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SHIT I’M DIGGING THIS WEEK

4 May

aka avant garde water cooler music discussion…


1. Flying Lotus’ next generation Sun Ra act impresses on Cosmogramma

Jazzy California low-fi producer Flying Lotus returned with his sophomore release Cosmogramma on May 3rd. In 45 minutes, the man who got his start creating the bumper music on Cartoon Network’s alt-humorous Adult Swim block of cartoons matures as a producer, showing a depth and style that to many may belie his 26 years of age, but in all reality is an extension in my mind of a genre shifting jazz artist of much renown and importance, Sun Ra.

The comparison to the Afrocentric astral plane living and forward thinking psychedelic jazzman even has roots on the album with the track “Arkestry.” Jazzy noise funk that is an intentional blues cacophony of confusion, as with Ra, Lotus’ music a study of a mind confused, then slowly unfurled with the aid of sound. Do note the virtuoso harp work of Rebekah Raff, one of the album’s true highlights, which also features Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, alongside relative with a famous surname Ravi Coltrane. Flying Lotus is a special producer, as in an era with radical experimentation, his seeking, focused and entertaining work makes his work, while progressive, progressive with great thought and purpose.

2. Dimitri from Paris presents Get Down with the Philly Sound, a Philadelphia International Records remix and edit compilation…
Unaware of Philadelphia International Records? Well, are you familiar with Teddy Pendegrass, The Trampps, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, creators of the Soul Train theme M.F.S.B. or the legendary O’Jays? Or are you familiar with songwriters Gamble and Huff or the creator of the 12″ remix Tom Moulton? Well, all of these names had a wonderful history at Philly International, to many the preeminent soul and disco label of the 1970s. Dimitri from Paris, a legendary disco and funk DJ in his own right, has remixed a number of Philly International classics on new release Get Down with the Philly Sound on BBE Music, released May 18th. Take a listen to the amazing Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes (with Teddy Pendegrass on lead) make the Soul Train dancers get down, then watch the amazing 23 minute documentary on Philly International, and be in amazement at the marriage of production, vocals and musical artistry on the label. Also, expect an interview with Dimitri himself on the site this week!

LeninsTomb presents… The Verge

31 Mar

Welcome to The Verge: a column dedicated to music on the edge of a breakthrough. Last week’s column profiled some throwback house music stylists, while today I’ll take a look at a few forward-thinking, left-field beat makers.

For all our talk of dubstep, you might think that anyone producing electronic music that isn’t equipped with a four-on-the-floor beat must describe their music in that way. Clearly, this isn’t the case, as a whole crop of producers are making music that defies easy classification. With influences from hip hop, turntablism, jazz, and R&B, among others, these artists tend towards the atmospheric and orchestral rather than danceable hits and boom-bap bangers. This is background music for an edgy tea house, or for partaking an herbal refreshment at home.

One of the most prominent purveyors of this sound is Flying Lotus. First gaining notoriety for producing the bumper music on Adult Swim, he eventually signed to like-minded record label Warp and began releasing a steady stream of music soon after. His highly anticipated sophomore record, Cosmogramma, is set for release on May 3rd.

The jittery, laser beam electro of Cosmogramma‘s “…And the World Laughs with You” features a brief, heavily processed appearance by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. The song builds over a stop-start rhythm, adding fuzzy synths like so many blankets on a cold, rainy day before devolving into a beat somewhere between jungle and minimal.

Flying Lotus – …And the World Laughs with You by greenplastic

He also produced for R&B chanteuse Muhsinah on her slept-on 2009 release The Oscillations: Triangle. The DC native and Foreign Exchange collaborator brings out the sultry side of FlyLo’s music on “Lose My Fuse,” a swirling beat and bass combo acting as the perfect soundscape for her vocal style.

http://www.youtube.com/v/9zSac0j6qKM&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01

Tokimonsta, a Flying Lotus protege and member of his Brainfeeder Records family, produces a more hip hop based sound. The LA-based artist played a live set at SOVA back in January, and rather than DJing, she manipulates and tweaks beats live. Her remixes give tracks a grimy, lo-fi character, that re-create the music in exciting new ways. Here’s her take on Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick Push:”

http://www.youtube.com/v/Id8CN50KdqY&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01

Check out Toki’s free 2008 Attention Deficit mixtape, which includes remixes of “How High” by Meth and Red and “A Mili” by Weezy. Her debut EP Cosmic Intoxication is due on Brainfeeder on April 29th.

FlyLo’s Warp labelmate Hudson Mohawke makes music that glitches and shimmers like CPUs singing love songs. At 15, he was the youngest ever UK DMC finalist. At 24, he’s an in-demand producer/DJ, quickly making a name for himself. His compositions are dense, moving, and groundbreaking. “FUSE,” off his 2009 Warp record Butter, is a massive tune full of bubbling synth lines and percussion that crashes through your speakers:

http://www.youtube.com/v/2hWrxfuzwjQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01

Technology not only allows electronic music to be made in new ways, but it also expands the breadth of sounds and styles that exist. Thanks to the diffusion of music made possible by file sharing and a robust Internet culture, more artists in the mold of Flying Lotus, Tokimonsta, and Hudson Mohawke are over the horizon and on the verge.