Finally. One of my very favorite musical outfits, the Cinematic Orchestra make a welcome return in 2019 with “A Caged Bird/Imitations of Life,” taken from their first album in 12… Continue reading
Well, I say. Brooklyn avant-garde audio psychedelist and improvisational jazz musician Dave Harrington‘s latest release is an eclectic, messy, fuzz-funked groove experiment that features freeform drums, guitar feedback sloshes,… Continue reading
The ideal sound to open up 2019. Cairo, Egypt experimental composer and musician Maurice Louca starts January in the best possible way with his new track, “The Leper,” which brims… Continue reading
Here are my favorite 30 reinterpretations, reevaluations, and reworks from this year. 30. The Seshen – “All I Know” (Rhi Mix) 29. The Avalanches – “Because I’m Me”… Continue reading
Here it is. A list of my 30 favorite albums from the year two thousand eighteen. 30. Jungle – For Ever (XL) 29. Onra – Nobody Has To Know… Continue reading
Music of 2018, you were very, very, very good to us. Here are my favorite one hundred tracks from this year. 100. Kali Uchis ft Tyler,… Continue reading
November in December. West London’s Nancy Andersen and Jamie Travis write music as Babeheaven. Their latest song, “November,” is a stark and blue-hued indie-soul offering, enriched by steady strings,… Continue reading
The perfect combination of spaceship soul, digital doo-wop, bleepy blip-hop, astral bruk business, and satellite scat. It’s hard to pick just one, but the infectious yet delicate post-broken beat… Continue reading
“Don’t go bringing up the future to those who live in the past.” “Blooming In the Streets” sees Brisbane’s Sampology teaming up with LA-via-Houston’s Seven Davis Jr to create… Continue reading
Cannot stop pirouetting to this technicolor, tropical indie bop from Philly musician and Speedy Ortiz guitarist Andy Molholt, otherwise known as Laser Background. Shades of Pond psychedelia meet 60s… Continue reading
Best listened to while turning in circles, head and hands raised to a better future. I’m very completely feeling this neo-psychedelic nugget from Portland, Oregon band Shadowgraphs. … Continue reading
Brb, just sailing into an Ibizan sunset. Barcelona quartet Oso Leone return after five years with “Virtual U,” a dreamy, sun-drenched, R&Balearic delicacy. Warm electronic keys meet… Continue reading
“I will meet you there And I will bring my danceshoes and we’ll dance where The light will cut the air…” Montreal-via-Germany digital indie-funk outfit Sea Moya wrote and… Continue reading
A strut supreme. “Snake Eyes” by Madrid-via-UK flautist, saxophonist, and jazz multi-talent Chip Wickham gets the remix treatment by Pete Cunningham’s Bristol, UK-based experimental electronic jazz collective Ishmael Ensemble.… Continue reading
The groove is real. On “Design,” Berlin-via-Wellington-via-Auckland-via-Montreal musician, drummer, DJ, and visual artist Julien Dyne opens with a gritty, Theo Parrish-ish beat loop and shimmering piano punctuation before melting it… Continue reading
Somewhere in space (or in DTLA at least) this may all be happening right now. Was a blast DJing before James Lavelle at the LA premiere of “The Man… Continue reading
Khruangbin meets a Money Mark instrumental meets early downtempo Bonobo. Like many of my favorite musical moments, “After Midnight” by London’s Skinshape takes its cues from when the late… Continue reading
Jadu Heart have the cure. From the moment I heard those mandolin-ish (or quite definitely maybe an acoustic guitar in a London flat) plucks paired with those heavy handclaps,… Continue reading
It’s all gonna be alright. “Alright Alright” is inspired by visions of beaches and palm trees and LA while listening to the Beta Band, UNKLE, Beck, the Charlatans, Toro… Continue reading
Feeling this overcast indie jangle-pop from Wisconsin’s Slow Pulp. Reposed and reflective, “At Home” is the creation of Madison musicians Hen, Al, Ted, and Em. The song features pleasantly… Continue reading
Nothing but bass-driven heat on this new UKG roller from LA producer Kastle and London producer Mind of A Dragon. “Either Way” showcases MJ Cole-ish acoustic guitar pickings that… Continue reading
Summer 2018 is officially in session! Fresh from collaborating with Eric Lau for their excellent remix of Moonchild’s “Run Away,” Belfast maestro Kaidi Tatham returns with “It’s a World… Continue reading
Underpinned by a late 60s rubbery bassline noodle that could easily be from an Adrian Younge production, “The Border” by Oakland musician and Toro Y Moi‘s touring keyboardist Anthony Ferraro, otherwise known… Continue reading
Davis, California’s Adam, Ted, Nathaniel, and Nick, otherwise known as Hot Flash Heat Wave, come correct just in time for summer with “Glo Ride,” a lazy, casual indie stroll in triple-digit heat that centers… Continue reading
Had to get down with the bruk funk and remix one of my favorite tracks of 2018. Hear the original version of Jungle‘s “House in LA” here. … Continue reading
Let’s get along. Feeling the spritely and sauntering “Counter Culture” from Bodensee, Germany’s Henrik Schwarz, here teaming up with Metropole Orkest and Ben Westbeech for a piano-led journey into… Continue reading
Delta. Alpha. Zulu. Echo. Exceptionally enjoying this woozy, wandering, indie soul swirl from Venice Beach’s Sunny Levine (and grandson of Quincy Jones, no less) that imagines Shabazz Palaces jamming with… Continue reading
A marked change from Jungle‘s earlier work, “House in LA” sees the London outfit step back the tempo and offer up a sun-bleached and and soulful R&B vista complete with sweeping synths,… Continue reading
There’s no two ways about it, I am greatly enjoying the turquoise buzzsaw psychedelia of Sam Evian‘s latest, “Health Machine.” It’s all about those menthol vocals, those unknown, mortal,… Continue reading
Ah, Melbourne, is there anything you can’t do? Kllo, Lanks, Woodes, 30/70 Collective, Crepes, Slum Sociable, I’lls, Chet Faker, and of course, Hiatus Kaiyote, are just some of the… Continue reading
Anushka got soul. Max Wheeler and Victoria Port are Anushka, the Brighton, UK duo who make future-facing, digital soul with a sound that leans towards discerning dancefloors while still… Continue reading
It’s jazzy. Tenderlonious, otherwise known as Ed Cawthorne, is a flautist, saxophonist, producer, and DJ, in addition to being the label boss of the forward-thinking 22a Records. He’s released… Continue reading
On “Hands,” France-via-London’s Octavian blends the restless experimentation of Kanye West, the emotional Auto-Tuned hymnary of Bon Iver, and the fearless production of James Blake, resulting in instantly becoming one of my… Continue reading
Feeling this incredible soulful garage half-stepper from Kojey Radical and MJ Cole, especially that granite-cold delivery from Kojey, those ascending vocal swirls, those menthol synth chords, and that wintry jazz piano line straight… Continue reading
Named after Hopetoun St in the Auckland neighborhood of Ponsonby where they grew up (the very same neighborhood where I hosted my very first leftfield beats and electronic soul radio show on… Continue reading
“Get Avion” by San Francisco musician and globetrotting hatmaker Andre Wiken is a watercolored and dreamlike house stomp that sits nicely alongside the uptempo beat collages of the Avalanches and Tycho. … Continue reading
Stewart Bronaugh and Joshua Jaeger, otherwise known as Lionlimb, are a duo from Nashville. “Clover,” the opening song from their new album, Tape Recorder, is a wistful indie-folk meditation flush… Continue reading
“Let ideas run… run… ruuuuun…..” Dane Orr, J Hoard, and Anna Wise are the Brooklyn-based trio Sonnymoon, whose latest song “Ideas”… Continue reading
Perth musician, drummer for Ta-ku, and Aristophanes collaborator Sam Kuzich has released the first single from his latest EP, Dawn Chorus, via Ta-ku’s newly minted 823 Records. Featuring the… Continue reading
Doncaster-via-Johannesburg songsmith Skinny Pelembe has signed to Gilles Peterson‘s Brownswood Recordings, the perfect home for his new single. “I’ll Be on Your Mind” is a despondent doo-wop-hop complete with ominous Massive Attack-ish atmospherics,… Continue reading
Long live the jazz. UK producer JD. Reid has teamed up with fellow London musicians Henry Wu and Venna to produce “Just Know,” an agile and taut, future-proofed jazz-grime cut.… Continue reading
Bonobo meets Rhye. Bristol, UK-based producer Henry Green starts 2018 strong with “Another Light,” an emotive and gentle, garage-folk [Is that a thing? Let’s make it a thing!] Jon… Continue reading
My favorite 30 remixes of this year. 30. Kelela – “Truth or Dare x Steve Gurley’s Hotboys” (Bok Bok Edit) 29. De Lux – “875 Dollars” (Juan Maclean’s Casa… Continue reading
A list of the 30 albums I enjoyed the most this year. 30. Dauwd – Theory of Colours (Ninja Tune) 29. The xx – I See You (Young Turks)… Continue reading
Right before your very ears, here are my favorite tracks, songs, beats, melodies, and vibes from the year that was 2017. 100. Jadu Heart – “Harry Brompton’s Ice Tea”… Continue reading
Stuck on “Glu.” 22-year-old Norwegian musician Sofie Tollefsbøl and her 9-piece band make music as Fieh. Their latest track is irresistible from the start, with ascending horn lines, jazz… Continue reading
One of 2017’s most innovative artists, Korean-American singer and producer Yaeji turns in an irresistible and delicate house rework of the Manu Chao-assisted “Leave Me Alone” by New York’s Calypso Rose. … Continue reading
Chileans Brian Silva and Jossip Tkalcic came all the way to Barcelona to meet Carlos Ramos and Marc López and form the Zephyr Bones, a band who specialize in crafting exquisite and lazy psychedelic… Continue reading
Love is all. One half of Crazy P, Chris Todd, better known as Hot Toddy, is no stranger to disco-fueled house burners. “Love Can Set You Free,”… Continue reading
Literally impossible to dislike. Texas trio Khruangbin return with the absolutely delightful “Maria También,” a rigorously funky first single from their upcoming second album, Con Todo El Mundo, which… Continue reading
