So, now everyone's back from Buring Man the mixes are coming out. This is an absolute gem from the UK's Meat Katie (aka. Mark Pember) who appears to have rocked the Opulent Temple Porn Palace with Elite Force. Since conquering the world with his rolling, deep and heavy breaks as the scene exploded at the beginning of the decade, he's now following a similar trajectory to Tom Real (Disco of Doom) and bringing in more disco/electro/tech sounds to the mix. It's sounding pretty sweet! Meat Katie Live from Rock Bottom (left click link for mix) (Thanks to The Gough Street Sessions for hosting and posting)
Continuing my obsession with all things West Coast and bass heavy, a number of random factors have led me towards Seattle's Decibel Festival which takes place over the course of the next week. I came across the event by accident last year while working towards the decibel Performing Arts Showcase 2009, a completely unconnected event, which took place in Manchester last week. The Google alerts from 2008 (Lusine, Deru, Tycho, Flying Lotus, The Glitch Mob, The Bug, and Superpitcher) were enough to get my mouth watering. Also last week, my mate Loz returned from Burning Man to tell me that Seattle is so cool she plans to move there to join my another friend, Mike, who moved there a few years back.
"While everyone heaps (admittedly deserved) praise on long-running events like MUTEK and DEMF/Movement, it's easy to forget that Seattle's Decibel Festival has been not-so-quietly holding it down for the West Coast. Founded in 2003, Decibel has consistently shined a light on electronic music innovators big and small, from international stars to underground up-and-comers. This year's edition is no different, with a lineup headlined by U.K. noisemakers like Mala, Benga, Caspa, and Mary Anne Hobbs, not to mention some like-minded folks from this side of the Atlantic, including Martyn, Daedelus, Gaslamp Killer, and Nosaj Thing. Yet it's not all low-end madness—other notables include Alter Ego, The Wighnomy Brothers, Move D, Lusine, Derek Plaslaiko, Voodeux, and even U.K. dub wizard Mad Professor. In all, more than 100 performers will be scattered across Seattle over the course of four days. Plus, the festival also includes a number of panels, workshops, film screenings, and more."
(continues below)
So plenty of wonky, dub, dubstep and a lot of glitchyness. Check out this podcast from Seattle's KEXP to get a full flavour of the line up:
Tracklist: 1. Nosaj Thing - Lords 2. Nalepa - Flatlands (Nosaj Thing Remix) 3. Michna - Bumper Car Masters 4. Take - Northbound 5. [a]pendics.shuffle - Saw Saw Soup (Robag Wruhme Remix) 6. Mike Slott - Knock Knock 7. Sub Swara - Hi Fidelity (Shambhala Riddim) 8. Tim Exile - There's Nothing Left Of Me But Her And This 9. The Gaslamp Killer - Baiafro 10. Daedelus - I Took Two 11. Pezzner - Chapter_Two 12. Lusine - Gravity 13. Tycho - The Daydream 14. Benoit Pioulard - Hesperus 15. Mountains - Map Table 16. Christopher Willits - The Greatest Rain
For decibel news, reviews and all other things West Coast bass orientated, keep an eye on DanceFever5000. They've also got this lovely heartfelt Burning Man review that chimes with everything Danielle's told me since she got back.
While my girl Danielle has been swanning around the desert at Black Rock City, enjoying pool parties in Reno and shopping down Haight Street, my aim has been to get a mix finished and up on the blog. In the little time I've had to actually DJ I've started about 4 or 5 new mixes. In the end neither the nu-disco, electro-rock, glitch hop or dub mixes made the cut.
Having just downloaded a few new tunes though, I've just knocked out a fairly percussive and bass heavy dubstep/IDM/glitch mix with less that 12hrs before she gets back. I think it does a fair job of catching my melancholy at missing my girl (and Burning Man!) and my joy at her return. The start could flow better, but I'm really happy with the middle section - tell me what you think!
Diverseconcepts - Open Porse Nosaj Thing - Caves The Heavy - How You Like Me Now? (Joker Remix) PANTyRAiD - Get The Money (Original Mix) edIT - Ants Modeselektor - Godspeed Don Goliath - Mrs U (Zeno Goddess Remix) Harp & RyzeNFall - Irie Wan (Bass Science Remix) Iration Steppas - Rasta Dub Liondub ft. Jah Dan & Sotto Bless - Heartbroken (original) Skream - Sub Island Martyn - Hear Me Milanese - Caramel Cognac Joker - Stuck in the System
Last night they dropped a 10 hr "Feeling left out of Burning Man?" live broadcast from Vancouver, Canada, featuring artists from their Friday night BWAMP Radio show. If you missed it, check out the links below for free mixtapes:
# TAAL MALA (Lighta!, SUB-OSC) http://www.myspace.com/taalmala # Dj Global vs Bevy Swift (aka Glitchy & Scratchy) http://www.myspace.com/glitchyscratchy # Self Evident (Lighta!, SUB-OSC): http://www.myspace.com/selfevidentselfevident FREE MIX: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113676786893 # HxdB (BFG): http://www.myspace.com/hxdb # Myles Away (IGU): http://www.mylesAWAYmusic.blogspot.com http://www.myspace.com/mylesAWAYmusic # Deekay (The Woods,urban ninja): http://www.myspace.com/deekaysounds
If you're still not sure what 'glitch' is, this interview with the Glitch Mob goes a long way to explaining what's happening state-side at the moment. This is quite possibly one of the best artist interviews I've watched in a long time.. it completely sums up what's so exciting about the scene in the US right now. Oh bollox, I can't help it... I WANNA BE AT BURNING MAN! Whaaaaa.... *sob sob*
So Burning Man's under way in Black Rock City and Danielle's probably having a ball with the 40,000 other playaristas and most of my favourite US noise merchants....
...including PANTyRAID, (who I've blogged about before) a collaboration between my favourite glitch-hop soundboy Oaah (Josh Mayer) with another guy called PartyMarty on the beats (Marty Folb).
Anyway, thanks to a heads up from MaryLee in June I've just found this mixtape on I AM LASER!:
* Track list+ * PANTyRAiD – Git Durty * PANTyRAiD – Crunkalicious / Ray Cash – Sex Appeal * PANTyRAiD – Dreaming / Mims – This Is Why I\’m Hot * PANTyRAiD – Worship The Sun / Jay-z – Dirt Off Your Shoulder * Martyparty – Young Pimp / Chingy – Right Thurr / Currency – Where The Cash At * PANTyRAiD – Like That / Brittany Spears – Toxic * Ooah – Another Trashy Love / Kid Cudi – Day N\’ Nite * PANTyRAiD – Enter The Machine / Three 6 Mafia – Fly * PANTyRAiD – Beba / Lil Jon – In Da Club * Dz – Get On Down / Lil Jon – In Da Club * PANTyRAiD – One Mo / Beyonce – Bonnie & Clyde / Young Jeezy – Over Here * PANTyRAiD – Get The Money / Pantyraid – The Future Is Far From Fair
...and this lush Mary Ann Hobbs mini-mix...
Tracklist:
* PANTyRAiD – Upset / Beba Mashup (with Lil John Acapella) * PANTyRAiD – Crunkalicious * PANTyRAiD – Worship the Sun * PANTyRAiD – Headcase (with Ray Cash ‘Sex Appeal’ Acapella) * PANTyRAiD – Enter The Machine
PANTyRAiD have also now dropped their first single, with an album, The Sauce, due on 21 September on Marine Parade. Keep your ears peeled and your panties fresh till then!
Until this weekend I'd never been to Shambala before, although I'd heard a lot of good things about this small festival. I imagined it as halfway between the crazy beautiful fancy dress madness of Secret Garden Party and the relaxed hippy vibes of Sunrise. I wasn't wrong.
We arrived in Market Harborough on Friday evening and, from the moment we boarded the red routemaster bus, everything seemed to slot into place for the rest of the weekend. Arriving late and with no programme I had no idea what I was in for musically, so let myself be guided by the tastes of others; a policy which seemed to work extremely well!
First up after a bimble round the art forest were Brighton's Transformer in the Kamikazee tent, a brilliant angular electro disco band with two kids on stage playing percussion. Apparently one of them's deaf so he must be loving the bass vibrations! Then over to the Rusty Garden for First Degree Burns infectionsly danceable dub/ska/hip-hop. It's all a little hazy after that but ended with some heavyweight roots somewhere.
Saturday I was practicing for a fireshow all day, but by some grace of fortune my one hour break coincided with Zion Train's set on the Shambala stage. Zion Train's electronic dub and live trumpet combo is one of the all time classic festival sounds and one of my favourites so, with almost the entire audience in outrageously silly costumes, dancing to this was one of my festival moments of 2009. Apparently there's a remix album due out soon which should be worth checking out.
After our fire show we dived into the Rusty Garden again for King Porter Stomp, another Brighton band who played one of the best sets in Chai Wallas at SGP this year. This set was as good as always but didn't kick off as much as SGP. We then arrived in the Kamakazee to have missed Baobinga but settled in for The Bays who started with a wicked dubstep number. They were followed by DJ Die who launched straight into some full on d'n'b. Although we were planning on moving on the 'timetraveller' set kept us all glued to the dancefloor as he moved back into the oldskool for some hands in the air jungle classics by the end. Haven't had that much fun dancing to d'n'b in ages!
Sunday was much more chilled, with most of it spent playing on the hilarious crazy golf course. It also provided an unexpected musical gem in the form of the Cirque de Freaque backing band whose atmospheric dubstep (again with live trumpets) really gave an edge to the choreography. Later on MC Xander proved to be another massive highlight on the Lakeside stage. I've only seen him in little tents before, so it was good to see that his dubwise d'n'b beatboxing works just as well, and sounds even better, on a larger scale. Absolutely spine tingling.
Yes Sir Boss are yet another Brighton ska band who played late in the Rustic Garden. Their singer has amazing vocals but the tent was far too hot and having seen them at SGP we wandered out halfway through. It was a good move since we discovered a live jukebox with a man in a guitar in it who played two of the funniest songs I've heard in a longtime: 'Where is my Tent?' (sung to the tune of the Pixies) and Johnny Ball's Chemistry Set. Brilliant!
All in all it was a lovely little festival with lots to see and do and plenty of quality music. It never felt crowded and everyone that we met was exceptionally friendly. Final shout goes out to the UR Wall people for letting me draw the rabbit!
By far one of my favourite albums of the last year is ill.gates - autopirate, which came out on muti music in December. Blending hip-hop, glitch, breaks and dubstep with on and off scratching, tight vocals and psychedelic sounds, the album is full of bass heavy variation. I'm still listening to it as much as I was then.
This track with Irma Vemp is getting the re-mix treatment and a re-release in October this year:
In fact it's so good that I got in touch on myspace at the time to ask for a mix. Nothing materialised but now, just as ill.gates makes his way to the playa for Burning Man he's just dropped a live set full on fresh tracks over on the awesome Jungo Road. If you haven't heard of ill.Gates yet (aka. The Phat Conductor) make sure you read the full article.
ill.gates is not the only one heading out to Black Rock City. He will be joined by Bassnectar, a whole bunch of Muti Music artists and just about every other member of the San Francisco/US glitch-hop family. Oh, and my girlfriend has just set off from Reno. Any guesses where I want to be right now? Bloody job. At least I've got this to enjoy...
Mana - A supernatural force believed to dwell in a person or sacred object.
Since December 2008, Musical Mana has been serving up fresh mixtapes and tunes for your enjoyment. It's all about sampling new music for free, so that you find the tunes, DJs, producers and nights for your future.
Tastes are predominantly underground electronica with heavy bass, funked up grooves and interesting sounds - glitch-hop, dubstep, future bass, breaks, electro, IDM, progressive trance, tech funk, wonky techno and soothing down tempo grooves.
Please get in touch if you've got something that you want to share -> chrisduballstar at google mail dot com
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