G-Swing - Swing for modern clubbing

O colectivo francês G-Swing, lançou em 2006 o álbum Swing for the modern clubbing. Jazz swing dos anos 30 e 40, são revestidas com electrónica, criando uma sonoridade festiva ou igualmente festiva ao próprio swing. Daqui roubei o seguinte:

"On The Louvred Lounge we have been featuring a compilation that comes straight from the era that had dance halls jiving to the big bands of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Duke Ellington and the voices of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. G-Swing: Music for Modern Clubbing shines a new light on some of swings most memorable tracks spanning the ten year period that fell between 1935 and 1945.
Presented by Fuse Records, this album combines elements of electronic, house and jazz music to reinvent the sound of swing.

G-Swing: Music for Modern Clubbing is remixed by renowned artists ranging from one of Frances premier house DJ's DJ Brame, Lindstrom (well known for remixing artists such as Franz Ferdinand and LCD Soundsystem) and instrumentalist, arranger and recording engineer Itchy Mango.
With a sound that permeates a new era of club-goers, this album also manages to pay great respect to an era that changed the face of music."

G Swing - I'm Crazy 'Bout My Baby

Swing for modern clubbing download

Vienna Symphonic Lounge feat. Vienna Symphonic Orchestra - A trip to the core

O projecto Vienna Synphonic Lounge pediu ajuda à Vienna Symphonic Orchestra e resultou o álbum A trip to the core. Martin Böhm e Ludwig Coss pegam em clássicos de Mozart, Beethoven e Joseph Haydn, e juntam-lhe uma dose de electrónica, resultando num downtempo muito tranquilo.

"MG-SOUND “Masterminds“ Martin Böhm & Ludwig Coss invite you on a the trip to the core — with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Come along for this completely new and intimate experience, based on timeless classics. Instead of simply highlighting classical music with cool beats, VSL music explores a sharp and sensitive design to charm lounge aficionados with delay chains and filterflows, but above all to entice traditional classical music lovers.

The musical works on this CD are Fantasias.
Liberated interludes that play with familiar themes. Enjoy them with the curiosity of a child, turn them around in your mind, put them away, and then slowly savor their intrinsic core. These tracks don’t presume to translate the composers’ original intentions into the year 2009 - that would be disrespectful. On the contrary, “I have chosen works whose history of creation isn't familiar enough to me to restrict my imagination, so I could do the things that came to my mind first, go with my first musical instincts. Perhaps comparable to Keith Johnstone's approach to improvisational theater — only with samplers, synthesizers and the incomparable Vienna Symphony Orchestra“, says Ludwig Coss, Composer."

in www.viennasymphoniclounge.com

Vienna Symphonic Lounge feat. Vienna Synphonic Orchestra - Another Serenade

A trip to the core download

The Brunettes - Paper dolls

Os neozelandeses Jonathan Bree e Heather Mansfield estão de volta com o seu projecto The Brunettes. O seu novo álbum intitula-se Paper dolls e rompe com os anteriores. Agora a sua sonoridade apresenta-se mais electrónica, mais avant-garde e experimental. O resultado é um electro-pop e uma indietrónica viciante. Daqui veio o seguinte:

"There’s always an air of innocence and a dash of danger with The Brunettes, and the play off between Heather and Jonathan remains a powerful, playful force on Paper Dolls. The album’s biggest point of difference is its modern bent.

Paper Dolls is a step away from typical Brunettes fare that’s often oriented toward more cute and copy pop, and is instead more about experimenting with modern technology and ideas. It’s great to hear, as it sounds like they’re stepping out of their comfort zone and having fun while they’re at it."

The Brunettes - Red rollerskates

Paper dolls download

Printempo - Printempo

Printempo é um projecto polaco, que lançou este ano o álbum homónimo. Downtempo, batidas hip-hop, e traços jazz, constrõem um disco transparente, melódico, rico em sonoridade orgânica e bastante colorido. Tudo isto lançado à borla pela netlabel Estrada Nagrania e muito recomendado aqui pelo sítio.

Printempo - Subways are for sleeping

Printempo download

Digitata - Discografia

O trio Digitata, vem de Minneapolis e conta na sua formação com os multi-instrumentistas Ryan Olson e Drew Christopherson e com a voz de Maggie Morrison. Este ano lançaram o seu terceiro LP intitulado, Art work pays. Em 2005 estrearam-se com o álbum Sexually transmitted emotions, e em 2007 voltaram à carga com II Daggers. A sua sonoridade tem-se mantido coerente ao longo de todo o seu trabalho. Canções electro-pop, com toques de trip-hop e indie. Deixo mais em baixo os três álbuns para conferir e daqui, sobre o mais recente álbum, as linhas seguintes:

"The driving tension in Digitata's music is between organic and synthetic elements, with Drew Christopherson's drums on one end and Ryan Olson's sequencer, squiggly synth, and loops on the other. Morrison's voice often rises clear above that push-and-pull, occasionally layered through effects to mixed results. When Olson passes Morrison through a fader on "Sawdust City," like a DJ scratching a record, it comes off as gimmicky, but the layers of distancing distortion on the frantic "Leave It Alone" heighten the effect of the breakup tune.

"Weak Teeth," the longest and most textured track on the disc, is a great example of when the tension of the full band works. Olson's beats punctuate Morrison's vocals, and the tune sways between the synthesizers and Morrison's dreamy Wurlitzer chords as Christopherson's drums build to a thunder of low toms, covering a spectrum of sound. Not all the tracks are as compelling, and sometimes the disc feels like only incremental progress from 2005's Sexually Transmitted Emotions and 2007's II Daggers. Despite the plateau, album closer "mbaby" is a sweet song that takes full advantage of Morrison's melody, supported by stripped-down backing. More of those strong production choices, and Art Work Pays could be a killer full-length."

Digitata - Spring Fever

Sexually transmitted emotions download; II Daggers download; Art work pays download

Info - We choose the moon

O terceiro álbum do grego Info dá pelo nome de We choose the moon, e foi lançado no mês passado, pela excelente Klik Records. Info traz na bagagem uma sonoridade que varia entre o downtempo, traços de electro e house, que por vezes chegam a ser minimal. Guitarras melódicas, vozes suaves, elementos cinematográficos e dinamismo rítmico, é o que se pode encontrar neste excelente álbum.

"On the 26th of October 2009 Klik Records in cooperation with vim records presents Info's third album titled, We Choose The Moon. Yeap Info chose the moon. There, they made their small disco/karaoke/studio, they sang their memories from earth and they finished their third album. Their singing is leisured, sometimes deep and dark and others sweet and playful, just like space is supposed to be. They experiment with melodic guitars, house beats, electronica sounds and improvisations from processed vocals. The result is an amazing electronic collage of poetry, melody and dynamic rhythmical explosions that peak and fade in their broad, starry time and space."

Info - We choose the moon

We choose the moon download

Acoustique Parfum - Outgunned awakening

Os produtores Daan Apeldoorn e Johannes Bochmann e a vocalista Jenni Tessun formam o projecto alemão Acoustique Parfum. Outgunned awakening foi o álbum lançado este ano, que vem carregado de downtempo e lounge, com jazz a dar as suas influências. Óptimo para relaxar!

Acoustique Parfum - Accordance

Outgunned awakening download

Negghead - Scrambled negg

Pela Wax On Records foi lançado este ano o álbum Scrambled negg, do produtor Dan Ward AKA Negghead. Um LP que alberga sonoridades downtempo, com traços de produção hip-hop e linhas de funk, soul e jazz. Daqui, o texto que se segue.

"WAX ON records is proud to present the next level of soul drenched electronica. Finally, Leeds born and bread producer / DJ Dan Ward aka NEGGHEAD delivers "Scrambled Negg", a stunning fusion of future bound funk beats and refined stand out tunes way beyond the ordinary.... from a space in time where musicianship meets dj attitude, where the essence of HipHop, Soul and Jazz is (still) what's making people dance (and smile of course) - and where therefor the beats come a tiny bit larger than usually.

Besides taking good care of his summer dj residency at Cafe Mambo (Ibiza), co-hosting WAX ON records' infamous WAX DA BEACH party events at Kumharas (alongside DJ E.A.S.E.) and various other activities (most of them musical...), Mr. NEGGHEAD has dedicated every spare minute of his time to finalize his debut album... following up on his highly acclaimed (and ultra funky) "Super Skeleton" and "Blast!" EPs earlier in the year."

Negghead - Being

Scrambled negg download

:papercutz - Lylac

Do Porto para Portugal e de Portugal para o mundo, eis o projecto :papercutz, conduzido por Bruno Miguel. No seu álbum de estreia Lylac, :papercutz dá à pop uma roupagem de IDM, experimental e glitch. Com instrumentos orgânicos e interpretações orgânicas, constroi-se um excelente álbum, que aqui o sítio recomenda vivamente. Do myspace fica o seguinte:

"Started as Bruno Miguel's music project they're now a live band. Pursuing a balance between acoustic and electronic sounds on instrumental and vocal tracks, Bruno's young project has resulted from love of live instrumentation, glitch organic electronics, dream like melodies, pop vocals and cinematic piano ambiences.

After appearances on various international compilations :papercutz is now
signed to Montreal's Apegenine recordings who has released music by artists like David Kristian, Emanuele Errante, Khonnor, Klaus Lunde (Xerxes), Julien Neto, among others, and their debut album "Lylac" shows :papercutz stretching their song pop format further."

:papercutz - Ultravioleta

Lylac download

wAgAwAgA - Jinjanoon bus

wAgAwAgA é um produtor inglês que nos brinda com uma mistura de sonoridades que vão do dubstep ao jazz, passando pela IDM, ambiente e downtempo. Lançou este ano o seu segundo LP, intitulado de Jinjanoon bus.

wAgAwAgA - Transformation buckeye

Jinjanoon bus download

DJ Devastate - Movement/Silence

Dj Devastate vem da Suécia e apresenta-nos este ano o álbum Movement/Silence. Um LP que combina a produção hip-hop com jazz e algum funk. Downtempo a dominar, num excelente álbum.

"For some people creating music all starts with a beat and a set goal to present sounds that touch your soul and make your head nod. This is a goal that’s truly being fulfilled by Producer/Turntablist DJ Devastate. Hailing from Helsingborg, a small town in the southern part of Sweden, DJ Devastate creates intricate sounds with classic production techniques. His introduction to Hip-Hop culture was back during the mid 90s “Golden Era”.

The funky beats, rhymes and scratches being channeled at the time inspired him to become a part of the culture. His skills behind the turntables developed at a fast rate and DJ Devastate ended the 90s on the decks, often showcasing advanced scratching and mixing techniques. Spending a lot of time on stage and in the record stores, fueled his vision of creating and producing music. Dj Devastate's production style started out simple but he had a firm dedication and determination to make strong quality music. Years in the studio led to collaborations and releases with Hip-Hop artists such as: Masta Ace, Kut Masta Kurt, Maylay Sparks, Stricklin, Ed O.G and Reef The Lost Cauze to name a few.

These experiences further inspired DJ Devastate to create a new more personal and conceptual sound. The deep, soulful chords and harmonies of Jazz combined with the driving and organic sound of Funk were the leading inspiration for his new sound that quickly became a musical adventure. The goal was to create full length album, an instrumental fusion between Jazz, Funk and Hip-Hop. An important factor was to keep the whole project instrumental and to work with musicians instead of vocalists. The analog sound of vintage instruments and studio gear combined with the jazzy instrumentation and raw hip hop beat programming formed the music and made an idea into an album concept."

Dj Devastate - Movement/Silence (album snippet)

Movement/Silence download

Video trip #2

Sporto Kantes - Slits

Jon Kennedy - 14

Do hip-hop ao jazz, do trip-hop à soul, dos traços rock aos estilhaços funk, assim se caracteriza o último álbum do inglês Jon Kennedy. E sobre o LP 14, ficam as linhas seguintes roubadas daqui.

"Jon returns with his 4th Long Player entitled "14" representing the number of tracks contained within.
From hip hop to rock, jazz, soul and breakbeat, "14" is the cleanest piece of work from Mr Kennedy to date. Teaming up with Floridian label Organik Recordings to great effect. With all the characteristic melodies and constructions of Jon's own sound and an injection of the new.

Featuring some new voices in the form of Plymouth, UK based Amie J, legendary rocker and in-house vocalist for Hospital Records - Pat Fulgoni . Jon himself vocalises and of course the vocal genius of Miss Sarah Scott makes an appearance...
Jon has been touring Europe with his LIVE BAND, testing the new tracks in the live arena to great effect. Rocking crowds of 200 to 4000 people at venues and festivals from East to West for the past 12 months. Encore's were demanded and return visits secured. Be sure to look out for Jon's 4 piece live outfit in a town near you!"

Jon Kennedy - I feel the weight

14 download

Aufgang - Aufgang

Rami Khalifé e Francesco Tristano responsáveis pelos pianos clássicos e Aymeric Westrich dono das electrónicas e das percursões, são os elementos constituintes do projecto francês Aufgang. No LP homónimo, lançado este ano, ouve-se uma combinação de música clássica com electrónicas que vão desde o downtempo até sonoridades mais dançáveis. Um álbum delicioso!

"The epic tale of Aufgang starts with the new century in the star city of the New World. Rami Khalifé and Francesco Tristano met in the year 2000 in New York where they were both studying the piano at the very prestigious Juilliard School. Being almost as assiduous in their clubbing than in their studies, the two began a passionate affair with electronic music on the side of their classical training, focussing on House Music, New York being one of its hotspot. They soon began playing together, creating from the start an explosive mix of genres transcending any possible musical bigotry.

Things started shaping-up in 2001 when Aymeric Westrich, a musician (former drummer) from the same school as Rami, went to New York and, guided by his two friends, immersed himself in electronic music. Thus the three boys sealed their union under the auspices of a common attraction for limitless experimentation.

The band was put on the back burner for a time while they each pursued their individual projects. The son of a famous Lebanese composer, Rami played numerous concerts across the world, alongside his father and with other bands, published two classical albums and worked for films and dance. Aymeric, operating on the Hip Hop scene as a producer and a composer, also expressed his talent as a drummer with Cassius in the full swing of the French Touch euphoria."

Aufgang - Channel 7

Aufgang download

Dub Tractor - Sorry

O dinamarquês Anders Remmer, mais conhecido por Dub Tractor, fez-nos chegar este ano o álbum Sorry. Um trabalho intimista, onde a sua electrónica anda por caminhos downtempo, técnicas de dub e desta vez com uns traços shoegaze, dados pelas guitarras. Um álbum que se recomenda. Foi deste sítio que vieram as as linhas que se seguem.

"This latest long-player from Anders Remmer finds the Danish electronica hero continuing to pursue his affection for all things shoegaze. The signature Dub Tractor line in warm, glitched beats and glowing echo chamber production remains at the core of all the action here, but there's an increased emphasis on the song-based aspects of Remmer's music. If the Hideout album marked a tentative step in this direction, Sorry is a more confident harnessing of the songwriter's craft, more comfortably fusing guitar-based patterns with electronic layering. This album serves as a reminder of just how prescient Hideout was as a gesture towards making-over '90s shoegazing indie, but this time around the engagement with tuneful, clicky programmed soundscapes (as delightfully illustrated by 'A Lot Of Work Is Done') reminds you what it was that made Remmer's productions so compelling in his earliest days."

Dub Tractor - And you are back

Sorry download

Letting Up Despite Great Faults - Letting Up Despite Great Faults

Os californianos Letting Up Despite Great Faults, lançaram este ano o álbum com o mesmo nome. Um disco onde se ouvem batidas electrónicas, adornadas por guitarras shoegaze, sintetizadores doces e vozes que parecem não ser o mais importante das músicas. Alberga este disco a electrónica, a indie, a IDM, a pop e talvez uns resquícios de trip-hop.

"Letting Up Despite Great Faults is set to release their debut, self-titled LP October 2009. Its been a full three years since the release of Movement, an intimate collection of intricate and melancholic songs that received acclaim from the likes of NPR, CNET, and Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard. The EPs first track even found its way onto the hit television show One Tree Hill. In that time, Letting Ups sound has matured with more of the familiar bittersweet melodies and intelligent electronics, but is now also brilliantly layered with catchy guitars and dancier beats.

To push Letting Ups sound and studio dexterity to another level, they enlisted the sonic help of recording engineer Andrew Lynch to record drums at The Ship (Earlimart) and the finishing touch by mastering engineer Jeff Lipton (Andrew Bird, Spoon, Camera Obscura).

Through this new diary of sorts, Letting Up Despite Great Faults takes us through hard times, sad times, and best of all, dancey times. Expect to fight, cry, and dance with them soon if youre on the west coast (tour dates tba). Otherwise, the album will be available at iTunes, Amazon, Insound, and all major online retailers this October."

Letting Up Despite Great Faults - In steps

Letting Up Despite Great Faults download

Tricky Meets South Rakkas Crew - Tricky Meets South Rakkas Crew

Quando o projecto South Rakkas Crew tem como ponto de partida o álbum de Tricky, Knowle west boy, o resultado é uma mistura de electro-dancehall com trip-hop e com dub. Tricky Meets South Rakkas Crew é um híbrido musical curioso, à qual vale a pena dedicar alguma atenção.

"Tricky Meets South Rakkas Crew is a version excursion of ten tracks from Tricky’s ‘Knowle West Boy’, where electro-dancehall collides with Tricky’s whispering ‘sprechgesang’ lyrical style to create a dancehall filler radio killer soundtrack thriller that seems to touch on all the happening urban sounds from around the globe. We’re talking hip-hop, reggae and rock inna dubstep dancehall style that’s left-of-centre pop for the 21st century. As Tricky says: ‘We come in peace and leave you in pieces"

Tricky Meets South Rakkas Crew - Joseph

Tricky Meets South Rakkas Crew download

Worm Is Green - Glow

O projecto islandês constituido por Arni Teitur Asgeirsson, Bjarni Thor Hannesson, Thorsteinn Hannesson e Vilberg Hafsteinn Jonsson, voltou este ano com o álbum Glow. Os Worm Is Green continuam a sua saga pela música electrónica baseada no trip-hop e no downtempo com uns toques de electro. Um excelente álbum! As linhas que se seguem foram tiradas daqui.

"Worm Is Green started as the bedroom electronica project of Arni Asgeirsson, who soon enlisted longtime friends from his hometown of Akranes, Iceland (population 5,500) to flesh out his melodic soundscapes. Solidifying into a group, Worm Is Green began recording the songs that would become Automagic, released overseas last year on Iceland's Thule Musik (home of Mum and The Funerals) and now available in the U.S. on The Arena Rock Recording Co."

Worm Is Green - The politician

Glow download

Blockhead - The music scene

O produtor nova-iorquino Tony Simon, mais conhecido por Blockhead, está de regresso com mais um álbum de instrumentais, intitulado The music scene. Com uma produção que varia entre o hip-hop, o trip-hop e o downtempo, aqui fica mais um dos bons álbuns deste ano. Daqui veio o seguinte:

"New York hip hop producer Tony Simon aka Blockhead returns with his third and best instrumental album for Ninja Tune. Blockhead has long made beautiful, emotive music based around the hip hop template, but on The Music Scene he elevates his craft to another level. Tony puts it down to the use of Ableton, which means that rather than working from "one basic beat and building off it" (the standard hip hop model), he has begun stringing together multiple beats and weaving them together into increasingly complex, surprising and satisfying pieces of music. As he himself puts it, "I made each song a little more of a musical journey than anything I have ever done before."

Blockhead - It's raining clouds

The music scene download