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Jaga Jazzist’s A Livingroom Hush – Throwback to ‘01

I forgot just how amazing Norwegian experimental jazz band Jaga Jazzist is. This band kills it. Hard. I got A Livingroom Hush back when it came out in 2001 and I always find myself coming back to this album. Jaga Jazzist has released two albums since, and it seems they moved on to a more ‘acoustic instrumental feel, but back in 2001 they had the most ridiculous blend of acoustic and electric instruments.

Tip of the hat has to go to this unbelievable jam, ‘Animal Chin.’ Pretty crazy video. Revel in all its glory.

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10:32’s Vanitas on Ghostly International is So Good

Here’s another release on Ghostly International that I’m in love with. 10:32’s Vanitas is a short EP but each song is so slick. 10:32 is a project from Australian producer Tim Koch. ‘Jitter Heart’ is really pretty, featuring a nice mix of nylon acoustic and layers of electronic sounds that create a really warm texture. Calming video, too! Feels to me like what a meeting between Cornelius and Nujabes might sound like. Another favorite from the EP is ‘Blue Little’ which features a darker hip-hop kind of sound. Go get this EP now.

10:32 on MySpace | Vanitas at the Ghostly Store

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Lusine – A Certain Distance / Seattle-based Electronic House

I only just really got into Ghostly International’s Lusine (Jeff McIlwain), but his ambient-electronic-house music is awesome. Originally from Texas, Seattle-based Jeff McIlwain attended CalArts where he studied 20th century electronic music and sound design for music and film.

A Certain Distance dropped last year but I just got a hold of it and Lusine’s sound is thick and thumping with an album that flows perfectly. This kind of stuff puts me in a trance. Some favorite tracks are ‘Thick of It,’ ‘Tin Hat,’ ‘Every Disguise’ and ‘Twilight.’ Listen to a track below.

LISTEN:

Lusine on MySpace | Buy A Certain Distance

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Starkey, Anneka, Reso – Building the Beat for Mary Anne Hobbs

Just came across this (after having recently heard of Starkey) and I think it’s pretty amazing. Philly producer Starkey is put to the challenge of creating a track in two hours for Mary Anne Hobbs in a Radio 1 special called “Building the Beat.” With the assistance of vocalist Anneka, percussionist Reso, and some samples, Starkey had to write/record/produce the entire track within the time constraints. The track is pretty cool but I moreso think it’s amazing that they came out with a bumpin’ song within the limitations.

Download Moment’s of Mine from BBC Radio: Building the Beat – Starkey

Also, just for added awesomeness, here is Slugabed’s awesome remix of Starkey’s single featuring Anneka, ‘Stars.’

LISTEN:

Starkey’s sophomore release Ear Drums and Black Holes comes out April 19th, 2010.

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Starkey – Stars with Anneka is sweet

So, I really don’t know much about Starkey, but he’s surprisingly from Philadelphia. His Stars EP has a cool dubstep-club-electronic sound. “Stars” features some awesome vocals from Anneka (from the UK) that soar beautifully over Starkey’s beat to create a song that is reminiscent of the collaboration between Ellen Allien & Apparat and Cloud with Joanna Wahlsten. This track is awesome so give it a listen below.

LISTEN:

The EP also features some cool remixes from Slugabed, Few Nolder, Raffertie & Ital Tek, but the original is still my favorite.

http://www.starkey-music.com/

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Catch the Breeze with Boat Club

Like I said before, it seems that some of the most awesome music comes from Sweden. I can’t stop going back to music I found 3 years ago, so here’s another old release that may have gone unnoticed. Boat Club’s Caught The Breeze is awesome. It’s a short EP of 6 tracks and is some kind of mix of surf music meets corny ambient electronic pop. The guitars remind me of the shimmery sounds of surf and the synths bring me to old school nintendo. Honestly, a lot of the songs sound the same but I think the album is fun and I love the Boat Club vibe. The music just seems so… watery. Supposedly a new album is in the works but when we’ll see it, I don’t know….

LISTEN:

Here’s a fun track from the EP. It’s very simple and features an awesome synth sound that reminds me of ghost noises from nintendo games like Mario and Zelda (that was probably a bad explanation). It culminates into a very relaxing ambiance. Their music definitely embodies their band name; it’s as if you’re floating on a body of water.

WATCH:

And here is Boat Club performing their track “Nowhere” last year in Hamburg on a BOAT. How appropriate! I want in on this party.

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Feel.Love.Thinking.Of

Because I always find out about releases just a bit late, here is an awesome poppy track from Canadian band, Faunts- released almost a year ago. I liked Faunts’ 2005 debut, High Expectations/Low Results, but with heir follow-up album, Feel.Love.Thinking.Of., their sound has matured and their song-writing seems too. This album delivers pop goodness and the title track is fun and super infectious.

LISTEN:

Faunts on MySpace

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Where are the LK hiding out?

Sweden really does always pop out some of the most fun musicians to listen to (Little Dragon, anybody??) The LK (formerly the Lovekevins) is band I came across in 2007 and got (like Lone) for some seriously badass album art. Anyone who has ever been to a party at my former apartments in the past few years has undoubtedly heard me pumping LK jams all over the place. I’m showing these guys some love because in three years I still have not stopped listening to their album entitled VS. The Snow. I don’t seem to know many people that have heard of these guys, either. The album was released originally in Sweden in April of 2007 and then in March of 2008 in the US with an extra track. Album art for both versions: sweet.

How would I describe this duo? For lack of a better word: cute. Their songs are amazing electro-pop morsels. These guys have really mastered their sound and the songs are so catchy it’s ridiculous.

So what the hell happened to these guys? Supposedly they were working on a new album, but their website (formerly located at http://thelkhideout.com) seems to have vanished and activity on their myspace ceased after April of last year. I want more LK! Listening to them now they’re still just as awesome as when I first came across them. Listen below. Album covers from both versions pictured.

Picking appropriate songs to display here was no easy task… honestly – get the whole album. It is infectious. “Tamagochi Freestyle” and “Private Life of a Cat” should give you a pretty good idea of how sweet The LK is. They will have you dancing in no time.

LISTEN:

1. The LK - Tamagochi Freestyle

2. The LK - Private Life of a Cat

WATCH:

And after a quick youtube search I found the music video for their track ‘Stop Being Perfect.’ This is another great song and a fun video.

Somebody please find out what happened to these guys and report back to me. Keeping my fingers crossed that we see their supposed follow-up album, Periodika, sometime in the near future.

The LK on Myspace

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How come I never heard of Max Tundra??

Here is an album from 2008 that I somehow missed. English electronic musician Max Tundra is supremely awesome and I never heard of him until last weekend at a friend’s apartment. His music is corny, ridiculous, and actually pretty sweet. Reminds me a little bit of Calvin Harris. Get your hands on Parallax Error Beheads You.

My favorite track is “Which Song.” This super fun jam is a good wakeup call. This dance-y track features some amazing electronic sounds and actually has some pretty hip chord changes, too. Listen below:

LISTEN:

Max Tundra Official Website

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Efterklang – Modern Drift

I have liked Danish band Efterklang since hearing Tripper released in 2004. That album reminds me a lot of the IDM/glitch sound found in the music of Apparat while leaning on the side of being super cult-y. Efterklang’s 2007 release, Parades, I found to be a pretty dramatic departure, moving towards more real instruments and becoming just a bit more epic. Last year, Efterklang released a live performance of Parades called, Performing Parades, where they enlisted the support of the Danish National Chamber Orchestra.

Their new album, Magic Chairs, appears to be another departure. Slated for release on February 22nd, this upcoming release seems to be more minimal and moving to more of a pop sound. They released this track, “Modern Drift,” from the new album back in November, but I somehow missed it and it is catchy as hell.

Awesome melody, drums, general production – looking forward to the rest of the album!

LISTEN:

Download from Efterklang’s blog!

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Junior Boys – Begone Dull Care

Here’s something I just can’t stop listening to.

If you haven’t already heard Junior Boys’ Begone Dull Care, do yourself a favor and do it. I know, I know, this album was released in March of last year, but I was only recently turned onto it. Junior Boys display some amazing pop sensibility here, the songs are super catchy and low-key. Awesome electronic pop. My favorite tracks on the album are “Hazel,” “Dull to Pause,” and “Bits & Pieces.”

LISTEN:

Junior Boys Official Website

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Dam-Funk – Rhythm Trax Vol. 4

Another genius recommendation from Ian is Dam-Funk’s Rhythm Trax Vol. 4
from Stones Throw Records. LA-based Dam-Funk sports a cool funk, hip-hop, electronic sound leaving you with some seriously bumpin’ beats. These tunes would fit right into a Mega Man X game. Dam-Funk’s newer album, Toeachizown, is cool and pretty different. Both worth checking out but Rhythm Trax is the one that (currently) does it for me. Argh, I just missed him at Brooklyn Bowl last night!

Listen:

1. Dam-Funk - Silver

2. Dam-Funk - Purple

Dam-Funk Official Myspace

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Lone – Ecstasy & Friends

Ecstasy & Friends is a pretty sweet album I stumbled on the other day- an example of something I listened to based purely on cool album art.  Matt Cutler (known here as Lone) is a UK electronic musician that says his influences are bands like Boards of Canada and Madlib. Super cool, dance-y, hip-hoppy, electronic jams. Feels to me to be somewhere in between Machinedrum and Neon Indian.

Although I think a lot of the album sounds pretty similar, it has some fun badass beats. Would fit perfectly in the 1995 futuristic racing game, wipE’out’, anyone remember that game? (that game had awesome music)  Anyway – check Lone out.

Listen:

1. Lone - Go Greenhills Racer

2. Lone - Karen Loves Kate