Eye on New Releases: May 29th, 2012

This week's got releases suitable for all of your upcoming naps and hootenannies!  Read on to see what's happening!

Label: Cosmicleaf Records


Album: Lullaby


Artist: Eguana


Genre: Electronic, Ambient

Eguana returns with a new ambient album, titled Lullaby.  Despite its narcoleptic title and soothing sound, this release is more than just a selection of bedtime tunes.  In actuality, it’s a fleshed out, fully realized, trance record.  Interesting to note in this release is the diversity of theme from one track to the next.  “Lullaby for my daughter” calls to mind a futuristic hotel lobby, while “Journey to the purple smoke” paints a visual image of a pilgrimage across dusty sand dunes.  Indeed, the tone of the album phases back and forth from a sharp electronic sound to a softer, vocal equipped sound with droning didgeridoo-esque synths and ceramic drums.  For sleepless fans of ambient electronica with a hint of world music, Lullaby might be just what the doctor ordered.

Label: Q Division


Album: Q Dee Rock and Soul #10


Artist: Tim Gearan


Genre: Rock, Soul

Tim Gearan, a singer and guitar player who has performed with Grammy-nominated blues artist Susan Tedeschi, and toured internationally with Toni Lynn Washington, has released a two track 7” of his own that’s sure to get your mojo working.  For those familiar with the work of JJ Cale, John Hiatt, Randy Newman, and Nick Lowe, Tim Gearan’s smoky voice and funky groove will feel right at home.   “Get a Gun,” the first track, burns with a sort of laid-back charisma that is so indicative of tracks cut by seasoned performers.  “Enough” is a love letter to classic Americana, using elements of blues, soul, and funk in its theme and composition.  Because of his charm and infectious energy, Tim Gearan’s latest release is a viable option for long-time rock and soul listeners and newcomers alike.

Eye On New Releases: April 3rd

No week is complete without new releases!

Label: kranky
Album: Spooky Action at a Distance
Artist: Lotus Plaza
Genre: Pop

This is the second album from Lotus Plaza, the solo nom de plume of Lockett Pundt, better known as the guitarist in Deerhunter. Pundt has penned a number of the best songs on the last two Deerhunter albums; and his first album, The Floodlight Collective, was a tour-de-force of guitar pop smarts.  He has the uncanny ability to build soaring, melodic gems from simple musical phrases; a möbius strip of a guitar line and repeating clipped drum roll in “Strangers”; a tribal drum beat holding down the foundation on “Out of Touch”; two acoustic guitar chords and a slight bit of snare as the basis for “Dusty Rhodes”; and a series of slowly descending piano chord scales on “Jet Out of the Tundra”.  There is a wide variety of songs and moods here, from unabashed rockers such as “White Galactic One” and “Monoliths”, acoustic laced introspection on “Dusty Rhodes” and “Black Buzz”, to the lysergic electronics of “Remember Our Days.”  Spooky Action at a Distance is a wide angle view of what should be the zeitgeist of contemporary guitar pop.

Label: daly city records
Album: Mochipet is Evil
Artist: Mochipet & MC Zulu
Genre: Industrial

Mochipet is Evil, titled by Chicago's MC Zulu (aka Dominique Rowland), could almost be classified as a brand new genre in Bass Music Culuture.  Combining dancehall and reggae MC Vocals stripped of any of the stereotypical content used in the genre, with the uncategorizable beat explorations of Bay Area producer extraordinaire Mochipet (aka David Wang), this album is really like nothing else you have ever heard. Add in remixes by some of the best beat producers out today: Hellfire Mechina, Skulltrane, Jay Wikid, U9lift, Yan Zombie, BD1982, Polish Ambassidor, and Freddy Todd, and you have yourself a recipe for goodness. And if that is not enough, Mochipet has thrown in a added Ska Remix bonus track for your enjoyment. Mochipet maybe evil, but you're damn lucky if you listen to this release!

Label: n5MD
Album: Embrace
Artist: Ex Confusion
Genre: Ambient

Embrace is the second album from Atsuhito Omori's Ex Confusion project. His first since taking part in Keith Kenniff's (Helios, Goldmund) For Nihon compilation, this new album consist of ten tracks of emotionally-themed soloist ambient composed for guitar and piano. Much like his debut album something to remember, Embrace, at it's core, conjures a very strong thread of nostalgia. Wonderfully warm, hazy, sun-lit memories that actually somehow seem tangible. We all have something to remember, but Ex Confusion would now like the listener to use his compositions to embrace personal memories that are so very dear.

Label: Zum
Album: Trojandropper
Artist: Neil Campbell & Robert Horton
Genre: Electronic

Two individuals with long histories in improvised and experimental music come together through, and despite, modern technology.  Neil Campbell is an experimental musician known for his Astral Social Club solo project and for being a member of Vibracathedral Orchestra and a long time player in the UK noise underground. Robert Horton got his start in the San Francisco punk-noise act The Appliances and the eclectic Plateau Ensemble.  Although Campbell and Horton have never met in person, they met virtually on the Jeweled Antler mailing list. Both musicians are ridiculously prolific and prone to collaboration. They got to talking disco, probably as an antidote to all the folk and 'how to record' bug chatter. Campbell says, "Robert TOLD me in an email 'one day we'll make a disco record together'... who was I to argue?" As far as the end result being disco, Horton notes "we failed at that." Guest musicians on the album include Dan Plonsey and Hal Hughes (Horton's Plateau Ensemble bandmate). The title references the infamous Trojandropper virus that infected Horton's computer, eliminating many hours of work and files.  The resulting album that had to be pieced back together is something that mixes organic, almost crystalline drones with off kilter beat patterns and lopsided techno. Trojandropper is beatific, odd, and an anomaly to even its creators, like all projects that take on a life of their own.

Eye On New Releases: March 20th, 2012

Still recovering from that St. Patrick's Day hangover?  Today's new releases will help you through your day...

Label: kranky
Album: Foreign Body
Artist: Mirrorring
Genre: Ambient

Mirrorring is Jesy Fortino, who has recorded under the Tiny Vipers moniker, and Liz Harris, better know as Grouper. The recordings on this album came about through a songwriting session in Portland, Oregon. The resulting sounds are contemplative, reflective, and introspective, creating a feeling as much as a song, a mood as much as a tune. One could try to assess what part of the album each artist was responsible for, but that would prevent one from seeing the proverbial forest for the trees. Foreign Body was recorded and produced in 2011.

Label: Daly City Records
Album: Chicxulub Rebirth
Artist: Mochipet
Genre: Electronic

When we last left the dinosaurs, they had nearly escaped extinction and were headed to a newfound land. Since that time, Mochipet has enlisted the help of his friends Freddy Todd, Sugarpill, D.V.S., s.p.e.c.t.r.e, Papa Skunk, Elfkowitz, Preshish Moments, Smash and Grab, Bass Science, dkon, Profresher Blacklight, Renee Leah and Zen Death Squad in the creation of a brand new feast of sounds for their fans to dig into. Seventeen tracks of stomping basslines and glitchy overtones are designed to make crowds rawr for more!

Label: Coco Machete Records
Album: El Patron
Artist: Stereofunk
Genre: Electronic, House

Stereofunk, The guy from Dresden, is back with a new single on Coco Machete Records called ‘El Patron’. This is the second single from his upcoming full length album ‘Radio Robotic’ due out next month. ‘El Patron’, following last summer’s smash ‘Get Off’ featuring D’ Secret SVC, is all hands-in-the-air, revved up dance floor sensuality for the electro disco generation. Between the funk bass line, rising pianos, italo synths and imperative vocals, ‘El Patron’ just won’t let up until you’re hooked. ‘El Patron’ is the boss. But that’s it for now folks, we hope you’ve enjoyed this sneak peek, stay tuned next month for more ‘Radio Robotic.

Label: nice + smooth ultramedia
Album: The Moments I Ruined EP
Artist: ICR
Genre: Electronic, Techno, Minimal

Following his mid-tempo and house releases on Chi Recordings, Fokuz, and Orson (including his remix for Howie B), Hungarian multi-genre talent ICR still has undiscovered paths to explore. Now he ventured the stage of techno with such confidence and originality as you would expect. Groovy percussions, bouncy beats with haunting atmospheres in shady tones drives ICR's moody production into something epic yet melancholic 4/4 ; while fellow artist from Budapest, Synus0006 has a unique, stripped-down hypnotic minimal re-take on the title track.

Eye On New Releases: March 6th, 2012

We just experienced our first (thankfully, small) earthquake of 2012 yesterday! Here's to our new releases this week, helping us calm our nerves!

Label: Projekt
Album: Deconsecrated and Pure
Artist: Alio Die
Genre: New Age, Ambient, Electronic

Italian ambient-acoustic sonic sculptor Stefano Musso returns for his first solo Alio Die release on Projekt in 20 years. Deconsecrated and Pure is an evocative liturgy from the realm where electronic music meets acoustic drones, found objects, sacral voices and field recordings.  The processed traditional instruments and natural textures float alongside rich electroorganicdrones, creating a perfect introspective soundtrack with a medieval and sacral atmosphere. Serene and meditative textures combine in a chorus of circular and interwoven sounds, reflecting the harmony of the cosmos as an opus of inner stillness.  Processed and layered into the mix are vocal pieces by Claudio Merulo. The work of this 16th century Venetian Renaissance composer was performed by Paolo Tognon and Quoniam Ensemble di Dulciane and De Labyrintho Ensemble Della Rinascenza, creating the essence of a historical religious feel. The gradual evolution of the arrangements create a strong impression that the listener has been carried across time and space. Elements such as sonically-tampered Middle East horns (The dulciana, a sort of early basoon/oboe), solemn atmospheres of the courts of the Italian Renaissance, and evocative soundscapes cosmic and ethereal combine for holiness and trascendence.  Marvelously floating and hauntingly expressive, Deconsecrated and Pure feels like a liturgical poem within an archaic mausoleum distorted by time.

Label: Vermin Street
Album: First World Problems
Artist: Misk
Genre: Electronic

Two years ago, Misk's Nintendont release on Vermin Street hit #1 on Addictech's top 10 weekly chart, and later, #10 for the month's chart.  Well received on all fronts, the tunes made regular appearances on Starkey's radio show and on Glitch.FM. Since then, Misk has embraced new styles, deeper detail-oriented Dubstep with melody and rugged bass, and his own imprint with long time friend Eshone: Elk Beats.  But here, with his next release First World Problems, we dig up some classics from his closet.  More 8-bit melodies and Skweee 2.0 baselines, more crunchy claps and a few 111 BPM bootyshakers.  Also featured on this release are a sexy, lazery remix by +verb; a rugged, epic remix by Encanti; a thick, psychedelic-hop remix by HM.T DM.T; and a straight hip hop joint from the one CocoBryce.

Label: daly city records
Album: Play Hard
Artist: Sovereign Sect
Genre: Electronic

Understanding the importance of creating a live performance that is astonishing and impossible to forget, the members of Sovereign Sect are absolute masters at captivating a crowd and leaving them electrified.  The Fargo-based, tri-producer/drummer quartet uses nearly forty years of collective musical experience to accomplish its goal of pushing the limits of the electronic live show and annihilating their audiences.  By incorporating innovative production styles, covering many different musical genres and utilizing the talents of three producers, Sovereign Sect is not only able to entertain audiences but also amaze listeners with a sound that is as unique as it is diverse. This combination of Sovereign Sect’s no holds barred live performance and its multidimensional production style is a cosmic match that only results in a supersonic experience that should never be missed.  Play Hard is the first in a series of three scheduled releases by Sovereign Sect.  Stop Hating, a follow up EP to Play Hard and Record Everything, a live full length album that will demonstrate the dynamics of Sovereign Sect’s live show.

Eye On New Releases: February 28th, 2012

It's a leap year, and an extra day in February means more time for more new music.

Label: imbalance computer music
Album: Ghosts
Artist: Monolake
Genre: Industrial, Ambient

Two years after Monolake’s Silence release, Robert Henke is back with a new Monolake album entitled Ghosts. Dark and colorful, with haunting and deep excursions into magic worlds of sound and grooves, held together by a fragmentary story as part of the artwork that indicates a continuation of themes present on Silence: Precisely crafted earthshaking beats, rough dirty noises, wide lush soundscapes and little sonic creatures inhabiting a fascinating planet in which a lot of things go badly wrong and nothing is taken for granted.  Music that augments reality when listening to whilst commuting, music to get lost in when experienced loud in a club. There is nothing minimal in that music, it is bass heavy and full of detail.

Label: Chemikal Underground
Album: Thirteen Lost & Found
Artist: RM Hubbert
Genre: Alternative

RM Hubbert is a guitarist from Glasgow in Scotland. He writes music about love, death, friendship, mental illness and occasionally a dog called D Bone. It’s not as depressing as the previous sentence suggests.  His second full-length album, Thirteen Lost & Found was produced by long-time friend Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) and features collaborations with some very special artists including Hanna Tuulikki (Nalle), Emma Pollock (The Delgados), Luke Sutherland (Long Fin Killie, Mogwai), Aidan Moffat (Arab Strap), Alex Kapranos and Alasdair Roberts amongst others.  Having found that it was easier to connect with people through music, Thirteen Lost & Found was conceived by Hubbert as a way of reacquainting himself with old friends while making some new ones. Each piece was written collaboratively with the respective artists; with the emphasis placed on spontaneity and experimentation. The resulting collection is eclectic and beautiful: voice, percussion, violin, piano, banjo, accordion, vibraphone and gu zheng all joining Hubbert’s idiosyncratic guitar over the eleven songs.

Label: Galapagos4
Album: Volume 3
Artist: Maxilla Blue
Genre: Hip Hop

Solidifying in 2006 and releasing its debut album less than 2 years later, Maxilla Blue remains as a well preserved tribute to the classic raw hip hop combo of one producer, one DJ, and one emcee. Bolstered by each component's instrumentals and intricate cut work with power poetics, the Maxilla crew is perhaps most known for its affinity for captivating live audiences.  Led by the cue of DJ TouchNice, powered by the production of Aeon Grey and anchored by the vocal illustration of Asphate Woodhavet, the Des Moines based trio provides listeners with a dense, immovable, and often somber or "blue" bite of this reality as well as the next. Hailing from an often overlooked and undernourished locale, Maxilla's creative approach has found it unnecessary to bend to the common trends and popular evolution of rap culture. As a result, the crew's intepretation of music remains intact amidst failed fads, and followers of the work understand the natural encouragement to bend the enigmatic sound illustration to their own interpretations, adding to the timeless quality of each piece.

Eye On New Releases: February 7th, 2012

With Valentine's Day approaching, love is in the air. And we looovee these new releases!

Label: Dragon's Eye Recordings
Album: Through Thickness
Artist: Kamran Sadeghi
Genre: Electronic, Ambient

Dragon's Eye Recordings is proud to present Through Thickness, the new full length release by Kamran Sadeghi, a Seattle-based artist, composer, and mixed media artist. His background in music and art is a mixture of self-taught private lessons and academic in music theory, composition and audio engineering. Through Thickness is part of Sadeghi's ongoing "Kha" series that arose from a growing interest in exploring rhythm. "Kha" is a word from the sanskrit language meaning "zero" that was used to denote space in tabular arrangements. Through these explorations, Sadeghi has developed a keen sense of structure and time, and deploys them to create a truly visceral listening experience. Through Thickness slowly gains momentum, moving from timid to temerarious which only serves to accentuate the albums haptic nature. Since 2003 Sadeghi has been an integral part of Seattle's electronic arts community through his extensive live performance schedule under the stage name Son of Rose, and as a producer collaborating with local and national artists.

Label: symbolic insight
Album: monkey with a gun
Artist: entropic advance
Genre: Electronic/Experimental

entropic advance’s monkey with a gun was developed and recorded at symbolic insight studios between 2001-2003 and originally released in 2003. At the CD release show, the project showcased over 20 belly dancers along with original video projections as part of a multi-media experience. The release is their most accessible work drawing from more popular electronic influences such as Bjork and Radiohead. This album also has a very consistent electronic sound, as the core members, bios+a+ic and Noise Poet Nobody, wrote and recorded all the tracks. Evolved EDM, Dn'B, and glitch styles are immersed in elements of ambience, noise, and soundscapes, creating a distinctive stylistic approach. It is a bold sonic hybrid of innovative electronic and experimental music, demonstrating a realized potential of modern sound art. Tracks feature heavy bass with click & cut rhythms, layered with lush effects-laden trumpet, custom processed slide guitar, rich sample textures, unique vocal manipulations, and obscure field recordings.

Label: Definitive Recordings
Album: Definitive Secret Weapons 2011
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: Electronic, Tech-House, Techno, House

After the biggest and best year yet for Definitive Recordings, they have compiled their favorite and most effective tracks that are the "Secret Weapons" in their DJ sets. Although these tracks did not chart, they definitely rocked the party. With high intensity dance tracks from the likes of Olivier Giacomotto and John Acquaviva, you wouldn't want to miss this album. Check the tracks out again and take note of the artists as well, cause they are set to have big breakout work and play for 2012.

Eye on New Releases: January 24th, 2012

From fast, dance-y electro house to something more slow and mellow, this week's new releases will put you in the right mood.

Label: Coco Machete Records
Album: Bitches From Ostblock Pt. 2
Artist: Ostblockschlampen
Genre: Electro House

They came from the deepest woods of the former UDSSR!…AND THEY WILL BOMB WHO THEY WANT!!! Ostblockschlampen, “THE BITCHES FROM THE EASTERN BLOCK” is Markus Lange and his cohort Vanilla, two electro terrorists that have been rocking the boat and kicking in doors across the nation. Bitches From Ostblock, a two part release, features a who's who of upstart producers including Modek, Stereofunk, Faites Leur la Danse, Ill Saint M, Boylerz, Frederic De Carvalho, & Phantom's Revenge...bass bass bass...but you say who??? Wir sind die Bitches!

Label: Cosmicleaf Records
Album: Discovering Eguana
Artist; Eguana & Side Liner
Genre: Ambient, Downtempo

In 2011 Cosmicleaf and Side Liner discovered Eguana: a very promising talent from Russia who knows how to please with his multi chill out sounds. Discovering Eguana is a compilation of tracks carefully selected  for your ear pleasure, from downtempo lounge to trip-hop. Cinematic sonic environments detailed with wispy and organic synthesizers, nimble vocals, and a warm, welcoming low end, elevate listeners into an intimate involvement within their own senses. Discover Eguana!

Label: symbolic insight
Album: Leaving Palestine
Artist: entropoic advance
Genre: Electronic/Experimental

entropic advance’s Leaving Palestine release is a collection of improvised sounds and textures recorded at symbolic insight studios by the founding members, Noise Poet Nobody and bios+a+ic, from 2002-2004. The original release was a limited edition of 50 copies, packaged with a handmade paper insert stamped with only the projects logo, which is now sold out. The album sounds like a epic soundtrack for a film about the trials and tribulations of the Palestinian people. Minimal pulses, glitches, metal percussion, and tribal rhythms are layered with lush ambient tapestries and deep dark drones. Beautiful, haunting trumpet, morphing slide guitar, along with inspiring synthesizers, carry the sound into space. The music expresses an emotional intensity, while maintaining a mellow vibe, allowing the listener to experience a journey to the unknown regions of the mind. There is a therapeutic ambient flow in this reflective journey, which ultimately leaves one with feelings of hope, love, and empathy for the human condition.

Eye On New Releases: December 13th

 Label: Blue Canoe Records

Release: XYZ Factor

Artist: Joseph Patrick Moore

Genre: Electronic, Jazz

Blue Canoe Records introduces the new release XYZ Factor, a three song EP of electronica and jazz from bassman, Joseph Patrick Moore. Moore is a skilled bassist, producer, composer, arranger, educator, author and the founding partner of Blue Canoe Digital, an entertainment company focused on delivering the best in jazz music. His music and inventiveness is known to echo the spirits of Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, and Herbie Hancock. With his production of XYZ Factor, it’s apparent that Moore has crafted an incomparable recording that would entertain both electronica and contemporary jazz fans equally.

Label: Electronic Soundscapes

Release: Lightscapes II

Artist: Sol Tek

Genre: Ambient, Electronic

Not needing to loom any longer, Sol Tek has released their new album Lightscapes II, an awaited sequel to Lightscapes I released in January 2010 from the label Electronic Soundscapes. Originating from Amsterdam, Albert Borkent, creator of Sol Tek draws inspirations from Tangerine Dream, Arvo Part and Klaus Schulze, who have influenced the distinct Sol Tek style of combining electric and ambient music. With tracks like “Floral Melody,” “Monodrone,” and “Celestial Sea,” Lightscapes II is an album that combines classical music structures with the latest electronic production skills and has atmospheric and drone works featuring carefully selected gems for urban tranquility and mind relaxation.

Eye on New Releases: December 6th, 2011

Digital stocking stuffer ideas for those friends, co-workers and family that would appreciate the gift of new music! Indie Rock and Ambient enthusiasts take note!

Label: Everliving Sound

Release: This is....

Artist: Bollywood

Genre: Rock, Alternative, Indie Rock 

Bollywood is self-described as an “experimental American” band, but what does that really mean in the context of this new record? On This Is.., Justin Sehorn, Preston Saari, and Mark Vomit, have manufactured a record with a kaleidoscopic landscape, one that operates under a “hybridization of haunted mechanical rock n roll and post-punk noise.” The album’s first track “SHIELDS,” with its layers of jangly guitars, droning bass, and electronic drum processing, is reminiscent of the Monks or early Clash. Comparatively, “Meta” reminds this writer of a Kid-A era Radiohead groove, juxtaposed with Sehorn’s brooding and cerebral vocal melodies. 

  

Label: ant-zen

Release: Transit

Artist: Zero Degree

Genre: Electronic, Ambient

On Transit, Matthais Erhard and Bernhard Korth have created expansive, dreamlike, and cinematic electronic environments in which the listener becomes entranced and relaxed. The seven tracks on Transit merge melancholic melodies, varied down-tempo rhythms, luscious synth tones, and warm yet glitchy drum processing. The subtle care that each sound receives illustrates the German-based Zero Degree’s ability to bend together their unique musical temperament and technical skill into one cohesively hypnotic whole.  

Label: K Records

Release: Gravel b/w Selector Dub Narcotic Re-grade

Artist: Lake / Selector Dub Narcotic (aka Calvin Johnson)

Genre: Alternative

On this latest release from Olympia-based imprint K Records, label founder, owner, operator and producer Calvin Johnson (aka Selector Dub Narcotic) introduced the “Dub Narcotic Disco Plate,” a series of 7” records that feature an original from a K Record artist, and a “Selector Dub Narcotic” version on the B side. When Lake returned home from their recent U.S. national tour supporting Let’s Build a Roof, the band’s 2^nd album on K, highlight track “Gravel” had evolved with a new soulful feel that struck Calvin as a prime candidate for the Disco Plate series. The B-side features “Re-Grade,” a stripped-down version of “Gravel’s” groove, infused with a new melodica melody, and subtler, more atmospheric percussive textures.  

Eye On New Releases: November 22nd, 2011

Label: Chemikal Underground

Album: If Then Not When

Artist: King’s Daughters & Sons

Genre: Alternative

The ghost stories, murder ballads, and grimoires on the new full-length album  If Then Not When by Louisville, KY's King's Daughters & Sons are haunting, spare and at times explosively unsettling; part William Faulkner, part Led Zeppelin. Given the musical pedigree at play here, it should come as no surprise that every note, drum beat and vocal has been employed with an economy few bands have the sense to muster.  The album itself, clocking in at over 51 minutes despite there being only eight tracks, shows that King's Daughters & Sons are quite happy for the aforementioned ghost stories, murder ballads and grimoires to unfold at their own pace. The album's axis, in more ways than one, is the eight-minute-plus, fourth track, "The Anniversary": a rich cast of characters weave their way through a tale of love, treachery and murder while the music eddies, tumbles and roars in sympathy with the narrator. It's a phenomenal track, explaining the reference to Faulkner in their press release's opening salvo and clearly demonstrating that this is not your average album.

Label: Moodgadget Records

Album: No Body EP

Artist: Beacon

Genre: Electronic, R&B, Ambient

Beacon is Thomas Mullarney III and Jacob Gossett. Their No Body EP explores a combination of deep south bass music and ambient pop melodies, with R&B tinged vocals that accompany warm arpeggiated synthesizers. The EP's atmosphere and narrative recall brooding spirituality in the wake of first love and the allure of the paranormal in teenage romance. Jacob and Thomas’s extensive work in the video production and set building worlds has given them the techniques to produce their own unique vision for the release of No Body; a cheap prom set where real and imaginary moments continually conjure up feelings of love, lust and all things in between.

Label: Coco Machete Records

Album: Remix Your Face Showdown

Artist: Various Artists

Genre: Electro House

Here are the three winners of the Coco Machete 'Remix Your Face' Showdown from late spring 2011. The label offered up all the remix parts to three different classic Coco Machete releases setting them free for anyone to take a shot. There was one winner picked for each track based on quality and his or her own fan participation on Facebook...it can't get any more real than that. These are the ones to watch: Naeleck & Oddity are a production due based in both France and Japan, Sebastian Love hails from Italy, and D' Secret SVC, Coco Machete mainstay came in with a funk break remix of "In Da Club" that is undeniable....Just keep on watchin’!

Eye on New Releases: October 11th

Whether you're carving pumpkins, picking out that perfect halloween costume, or booking those holiday plans, two of this week's releases will stir your creative juices, err, egg nog, into results!

Label: Cosmicleaf Records

Release: Phial Of Love

Artist: Eguana

Genre: Downtempo, Ambient

Careening through space on a shimmering cloud built from ambient dreams births the latest release from Eguana, Phial Of Love. Cinematic sonic environments detailed with wispy and organic synthesizers, nimble vocals, and a warm, welcoming low end, elevate listeners into an intimate involvement within their own senses. The album’s second track, “Last Dream Of A Galaxy Warrior,” pulls the imagination into a cathartic canvas filled with dreamy, and euphoric landscapes, gracefully rising and falling from static passages. “Spaceship War,” the album’s final track, is the most up-tempo of the three, inviting the body’s imagination to embrace the danceable conflict of the song’s climax. The album’s symbolic title represents Eguana’s offering to the masses, a freedom to let your spirit radiate in all its hypnotic capacity.

Label: Q Division Records

Release: Q Dee Rock and Soul #3: Muck and the Mires

Artist: Muck and the Mires

Genre: Rock

 The Q Dee Rock and Soul 7” Series is back in all its bouncy, garage-punk-surf glory, carrying a timeless rock-and-roll attitude with their latest release, Muck and the Mires. The 7” Series pays homage to rock-and-roll history, times when record labels were synonymous with the studios they were built around. Both songs from the release are filled to the brim with the whimsical and restless energy found on British Invasion records. Fans of the Ramones, Sonics and Beatles take note: “Muck and the Mires” will have listeners reminiscing about freewheeling summer nights, nights where exciting young romance flourishes.