Banoffee‘s back with a new single—which, while part of her debut EP released in August—wasn’t officially dropped on Soundcloud until this week. Refusing to conform to any one genre, the Australian artist’s sound is a fresh eclectic blend of 80s synthpop and 90s urban soul in what may best be described as new wave R&B.
Lighter than Banoffee’s previous offerings, “Let’s Go To The Beach” is a bouncy, ebullient track imbued with her staple syncopated beats and layered synths. The track really takes off at 1:53, breaking out into a sportive and rollicking beach number (seasonable in Australia although not so much here).
Hemisphere of origin aside, you can catch Banoffee performing stateside at CMJ’s Music Festival happening this month in New York. Check out her schedule below, and purchase her album (via Two Bright Lakes) on iTunes.
Banoffee CMJ Dates:
10.22 – Aussie Beat Pie – Santos Party House – 8:50-9:15PM
10.23 – College Day – Rosenthal Pavillion – 9:45-9:55AM
10.24 – The dFM + Vitalic Noise – Mondrian Soho Hotel – 7:00-7:25PM
10.24 – The Green Room – Knitting Factory – 9:00-9:25PM
Flying Lotus’ suite of singles off the upcoming You’re Dead! LP — slated for release October 7 — runs the gamut of diametrically opposed servings we’ve come to expect from cutup savant Steve Ellison. Clocking in at 2:40 and 3:54, “Coronus, The Terminator” and “Never Catch Me,” respectively, are two of the longer cuts on an album comprised of uncharacteristically short tracks. Thankfully, our expectations of frenetic jazz samples and live recordings mashed together with the warmth of Flylo’s signature production are met on Lotus’ latest release, harkening back more to the psychedelia of Cosmogramma than the laconic Until the Quiet Comes.
On “Never Catch Me,” Kendrick’s machine-gun verses nicely ride the wave of Pastorius-like basslines, floating along smoothly with an accompanying piano line and slick drum programming that keeps pace with the track’s overall flow. Lotus has a keen ear for bringing experimental jazz to the fore in what is otherwise a highly contemporary package, and this track does not stray from the format.
As for “Coronus, The Terminator” arguably one of the album’s finest tracks — Lotus significantly dials up the thickness and dials down the BPM. From the opening licks of shimmering triangles and claves (it sounds like those instruments but who knows), this track is lush. Soulful melodies in the vein of an old spiritual drip viscously throughout, fleshed out by a warm lo-fi hiss. For an album conceived around meditations on death, “Coronus” drives home an aspect of weighty, peaceful release in that regard.
If you’re so inclined to see FlyLo live (with support from Thundercat), his upcoming tour should bring him to a city near you.
October 2014
• 09 Orlando, FL, The Beacham
• 10 Miami, FL, iii Points
• 11 Atlanta, GA, The Tabernacle
• 12 Chapel Hill, NC, Cat’s Cradle
• 13 Washington, DC, Lincoln Theater
• 14 Philadelphia, PA, Tower Theater
• 15 New York, NY, Terminal 5
• 17 Boston, MA, Paradise
• 18 Burlington, VT, Higher Ground
• 20 Montreal, QC, SAT
• 21 Toronto, ON, The Danforth Music Hall
• 23 Detroit, MI, Royal Oak Music Theater
• 24 Chicago, IL, Concord Music Hall
• 25 Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue
November 2014
• 07 London, The Roundhouse
• 09 Austin, TX, Fun Fun Fun Fest
• 11 Phoenix, AZ, Marquee Theater
• 12 Santa Ana, CA, The Observatory
• 13 San Diego, CA, North Park Theatre
• 14 Los Angeles, CA, Wiltern
• 15 Santa Cruz, CA, Catalyst
• 17 Portland, OR, Roseland
• 18 Seattle, WA, Neptune
• 19 Vancouver, BC, Commodore Ballroom
• 21 Salt Lake City, UT, The Complex
• 22 Denver, CO, Fillmore Auditorium
While we were hard pressed not to dedicate this edition of Remix Roundup to the surge of Odesza “Say My Name” remixes, we restrained ourselves. So instead, we’re kicking off this week’s installment with WKND‘s rendition of Jai Paul’s stellar track “BTSTU,” which frankly we feel didn’t get its due. The German producer mashes up the captivating JP original with a cover by Niia. Since getting turned on to “BTSTU” we haven’t been able to get enough, and this luscious deep house rework keeps us equally enthused.
Naturally, we couldn’t escape this week’s roundup without sharing at least one of the Odesza mixes which have been sprouting up all over since the inception of the TSIS contest. While we’re psyched about the awesome amount of innovation the contest has inspired — and appreciative to those artists who’ve shared their efforts with us — there are simply too many to feature all. (The moral of the story may be that it helps to have good raw material). And though we do not recommend trying to listen to them all in one sitting, we do encourage everyone to check out the fresh new crop of talent before the contest ends October 27.
Amidst the chaos though, the one remix that’s stayed with us is the Jordan James edit (currently no. 5 in the rankings). We love that the Australian producer keeps the sultry vocals of Zyra at the forefront over a shimmering stratum of synths, even brassing it up in the bridge with the addition of some French horns.
And finally, in celebration of Caribou‘s much anticipated album Our Love that drops via Merge in the US and Canada October 7, stream the title track below. Collaborating with Owen Pallett (as if Dan Snaith releasing a new album wasn’t exciting enough), Pallett helps Dan to achieve greatness by adding some spectral strings and sparing baroque riffs. In an interview with Stereogum, Dan explains: “When I sent it to Owen and asked him to write parts I was talking about the arrangement and layout of the song as a kind of chess game where the parts move around one another in a sort of dance.” The result is pure electro-alchemy.
Purchase the album Tuesday on iTunes, and be sure to catch his show at DC’s Black Cat if you’re in the area November 15.
PHOX first stole our hearts whilst seeing them perform live this last summer at DC’s The Hamilton. The Wisconsin indie folk band made up of six close friends exudes Midwestern charm and mutual adoration for one another on stage. Lead singer Monica Martin is at once charismatic and relatable—whose soulful vocals lent themselves effortlessly to the intimate venue. Although their songs are filled with latent themes of heartbreak, their breezy almost retro-sounding music is also a joyous and heartwarming affair.
Which is why when we heard that PHOX’s hit single “Slow Motion” had been remixed by Partisan Records labelmate Sylvan Esso, we could scarcely contain our excitement. The North Carolina duo put their inventive art-pop spin on the track to dazzling effect. Stream the mix below, along with a couple of our favorite PHOX tracks.
Both groups released their eponymous debut albums earlier this year, available on iTunes. Don’t miss your chance to see these spectacular artists live — check out upcoming tour dates below!
PHOX On Tour:
10/2 – Dallas, TX | Granada Theater*
10/4 – Houston, TX | Warehouse Live*
10/6 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works*
10/7 – Atlanta, GA | Variety Playhouse*
10/10 – Austin, TX | Lambert’s
12/6 – Portland, ME | State Theatre^
12/7 – Northampton, MA | Calvin Theatre^
12/8 – Providence, RI | Lupo’s^
12/11 – Columbus, OH | The LC Pavilion^
12/12 – Cincinnati, OH | Taft Theatre^
12/13 – Chicago, IL | Aragon Ballroom^
* denotes w/ Paolo Nutini
^ w/ The Head and The Heart
Sylvan Esso On Tour:
10/18 – Irving, TX | Cultivate Festival
10/23 – Baltimore, MD | The 8×10
10/24 – Philadelphia, PA | Union Transfer
10/30 – Saxapahaw, NC | Haw River Ballroom – SOLD OUT
10/31 – Saxapahaw, NC | Haw River Ballroom – SOLD OUT
11/8 – Oakland, CA | Fox Theater*
11/9 – Davis, CA | The Davis Graduate
11/10 – Sacramento, CA | Memorial Auditorium*
11/14 – Los Angeles, CA |– Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall*
11/15 – Santa Barbara, CA | Santa Barbara Bowl*
1/15 – Atlanta, GA | Variety playhouse
1/16 – Charlotte, NC | The Neighborhood Theatre
1/17 – Charlottesville, VA | Jefferson Theater
1/23 – New York, NY | Terminal 5
1/24 – Uncasville, CT | Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun
1/31 – 2/4 – Riviera Maya, Mexico | My Morning Jacket’s One Big Holiday
Hot off the release of new album In Return via Counter Records earlier this month, the Seattle-based duo Odesza — who’ve experienced a steady stream of success over the past year — have sold out more than half of their fall tour dates. Standout track off the LP “Say My Name” features the vocals of Zyra alongside their signature inventive soundscapes, and some additional chopped vocals from Madelyn Grant. Incidentally, there’s a slew of remixes of this song happening as part of the This Song Is Sickofficial remix contest. So if you’re dying for different variations of the tune, head over to the contest page and vote for your favorite before it ends October 17. Listen to the original below, along with some of our other faves, “Always This Late” and “Sun Models.”
Odesza is performing at DC’s U Street Music Hall TONIGHT! If you missed your chance to get tix, you can still purchase the album here.
In light of the fact that Jungle is playing in DC this week, we thought now would be an appropriate time to share the amazing video for their single “Time.” Co-directed by Oliver Hadlee Pearch, the London duo premiered the video a week before releasing their smash self-titled debut this July. The short—similar to the last one for “The Heat”—centers around two older gent’s proclivity for dance, culminating in a full on dance-off in a high school auditorium. Watch the fierce battle that transpires below.
Can’t wait to catch these cats tomorrow, September 30 at Black Cat!
And just for kicks — we also wanted to share the new Joy Orbison rhythmic rework of Jungle’s “The Heat.” One of the few remixes that Jungle have permitted, UK’s Joy O brings some intricate synth work and basslines to the groovy original. Right on time.
Welcome to another Remix Roundup, in which we bring you the latest and greatest electronic offerings the web currently has to offer.
First up is the new jam from The Chainsmokers, who’ve remixed “Sway” from the new Norwegian pop artist Anna of the North. Speeding up the tempo and keeping Anna’s vocals at the forefront, The Chainsmokers’ rendition heightens the best elements of the original in what is a slightly new turn for the NY-based producers (the same ones who brought you “#Selfie“). Timely enough, they happen to be spinning at DC’s Echostage TONIGHT, so if you need a place to get your ‘dance party’ on, get your tickets now and prepare by picking up a free download of “Sway” on Soundcloud.
Next is the new remix of RAC’s “Cheap Sunglasses” from Two Friends, aka the LA-based producers Matt and Eli. Owing to the fact that they loved the oh-so-summery original (as did we), they put their progressive house spin on the RAC track while maintaining the essence of the RAC prototype. This is the best remix effort of the track we’ve heard so far (and there have been a few), so definitely worth a listen if you too dig the orig. Stream below and purchase on iTunes.
And for the third and final selection, we’re loving the below rework of Goldroom‘s “Embrace” from DC’s own backstroke. Adding some synth-washed layers and blissed-out harmonies, backstroke’s captivating reinterpretation distinguishes the up-and-coming producer from his peers — making those of us in the district proud to claim him.
Just in time for your weekend, WKND has dropped a new house remix of Australian artist Chet Faker‘s cover of Sonia Dada’s “Lover (You Don’t Treat Me No Good).” The cover was a song that Chet originally performed for Triple J’s popular “Like A Version” segment this past July, which you can watch here. Recasting the bluesy cover into a bumpin’ house number, the German producer turns up the heat with a sped-up tempo, banging basslines and unexpected tropical influences.
Get this beat in your headphones today, as WKND is giving it out for FREE on his SoundCloud page.
On another note, Chet has been blowing up this year since the inception of his 2014 debut LP, Built on Glass via Future Classic. Last year the soulful musician also teamed up with Flume on the dope track “Drop the Game,” available for streaming below. You can catch Chet stateside this fall at NYC’s Webster Hall October 16.
St Tropez, up-and-coming Oakland outfit have just released the video for their latest single, “Let Go.” Filmed by director Carlos Marulanda (Sonambulo Films) in singer/songwriter Sanjay’s studio, the vid is an intimate live recording of the quintet’s blend of melodic, bittersweet pop in action.
Inspired by the rediscovery of a high school yearbook, Sanjay says the song is about clinging to old memories, and the difficulty of letting go — of even the painful ones. While the atmospheric sound of the original is still present here, the pared-down instrumentation and acoustic setting allow the lovely vocals of Sanjay and Lalin St. Juste to shine as they glide across the rhythmic guitar and percussion like a ghostly wave of nostalgia.
Watch below and look out for St Tropez’s debut full length to drop October 16.
Brolin is another one of those elusive up-and-coming artists who prefer to play it close to the vest when it comes to divulging one’s identity. As tends to be the case though, talent speaks for itself when you have affective alt-pop tracks like “Swim Deep” to showcase. The mysterious British singer and producer will be releasing the single as part of an EP of the same name on October 27.
Brolin’s debut album is also expected to drop sometime early in the new year.
poetry in an empty coke can 