electronic

DARK NACHT

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“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


Cosmo Sheldrake

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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


Falscher Hase – Rückblick

▶ Falscher Hase - Rückblick (Dezember 2012) by FalscherHase
A friend once told me that his grandfather’s favorite day of the week was Monday. He saw it as an opportunity to start the week out right and he truly believed the way in which he entered the office on Monday morning would set the tone for the rest of the week and that attitude was directly related to the way in which he lived the rest of his life. A true ‘seize the day’ character, he’d get up an hour earlier on Monday, put on his best suit and charge it.

After spending much of the weekend in front of my computer, it seemed only appropriate to share at least one of the incredible sets I came across while scouring the inter-webs. I like to force myself to stay on task for the duration of a set and thanks to these one-hour brilliant musical journeys, I’m able to sit down and get shit done when all of my friends are out frolicking in the sunshine.

May I present Falscher Hase – Rückblick (Dezember 2012). It’s a slow build but give it time and this set develops into a soft-spoken euphoric musical treat. Happy Monday. May this one help you set the momentum for yet another kick-ass week.


Beacon

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Beacon is from Brooklyn, New York and consists of Thomas Mullarney and Jacob Gossett – who met at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute, where they both were studying art. I came across the track Bring You Back a while back and can’t get it out of my mind. Their sound is a mix of R&B, ambient pop, and eerie country that goes beyond any restrictive genre pigeon holing. Do yourself a favor this Monday and stream their debut album The Ways We Separate below and then pick up their album here.


Thunderhank

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Happy Music Monday! Today is all about Thunderhank, two brothers from LA, Henry and Sam Bellingham. Heavily influenced from the pop music their parents played to them as babies, and current slow tempo electronic, their sound feels just right. Aside from the fact that this is the first of their officially released tracks, you would think they’ve been at the game for a lifetime. We spoke with Henry about Thunderhank and he mentioned that as their full length album has come to life, House and Tracker are the slower songs of the group. Listen for beautiful layered sounds; chattering drum line, light and playful synth, strong guitar, and melodic complimentary vocals.

soundcloud.com/thunderhank


Jai Paul

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From London England, Jai Paul has just released another track with his label XL. Previously released BTSTU turned heads like mad, and now Jasmine feels just as good. Jai has proven to be as low profile as they come and details on the release of his first 16 track album has been tough for music bloggers to pin down and regardless I’m sold on what he is doing. The gritty grind of his beats, the ambient high-pitched sweet yet smooth vocals set apart Jai’s sound. I have no idea really what genre his music is, hence the absolutely vague tags below. Listen below and on his Soundcloud page, pick up a few tracks on Itunes, then get in line as we wait to find out more information on his full release.

soundcloud.com/jaipaul