Newest from our girl Azealia Banks… listen and download it if you’re feeling it (we are). Read up on this New York City rapper if you don’t know her story already.

REAL BITCH ALL DAY, UPTOWN, BROADWAY.

JUMANJI Prod. By HUDSON MOHAWKE & NICK HOOK by Azealia Banks

What do The Wutang Clan, John Scofield, The Fugees, Lee Scratch Perry and Talib Kweli all have in common?  Well, aside from making genre defining music in their own regards, these musical icons have each collaborated with the Brooklyn based electronic music duo Break Science.  Whether they’ve performed on stage or worked together in the diverse realms of production, these guys seem to have no boundaries when it comes to making music that will move your feet AND lift your soul.

Hailing from the underground Hip-Hop scene in New York City, Adam Deitch and Borahm Lee decided to form Break Science in the early 2000′s; back when Hip-Hop was still (sorta) going strong.  Since then, the duo have continued producing and touring around the world, portraying a different edge to electronic music production than regularly seen.  With Adam providing the rhythms and style of the live drums and Borahm utilizing vintage keyboards for the soul-lifting melodies, Break Science have firmly cemented themselves as a different breed of electronic music artists.  Their use of analog synths also sets them apart, bringing that crisp and energizing elegance to their productions.

With remixes of artists ranging from Rihanna to MGMT, Break Science adds their own style to just about anything.  Their hybrid of music crosses over genres such as Trip-Hop, Glitch, Hip-Hop, Drum and Bass, and every now and then they’ll throw in a bit of Dubstep to spice things up.  Their new EP Monolith Code is a prime example of their talent as producers, crossing over each of these genres and more.  But the best part about this duo is that all of their music is available for FREE on Pretty Light’s label!  Definitely be sure to check their website, Facebook, Soundcloud, and support them on Beatport!

Boogie Down – Gramatik & Break Science

Victory – Break Science

The first single from Aesop’s upcoming album. It’s an upbeat, energetic track which is making a statement after his five year hiatus since the release of his last record None Shall Pass: “I’m back.” Look out for Skelethon, coming out this summer (July 10th).

Zero Dark Thirty – Aesop Rock

Vancouver-based producer Tor once had the brilliant idea to make some of Sufjan Stevens’ songs – taken from his concept album Illinois – into elegant and extremely well produced hip-hop beats. His second best idea was to mix these beats with underground rap vocals, from Aesop Rock to Brother Ali, from Big Daddy Kane to CL Smooth.

And the result, Illinoize, is absolutely amazing: the instrumentals are one the best I have ever heard and they perfectly fit with the rappers’ flows. The overall dreamy feeling, along with the mind-blowing production, makes it, without a doubt, my favorite hip-hop mixtape of these last few years.

You can download the album and the instrumentals for free HERE.

Star of Wonder / None Shall Pass (f. Aesop Rock) – Illinoize

The Dress Looks Nice on You / Make You Feel That Way (f. Gift of Gab) – Illinoize

John Wayne Gacy Jr. / Specialize (f. Pete Rock & CL Smooth) – Illinoize

- Paul Grunelius

“The Strangers” is an absolutely stunning track by Annie Clark aka St. Vincent. You’ll recognize the song if you listen to Kid Cudi, since he sampled it for “Maniac.”

The Strangers – St.Vincent

I’ve been hiding a new radio weekly with my French friend Paul Grunelius of popular Paris-based web-mag Profondeur de Champs. We’re on the air from 10-11pm Monday nights: turning your dull night into a vibrant and music-filled one.

In this episode, you can catch us talking about French perverts (notably Dominique Strauss Kahn and filmmaker Roman Polanski), new music off of Metrojolt, and Paul’s thoughts on psychedelic rock.

Streaming of Week 5 of Metrojolt and Profondeur 

Playlist:

Casiokids – Kaskaden

Purity Ring – Obedear

I Break Horses – Winter Beats

Spiritualized – Little Girl

The Velvet Underground – Rock & Roll (Gigamesh Edit)

Lower Dens – Brains

Wooden Shjips – Black Smoke Rise (live at Austin Psych Fest 2012)

Tame Impala – Lucidity

The Raveonettes – Aly, Walk With Me

Miike Snow – Devil’s Work (Dirty South Remix)

This one slips by me, I admit. “The Greeks” by English electronic group Is Tropical was released last May in anticipation of their debut album Native To (released on the label French label Kitsuné). The song holds its own– with a catchy Middle Eastern lick– but the music video is what pushes this track to its full potential. A childish gun fight among ten year olds turns pretty damn gory when post-production animations make their playful actions seem all too real. The effects heighten the humor of the whole thing. So do scenes where little kids are bagging up drugs and creating make-shift bombs. If you’re interested in the artistic and creative motivations behind the video, here’s a good interview with the directors by Pitchfork.

The Greeks – Is Tropical

Back in February, Cyrus  introduced you to Congrock (see past post if you weren’t already familiar). This italian DJ’s big room productions have a unique style to them. His sounds are so huge they almost feel like they are gently mauling you. Sometimes I’m in the mood for some Congorok, sometimes it’s just too much. If you’re feeling the same way, this official remix pack has something for you. Hint: For the good stuff, skip to the bottom.

The pack opens with a remix by the Bloody Beetroots, who put their signature dark texture on the track. Some eerie vocals are also weaved into the song. These guys have dropped off the map, and this remix isn’t putting them back on mine.

Next up is none other than world famous Laidback Luke. He adds a hint of euro-house flavor, but this this is called an edit as opposed to remix for a reason: he barely touched anything. With that said, this edit is surely easier to mix into and out of with its smooth ends.

NT89 is the third to play with Ivory in this remix pack. They edit the original sound the most. If Ivory was capable of poppin’ a few Zolofts and chillin’ out, this is what it would sound like. The original sound is almost completely in the background. Depending on your taste, that could be a good or a both thing. NT89 surprised me with their take on the edit, but the rhythmic grooviness– which is consistant with the rest of their productions– did not.

This fourth and final remix is the golden egg of this pack. It’s not secret we’re Mumbai Science fans here, and this track just reinforces it. The intro is mellowed with some cool panning that throws you off. The track builds for another 30 seconds, then falls unexpectantly nasty techo, with the Ivory horn accenting in the background. I can’t get enough. Enjoy.

A new joint from Nick Ward, this time under the umbrella of new project LOFI. This one is a taste of what will be on the group’s upcoming EP. Sparse saxophone progressions and piano riffs are paired with a tight drum kit and a beautifully subtle guiro. Ward lays a smooth first verse down, which is followed by two verses by Malik Flint– an excellent addition– and finally another verse from Ward to close out the song.

Fame – Lofi

Bandcamp / Committed to Creation Collective

This is one of those recording artists I wouldn’t want to leave off Metrojolt, but one guy I couldn’t even begin to write a comprehensive post. For a rather encapsulating description of Frusciante’s life, head over to our trusted friends at Wikipedia. We’ve got you on the music and they’ve got all you could ask for in terms of historical information, anecdotes, and brilliant quotes.

John Frusciante was born into music: the son of two musicians, the father being a graduate of one of America’s finest conservatory programs at Julliard. Frusciante chose the guitar as his weapon and, through both intense musical studies of contemporary guitarists and the local punk scene in New York City, quickly mastered it. Fast-forward to when he was a mere 18 years old and was recruited by the Red Hot Chili Peppers after the group’s friend and guitarist Hillel Slovak overdosed on heroine. The next four years were spent recording three albums with RHCP and touring internationally.

Frusciante left the band for psychological reasons and descended into a bout of depression and heavy drug use which lasted five years. He was on the verge of death when he checked into a rehabilitation clinic in Los Angeles. But he recovered– cheating eventual death from ODing or physical decay– and soon recorded and toured yet again with the RHCP.

The focus of today’s post is the solo career Frusciante developed. He released ten albums under his own name and several projects. His music covers an incredible range of sound: from avant-garde rock reminiscent of Radiohead to the alternative rock of the RHCP, to electronic synth-heavy rock. Six of the records were recorded in six months, and subsequently released over the course of six months. Talk about prolific. His last album, The Empyrean, was released in January of 2009, and we have yet to hear about his next record. In the meantime enjoy this sampler of his past work.

Song To Sing When I’m Lonely – John Frusciante

Murderers – John Frusciante

Dying (I Don’t Mind) – John Frusciante

This Cold – John Frusciante

Just over a month ago you saw The Old House Is Gone by St. Lucia on Metrojolt. He’s back with another feel good tune, Before The Dive. Watch below and enjoy.

Something brutal most be going down in Belgium these days.  How else could you explain this EP?  Gtronic, Belgian’s most violent electro producer, just dropped his new EP titled Sergeant Bass.  The EP starts with the title track.  Sergeant Bass is an aggressive club slayer.  Even though the vocals sound like they were stolen from a shitty Disturbed song, I like them for some reason.  In classic Gtronic fashion, the synth lines are kept simple, but driving nonetheless.  It’s almost a statement against complextro.  Why make a track with 60 different bass synths battling it out if you could go just as heavy with one?  This is what Gtronic is all about.  He pairs grinding electro leads with the minimal mindset of techno.  Although the EP’s second track, March of Evil, is a bit of a flop, Gtronic builds the energy back up with Bubba.  It’s certainly not as driving as Sergeant Bass, but this track could still bring some serious energy to a dancefloor.  If you like what you hear, be sure to pick up the full EP on Beatport.

Sergeant Bass Vocal Mix – Gtronic

Bubba – Gtronic

This hard-hitting dubstep track by Coven has a soft spot with its airy vocals and soft melodies. Their track Wake You Up begins with a subtle start. The lyrics start up and you’re drifting in an almost trance-like emotional vibe. Suddenly, the drop. The track is seamlessly able to bring the bass and hold on to the emotional quality that it draws you in with at the beginning. This track definitely helped to wake me up and get me focused on my essay (it’s only distracting a little).

Wake up and enjoy.

Wake You Up (Original Mix) – Coven

Jagerverb AKA Liam Mitchell is a 19 year old techno and electro producer coming out of Sheffield, UK.  This goddamn child was recently featured on Mustard Pimp’s The Amazons EP out on Dim Mak.  He has only been putting out tracks for about one year and yet his music is currently enjoying support by guys like Foamo, Etienne De Crecy, Malente, Fake Blood and Mumbai Science.  His newest single, Mozarella, is out on one of my favorite up and coming labels, GND.  We have the single’s B-side (better side in my opinion) for download below.  The B-side, titled Cable showcases Jagerverb’s knack for crafting simple thumping basslines.  This kid is definitely one to keep an eye on.  Enjoy the tracks below and be sure to check him out on Beatport.

Cable – Jagerverb

Lady Birds – Jagerverb

Here’s a straight house tune from Hungary’s Tommyboy.  If you can play this song without uncontrollably bouncing to the beat, you might just be a rock or some moss or a plant or something else which doesn’t understand the visceral motion of house music.  Can You Feel It is only a few months old, but it has a great 90′s sound to it.  Enjoy the 320 and be sure to check out Tommyboy on SoundCloud.

Can You Feel It – Tommyboy

San Francisco native Jordan Atkins-Loria (aka Lucky Date) has been spinning at raves and improving his production skills for several years now. Thus, it’s no surprise that his synths and music are top-notch. Lucky Date’s use of Reason is well-known, as he has several tutorials on Youtube. Check them out here if you’re interested in production in Reason. Lucky Date specializes in Electro, but he rarely dabbles in other genres, such as Dubstep. If you’re interested in listening to a very Electro-like Dubstep track, but sure to listen to Veyron – it’s a sweet track and definitely one of the coolest experimental Dubstep tracks I’ve heard!

Lucky Date’s sound is very 3-dimensional. If you listen to I Want You, you’ll notice how well the many sounds he uses, yet it’s a very congruent and awesome-sounding track. One of my favorite aspects of Lucky Date’s tracks is how exciting they are, making them extremely useful for pumping up a crowd (DJs, take note!). For example, at the second drop at 4:15, Lucky Date manages to add a rising synth in there, so it always seems like the track is going moving forward.

With the release of his two latest singles, I Want You and Six 16, Lucky Date has cemented himself as one of the few extremely talented (but unfortunately lesser known) Electro producers. He’s just finished opening for Excision on the three-month long 50+ date X tour, so I’m expecting a surge in popularity for him. Be sure to check out Phil’s review of the X Tour here and enjoy a sample selection of Lucky Date’s tracks:

Get Down (Lucky Date Remix) – Richard Vission & Trash Yourself

Veyron (Night Version) – Lucky Date & Midnight Conspiracy

I Want You (Original Mix) – Lucky Date

King Kong (Lucky Date Remix) – Datsik & Bare

If you like what you hear, support Lucky Date by purchasing his originals and remixes on Beatport! Also, stay updated with him by following him on Facebook, Twitter, and Soundcloud.

Everything is catchy about this song: light drums, sparse xylophone, keyboard, bass, shaker, and of course vocals. The L.A. based group released this sucker as a free single in February of 2011, but I’m bringing it back baby. It makes me want to go to the Alps, damn it!

To The Alps (Radio Edit) – Princeton

They’ve got a new LP out called Remembrance of Things to Come (streaming over at Paste Magazine) if you’re digging “To The Alps.” You can expect an album review in the near future, but in the meantime blast this tune.

Facebook / Twitter / Itunes

A little over a week ago, I wrote a 15-year retrospective on the evolution of Infected Mushroom through their career. Their newest album, Army of Mushrooms (released yesterday), continues the trend of rock/metal fusion I discussed there, but takes it to new heights. Army of Mushrooms is, in my opinion, the best album put out by Infected Mushroom since their last true psytrance album, Classical Mushroom, in 2000.

Army of Mushrooms contains a wide variety of fusion genres. “U R So Fucked” and “Wanted To” are psystep – a fusion of psytrance and dubstep. However, they pull of the fusion to perfection, with no overwhelming wobbles or wubs, and enough of a psychedelic feel to please old-school fans like me. Even those wobbles that are there have psytrancey noises and tweaks in them, keeping the genre fresh and preventing them from falling into the worst of dubstep stereotypes. I have to say, it was a musical shock for me to hear psytrance synths over a dubstep drum beat – I’m so used to the four-kicks-a-measure psytrance style that it took me a moment to realize what was happening. Once I got used to it, though, I realized it was a phenomenal job on their part to blend the two together so well

Most of the album is psytrance-rock-metal fusion. Building on their success in Legend of the Black Shawarma, their most recent album, they seem to have perfected this fusion as well. In fact, at many points it’s hard to determine if I should be calling the track “psytrance influenced metal” or “metal influenced psytrance”, the two blend so well together. Pulsating synths mimic guitars, and power chords sound almost like heavily distorted pads. “The Rat” and “Nation of Wusses” are both fantastic examples of this, polishing any of the small faults that were found in IM’s previous attempts to fuse rock and psytrance.

The Rat – Infected Mushroom

The entire album is streamable on Dim Mak Record’s releases You Tube page .

-Connor Rosen

I guess Phil and I are stuck on the Viceroy hype right now but the point of this blog is to bring you guys great music and that’s just what this man has a talent for making.  Like Phil said, Viceroy’s remix of This Plane by Wiz Khalifa screams summer and the same can be said for his remix of Biggie’s California anthem.  Viceroy changes I’m Going Back To Cali into an upbeat track that urges you to listen to it while you’re sippin on a pina colada enjoying the beaches of LA with the suns rays beating down on top of you.  Seriously, put the song on, close your eyes, tan a little, and try your best not to smile.  :)

Going Back to Cali (Viceroy Jet Life Remix) – Notorious B.I.G

Starship Amazing just took over the Recently Added section in my iTunes with their albums The Robot Trilogy and Career Suicide.  A diverse blend of electronic sounds, this duo knows how to take a melody, put their own flavor into it and spice it up with catchy harmonies and powerful drums.  Just when you think you have a grasp on their sound, they switch it up to keep you guessing and wanting more and they’ll probably add in some new synths that will make you wonder, “how did I not hear about these guys before?”.  At least, that’s what I thought when I found out you could get most of their albums for free on their website.

Starship Amazing was founded in 2007 by two musicians who simply wanted to make “rockin electronic tunes”.  Residing in Anchorage, Alaska, Derek “Guns” Alexander produces the harmonious melodies that carry the listener to worlds beyond while Calvin “Savage” Hansen creates the funky diverse beats that keep your feet moving and you’re head boppin.  With original productions such as the jazzy Foolish and Kitty Pizza Face (no shortage of creative names here) and remixes of Hip-Hop singles like Can’t Believe It by artists T-Pain and Lil Wayne, these two have proven that thier sound is not contained in one genre.

Support these guys on Facebook, Soundcloud and be sure to visit their website for free albums!

Foolish – Starship Amazing

Kitty Pizza Face – Starship Amazing

Can’t Believe It (T-Pain f. Lil Wayne) – Starship Amazing

You know it’s festival season when the likes of Laidback Luke, Chuckie and Martin Solveig come together to make track. 1234 has already got me excited for I Love This City, Electric Daisy Festival, and Hard Summer… not to mention the rest of them.

Here is the question: Do you like 1234 or is it just a publicity stunt by Laidback Luke, Chuckie and Martin Solveig? Drop a comment below with your thoughts.

1234 (Original Mix) – Laidback Luke Ft. Chuckie & Martin Solveig

Wall Recordings just released the package of remixes to R3hab’s popular track The Bottle Song. The original track took the EDM scene by storm with its funky synth lines, beat patterns, and perfect balance of highs and lows. Now it’s back in some fresh new forms. The Bottle Song has been born again. Behold! The rebirth of the catchy track has been sent to us.

The first of four remixes was done by Dyro. This remix gives us The Bottle Song, but with an extra spin and a little more grittiness. There’s a hint of a more melodic quality, but what really catches my attention is the strong layers of grinding synths.

R3hab – The Bottle Song (Dyro Remix) [PREVIEW] by R3HAB

The Dannic remix is almost softer in its entirety. The transitioning of tempo and sound within this remix are smoother. Seems like a bit of a deliberate change on Dannic’s part to provide a remix that was still very unique.

R3hab – The Bottle Song (Dannic Remix) [PREVIEW] by R3HAB

The Darth Vader remix. What to say, but…damn. This is one hard-hitting sucker. The drops are highlighted and they really provide a great, exciting build up. While it still retains all the characteristic markers of The Bottle Song, it has a very aggressive quality that balances nicely with the track’s underlying melodies.

R3hab – The Bottle Song (Darth & Vader Remix) [PREVIEW] by R3HAB
Last but not least the D-wayne remix. This tracks provides some interesting beat patterns and layers that are very different from the original and the other tracks. It also offers some strange interludes and background sounds.

R3hab – The Bottle Song (D-wayne Remix) by D-wayne

If you were born in the 90′s like I was, you were born in arguably the happiest period for music.  Hip-Hop was in it’s golden age, funk was still around, Michael Jackson was still the icon of pop music, Tupac and Biggie were still alive and things were just…better.  Then came the new millenium and as Hip-Hop and rap fell down the drain due to artists such as Soulja Boy somehow making platinum records, electronic music started making its rise in America.  Thankfully, these electronic artists remember the golden era of the nineties and can remind us all of a better time.  Eats Everything’s rework of Brass Disk by Dupree is a solid example of this so take a seat and reminisce.

Brass Disc (Eats Everything’ 90′s Throwback Rework) – Dupree

Anjunabeats Worldwide 004, mixed my Maor Levi & Nitrous Oxide, is another great example of both the record label’s sound, and the superb Trance and Progressive music that they release. The artists are the standard Anjunabeats crew with a few new names. This album truly takes time to digest. Trance tracks generally flow well, so intricate mixing is unnecessary, however the mix work done in both CDs for Anjunabeats Worldwide 004 is superb. Of course, the tracks transition seamlessly from one on to the next but the ebb and flow from track to track, the complexity, and the overall feeling, is superior to most all Trance mixing I have ever heard. For those new to Anjunbeats CD releases, the tracks are mixed together then re-sliced for release. Make sure to listen in order, without shuffle.

Above all else, this two CD set is truly uplifting. Exactly how trance is supposed to be.

Release Date: April 23rd | Buy here

CD 1 – Maor Levi

01. Breakfast pres. Keyworth – Splitting – 03:10
02. Maor Levi – Won’t Say No – 06:09
03. Tate & Diamond feat. Nicolai – Electrified (Mat Zo Remix) – 05:09
04. Mat Zo – It’s Yours – 05:16
05. Inpetto – No More Serious Faces – 04:38
06. Boom Jinx feat. Justine Suissa – Phoenix From The Flames (Maor Levi Remix) – 05:09
07. 3rd Planet – Sevas – 04:49
08. Norin & Rad – Pistol Whip – 05:09
09. Super8 – Alba (Maor Levi Remix) – 04:54
10. Bluestone – Namaste – 05:38
11. Genix – Aura – 06:08
12. Ost & Meyer – Safari (Maor Levi Remix) – 05:38
13. Kyau & Albert – This Love – 04:36
14. Parker & Hanson – Afterthought (Heatbeat Remix) – 04:59
15. Breakfast pres. Keyworth – Median (Keyworth Remix) – 07:36

CD 2 - Nitrous Oxide

16. Andrew Bayer & Matt Lange feat. Kerry Leva – In And Out Of Phase (Norin & Rad Remix) – 05:01
17. Mike Koglin vs. Genix – Helion (Norin & Rad Remix) – 03:52
18. Nitrous Oxide & Dan Stone – Nautica – 05:20
19. Adam Kancerski – Orion – 05:37
20. Edu & Cramp – Human Turbines (Beat Service Remix) – 05:13
21. Ost & Meyer – Antalya – 04:55
22. Craig Connelly – Manchester AM (2012 Club Mix) – 03:34
23. Sunny Lax – Contrast (Nitrous Oxide Remix) – 05:19
24. Nitrous Oxide – Gr8! – 05:34
25. Ost & Meyer – Scarlet Heaven (Dan Stone Remix) – 04:50
26. Nitrous Oxide & Space RockerZ – Energize – 04:50
27. Boom Jinx & Daniel Kandi – Azzura – 04:18
28. Super8 & Tab – Awakenings – 05:19
29. Nitrous Oxide – Tiburon – 04:50
30. Cramp – Andromeda – 03:48
31. Oliver Smith – Progress (Nitrous Oxide Remix) – 05:22
32. Various – Anjunabeats Worldwide 04 CD1 (continuous DJ mix by Maor Levi) – 1:19:03
33. Various – Anjunabeats Worldwide 04 CD2 (continuous DJ mix by Nitrous Oxide) – 1:17:49

I was chilling with a little group of homies last night. My friend John, a talented singer-songwriter, has an itch for playing guitar, so when an acoustic guitar was fetched from the apartment he played a fine assortment of covers and originals. One of these covers was “Ritual Union,” by Swedish electronic band Little Dragon. The whole performance reminded me how much I dig their 2011 album of the same name Ritual Union. With full-bodied synths and simple kick-bass drums laying the groundwork for some seriously soulful vocals by the beautiful Yuki Nagano (featured on “Wildfire” in a recent post I did on English electronic group SBTRKT), the whole album plays through with ease. When asked in 2009 what movie she envisioned her music being a soundtrack for, she had this to say:

Perhaps a sci-fi with a bit of mystery… psychic martians, their dreams, fears and love. It would be psychedelic with pompous nature scenes and gloomy old Swedish winter vibes.

There certainly is an element of psychedelia to Ritual Union. Like Gardens & Villa, I could see a cult of white-clothed men and women following the band around in search of spirituality and orgies.

Without further ado, my favorites from Little Dragon’s latest album Ritual Union.

Ritual Union – Little Dragon

Shuffle A Dream – Little Dragon

Please Turn – Little Dragon

Facebook / Twitter / Ritual Union on Itunes