Oh that Madge… I can’t help it, I’ve got the biggest Cheshire grin plasted above my chin right now…
It’s that critical moment that every music journalist ventures into. It happens when we get an artist worth digging. We slide our hand underneath the desk to whip out that hideous facial mask of a straight-faced, grade school teacher with red ink in hand ready to carve our music reviews into someone’s membrane. Taking the time to ride the Voyeur voyage was a pleasant treat as it suited perfectly with the rain Gods deciding to pour down some cleansing wash on good music and his Texas land, of course. The music produced by Childish Major with the vocals to match under Rome Fortune’s belt creates an upcoming groove that falls closely to acts like DJ Shadow and Danny Breaks rave crave. The electric boogie definitely comes to light with the duo along with a hint of Atlanta’s rap recipe, but the two are truly doing something astray from other artists emerging in the mix.
Not to be confused with anything Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey related, the self-proclaimed “Afro-slash-pop” group, Fool’s Gold, is picking up much traction these days. The five-piece sonance collective showcased their cultured sound while headlining for the long anticipated Red Hot Chili Peppers 2011 European tour. Given their take on African music, indigenous yet á la mode, Fool’s Gold is beginning to accumulate a reputable character and cosmopolitan fan base all the same. Despite the fact, a notable sculpting of their signature sound has materialized throughout their chronology since 2007; Fool’s Gold to Leave No Trace, these guys have attained a collaborative nirvana through positive narcissism in a euphonious self-realization.
Madam CJ is obviously feeling good, feeling great, how are you? And when you feel this good, you can’t help but make music that fits your mood like a glove. London born, Atlanta based producer Daz-I-Kue is on that same wavelength as the Memphis born dancefloor diva, so it’s no wonder his first drop of 2012 is not one, but two feel-good house remixes of the pint-size soul singer’s self-love anthem “Smell Urself.”
Leave it to Brooklyn based DJ Sammy Bananas to turn Young Jeezy’s super-smooth southern anthem “I Do” into a Nu Disco house anthem. Glitter & Grills, Gold chains and champagne, Sammy flips this already flipped track and turns it on it’s ass. If for any other reason than it feels fucking good. Turn this one up, loud.
For one to title their album Planet of The Ape$ might make someone think that you are in for an apocalyptic, cinematic type of journey through sound with GREATeclectic as the director. That’s not entirely untrue. You’re definitely going on a ride, but it’s smoother and more familiar than one might have anticipated. DJ and artist, GREATeclectic serves as more of a Jack Hanna character guiding the listener through a concrete jungle.
Sunshine state Los Angeles born Stephen Bruner loves the intergalactic cartoon felines Thundercats so much, he took their name as his own.
I suggest that it’s easy enough that the majority of us can attest to modern hip hop flurrying through its handle of potential lyricists who start off sweet with a solid fan-base then, switch it up, but hey!—it happens to the golden ones too. Some hip hop-heads can also think that some artists just slip through those greasy cracks and randomly see fame. The game and culture of this life will continue to throw grenades at us, whether with ability to MC or not so much, that’s life baby, but!—I do know with this video introducing me to what the whole Voyeur explosion is about, I’m sold the first half of the video in, scouts honor.
Dub step isn’t dead until Skrillex says so. I’ve always liked electronic music but there’s always been separation between all the sub-genres. Skrillex’s work cannot be defined by classification really. Bangarang EP is his latest and flows from start to finish (though the titles wouldn’t really indicate so). It’s very high energy, and you’ll find yourself bobbin’ to the beat during whatever it is that you’re doing.
After Bombay Bicycle Club‘s last album Flaws introduced the more mellow acoustic-folk side of the band, I didn’t think A Different Kind of Fix could stand up. I loved “I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose” and its crisp style of indie rock that mirrored other geographically and melodically close groups like The Maccabees, and the unplugged departure of their second album grabbed me by the cochlea and transduced its acoustical signals right on down to my auditory cortex.
When the video for Lana Del Rey’s “Video Games” spread like a wildfire across the Internuts earlier this year I was initially skeptical. As a rule of thumb anything that Pitchfork heralds that early on I side-eye out of respect for the way things should be. Fast forward to a top 25 pre-ordered album on Amazon, a cover on Billboard, Complex and Interview Magazine and an abysmal SNL performance that would make Ashlee Simpson do the ho-down back to Hollywood–and Lana is looking more like Mitt Romney, than Ron Paul. Gone was our indie darling image, in it’s place was some kind of abominable indie-pop conspiracy, a lip injected, spoiled, manufactured, super-rich airhead being sold to a gullible world as indie-pop royalty when in reality she’s more like the Kim Kardashian of Pop Music, a musical example of the things that money can buy.
It’s 2012. This December, the world is ending depending on who you believe and with only minutes to the top, Atlanta based band Arrow in the Air is reaching for the sky despite the Mayan’s prediction. If you’ve frequented Art Nouveau Magazine, you may recognize the lead singer Sye Spence, former solo artist who’s worked extensively with us on numerous projects. With her new band, a new sound, attitude and direction, Arrow in the Air is ready to touch the sky.
