Thursday, September 16, 2010

Young Montana



You can bet that things are going to start looking up when Mary Anne Hobbs names you her "Favorite Unsigned Artist of 2010". You can also bet that you'll be getting rid of that "unsigned" part. Coming out of the U.K., Young Montana is one of several artists working to bridge the gap between L.A.'s beat makers and London's ever-expanding dubstep scene. But what makes Young Montana's music even more interesting is that he takes it back and uses a more classic hip-hop sound, reminiscent of legend's like Madlib and Dilla, rather than keeping it electronics focused as most artists are doing today. Daddy Kev and his Alpha Pup label were lucky enough to sign the sudden sensation, which should mean we can be expecting an official release sometime soon. Here are two of his best tracks to date.

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Warpaint



Warpaint, an L.A. based all female quartet, have had a steady stream of tracks floating around the internet since the beginning of this year and in a little over a month, October 25 to be exact, we'll finally get to here their debut album, The Fool. They've given the public a taste of the album with their single "Undertow". The four-on-the-floor beat and synchronized bass and guitar are reminiscent of The XX, but everything else, especially the funky breakdown just before the three minute mark, is all Warpaint. Download "Undertow" and the older but equally amazing "Billie Holiday" below.

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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Morning Benders Cover McCartney



The Morning Benders have covered Paul McCartney's "Ram On" as a part of their Echomix2, which you can download here. The cover has an unexpected R&B feel with heavy drums and a speaker-shaking bass.

Download:

Women - Eyesore



Women didn't get nearly enough credit for their self-titled 2008 debut. It had more than a couple memorable songs and there wasn't a bad song on the album. Now, as they're readying their second album, Public Strain, I get the feeling they won't be so easy to ignore this time around. The single, Eyesore, runs just over six minutes but you'll be begging for it to keep going by the end. It's mellow production and atmospheric layering of guitar and bass drag you in while the melody invades your mind. Public Strain comes out September 28 on Jagjaguwar.

Download:

Ana Caravelle



Ana Caravelle is a 22 year old harp player and vocalist who has ties with the L.A. beat scene through her boyfriend/producer Asura. Her music is reminiscent of Bjork and Joanna Newsom and any other harp playing pop-vocalist you can think of. As if that weren't intriguing enough on its own, the production and remixes of her tracks combine two completely unrelated genres to create songs unlike anything you've ever heard. Her debut album, Basic Climb, comes out September 28 via Non Projects. Below is a spectacular track from Basic Climb and a remix by Non Projects label head Anenon.


Thursday, September 9, 2010

Jonwayne - Infinite



Jonwayne is one of several members of the WEDIDIT COLLECTIVE, a collective of L.A. based beat makers. He is a rapper and producer with an upcoming release on Stones Throw. His latest track, "Infinite", is the strongest thing he's put out yet and is one of the best beats I've heard in months. Also, check him out rapping over a RZA beat in the video above. Keep an eye on this one.

Dominant Legs



As Dominant Legs, Hannah Hunt and Girls' guitarist Ryan Lynch create an entirely new form of indie tinged disco-pop. The combination of his vulnerable voice and her dreamy backing vocals creates a playfulness that makes you want to get up and dance. Despite having only a four track EP out, the duo's fan base is growing rapidly. Two tracks from the Young At Love And Life EP are below.


Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Teebs - Arthur's Birds / Teebs & Jackhigh - Rains (Video)


Teebs is one of the youngest and most promising beat-makers coming out of the Los Angeles area. He's signed to Brainfeeder and has an EP and a debut album on the way. The album, titled Ardour, is supposedly being released on Oct. 19. "Arthur's Birds" is the first track from the album to be shared with the public. It's dreamy bells and buzzing bass will have you listening to it on repeat.


Check out his collaborative Tropics EP with Jackhigh to hear some of his previous work. The video for the track "Rains" off the EP is below. Watching this will be the best four minutes you'll spend all day.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Baths - Lovely Bloodflow (Video)


Check out this wildly imaginative video from my personal favorite track off of Bath's debut album Cerulean.

Matthew Dear - Slowdance (Bear In Heaven Remix)


One of the highlights of Matthew Dear's new critically acclaimed album, Black City, is the slow synth-ballad "Slowdance". Bear In Heaven took the energy of the synth and vocal in the track and turned it in to an upbeat electro-pop masterpiece.

Friday, September 3, 2010

When I'm In Awe


After collaborating on one of this year's most creative albums, A Sufi And A Killer, Gonjasufi and The Gaslamp Killer are back with another genre bending beat. The track will be released on The Gaslamp Killer's upcoming EP entitled Death Gate.


Below, you can listen to Mark Pritchard's remix of "Ancestors". The Caliph's Tea Party will be released on October 5th and features remixes of several Gonjasufi tracks by artists such as Bibio and Bear In Heaven.

The XX - Shelter (Tiga Remix)


Remixing The XX has proven a difficult task. Many have tried, but few have been successful. On his remix of "Shelter", Tiga seems to have found exactly what the song needed. Just by adding some thumping, minimal drums and keeping most of the original song intact, Tiga brings a whole new feeling to the track.

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson feat. Flying Lotus - Drips / Take Notice


Well, I hope everyone had a great summer. Now it's time for everyone to get back to work and the same applies for us. You can count on a consistent flow of new music coming your way so make sure to start checking the site regularly again.

The video above is of a beautiful arrangement of two classic songs brought together by the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson ensemble in collaboration with Flying Lotus himself. You may find yourself getting lost in the incredible musicianship and ambient sounds coming from this thirteen minute video.