Have A Nice Weekend

I was randomly talking to a coworker about the history of electronic music, bringing my days of chasing drum and bass imports at Technophilia and later Waterloo and Alien Records. Since you are a music fan, you should watch this mini-documentary on the Amen Break, a sample pulled by many hip hop and rap artists, but also the source of the core building blocks of the entire D&B genre and subsequent subsets still used heavily for all things beat related. What to listen to after that? LTJ Bukem; find the Earth Vol. 1 compilation. One of my personal faves as single artist/album is Spring Heel Jack‘s 68 Million Shades.

Goldie always hit the periphery of my collection; I always favored his pure tracks, non-collab/no vocal. Just so happens, he released one such track today. This is current yet classic, simultaneously soothing and abrasive, aggressive and focused. Leave a comment.

PYAITK: Geotic Is Back

I missed the first announcement about the new record from Geotic, the electronic/downtempo/looping project from Will Wiesenfeld, better known for Baths. Ghostly is home to the new LP called Abysma due end of March.

Previous material was more towards ambient, using loops of guitar taps and minimal synths with a drum machine to keep it all in motion, gorgeous stuff and an anchor of the soundtrack I use when I travel. The latest content is more polished, relying more heavily on synth and programming then pulling smaples and layering, but I love it none the less. It is an evolution, bordering on shimmy material.

I embedded the latest called “Nav”. If you dig, check out “Actually Smiling”.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/309357386″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

PYAITK: “Please” by Blanck Mass

“Please” is a slow burn single from the upcoming record by Blanck Mass. Undercurrents of aggression in silken tones…

Check this press blurb.

As humans, we are aware of our inner beast and should therefore be able to control it. We understand our hard-wired primal urges and why they exist in an evolutional sense. We understand the relationship between mind and body. Highly evolved and intelligent, we should be able to recognize these genetic hangovers and control them as a means to act positively and move forward as a compassionate species. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Recent global events have proven this. The human race is consuming itself.

World Eater, the new album by Benjamin John Powers Blanck Mass project, is a reaction to this. There is an underlying violence and anger throughout the record, even though some of these tracks are the closest Power has ever come to writing, in his words, actual love songs.

Preorder World Eater.

[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3777583599 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=e99708 track=4278503451]

Have A Nice Weekend

11954700_925857714147486_5394631999859618569_nKraftwerk tonight (7pm show #earlybird). Dinner first at Blackbird and Henry. Gameday tomorrow. We tailgate with a random group of futbol and football fans at MLK and San Jac. I’ll be wearing a burnt orange shirt. Look for me.

PYAITK time. You ever hear a song and latch on to it, only to find out that it was by a band you would have NEVER thought would put this song out as a single? Here is one such song from a band I decided I wouldn’t pay attention to. You see, the sophomore slump is a real thing. Most bands have their whole lives writing the first album only to be out of experiences or worse, writing a hot mess on the road. After their intarwebs buzzband status from “Keep You” blowed them up, it would seem Wild Belle figured they would just go on attack with an in your face break up song as a lead single. “Giving Up On You” is raucous thing with a great bassline, ringing guitar chords, the horns echoed for a proper Ska solo. Color me surprised.

[youtube]2hGFRvpzEZY[/youtube]

Have a Nice Weekend

CHPLNI think I know a way to guarantee that your weekend will be rad. You see, Nathan is a bit of a stubborn sort. He talked shit about hosting a fest for locals doing pop right. As a man of his word, with the help of some friends, ATX Popfest is going down Saturday night. Team ATH will be on hand to make your evening great because how can you not with this line up of great bands. I have a feeling, we’ll get one more reminder…

The track for this week’s edition of HANW is by CHPLN. It is a slightly brooding, head-nod-inducing synth pop hit. I love the people I know. There is a great break and whip to a snap with a new hook midstream. It is one of those songs that could twice as long and you’d be cool with it.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/203279748″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Have A Nice Weekend

Photo by Graham Burwell We have the start of College Football. The Horns are taking on the golden domers. Not sure I have high hopes, so many freshman starters and that isn’t good unless you are Kentucky’s basketball team. F1 returns to the kingdom of speed, Monza. The Tifosi will get worked over by Mercedes power. I’ll put the outside shot on Williams to podium. Lewis bleached his head. What? Premier League has the weekend off for international play so at least Nathan and I aren’t dropping any points. USMNT plays Peru tonight. Can Altidore just go away? Not a fan, cause he’s not a finisher. #controversialsportstalk

This week’s lead-in for the weekend is a lovely synth from a band called Satchmode. Two dudes, Gabe Donnay and Adam Boukis, based out of LA. I don’t remember how I came across this, maybe a related artist play from one of our posts? Probably. They just released an EP called Afterglow. This is a shimmy inducing piece of fun about a break up. Juxtaposition.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/217751116″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Have a Nice Weekend

Beat ConnectionWe have plenty to do this weekend. Hopefully, those of you in Austin got a little of the rain that fell the last couple days. I recently talked to a friend about the fires in Idaho as his family has a cabin in the woods they use for human sacrifice, erm, hunting and vacations. Scary stuff, entire towns are being burned to the ground and their property is surrounded by three fires. Thoughts with those affected by the wildfires out west, they need the rain way more than we do.

Sorry for the bummer, even though you prolly just hit play instead of reading these words. #finebethatway I’ll make up for it regardless with a PYAITK track from Beat Connection, their end of summer jam via a rather cool video. Add it to your Soundcloud playlist here or just listen to what I’ll listen to this weekend here, this song included. The next album from the band is called Product 3, due mid-October.

We don’t have a pool, but I bet this song would sound better poolside.

[youtube]XGaUmZX_srk[/youtube]

Have A Nice Weekend

Oslo ParksIt’s still hot. I am still pretty surprised by how big Blues on the Green has gotten. I guess it is one of those things the jaded indie music snobs are supposed to mock, but I won’t. We just need to find a way to parlay that into getting more people going to local shows. Local bands, maybe make sure it is cheap by involving a corporate sponsor. Oh wait, we are doing that! Put this on your calendars people: Sailor Jerry and Austin Town Hall Present – 3 x 3 – 3 Bands for 3 Bucks

I talked about summer jams in a post earlier this week. We have had a few selections earlier this week that could certainly fall into the category of a summer jam. While sampling tracks, I came across this new-to-me hit from Oslo Parks. I am quite jealous of you peeps in the UK as Oslo Parks is opening for ATH fave Chad Valley for November/December dates.

Summer is slipping away. Enjoy.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/214506976″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Have A Nice Weekend

Liz Caruana PhotographyOne of my favorite throwback jams is Spandau Ballet‘s “Long Story Short“. It is a timeless track for me that set a tone for the New Romanticism scene that inspired so many great bands, either to pick up a synth or to leave it behind. Stylish and warmer, the sound was a pillar for the 80’s British Invasion.

For whatever reason, the HANW track I am sharing today reminds me of a mix of that Spandau track run head on into the best of Bloc Party in a stripped down jam; a bass line that walks up and down and guitars that are jangly and layered. The band is a three-piece called Dirty Ghosts and they call San Francisco home. The track is called “Cataract” and is the first single and title track of an EP being released today on Burger Records, so look for it when you head out for record collecting after work. A full length is due in the fall on Last Gang.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/212526326″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Have A Nice Weekend

for esmeLet me start this HANW post with some show preview action…

I’ll be hitting up Tanlines and maybe even Starfucker tonight. Tanlines is at Red7, tix available here or at the door, MAS YSA is opening with doors at 9pm. You can get your Starfucker tix right here for their set at The Mohawk with Shy Boys, doors at 8pm. So many shows this weekend. Go out. Update: Well, both are sold
out now.
Now on to a little It Dept PYAITK. The song is called “You”. The band is called For Esme (no, not that Esme) and they are a three-piece out of Toronto. I don’t recall how I came across this track, I just know I added it to a bucket playlist I use for jams around the house. I realized I hadn’t shared it with you and because I care, here you go. It is alovely bit of Canadian dance pop goodness that is playful at times and head-down dance party at others. I love the balance here and I hope you dig it.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/204357776″ params=”color=ff9900&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

1 2 3 4 6