New Electronica Adds: Submotion Orchestra, Nico Purman, Om Unit
Submotion Orchestra - Colour Theory: This group is a live dubstep/jazz/interesting sounds group out of Leeds, and ordinarily what would come off as pop musicians attempting to fit in with the "hip young kids by emulating the Skrillexes and doing the wub-wubs" is totally subverted by the fact that these tunes are exceedingly well made in both execution and orchestration (huh huh huh). It's a fresh take in a band perspective on the trends in dance music by taking them totally out of that context and pairing it with elements that would be totally in opposition to them; singers, live instruments and intricate textures which would ordinarily marinate in the lounge have been reconfigured to a thoughtful listen and intricate sound. Suffice it to say that this is very much music you'd listen to at home rather than at the club, and it's nice to reflect that not everything has to be engineered for "the space." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjVVHHX10rs. SEAN
RIYL: Portishead, Manchester Orchestra, Kimonos, Thievery Corporation, louuuuunge music, library music (lounge music's older and wiser cousin)
Recommended Tracks: Kimonos, Growl, Ao
Nico Purman - AOM002: Nico Purman is an Argentinian producer who lives in Berlin, and very recently got really really interested in old 1960's analog synth records, specifically those having to do with the Darmstadt School. This is his very transparent homage to that era. Some of the tracks on here have the modern production values that we've come to expect with techno lately -- Infinite in particular leads with a synth melody which harkens back, but the "background" bass and clap effects are sequenced with today's DAWs and production values. In sharp contrast, tracks like "Growl" and "Phas3" are almost entirely consumed with the retrofuturism that permeates this release, leaving the synth melody in place and adding sparse modern effects. To close, I'll say that out of all the things to be inspired by, 1960's & 70's futurist electronic music certainly isn't played out to my ears. It's almost refreshing. https://soundcloud.com/art-of-memory-label/sets/aom002-1-nico-purman (have a look at the description if you want "the most pretentious description of Stockhausen-worship I have ever seen put into words"). SEAN
RIYL: Stockhausen, Xenakis, Borden, Surgeon, Pantha du Prince, Moog machines, analog synths, square waves
Recommended Tracks: Infinite, Grow
Om Unit - Torchlight, Vol. 2: If you were to ask me, "could you give me a smattering of everything you like in electronic music", I'd probably point you towards this EP. Om Unit is a legend and has been around and important to the UK dance music scene for quite a while. He has a jack-of-all-trades ability to flow from one genre to the next almost seamlessly, and to do so in one single body of work is remarkable to say the least. On Torchlight Vol. 2, you'll get the whole gamut of dance music: there are moments of liquid d'n'b, dubstep, 2step and pretty much everything in between on this release. It is extremely surprising it works so well, which is why I've taken to it so. It's like an amuse bouche for the ears. https://soundcloud.com/omunit/adventures-in-eden-taken-from-torchlight-vol2. SEAN
RIYL: jungle, darkside, dubstep, any email we have ever sent, [insert nationality] "fusion" food
Recommended Tracks: Transformation, Adventures in Eden