New UK duo Apidae released their terrific debut single, “Turning Tides” last month on Dumont Dumont, the Swedish label and sister label to Jose Gonzalez’ Imperial Recordings. The project began with producer and multi-instrumentalist Greg Hummell in 2013, who would go on to meet Drew JH York — a singer/musician whose vox create the perfect counterpoint to Hummell’s penchant for live instrumentation fused with electronic production.
The influences of Radiohead and Caribou are readily apparently on the track “Turning Tides,” which contains a multitude of genres wrapped up into one intriguing package. We’ll be looking forward to hearing more from the duo as they finish up their EP, until then, enjoy this tune below.
We’re back with a new installment of Remix Roundup, which features some big house mixes this week. The first comes courtesy of MNEK, the UK producer who has crafted Vanessa Carlton‘s early 2000s hit “A Thousand Miles” into a banging house number, even sampling The B-52’s classic “Love Shack.” Listen to the explosive result of his inventive efforts below, baby.
Next up we have a new treat from legendary German producer ATB, who just released his remix of Ellie Goulding‘s “Love Me Like You Do” in anticipation of his tenth studio album. Unleashing his euphoric house production alongside Ellie’s enchanting vocals, ATB takes the original track to new heights in his progressive dancefloor-pounding rendition.
Last but not least we have a massive remix of Justin Timberlake‘s “Cry Me A River” from Deficio. As of late it was covered by CHVRCHES, and now the Swedish producer has reworked the track into an invigorating house number infused with some serious synth work and thunderous beats. Stream below.
It’s Friday! Get “Torn Up” with The Black and The White, an indie trio from LA who make 80s inspired synthpop. With infectious melodies, fresh falsetto and slinky synths, it’s hard not to get invested in this uptempo jam. Stream their first single since releasing their 2013 debut EP Futures below.
Floridian five-piece Hundred Waters first made waves in 2012 with the release of their self-titled debut. Shortly thereafter, they signed to Skrillex’s OWSLA label and have been riding the momentum ever since — touring with Interpol in 2014 and even having their song “Show Me Love” picked up for a Coca-Cola ad in this year’s Super Bowl. Their 2014 sophomore album, The Moon Rang Like A Bell showcases a gorgeous blending of layered electronics and folk instrumentation, in a genre that is hard to pin down but has been coined by Pitchfork as “digital folk.”
Check out the intense standout track “Cavity,” along with the haunting Huxleyremix of “Down From The Rafters” that we can’t get enough of below.
Currently on their biggest headlining tour yet, DC area folk can catch Hundred Waters in concert at U Street Music Hall this Friday, March 6.
ELELis a new eight-piece based out of Nashville that has been building a good amount of buzz this past year. Founded by Ben Elkins, the epithet ELEL is an amalgam of Ben’s surname and his wife’s first name, Eliska (insert requisite “awe” here). Recently signed to Mom + Pop Records (Andrew Bird, Jagwar Ma, Poliça) the indie outfit is also comprised of musicians Zach Tichenor (keys/guitar/vocals), Tim Cook (guitar/keys/vocals), Jo Jo Jackson (bass/vocals), Alex Mojavarian (drums/percussion), Jerry Pentecost (drums/percussion), Fredrick Weathersby (trumpet/vocals), and Stefan Forbus (saxophone/vocals).
Collectively with their array of instruments, ELEL make exuberant indie pop complete with lo-fi sampling and lots of live improvisation. Prior to the group’s showat DC’s Black Cat with opener Avers tonight, we caught up with frontman Ben, post-sound check in Philly to discuss their self-titled EP that released today.
When did ELEL first come together?
It came together over about a six month period starting about two and a half years ago up, until we played our first show in in Nashville. A lot of us worked at Trader Joe’s, and at the time I was putting together a new band and got into kind of a crunch cause I needed people to play a show. I asked around a bit to see if people were available and lo and behold they were also great musicians. Around that same time I also met Zach at a party and we just hit it off. The two horn players were more of a struggle to nail down initially – I had to keep calling and calling, but once Fredrick came to the first practice, he was in. So it kind of came together in a real neat organic sort of way, which is great.
Can you give us a little insight into what all went into recording the EP?
It was a lot of recording at my house on my computer with just headphones. I like to record old instrumental jazz records collected from thrift stores over the years. I’ll listen through the song and chop out small chords and percussion parts, loop this or that and manipulative them in a lot of different ways – that really makes the song come alive more than just me doing that part with my own keyboard or something. It was a lot of messing around with textures just to get the feel of it down, then we would replace those parts in the studio. I did all the vocals at my house because I like to take my time with that kind of thing; plus I tend to get nervous in the studio setting since you’re paying for it and have all these random people listening to you.
Did you have to get a lot of equipment?
No but I mean I should have if I’d had the money! I just kind of worked with what I had. I borrowed this really neat old broadcasting mic from a friend, which is what I sing the vocals through. It’s a real DIY kind of project, that’s kind of one of the reasons that I’m thrilled that it’s resonating with people, ’cause I worked countless hours and put countless amounts of energy into it but didn’t necessarily have the best equipment.
You’ve talked before about the music industry being overly obsessed with perfection. Can you speak to that a bit more?
Definitely, I think the record industry’s drive towards perfection is mostly motivated by fear. The industry is so scared of taking risks right now because as we all know, for 10 or 15 years or so there’s been a decrease in revenue in the music business. So the reaction has been to not take any chances, and what that means to record executives is to make everything sound perfect. And it’s unfortunate because I think that a lot of the music that’s coming out is so perfectly produced that it doesn’t even sound human anymore. It’s like a photograph that gets touched up on a magazine cover, you know.
For sure, everything’s photoshopped these days.
Uh huh, it’s like that Foster the Peoplevideo where this one model is told to manipulate her body, and by the end of it she’s changed so much that she looks really, really weird. It’s pretty intense – but in a way that’s what’s happening to music. When you hear a live band that’s really groovin, it just impacts your heart and soul. But if you took that performance and fixed all the idiosyncrasies, something would be lost. Humans don’t look or sound perfect – and if we get further and further away from that in our art, to me it feels uncomfortable and it doesn’t resonate as much with people.
What music inspires you the most and who are you currently listening to?
Anything that stirs my soul. Can be anything from 90s garage rock, to jazz, soul, and modern indie bands like Beach House or Local Natives. Also the most recent Flume release is pretty freakin’ awesome. And actually, it may sound strange but I’m not a huge music consumer; I probably shouldn’t say that – it sounds snobbish but maybe it’s the music producer in me that makes me want to change things. Nonetheless, when I hear a song that moves my soul – that’s the kind of music I want to make and contribute to this world.
How did you get connected to the Mom + Pop label?
Julia, the A&R person there found our track “40 Watt” in May 2014. That was a huge moment, receiving that email. I was sitting with my bandmate Tim in front of my laptop after an ELEL practice, and just happened to see the email from Mom and Pop and got so excited that as he was talking I hit him in the chest and was just like, look at this! We both started yelling, giving each other high fives and immediately went into the kitchen to pour tequila shots. And that was just an introductory email!
Haha, well luckily it all worked out. What’s next for ELEL?
We’re touring right now and getting ready to release a couple of videos off the EP, excited to be playing in SXSW this month, then heading from Austin up to the Northwest for a few more tour dates before heading back home.
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LIsten to the EP’s lead single “40 Watt” below — along with a great remix by JackLNDN — and support the band by purchasing the EP on iTunestoday.
If you’re looking for an instant aural pick-me-up, look no further than the debut single fromJodie Abacus, “I’ll Be That Friend.” Sounding like a cross between Stevie Wonder and Billy Joel — the London-based crooner packs a soulful punch, with plenty of poppy and heartwarming vibes to go with. Stream below.
Electropop project from TorontoFor Esmérecently released their first single “Just Yet” and it is a gem of a debut. The band — the title of which derives from J. D. Salinger’s short story, “For Esmé—with Love and Squalor” — is comprised of Martha Meredith (Vocals, Drum Machine, Synths), Dave Thiel (Bass) and Nathan Crook (Guitar, Vocals). According to Meredith, they wanted to make pop that “pushes the envelope through poetry, reflection and some dark undertones” (oh hay).
“Just Yet,” off their forthcoming album Sugar is a lyric-driven piece with deep synths, pulsing percussion, and immersive soundscapes — all with polished production thanks to producer James Bunton. Their sound is already drawing comparisons to CHVRCHES and Robyn, so needless to say we’ll be looking forward to the record’s release. Check out the official video below.
Saturday, Monday is a Swedish artist that recently collaborated with British singer Brolin on new single, “Marble Coast.” The beautiful alt-pop track combines classic elements such as chamber strings with modern electronics and achingly good vocals from Brolin.
Taken from Saturday, Monday’s upcoming EP Late, look forward to the official release March 23 on Swedish label Despotz.
Stylized synthpop act Pr0files first caught P0etry’s attention in 2013 with their debut single, “Call Yourself a Lover.” The LA-based duo, comprised of Danny Sternbaum and Lauren Pardini are longtime friends who came together to make dreamy pop tunes. They’re no strangers to the music circuit though, as both have been involved in separate projects, with Sternbaum composing film scores and Pardini cutting her teeth writing for DJ Khalil’s production team (Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Drake) and Corin Roddick of Purity Ring.
Their new song, “Get it Up” is an upbeat, disco-soaked track that will have you grooving for the weekend in no time. Enjoy this beat below, along with the inaugural track that first enchanted us.
Brooklyn-based duo Beacon released their EP L1 in December last year, their latest effort since 2013’s full-length debut, The Ways We Separate. Signed to Ghostly International, vocalist/producer Thomas Mullarney and producer Jacob Gossett make minimalist and R&B imprinted electronic music. Look no further than “Fault Lines,” the lead track off the EP for a sampling of their deeply haunting and percussive-heavy, after-dark instrumentation. Listen below along with the stunning “Feeling’s Gone,” from the aforementioned LP.
DC locals can catch Beacon live in concert tomorrow, February 19 at DC9.
poetry in an empty coke can 