Category Archives: Music

The Verge: Sky Ferreira

Posted on August 18, 2010 | Leave a comment


Meet LA’s dirty little secret, singer-songwriter Sky Ferreira. On her resume? Her singing made Michael Jackson tear up, she’s worked with Linda Perry and Dallas Austin, and she corresponds with ch-ch-ch-cherrybomb / ex-Runaway Cherie Currie. Oh, and she turned 18 last month.

The Los Angeles lolita has been making Internet waves for a few years now, and it looks like she’s finally catching up with the hype. Her grandmother was a hair dresser for the King of Pop, who encouraged her to develop her voice; she sang gospel and opera from an early age. At 15, she reached out to the producers behind Miike Snow (and Britney Spears’ “Toxic”), Swedish duo Bloodshy & Avant. With no money but a promise of being “better than Britney,” the producers agreed to work with her. One of their first collaborations is her single “One,” a slice of futurist, robotic pop. (The song was given the luvstep treatment by BAR9.)

Her closest comparison is to Lily Allen, as she precociously mixes innocent pop melodies with dark and dirty lyrics. Unlike her frenemy Katy Perry, though, this isn’t focus-group tested, “good girl gone bad” bullshit. There is an honesty and maturity absent from most of her stateside peers, with a better sense of pop and celebrity than UK counterparts like Ellie Goulding and Marina and the Diamonds.

Speaking of Marina, Ferreira’s “17” hits the mark better than Ms. Diamandis’ “Seventeen;” the video does Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” better and more realistically, as well. The chorus is very glam, and the verses reveal her lyrical talent, painting an accurate picture of teen girls living beyond their years: “We don’t know what to do with her / shes from a different world / and its apparent now this girl is hiding / something in the way she gives a confident excuse.”

While she was born in 1992 (!), she has a reverence for musical icons of the past. She names David Bowie, the Runaways, Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot among her influences, and her cover of “Happiness is a Warm Gun” is superb (especially when mixed with “Still DRE” by Skeet Skeet).

For American pop stars, it seems as if the dialectic is between Ke$has and non-Ke$has, Gagas and non-Gagas. Sky Ferreira is proof that you can do both.

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Mixtape Monday: Mad Decent Monday Edition

Posted on August 16, 2010 | Leave a comment

If record labels were elementary school students, Mad Decent would have the most interesting “what I did on my summer vacation” presentation. Between quadrupling their annual Block Party and releasing mixtapes weekly, Diplo and family are doing big things before they pack it up and move to Los Angeles. Here are two recent mixtapes from up-and-coming talents on the label.

Like MIA and Santigold before her, Maluca‘s Mad Decent mixtape serves as her entree onto the underground scene. While those two found Wes Gully behind the boards, Maluca’s China Food is expertly mixed by Paul “The Other Pauly D” Devro with a “past, present and future” theme in mind.

China Food fills the void left after we heard the fiery merengue of last year’s “Tigeraso” but not much else from the Dominican chanteuse. Between samples of “Fire” and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” are house-inflected tropical tunes like “Jungle Violento” and “Loca.” Devro curates one helluva tape, letting Maluca flex her Kelis muscles on the moody “Hector” and “Flourescent Beige.” Definitely cop this one, for the low, low price of your email address.

Along with moombahton, this summer has been defined by the resurgence of noise pop, especially the sun-soaked and weed smoke variety. Bands like Wavves, Best Coast, and Surfer Blood have led the way with fuzzed-out pop songs that hint at nostalgia and beach vibes. Po Po (brothers Zeb and Shoaib) mine similar territory for Mad Decent.

This summer mixtape, originally recorded for their tour with Sleigh Bells, showcases the experimental garage rock the duo is known for. While most of the tape is noisier and less complete than first single “Bummer Summer,” it’s still a good placeholder until their fall debut drops.

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Future Grooves: Rob Threezy

Posted on August 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

This column practically writes itself every time the Trouble and Bass residency stops at the U Street Music Hall. Be it B Rich or Deathface, the preeminent label for bass freaks consistently brings top talent to town. Tonight is no different, as Chicagoans Willy Joy and Rob Threezy and LA’s Samo Sound Boy join the T&B crew at 1115 U Street.

You might already be familiar with Willy Joy, rising selector and Kid Sister tour DJ, but what about Rob Threezy?

Threezy, government name Roberto Herrera and formerly known as DJ Rob3 (get it?), is a member of Chicago’s Ghetto Division crew. He burst onto the EDM scene with his contribution to The Brick Bandits EP, “The Chase.” The Chicago club anthem mixed Bmore beats, rave synths and enough “Woo! Yeah!” samples to raise James Brown from the dead.

He followed up “The Chase” with releases on Fool’s Gold, Nightshifters, and T&A, including the uplifting jam “Love to the World” on the Ghetto Pass EP. With a classic soul sample, Baltimore breaks, and Chicago house feel, Threezy weaves three dance styles into a real crowd pleaser.

These days, Threezy’s sound is being influenced by the preponderance of ominous dubstep in the scene. Still, his Let’s Go Ravers EP for T&A has plenty of his distinct Chicago-meets-Baltimore club feel. The title track is a hand clap and siren filled banger, while “Round House” has a minimal feel reminiscent of Nadastrom’s “Ghetto.”

On the recently released Heavy Bass Champions of the World, Volume 10, Threezy and Joy go dutch on three tracks. The first, “Run Up,” features a melodic breakdown and squealing synths that beg for the Moombahton treatment. Plus, the two manned the tables for the latest T&B smashcast.

Rob Threezy proves that Chicago house and Baltimore club, like peanut butter and chocolate, are just better together. Don’t miss him tonight at U Hall.

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The Verge: Wavves

Posted on August 11, 2010 | Leave a comment

Welcome to The Verge: a column dedicated to music on the edge of a breakthrough. If I’m weary of ripping off the BBC, I absolutely loathe doing the same to Pitchfork. Anyway, here’s a band who has had some blog love for quite a while, but now is actually worth all the hype.


For the last couple of years, Wavves has been a bit of an underground shitshow. Bandleader Nathan Williams rode the Pitchfork hype (no pun intended) from his bedroom to the mainstage. And predictably, everything came crashing down – Behind the Music style – including a drug-addled performance at the 2009 Barcelona Primavera Sound Festival and a drunken brawl with the Black Lips. After some cancelled tour dates, Williams emerged from 2009 with a new backing band: the rhythm section of the late Jay Reatard, another noisy rock sensation with similarly outsized drama.

With that said, Wavves is polarizing. Some find the blog love unwarranted; others are equally turned-off by the dramatics. But with the recent release of King of the Beach, Wavves might turn haters into believers.

The band’s last record, Wavvves, was pure noise-pop and not entirely serious; Williams crammed “Goth” into five titles, with gratuitous mentions of California’s sun, beach and weed throughout. King of the Beach continues to mine the oh-so-popular surf rock milieu, but with much more focus. If this is to be Williams’ Nevermind, Wavvves was his Bleach (a comparison also made elsewhere). And just how moving from a $600 studio session to recording with Butch Vig allowed Nirvana to tighten their compositions and let Kurt’s writing shine, the introduction of professional recording into the Wavves sound is what will take them to the next level.

Right off the bat, King of the Beach presents Wavves in a new light: intelligible! The title track finds Williams defiant and cocky, as expected: “You’re never gonna stop me (x4) / the king of the beach.” Next, “Super Soaker” jumps between the combo of a terrific start-stop rhythm and Williams’ falsetto, and a wall-of-noise that sounds like early Jimmy Eat World.

The self-loathing over power chords of “Idiot” (“I’m not supposed to be a kid / but I’m an idiot / I’d say I’m sorry / but it wouldn’t mean shit”) and the quiet-loud-quiet dynamics of “Green Eyes” are not going to stop the Nirvana comparisons any time soon. Similarly, the rollicking “Post Acid” leads with a blue-era Weezer melody, even if it packs in considerably more feedback and reverb.

For fans of earlier Wavves, the jangly melodies “Baseball Cards” and “Mickey Mouse” should be buried behind sufficient fuzz and effects. “When Will You Come” cops the “Be My Baby” drum line, and its dream pop owes heavily to Phil Spector.

These days, blogs like Pitchfork will make or break your band. For Wavves, the underground community has already done both. Here’s hoping everyone can shake hands and move on, because King of the Beach certainly does.

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Two years after his death, Def Jux releases Camu Tao's King of Hearts

Posted on August 10, 2010 | Leave a comment


Camu Tao, born Tero Smith, was a multi-talented performer and member of the Definitive (nee Def) Jux family. Coming up in Columbus, OH in the late 90s, he worked with underground rap pioneers El-P, Aesop Rock, RJD2, and Cage, among others. His “Hold the Floor” was the archetypal Def Jux cut, with a raw, grinding beat and technically sharp, unapologetic rhymes.

Sadly, Camu Tao passed away after a protracted battle with cancer in 2008, a month shy of his 31st birthday. Not only did he leave behind his family, friends and fiance, but he also left behind the songs that were to be his debut solo album, King of Hearts. Luckily, the album is set to be released on August 17 by Definitive Jux and Fat Possum Records.

King of Hearts paints a picture of an artist on the edge of something special. The album’s 16 tracks are a bit rough around the edges, as most were demos when Camu passed. Still, King of Hearts finds Camu reinventing himself in the mold of K-OS and Saul Williams, with a unique style that is difficult to pin down. Moving away from the distinct hip-hop of Def Jux to a more Afro-punk sound, Camu is at ease over programmed beats, chiptune synths and crunchy guitar riffs. “Bird Flu” and “When You’re Going Down” are dancefloor-ready pieces of electropunk, equal parts mournful and angry: surely the emotions of a man during his last days.

Whether crooning on “Fonny Valentine,” political-rapping on “Ind of the World,” or swinging on “The Perfect Plan,” Camu is sharp, poignant and emotive. The hook for “Plot a Little,” a catchy, Neptunes-like sing-along, captures the album’s feel: “Rock for a little bit / fly for a little bit / plot for a little bit / make it contagious.” Over King of Hearts, the sonic dabblings of the self-described “rebel to conformity” are definitely contagious.

The music of artists like Jeff Buckley, Nick Drake, and Joy Division’s Ian Curtis is notable for its posthumous influence. Camu Tao’s King of Hearts will probably not have as far a reach, but it will stand as a vibrant final farewell from an artist who obviously had much more to share.

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GroundScore parties like it's 1995

Posted on August 10, 2010 | Leave a comment


DC’s GroundScore plays a brand of reggae punk fusion reminiscent of Sublime, 311 and Goldfinger. The trio, consisting of frontman and guitarist Zach Bellas, drummer Chase Lapp and bassist Nick Graves, formed in 2008. A series of jam sessions convinced the band to record an album and hit the road.

Healthy Children, the band’s genre-melding debut album, will have you looking for your 40 ounces to freedom and asking “who’s got the herb?” The music alternates between laid-back, upstroking jam sessions and frenetic thrash punk. Healthy Children kicks off with two reggae-infused james, “Tattoos & Porn” and “Don’t Pay Me,” before breaking down into a minute of mosh-pit punk, a pattern that repeats over the 12 song disc.

“Hey Kidz / Real Love” is the album’s centerpiece, a 7-minute epic that touches on the album’s overarching theme, the ironies of so-called “healthy children” growing up America. It begins with an Offspring-esque blast of energy, before settling into a groove that allows Bellas to pull out a few solos. “You Deserve It” is emblematic of the album as a whole, as the band seamlessly blends its diverse influences into a cohesive sound.

GroundScore isn’t reinventing the wheel, but for fans of alternative rock in the mid-90s, Healthy Children is a welcome return of sun-soaked SoCal punk. In true punk style, they will be headlining a show at the Red and Black on Friday the 13th.

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Mixtape Monday: Drag the lake

Posted on August 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

“Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.” Inscription at the Gates of Hell, or another post about drag and witch house? You decide! Today’s Mixtape Monday takes us to the darkest reaches of the Internet, with new mixes from Salem and the sick folks behind (the NSFW) Put.A.Spell.

Salem’s I Buried My Heart Inna Wounded Knee is a nearly-unlistenable mix of Goth crunk – and I mean that as a compliment. There’s no tracklist, but would one really make a difference? Salem drags and screws tracks until they are barely recognizable ghosts of the originals; mixing in the Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale” is brilliant. Salem continues to make the i-dose version of purple drank. Their debut full-length King Night is set for a September 28th release, and this mix should stave off the tremors until then.

Put.a.spell (what I’ll be calling the force responsible for these mixes, since they’re only labeled with the quintessential witch house symbol ‡) recently released two equally disturbing mixes, Summus Exussum Ervum and Beasts in Drag.

Summus Exussum Ervum, which roughly translates to “burn the high weeds,” touches on everything cold and industrial. From Throbbing Gristle to Fever Ray, the mix is the perfect soundtrack for your next invocation or ritualistic sacrifice. Compared to Salem’s mix, it is practically Top 40.

Beasts in Drag is more crunk than Goth, relying on drag versions of Gucci Mane and Playboy Tre (from the Adult Swim x Beaterator ATL RMX album), among others. As the mix closes, it fades from GR†LLGR†LL’s gloomy “Lollipop” cover “Slowlickin” to “If You Are But a Dream,” by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the bluesman best known for “I Put a Spell On You.” That inclusion alone shows that the musicians behind drag and witch house have a sense of humor, even if it is sick and twisted.

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Luvstep Live at the Mad Decent Block Party

Posted on August 9, 2010 | Leave a comment


As I walked up 12th Street in Philadelphia on my way to the Mad Decent Block Party, I heard the unmistakable, soothing sounds of luvstep. The set marked the live debut of luvstep, the dubstep subgenre identified by Dirty South Joe and Flufftronix earlier this year on their mix of the same name. It was one of the many can’t-miss sets during the day. Luckily for those who missed it, the proverbial tape was running and the set is now available for download.

An introduction from Ten Things I Hate About You sets the tone: melancholic, bittersweet, and teeming with raw emotion. The 30-minute mix kicks off strong with tracks by Sky Ferreira and Nero, before revisiting essential tracks (Caspa’s remix of the Deadmau5 & Kaskade collab “I Remember”) and dropping new popstep heat (the trio of “Hold On,” “I Need Air,” and “Katy on a Mission”).

“PClart” by Kavsrave has been floating around for a few months; the female vocals and wonky bass are a perfect fit for the mix. The same is true of the “Edge of Seventeen”-sampling “Days Go By” by the Boogaloo Crew (who now are part of Future Grooves featuree Dark Sky). The mix closes with some Don Juan DeMarco:

“There are only four questions of value in life, Don Octavio. What is sacred? Of what is the spirit made? What is worth living for, and what is worth dying for? The answer to each is the same: only love.”

For dubstep, a genre derided for its harsh sounds and bromantic attitude, only luvstep can save it.

Tracklist for Luvstep Live at the Mad Decent Block Party
Introduction: KATARINA
Sky Ferreira – One (Bar9 Remix)
Nero – Innocence
Deadmau5 – I Remember (Caspa Remix)
Rusko – Hold On (feat Amber Coffman)
Magnetic Man – I Need Air
Katy B – Katy On A Mission
Professor Green ft Lily Allen – Just Be Good To Me (Joker Remix – Fluff’s Greenless Dub)
M83 – We Own The Sky (Udachi Remix)
Kavsrave – PClart
Bobby Caldwell – What You Won’t Do For Love (DZ Remix)
Guido – Mad Sax
The Boogaloo Crew – Days Go By
The Living Graham Bond – Winter Hunter ft Fiona Bevan (Bare Noize Remix)
Epilogue: DON JUAN

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More Moombahma from David Heartbreak

Posted on August 9, 2010 | Leave a comment

David Heartbreak is at it again. Fresh off an appearance on the Summer of Moombahton compilation and his TGRI-exclusive Culipandeo mix, Heartbreak has released the Dos Moombahma EP, another collection of genre-expanding moombahton.

In a nod to the origins of the genre, Heartbreak twists Kid Kaio’s Dutch house “Hey” into a 108 BPM banger. The build and simple chant-along vocals make this one a club keeper.


Like he did on “Whistle Blower,” Heartbreak takes crunk 1,000 miles south on “Salt Shaker,” his edit of the the classic Ying Yang Twins party anthem. Elsewhere on the EP, he experiments with moombahcore (“Lend Ya Down”), a grimey offshoot of moombahton, and classic dancehall (“Raggamuffin”). For fans of chilled-out lounge sounds, “Novinah” is the perfect mood setter, based on a sample of Drake’s “Successful.”

David Heartbreak continues to be a producer to watch. The Charlotte DJ has a good ear for hooks and samples that fit the moombahton sound, and he continues to move the genre forward with his melting pot approach to the genre.

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Lil' Elle's "All A Dream" mixtape

Posted on August 7, 2010 | Leave a comment


DJ Lil’ Elle is back with another hour-long mix entitled “All A Dream.” As the cover art suggests, the 20-odd songs here hint at summer days passed – appropriate as August flies off the calendar. Elle mixes Top 40-friendly dance tracks with throwback and underground hip-hop with ease. You can see how she’s secured weekly parties at Science Club and Policy (in addition to the monthly KIDS party): Lil’ Elle’s understanding of song selection is bar none.

Highlights include in-the-know favorites “We No Speak Americano” and “Sex Sax” alongside classics by Stevie Wonder and Andre 3000. Grab this mix and catch Lil’ Elle at her DC gigs before she heads westward.

Tracklisting for DJ Lil’ Elle’s “All A Dream” August 2010 Mix
00 Ellen Page Intro
01 Fatboy Slim – The Joker (Steve Miller Band Cover)
02 The Shins – Australia (Peter, Bjorn, & John Remix)
03 The Roots & John Legend – The Fire
04 Aloe Blacc – I Need a Dollar (Chrome Remix) ft. Wu-Tang Clan
05 The Kickdrums – Tell Me Stories
06 Stevie Wonder – My Cheri Amour (DJ Scene Remix)
07 Andre 3000 – Behold a Lady (SR Intro Edit)
08 Ellie Goulding – Under the Sheets Remix (Audio1 Edit) ft. Chiddy Bang
09 Aeroplane X Friendly Fires X Flight Facilities – I Crave Paris
10 Erik Hassle – Hurtful (Penguin Prison Remix)
11 Chromeo – Don’t Turn the Lights On (SR Intro Edit)
12 MIA – XXXO Remix ft. Jay-Z
13 Nas & Damian Marley – As We Enter Remix (Audio1 Edit) ft. Tinie Tempah
14 Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP – We No Speak Americano (Vocal Edit)
15 Miami Horror – Make You Mine
16 Sky Ferreira – Stand Back (Stevie Nicks Cover)
17 Zero 7 – Destiny (Fred Falke Remix)
18 Princess Nyah – Butterflies (Donaeo Remix)
19 Kid Sister – Daydreaming (Telephoned Dreams Version)
20 Calvin Harris – Stars Come Out
21 Drop the Lime – Sex Sax (Club Mix)
22 Two Door Cinema Club – What You Know
23 Cee-lo Green – What Part of Forever

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