Cloudchord & Soul Food Horns Switch Tempos on Moon Fortune EP

Cloudchord has maneuvered all over the musical map since he first began releasing about five years ago. The producer and guitarist has proven himself difficult to pigeonhole and marketable in many different contexts, from lo-fi hip-hop and instrumental R&B to future bass and house. Once again he’s linking with Soul Food Horns and together they’re switching it up to deliver a four-track four-on-the-floor EP Moon Fortune. He’s probably the only producer with releases on both the heavy bass label Gravitas Recordings and the instrumental hip-hop imprint Chlilhop Music, and the only producer to collaborate with the opposite poles of Space Jesus and Emancipator.

Both Cloudchord and Soul Food Horns, a collective of horn players, represent Austin, TX. They first linked up for Koi Pond, a full LP with Chillhop Music, which received a ton of play upon release. This also kicked off Cloudchord’s recent love affair with instrumental and lo-fi hip-hop. Since that release he’s collaborated with lo-fi favorites oatmello, Goosetaf, HM Surf and G Mills and dropped a sultry and appropriately-titled single “Bopatron” featuring Soul Food Horns on Inner Ocean Records.

Cloudchord, whose real name is Derek VanScoten and who in the past has gone by D.V.S., is a versatile collaborator. He can step in for some guitar licks, co-produce, or produce the entire work as he’s done on Moon Fortune. Although these four-on-the-floor songs depart from the producer’s recent hip-hop trajectory, they harken back to some of his earlier work which was disco-influenced. The placement of the horns is so tasteful, the groove so deep. “Flutterby” is utterly smooth where the title track is more fast-paced and pressurized. There’s little not to like about this release. You can access Moon Fortune on all platforms here.

We caught Cloudchord in New York at the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM) upstate last summer. Earlier this summer he taught an Ableton music production workshop at CoSM with MALAKAI. This weekend he returns to New York, to Mercury Lounge in Manhattan, for a Sunday evening show with British Columbia natives Moon Tricks. We had the good fortune to catch this duo and their banjo- and harmonia-laced blues bass at Shambhala Music Festival, where they were this year’s BC Artist Spotlight on the Living Room stage. It’s a unique pairing that will surely make for a rare evening of instrumental electronica.

FOLLOW Cloudchord: Spotify / Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Facebook

FOLLOW Soul Food Horns: Soundcloud / Spotify / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook

KOAN Sound Levels Up in Potency on Intervals Above EP

Nine months ago, KOAN Sound emerged from a three year release hiatus with their genre-bending album Polychrome. It was a fresh dive into the melody-driven side of KOAN Sound’s music, and showcased a bevy of new production skills and sound design techniques that the pair developed during their respite from the public eye. While they have always been at the forefront of underground neuro music and production, Polychrome was a long form reminder that they are still kicking just as fiercely now as they were during their original foray into the world. 

With the summer coming to an end, and a series of long-awaited KOAN Sound tour dates locked in throughout the fall, the pair have unleashed a veritable surprise for their fans; Intervals Above, a five track EP filled with audacious fidelity and production nuance. It builds on the production developments found within Polychrome, but channels the classic KOAN timbres with a focus on intensity and raw power. Each track feels sparser in the composition, leaving room for the development of every tone and motif. Intervals Above is a direct, high-impact delivery of KOAN Sound’s elaborate soundscapes and favored musical modes. 

“Strident” opens the EP with washed-out synths and a vivacious, glitch-out acoustic string line. It sets the mood like only KOAN Sound can, channeling groove and melody long before the true rhythm of the song is in full motion. The arrangement follows a practical, texture-rich bass line that envelopes bright pads and gentle melodies from end to end. By the conclusion of the track, foley and synthesis meld into a series of cascading waves ebbing and flowing within the stereo space.

Chalky White, a Bristol-based guitarist with a penchant for accentuating bass music, received a healthy dose of fanfare over his chops in “Chalk It Out” on KOAN Sound’s last album. He reprises his role across the entirety of Intervals Above, most notably on the track “Vibrant”. It begins with a blend of synthesis and sultry string lines that fold into a melodious, staccato breakdown. The song combines salient sound design with a torrent of transient percussion and fluttering arpeggios. The lead synthesis lines meet each guitar chop squarely on cadence, fusing the airiness and presence within the track into an organic, evolving composition.

“Vivid” brings the EP to a gentle close, eschewing intensity in favor of pure flavor. For much of the songs runtime, it is an ambient and reverberant journey into the musicality of the KOANs. Serene, ephemeral chords stack atop short burst of hums and hymns, charging the stereo space with powerful bursts of emotion. At the height of climax, the minute-long flash of percussion fades into the background, and the song falls back into a cushion of synthetic textures and resounding chord phrases.

After years of relative quiet from the duo, it has been an especially auspicious year for KOAN Sound fans. Between Polychrome and Intervals Above, the KOANs touched upon every facet of their musicianship. To make matters even more exciting, they have announced their first set of major tour dates in the last several years, and they are currently slated to appear across the US from September to November. It seems like 2019 is the year of the KOAN, and we’re looking forward to a serious reunion on the dance floor.

FOLLOW KOAN Sound: Facebook / Soundcloud / Spotify / Official

Drum-Driven Producer Jon Kennedy Releases Once Upon a Time Single

The mad percussionist, producer and label-owner Jon Kennedy has resurfaced with the hypnotic seven-minute single “Once Upon a Time”, his first new music since the spectacular 2017 LP HA!. What’s even more exciting than the sensation this song delivers is the knowledge that it’s the title track from an album forthcoming in 2020.

Kennedy was first discovered in 2000 by a ranking DJ in the Greater Manchester area of the UK. Today he lives in the countryside in the Czech Republic where he continues to produce and run his label, Jon Kennedy Federation, which he founded in 2007. He’s performed around the world as a DJ and as a drummer within his own live band and others, Last we heard, he was playing frequent small gigs in Thailand. With a deep discography and unsullied artistic vision, he carved out space for himself over time in the downtempo, beats and breaks universe. There’s no trend to his sound and very little shine, but there’s also no flaws, either. JK just makes great music, and “Once Upon a Time” is a predictably good addition to his catalog with an unpredictably fast tempo.

His percussion is clear and creative. It’s the element within his music that demands the most attention, while the other elements usually lilt in the background in a delightful ballet. The drums on “Once Upon a Time'“ are absolutely manic, not just the arrangement but the sounds themselves; whipping fast and prickly hi-hats and resonant, gangly snares.

To dive deeper into Kenndy’s music, check out his last album HA!. or the Rusted Rhythms mix from 2017 that he was gracious enough to drop on us. It’s full of the same drum and bass flavor in this latest single. Despite his long career, Kennedy continues to operate far from the spotlight. But he continues delivering top-shelf, uncompromising electronic music that’s more than worth our time to shine a light upon.

FOLLOW Jon Kennedy: Jon Kennedy Federation / Soundcloud / Facebook / Bandcamp / Instagram

Journeyman Matt Carey Releases Grab Bag LP Xtra Curricular Communication

The journeyman Matt Carey has been keeping a low but productive profile for several years on the festival circuit in the Northeastern United States. From his base in Boston he’s created a small but diverse catalog of stripped down tribal house and dub over the years full of ideas both righteous and sensual. Yesterday, he released his second full-length album Xtra Curricular Communication, a grab bag ranging in styles from hip-hop to house to drum and bass and breaks. Questions about the nature of the world today are woven tastefully through the album.

This is a delightfully spare record. There’s no frills. Its value depends on the strength of the songwriting, not any extraordinary sound design. “People on the Bus”, for example, has one guitar lick repeated throughout the song that dances along with one key sample. This is backed by a strong bass line and shuffling house drums, and punctuated by an excellent hook sung by Matt himself. There’s nothing revolutionary here, but when you sit back and ease in it can be real hypnotic and provocative music.

People on the bus keep falling asleep

They never get enough rest, the workforce is deep

Deep in the systemic cycle

I’m checking for vitals

Other highlights include the first cut “Stick Up (Desert Dub)”, an extraterrestrial hip-hop groove, “Break”, and “Green Leaf Cover”, a delightful dub odyssey about navigating the modern world and “chasing down the mighty dollar”. Matt’s own voice is one of our favorite parts of the album. His poetry is powerful and his tones are captivating.

Xtra Curricular Communication is a refreshing collection of electronic music that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but that still deals with some important subjects in a groovy matter. It looks like Matt’s festival season is over, but hopefully we see Matt on a few more lineups next summer for some extracurricular and extraterrestrial communication.

FOLLOW Matt Carey: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Facebook

Enigmatic Austrian Producer Voljum Drops First EP 'Cyberglobe'

The backstory of Austrian producer Voljum is a novel one. He’s a 19-year-old classical pianist who produces electronic music in his spare time, and offers ghost production across several genres of music. He’s released six original tracks to date, and each one demonstrates extraordinarily advanced sound design. Little else is known about the producer beyond this, although perhaps more will come to light following the release of his first EP, Cyberglobe, which is available today through the experimental outlet VALE.

From some of his first singles like the raw neuro banger “The Basics”, listeners would be forgiven for missing the classical piano background. It’s easier to identify on Cyberglobe, through the breakdown on “Electric Forces” or the intro on the title track. The steppin’ bassline on this tune and shuffling drum pattern betray a jazz influence. The bassline continues to guide the song, but in no time the drums are replaced by a thick haltime hip-hop beat over which crushing neuro sound design descends. The melody here is clear and powerful, and a vocal sample rounds out the song by riffing about a “computerized world”. Indeed Voljum’s music could be part of the perfect soundtrack for such a world.

Cyberglobe finds Voljum becoming more comfortable with his songwriting and therefore able to take more risks and step away from some of the conventions that have grown around haltime and neuro music in the last two years. This is saying much, because his songwriting was already way out there. It still is, but here he leans more confidently on his melodies to carry the tune. He throws out nearly all convention during the second half of “Conceptual”. The EP also carries the producer’s first drum and bass tune, which is pleasing given that the rest of his catalog resembles halftime drum and bass. Hearing Voljum express himself at 173 beats-per-minute just feels right. The sonic landscape of this tune “Until the Last Breath” is as carefully calibrated as one would expect, full of razor sharp audio effects and envelopes and filters that flip on a dime to reveal new dimensions of bass synthesis.

Not only the willingness but the ability to experiment is part of Voljum’s appeal. He surely loves electronic music, but his deep training in classical piano probably affords him a refreshing approach that others who are more immersed in electronic may not have. That, in addition to some next-level innate talent, puts Voljum squarely on the cutting edge of broken beat electronic music. This Cyberglobe EP may demonstrate to audiences or to the producer himself that he’s here to stay, and that electronic music can be something more for him than a spare time activity.

FOLLOW Voljum: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Spotify

Maynix - Trumours

After quietly pushing tunes through a series of boutique labels and outlets for three years, the shadowy producer Maynix shares the breathtaking full-length debut Trumours. The compositional risks are so bold and the sound design so potent that Trumours easily matches up against some of the brightest releases of 2019. Appropriately, it comes courtesy of Open Outlets, the label owned and operated by the UK heavyweight Culprate. 

Open Outlets is a home for eclectic music, including works from Leon Ross, Orbin, Poztman, and beyond, plus a remix from Maynix himself on Chimera’s Chapters EP. Fans may also remember Maynix’s collaboration with Cut Rugs on the latter’s New release on The Rust Music. Given the utter quality of Trumours, it’s no wonder this debut has ended up in the hands of top-tier content curator like Culprate.

Trumours is a broken-beat paradise. Over the course of nine full tracks and three interludes, Maynix swings through a variety of rhythms while staying focused on a neurological blend of jazz and brutal synthesis. Each song is a full on composition that builds and resolves through blistering bass lines and melodious breakdowns, ebbing back and forth between heavy and buoyant sounds. Beyond just the specific tones, it’s artistic risk that makes Trumours so remarkable.

The track “My Mind Is Shocked” personifies this malleable sort of songwriting. Haunting jazz chords and a single guitar slide remain constant among a cascade of percussion and audio artifacts. Come the halfway point, everything in the stereo mix melts out of phase until it all miraculously smashes back into an entirely fresh arrangement. “Dotted” takes breaking the beat to next level with cuts that seem to burst through saturated webs to reach the surface of the mix. Drum fills and turnarounds rain from the top of the stereo space to the bottom between pulses of raucous low-end and meandering guitar strings. 

Holding the attention of electronic music consumers (or anyone) in today’s global market is a daunting task from any angle. Songs, mixes, and collections come and go in and out of rotation at light speed and it’s challenging to stand out. Maynix goes well beyond standing out. The sonic landscape on Trumours will resonate with all fans of eccentric music. With a meticulous eye for detail and a Midas touch for production and songwriting, Maynix has delivered an album in a league of its own.

FOLLOW Maynix: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook

Chalky - Blooe EP

Rounding back into the public spotlight for his sophomore release, Chalky doubles down on his particular brand of nu jazz in the Blooe EP. His debut album, Second Beach, saw him meander through various jazz modalities via intuitive instrumentalism and keen composition. The Blooe EP is a refined and tonally conversational next step in the Chalky catalog.

Much like his previous releases, this EP is both instrumentally verbose and compositionally airtight. Every track features organic pauses, refrains, and swells of emotion, like the natural moments spent gathering and debating thoughts within a dialogue. If the music is a conversation, “Bluebird” is the whimsical first “hello”, replete with a steady rhythmic pulse and succinct harmonies across the duration of the track. The composition gradually ramps up into further harmonies and chord progressions while simultaneously maintaining a smooth sonic profile. The everpresent smoothness in Chalky’s growing discography is very much his calling card, with his songwriting and music production skills being firstly responsible for the cohesion and fidelity felt throughout his music.

Most good conversations exude a mutual feeling of finality after exchanging goodbyes and farewells. The Blooe EP makes peace with its ending moments through a latinate serenade of the senses; “Blooe Bossa” is a stereophonic vacation, sultry in the ears and tropical on the palette. The wholesome blend of brass, strings, percussion, and foley alliterate the composition, bringing to life the totality of the EP’s musical strengths. From start to finish, the Blooe EP rides inside the rhythmic pocket, slowly rolling from each track into the next without the slightest dissonance. Chalky’s focus on harmony and instrumental dialogue delivers grander compositions with each successive release, and it should come as no surprise that this EP is a fortuitous step ahead in his career.

The current musical climate in the UK is undergoing a sort of new jazz Renaissance. Acts like Yussef Dayes, Kamaal Williams, Mo Kolours and others have been reinventing the modern jazz wheel, injecting a massive dose of acid flavoring and off-kilter song writing into the genre's blood stream. Chalky maintains his musical intrigue through his aural approachability; for the picky and critically minded, this EP is ripe with compositional nuance and emotive phrasing. For the easy listeners, it is just as laid back and digestible as it is tonally full. Regardless of whatever kind of listener you happen to be, it's in your best interest to power up your nearest sound system, grab a few rolling papers, and prepare to take flight with the ever personable Captain Chalky.

FOLLOW Chalky: Soundcloud / Bandcamp / Facebook

Veteran Aussie Producer Spoonbill Drops Anticipated "Canopy" LP

Among the list of widely influential electronic music producers, it’s no surprise to find that a vast quantity of them either come from - or end up moving into - audio engineering backgrounds and enterprises. From a technical standpoint, there’s an obvious pairing between the ability to compose and produce the musical product and refine its overall sonic profile. This technical association is only half of the equation, however, as engineering capabilities often further translate into an enhanced composition and production output in a wonderfully circular feedback loop. Jim Moynihan positions himself at the center of that loop through his musical moniker, Spoonbill. A veteran instrumentalist and production prodigy, Moynihan’s releases over the last 14 years feature a number of critically celebrated albums, including the venerable downtempo album Tinkerbox. Channeling a similar vein of songwriting fundamentals and tonal fluidity, Canopy is the newest addition to the Spoonbill catalog, fusing time-tested design philosophies with fresh, lucid compositions.

Originally an avid percussionist, Moynihan went on to find himself enamored with electronic music after acquiring his first sampler in 1998. By the turn of the century, he possessed a degree in industrial design and a ferocious appetite for immersive productions. Across the last 16+ years, Moynihan has reached international acclaim for his intuitive audio-visual installations around the world while concurrently crafting and pursuing the Spoonbill experience. Crystal-clear patching and fidelity, improvisation, and glitched-out instrumental recordings are the plumage of this particularly eclectic avian, resulting in the sonic hallmark of stereo fullness within Spoonbill productions. Eschewing any and all rhythmic boundaries, his tracks take on a wide variety of forms and genre influences, and each consecutive release explores a bevy of tonal territories and attitudes.

The especially vibrant and organic timbres in Tinkerbox heavily contribute to its continued influence, bridging the gap between the formal precision of electronic production and the informal fluidity of instrumental music. Canopy is as much a positive successor to Tinkerbox as it is a uniquely original collection of tracks, further refining his trademark textures through an entirely new compositional landscape. The album opens with the incredibly cinematic “Open Misere”, blending orchestral string movements, harmonized brass, and powerful phrases of tension and release. It serves as a grand welcome into the often maniacal, always sultry Spoonbill experience, opening the way for vivid imaginings and emotional serenades. Expanding on the emotive atmosphere of the album, “Gullydupling” balances high moments of elation with relaxed breaks and passive turnarounds. The arrangement builds gracefully and resolves softly, mimicking the progression of Canopy as a whole, and indeed much of the Spoonbill Discography.

Moynihan’s musical catalog is a hodgepodge of original instrumentation and eccentric sampling, often resulting in fantastically imaginative combinations of moods and styles. “Coobalah” plays heavily on the use of scat samples, incorporating jazz vocalizations that are straight out of a 1920’s speakeasy. Resting these samples atop a frenetic arrangement, the track feels like an ode to the dance-first mentality of early glitch-hop, holding onto an in-the-pocket rhythm throughout its duration. Pocketed rhythms are a fast staple of Spoonbill productions, and Jim’s life-long passion for percussion is as foundational to Canopy as it is to every other Spoonbill release. “Nodding Greenhood” is a prime example of this percussive focus, with a shower of loquacious high-hats, clicks, pops, and downbeats pushing the song through its paces. Even at its highest moments of intensity, it remains driven by the rhythm, with every pulse of synthesis responding and calling out to the drums around it. The way the entire album meanders through its own vibe makes it all the more satisfying when it reaches the final track; “Thermal Ride” is to Canopy as “Lot Three” is to Tinkerbox. The note relationships and sensual choice of tone produces a constant air of finality, slowly rolling to the album’s conclusion through a song that touches the heartspace as well as the headspace. Gentle guitar lines dance between rubberized synthesis and splashes of delicate foley, finally saying goodbye with one effluent slidetar chord.

The last year has been a busy one for Moynihan: He’s returned to the United States for the first time in 10 years, delivering a Tinkerbox-inspired performance for Tipper’s three-night run in Brooklyn at the legendary King’s Theatre. He brought in the new year with a midnight performance in San Francisco at Cosmic Synergy’s highly anticipated Coalesce event. He released the Crosshatch EP, and now has yet another full-length album under his belt. He’s slated for performances at The Stone House in Nevada City, CA, as well as the Sonic Bloom and Yonderville music festivals later this summer, and will likely continue to perform here and abroad well into the fall. After a decade’s hiatus away from the United States, we can’t recommend enough that you catch him yourself, as his performances are as exuberant and immersive as his studio catalog. With Canopy now released into the public sphere, it can only be surmised that this material will receive a thorough reimagining as soon Spoonbill next graces the stage.

FOLLOW Spoonbill: Bandcamp / Spotify / Soundcloud / Website

Skope - Beneath EP

Bass-focused electronic music in the Western hemisphere has always taken cues from sonic developments in the United Kingdom. The career of Skope, one of England’s finest producers and engineers, is a great example. The tenured heavyweight in the underground music scene was part of a small wave of producers who envisioned modern neuro textures over the first few years of the 2010s.  After three relatively quiet years, the neuro progenitor has teamed up with Slug Wife to push out the Beneath EP, an emulsified lesson in audio brutalism.

Skope’s style during his first few years in the public realm was self-styled as neuro-hop, playing off of hip-hop rhythmic motifs and saturated sound design. Much like Koan Sound or Opiuo, his Razorbeam EP and Rollerskates & Hoverboards EP combined a dancefloor-friendly approach with technical precision, utilizing wide stereo imaging and consistent percussive grooves. On the Strange Science EP, Skope redefined his output around the proliferation of the half-time interpretation of drum and bass. Since that release, his production and arrangement philosophy have evolved dramatically, resulting in new, monstrous sound design and composition on the Beneath EP. From the synthesis to the percussion processing to the double-faced audio glitches, this release is another accolade atop Skope’s legacy. Every track slings mean-mugged bass lines that do exactly what he is so known for; absolutely shredding speaker cones.

It seems like Slug Wife is on everyone’s tongue at all times, and their discerning followers won’t be disappointed once the Beneath EP makes its rounds. Given the length of time since Skope’s last release, this meeting of the minds could slingshot his catalog back into the forefront for old fans and new. Considering the bone-crushing size of these tunes, our fingers are definitely crossed for some live and direct action with the man himself. In the meantime, we’ll have the Beneath EP on gratuitous repeat.

FOLLOW Skope Beatport / Soundcloud / Facebook

FOLLOW Slug Wife: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Facebook

Saltus & Pathwey - Mirage [Single]

The latest single from Street Ritual finds two mystics of underground bass, Saltus & Pathwey, joining forces to cast a powerful sonic spell called “Mirage”. Saltus hails from Boston, MA and co-founded the production powerhouse Rezinate. Pathwey is from Asheville, NC and was recently signed to Street Ritual’s booking agency. Both put their best foot forward here and the result is one of the strongest tracks in either’s catalog.

As its name might imply, “Mirage” has a disorienting effect on the listener. Clocking in at more than five minutes, the song maneuvers through multiple forms before leveling the listener with its third drop, a sharp slice of neuro bass that comes from way out in left field. The sub bass is extreme, and sets the foundation for a brilliant use of stereo space. Sonic elements abound in the track - hi-fidelity glitches, foley, ambient pads, vague vocal samples - but the producers maintain a sense of dimension by carefully rounding the edges of their sounds manipulating the reverb delicately. They create a spatial hierarchy for their sounds so that glitches seep into your ear, percussive elements pop with force, and the sub bass, like water, both flows and crashes at different moments.

Both Saltus and Pathwey primarily focus on 140 & 85 bpm music. Their music emphasizes atmosphere and soundscape more than most 140 fare, but without compromising the style’s thumping, drum-driven essence. This summer, Saltus intends to drop a project long in the making - the “Nightsky” mix - an all original and unreleased (save for “Mirage”) dive into the deepest, truest part of the producer’s universe. Pathwey recently released an absolutely epic and earthy mix through the Shanti Planti series on RadiOzora, one your correspondent’s personal favorites of 2019 so far. (This renaissance man also put together the lunar lattice artwork for the single). Choon in to those frequencies but also be careful, because “Mirage” could come soon to wreck a dance floor near you.

FOLLOW Saltus:  Soundcloud  /  Bandcamp  /  Spotify / Facebook

FOLLOW Pathwey: Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook

Saltfeend - Balboa EP

Bringing prime cuts and street-inspired style to the table, Portland based Saltfeend is a multifaceted producer with a knack for all things head-nod. Having been DJing from 1997 on, he has gained a well-deserved notoriety as an ambitious selector with a presentation skillset to match. Come 2016, he began to turn his hand towards original productions, and has released a multitude of tracks from across the genre spectrum. Running through stylizations of bass music, downtempo, lounge, and hip-hop, Saltfeend is a jack of all trades when combining his newfound production prowess with his long history of DJ fundamentalism. Expanding upon his quickly growing catalog, his newest release is a collection of dusty boom-bap sonatas; the Balboa EP brings a detail-oriented approach to Lo-Fi soundscapes, delivering a refreshing interpretation of mind-swelling hip-hop.

From top to bottom, the Balboa EP maintains a strong compositional dynamic, with each track breathing almost biologically through an attentive arrangement. Sultry chords and generous amounts of vibrato give a certain elasticity the stereo width of every song, giving the EP the impression of ducking and weaving around each downbeat. Indulgent arpeggios are a heavy staple across the five tracks, filling out the upper frequency spectrum alongside crisp snare transients. Gentle helpings synthesis has its place within the EP as well, serving as rhythmic turnarounds and the signal of approaching refrains. Altogether, Saltfeend has delivered a package of off-kilter beats and sensual melodies that are optimally suited for adjusting a vibe and maintaining a vibrant headspace.

In a sea of similar artists, Saltfeend separates himself from the pack through fidelity and composition. The fine tuning to his arrangements and internal mixing is the hallmark of his productions, and his ear for melodious interplay shines above the rest. Finding an apt home amongst like-minded producers and musicians, the Balboa EP is being released through Uncomfortable Beats, an Australian label with a laser-sharp vision for experimental hip-hop and bass music. With a world-wide reach and world-influenced musical aptitude, we can’t wait to hear what Saltfeend cooks up next.

FOLLOW Saltfeend: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook / Webpage

Tipper - Jettison Mind Hatch

In the landscape of independent electronic music, a bevy of formative musicians, producers, and engineers are viewed as having pioneered the current paradigms in the production and composition philosophy of this alternative sonic hemisphere. Amongst those prescient audionauts, Dave Tipper has served as an anchor and inspiration for an entire generation of fans and musicians alike. It’s been five years since the release of Forward Escape, a seminal dive into the expanse and attitude of compositionally rich electronic music. In the time since, Tipper has gradually redefined the framework of his musical output, as well as set a new standard on the design philosophy of curated live events. The inclusive, sonically-driven, detail-oriented vision that precludes his personal events and concerts has raised the benchmark time and time again, following in tandem with the almost biological evolution of his music. The frequency in which he unveils new material during his performances vastly outweighs the frequency in which he unveils new studio releases, but like most good dishes, he lets the music come to a slow roast before serving it as a full meal. Such is the case with Jettison Mind Hatch, the next installment in Tipper’s ongoing journey into space and sound. Replete with innumerable tones, textures, patches, samples, and compositional evolution, the album is a further testament to Tipper’s engineering and production knowledge; album to album, he demonstrates the impact and aural charisma achievable through an absolute focus on fidelity, and Jettison Mind Hatch is unquestionably another level of refinement atop his notably lucid catalog.

If the titular definition of an album is the most direct path to the album’s intent, then Jettison Mind Hatch could hardly be more fitting; from the very first steps into the lucent waters of the intro track “Sayonara”, the mind begs to be let loose of its daily toil. Synthesis paints ardent hues across the total spectrum of stereo space, setting the pace for an emotional experience expressed through harmony and cadence. The elasticity of the tones has a way of carrying the listener not just through the song’s breadth, but through the song’s perpetual state of buoyancy. This idea of buoyancy is a staple of Tipper productions, though the expression of it continues to manifest in ever more vivacious textures. “Viscous” brings the concept in an entirely different direction from the album’s instigation, sending synthetic condensation straight into a blender of melody, filtration, and cascading atmospheres. Once the track folds unto itself for the final time, it smoothly dissolves out of the mix, revealing the nascent ambience of “Sahra”. An overture for dunes, mirages, and grating winds, this song swells and drips with interwoven semitones and droning soundscapes. The percussion rattles and springs along the circuitry of the track’s rhythm, with reverberant pops signaling every turn and refrain.

“Tethers” reinvigorates the atmosphere of the album with effervescent chords and arpeggios falling back onto acoustic drums and duplicitous rhythms. The jazz influence in the percussion can hardly be overlooked, as they channel a palpable attitude that carries the underbelly of the song.  The deviations and glitches that burst between the aural focal points fill out the creamy center of the track, rising and expanding until hitting the optimal temperature. It’s at that specific temperature that “Tethers” splits open into an oxygen-rich head trip, building upon itself throughout every measure until it spills back out of the stereo image. Slowly entering that open space, “Permatemp” slides into the ear fully baked and fully stereophonic. The rise and fall of the lead lines bounce the mind to and fro with a gentle push, while the momentary flashes of starlight synthesis saunter along in step with every downbeat. Bringing a palatable finality to the album, “Oi Oi Spit” strikes a gentle balance between harmony and dissonance in a dance of phased-out synthesis and illusory textures. The thematic elements of the song reflect that balance, and indeed the equilibrium of the album, through its gradual evolution, swelling and vibrating at a sine curve pace until it reaches its final moments of Jettison Mind Hatch.

Without so much as missing a step, Dave Tipper continues to reinvent the sonic wheel, taking musical fundamentalism into fantastically sapient territories. The biosynthetic archetype of Tipper’s music is itself an amorphous nebula of audio twists and turns, and Jettison Mind Hatch succeeds in finding yet another new direction to turn unto. In the wake of the album’s release, Tipper is poised to take the stage across a wide swath of the US, with appearances slated for Camp Bisco, Summer Meltdown, Arise Music Festival, Imagine Festival, and more. While he will undoubtedly be showcasing music from Jettison Mind Hatch and beyond, one has to wonder what he will possibly cook up next.

FOLLOW Tipper: Bandcamp / Addic.tech / Spotify / Soundcloud / Facebook

Sweeps - Not Just One Thing [Single]

“See hip-hop is not just one thing. As long as it feel good and it hits you in the heart, and you can feel what the person’s saying in that type of way, then that’s hip-hop.” So says Nasir Jones aka Nas, as sampled by Sweeps in the Boston-based producer’s latest single “not just one thing”. Sweeps hits on a special sound in his latest tune, a cerebral take on hip-hop. The space created within the mix is deep, leaving the listener room to work his or her imagination. Each piece of artwork associated with his music fits a singular space-age aesthetic, including the video associated with “not just one thing”. Sweeps makes all this himself.

Sweeps has a small following on SoundCloud. A few tracks, including a remix of Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA”, have a ton of streams. He also has a few tracks reminiscent of old Gramatik street bangers. Across his catalog, and especially lately, the production is noticeably neat and clean, while still maintaining an emotional edge. The mix downs are well maintained and his sonic material, from kicks to snares to synthesizer blips, are defined for the ear. This is much appreciated in the context of lo-fi hip hop, where - not to anyone’s discredit - clean mix downs aren’t always assured.

The special vocal sample alludes to a dynamic at play for a generation of new hip-hop producers. Hip-hop’s broken beat has become a means to communicate so many ideas, emotions, and aesthetics not associated with original or traditional hip-hop. While this may frustrate some, it offers a language and a means of expression to so many others. That’s the beauty of the style, as Nas recognizes. It’s less about standards or qualifications and more about the ability communicate feeling. “The rest is bullshit,“ says Nas.

FOLLOW Sweeps: SoundCloud / Spotify / Bandcamp / Instagram

Tribone - Incantations [Single]

Serving his label Shanti Planti with honor, Tribone rallies the troops with a battle cry in the otherworldy land of psychedelic bass music. A rare outlier in a field so clearly steeped in dub influences, Tribone faces this world with the smirk of someone raised around psytrance. He designs his sounds and arrangements with a flair for the heavy and tribal, occasionally collaborating with concordant producers Whitebear and Master Minded. His latest effort “Incantations” is a wild burst of energy to whet the appetite of fans and rock the socks off the dancefloor with strange vibrations. Be prepared to stomp this one out.

True to its name, “Incantations” begins with an entrancing whisper that steals into the psyche of the listener and leads them into psychedelic orbit. The vocals provided by Solar Kid are a vital energetic buoy for the track overall. They indicate an increase in vibrant and diffident sounds whenever a raspy shamanic spell is cast. The driving beat runs the mood, piling on reverb until it becomes bell-like, while a counterbalancing beat engages more of the body.

Certainly on the more aggressive and heavy side of tribal, it's a firm reminder that war is part of the spirit. As Shanti Planti is noteworthy in the psybass fold for clever polyrhythms, worldbeat aesthetics, and dark musical themes, it makes all the sense in the world that the label would export the heavyweight Shachar (ch as in Bach) aka Tribone for a rare single track release.

FOLLOW Tribone: SoundCloud / Bandcamp / Spotify / Facebook

Kodiak Kid - Gangster Cinematic ft. Mad Zach [Single]

Last week when we dropped a gnarly Rusted Rhythms mix from Melbourne’s Kodiak Kid, we told you he’ll be releasing his debut EP Drifting Status on May 10. Today the second single from that long-awaited release is here - “Gangster Cinematic” featuring the veteran producer and controllerism adept Mad Zach. This eerie six-minute ballad picks up from where Kodiak Kid’s first single “To the Point” left off. From the creeping bass lines to the tense string samples and the spacious mixdown, the sonic themes across both songs are similar, giving the listener a solid indication of what to expect from this EP.

“Gangster Cinematic” journeys farther than the first single into the outer reaches of the psyche. There’s more dissolve, more dissolution from the temporal. It cultivates a weightless, intergalactic feeling while still remaining tethered to the Earth through the organic sounds of the bass, rimshot, and occasional cello sample. A solid chunk of this vibe can be credited to Mad Zach. The grainy synth pad whirring in the background, ducking high and low from the side-chain compression on the soft drums, is surely his doing. That Kodiak Kid could link up with a wizard like Zach living across the world is a testament to the Australian’s strong connections in the global bass scene.

Although this track isn’t bass music at all. Even in Kodiak Kid’s downtempo mixes and sets, there are heaping helpings of bass, and many selections that emphasize sound design. Judging just by those mixes, which are all one has to go by, Kodiak Kid’s tempered, cinematic approach to production on both of his originals so far is surprising. It’s atypical electronic music, that’s for sure, even compared to his work as a selector. It sounds organic, more composed than produced. Perhaps he had more on his mind this whole time, thoughts crawling on inter-dimensional edges which are now coming to the fore through this first release.

FOLLOW Kodiak Kid: Soundcloud / Facebook / Mixcloud / Bandcamp

FOLLOW Mad Zach:   Official   /   Soundcloud  /   Bandcamp   /   Spotify   /   Youtube   /   Facebook   /   Twitter

ManyColors - Gladys [Single]

Lo-fi hip-hop is an ascendent style right now, generating hundreds of millions of streams on Spotify and coalescing around itself an global online community. Although like all hip-hop this style is composed with sampled drums and audio, instrumentalists from Paris to Japan to New York City are beginning to approach the music from their own angle and compose tracks free of sampling. Rarely, though, does one find a full band employing this approach. But travel to Denver, Colorado to the small basement studio of upstart label Color Red and you’ll find guitarist Brant Williams and his four-piece ensemble ManyColors recording sparse, low-slung hip-hop grooves direct-to-tape. Their first single “Bangs” used jazz modalities to riff over stuttering beats, and with their second song “Gladys” the group does the same but with more chemistry and confidence.

Color Red has been bringing all sorts of instrumentalists into their studio, where the board has only eight tracks and everything is recorded straight to tape. “The limitations of it are kind of neat,” says Brant - who originally hails from Des Moines, Iowa - tells me over the phone. Brant comes from a jazz background and plays frequently with jam and funk groups including Workshy and Judo Chop. “I’ve always played that sort of way, in the funk jam style. Being a guitar player, that can lend itself to extended solos and that sort of stuff. It’s fun to play that way, but eventually I ran into J Dilla’s music. I just loved the crossroads between jazz and hip-hop, and just the idea of chillin’ out. That was super attractive coming from this background of extended solos and extended forms.”

Brant is not a hiphop head by any stretch, although he does not dig for instrumentals after catching the scent of groove from Dilla. ManyColors is a great example of how intersectional lo-fi hip hop has become. That drag, that quintessential bodyrock shuffle, truly transcends genre and culture. Guided by Color Red - a real musician’s label run by Eddie Roberts of The New Mastersounds - Brant linked up with his bandmates. He gives them bare-bones charts and they - Braxton Khan, Eric Luba and Kirwan Brown - let it fly in the studio in true jazz fashion. Working in tandem with the keyboard player Eric Luba the group crafts rich, comforting harmonies on “Gladys” that float on top of Khan’s popping percussion. “The tempos are all up,” In the funk and jam band, says Brant, but now he’s, “vibing in the lower tempos, and that’s super refreshing.”

Brant’s not the only musician to approach instrumental hip-hop through the back door of jazz, and he certainly won’t be the last. Indeed, he says once he began playing in this new style he realized many people around him were doing the same, he just “wasn’t hip to it”. But with the group’s emphasis on harmony, the slightest touch of Americana in their melodies, and the relative absence of hip-hop in Brant’s musical background, ManyColors has a take on lo-fi hardly replicated anywhere else. Look out for more music from this group in 2019, and if you’re in Denver tonight check out their J Dilla tribute set at Cervantes’ Other Side as part of Live for Live Music’s ‘The Funk Sessions”.

FOLLOW ManyColors: Official

FOLLOW Color Red: Soundcloud / Spotify / Bandcamp / Instagram

Reso - Sandrock EP

Amidst the aural chaos and calamity of Slug Wife’s ongoing invasion of the United States, the label continues to put out top-tier sound system slappers. Their most recent offering is Sandrock, an EP from long-time label collaborator and frequency freak Reso. It’s filled with pulverizing low-end, naughty rhythmic jaunts, and flexible dance-floor compositions. This release actually marks the second full year of Slug Wife’s existence, and there couldn’t be a better set of tracks to commemorate the occasion.

Sandrock is replete with all of the guttural synthesis and slanted hip-hop rhythms that Reso fans have come to expect in the past few years since the producer’s relative departure from drum and bass. Gut-busting bass lines and meter-slamming downbeats dominate the record, while augmented melodies and brain-tickling glitch artifacts paint a foreboding background. “Flexible Neck” opens the record with drizzling arpeggios and sharp-clawed stabs. All throughout the track, an impending sense of a hammer pounding a proverbial nailhead is created through clever pitch modulation and percussive elasticity. Amplifying the pure rhythmic power of the EP, “Gastroplaz” takes things in a particularly slimy direction. Bandpass filters blast across the frequency spectrum, juicing up those especially nasty bits of low-end in between bouts of wild FM modulation.

Kicking the tempo up just a notch, “Chuckin Up” scoops the mid-range and flashes between monstrous sub movements and high-end pulses. The staccato percussion and juggled arrangement flip the track inside out, upside down, right-side up, and every direction in between in a break-neck dash for the speaker cones. Closing out the record, “Loshun” opens up with lush minor chords over a cascading drum line. Ramping up the energy for an appropriate climax, the evolution of textures resolves into a cornucopia of bass weight and jazz modalities, setting the record straight on Reso’s musical vision.

With each successive release, Reso reminds discerning listeners why he’s earned such a vaunted place in the wider world of bass music. Influencing younger producers on both sides of the Atlantic, he’s a highly sought-after agent of the low-end not satisfied to rest on his laurels. There’s many opportunities to catch Reso this summer, including a headlining performance at the Mercury Lounge hosted by The Rust Music on June 22, as well as plays at Camp Bisco and Disc Jam.

FOLLOW Reso: Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Spotify / Facebook

The Rust Presents: Reso at Mercury Lounge

Aaron Johnston's J.E.D.I. - Momento [Single]

Aaron Johnston stands at the helm of an ambitious live project that brings together virtuoso musicians across a broad span of genres; Aaron Johnston’s J.E.D.I. An acronym for “Jazz-Electronic-Dance-Improvised", J.E.D.I. is exactly what it suggests; a high-octane, hybrid-jazz fusion with a dance floor mentality and jazz fluidity. The group’s roster is improvised, too, in that it rotates and has included members of the String Cheese Incident and Thievery Corporation, among others. Recently, Aaron tapped the talents of Borahm Lee (Break Science, Pretty Lights Live), Dominic Lali (Big Gigantic), and Josh Fairman (SunSquabi) to take J.E.D.I. out of the live sphere and into the studio. The group is working with the upstart Color Red imprint out of Denver, a progressive new label focusing on jazz, soul, and the gooey bits in-between, to record and produce original J.E.D.I. compositions to be released on a monthly basis.

The third of these monthly tracks is “Momento”, a vibratory, seat-of-the-pants excursion into instrumental harmony. Bringing the sum of the band’s influences and styles under a single release, “Momento” sets the tone with a vivacious keyboard melody, slowly introducing the washed-out synthesis and low end. Not but a few measures in, the percussion punctures the stereo space with a drum and bass saunter that flips the atmosphere from pensive to industrial. All along the way, the saxophone takes the lead with a meandering legato, dancing above the instrumental interplay like the canopy of a forest. Bringing the energy to a ballistic climax, the percussion launches into a mad build-up, buoying the rising textures of interpolated synthesis around it. As the tension breaks, a simpatico of improvisation and instrumental dialogue sets off through the jazz multiverse. As the song reaches a break-neck conclusion, all instrumental elements are left adrift, slowly fading out through a haze of smokey tones and asymmetrical audio glitches.

J.E.D.I. found a home on Color Red through a chance meeting at Jazz Fest in New Orleans. According to Aaron:

“Eddie [Eddie Roberts, guitarist of The New Mastersounds and Color Red founder] and I had the chance to play together for the first time last year when J.E.D.I. played at Jazz Fest. I had played the fest earlier that evening with David Byrne so I was able to slip that one gig in between tour dates with David. So happy I did!  Everyone just had a blast. I think it was refreshing for Eddie to be placed in a different element.  We hit it off instantly and from there we continued working together when our schedules allowed, and then he basically brought up Color Red to me and the timing was right for me to start to get some music recorded and out there.”

The timing feels ripe indeed. The burgeoning sounds of modern jazz are in constant flux, and rightly so. It is an inherently amorphous genre that flows in and out of musical modality. Aaron Johnston is a quintessential audio astronaut and explorer, combining the cutting edge with an ability and desire to look back on our sonic origins. As a result, J.E.D.I. is a project with few comparisons. With Color Red connecting the group to extremely talented audio engineers (the label always prioritizes top tier mixing and mastering talent), and with Eddie producing and co-signing the vision, it’s no wonder this quartet feels like it’s been a decade in the making.

FOLLOW Aaron Johnston’s J.E.D.I: Color Red / Bandcamp / Facebook / Soundcloud

FOLLOW Color Red: Official / Soundcloud / Spotify / Bandcamp / Instagram

Es-K - ReCollection

Burlington-based beatmaker Es-K releases music at a blinding clip without compromising quality. So it’s no surprise that following his spellbinding Continuance LP from February he’s back with another full-length album ReCollection, this time on Cold Busted. 24 beats, each named after a specific element on the Periodic Table, await listeners who crack this one open. The Es-K stamp of excellence is all over this album, but it’s less ambitious from a songwriting standpoint than recent work like Continuance or Koan. Instead of lofty and epic, these beats are more introspective and trance-inducing.

There’s a bit of mysticism in all of Es-K’s music, even those hard-hitters that sound like they’re coming straight out of a subway station, off a city stoop, or up from the hot asphalt of urban America itself. ReCollection includes a few of those bangers, but mostly it’s full of pocket grooves that lead the listener deep into a hypnotic state. Here, there’s time and space to think. The imagination is able to fill its lungs and exhale fully. Novel thoughts or perhaps bits of wisdom bubble up out of the ether - “essential knowledge”, which is what Es-K stands for.

One of our favorite cuts is “Crbn”, (“Carbon”) which features Es-K’s signature style of bass line. He has a technique whereby he coats the bass synthesizer with this electronic twang then lets it wobble, like a true space cowboy. It’s a small audio effect with a big payoff. Whenever this sound appears, one can be sure Es-K is hitting the right notes with it and playing a sidewalk-stomping melody. Then there’s “Cblt” (“Cobalt”). I’m not even sure what Cobalt looks like, but the word conjures images of hard grey. The track, too, with a stoic string sample covered in reverb and compression, evokes this same hard grey. Znc (“Zinc”) may take the cake on ReCollection, though, on the sheer strength of its main sample. Then again, this is the type of record one can sink into at first, then walk away from only to come back and find new gems.

Cold Busted is one of the foremost beat labels worldwide, and they and E-K are no strangers to one another. Indeed, Es-K has realized over a dozen times with the label, including 12 (yes 12) installments of his Spontaneous Grooves series. ReCollection is its lack of fidelity. It sounds more sample-based than programmed, another factor that distinguishes it from Es-K’s recent work, which is very crisp and hi-fi. Yet in the context of his prior work with Cold Busted, this new LP is right at home. If these comparisons are of no value to the reader, then we sincerely apologize and strongly recommend peeping Es-K’s back catalog so this jargon can obtain some meaning. Es-K will be performing in Madrid on April 17, and in Boston on May 4.

FOLLOW Es-K:   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp   /   Spotify / Facebook   /   Twitter

Chord Marauders - Polar Bear

In August 2018, London-based dubstep producer Geode was unable to perform at the Chord Marauders showcase at Shambhala Music Festival due to the severe illness of Ola, his partner. Her illness has persisted, and so Chord Marauders, the innovative label Geode co-founded around 2013, releases Polar Bear, a charity LP compilation to support Ola. All proceeds will go towards Ola's medical bills, particularly towards a costly new medication not yet covered by British healthcare. The compilation features each of the Marauders’ label artists - B9, Congi, FLO, Geode, and Jafu - and a number of their associates. Ola, we hope you're comfortable, because our ears are certainly feeling plush on your behalf.

Polar Bear is a striking assertion of the label's usual ideals, with opener “Jazzy” by legend Sub Basics properly setting the mood through a smooth and dusky lounge aesthetic. There’s a strong attraction to the warm fuzz of a soulful ‘80s synth, with this and other conventional instrumental samples giving the arrangement a completely organic sound. Contrast this with the closing track, “Feeling This Way About You” by Marauders co-founder Congi, a bare-bones lo-fi dub, which is cold, emotional and isolating with its plucked guitar tears. The space between is the realm of melodic intrigue the Marauders have carved out for themselves in the speculative territory of “third wave dubstep”.

Fellow co-founder Jafu turns in “Eyes Down”, a by-the-numbers Jafu track that manages to be one of the best on the compilation, bouncing and popping on a skanky two-step. Geode encourages healthy breathing with “Peppermint”, a layered pep-up track with classy Casio sounds and a low-key hand-drummed finish. Co-founder B9 teams up with Circula to bring us “Stage”, which balances a delicate off-kilter synth melody with a noire-dipped horn while jungle breaks drive the mood. Geode returns towards the end of the compilation in a more experimental and emotional mood to deliver “Cluster” (feat. Alicia Kiah), an ode to cluster chords with moving violin and vocals.

Polar Bear is highlighted by a six-and-a-half-minute epic from Phaeleh, a well-known supporter of the Chord Marauders. The veteran producer is in full form here. His fast yet calming contribution “Roller” goes through progressive shifts in tone and rhythm, grounded by wooden flute, bird calls, and the wind in the trees. Yet it’s up-and-comer Kercha who puts in our favorite track on the compilation, “Ninja”. It's a sly, low-profile dub with impressive sound design moments and moody synth key work, but in the context of the compilation it’s “the banger”. By contrast, a straightforward dub with steel drum roots like “Far Out” by Somah & Surreal feels almost ambient. Also notable is Gerwin's contribution “Reach Out”, which fits most firmly in the Chord Marauder aesthetic of all the contributions from non-label artists. The slow-n-low boom bap shuffle induces a trip-hop mindset before the arrival of a glittering pulse of synth chords and steel chimes.

The Chord Marauders never fail to suspend the audience within their particular sonic spaces. With a deep and talented network of supporters, labelmates, and associates, the label continues to integrate their sound into the greater musical consciousness with this forceful, beautiful compilation. George (Geode) brings the full strength of that network to bear in loving support of his partner. Listeners can show their support, too, by purchasing the compilation or a track or two. We wish the best for Ola - more life, more music!

FOLLOW Chord Marauders:   Official   /   Soundcloud   /   Bandcamp