Lobegrinder / Boreta

Boreta, along with fellow glitch all-stars edIT and Ooah, are the core members of the infamous LA Glitch Mob, who in the past four years have come to dominate the US underground glitch scene. I continue to become a bigger fan of theirs the more I hear and Boreta in particular, is definitely something I want to hear more of. I wish for a little more creativity in the bass lines but the beats are always nasty.



Boreta - Lobegrinder by boreta

Scars / Basement Jaxx

Now, I know it's been awhile since Scars, the 5th studio album by Basement Jaxx, came out, but it's been piled onto my listening list along with of other albums by some favorite electronic artists for a reason. I listened to "Raindrops" and heard clips from the other songs like "Saga" and didn't think it was anything too different. Lesson learned: as always, don't go by iTunes clips.

But at least I've finally listened to "Scars", the track of the same name as the album featuring Kelis, Meleka, and Chipmunk. For me, it is a perfect track, absolutely flawless. One that I've been looking for for a long time. It's the kind of thing that I always hoped Basement Jaxx would produce and I knew they could from tracks like "Don't Give Up". The chorus sample is out of this world. It will make you feel like you're flying over a rolling extraterrestrial landscape. Long live Basement Jaxx.

For this one, I suggest listening without the animation..

Why 1998 Was My Favorite Year In Music

I love electro and that's primarily what I blog about, but my first true love is Trip-Hop. I recently noticed how many of my favorite albums actually came out in 1998. That year was my personal favorite year for trip-hop (in terms of album releases), with the previous year coming very close (with big favorites like Portishead's ST and Björk's Telegram and Vespertine). By 1998 Trip-Hop had a solid foundation and these artists were able to take it in their own, new direction; even artists who weren't considered trip-hop artists were influenced by it's enticing beats and melancholy nature (Tori Amos, The Cardigans). I also like the general style of production at that time. Here are a list of my favorite albums released in '98:

1) Portishead (Live NYC) - Portishead
2) Baxter (ST) - Baxter
3) Blue Wonder Power Milk - Hooverphonic
4) People Are Strange - Stina Nordenstam
5) Empathy - Mandalay
6) From the Choirgirl Hotel - Tori Amos
7) Breath From Another - Esthero
8) Gran Turismo -The Cardigans
9) Formica Blues - Mono
10) Parts of the Process - Morcheeba
11) Mezzanine - Massive Attack

Work This City (Shuttle Remix) / Body Language

New on the block, Body Language is branching the soul of downtempo/indie pop (think fellow tourmates Zero 7 and Sia) with dance/electro, creating a wave of interest that started in Brooklyn and is spreading rapidly. They remix and are remixed, and their sets include DJing with current favorites and their own new material. If you haven't yet, check out the remix of Work This City by notorious Boston DJ, Shuttle.

The Tuss

According to their record label (Rephlex), The Tuss are British musicians Brian Tregaskin and Karen Tregaskin. Their aggressive approach to acid techno is alarming and will immediately grab and sustain your attention. Dark breakbeats welded with juxtaposing timbres make the tracks sound all to similar to electronic legend Richard D. James (Aphex Twin). In my opinion, there are a number of factors why the hype about who The Tuss really is should be ignored. The most important of which (agreeing with Rephlex) is that the music itself is what matters most. So simply enjoy it!

All Hearts Tour / Robyn and Kelis

I apologize for the late post since I've been busy releasing my new track! Anyway, two weeks ago I was fortunate enough to get to see one of few concerts (7 total) scheduled for the All Hearts Tour, a promotional tour for the newest albums of Swedish pop singer, Robyn and US singer Kelis, who's rep has now truly spanned the genres! Robyn's album Body Talk Pt. 1 and Kelis's Flesh Tone were both highly anticipated late Spring releases. They are both fantastic albums; Robyn's taking it to a whole new level with songs like "Dancing On My Own" and "Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do", that are packed with fight. Flesh Tones was really surprising. Kelis is making a turn for the better, I think, by branching out as an electronica singer.

I saw it all at the House of Blues in Boston, MA. Started out with the upbeat electro/rap trio Far East Movement followed by an amazing performance by sampler star Dan Black. I've never seen anyone work a lone sampler quite so emotionally before. This was followed (after a full hour) by Kelis who started off with songs from Flesh Tone. Then she performed something quite bizarre: a medley of mostly her own, older hits including the infamous "Milkshake" and older R&B songs followed by more from Flesh Tone.

Last but not least was Robyn whose performance (along with her live band of two drummers and two guys on synth cages) was by far the best electronic performance I've ever seen. And I believe the reason why it was so good is because it was completely live, something that is rare to come by in electronic performances. There weren't many pre-recorded samples be used except for her song "Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do". I thought that was strange. She didn't start singing till the famous lyrics started. Before that, it was pre-recorded and in the mean time, Robyn ate a banana on stage. It was a deserved break, however, because overall her performance was so energetic and awesome, that it wound up being the best electronic music experience for me so far!