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The Up-Turn

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01/26/2012 New mp3: Trends- B.A.M. (Trip)

Sounding like the perfect counter-point to Best Coast’s bright lo-fi pop, Trends bring some seriously impressive lo-fi atmosphere with their track ‘B.A.M. (Trip)’.  The track floats on top of a stumbling bass-line as the haunting vocals of frontwoman Marina Paiz detail nighttime imagery that couldn’t be farther away from the sunny California dominated lyrics of Best Coast (it’s nearly impossible for me not to compare the two).  Even though lo-fi pop hasn’t been the trendiest (see what I did there?) genre as of late, Trends do a pretty stellar job distinguishing themselves from the crowd.  Their bandcamp release, The Demos, has 4 messy tracks that each explore a dark and atmospheric side of lo-fi that is pretty refreshing… they even do some shredding on the track ‘Sublime/Punk’.  Stream ‘B.A.M. (Trip)’ below and check out more of their music here…

-PK

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01/25/2012 Oz & Asa Davis – Spam Files

For those of you that aren’t aware of Asa Davis and Oz yet, they are two extremely talented rappers (Asa also produces) from Houston, Texas.  A lot of people now a days, regardless of where they are from, are claiming the stereotypical Houston sound, and if you are looking for that in this track, you will be disappointed.  Instead the two have a quick go at a wonderfully gritty, and spacey beat.  As always, both of their lyrics are well-crafted and thought out and their flows are on point.  If you are looking for some fresh and extremely impressive sounds from some young, new faces, look no further, because Oz and Asa have put out a wealth of great material well-worth checking out including Asa’s album Visible Thoughts and Oz’s album The Genesis.

-TC

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01/25/2012 Mixtape: NicX- NicXNation

We’ve been following Cleveland rapper NicX for a while now as he dropped singles and a mixtape with his friend Mike Art last year.  Through all his releases this one has been his greatest undertaking, he’s been hyping it up for a long time and today he has finally dropped NicXNation.  Even if we weren’t in contact with NicX it would still be clear that the rapper put a lot of time into the release.  From the opening track all the way through the 22nd, NicXNation is bursting with ambition.  It is clear that NicX has amazing commitment and technical skill behind him that deserve to earn him some recognition.  After such a huge release I don’t blame NicX if he wants to take a long break from recording, however, we’d be excited to hear what NicX has to offer next.  He can only go up from here.

Mixtape: NicX- NicXNation

-PK

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01/24/2012 mp3: Aeropsia- Places We’ve Never Been Before

‘Places We’ve Never Been Before’, the latest leak from producer Aeropsia, couldn’t be further away from the sounds that first drew us to the incredibly talented artist.  All the dubby atmosphere of Lost in Static has been replaced by an upbeat melody of glitchy synths and vocal cuts.  Sure, ‘Places We’ve Never Been Before’ isn’t about to be found at a rave but if the track is an indication of things to come Aeropsia is definitely headed in a more danceable direction.

-PK

01/23/2012 Video: Cloud Nothings- No Future/No Past

It is no surprise that a song with the lyrics “no hope,” “give up” and “we’re through” would have an unsettling video.  Director John Ryan Manning managed to out do himself with this disturbing video of a man being helplessly dragged through various environments to an ultimately chilling destination.  It is easily the best video I have seen so far this year and comes from one of my favorite albums of the year so far.

-PK

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01/22/2012 SpaceGhostPurrp Live In Miami

After making more of a name for himself out in New York with his ASAP friends, Spaceghostpurrp returned to Miami, and as shown by this video, his homecoming show was glorious.  If you only know Spaceghostpurrp for his instant classic “Suck A Nigga Dick For 2011″, you may still think of Spaceghostpurrp as a Soulja Boy-ish murderer of “real hip-hop”, but if you watch this video, you will see that Spaceghostpurrp is a clear supporter of what you may think of as the “golden age” of hip-hop.  For this performance of “The Black God” Spaceghostpurrp channeled the essence of 90′s gangsta rap for one of the most exciting performances I’ve seen on youtube in a while.

-TC

01/22/2012 mp3: Shelf Nunny- Taboo (ft. Kaka Smity)

Last year there was an influx of bass-music that had the likes of SBTRKT and James Blake blending aspects of r&b with traditional dubstep.  Although the sound is less than novel, Shelf Nunny’s track ‘Taboo’ sounds like nothing else I’ve heard.  At it’s core ‘Taboo’ finds guest vocalist Kaka Smity lending her vocals to an incredibly abstract and minimal bass-driven beat.  Nunny’s beat hardly follows a traditional structure, however, it still remains extremely memorable.  Considering my only impression of Nunny before was that he lending some part of a track with Tree, ‘Taboo’ shows great talent int he producer.

-PK

01/20/2012 Video: First Aid Kit- Emmylou

Like most people, my first introduction to First Aid Kit was this video they put on youtube back in 2008.  I never expected that the group would build a career off the cover but I am happily proved wrong.  ’Emmylou’ is my first taste of their original work, which is apparently a pretty sizable collection of folky goodness.  I definitely will look forward to listening through their album The Lion’s Roar…

-PK

01/19/2012 mp3: bitterTV- Zen-Racing

Although ‘Zen-Racing’ is labeled as only a teaser, I can’t get enough of this slow-burner from our favorite Russian musician bitterTV.  The track drifts through it’s two and a half minutes with pounding bass, a sleepy drum beat and a mess of vocal samples that fade in and out as the song progresses.  This is the kind of track that reminds me why chill-wave was so exciting in 2009.

-PK

01/19/2012 Enjoy it While it’s Fresh: Miró Belle

Sampling is no novelty these days, however, I still couldn’t help but feel like there was something very special about the sample-based compositions of Miró Belle.  The opening few seconds of ‘In The Present’ immediately distinguish the producer as a collage of horns and  French female vocals began to shuffle around the track.  The rest of his 6-track EP, Kiss This Vol. 2, continues to show off Miró Belle’s affinity for odd ball samples and taking those samples, chopping them up and stitching them back together into an irresistible beat.  These tracks are loaded with energy and show off some enormous talent coming out of Miró Belle.  Stream Kiss This Vol. 2 below and check out more at his soundcloud…

-PK

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