-released CDR in 2003. We thought it was too good to vanish in the dark right after listening to it, so to share this nice piece of work with the public, we had decided to remaster it and re-release it here on -N." - Irish / Minus N

Visit the website:
http://minusn.com/

Available at:
http://www.archive.org/

Highlights:
108
Japanese Speak English

Thursday, May 04, 2006

In-Tune: Swayzak


Style: Electronica

"James Taylor and David "Brun" Brown first took their places behind the mixing board in 1993. Four albums, around thirty singles, and who knows how many remixes later, Swayzak is synonymous with free-spirited Minimal House, and it's time for a retrospective. This Spring, nine years after their first release, !K7 Records and Swayzak will release a collection of remixes and previously unreleased tracks entitled ROUTE DE LA SLACK to celebrate the group's tremendous recording history. James and Brun define the term Techno in a fresh new way. Never repetitious, they are always searching for innovative sounds and styles. Every track stands out with an unusual candour and sense of originality. It is this timeless sound that makes the duo so unique." - Swayzak / IK7

Visit the website:
http://www.k7-de.com/

Highlights:
Mic up Your Mind

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

In-Tune: Recue


Style: Electronica

"Between Stations is the long anticipated debut EP from Recue (Riku Annala). Already known by many for his live performances with partner and sonic ally Bad Loop and a recent remix for If:Then:Goto - the interest in a solo release from Recue has been building for quite awhile. Heavy and equal elements of ambient, dub, idm, soul, and even techno (hailing back to the 1990s heyday of acts such as Orbital) ever present in Recue's music. Rhythms trip around everywhere over strong melodies and together carry a persistent groove along currents of ragged arpeggios and bass. Sublime and sombre introspective moments are here as well - such as the drowned bass of 'Silversands', the melodic ambience of 'Between Stations', and the enamoring guest-vocals of Jobie on the lush 'Come away with me'." - Recue / One

Visit the website:
http://www.onenetlabel.com/

Available at:
http://www.archive.org/

Highlights:
Between Stations
Orchard Rd

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

In-Tune: Bject


Style: Electronica

"Proving that there's still goodness to be had from the humble vocoder, and that ICQ is a powerful medium of communication, this Brazilian duo give us nine tracks of irresistibly adventurous and ambitious pop music. Expect layers of bright electronics, alternating with uncompromisingly fuzzy guitars." - Bject / Nishi

Available at:
http://www.archive.org/

Highlights:
Come On Come On
Moonlight Me

Monday, May 01, 2006

In-Tune: The Tape vs RQM


Style: Electronica

"Fine electronics from berlin & abstract hiphop from new york collide when Robot aka The Tape works the nobs and Lukas aka RQM takes over the mic. Cutup beats and breathtaking rhymes to burst your stereo and favorite dancefloor. This is some hot shit and we truly love it. Both thumbs up." - The Tape vs RQM

Available at:
http://www.kitty-yo.net/

Highlights:
Rainy Summer
Gunplay