🐣 GEO — MÁGICA FEAT. CARO PIEROTTO

Last time we heard from GEO it was a glittering trail of intricate percussion and chimes in the form of lovely sound-sonnet ‘For You’. This time around the LA-based musicmaker gives us an insight into what makes him tick musically with a slice of sound that celebrates the rhythms of latin music.

“I sat down and wrote this one in an attempt to pay tribute to my love for the way latin makes me feel,” he tells us via email. And what a homage it is. Rather than pursuing one genre or another, and attempting to make something that is bossa nova, or samba, or whatever, ‘Mágica’ really does feel like a celebration: a rhythm that winds and sashays, more of that texturising percussion we’re used to that gives it some lush depth, and breezy chords that conjure cool scapes by the sea, instantly capitvating satin Ipenema vocals.

“To help pay homage to my roots,” GEO explains, “ Caro Pierotto graced this song with a beautiful Portuguese verse about finding magic in a new love.” Graced is definitely the right word, with this vocal and its pitch-shifted iterations adding beauty to the track.

This is not a typical bossa nova track, or a song that is typically anything. It’s a creation inspired by latin music, and as such it has taken interesting tangents from elsewhere, encompassing flavours like future funk – with that thudding groove and upbeat atmosphere – and even the somewhat-disco feel reminiscent of Japanese city pop. The lead synth-brass melody that refrained throughout reminded me of the 2 player version of the Casino Night level on Sonic 2. ‘Mágica’ is a versatile track that defies expectations in a modern cosmopolitan retelling of traditional sounds.

---

• 🔔 Have a look-see at 'Mágica' on HypeM.

---

---

📠
☟ GEO Internet Presence ☟
facebook ⚘ soundcloud ⚘ spotify ⚘ instagram

facebook ⚘ soundcloud ⚘ official site ⚘ twitter ⚘ youtube ⚘ instagram

---

---

🐣 ONLY REGAL — SIDE2ME FEAT. QENDRESA

The clattering Latin beat is the complex somersaulting grammar of this piece, beautifully written, percussive punctuation here all a-glitter all a-tumble, the whole of it giving a blissfully contrasting feeling of chill, not of bustling business or stress as a result of bustling business, but instead the clop tap clack of the beat, perhaps because it puts you in mind of the coursing flowing energy of Latin music, of ease and effortlessness. It's all glass and wooden, all organic and luscious, ticking with a light veil of noir settling over its city-flavoured atmosphere.

British-Armenian musicmaker Richard Melkonian aka Only Regal adds ghostly hollow organ sounds to increase the tension, just slightly, just enough to lift the track off the ground somewhat, so it levitates lightly, all diagonal and unconventional. Intensity builds with the addition of buzzing bass synth, plumes of sound fit to burst with their body of robust frequencies, a hefty foundation for 'Side2Me'. Also joining with Only Regal is London-based singer Qendresa, injecting groove and effusing not exactly smooth soul but the jaunt and intrigue of jazz with a strong silken tone, something retro and angular in how she whispers in the deep booming rumble of this sidewinding track.

---

• This arrives via London coffeeshop-turned-label, Quaker Street Coffee.

---

---

📠
☟ Only Regal Internet Presence ☟
soundcloud ⚘ official site ⚘ twitter ☟ Qendresa Internet Presence ☟
soundcloud ⚘ instagram

---

---

🛰 GUEST MIX 029 :: SIMILAROBJECTS

"Over the years I've developed a nasty habit of digging for music during my spare time," Manila musicmaker Jorge Juan B. Wieneke V aka similarobjects writes in an email. "Whether it be the sounds of the past, present or future it always seemed like I've got a habit of seeking for something good for my ears to munch on." He's the latest artist to step up to the plate and smash a guest mix out of the park—and it seems as though he's a good choice because music, and not just making it, is a big part of this producer's life.

"For writers, people say that "reading is writing" and I feel like this applies to us musicians as well," he explains, "so when I'm not creating I just spend a lot of time digesting music from everywhere and anywhere."

In this guest mix, our 29th, similarobjects takes metropolitan Latin flavours and psychedelic guitars, moods conjured with gentle glossy keys and meandering jazz journeys, magical crooning pop party music, and gradually mixes them into the indigenous interiors of the Philippine islands with darkly chiming percussion and fresh organic textures: it is a cocktail of history and culture.

"As of late I’ve really been stuck on listening to a lot of Filipino records from the '60s, '70s and '80s that draw influences from Western jazz, Indo-jazz, jazz-funk, jazz-fusion, ethnic, samba, folk music, Brazilian, as well as some pieces that fall under the category of ethnomusicology," Jorge writes, taking us through the mix. "I thought I'd share a slice of Filipino culture through some of my favorite selections as a lot of these artists/songs really spoke to me and I hope this mix finds you well. And for those who follow my work maybe this mix can paint a picture of where my head is at the moment."

Previously the musical output of similarobjects has been typified by enigmatic atmospheres, otherdimensional flavours, beats that range from dusty organic to clipping and chaotic, a sonic world of synthetics and introspection. The gentle, cleansing house ambience in last December's two-track release Etheric is different to the high-concept frame of SoundCloud album Happiness is a deactivated Facebook Account, filled as it is with nerve-racking breakcore-style beat glitches and a hectic dystopian mood. He mentions in his email that he's working with RBMA Paris alumni JOHN POPE on "a collaborative EP in the form of a videogame," which will be announced properly soon.

This guest mix, however, acts as a precursor to another upcoming release that seems as though it will be moving away from his past futurist abstractions. It's an EP called UGAT.

"Ugat means "Roots" and it carries with it a sense of re-connecting with our roots as Filipino people," Jorge tells us. "The underlying concept of this EP is that the whole body of work is an ode to forgotten and lost instruments, rhythms, cultures, traditions and practices of the Philippine Indigenous Tribes and our Ancient Ancestors."

As such, some parts of this mix – the obscure mystery of 'Suling Suling' and 'Ugnayan' for instance – really feel like a moodboard for the producer, fresh paint on the palette for his next artistic endeavour, the next step of his musical evolution.

☆TRACKLIST☆
００：００ Bong Peñera – Batucada Sa Calesa (1977)
０２：５４ Bobby Enriquez – Recado (1982)　
０９：４４ Flip Nuñez – See You Later　(1976)　
１７：１４ Bob Aves – Gongs Can Swing (2014)
２０：５３ Boy Katindig – Midnight Lady (1978)
３１：２５ Dakila – Makibaka/Ikalat (1972)
４０：０６ Pasta Groove – Suling Suling (Dr José Maceda Rework) (19??)
４２：０８ Dr José Maceda – Ugnayan (1974)
５２：０２ Joey Ayala – Buwan Buwan　(1991)

---

---

📠
☟ similarobjects Internet Presence ☟
facebook ⚘ soundcloud ⚘ bandcamp ⚘ official site ⚘ twitter ⚘ instagram ⚘ spotify

---

---

🐣 YOMO-DA — ODAYAKA?

It's a sea-based intro, setting the scene with the clopple and clapping of watery sounds morphing to the crash and topple of waves on a beach. A tract of piano with dramatic baroque flavours of minor-major modulations switches between daintiness with light trills and skipping notes and something more colossal, strong robust chords; between a picture of the calm sea and the ocean fraught with ferocity. A plaintive melody chimes in, something reminiscent of the opening theme to Zelda: Link's Awakening, which also features strong maritime themes with 8-bit renderings of sea and surf. At 1:10 chimes whisk us from the ocean scene, the cresting waves, shifts the camera from directly focusing on the sea to the town cradled in the bay, the buildings overlooking the blue expanse.

Japanese musicmaker yomo-da turns the track into a jazzy illustration of life by the sea, a bossa-nova rhythm in the soft percussion the tingling cymbal shuffle and offbeat allure of the bass-rimshot pattern, a Latin coastal groove that soaks your mind with sultry azure visions. Warm organ chords play with airy turbulence and romance, a fluttering tremolo pulsing in your ears with a dreamy, far-off appeal, the muffled bed over which the piano returns and tumbles virtuoso, twinkling with the angularity of light and shade in the city, the bustling boulevards, narrow lanes, breezy palms, all of it fading into an aching silence where this conjuration gradually dissolves. 'Odayaka?' is the sea – fickle, light, beautiful, vast – whilst it also reflects the moods, the hearts, of the people who live with it.

---

• 🔔 'Odayaka?' is taken from yomo-da's recent EP, よりぬき四方田 (Yorinuki Yomoda – The Very Best of Yomoda). Released by Japanese netlabel OMOIDE LABEL, you can download it from their Bandcamp page on a name your price basis.
• 🔔 In the SoundCloud description of this track is written:

  おだやか たおやか
  海を見に行こう

  mild, magnificent
  let's go to the sea

  The title, 'Odayaka?' refers to the mildness of the sea. Yes it's nice, it's breezy, calm—but, taking special note of that question mark, not always.

• 🔔 The artwork for the EP was created by 南雲哉果 Saika Nagumo. The selection and mastering of the four tracks for the EP was done by OMOIDE label owner, YZOX.

---

---

📠
☟ yomo-da Internet Presence ☟
soundcloud ⚘ twitter ⚘ tumblr

---

---

🐣 NAKURY — AUNQUE QUIERAS

With soothing plumes of bass glooping behind a laid-back slowdown boom-bap beat 'Aunque Quieras' begins, the chilled and subtly dynamic vehicle for the words and voice of Costa Rican artist, Nakury, formerly of graffiti crew Pintores Sin Kontrol and breakdancing veteran.

In the singular groove crafted by San José-based producer Barzo, saw-wave synth and glittering trails of ambient computerised sound lend a heavy misty atmosphere to the instrumental, a sultry melting vibe that solidifies and buzzes with electricity when it comes to the hook—"aunque quieras…" Nakury sings anthemically, the vocal soaked in reverb, adding to the thick delicious haze of the instrumental, bounced and pockmarked by the shuffle of the beat.

As for the verses, Nakury shines. Her flow is breathless, skipping along, pursued by itself, layered with hypnotic monotone harmonies, the vocal resonating with its rapid staccato and Latin lilt. Though low-slung and casual, the rap feels extra-explosive above the robust calm of the instrumental, its speed is satisfying, the tone sumptuous, and it gleams poised to pounce, pushes clouds across the sky: it feels vital, elemental.

---

• 🔔 'Aunque Quieras' is taken from Nakury's recent album VIA, released by Lácteo Cósmico back in April—it's packed with tracks, including another standout, 'Rima Que Ilumina'. You can download the album here here.

---

---

📠
☟ Nakury Internet Presence ☟
facebook ⚘ soundcloud ⚘ twitter ⚘ itunes ⚘ youtube ⚘ instagram ⚘ spotify ⚘ songkick

---

---

Y/N GUEST MIX 023 :: GOODNIGHT CODY

HAPPY NEW YEAR! It's 2015! Imagine that! We made it! We're still here! And to kick-start this year – whose numbers, if you're into numerology, add up to 8 (v lucky number) – we have an exclusive tasty guest mix from a producer whom I admire quite a bit. What a New Year's surprise this is!

First time I stumbled across music created by this man he went under the name Snorlax. As any good Pokémon fan, I followed my nose and leapt into his pool of music and found it to be like, well, just a delight, if I'm allowed to say so. Now creating music under Goodnight Cody, a moniker little closer to real life (his name is Cody Farwell) this producer and bass-player from Los Angeles creates music that at once introduces groove and atmosphere in scene-setting unions, tracks that jiggle your body and your mind at the same time – take, for instance, the wonder that is 'Full Count (Bases Loaded!)', it conjures an actual baseball game, a cartoony, Peanuts-esque baseball game. And that bass, right?!

And yes: he plays bass, has been since age 12, soon after realising he was "a horrible drummer" (which he started playing when he was 8). Then he started writing songs on guitar and piano at 15. "I've always been drawn to music," he tells me, "and I believe that is what started me to create it."

Coming from a punk background, the first electronic music that attracted him was that of Squarepusher; Cody "fell in love with his extreme sounds." Afterwards it was a case of "digging deeper and deeper for new sounds & styles, looking for inspiration."

After I asked nicely, he very kindly agreed to make a mix for YES/NO. And what a mix. Self-confessedly "constantly digging for timeless music from all over the world," it really shows in the collection he's put together for us.

---

I think what continues to inspire me is the search for the perfect song for the perfect moment

CODY FARWELL

---

"These tracks in the mix are very important to me," he explains, "as they are all by artists that have changed the way I perceive music." He tells me he never understood or enjoyed electro-pop until he heard Sonic Coaster Pop a few years back, and likewise with blues or gospel – "I didn't think [it] was very interesting, or that it would eventually change my life." He divulges it was listening to Blind Wille McTell that changed all that for him: "I found it to be an experience like no other."

This selection of music – "a good look" into the sounds Cody loves, an international hotch-potch ("I also love hearing a melody or an instrument and knowing what country or region it's from," he says) – is a pick-'n'-mix of wildly different flavours, from the soul-elating gospel of 'It's Been a Mighty Good Day', penned by Dr. Maceo Woods, and its sleepy, acoustic-guitar-laden neighbour 'Doçura Forte' by Brazilian singer Joyce, to the frenetic 'Amscray' by LA producer / boss of label Magical Properties, Daedelus, and the sugary hyperactivity of international J-pop phenomenon Perfume on their track 'ポイント'.

That's not to mention two gems from the brain of Yann Tomita, namely the heart-melting 'Some Day, That Place In Time' (by Doopees) and mix opener by Astro Age Steel Orchestra, 'Living Message From Pan Yard #2', or the v famous 1928 song 'Statesboro Blues' by Blind Willie McTell, or a spot of raï singing in 'El Fermlia' from Algerian artist Boutaiba Sghir – it's all lovingly patched together with Goodnight Cody's mixing skills, a mélange of seemingly disparate genres, jarring time periods and contrasting artists, all united with heart and soul.

So, now it's time for you to enjoy this, the longest mix ever made for Y/N! Have fun! :)

• T R A C K L I S T •

1. Astro Age Steel Orchestra - Living Message From Pan Yard #2
2. Sonic Coaster Pop - Spiral Neo Wave
3. Sonic Coaster Pop - SOCOPOGOGO
4. Gangpol & Mit - la comptine
5. Gorillaz - Dub Dumb
6. naivepop or petitfool - Chopstick Rest -休息は大事だよ-
7. Harpo Marx - They Say That Falling In Love Is Wonderful
8. 800 Cherries - Frozen
9. Hello Astronaut, Goodby Television - Masterpiece Backwards
10. Oleg Kostrow - Falling Dreams
11. Daedelus - Amscray
12. YMCK - 左折して右折して
13. Soundmurderer - Awamori
14. Bells Of Joy - There'll Be No More Sorrow
15. Perfume - ポイント
16. Boutaiba Sghir - El Fermlia
17. Itsutsu No Akai Fusen - I will kick a pebble
18. Squarepusher - Rebus
19. Hazel Nuts Chocolate - Kitten's Breaks Dub
20. Mount Kimbie - Maybes (James Blake Remix)
21. Blind Willie McTell - Statesboro Blues
22. Doopees - Some Day, That Place In Time
23. Sam Cooke - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
24. Dr. Maceo Woods - It's Been a Mighty Good Day
25. Joyce - Doçura Forte / Água e Luz

---

• Mr Cody is a part of beat collective Team Supreme – go check 'em out!

---

---

☟ Goodnight Cody Social Media Presence ☟
Facebook • SoundCloud • Bandcamp • Twitter

---

---

Y/N GUEST MIX 020 :: VIKTOR TORVIK

I can't remember exactly how or why I stumbled across this guy, or when even – I guess it was like a month ago now. He had made this mix of all these easy listening and lounge music tracks from the '60s and '70s, containing nothing obvious and only music that was fresh to my ears from all over the world. I needed a mix from this guy. Desperately in my soul. So I messaged him on YouTube. And now: here we are.

His name? Marco Luján, aka Viktor Torvik when he's making "retro sets" like this one. He's from Lima, Peru, and I was super happy that he shared with me (with us, you readers and listeners out there!) a lot of Peruvian music which I'd never dreamed of hearing, as well as some choice numbers from across the globe. This blog's middle name is Internationalism, so I deeply approve of this mixture from around the world. In Peru, Torvik is a DJ and also an underground producer of varying styles of music from jungle and soundscapes to lounge and easy listening.

"I am inspired by classic movies, exploitation films, old cartoons and TV shows from 60's and '70s," he tells me. "In the '90s artists like Towa Tei, Dimitri from Paris, Fantastic Plastic Machine, Luke Vibert, United Future Organization, Masters at Work, Aphex Twin and many, many others inspired me to create music." Whilst not listening to music, making it, or making mixes, he also DJs at a place in Lima called Eka Bar.

---

I wanted to choose a group of songs from all over the world and especially from my country.

VIKTOR TORVIK

---

So anyway: what's in store for you in this mix? Easy listening, lounge, jazz, Latin flavours, soft rock, psychedelia. It's a fluffy, mellow mélange of music that travels the world from the USA and Brazil to Venezuela and Italy (only half the countries featured in the mix), stopping off on the way for sojourns into the more popular and fleeting sounds of the '60s and '70s. From the USA we have Ray Conniff, band leader and arranger, whose creation 'Lowdown' is smooth and buttery, dripping with soulful guitar. Moving on, there's the weed-advocating 'Marihuana Mantra' by German group Kuno & The Marihuana Brass, whose controlled rowdiness is a soft rock invocation to the drug. Later on we're treated to Los Destellos and their Peruvian brand of Colombian genre cumbia in 'Volando Alto', a mix of tasty, bustling rhythms and rich waves of psychedelic guitar.

One particularly interesting story that I looked into (mainly because I spent so long looking for any evidence of her existence that I got engrossed in the process) was that of Emma Sugimoto. Born in New Jersey but raised in Osaka, she started out as an actress, then a model, then her debut was with 《アイ・アイ・アイ》 – 'Ai Ai Ai' in this mix – via Columbia Records in 1970, going with ELEC Records for a 1974 album 《エマは愛》Emma Is Love. She retired from all this in 1980 and married restauranteur Shimpei Wada, whose French restaurant "シェ・ワダ" – Chez Wada – is still open and, by the sounds of things (I think), thriving.

And on that note, I've spoken too much. Let's listen. The first time I listened to this I was having lunch with Bextree – I ate a toasted ham and cheese panini. Made the whole thing wildly delightful.

---

• T R A C K L I S T •

• 01. Jaime Delgado Aparicio – Todo el Mundo me Persigue (1966 Peru) 00:00
• 02. El Dúo Dinámico – Galileo (1966 España) 03:14
• 03. Banda Veneno – The Girl from Paramaribo (1972 Brazil) 05:38
• 04. Heinz Kiessling – Spicy (197? Germany) 09:16
• 05. Ray Conniff – Lowdown (1976 USA) 11:20
• 06. Lorenzo Santamaria – Carnaval (1979 España) 13:12
•       interlude
• 07. Kuno & The Marihuana Brass – Marihuana Mantra (1970 Germany) 16:50
• 08. Black Sugar – Viajecito (1971 Peru) 19:20
• 09. Bossa 70 – Si Voce Pensa (1971 Peru) 24:09
• 10. Los Destellos – Volando Alto (1974 Peru) 27:11
• 11. Aldemaro Romero – It's Impossible (1972 Venezuela) 30:19
• 12. Emma Sugimoto – Ai Ai Ai (1970 Japan) 32:10
• 13. Luciano Michelini – Il Volto Nascosto Di Luna (1969 Italy) 37:32
•     + outro (Cigarrillos Country Club con filtro. Peruvian 60's publicity) 

---

---

☟ Viktor Torvik Social Media Presence ☟
YouTube • Twitter • Facebook • SoundCloud • Myspace • Last.fm

---

---

STROMAE TOUS LES MÊMES

Well now. This is interesting. I didn't know who this guy was until I googled him – is that bad? Who cares. I just saw that somebody shared the video on Twitter and I watched it and was not only intrigued by the video itself but also, and of course otherwise I wouldn't be writing this, by the music. Anyway if you can't read what I'm probably going to say in a tweet about this post, nor the title of this post, then I suppose the right thing to do is to say this is Stromae with 'Tous Les Mêmes'.

Yeah, it's a Francophone song. Everything about it is in French. If that scares you, I'm sorry; if not, then that's good. But who is Stromae? Well, you may remember a pretty funky nocturnal dance number called 'Alors On Danse' from 2010 that was like, huge everywhere – that was his song. He's called Paul Van Haver and he's from Belgium and he writes and sings songs. What else do you want to know? Have a look at Wikipedia for that. All I know is that this video is a strange and entertaining display of a man, Stromae, seemingly living the best – or worst? – or both worlds with lashings of jaunty choreography.

As for this song, it's a swing-infused tune that features the smooth, slightly melancholic vocals of Stromae singing about men being "all the same" ("tous les mêmes") in essence. There's a Latin lilt to it, in the subtly moody chords of the piano and the sweaty brass sounds that give it a bolshy kind of cabaret atmosphere, a hint of fierceness in its syncopated rhythms and a whole dose of electro-funk slo-house feel, thanks to that nicely understated, overlapping-itself bassline and the lush beat with its unbeatable claps. Catchy and destined for dancefloors and radio play (probably) all over Europe, this is a classy song from a pretty unique musicmaker.

This, btw, comes from Stromae's most recent album, Racine Carrée (that's 'Square Root' in English).

---

---

Like Stromae on Facebook
Visit Stromae official site
Follow Stromae on Twitter
Learn about Stromae on Wikipedia

---

---

DCUP MAGIC

One of the many cool things about the world is that it's always gonna be summer somewhere. Whilst we freeze and shiver here in the arctic Northern Hemisphere, our Southern counterparts enjoy hot days and warm nights, and vice versa of course. As such, it means that the music of summer never stops being produced, never dies, so there's always something to get your blood up to temperature and whisk you away to tropical shores, rosasite seas, waves breaking slowly on the reef, still lagoons, breadfruit for breakfast... long live our tropics.

Why do I speak this way? It's because of this song by Melbourne producer DCUP, 'Magic'. Just one day old right now, the song comes from a legacy of hot-blooded tracks including the very nice 'Don't Be Shy', which included a remix by Japanese purveyor of emotional and retro house, Boys Get Hurt. I was touched by the message that DCUP, aka real person Duncan MacLennan, left as a description for the song, saying its purpose was "...to not only keep you dancing through these beautiful summer nights down in Oz, but to keep our friends in the North warm on their chilling winter eve's." That's what I like to hear. A bit of togetherness. Global community spirit.

True to its name, 'Magic' is a little goûter of magic. Within seconds of the track starting an unbeatable bassline pops in with a funky bounce, soon joined with samba type piano chords, augmented with excitable bweeps and the occasional flash of synth chords. That samba rhythm in the music gives the track a hot and sweaty atmosphere, something sensually calling out with a wink in a where-will-this-lead manner in the midst of the driving slo-house, disco-evoking beat. The sample of some husky voice saying "Magic..." is a great touch, beautifully placed dynamic punctuation in this exciting sentence of music.

The mix of funk, latin and disco in 'Magic' lands in the cradle of your ears like something retroactive, a time capsule dusted off and polished with modern tools to give it a zeitgeistical familiarity whilst it shines with its own lustre: the sheen of nostalgic novelty alien past. It feels fresh, especially with those varying elements, and clearly comes from a mind that loves to create music for people to dance to.

Fun fact: DCUP collaborated with Australian band Yolanda Be Cool for 2010 hit 'We No Speak Americano'; now that Latin lilt to 'Magic' makes more sense and I love DCUP all the more for it.

---

---

Like DCUP on Facebook
Listen to DCUP on SoundCloud
Visit DCUP official site
Follow DCUP on Twitter
Watch DCUP on YouTube

---

---

MAURICE AYMARD & GUI BORATTO HOME

So much of life is hassle, but then again so much of that hassle is life. To live carefree doesn't mean a lack of hassle; it is a lack of perceived hassle. Where do we stand but in our own minds considering our to-do lists, taking hesitant steps towards our futures with our pasts reluctantly shrinking behind? It is all there. And this is the mire of a life too-considered, thought of too-deeply, where merely the weight of reality is unshakeable and burdensome. So, yeah. Music is medicine for the human condition. Music is distraction. Music sounds good. No matter what type you like. Sing-alongs, cry-alongs, dance-alongs - whatever. It's all important.

Sorry about that. Don't mind me. I've just been thinking too much. Luckily I've been doing it whilst I've been listening to music so it's kinda like it could've all happened in a dream or something. And right now I'm sitting on a very housey cloud (no I'm not "on drugs", I just have an imagination) and its the glorious repetition of this kind of music that is good for p much hypnotising you and calming you down. In a different scenario though, like at night in a club, that repetition serves the same purpose - inducing a trance-like state - but fits the situation, making you dance like crazy and not calming but creating euphoria.

What's been doing this to me, you ask? Why, it's 'Home' by Maurice Aymard & Gui Boratto (whom I wrote about in August). This is the lead single from Maurice Aymard's forthcoming debut album, Between Stars (on Aymard's own label, Galaktika), which is gonna be - if this song is anything to go by - a cool collection of Latin-spiced house tunes.

'Home' is a great collaboration between Venezualan Barcelona-based Aymard and Brazil's Boratto, who flew to Barcelona and went "straight from the airport to Aymard's studio for an intense 24-hour session". What I noticed first is that, despite being house/dance music, everything here sounds completely organic, home-grown; there are real instrument sounds here ranging from shakers and bongo drums to bass guitar (complete with actual plucking sound and fingers moving along the strings) and drums in general: cymbals lightly crashing and understated hi-hat shuffle.

An organ with liquid chorus plays out some delicious jazzy chords which evoke watching the manic pace cities at night with tired eyes. The bassline is dripping with groove. Synth sounds join the party (or what could be a guitar) with a really nice tremolo melody, twinned with delayed lead synth that sends retro shudders through the whole thing and high-pitched strings help give that urban sense of drama.

And if that wasn't enough for you, the single includes a remix of the song by Berlin-based English producer & DJ, Jay Shepheard.

He gives it a more electronic twist, turning into something closer to a club track, whilst retaining and somewhat enhancing, with beefed up string section especially, that dramatic nocturnal feel that the original exuded. He takes some of the original tremolo melodies and stretches them out with major delay. Jazzy piano chords are interspersed throughout alongside a female vocal sample. The bass is now synthetic, with an 80s-style 'wah' to it; staccato synth chords also rapid-fire across the board in the second half of the track. Dreamy soft synth and strings lead us out to a medley of percussion.

Please, if you enjoyed this, keep an ear out for more from Mr Aymard to come.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Like Maurice Aymard on Facebook
Listen to Maurice Aymard on Soundcloud
Hear more Maurice Aymard on Myspace
Follow Maurice Aymard on Twitter

Like Gui Boratto on Facebook
Listen to Gui Boratto on Soundcloud
Follow Gui Boratto on Twitter
Learn about Gui Boratto on Wikipedia

Listen to Jay Shepheard on SoundCloud Like Jay Shepheard on Facebook

TOKYOLITE YES! DANCE!

The exuberant sounds of young Indonesian trio Tokyolite came to me via email from the band themselves, which was jolly nice of them indeed.

The song that struck me most was 'Yes! Dance!' - mainly for it's unstoppable groove. Yes I like a nice groove, and when there are funk guitars and slap bass involved, it's even better. It's certainly a toe-tapper.

There are a lot of different styles thrown into the mix for this one, something that is sometimes a bit risky - mainly if you don't do it right. If you don't do it right, it can sound messy and nigh-on horrendous. Thankfully, Tokyolite have an good ear for sound and their subsequent mix comes out like a well-made cake: tasty.

So here's 'Yes! Dance!'

There's a kinda latin chord structure laying at the bass of everything here, coupled with the speedy drums it does give it a very 'Spanish' feel - the break down beginning "We will carry on..." brings a moody edge to the song, too. But there are also funk guitars in the chorus, coupled with a funky 80s slap bass, which is almsot a little Seinfeld - but then again, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. I love Seinfeld.

There are even some happy-happy horns in the chorus, too, framing the catchy hook of it with an original, mixed-up-without-being-messy sound. The vocals, whilst perhaps not as in-keeping as they could be with the sound of the song (a little husky maybe; they could, for instance, be a little more lo-fi in their sound - a little more echo, a little less focus), nevertheless do have a nice melody about them that gives a pop feel to the song.

It comes from Tokyolite's latest Hello EP. These guys are yet another artist I have written about lately who are seeing the benefits of netlabels and free downloads - a 'creative commons' approach to spreading their music.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Like Tokyolite on Facebook
Listen to Tokyolite on Soundcloud
Hear more Tokyolite on bandcamp
Follow Tokyolite on Twitter
Watch Tokyolite on YouTube

EL GUINCHO NOVIAS FEAT JAVIERA MENA

This is a lovely little song from El Guincho featuring Chilean indie pop star, Javiera Mena. The song 'Novias' itself was released on El Guincho's 2010 album, Pop Negro.

Also known by his real name, Pablo Díaz-Reixa, El Guincho is a Spanish musician who utilises skills in playing instruments and in samples to create something that's a cross between tropical sounds, electro-pop and Afrobeat. 'Novias', this time around featuring the lovely Javiera Mena (who's in the picture to the right; you can see her in full below - I just thought you might need to know what she looks like), is no exception to this style.

You would not really find this style of music in the UK. Typically, anything remotely Latin-sounding has been reserved solely for our Spanish and South American cousins, and has largely been ignored by us here. Could it possibly be the language that puts people off? Maybe. Could it be the sound, in general? Maybe.

But think of the song below playing on a lovely summer's day in merry old England. Think of sitting out on the grass and putting this song, on some old school boombox if you have one (you hipster), or just on your iPhone (you loser) - how much would it add to that calypso summer mood that prevails whenever the white star of the sun beams down unhindered light from a massive blue sky bouncing off the individual blades of grass making htem shine like little green fingers of flexiglass and there's this little breeze brushing past you every few minutes keeping the heat from ever broiling you too much and there are trees and birds and bees alive all around you.

...You know that kind of day? This song would make a more-than-relevant part in anyone's summer playlist.



Why did I not know about this, like, two years ago?

It's immensely happy, as joyful as it is modest and unassuming. The Afrobeat, dancehall drums lock in with a bass that's a wonderful show of reggae influence - both thumping behind the main crux of the track, in this instance, Javiera Mena's rich, warm vocals. The honky-tonk synth sounds that make up the melody are lovely, too, providing a chilled beach vibe throughout the track. I've listened to the original and have decided that this version, the one above, is much better - if not just for Mena's voice.

The tropical sound then overflows with even more percussion, sounding like a container filled with musical instruments is being shaken in some gigantic maraca by the god of music. It's a really great song, and something that should be made more audible in such sun-deprived countries as ours. You should definitely grab some sunshine with El Guincho and Javiera Mena.

Since his 2008 album, Alegranza, El Guincho has been a pretty prominent artist - clearly not too much in English-speaking countries (not in the UK anyway). For this song he joined forces with captivating Javiera Mena (above), the electro-pop princess of Chile, who's been making music since since 2001 or something like that, and broke through into indie/pop fame with first studio album, Esquemas Juveniles (2006). This was a lovely mix - let's hope they team-up again!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
• El Guincho's Myspace page
• Here is his official site
• And his YouTube page/profile

• On the other hand, we have Javiera Mena's Myspace
• Her official site
• And here you can follow her on Twitter
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

BATTLES NEW SINGLE

This is Battles new single 'Ice Cream' from their forthcoming album, Gloss Drop. Released yesterday, the track has already been performed live by the band, in addition to the video already receiving nearly 300,000 views on YouTube.

As you could expect from Battles, this is not your run-of-the-mill rock. It's not your standard formula get in get out with your balls out and whatever rock. Any Battles fan can tell you that, you don't need me to tell you. Beginning with a dreamy little riff that gradually speeds up and up, accompanied by grunts (ugh...ugh...ugh..ugh-ugh-ugh; something sex-related, I'm sure), into a fast frenzy, the song then starts in full. There's definitely a summer feel around this song, helped by the strange distorted staccato organ riff that runs throughout.

High-pitched guitars squeal throughout, backed up with tight drumming from John Stanier, topped with crazy vocals: yells, yelps, and a catchy, if slightly incomprehensible, chorus - if a chorus it is. Nothing wrong with that though. In fact, often when the music is as good as this, the lyrics play second fiddle to the awesome and pretty crazy Paganini-type first fiddle.

Coming from their upcoming album, Gloss Drop (out 6th June), it's an exciting piece featuring Chilean experimental musical artist, Matias Aguayo. There's certainly a Latin feel to this song - whether it's down to Aguayo's input, or the collaboration of the band as a whole for a slightly skewed direction as compared to their debut album, will have to wait until we hear their new effort in full.

For now, I think we're all pretty safe in the knowledge that Battles haven't changed too much. If anything, it's a lighter sound, more structured, less mathsy in its composition, than previous songs. It is completely different to something like Tonto, for example.

You can get the wonderful new single in vinyl form, as you can see on the left here, with some pretty nice pastel colours decorating the covers and records themselves. The pictures are of ice cream, believe it or not.

If you fancy one of these limited edition 12" (if you have a record player), head on over to Amazon or Norman Records. But it's good to download, if you prefer living in your era.

The album Gloss Drop is out 6th June. Have a little gander at the video below. It's a strange one, featuring everything from a naked girl eating ice cream in a bath (?), some beachside calisthenics, and a lot of colours. If you don't like seeing nakedness, don't watch for the first... 30 seconds or so. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -