Video: Shlohmo – “Beams”

Yes I’m still here, just getting a little choosier about what I post these days…

Shlohmo’s new album Dark Red is scheduled to drop on April 7 via True Panther/WeDidIt and with that date swiftly approaching, Shlohmo has returned with his next video and single. Jack Irving directs the video for “Beams” which matches the fast paced drum & bass roots the single lives in. 

Video: Shlohmo – “Buried”

Shlohmo teams up with director Lance Drake for forthcoming LP Dark Red’s first video. “Buried” is a very bleak clip that goes exceptionally well with the producer’s dark and moody tune.  Shlohmo has said the record is intended to be” devastating and violent” and I would say tone has definitely been set.

The viewer is taken on a six minute journey whose lead character is a distraught pregnant woman giving birth on the streets of LA. The whole thing has an 80’s John Carpenter type grit to it that fits like a glove.  Look for Dark Red to drop on April 7th via True Panther.

Listen: Shlohmo - “Buried”

Henry Laufer, aka Shlohmo, enters 2015 after a productive year spent producing tunes for rising stars Jeremih and BANKS amongst others. The LA based artist recently announced that his second full-length album, titled Dark Red is set to drop on April 7th via True Panther and shared a new single from it with fans in celebration.

“Buried” retains elements found on Shlohmo’s 2013 EP, Laid Out with its uneasy and eerie vibe. According to a press release, the record is an “uncanny marriage of his ever-evolving, richly textured sound with shades of ’90s IDM, R&B, cassette-tape Jungle, and, in an unexpected turn, sludge metal.” Laufer himself said it sounded as if “Electric Wizard tried to make an R&B record, or Boards of Canada meets Burzum by the River Styx.” , you can stream it below now and pre order the full 11-track record HERE.

Listen: Warpaint - "Keep It Healthy" EL-P Remix

EL-P continues to put out quality work and today it comes in the form of a remix for indie rock band, Warpaint. Taking on “Keep it Healthy”, Jamie turns the “traditional” rock track into a late night slow burn, check it below…

Listen: Mo' Wax - "Urban Archaeology Kickstarter Mix"

Back in May we shared some video footage of Mo' Wax head honcho James Lavelle discussing the re-lanuch of the label and its 21 year anniversary. As reported the James and friends were planning an exhibition titled Urban Archaeology - which would then be turned into a book documenting the Mo’ Wax discography and story alongside a Kickstarter campaign to fund it all. The campaign easily reached its goal and the project is moving full steam ahead.  To celebrate James and Matthew Puffet released a special mix spanning the label’s history featuring tracks by Blackalicious, Hiroshi & Kudo, Innerzone Orchestra, Divine Styler, DJ Shadow, Unkle, Air, Nightmares On Wax, DJ Krush, Dr. Octagon, Liquid Liquid and many more clocking in at just under an hour and a half. 

Tracklist:

UNKLE – Intro (Optional)

DJ Shadow - In/Flux

Air – Modulor Mix

Nightmares On Wax – A Nights Interlude

The Psychonauts – Circles

DJ Krush – Kemuri

UNKLE – Rabbit In Your Headlights (The Underdog Remix)

Dr. Octagon – Blue Flowers

Blackalicious – Alphabet Aerobics

Liquid Liquid – Cavern 

DJ Shadow – Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)

Sam Sever – What’s That Sound? (Main Cut)

Hiroshi & K.U.D.O feat. DJ Milo – Return Of The Original Art-Form

Rob D – Clubbed To Death (Kurayamino Variation)

Divine Styler – Directrix

La Funk Mob – Motor Bass Get Phunked Up (Electrofunk Remix by Ritchie Hawtin)

La Funk Mob – Motor Bass Get Phunked Up 

Innerzone Orchestra – Bug In The Bassbin

Innerzone Orchestra – Bug In The Bassbin (Jazz Mix)

UNKLE feat. Ian Brown – Reign (alternative version)

Rob D – Clubbed To Death (Peshay Remix)

UNKLE – In A State

DJ Shadow – Blood On The Motorway

James Lavelle presents : Urban Archaeology - A Classic Mo' Wax Def Mix by Dale Cooper on Mixcloud

Video: FACT TV - Mo' Wax founder James Lavelle's Archived Collection Part’s 1 & 2

Mo’ Wax, was a huge influence when I was growing up and attending high school, the leftfield hip-hop label that brought you artists like DJ Shadow, and originally introduced "those in the know" to fashion brands like A Bathing Ape turns 21 this year. 

To mark the occasion, the label are planning an exhibition titled Urban Archaeology - which will then be turned into a book documenting the Mo’ Wax discography and story (a little more on that and the forthcoming Kickstarter campaign behind it, here). James Lavelle, who co-founded the label in 1992 and would later form UNKLE with Shadow, has an incredible – bordering on mythical, for fans of the label – lock-up used to store his personal collection of records, Mo’ Wax memorabilia and more, and FACT TV, along with DJ Haus of Unknown to the Unknown and various other ventures, went down to check it out.

So far two episodes have aired and as you’d expect, Lavelle has stories for days.  In part one James shares some stories about personal favs in his collection, his days working at West London record store Honest Jon’s, visual collaborations with Will Bankhead and Massive Attack’s 3D and more.

In part two we see James dig through some of the older and rarer material in his collection – DAT tapes and all – and talks about the major influences on the label over the years.

Sunday Matinée - Celebrating Sunday's With A Live Clip: Alt-J (live on KEXP) & Goat (live at Truckstop Alaska)

Been a long while since we posted a Sunday Matinée so I figured we were about due for one, or in this case two since we’ve been dropping the ball. First up is British group ∆ (pronounced Alt-J) who have been gaining a lot of steam since their début album, An Awesome Wave, came out in the summer, a short and sweet affair packed with many memorable moments of catchy pop, hip-hop beats and a trip-hop atmosphere. The band just won Britain’s coveted Mercury Prize this week so I thought why not post this full performance on Seattle’s KEXP from September.

Playlist:

0:40 - Intro 3:25 - Interlude 1 4:48 - Tessellate 8:16 - Something Good 12:08 - Dissolve Me 16:24 - Fitzpleasure 20:15 - Matilda 24:18 - Interlude 2 25:30 - Breezeblocks 29:32 - Bloodflood 34:25 - Hand-made 37:25 - Taro

Second up is Swedish band Goat, a collective who hail from a small and very remote village called Korpolombolo and play a crazy mix of psychedelic funk, tribal rhythms, kraut rock, prog-rock, and folk they describe as world music because it draws from so many places( as apposed to the usual, limited (Afrocentric) definition of the term.) Like many of the bands that hail from the cold north Goat applies a lot of theatrics and satanic imagery, hence the name of some of the tracks including Goatman, Goathead and Goatlord but unlike a lot of those bands Goat are in no way a metal band. Check em' out doing their thing live at Truckstop Alaska, in Gothenburg from 2012-10-27. 

Video: DJ Shadow & Terry Reid – “Listen”

Some fantastic visuals directed by Franck Trebillac and Produced by Soupfactory for DJ Shadow’s new track with Terry Reid, taken from his best-of compilation, Reconstructed, a box set that not only features seven discs (including all of his albums, a live performance in Glasgow from 2011 and more), but the In Tune & On Time DVD, a 180GSM vinyl entitled The Best Of The Remixes, a special laminated booklet, and plenty more. 

Video: Twigs - "Hide"

U.K. artist Twigs has entered the scene with not just a fantastic song but a pretty unique video to boot. , “Hide” is a sensual piece of experimental R&B  that hits all the right notes and has got me thirsty for more from the mysterious former dancer. Grace Ladoja handles the visuals which see Twigs’ business covered by a red heart shaped Anthurium flower, also known as the "Boy Flower", one might read into the symbolism but really who cares when something is this good. I don't know what Twigs’ future plans include but mark my words she will be deservingly huge. 

Listen: Blockhead - "Never Forget Your Token"

long time AesopRock producer Blockhead is back with a new LP, his fifth overall, titled Interludes After Midnight. Tony Simon, has traveled the globe and emerged with another collection of eclectic songs,  Interludes title comes to us from an afterhours New York City public access show that ran throughout the 80’s and early 90’s and is Blockhead’s ultimate homage to the times and places that defined his upbringing. The LP will be released on April 30th in Europe and May 1st in the US via Ninja Tune Records. Check out the the lead cut "Never Forget Your Token" below…

Video: DJ Shadow Featuring Little Dragon - “Scale It Back”

Looks like DJ Shadow and Little Dragon‘s collaboration “Scale It Back” is the next track off of the producer’s recently released  LP The Less You Know, The Better to get  the video treatment.  The video was directed by Ewan Jones Morris & Casey Raymond, enjoy…

DJ Shadow "Scale It Back" from Ewan Jones Morris on Vimeo.

DJ Shadow live at 2011 Rockness festival

A set from DJ Shadow's live perfromance at this years Rockness festival(Scotland) poped up on the web this weekend, it was Shadow's first show in Scotland in 4 years. The set includes classic material from albums such as Endtroducing, The Private Press, The Outsider and newer songs from his upcoming album The Less You Know, The Better, Take a listen to the set below.

Thievery Corporation debut new track "Culture of Fear"

Trip Hop collective Thievery Corporation announced their upcoming 6th album Culture of Fear earlier this year and today they made available the title track as the first single off the upcoming LP featuring Mr. Lif.

Culture of Fear will be the first studio release since the group's 2008 album Radio Retaliation. Check out the new track below and head to their site for the free download.

Portishead play first live show since 2008 at Vredenburg Utrecht

Check out some clips of Trip Hop greats Portishead performing their first show since 2008 in the Netherlands. You can watch the group's performance of their classic "Glory Box" as well as "Machine Gun" and "Cowboys"