Browsing Tag

producer

CONT4MIN4TED – This is the Way: An Alt-Electronica Journey for the Mind, Body, Soul, and Rhythmic Pulses

Posted on 16 May 2023
https://soundcloud.com/cont4min4ted/sets/this-is-the-way/s-lYo30PwNNHK?ref=clipboard&p=a&c=1&si=67a3e5c169854d6d9ec28a67dcadf4b6&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

After aurally relinquishing their emotional baggage via their debut LP, the Gainesville, GA alt-electronica producer, CONT4MIN4TED, went even further leftfield with their sophomore album, This is the Way, which will take you on a journey of the mind, body, soul and rhythmic pulses.

I could dissect each of the 16 singles that were intuitively curated to orchestrate the ultimate sonic experience, but perceptibly, the greatest achievement of this LP is the cinematic journey it will take you on straight from track one, Stuck, before the stagnation lifts in the fervidly exhilarating soundtrack, Drifting.

Even with the chillier tones and ethereal vocal lines in the cinematic slices of synthesised soul, you won’t fail to find the impassioned warmth in the emotion and experience-driven soundtracks to vignettes that are universally shared. The album is enough to make you forgo your usual vibe-out electronica playlists; it is a smorgasbord of constantly in-flux electronica ingenuity. For your sanity’s sake, sink your teeth into the catharsis.

Stream This is the Way from April 28 on SoundCloud, Spotify and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Masses Against the Classes: NIGHTSHIFT Joka-B x MrLee x Ultra_Eko

Posted on 5 May 2023

Punk may have lost its bite in the light of the global financial crisis, but grime artists are picking up the slack and sinking their teeth into the injustice that is cowing the majority into oppressed submission. For his latest single, NIGHTSHIFT, the West Yorkshire-hailing, rural Poland Emcee & Producer, MrLee versed for the masses with the help of Joka-B and Ultra_Eko.

By mixing light and dark tones in the polyphonic beats, MrLee created an emotionally rounded hit, rather than running through with nothing but the all too relatable working-class anger to give his succinct words even more resonant weight. But that isn’t to say he held any prisoners in his lyricism that has made him stand out in an oversaturated scene. He could more than stand his own against Bob Vylan and Kid Kapichi with the socially conscious lyricism in NIGHTSHIFT.

Hear NIGHTSHIFT from May 5th on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chxmist drops an instant electronic classic to turn up all night called Rather Be

Posted on 29 April 2023

Seducing our inner party mode with punchy electronic drum lines to start the weekend with, Chxmist does his hometown of Dublin rather proud with a rather excellent soundtrack for summer on Rather Be.

Chxmist (pronounced chemist) is a Manchester-based project formed by the exceptional electronic producer and DJ Conor Barry.

”Pitched vocals and garage grooves complete the sound forged from an ambient project birthed during the national lockdown of 2020.” ~ Chxmist

Scintillating with an assortment of delightfully crisp and saucy music to get enthusiastic about, Chxmist demonstrates so much quality in boatloads as we feel happy and free-flowing excellence to munch on for hours on end here.

Rather Be from Manchester-based electronic music producer and DJ Chxmist is a rocket-fueled mission that Elon Musk might listen to. This is a superbly lit experience which didn’t need too many vocals. Each ear shall feel thunderbolt stuff from a hearty meal of a song that shall change moods and get many dance fans excited. For good reason too.

This is addictive music which will get the body moving. Turn it up.

Listen up on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

 

Make your perspective as luminary as abstract.ortiz’s latest single, Lighten Up

Posted on 21 April 2023

Even the sky won’t be blue if it is lucky enough to be exposed to the soul in abstract.ortiz’s latest single, Lighten Up. The alt-electronica downtempo manifestation of euphoria enmeshes you with its colourfully-hazy tones before the artist and producer prises you away from ennui with his sticky-sweet vocal lines that will be all too efficacious on fans of Grandaddy.

Bringing his art into this era, there is a trappy feel to the release through the cadence of the vocal melodies and how the harmonies bleed into the synthetics of the soundscape that ensure that by the time the single reaches the prelude your perspective will be as luminary as this release.

Lighten Up was officially released on March 14. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Timothy and the Apocalypse pushed the boundaries of apocalyptic perception with his ambient trip-hop LP, All Busted Up 

Posted on 19 April 2023

Since 2021, the Australian artist and producer Timothy and the Apocalypse has been taking over the ambient trip-hop scene; the cinematically lush layers in his downtempo discography soundtrack society as we cling to the precipice of our destruction. In his fourth album, All Busted Up, written between the dystopian motifs are memorandums of what it means to be human on the edge of blind capitalist collective masochism. 

After track one, Speed of Life, which mournfully ponders how much sand stands between our demise, inspired by the loss of his mother, the LP slams into the sexier than The Deftones groove-driven piece, The Reckoner. The angularly harbingering guitars and fervid breakbeats cloaked under reverb definitively prove that visceralism isn’t out of the producer’s remit. 

Track three, When You Dream, lays the barely lucid psychedelia on thick as the Lynchian soundscape drifts through its arrestingly jarring progressions that distort jazzy timbres and soul-soaked ethereal female vocals. In all sincerity, it is enough to make Portishead sound pedestrian.

Track four, Driving Me Crazy, lends itself well to the titular illusion; the dreamy descent into surrealism drifts through subversively glitchy progressions in the extended piece, which keeps you hooked into the artfully experimental beguile. If any soundscape on the LP will make a meal of your rhythmic pulses while vindicating your own insanity, it is this sonic gem. 

Track five, Saved, introduces some darker ambient industrial tones while still scribing the sonic signature that the preceding singles have allowed you to become accustomed to before Beautiful Chaos melodically exhibits the relenting capacity of awe in times of mass disillusion. With nuanced Eastern flavour worked into the kaleidoscopic rhythms, Timothy and The Apocalypse broke the monocultural mould to deliver his staunch fanbase from entropy.

Dreaming When You Hold Me could only be described as a leftfield electronica dream for the way the transcendence binds with the experimental gravitas permitted by the strobing synths, a sonic theme which continues through to track eight, Only You; the deliciously distorted soundscape is a meditation in tranquil obscurity. 

By closing the LP on Nothing Forever, Timothy and the Apocalypse sealed the album’s fate, allowing it to resonate as one of the most seminal ambient electronica records of the year. It’s the ultimate audial space for reflection on all the instrumental introspection that preceded it. If you want to push the boundaries of your apocalyptic perception, take a dive – you won’t regret it. 

All Busted Up will officially release on April 14th; catch it on Spotify & SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast 

 

Forest Funk exhilarated hip-hop in his funked-up reggae mash-up, Run It

Posted on 18 April 2023

Augsburg, Germany DJ and producer, Forrest Funk, stayed true to his moniker in his latest cross-genre mash-up of hip-hop, funk, and reggae, Run It. The stylishly energised amalgamated ensemble of funked-up progressions exhibits his unparalleled reverent approach to celebrating the diversity of the roots of urban sounds. Yet, perceptibly, there is plenty more to the producer’s modus operandi than keeping a fixed gaze on the past; he is bringing in the future of funk with his own authentically funked flair that is as moody as it is euphoric.

After touring the German gig circuit and rubbing shoulders while sharing stages with the likes of Jayl Funk, Lack Jemmon, Quincy Jointz, Dj Maxxx, Nobody’s Face, Djane Jo-C, XRated, Dj Sticky, Len Beam and many more, he’s turning his attention to enlivening the airwaves – there’s no denying that his approach is highly efficacious.

Run It was officially released on April 7; delve into the groove pockets on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Supa G Swift has launched his dark, dirty, and droning techno debut, Take You to Attica

Posted on 8 April 2023

Take You to Attica is the debut dark, dirty and droning tech house hit from the up-and-coming artist Supa G Swift. Taking their listeners far beyond earth’s banal and predictable atmosphere, this helter-skelter ride through the cosmos treats you to funked-up surging electro-electricity by the smorgasbord.

The Cork, Ireland-based artist, DJ, and producer initially set out to take over the hip-hop scene in Cork before entering DJ battles in Ireland and relocating to Canada, where he became one of the most notorious and revered DJs in Vancouver.

For the past seven years, his upcoming debut album, Enter Infinity, has been his labour of love; it promises to be a psychologically expansive high-energy ride. On the basis of Take You to Attica, we don’t doubt his ability to deliver exhilaratingly trippy hits that could lead to a dancefloor frenzy.

Take You to Attica released on April 3rd; entrance yourselves via SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Groove to the Soulful Sounds of “Randomize”

Posted on 20 March 2023

Forrest Funk is a talented DJ and producer who has recently released a new track on Spotify titled “Randomize”. The track is a fantastic example of Forrest’s unique approach to music, blending elements of hip hop, soul, and lo-fi to create a relaxed and downtempo vibe.

“Randomize” is a beautifully crafted track that oozes with soulful grooves and mellow beats. The intro is a bit long but before long you’re nodding to the infectious snap of the snare drum. The song is filled with lush chords, gentle guitar riffs, and warm vocal samples that create a laid-back and chilled-out atmosphere. Forrest’s signature style is evident throughout the track, with his attention to detail and meticulous production techniques shining through in every note.

One of the things that makes “Randomize” so special is its ability to transport the listener to a different place. The track’s use of stilted drums and echoing reverbed horns depicts dreamy and atmospheric soundscapes are reminiscent of lazy summer afternoons and hazy sunsets, making it the perfect soundtrack for relaxation and introspection.

Overall, “Randomize” is a beautiful and soulful track that showcases Forrest Funk’s talent as a producer. The track is mellow and introspective, and it’s sure to be a hit with fans of downtempo and chillout music. If you’re looking for a peaceful and soothing track to add to your playlist, then “Randomize” is more than worth a listen.

Growing Boi made a malady of sentimentality in his psychedelically experimental single, Overflow

Posted on 24 February 2023

After years of success as a touring artist, session musician, songwriter and producer, Chris Matthews obliterated the notion of genre with his exploratively alternative single, Overflow, under the moniker Growing Boi. The artfully melancholic track makes a malady out of sentimentality while exhibiting the same instrumental alchemy and ingenuity as the Legendary Pink Dots and the vocal gravitas of Leonard Cohen.

The spacey amalgam of psych, folk, electronica, trip-hop and 70s pop is devilishly clever, but never to the detriment of the accessibility of the intimately bold score that will stay with you for long after the complex chords have faded into silent obscurity. From honkytonk piano keys to motifs you’d expect to hear in a Tame Impala production, Overflow is a treasure trove of artful beguile that allows you to drift to a higher plateau.

Overflow will drop on February 24th; hear it on SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Rae Larz drifted into the 5th dimension in her spacey synth-pop debut, Tea in the Stratosphere

Posted on 23 February 2023

Here to warn us that reality isn’t what we think it is, is the up-and-coming experimental artist Rae Larz, who could give Bjork a run for her Avant-Garde money with her introspectively spacey hit, Tea in the Stratosphere.

Stirring her artfully psychedelic single with a heavy dose of futurism ensured that she established herself as an orchestrator of soul-emancipating sonic remedies, which take us far beyond the maladies of the 21st century.

The decadently soft synth lines lustfully collide with the trip-hop-y percussive fills and the nuanced slithers of jazz timbres and other world music elements that heighten this elevated hit to the nth degree.

Every aural inch of Tea in the Stratosphere was written, performed, produced, and engineered by Rae Larz herself. Evidently, the Brooklyn-based originator will become an unreckonable force in the industry.

Tea in the Stratosphere was officially released on February 3rd via Jupiter’s Luck Records. Hear it on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast