There is no denying that Chris Laufman and his project Wise Blood are unlike anything else out there.  This master of musical layering has carved out a sound in the past two years that stands out from the rest.  High energy percussion and R&B inspired electro pop with a production style more akin to the current crop of underground rap producers round out his signature style. It’s odd and obscure but everything just works, a true extension of the artist himself.  Laufman has a strong affinity for pop culture and his ever-changing websites are amongst the oddest things I’ve seen on the net.

His first full-length album, id, is due out June 25th on Dovecote Records.  Based upon the first three singles Universe is Blessed, Rat, and Alarm it’s apparent that Wise Blood has expanded his sound and grown upon what we love so much. The wind instruments in these songs are a very welcome addition that not many would be able to incorporate so well. Laufman somewhat disappeared after his These Wings release.  Let’s hope he sticks around this time for some touring and due credit.

Previous Wise Blood post here.

“If every time you walked into a room there was a song that started playing, what would that song be?” This is a common question I like to ask people – some know right away, some have to think about it for a while and others have no idea. It’s always an entertaining conversation and I typically like to come up with a theme song for them and let them know why I’ve chosen it.

I recently played my song of choice for a friend of mine (Fly 0′ Tech’s ‘Mooncat’) – and he laughed and laughed and said he felt like he really didn’t know me at all anymore and then asked me if this was what you would call ‘deep house.’ “I never knew I liked this stuff!” he said. I smiled and could only say, “Welcome to a whole new world of music.”

I think it’s a genre of music many people don’t dive into probably because it’s all evolving and changing so quickly it’s difficult to first pinpoint what you like and can also take hours of listening to find the stuff that really resonates with you. That said, this compilation is dedicated to all of those people that aren’t quite sure about the whole ‘electronic deep house thing’.

I challenge you to listen – beginning to end and I beg you, please wear appropriate ear equipment. Happy Music Monday.

Listen here.

Compilation: Nissa Rhodes & Michelle Sundvick
Album Art: Dersu Rhodes
Image: Andrew Kalashnikov

All of the music we feature on Witness This has to touch us, Cosmo Sheldrake immediately did that and much more. His style is like NOTHING we’ve ever seen before, it’s deeply layered, eclectic, abstract, humble, heartfelt, and too much fun. He plays everything from a banjo, loop station, keyboards, double bass, drums, didgeridoo, penny whistle, to a sousaphone. Born in Brighton in the UK he has blessed pig farms to TED conferences, playing his one of a kind music style. We invite you to press play on the video below, and we can guarantee that you will be smiling as it comes to an end. He samples owls to kick off his performance at TED X, and finally rocks a baby to sleep in a laundromat in the third video.

cosmosheldrake.com

killcity.net

But wait, summer hasn’t even started yet! We have months of sun, friends, parties, late bbq evenings, watching sunrises, poolside make-outs, under-the-stars dancing ahead of us. Don’t let summer pass you by without taking full advantage of it, and Lara Bacchiega reminds us of this in a simple beautiful way.

cargocollective.com/larabacchiega