Saturday Night Fever 23: Poka

I was really lucky to stumble upon Galaxy Comète Records, a label working hard to revive disco-house. Taking heavy influence from the solo works of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk, Galaxy has several EPs available for free download.

Each artist on their roster samples old disco and funk records, laces them with hard-hitting drums, and filters them to life. Tonight's track is from Poka, a force to be reckoned with in the movement to revive french house. If you dig tonight's bit, click to download Poka's Blast From The Past EP.

Be sure to check out Alan Braxe, TBD, David Bruno, and Robot Blair at Studio B on March 7th!


Download: Poka - Here It Comes

Blake - Leave Us Alone

Besides for Blake's origins in the UK and being signed to Scion records, we pretty much know nothing about him. What we do know is that he makes heavy bass-driven electro tracks with heavy dub influence.

Tonight's track is off of his Outlaw EP, joined by similar jams "Outlaw" and "Minority." Scion describes "Leave Us Alone" as an "ominous, rumbling b-line, neck-snapping drums and laser sonics set the scene for a trip to a dark, threatening dystopia, all sweeping searchlights, checkpoints and robocops..."


Download: Blake - Leave Us Alone

Saturday Night Fever 22

N.A.S.A. is the collaboration of Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon. These dudes are not known for their production work, but rather for the star-studded line-up on their debut release The Spirit of Apollo. This includes Del The Funkee Homosapien, DJ Qbert, George Clinton, RZA, Ghostface Killah, M.I.A., Spank Rock, and Santigold to name a few.

Tonight's track is a remix of "Whachadoin?" by Villans. They have been making intense dance tracks for a while now, and this one doesn't disappoint. Check out N.A.S.A. on RCRD LBL for another hot track.

Download: N.A.S.A. - Whatchadoin? (Villains Remix)

G-Eazy - Wishful Thinking

Bay area rapper G-Eazy is a one-man rap battalion. Armed with some of the freshest self-produced beats, he scribbles down his own rhymes, creating his own style. We'd describe him as a rapper that "doesn't need Ziploc to stay fresh," if he didn't say so himself.

To show you the full force of G-Eazy, we have a track off of the Sikkis mixtape, made to promote Sikkis clothing. "Wishful Thinking" samples one of my favorite movies, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. "Pure Imagination" is a song about endless possibilities, and G-Eazy spits about the harsh realities of being an up-and-coming rapper.

We also want to give a big shout to G-Eazy's mutli-media designer, Tyler Yee. Peep his youtube channel to see some of Tyler's projects.

Saturday Night Fever 21

Tonight's bit is from Germany-based Cygnus X. The group was originally the collaboration of Matthias Hoffman and Ralf Hildenbeutel, but now Matthias is the only member.

They are famous for "The Orange Theme" which is quoted as being "one of the most memorable trance songs." To give you a taste of what The Orange Theme is, we're throwing a flashy remix in your direction. This remix sounds like something Tiesto would have made in the early days. You remember Nyana, right?

Download: Cygnus X - The Orange Theme (Terry Toner & Mason Remix)

Download The Hush Now's Self Titled CD for FREE!

Back in October we wrote about The Hush Now, a shoegazy-rock band from Boston. They are back, making bigger moves than ever.

These brave souls have decided to release their entire album to the public, for free. We think it is smart move. They simply want people to listen to their music (which is really good, btw) and we think that is awesome.

If you want the entire thing as a .zip, head over to their press page.

Download:

1. The Hush Now - The Man From Galway
2. The Hush Now - Bedtime Stories
3. The Hush Now - Vancouver
4. The Hush Now - Sadie Hawkins Dance
5. The Hush Now - Pining
6. The Hush Now - Ashes
7. The Hush Now - Subtle Like Bombs
8. The Hush Now - Traditions
9. The Hush Now - Roleplay
10. The Hush Now - Landlord and the Tenant
11. The Hush Now - Hiding in Corners

p.s. Lemonade is also giving their remix album away for free on RCRD LBL.

Saturday Night Fever 20

Tonight we have a banger from the creative minds of Axwell, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Laidback Luke.

This track is a bit of an oldie from 2007, but still rocks nonetheless. It sounds a bit like "Shake It Down," the famed club track from A-Trak & Laidback Luke. So crank this funky jam and enjoy your weekend! If you aren't following us on twitter, please do so.

Download: Axwell, Angello, Ingrosso, Laidback Luke - Get Dumb

Mixtape: Hip-Hop Mix

I want to preface this post by saying that all of these tracks are specified by the label for promotional use and were cleared by the Independent Online Distribution Alliance.

I put together this 10-track mix to show-off some of underground hip-hop's finest. Some of the artist are from ABB Records, such as Little Brother, Maspyke, and the Sound Providers. Most of their beats are produced by the incredibly talented, North Carolina based, 9th Wonder.

If you like the mix and want to download it as a .zip, click here: http://drop.io/antlerdartshiphopmix/. Be sure to check out our past mixes: Rolodex Rips & the Rhetorical Mix.

Track list:

1. Supernatural - Off Top

2. Red Rock - G's Like Us

3. Little Brother - Whatever You Say

4. Rapper Big Pooh - The Strongest Man

5. 9th Wonder - Brooklyn In My Mind

6. Maspyke - Lightly Anxious

7. Sound Providers - 5 Minutes (Remix)

8. Sound Providers - Yes Yall

9. Sound Providers - It's Gonna Bee Part II

10. CunninLynguists - Seasons (feat. Masta Ace)

Deltron 3030 - Deltron Event II?

Futuristic hip-hop group Deltron 3030 is the side project of producer Dan the Automator, rapper Del tha Funkee Homosapien, and DJ Kid Koala.

Hands down, Deltron 3030's debut cd 3030 is one of our all-time faves. The album describes life in post-apocalyptic earth, in the year 3030. Del's insightful rhymes provide plenty of food for thought while painting a picture of a dark and distraught future. The beats crafted by masterminds Dan the Automator and Kid Koala will simply blow your mind.

Over the past several years, rumors have been spread of Deltron 3030's return. This album has been named Deltron Event II. Del confirmed that all of the instrumentals are completed, and that he has written six songs. We hope this record drops in the near future.

Today's remix comes from a set of bonus tracks that were released last year. The turntable licks are intense, and sound like GLaDOS's death at the end of Portal.

Download: Deltron 3030 - Turbulence (Mark Bell Remix)

deerhunter guitarist creates riveting shoegaze

March is shaping up to be a good month.

In my last update, we discussed two March releases, The Whitest Boy Alive's Rules and Technicolor Health, by Harlem Shakes. Deerhunter guitarist (and occasional vocalist) Lockett Pundt will be releasing The Floodlight Collective on March 23.

Image Courtesy of Amazon

A good friend of mine recently turned me onto Lotus Plaza, and The Floodlight Collective is, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, a wondrous achievement. While the bulk of the album is structurally and lyrically low-key, the heart and soul of the record feels cathartic and heart-wrenching. It's shoegazey, yes, but do not mistake its subtlety for a lack of substance.

"Quicksand," the second track on the record, is a brilliantly constructed build-up that culminates with a heavily layered, sonic finale lifted straight out of the Loveless textbook of thematic music-making. Pundt effortlessly creates a the iconic "swirling wall-of-sound," and the murkier elements of 2008's Microcastle/Weird Era Cont. are ever present throughout the album's 45 minute runtime, despite being more nuanced than Deerhunter's acclaimed release. Microcastle is a bit more straightforward, whereas The Floodlight Collective invites us to get lost in its dreamy haze. The track "These Years," for example, comes in immediately following the "release" at the end of "Quicksand" and effectively drowns out the whole thing with a quiet moment of hymnal vocals and ambient noise.

To me, the best part about "Quicksand" is its finely-tuned progression, which steadily builds upwards before reaching a climatic, emotional outburst that really gets ya in the gut.

I'm very happy that this record was brought to my attention and even more happy to share it with everyone. Highly recommended.

Lotus Plaza - "Quicksand" (ZShare)
Lotus Plaza - "Quicksand" (YouSendIt)