Free Music Monday

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


FTHRSN – MIDDLE SCHOOL SWAG

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FTHRSN is back with a second EP titled Middle School Swag. It’s a vocal recollection of that hazy period of time between 6th and 8th grade in which a lot of life changes happened.  Some were good, some were bad but all of those experiences ultimately made us who we are today.  Essentially Middle School according to FTHRSN is an accelerated course of one’s entire life – and its lessons are still ongoing no matter what our age now.  His basis for this EP is “for those scary times in life when things are changing.”

Middle School Swag is cast in tropical undertones with a layered foundation of harder hitting beats and chants akin to Wise Blood. The songs are laden with crooning R&B vocals sharing soothing yet strong lyrics that positively evoke the experiences of the very track titles. This is a beautifully crafted EP, the perfect marriage of relatable experience and really really good music. Love can still feel like first love, career changes are plenty, you make new friends, get over people and always always always drop it low on the dance floor though it may now only be a once a week occurrence.

Thanks to Macklin Underdown aka FTHRSN for giving us a collection of beautiful songs in order to face those scary times of change and showing us the importance of reflection.

“This song is about all the sexy songs you danced to in middle school without realizing how extremely sexual they were. I was confused. We were all confused, but we really liked to get low. One time I performed this song live and was nicknamed ‘underground sex god’.”

 

“This song is about making new friends and being in Orlando + Daytona Beach, Florida for Total Bummer Fest. It was one of the best times of my life.”

Poor Spirits

I don’t know much about Poor Spirits and honestly I didn’t do much Internet P.I. work.  But it’s not where you came from, it’s where you’re going.  Having built up a very extensive catalog of music comprised mainly of synth and drum, Poor Spirits delivers dark and mysterious tunes that are more than face value.  The offering of songs shows a very diverse range that had me thinking about Wise Blood, The Knife, FTHRSN, Slow Magic and White Ring amongst others.

Wizard Oz

Girls are suckers for accents, especially Australian ones.  Around here quite a few Aussies head over in a walkabout pursuit of the endless summer via the northern hemisphere.  Along the way they drop their beloved slang – arvo, lift, brekkie, g’day, boot, bottle shop, windscreen.  Girls eat that stuff up.  What’s funny  though when singing in the English language is that accents very rarely transcend a person’s voice in song.  So Fitzroy, Australia’s Wizard Oz sound like they could be from Southern California or Brooklyn (gasp).  Without the accent as a free pass to our hearts, they rely on their lo-fi pop to win us over.

Wizard Oz Tumblr.


Antwon

Following the wave of rap resurgence led by Los Angeles based OFWGKTA and made coast to coast by A$AP Rocky comes another contender bringing back the raw energy to this genre’s 90′s strength and rescuing rap from how disappointing the past five years have been.  Putting the Bay Area into this same movement is Antwon (Antonio Williams) who hails from San Jose, California.  Using a similar raw talent no BS DIY style rendition of the 90′s mixtape that has been a launch pad for the aforementioned acts of late, Antwon’s Fantasy Beds Mixtape comes strong with his twelve song offering.  As it was released at the end of September of 2011 I don’t know how I slept on this so long considering that I could go for anything Clams Casino, Walsh, Javelin, or Salem.

Finally rap might just be about having fun in the streets again and we’ll finally get away from the 2000-2010 rap formula about cars, bling, name brand alcohol, and general clubness that was born from Puff Daddy and Bad Boy Records.

The latest video for the song Helicopter (prod. by Walsh) was directed by Brandon Tauszik and features spliced footage of the Bay Area from the 1968 American Classic, Bullitt, which starred Steve McQueen.  The song that Antwon raps over is Walsh’s Helicopter Does Not Exist from his September 2010 release Smoke Weed About It.

GRMLN

“Never expose it to bright light (especially sunlight, which will kill it); Never get it wet (which will make it multiply); and, most importantly: Never feed it after midnight.” - Mr. Wing, Gremlins, 1984

Somebody broke all the rules with this gremlin.  Orange County’s one man act, GRMLN, is the sunniest of lo-fi surf soaked beach days gliding effortlessly into some adult beverages and a late-night burrito.  The best of days.  The type of days that GRMLN, real name Yoodoo, is living at College in Santa Cruz and fully weaves into his music.  His first offering on bandcamp is aptly titled First Phase.   It’s a four-song window that immediately draws you in with comparisons to the ever familiar Beach Fossils but leaves a level of separation and wonderment that the second phase will be something big.  I think it’s a great platform and can’t wait for GRMLN to springboard from his dorm room and begin to find his sound.  That’s what college is all about: finding yourself.  It’s not about  being awkward, babes, listening to music, going to parties, shower beers, being stupid and eating late-night burritos.  Or is it?

Listen to First Phase, below, and download for free.  That is unless YOU ARE NOT READY.