Musicakes Bits: May 2010

Earlier this month I had a nice sunday afternoon chat with Science Project, two Local producers/performers about beats, the Brisbane scene and playing live, so for those that don't know here's a bit about the pair of them and what it is that they do.

Science Project consists of two members, 8 Man and Grimes, else known as Jad and Andy. They've been collaborating in the studio since 2007 making beats that carry rich, warm bass and laser synths alongside smoked out, Dub heavy beats. As such their sound is distanced from the Australian music scene at large, unique in its own way but perhaps more reminiscent of the Street Bass scene in Philadelphia or the Dubstep and Dancehall soundsystems of London. The Dub influence, though already apparent, was confirmed when I asked what brought them together musically: a love of the music of King Tubby and Lee Scratch Perry, something that can be best observed in the laid back yet infectious vibes on their releases thus far. However something that really sets Science Project aside from their contemporaries is their live show in which Jad cuts, samples and loops with an MPC and turntables whilst Andy syncs up with him on drums. Though not quite groundbreaking this format is a pretty major undertaking that can easily risk becoming something flat or alienating for an audience, as in the case of the 'Dj and the Drummer' Project or 'Legion of Two'. Despite this the pair manage to pull it off with style so I asked them how much work has gone into the Live set and how they got it so tight; they exchanged a weary look and laughed.

"Ah man, its a constantly evolving thing, sometimes something works and then something else doesn't, there was a lot of trial and error at the rehearsal stage." Andy, who also plays drums for local 10 Piece Funk band Boss Cats, outlined the difficulties of their performance, "When you're on stage with a live band you can afford to be a bit loose, because if you're making up one part of an overall sound little mistakes aren't as apparent to the audience. The rest of the sound carries you on and it's easy to pick it back up again. But for the Science Project live show I have to be constantly switched on and focused, the slightest mistake is going to be really obvious so everything has to run within a certain rehearsed structure or it can go badly wrong. This isn't to say that there isn't room for improvisation and cutting loose every now and then, it's just that the opportunity for improvisation has to be carefully planned in advance."

The cohesion required for their live set is equally important when writing the tracks and putting them together in the studio, "The usual process is that one of us gets an idea (and there's a lot of unfinished ideas still floating around), then sits back and lets the other do his thing. Sometimes it works and we go with it, at others it doesn't and we go back to the beginning." Considering the massively saturated music marketplace that has developed in the last few years and the subsequent pressure to find a formula to make more money, I asked if they felt pressured to make their music more commercial so as to make their sound radio friendly and more likely to accrue big sales, "Not at all, we just make music that sounds good to us, stuff that moves us. We keep things laid back and loose just finding vibes that we're feeling. Making incredibly technical music or playing to a set formula that works can be disrespectful to your audience, we just want to play good music, stuff that gets people dancing without compromising our own enjoyment." And as for the future they assure me that there's a lot more still to come, "We've also been collaborating with a variety of other artists which also helps to keep ideas fresh and opens up new perspectives all the time, so expect to see a lot more variation over the coming releases. We've also been hard at work on setting up our own label, Dub Temple Records, so in future we'll be releasing our own beats as well as inviting a number of other artists to contribute as well. We've also got Blastcorps (prolific producer/painter/DJ from Darwin) doing our mastering so everything is looking good."

In this light I wondered how well received their music would be by their local contemporaries; coming from the UK it's baffling to me that there's still such a focus upon Electro house and Cheese in the Brisbane scene. In it's various permutations the Beat music sound has rapidly infiltrated every corner of the globe, so it seems bizarre that a city with such prevalent nightlife as Brisbane's should be left behind. Jad explains, "The beats scene in Brisbane is interesting and it has the strength and scope to grow given the dedication of certain local promoters and a crop of up and coming talent in the area. It's just a matter of pushing the sound; however it is easy to see why many genres haven't taken off, bear in mind that a lot of music that is successful overseas is irrelevant here. Of course there are heads who appreciate those genres as with any underground music, but for music to achieve mass appeal, like Hiphop in the US or Dubstep in the UK, it needs to be relevant to the local population. The US Hiphop scene is hugely influenced by funk, soul and Motown because it is deeply rooted in African American culture, the same goes for music like Drum and Bass and Dubstep in the UK, both of which draw heavily from Reggae and Dub which is of course due to the strong Caribbean influence on British culture.”

“Equally if you look at Hiphop in a global context (or the colloquial equivalent) it is heavily laced with the traditional sounds of the culture around it. In Brazil you don't have producers and MC's aping the sound from LA, instead they draw their influences from Samba and Soca. In African countries like Angola they draw upon tribal music like Kuduru to make their sound relevant to the people that will support it. Even in Japan, where American influence has been heavily imprinted upon their recent culture, artists like Hifana and Dj Kentaro extensively sample ancient, traditional folk music to create a sound that is uniquely Japanese. It's because of this that so much of the music over here that is heavily influenced by American or British trends is so unlikely to succeed in the long run and can even be painful to listen to at times. What we need is to base music around the indigenous music in our locale, like beats from Aboriginal music, or that of the Torres Strait Islanders and Papa New Guineans, those guys have some mad rhythms, and it is those we need to tap into if we want such a culture to call our own”

Science Project's latest release Alchemystic EP is out now on Dub Temple You can find it on iTunes or go to www.myspace.com/scienceprojectdubs

Shithawk

Now then now then, I've got a nothing but disdain for today, you ever encounter one of those days where in all likelihood you're probably not going to be able to stop yourself from unleashing a torrent of drivel on some unsuspecting person so you walk around scatting to yourself and answering every question anyone asks you with a maddeningly incomprehensible question of your own? Yo. That's today. Fortunately for me I have you to cascade my jib upon so my colleagues are spared from the main deluge of meaningless pap, for now at least.

James Blake is a Shithawk. That's right you heard me, a Shithawk. Ignore the urban dictionary, I mean it in the most superlative terms. Imagine something that is "the shit" you know like "oh my days, that new Slugabed tune is the shit!" Well James Blake is riding the methane thermals, circling majestically above "the shit" with effortless majestic grace. Maybe a Shitowl, sitting in the upper branches of a tree gazing down upon the seething morass of musical goodness below him with an expression of quiet, calm superiority. What a guy. You should check The Bells Sketch he put out on Hessle Audio recently, it's uncommonly good, the bass in the title track is the most unsettling piece of brilliance; you're there appreciating the track going "well this is all pretty sweet" and then all of a sudden this bowel movement inducing bass comes charging in like a freight train made of crackling insanity. Aaaah yeah!

Buzzard and Kestrel (fittingly) the next track is bonkers and hilarious, although I can't put my finger on why it's so amusing. It's difficult to even begin trying to explain why it's so affecting, this dude has got some next level manipulative skills when it comes to messing your head up. Along with Give a man a Rod, the third and final track, the whole effect is like some incredibly strange drug induced lucid dream in which the dimensions and governing laws of physics keep changing without notice or reason. You think you've managed to grasp what's going on and then you fall into a hole which turns you into a complex geometric shape that speaks backwards with the same intonation as a musical birthday card running perilously low on battery reserves. There's even a bit in Give a Man a Rod which actually sounds like a wobbly owl leading a choir of ghosts on a rubber pipe organ in a melting Romanian castle. Brilliant.

From apprehension to affirmation in 3 easy steps

I don't know about you, but sometimes the ennui of day to day life sometimes makes me feel a bit jaded about music. Is it really as good as I've been saying? Was I wrong to rant with such vitriolic hatred about mainstream genres? Is it really fair to describe certain musicians as 'fiercely glowing incandescent gems of inspiration in a barren cultural wasteland'?
Of course this malaise lasted for all of a second, of course I'm right, it was a damn good description and mainstream music deserves all the abuse that I can muster. Of course I'd never make such wild statements without some serious backup so here's the proof, read it and weep society (you know who you are).

Since parting ways with Vex'd partner Roly, Jamie Vex'd has blessed us all with a handful of devastating releases, from the awesome In System Travel EP to this unspeakably good remix of Starkey's Miracles. And now after a timely alias switch and a lengthy quiet period, enter the hypercoloured, laser driven, colliding synth universe of Kuedo. This first release Dream Sequence E.P is breathtaking, it sounds as though some crazed vivisectionist has spliced together Flying Lotus, Burial, Loops Haunt, Joker, Ginz and Rustie, packed the resulting monstrosity into a prototype spaceship and blasted it into a parallel universe populated by glowing ethereral beings. Not one to overhype things I suggest you go grab it for a listen and make your own opinions, but without even a trace of hyperbole this is the finest production I've heard this year.

At the other end of a similar spectrum Illum Sphere has steadily been building a name for himself with immaculately produced hiphop shoegaze. Since co-founding the outstanding Hoya Hoya night in Manchester, his production has been subject to a lethargic release schedule, but despite this everything has been absolutely on point. After his debut Incoming Ep and a couple of remixes for the likes of Om Unit and Martyn, his most recent release Long Live the Plan is one of the freshest things the UK beat movement has produced in recent memory. From the air raid interlaced intro the epic dystopian scene is set and what follows is a series of stunning interpretations of the current UK scene, skipping two step nestles in between sparse hip hop and stripped back dub, a miasma of dark synths and crackles overwhelm the stumbling beats before retreating, ghostlike back to the shadows. Of the seven tracks it's hard to pick a favourite so I'm going to pick two: Shadowman, in all it's broodingly beauty and Psycho as it ponderously stomps into your head with its infectious drums and metallic distortion.

Finally, after flailing around and shouting at anyone who'll listen for the last month or so, it figures that I should probably commit my adulation for Free the Robots to this blog rather than wasting everyone else's time and my own energy on babbling incoherently about how good he is. As it stands he's only had the two releases , Free the Robots EP and a collaboration with the (Mother Fucking) Gaslamp Killer, The Killer Robots EP. Both are an utterly brilliant blend of hip hop, jazz, psych rock, samba, prog rock and techo, with some of the crispest and most intricate drums in existence and more production skills that you could shake a studio stable of his contempories at. The only real comparisons I can really draw are the Gaslamp Killer himself, DJ Shadow and Hexstatic but the influences and evocations are wide ranging and numerous. For a taster of his eclectic and perfectly blended styles check out this Low End Theory Podcast (right click and save as), this one for Paris Dj's (same again), this one for Rich Soil and this t-shirt. The new album, CTRL ALT DELETE drops later this year.

As a little bonus for you all, here's a mix I made at the behest of my mate 'Broke Ted' Bil: Bils Weighty Wreck Quest. It's a bit messy in places but ignore that and try to enjoy it for what it is, an ugly mix of heavywieght tunes.

Tracklist

Intro: Long Live the Plan - Illum Sphere
01: Shadowman - Illum Sphere
02: Glow - Kuedo
03: Zisou (everything Up) - Zero 7 (Joker Remix)
04: Digidesign - Joker (Om Unit's Pop Lock Remix)
05: Simon Says - Pharoe Monche (Slugbed Remix)
06: Impact Omnihammer - Loops Haunt
07: Radiant Industry - Jamie Vex'd
08: Starfox - Kuedo
09: Dwrcan - Bibio (Eskmo Remix)
10: Lightgrids - Om Unit (Illum Sphere Remix)
11: Secrets - Flying Lotus (Soundmurderer Refix)
12: Evil Man - Shafiq Husayn (Flying Lotus Remix)
13: Boreal Moonlight -Pine
14: Stinkin Skunk - SRC
15: Skyfire - Slugabed
16: Teeth - Shlohmo
17: Joplin - Loops Haunt
18: Sketches - Fantastic Mr Fox
19: Broken Love - Bass Clef
>>> Change Interlude - Ras G Vs Muse
20: Superman (live) - Jogger

Haarpynooyeer

It's unspeakably hot. You can't go outside, you can't even leave the shelter of the air conditioned living room. When I tried to go for a shower I almost axed myself on the sink after slipping in a pool of my own foot sweat. Fortunately being stuck indoors is an excuse to listen to new tunes all day whilst the missus ventures forth into the outside world in search of employment. Don't hate me this is what's known as gradual acclimatisation. Anyway I hope you're sitting comfortably and ready for some heavy new beats for a brand new year, which by all appearances promises to be a good one. After a long Internet drought we're back in the game and I've been all "fatty in a cake shop" for the last couple of days, so to get the ball rolling here are a few sparkling gems of musical freshness for you all to enjoy.

Debruit has been turning heads for a little while now, but until he released his new EP Spatio Temporel I was yet to be wholly taken with his sound. These four new tracks are a stunning combination of playful manipulation and wholesome bass, standing alone in their ability to make you chuckle uncontrollably, shake your head in disbelief and bounce like a possessed kangaroo all within the same bar. Cleverly looped and cut samples, cheeky vocal led drops and splashes of furious wobble all combine to produce some of the freshest beats this year so far, not that the year is barely five minutes old yet, but I figure they'll stand the test of time with ease.

I've already mentioned Shlohmo in recent months but a rerelease of his Shlohmoshun EP deserves an extra shout. Complete with remixes from artistes de jour, Tokimonsta, Devonwho, Fulgeance and Low Limit this repackage boasts some tighter mastering, two new tracks and a few nice tweaks to the original tracks which only serves to enhance their lush, subtly affecting atmospherics. Teeth is the standout of the new tracks, bringing static crackle and pin prick percussion before dropping a tearout bassline that could probably shear off your ears if played loud enough. My pick of the guest spots is the Devonwho remix of 7am, compressing the original sounds into squashed bleeps and tight edits before unleashing tribal drums that roll the tune through to a satisfying close.

A special mention must go out to Loops Haunt for his début release (that underground cassette promo aside) Impact OmniHammer b/w Joplin. Since their original airing on various promo mixes these two brain tenderising beats have evolved yet further from their already impressive roots and I for one am overjoyed that I too can now drop two of my favourite tunes at a cost of less than £2. Hold tight for Loops Haunt madness in this coming week with his Rubber Sun Grenade EP dropping on Fortified Audio. If you haven't checked this startling talent out yet please grab his Promo Mixes (1 & 2) and Electronic Explorations showcase from earlier last year and brace yourself for some sonic mischief of the highest order.

Finally a brief word on a slept on album from last year that friends recently brought to my attention; Medschool newcomer, Bop's first offering to the world of ephemeral Drum and Bass. Clear Your Mind is vaguely reminiscent of Instramental and Consequence, but elements of glitch and IDM shine through the wash of atmospherics, drawing more appropriate comparisons to artists like Shlohmo or Kelpe. Haunting, melancholic synths are perforated by laser guided, needle sharp, bit crushed percussion, incredibly unpredictable in the sparsity or cluster of it's arrangement. The resulting composition is a beautifully spacious work of individuality sprinkled with just the right amount of glitch to keep things bubbling along nicely. All in all a well worthy addition to anyone's collection and another much needed boost in credibility for the DnB scene.

Enough chatter for now, night has fallen and it's just about cool enough to go lie down without sweating a small lake into the mattress. No time to relax though for now is the hour of the mosquito onslaught. Subtropical life isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Festive Shit: Part 2

Have you seen all the fucking lights? When did December become an excuse for massive energy consumption? They're everywhere, lit up like a neon birthday cake, draining the power grid, owners grinning proudly in the local newspaper. I don't remember this happening on such a wide scale in the past but times they are changing it seems and I suppose polar bears are just going to have to deal with it. Apologies if this all sounds somewhat cantankerous, but its difficult to maintain a sense of what's right when you're wilting in 35 degrees, 100 percent humidity and fluorescent Santa keeps waving at you from the neighbour's roof. Anyway, in a bid to avoid being sucked into the crass consumer circus that's marauding around outside my door I've battened down the hatches and fired up the headphones for a spot of music appreciation.

As a belligerent fan of drum and bass it's been a real pleasure to hear the material that the likes of D Bridge, Instramental and Bop have been contributing to the scene lately, for a while it seemed like there was no hope for the heavyweight champion of underground genres but a stripped down, atmospheric approach and plenty of dystopian soundscaping seems to have done the trick. All in good time too it seems, with D Bridge's impeccable latest offering The Gemini Principle still sending an icy shockwave around the globe, newcomer Consequence drops a more than suitable successor, Live For Never on the Exit Label. It soon becomes clear why D Bridge was so keen to release this debut LP from a relatively unknown artist, the similarities are instantly recognisable, but whilst they share a penchant for intelligent drum edits and otherworldly synths, it's clear that Consequence has drawn his influences from many and varied purveyors of dark and ambient music. In contrast yet in compliment to beats worthy of Photek, Instramental or Bukem are flourishes of Burialesque sampling and distortion at play amongst melodies and atmosphericss that could have been plucked from the mind of Vangelis or Eno. The whole album has the feel of the soundtrack to a movie set in a centuries distant, space borne adaptation of Tokyo, floating like a metal hive over the shattered remnants of a ruined Earth. Forgive me for being melodramatic but this really has to be heard to be fully appreciated, I haven't been this surprised by Drum and Bass since I first listened to Current Value, and in this case the shock and awe are inspired by truly affecting music rather than all out ear bashing.

I've also been somewhat caught unawares by Bass Clef's latest album, May the Bridges I Burn Light the Way, which takes the staccato 2-step of The Zamayatin Tapes and grafts it onto some crazy Soca drums and whistles before assaulting your ears like a mescaline powered favella soundsystem made entirely out of pieces of the M25. If you could imagine such a thing. To be entirely honest the enthusiasm and vigour of it all became a bit too much around halfway through the album but on the last couple of tracks this demented whirlwind of noise fades into utter serenity. Broken Love sounds like it came from another world entirely, softly building nostalgic strings over breathy, mechanical percussion before unleashing offbeat jazz drums, gently moaning voices on the wind and a melting brass band, then all of a sudden the midpoint of the track sees all this disappear into one of the loveliest tunes I've heard in some time, complete with subtly glitched drum edits and a damn fine horn section. Finally another unexpected gem, Halliwick, rounds off proceedings with marching beats accompanied by lush strings, rolling pulsating bass another fine Brass chorus. All of which sort of begs the question, why on earth haven't we heard more of this side of Bass Clef in the past and will we get more in future? Here's to hoping so, after the initial onslaught of tracks 1-7 it's just about the only thing keeping me from climbing the house next door with a bottle of Cachaca and a golf club.

But fear not, festive rage can also be averted in any of the following ways:

Getting hold of Tapes' E.P, Hissing Theatricals, which fires bursts of 8 bit sunshine up your face in the manner of a dub loving Atari in the throes of a fatal power surge.

Seeking out Loops Haunt's head mangling Electronic Explorations mix, an experience so unsettling that it will leave you sobbing with confusion as you struggle to rearrange your thoughts.

Or listening to Aardvarck's new Bloom 4 E.P. Possibly the most interesting approach to music at 140 bpm I've heard all year.

Enjoy yourselves over this most festive of seasons, I'm off for some more Cheesecake and G&T's on the Verandah, it certainly beats glaring at the miserable weather and drinking until I'm numb enough to venture outside. Happy Christmas!

Broken Ted News

I've been a little removed from the musical world recently, due in part to various upheavals in life but also to excessive drinking and tearful goodbyes. Needless to say the first re-immersion in sound drew a whole plethora of new and exciting prospects, largely thanks to some friends of mine who have been keeping a weather eye on the usual channels whilst I've been out of action. Notably the Broken Ted, who's been exploring the various avenues of glitch and ephemera to recommend:

Shlohmo, who's E.P.s, Shlohofi and Schlomoshun are dancing around the periphery of my mind like esoteric pixies hellbent on stealing my thoughts. The former is a delicate arrangement of ethereal glitched out beats, definitely best listened to on a very lazy Sunday afternoon or in a state of entranced reflection. The latter is more easily reconcilable, slipping in somewhere between Ras G, Nosaj Thing and Eskmo; sort of slumped Hip Hop with skipping drum patterns and a warm afterglow of softly diffused bass.

Tokimonsta, who is coming on leaps and bounds with every mixtape. Her latest offering which takes the form of a promo for Donkey Pitch and Sonic Router can be found here, and I suggest everyone with a modicum of interest should read her interview with Sonic Router and make every effort to catch her at Donkey Pitch in Brighton on the 26/11/09.

And another Slugabed Mix (for Dummy this time around), which ticks all the disgusting boxes you could ever dream of. I've started to wonder whether my new found admiration for his music is merely a personal rebellion against the derivative, hyper processed, auto-tuned world of Pop dross, but then I listen to it again and it blows such thoughts clean out of my mind with the force of a sonic jackhammer.

All this said I haven't been completely idle, I stumbled across this new Blank Blue set on Dublab the other day and I was pleasantly surprised. They've taken on a couple of new band members and stiffened up their sound somewhat, it's basically what Blank blue would sound like if they were a blasting desert Rock ensemble instead of a psychedelic west coast Folk-Hop two piece. Not sure whether that's progress exactly but my dog likes it and that's good enough for me.

Speaking of which I put some dubstep on earlier and Facie (the dog), started growling along to the music every time the sub kicked in. In the past she's howled along to the blues and barked/whined to anything else with rhythmic guitars and keys. This latest approach is new to me and if anything is a seal of approval I'd say that this would be it. I'm tempted to contact Kryptic Minds with the news but I doubt they'd be as excited as I was when I heard her rendition of Six Degrees. It is entirely possible that staying at my parents house is driving me insane.

Finally I have a recommendation straight out of the left field for anyone that enjoys atmospheric soundscapes in the vein of Boards of Canada or Access to Arasaka. Oneohtrix Point Never produce the sort of music that evokes Alien Skies, Dystopian Cityscapes and the very limits of the known universe. It doesn't do a whole lot but then again it doesn't really have to. Go buy it here and close your eyes of a couple of hours, it's probably worth it.

New Slugabed and Dr Strangeloop Sets

Today is my last day at work so I'm doing as little as possible, which, whilst counter-productive for my employers, is an unexpected bonus for both you and me. In lieu of data logging emails I have already unearthed a new Dr Strangeloop mix and a new Slugabed mix and it's only midday.

If you heard Slugabed's Electronic Explorations mix then I'm sure you'll be salivating profusely by now. With good reason, this set is disgusting, I can actually feel it taking years off my life, like smoking irradiated cigars or swimming in the river Trent.

Anyway the mix is at the tail end of Subeena's Outland SubFM show, following mixes from DJ Planet Mu and Bok Bok, which are probably quite sound as well. The Slugabed set starts at around 1:20:00, in case, like me, you lack the patience to sit through the rest of the show.

Grab it here (right click and save as to download).

For those of you not quite so accustomed to Slugabed's brand of ugly, electro perversion I suggest you check this dead lovely set produced for Xolair by the fascinating Dr Strangeloop. It's took forever to download but it's so beautiful that it's worth the wait. It sounds similar to this podcast that he did for Brainfeeder a while ago, but this one features a whole plethora of unreleased material from a range of artists, including Shlohmo, Flying Lotus and Strangeloop himself.

Grab it here (right click and save as to download). Mix starts at 43 mins or so.

One final word on the matter, I know I have a tendency to bang on about Brainfeeder, but the praise is well deserved. New signing and piano virtuoso Austin Peralta is due to drop his debut LP on Flying Lotus's impeccable label sometime early next year. The early samples sound utterly sublime, but whilst you wait for this momentous occasion here's a Strangeloop remix & Video of his forthcoming track Cecilia for you all to enjoy.

Dead Lovely

Do you want some pretty things?

Yeah? Three things for you today, none of them are particularly new and you'll have to buy all of them. Still interested? You should be, pretty things are all that's stopping this awful world from turning on itself and tearing pieces out of it's already ravaged flanks. Actually maybe it'll just chase it's tail for a bit, or try cutting itself with blunt aeroplane cutlery. Regardless if you don't start listening to these immediately, terrible things will probably befall you.

First up we have Lone's album Lemurian, I know nothing about this other than the fact that it sounds like taking a fishing trip in a paddle boat off the Cornish coast with Bibio, Flying Lotus and Ras G for company. It also sounds a bit like Boards of Canada, but lots of things do and it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun to describe it like that.

Anyway go here...http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=190639 and buy it, it'll only cost you a few quid, you miserly bastard.

Next up is Talkdemonic, two people from Portland who make incredibly beautiful music with drums and strings.

Lisa Molinaro caresses the Viola and Cello, spilling achingly beautiful melodies over tight beats, provided by her counterpart Kevin O'Connor who drums like a schizophrenic genius; seamlessly switching from incredibly technical, staccato breakdowns to backing beats so tranquil that you hardly realise they are there.

In the interest of giving you a taster, I found this free track on Dublab http://www.dublab.com/mp3blog?id=1634 , but I strongly recommend you go buy the album it from here. Never mind the shipping charges, when this arrives in the post it will make you dead happy, otherwise just go check them out on Last Fm or Spotify if you are so inclined.

Finally, this isn't really lovely but I'm listening to it now and I'd forgotten just how damn good it is; Ras G makes the sort of hip hop that Sun Ra would produce if he was starting out in music right now, provided he wasn't reimagining the way of the universe and communicating with off-world deities. Accordingly you could listen to this mix off the Brainfeeder site http://www.brainfeedersite.com/2009/06/28/ras_g-presents-cosmic-tones-4-mental-therapy/, but I would recommend buying his debut LP...Brotha From Anotha Planet as well

Got any money left? No? Good, you'd only spend it on booze and disposable tat otherwise.

Lone and Ras G albums can doubtless be found at the following places too, I'm just not arsed to look for them on your behalf...

Bleep

Beatport

Juno

itunes

Birthday Celebrations

Far be it from me to get all excited about two Californian birthday celebrants, but in the case of Flying Lotus and Dublab there are musical presents for all of us to enjoy so my excitement is justifiable.

At 26, Flying Lotus is one of the most highly regarded and influential figures in the West Coast Beat Music movement, continuing to release groundbreaking music whilst touring the world and fronting the incomparably brilliant Brainfeeder collective. Earlier this year, at Brainfeeder's London event, I was fortunate enough to witness an impromptu live jam featuring Flying Lotus on a Drum Machine, Dorian Concept on his Micro Korg, Gas Lamp Killer on the Turntables and Alex Bonfanti on the Bass Guitar, http://vimeo.com/5278409. Needless to say, this was an incredible experience that served as the icing on the cake for a mind blowing night out.

And so this morning, when I saw this posted on the brainfeeder site, I might have actually squealed like a little girl.... http://www.brainfeedersite.com/2009/10/16/birthday-jam-in-echo-park/

I haven't even listened to this yet but in light of this list of participating artists it will undoubtedly be one of the most inspirational jam sessions you'll hear for a very long time...

"Featuring: Flying Lotus, Exile, Shafiq Husayn, Stephen Thundercat Bruner, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Computer Jay, Isaac Smith, Jim Lang, Alla Koi, Andres Renteria, Matthew David & The Gaslamp Killer" Utter madness.

Not that this should overshadow the fact that Dublab have just celebrated 10 years of non-profit promotion and awe inspiring music production with a week of unique special events. After a range of innovative exhibitions, including a screening of sad films backed with morose music and an exclusive evening of folksy loveliness with Linda Perhacs, their final party on the 10th (http://www.dublab.com/?id=2219) featured none other than Flying Lotus, Gas Lamp Killer and Daedalus to name a few. Although we can only lament the fact that we missed out on this one off event, we do get to enjoy an awesome set from Daedalus, which can be found here, http://music.vtechphones.com/2009/10/daedelus-live-from-a-labrat-matinee-vii-the-dublab-10th-anniversary-special/#fbid:j7wXpOJyDzf

It's rare to hear such a beautifully fractured arrangement of so many wicked tunes and I'm still struggling to comprehend the brilliance required to put it all together. Just check it out for yourself get ready to enjoy the same state of tongue-tied astonishment that I'm in at the moment.

Finally, as a special extra treat for those who might have missed this first time round, here is a Flying Lotus KPFK/Dublab set from earlier this year...http://dublab.com/content/?p=1976

A lovely way to unite the aforementioned topics, as well as showcasing more work from these inspirational mainstays of future roots music.

Loops Haunt

In anticipation of his debut on Black Acre Records I’d like to call your attention to an artist named Loops Haunt (http://www.myspace.com/loopshaunt), a Dundee based Hip Hop/Glitch producer who makes the sort of music that your brain might generate on the periphery of a fever dream.

Despite some incredibly innovative production and a sound pallete that could make your hair fall out, Loops Haunt doesn’t appear to have received much exposure so far; the exceptions being a few tracks included in Slugabed, Rustie and Ebola’s recent mixes, and Huarache (which sounds like a giant foretelling the Apocalypse through the medium of a sky scraper high, steel stringed, double bass) being picked by Eprom for the heads up track on Mary Anne Hobbs’ experimental show.

Suffice to say I expect he’ll be making lots of noise over the next couple of months with Team Acre 002: Impact OmniHammer/Joplin (http://www.myspace.com/blackacrerecords) surfacing towards the end of October and an E.P on Fortified Audio following shortly after.

In the meantime here are three sets to whet your appetite:

Two mixes for Ballers Social Club:

Ballers Mix 1: http://www.divshare.com/download/7335741-e0e

Ballers Mix 2: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LGNCR86L

And an Exclusive Rhythm Incursions Mix, which can be found here: http://www.rhythm-incursions.com/2009/08/04/loops-haunt-mini-mix/