OFWGKTA
Sub in the trunk thumpin’ up against the dead cops -
When Odd Future first caught our ears- it was as if we had found a radically concentrated manifestation of the same motifs of casual nihilism, uncertainty, violence, and misanthropy that haunt Low-Life.ca. We’re all part of the same generation- I’m not sure why we turned out like this.
But I do have some spine-chilling rap music for you.
Earl is understated, sadistic, and vicious.
Epar – Earl Sweatshirt [recommended]
Drop – Earl Sweatshirt [recommended]
Here is an outstanding feature on O.F. from The Quietus- ‘Youth and Young Manhood.’
And also, here’s a charming video from Earl.
Wolfey
Dimlite
One of the brightest young experimental hip-hop mad scientists around- hailing from the beautiful country of Switzerland- This is Dimlite. Dimlite, a.k.a Dimitri Grimm (1980), makes lippy instrumental beats delivered with expert rhythm and coloured with a rich palette of atmospheric vocals and jazz textures. (I’d draw parallels between Dimlite and some of the L.A. beat scene producers, particularly, Flying Lotus. But Dimlite doesn’t have that stuttering demented off-time rhythm characteristic of Fly Lo; instead Dimlite’s grooves are slightly slicker, and tighter.)
Stick this in your walkman when you step out the door today- you’ll feel like the freshest degenerate on the block.
Count Your Sunrises – Dimlite [recommended]
Exact Fingerpointing – Dimlite [recommended]
Misel Quitno is Dimlite’s alter ego- it has a different flavor, but it is equally appealing.
Get Up, It’s a Crumbling Day – Misel Quitno
Dimlite has a new EP out on Stones Throw - The release is called My Human Wears Acedia Shreds . You can grab it here . I highly recommend it.
Wolfey
Salty | Sour | Sweet | Bitter
Today we give you sound that’ll tickle every bud on your tongue; a four course meal of bass music. The ingredients are fresh. The wine is strong. The company is our own. This is the low life.
Yet again, Shlohmo brings us the swagger of a street gang from southern Neptune. Brush the shoulders off of your space suit.
Pretty Boy Swag (Shlohmo Remix) – Soulja Boy [recommended]
This track clicks and clacks with the fines of a Chinese orchestra and the fury of a tiger in its cage. Amon Tobin creates a world that crunches and strums, growls and beeps. Experience it.
His latest release ‘ Bowser ,’ has exploded onto the digital scene. Rave review after rave review materialize in response to his deep and quirky live set. Jonwayne’s got his guns a blazin’.
These bouncy Brits caught my ear with this dance hall heat wave.
Valley Of The Shadows (The Living Graham Bond Remix) – Unknown Origin
I couldn’t help myself. The 320 has yet to be released, but the take satisfies. This remix marks two things; the upcoming remix ep dedicated to the exemplification of the dubstep anthem, ‘Where You Should Be,’ and a new JackBeats track that’s not only worth listening to, but is actually worth listening to more than once. Cheers to duality.
Where You Should Be (Jack Beats Remix) – Skream
Dillon Francis told Barry Bonds that your knee caps fucked his wife. Apparently the sex was great, but not quite as great as the toll this number takes on your legs.
Take It Back (Dillon Francis Remix) – Toddla T [recommended]
Piano diddles over a crisp drum set. Pretend she’s singing to you.
R.I.P. (Grimes Remix) – Bikini
Sometimes a producer is better off without a big name rap artist muddying up his track. This guy is one of them.
I’m God (Instrumental) – Clams Casino [recommended]
See you at Shambhala Mr. Fresh!
Feed Me, formerly known as Spor, has ripped a page right out of Skrillex’s book, chewed it up, and spat it out.
Call Your Girlfriend (Feed Me Remix) – Robyn
What happens in Thailand, stays in your blood stream.
Chouwa Oto – With Reflection (DJSE remix) – Kokia
Paper walls? Brick walls! Layered concrete buried underground destroyed with funky sub bass and a cowbell.
Paper Walls – Crushington [recommended]
Bonne appe-fucking-tit,
sam.i.am
Jack Dixon
Hailing from a venerable breeding ground of stellar bass-oriented beats- South London, Mr. Jack Dixon , lures you in with an understated palette of crisp intricate broken beats, and a collage of re-pitched vocal snippets floating on top of a bed of pure sine wave sub-bass. Dixon’s music reflects his surroundings in UK garage sound- I would put Dixon on a playlist with Mount Kimbie, early James Blake, Martyn, and Koreless for a little bit of early-hours brain-therapy after the rave.
Jack Dixon’s first official release Substitute EP is available on Silverback Recordings (Belgium). Look out for his next EP Dead Man’s Switch, which is due for release April 25 th on Skint Records .
We Had a Better Life – Jack Dixon [serve chilled]
Changes – Jack Dixon [recommended]
And here’s a little bonus guilty pleasure
My Love (Jack Dixon bootleg) – Justin Timberlake
Yours,
Wolfey
Techno | Nothing Else But A Word
Today, we are proud to lend this cold stage of ours to a fine friend, and even finer minimalist D.J.; known to most brooding bass and bright light lusting delinquents frequenting the clubs of Montreal as, none other than, Mr. Haussmann. If you can’t keep up with his lyrical diction or his complex philosophies, it is most likely because you are, quite simply, not as cool as this Parisian blip criminal. This is sam.i.am signin’ off and instructin’ you to bite your tongue and roll with it.
Mr. Haussmann -
To keep it simple, I’ll start by thanking sam.i.am & Rader for giving me the opportunity to write some futile words on what I consider to be one of the up coming sea to sea music blogs. Sucky sucky.
The only legitimate criticism that one could give to someone’s taste in music is that it is subjectively boring. Nonetheless, in one way or another, if it is possible to enter into a state of relaxation with an unprepossessed state of mind, one could access this contemplation. There, nothing else will bother the intellectual experience and the pleasure of being lost. Yea lost, not as in oh fuck I’m lost – can I start over? But in the true sense of the word. The solution may be to sit down and talk about it, but I am convinced that the old Sigmund never had the chance to taste some techno melodies.
In the sick name of beauty, I shall give a starting point to this enterprise. Evocation.
This next track is part of the infamous “Boys Noize Presents Super Acid”.
From Paris, with love.
Boyfriend and Ckrono join forces to deliver this nostalgic, bass driven moombahton interpretation of dance music; classic Born Slippy.
Born Slippython – Boyfriend & Ckrono
Charlie Sheen likes:
A) Coke
B) Pepsi
Indigo – Azari & III [recommended]
We Have To Blackmail – Gabriel D or And Bordoy [recommended]
Surko (Blaze Tripp Remix) – Slap In The Bass [recommended]
My name is Mr. Haussmann
Grouper
You ever wondered what it sounds like at the bottom of the deepest crevice in the entire ocean?
Listen to the experimental ambient sounds of Liz Harris, a.k.a. Grouper (Portland, Oregon) and you might get some sense of it-
Distant strings and lush pads reverberating in an abandoned aquarium- and a wash of indistinct angelic whispering harmonies.
Grouper has released six LPs since 2005, as well as a handful of EPs. These songs are from Harris’ latest LP ‘Alien Observer’ (Yellow Electric, 2011).
Alien Observer – Grouper [ambient]
Moon is Sharp – Grouper [ambient] [recommended]
Wolfey
Reso | Abyss & Identity
And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
In celebration of the lauching of his new site, Reso, a producer notorious for his hypnotizing soundscapes, has graciously gifted us a trio of free tracks.
Calm your nerves, take some deep breaths and relish in the dim light of Abyss before Identity pumps some blood into the release in an explosion of techno’s sonic boundaries.
Pick up the last track and a bonus mixtape here .
alh
Matthewdavid | Outmind
See the cat? See the cradle?
Stick MatthewDavid in your tape-deck, kiss your friends and foes goodbye, lean back, close your eyes-
Within a few minutes, you’ll wake up feeling kind of sedated in your very own demented satellite module that is orbiting the earth-
This is the sound of deep space exploration, and comets exploding in slow motion.
L.A. based MatthewDavid just released Outmind on Brainfeeder . Pick it up here.
Group Tea (ft. Flying Lotus) – Matthewdavid [ambient]
Los Angeles is Beautiful – Matthewdavid [ambient]
Wolfey
Kode9 & The Spaceape | Black Sun
In the end there will be no end- only open-ended suggestions
Kode9 and the Spaceape’s Memories of the Future (Hyperdub, 2006) remains my first choice record for 5am paranoid-schizophrenic prophecies of a sinister future. This music envisions a time and a place that is not to far off- pervasive disorder, uncertainty, and bleakness. The pair just released their second full-length Black Sun . It features a collaboration track with Flying Lotus, and vocals from a girl from Shanghai called ‘Cha Cha’. Some of us have been anticipating this release since we heard previews during Kode9’s BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix and his spot on Benji-B in March.
Black Sun creates a much livelier vibe than Memories of the Future. If you loved the creeping, dark, abandoned city atmosphere on their first release, don’t be dismayed- There is continuity in the feelings and images the music provokes, but Black Sun is more energetic, frenetic, and violent; whereas their first release was sonically darker, it moved at a creeping pace, and it created the impression that there was a voice in your head belonging to a Carribean prophet of the apocalypse- and the joke is on everyone else.
Kryon (feat. Flying Lotus) – Kode9 & The Spaceape
Otherman – Kode9 & the Spaceape
You should definitely consider picking up their record here ; this will be good for more than one listen. Also, here is an interview with Kode9 and the Spaceape from the Quietus.
Kode9
Wolfey
Koreless
Koreless (Glasgow, Scotland) is a warm bath of analog synths, broken-beat rhythms, and mournfully irresistible R&B vocal snippets. It’s understated, sexy , after-hours future-garage.
You can hear strong parallels between Koreless and early James Blake, Ramadanman, and Joy Orbison. And of course Burial- who pioneered the sound collage of atmospheric soul vocals over top his angst ridden broken beats.
Also known as 19 year-old Lewis Roberts, Koreless just released his debut EP entitled ‘4D/MTI’ on Pictures Music on the 21 st of March. You can pick up a copy of the entire EP here .
4D – Koreless [recommended]
MTI – Koreless [recommended]
The west is the best baby- get here, and we’ll do the rest.
Wolfey
Juj
I’m comin’ after whoever; who has it? You’re blowin’ up that’s good fantastic-
Need a little more skank in your step? Yes- you do.
Juj is a relatively unknown instrumental hip-hop producer genius based out of Los Angeles; a known associate of Shlohmo and the local beat-maker collective WEDIDIT. His second full-length release entitled ‘Slack’, offers us stuttering demented low-slung rollers overlaid with soulful vocal snippets and cheeky electric guitar and vibraphone melodies.
Juj has generously made his latest LP available for no charge on WEDIDIT . Enjoy-
Sunday Bouncer – Juj [recommended]
Get the entire LP ‘Slack’ here for free.
May you walk in beauty
Wolfey
Jack Sparrow
Suitable for something like a late-night candle-lit séance, Jack Sparow’s most recent productions are grounded in tantalizing beats. Recognized for his raw and natural expressions of sound, this Leeds-based producer – a member of renowned Bristol-based label, Tectonic – draws you into a charming trance with his tribal tones and mischievous manner. Reminiscent at times of lords, Burial and Kode9, one almost expects to hear the ominous words of wisdom from MC and collab artist, The Space Ape.
Aptly entitled Circadian, Sparrow’s debut LP released in October of 2010, features a wide variety of textures and character. The album feeds on it’s own tension yet provides substantial relief in the enchanting drums. Take a listen for yourself and if you care to, pick up the record here .
‘A circadian rhythm is a roughly 24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological, or behavioral processes of living entities.’
Right-click, save-as my friends.
And more recently – appropriate for those crisp spring mornings that we have been enjoying cross-country.
All Yours (Jack Sparrow Remix) – Submotion Orchestra
Revolutions (ft. Ruckspin) – Jack Sparrow
alh
The Sun Is Shinin’ Everyday | Rusko!
Rusko has just dropped a meteor on the terrestrial planet of dub. Even the cockroaches will have a hard time survivin’ this one.
Everyday (Original Sin Remix) – Rusko [dnb]
Everyday (DJ Q Remix) – Rusko [bassline] [recommended]
Everyday (Netsky Remix)- Rusko [recommended]
sam.i.am
Make The Medicine Go Down | Jon Hopkins
This versatile Brit has worked with birds of every colour; from baby blue jay Cold Play and parquet Imogene Heap to the vultures and ravens of Four Tet and Nosaj Thing. He truly disregards the boundaries of the electronic genre and we applaud him for it. This man is a master of ambience and technical skill alike, having played piano since the age of five. Here’s your introduction to the genius of Jon Hopkins.
Rock and roll from space; Absolute ball tugging blues sung through a tin-can megaphone. The background whistles and creeks like Stalin’s industrial mammoth in Magnitogorsk collapsing gently with the force of a tidal wave.
I Know (Jon Hopkins Remix) – David Lynch
Some minimalist goodies; Mr. Hopkins dips his foot into the pond of the bare and funky four on the floor from time to time, but these tracks go for a swim.
Vessel (Four Tet Remix) – Jon Hopkins [minimal]
Wire (Nathan Fake Remix) – Jon Hopkins [minimal]
This may very well be the first time a blatant folk track has seen the dim light of low life. His pin prickly sub bass dusts this lullaby. A triumph; this man can do any thing. Buy the entire collaboration here .
Bubble – King Creosote and Jon Hopkins [served chilled]
Here’s the beast, stomping like an android negro Godzilla.
This track is violence on a beautiful day. Its breathtaking intro takes you to the edge of Angel Fall’s and then pushes you off of it. It lifts you up on a cloud and whisks you to a future where violins and metallic sub form a coalition government thats only platform is the beat. Buy this iron symphony, his latest solo release, “Insides,” here .
Vessel – Jon Hopkins [recommended]
I think you’ll need a gold plated AK-47 before jamming to this one. Just sayin’
Us (Jon Hopkins Remix) – Nosaj Thing [recommended]
Round of Aplawz,
sam.i.am
D33J – Tide Songs EP
Check out the stellar debut release of D33J on Fake Island Records , brought to you by WEDIDIT , the L.A. beat collective started by Henry Laufer a.k.a. Shlohmo. These are some anti-anxiety beats to settle your frantic mind: lush ambient pads, an eerie psychedelic selection of speech samples, the soft pulse of the TR-909 kick. This stuff sounds like laying by the pool while doped up on benzodiapines on a warm summer afternoon in Los Angeles. Enjoy-
Track List:
1. Park
2. Young Wavy
3. Reever’s Edge
4. Drowning Pools
5. Sleeping Out
Yours,
Wolfey
Sub Antix and Elliot Mars | ‘Defend Earth’
Check out this ravey little number from Vancouver’s finest resident dubstep dj and budding producer Sub Antix , and the futuristic alien-inspired producer Elliot Mars . Prodigious lead synth lines over top undulating rhythmic bass riffs created using Native Instruments’ aptly named ‘Massive’ synthesizer. This is just a preview - Look forward to the forthcoming release on Play Me Too.
Defend Earth – Sub Antix & Elliot Mars
Wolfey
SHLOHMO TOKIMONSTA DAEDELUS | Toronto | 04.07.11
[Daedelus | Low-Life]
Submerged in Shlohmo’s jello sound, accompanied with a distorted croon and a set of beautifully suited visuals, made for a seriously haunting experience. The crowd was immersed in sound, entranced, while the hooded figure in our vision pulsed and bobbed to bass that filled that room to the brim. Shlohmo is a common occurance on low-life for a good reason, his all-encompassing sounds are unparalleled, but given the opportunity, one must experience this wonderfully dark and haunting creator for themselves.
TokiMonsta took the stage next. The initial feel was instant good vibes, with a trippy glitch hop beat to open and a beautiful enthusiastic girl at the controls, one couldn’t help but fall in love. The visual component once again blew me away, with a completely new set of visualizers to compliment each new wavering tone and punching drop. Half way through her set she timidly proclaimed, “I hope you guys like what you hear, it’s about to get a lot darker from here on out…” At this point I couldn’t tell you if it was love or pure hatred for her effortless and seemless motions. Either way, she gave us exactly what we came for.
I noticed a man standing at the back of the hall wearing a magicians tux jacket and had mutton chops out to here. Instantly I gravitated towards his weird half hidden figure in the darkness. We spoke briefly about his levels of excitement and alternatively his lack of excitement to be following up these two amazing acts. Daedelus brought the fire, his actions are timed and calculated, giving a whole new visual appeal to the already extremely visually stimulating night. His 24/24 Monome bitbox glowed and flashed accordingly, while he pushed buttons and twisted knobs in a frenzied and deliberate dance.
TokiMonsta and Daedelus footage is under process.
-T
Saturday Selection
Today’s Top Tracks
I Will Change You – Jack Steadman
Only You (Zeds Dead Remix) – Jason Falker
Make Some Noise – Beastie Boys
-T
Thursday Selection
Today’s Top Tracks:
VCR/Wheels – Tyler The Creator
Download the complete selection here: TTT | 04.07.11 (.zip)
-T
Liquid Stranger | Steel Trap
This is old, as of January 2010, but well worth the mention. A soothing blend of reggae and bass heavy electronica. Check out the whole EP here . Add it to your collection.
Full Metal Jacket – Liquid Stranger
-T
Daedalus in Montreal [5 April 2011]
Daedalus knocked our socks off with a threatrical and impassioned performance of experimental electronic music last night at le Belmont in Montreal. He topped off a fantastic night of L.A. beats from Shlohmo and Tokimonsta who are currently touring around the eastern seaboard. Daedalus is instantly recognizable in his fantastical costume that is straight out of 19th century England, his slender frame, and his thick brown mutton chops that extend from his ears almost to the bottom of his chin. Low-Life was there to capture the magic so you can catch the beginning of his set.
Daedalus @ Le Belmont in Montreal [6 April 2011] YouTube
And here is a beautiful tune off his recent LP on Brainfeeder entitled ‘Riteous Fists of Harmony’:
La Fin de Siecle – Daedalus [served chilled]
Yours,
Wolfey
Tuesday Selection
Top 11
Blacks – Dawn Golden & Rosey Cross
Everyday (Netsky Remix) – Rusko
Ready2Rage (Bassnectar & Jantsen Remix) – Product 1
TANGGOLF – Domo Genesis & Hodgy Beats
-T
Howling at Hades | Nero & Rich Hil
A queazy collab free of charge. Nero possessing the hippity hoppity in association with a raw kinda lyricist. Rich Hil has got a nonchalant croon for the ages; and this time Nero’s out-of-step, sample-ridden beats express a new side of their sound never before heard..
Enjoy ———-> Howling at Hades
-T
