Eye on New Releases: January 17th, 2012

Label: Moodgadget Records
Album: Lemondrop
Artist: André Obin
Genre: Electronic, Synth-Pop

Careening through the lanes of an endless musical highway, Boston native André Obin’s sound is not easily categorized. Genre-bending and shape-shifting are standard fare; taking risks is part of the fun. A musician, singer and producer, André draws inspiration for his songs from a deep emotional well. The music unfolds simultaneously with life itself. The results can be as dark as a forest under a new moon or as bright as a summer sun reflecting off the skyscrapers of a bustling city. His new single "Lemondrop" falls along the lines of the former, offering elegantly haunting tunes that form the base of 18 Carat Affair's and Teen Daze's dreamy remixes.

Label: decibel nyc
Album: Don't Break It
Artist: Mista A
Genre: House, Deep House

Mista A follows up his massive release Mental Health Hotline with an even hotter ticket for the new year. Don't Break It showcases the mature face of Mista A: still solid with the heavy beatdown arrangement and low ballin' groove that will make you stomp a hole in the floor. Three solid remixes from some of Decibel NYC's finest. DJ Locgroove offers up a severely pumped rendition, packed with filtered grooves and an overdriven rhythm, which is undoubtedly going to be a crowd favorite in the big rooms. Taking it one level up the sophistication ladder is a masterpiece done by the legendary Herbie James. His knack for blending old school and new school is certaintly a recipe to send all kids back to school. Done with live instrumentation and trained skill to make the deepness match the intensity of the big room mixes, be prepared to be sandwiched into an aural paradise. Last and certainly not least, Mr Soul Fabulous graces the Decibel NYC catalog with his supremely deep and melodic take of this work. Assigning the beatdown to his blend of caribe melody and overtones, you might find it a departure from his prior deepness, but not too far. Keeping true to the original, house heads will be pleased with the universal club appeal and mainstream approach to such an underground production.

Eye on New Releases: January 10th, 2012

Happy 2012!  What better way to start the new year than with new music? Today we bring you releases from some of the finest dubstep artists. Seems like dubstep will be the trend this year...at least, we hope!

Label: FiXT / Celldweller
Album: The Complete Cellout
Artist: Celldweller
Genre: Dubstep, Electronic Rock


Watch out Skrillex, the dubstep scene is about to be taken over Celldweller's hybrid fusion of aggressive electronic, orchestra and rock.  Celldweller is excited to finally releaseThe Complete Cellout Vol. 01, noting that most of the tracks that aren't remixes from other artists are versions of completely reworked from the ground up for the Celldweller 2010/2011 Live Show. Although he has put a lot of time into the remixing and reproduction, Celldweller also credits Drivepilot, Bare, Blue Stahli, J Scott G, Joman, Josh Money & Toksin for helping to turn the release from being "pretty good" to being "totally badass". Known for pioneering new sounds and methods for creating his tracks, Celldweller continues to generate bangin' music that one can shake her booty to, clearly evident in The Complete Cellout Vol. 01. 


Label: Vermin Street
Album: Vanquish
Artist: Bobby Tank
Genre: Dubstep, Electronic


London's Bobby Tank is a flag-bearing 80's icon, a mad astrophysicist, and a hip hop kid from the future freshly fallen through a wormhole to our present day and age.  He's recently dropped tunes on the Aisuru Compilation and the Finest Ego & Project Mooncircle Compilation. He has a forthcoming release on Prime Dubs and now this, his debut EP, Vanquish. The Bobby Tank sound is one of nostalgic synths repurposed for the present, complimenting soulful, blenderized cut-ups reminiscent of days to come.  Delicately woven leads and atmospheres trickle down from the skies, tickling the ears with tantalizingly tasteful treble, while thick pulsing bass will shake that ass like a coked-up stripper at a Miami club circa 1983. This release comes replete with a gamut of remixes of the title track: 813's dope Dubstep lick; Kid Kanevil's seductively slow 808 mix; Jon Phonics' smooth space funk refix and Darkhouse Fam's fresh wonk-hop version.

Label: Yerba Buena Discos
Album:  Then You Smiled
Artist: Homero Espinosa feat. Allegra Bandy
Genre: Soul, House, Deep House


Yerba Buena Discos is happy to bring you the latest collaboration between Homero Espinosa and Allegra Bandy. Then You Smiled pairs up Homero’s deep, skipping instrumentation with Allegra’s buttery vocals. On the remixes, San Francisco’s legendary David Harness and Chris Lum team up for the Harlum Muziq remix, entrenching Allegra’s singing in their trademark soulful production. YBD’s own Allen Craig displays his international influences with a deep but drum-friendly Afrotech-style remix, while Chillin Music’s Rob Slac gives us a hypnotic, bass-heavy, dubbed-out remix. Of course, the release wouldn’t be complete without a dancefloor-friendly dub from Homero Espinosa himself.

Eye On New Releases: October 25th

Halloween is right around the corner, which begs the question, what is the most legendary costume of all time?  Hint, it's not the unfunky drummer, or an eleventhfloorrecord.  Those are clearly two of this week's releases!
                                           

Label: Nordic Trax

Release: Unfunky Drummer EP

Artist: Charles Scott

Genre: Deep House                                                   

Seasoned Los Angeles Producer Charles Scott, aka Scott Findley, is finally back on the scene after a ten-year hiatus, releasing the Unfunky Drummer EP on house music imprint Nordic Trax.  The album has seen upfront support from a variety of international selectors, including Slam, Abyss, Nick Holder, Robert Owens, Nacho Marco, Alland Byallo, Mark Bell / Blakkat and Murray Richardson.  If we establish a working definition of funky to mean “offbeat”, then this writer is convinced of this production’s “unfunkyness.”  Charles Scott’s rhythmic deliberateness on this album transports clubbers to a vivacious dance floor utopia, one filled with purifying textures of dreamy synth melodies layered into propulsive and winning house anthems.  On the title track, the production is loaded with a mantra of deep thumping bass that’s sure to get the masses moving.  If you’re one who’s keen on having their music act as a spaceship that leads you through the galaxy that is the dance floor, let the Unfunky Drummer EP be your soundtrack.  

Label: n5MD 

Release: Self Titled 

Artist: eleventhfloorrecords

Genre: Electronic, Indie Rock

Oakland’s electronic label, n5MD, is ready to share with the world the self-titled debut from Sweden’s modern shoegaze duo, eleventhfloorrecords.  The Eleventhfloorrecords title symbolizes the location of the apartment where best friends Niso and Henke birthed these recordings, and additionally, as the duo describes, “the endless formless collection of sounds and events.”  The album’s expansive textures successfully build a sonic bridge between the influences of chillwave and modern electronic music, while cleverly weaving guitars, drum machines, synth lines, and angelic vocals into one cohesive and tranquil whole.  For listeners, the juxtaposition of these two styles creates a uniquely cinematic and whimsical environment, one that feeds into the album’s emotional comforts.  For fans of M83, Maps, or Jatun, eleventhfloorrecord’s debut album is an extension of n5MD’s manifesto, a release that symbolizes an “emotional experiment in music.”