Friday, April 30, 2010

MP3 blog 2010/04/30

blog 2010/04/30 - I still believe this can all work out.

Oh damn, I need to catch up.  Are you committed?  Can you take it?  Because the spring floodgates have opened and tonnes of wonderful new sounds have started flowing towards me.
I already have 2 more updates worth of new stuff ready!  So let's get right to this one.


Cary Brothers - Honestly:  Gorgeous folk!  From 2007, but I only found about this just now.  For fans of Damien Rice and Jeff Buckley.

Crystal Castles - Celestica (Single Mix):  New Crystal Castles for 2010!  This is a slightly different mixdown of the track, from the single of the same name.  Much softer and more "Bats For Lashes" than their normal stuff, rest assured that the single also includes a lot of totally satisfying 8-bit crunch electro beats with buried frantic vocals.  A little something for everyone here.  I will check the full length out soon.

Dan Deacon - Woof Woof:  With his shambley electronics style, no one has ever done a quality remix of Dan Deacon.  It just doesn't fit.  You'd have to do a cover version to come anywhere close to being acceptable.  So on that note, his new Woof Woof EP doesn't really work because you end up not caring about anything more than the single.  But it's a great single that will hopefully influence the next generation to put more low-fi kids toy animal samples in to their tracks.   Did Renaldo & The Loaf ever imagine their spirit would manifest like this?

Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Monsieur Adi Remix):  Even MORE Goulding!  I know I've posted a bunch, including the original of this song, but I just really like what this remix does.

Eluvium - Perfect Neglect In A Field Of Statues:  I put an example of his atmopsheric folk ambient last time, so here's a slice of his fabulous piano compositions.

Eraldo Bernocchi And Blackfilm - Bethnal Green
Eraldo Bernocchi And Blackfilm - Mistakes Pt. 2:  BASS ALERT!  Bernocchi is a name burned in to my brain and a rush of chemicals squirted in to my brain when I found he had a new release out.  AND IT'S SO DAMN GOOD.  I played the crap out of his album with Mick Harris back in the 90s, his beats are now upgraded to 21st century bass. 
Blackfirm is a perfect choice to team up with, their self-titled album from 2008 being a near perfect mixtue of post-rock grandeur and headnoddin' deepness that pays tribute to the heydays of the magic that was Possible Records.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

First Aid Kit - Hard Believer:  The EP from last year was a bit hit-and-miss, but I found a few nuggets of gold in it.  Well the LP "The Big Black And The Blue" has more steps that disappoint me, but I do love this song.  It's like they just need a new producer who can really make them pull it all together.

M.I.A. - Born Free:  New M.I.A. album out this year!  This is the first single off of it, riffing with a Suicide opening loop.  Be sure to check out the incredible music video that goes with it, up their with GaGa's Telephone as best music video of the year.

Marlon D - Trust The Drum:  A great little minimal house track.  There have been so many tracks out lately chomping on "African-sounding" samples (like sampling Lion King?  WTF???) that it is refreshing to have a track like this whose main sample is from a speech about Africa itself.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I'll Still Be True
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Window Shopping:  How can you NOT love Sharon Jones?  Her new album "I Learned The Hard Way" is turning heads and kicking ass.  It's got modern funk and soul all across the spectrum, without pandering to "contemporary sounds" and bullshit reworks.  Recommended.

The Fire and Reason
- This Isn't Love (Per QX & Tombstone Remix):  Solid little electro-rock number.  Reminds me of The Gossip, and lots of fun.

To Rococo Rot - Forwardness:  I really wish I could listen to the new LP "Speculation" with a more open mind, since I have a soft spot 1990s To Rococo Rot.  But I listen and I just wish I was listening to Four Tet's latest album instead.  Sorry.  I'll console myself while grooving to these marimbas...

Wiley - Never Be Your Woman (Solo Loves Garage Remix):  Sexy garage remix of this hot single!

Wye Oak - I Hope You Die:  What could have just been a wonderfully melancholic folk song gets some luscious keyboard action that really puts it up a notch.  But uhhh...  Odd sentiment.  Although the saxophone really feels appropriate, somehow, after she tells us she hopes we die.

Zebra Baby - Jumbo (Boody B Remix):  I'm kind of in love with this semi-deconstructed banger. 



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Cary Brothers - Honestly
Crystal Castles - Celestica (Single Mix)
Dan Deacon - Woof Woof
Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Monsieur Adi Remix)
Eluvium - Perfect Neglect In A Field Of Statues
Eraldo Bernocchi And Blackfilm - Bethnal Green
Eraldo Bernocchi And Blackfilm - Mistakes Pt. 2
First Aid Kit - Hard Believer
M.I.A. - Born Free
Marlon D - Trust The Drum
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I'll Still Be True
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Window Shopping
The Fire and Reason - This Isn't Love (Per QX & Tombstone Remix)
To Rococo Rot - Forwardness
Wiley - Never Be Your Woman (Solo Loves Garage Remix)
Wye Oak - I Hope You Die
Zebra Baby - Jumbo (Boody B Remix)


Always just out of your reach:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20100430.zip


Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:
DJ mixes
Blog archives
CPI fan page
Buy me books
Friend me on Last.FM to see what I am listening to

Enjoy!
~CPI

Monday, April 26, 2010

MP3 blog 2010/04/26

blog 2010/04/26 - You brought this on yourself.

Just a little something something to kick the week off right.  Shout outs to everyone who showed up to party on Friday.

Being - Jupiter:  Now this is a happy development.  I found this Gas Giants EP, featuring planet-sized minimal dubstep with stellar production and fleshed out textures.

Brendan Benson - A Whole Lot Better:  This is one of those songs where the writer just thought he was being earnest, but really he shows us he is full of some MAJOR EMOTONAL ISSUES and really needs therapy.  Dude, stay out of relationships until you get yr shit together.  Writing a catchy little pop song doesn't forgive you for being creepy.

Chew Lips - Eight
Chew Lips - Slick:  From the new album Unicorn!  2010's answer to 2009's Little Boots and La Roux?  Only the remixes will decide!  But the originals are sexy sexy sexy.

Eluvium - Cease To Know:  The new album Similes brings together the many disparate strands of Eluvium in a very cohesive way.  I'm not in to the whole thing, but the fusion of buried folk vocals with the ambient instrumentation and confident piano congeals for some truly striking moments.  You should definitely check it out.

RD - Cricket (MartyParty Remix)
RD - Space Radio (Deru Remix):  We dropped R/D's remix of Fever Ray last time, but here are two more hot tracks touched by other producers.  Fabulous IDM breakbeaty action!

Röyksopp - De Ushuaia a La Quiaca (Version RYXP Remix):  Ooooo!  This one is a bit of a surprise.  Royksopp get reworked in to a touching atmospheric blissout track that would fit perfectly between Ulrich Schnauss and Hint.

Rusko - Da Cali Anthem (NONEWYORK Funky Refix):  The raucous dubstep original gets a bouncey dancefloor makeover.  Classic synth pads and talkbox vox.

Sadie Hell - The Wolf Can:  Woah.  What?  Huh?  This is from Ottawa?  No way, I'm from Ottawa.  That's so weird.  This guy sounds like Steven Page, formerly of the Barenaked Ladies.  It's not?  Who is it?  Ben Welland.  Ben Welland?  The photographer from Ottawa?  The guy that did the photo shoot for Dharma Arts?  http://dharmaarts.ca/2008_fall/cpi.html?l1   Man, this guy is either godly talented, or their are 2 Ben Wellands in the city that will one day have to fight to the death.  Melodramatic fun.

Saukrates - Hot Like Summer ft Andreena Mill:  I haven't heard much from Saukrates in a while, but I'm feeling this track.  It gets back to the old trick of densely layered chopped vocal loops, and I love that stuff.

Stairs To Korea - All Of Your Friends (Live Dreamtrak Session):  The new UK electropop sound?  I'm ok with that.

Steve Starks - Lydia (Nadastrom's Moombahton Remix):  Some remixes are getting really interesting.  The jaded side of you expects another shitty electrohouse rework, but the deep grooves and fantastic restraint shown here are one of the examples that have been delighting me as of late.  Pretty fabulous.

Telepopmusik - Breathe (Peo De Pitte Remix):  Like the track above, this one has a few surprises that just delight.  Sure, more typically structure and it has the tried-and-true grind bass, but the track itself is more concerned with atmospheric effect than it is rocking the crowd, and for that it gets my thumbs-up.

The Dirty Diamonds - The Right Direction:   Time traveller goes back to 1959 and gives drum machine to Motown pop group. 

Yellow Ostrich - Whale:  My favourite side of the brand new Whalemary 7" release, which I'd highly reccomend snapping up.



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Being - Jupiter
Brendan Benson - A Whole Lot Better
Chew Lips - Eight
Chew Lips - Slick
Eluvium - Cease To Know
RD - Cricket (MartyParty Remix)
RD - Space Radio (Deru Remix)
Röyksopp - De Ushuaia a La Quiaca (Version RYXP Remix)
Rusko - Da Cali Anthem (NONEWYORK Funky Refix)
Sadie Hell - The Wolf Can
Saukrates - Hot Like Summer ft Andreena Mill
Stairs To Korea - All Of Your Friends (Live Dreamtrak Session)
Steve Starks - Lydia (Nadastrom's Moombahton Remix)
Telepopmusik - Breathe (Peo De Pitte Remix)
The Dirty Diamonds - The Right Direction
Yellow Ostrich - Whale


You can make it all stop:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20100426.zip


Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:
DJ mixes
Blog archives
CPI fan page
Buy me books
Friend me on Last.FM to see what I am listening to

Enjoy!
~CPI

Thursday, April 22, 2010

MP3 blog 2010/04/22

blog 2010/04/22 - Let's get this people's party up and pumping!

Gogol Bordello - Start Wearing Purple
Paul Cantelon - Prologue, Babushka:  I haven't read the book, even though it's been sitting on my bookshelf for a while.  Then Elijah Woods starred in the movie adaptation of it, but like Lovely Bones and Timetraveller's Wife, it became another much-loved book that barfed up a much-maligned movie. 
So even though I haven't seen it, I did randomly pick up the Everything Is Illuminated soundtrack and it's actually quite enjoyable.  Lots of Eastern European influences all over it.  Paul Cantelon's compositions are lush and romantic, and OMG Gogol Bordello!  How can you go wrong?   And if you just don't 'get' it, go check out the Start Wearing Purple music video to understand what it's all about...

B. Dolan - Earthmovers
B. Dolan - Fifty Ways To Bleed Your Customers:  I've been following Alias since the first Anticon 12" he put out.  He did the graceful thing and stopped whiney rhyming and went on to hone his skills as one of the hottest beatsmiths this side of the Pacific.  I have been following him for over a decade now, and that is what brought me to B. Dolan's new LP Fallen House Sunken City, and oh yes, the beats are hot.
The vibrations of Doctor Octagon upon white rappers is still being felt in the bones of the work here, with some of the vocoding and rhyme structure on Earth Movers almost paying homage to that era.  Next track, he switches it up and you can almost hear some El-P coming through.  But Dolan never sinks in to imitation, and makes each voice affirmatively his own.   The album slumps a bit in the center, but the beginning and ending peaks are truly outstanding.
One of the most exciting things in hiphop in 2010 so far, highly recommended for fans of Def Jux, Anticon and Strange Famous camps.  This guy pays respect to all three.

Bruce Peninsula & Muskox - Shanty Song (Reprise):  New Bruce Peninsula!  This is from a fabulous little limited edition 7" record that I highly recommend tracking down.

Delorean - Stay Close:  The full length LP Subiza isn't quite out yet, but here is some deliriously slick pop sweetness for you.

Esperanzah - 5 Minutes:  I love her smokey style, and really, who can't get behind songs about staying in bed a little bit longer?  A definite must for fans of real-life hiphop ala Jean Grae and Speech Debelle.

Fever Ray - I'm Not Done (RD Remix):  Fever Ray couldn't hurt to have some straight forward head-nodding beats on top, and this plunker-with-strings sits perfectly on top with just enough brooding synths to make it both glowing badass and funkily evil.

Hey Marseilles - Rio:  OMG! OMG!  It's.... 4-3 time!  This jaunty little number from To Travels & Trunks makes me wish I was drinking at a bar.  And waltzing.  Waltzing drunk.

Hockey - Too Fake (RAC Mix):  The RAC beats and screechy/shout vox implies an ample amount of LCD Soundsystem love, and gosh, what the world needs now is love sweet love.  LCD love.

Japandroids - Darkness on the Edge of Gastown:  Japandroids love their fans!  After last years smashing album, they are releasing a 7" a month, and they released a collection of earlier tracks entitled "No Singles", where this track is from. 
At first it was a bit too lo-fi and jarring even for me, but let the riffing and release just cast a hypnotic spell over you and then everyone is shouting on top of each other and you are just spinning and circles and you're reminded just how frustrating things were as a teenager for some reason.

Jazz Liberatorz - I Am Hip-Hop ft Asheru:  This is from a sexy new 12", A side featuring Asheru, and J-Live rocking some smooth love on the flipside.  If you like jazzy breaks but lament that weak MCs often just phone-in their parts on them, this single is for you.  Both tracks are super tight and the MCs bring a solid performance.  Shades of Mos Def dropping rhymes with DJ Honda, circa 1998.

Pillowdiver - Black Metal Dream:  How can you not love a song titled Black Metal Dream?  You KNOW that it's going to be great!  From the fabulously brief Tony On A Bike, Pillowdriver have a sweet spot sitting between sludge metal, post-rock and Frippian ambient.  Highly recommended if that last sentence made your eyes dilate.

Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union
Titus Andronicus - A Pot In Which To Piss:  Holy shit.  Now this is a rock album.  Not since first experiencing Propagandhi's How To Clean Everything or the time I finally started listening to the lyrics of The Hold Steady albums and taking them in as a whole has there been such a siesmic rock moment in my headphones.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. 

Twin Sister - All Around And Away We Go:  I don't normally go for lo-fi aesthetics, and I full-on rebel from the last 2-3 years of low-wave garage rock.  I almost dismissed this album outright based on allusions to those genres alone!  And in the end Color Your Life wasn't for me, but the breathey pixie vox evoking a summer breeze on this track were a bit too seductive to pass up.


THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

B. Dolan - Earthmovers
B. Dolan - Fifty Ways To Bleed Your Customers
Bruce Peninsula & Muskox - Shanty Song (Reprise)
Delorean - Stay Close
Esperanzah - 5 Minutes
Fever Ray - I'm Not Done (RD Remix)
Gogol Bordello - Start Wearing Purple (Everything Is Illuminated OST)
Hey Marseilles - Rio
Hockey - Too Fake (RAC Mix)
Japandroids - Darkness on the Edge of Gastown
Jazz Liberatorz - I Am Hip-Hop ft Asheru
Paul Cantelon - Prologue, Babushka (Everything Is Illuminated OST)
Pillowdiver - Black Metal Dream
Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union
Titus Andronicus - A Pot In Which To Piss
Twin Sister - All Around And Away We Go


Let me hold your hands and they can tell me everything:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20100422.zip


Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:
DJ mixes
Blog archives
CPI fan page
Buy me books
Friend me on Last.FM to see what I am listening to

Enjoy!
~CPI

Friday, April 16, 2010

Vinyl for sale

SPOKEN WORD:
$10 David Wilkerson - The Coming Persection (learn about how homosexuals will rise up and oppress the already horribly oppressed Christians!)
$50 Christine Jorgensen - Reveals (1958)

SOUNDTRACKS:
$10 OST - Caligula 2xLP
$10 OST - Et Mourir De Plaisir 7" (60s Vampire film with lesbian subtext)
$10 Walter Carlos - A Clockwork Orange soundtrack

ALT POP:
$13 Antony & The Johnsons: I Am A Bird Now LP (shrinkwrapped)
$15 Beck - Stereopathetic Soul Manure (1994) (shrinkwrapped)
$15 The Residents - Meet The Residents (1974)  (squid-face cover version)

EXPERIMENTAL, ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC, SYNTH, ETC:
$10 Walter Carlos - Sonic Seasonings 2xLP (1972)
$15 Computer Music: J.K. Randall / Barry Vercoe / Charles Dodge
$20 Boucourechliev / Georges Pludermacher / Les Percussions De Strasbourg - Archipel 3 In 3 Versions / Piano / Klavier   (Prospective 21 Siecle, gray cover)
$20 Iannis Xenaksi / Luciano Berio / Maderna / Kagel - Orient Occident / Moments - Homage to Joyce / Continuo / Transition 1    (Prospective 21 Siecle, gray cover)

email me at thetastates at gmail with offers. I take paypal and money order. Or you can buy me a book and I send you vinyl.


Dibs already called on: (but still let me know, in case they fall through...)

$20 John Cage & Lejaren Hiller, Ben Johnston - HPSCHD, String Quartet No. 2 (1969)
$20 Karlheinz Stockhausen - Mikrophonie I / Mikrophonie II
$20 Les Percussions De Strasbourg - Americana (Varese/Chavez/Cage)    (Prospective 21 Siecle, gray cover)
$20 Luciano Berio & EE Cummings / Sylvano Bussotti / John Cage - Cirles / Frammento / Aria with Fontana Mix   (rare release on Time RecordS)
$20 Naked City - Torture Garden (1989) (rare cover version)

MP3 blog 2010/04/16

blog 2010/04/16 - I never meant to get this hectic.

It's not that I don't like you.  Really, it's not.  Look, I know you're mostly here for the poppy schnazzy stuff, but that's not how it works.  I just post what I like of what I listen to, there's no other rhyme or reason.
And sometimes the cards fall the way they do here:  A huge chunk of awesomeness that might just alienate casual listeners front-loads this update.  If you are a bit sheepish, sure, skip the first half.  Really, that's why there are genres in the first place. 

I think it's awesome, so nyah.  Haters can hate.


Kangding Ray - Soundtrack For A Peter De Jong Attractor
Senking - Skidozer 301:  When I started in to the label sampler "A3 Raster-Noton Archive 3" I wasn't expecting much.  I was barely even paying attention.  Years of succumbing to hype-then-disappointment from the likes of Mego and Kompakt had left me a tad bitter, perhaps.  But about 15 minutes in to it all, I was startled.  I realized three things:   Not only was I not bored, not only was I not annoyed, but I was ENGROSSED.  Raster-Noton has done have top notch job assembling the tracks for this comp and they trot out their priziest ponies of brain-dance microsound glitch ambient fun!  Highly recommended.

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - Storytime (The Road OST)
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - The Bath (The Road OST)
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - The Road (The Road OST):  I haven't even seen the movie, but after getting so much in to this soundtrack, I might just have to.  Fabulous and moody instrumentals.

NOMO - Invisible Cities
NOMO - Nocturne:  This is the "just right jazz", featuring accessible structures, far-reaching sounds, and an engrossing funk pace that never lets you down.   "Invisible Cities" is an incredible LP for modern jazz lovers out there.

September Collective - Waldflöte:  A quick little dive in to the world of ambient texture with this track from 2009's Always Breathing Monster album.

Slow Club - Dance 'Till The Morning Light
Slow Club - It Doesn't Have To Be Beautiful
Slow Club - There Is No Good Way To Say I'm Leaving You
Slow Club - Trophy Room:  I haven't done 4 tracks from a single band since I was hooked on Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers.  But oh I am in to Slow Club, and their adorable little album "Yeah So". 
It comes off as unabashedly earnest and quaint and cute.  Like in high school when people are working on a musical and they are so fucking cracked out from singing "In to the woods to grandmother's house" but get together in the hallway to make indie music.  It's precious and unshamed, but super catchy and lots of fun.  Highly recommended.

The White Panda - Fireflies Goin Down:  Something about this track just kind of screams "Fruit Loops", but while it's simple pop fun, it's still just that:  fun.

The XX - Islands (Nosaj Thing Remix):  Woah.  Nosaj Thing has been awesome for a while now, with a slight dip in quality in 2009.   Now he reaffirms his wickedaness with this hot remix.  Too bad it's so short.

Theatre Of Disco - YOA (The Twelves Remix):  The Twelves are masters at rocking the pop ish on the dance floor.  So very satisfying and funky.

Timberlee - Push Back:  Unh!  I love the reggaeton slamming beat here, and a wicked female MC to boot.

Vampire Weekend - Cousinz (Toy Selectah Mex-More Remix):  This is from the Contra bonus CD sent to people who preordered.  The manicness of the track is maintained with this hyper-bounce remix.  You just try and keep up as you dance around yr bedroom.

Ward 21 - Give It Up (Neoteric Remix)
Ward 21 - Never Sell Out:  Another pleasant surprise!  A great take, and Never Sell Out rocks the same riddim Timberlee uses above, also to great effect. 

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp (The Very Best Remix):  The Very Best get back to their mixtape roots and jack the catchiest Yeasayever song ever!  FUCK YES.  AREN'T YOU SO GLAD YOU GOT HERE?



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Kangding Ray - Soundtrack For A Peter De Jong Attractor
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - Storytime (The Road OST)
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - The Bath (The Road OST)
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - The Road (The Road OST)
NOMO - Invisible Cities
NOMO - Nocturne
Senking - Skidozer 301
September Collective - Waldflöte
Slow Club - Dance 'Till The Morning Light
Slow Club - It Doesn't Have To Be Beautiful
Slow Club - There Is No Good Way To Say I'm Leaving You
Slow Club - Trophy Room
The White Panda - Fireflies Goin Down
The XX - Islands (Nosaj Thing Remix)
Theatre Of Disco - YOA (The Twelves Remix)
Timberlee - Push Back
Vampire Weekend - Cousinz (Toy Selectah Mex-More Remix)
Ward 21 - Give It Up (Neoteric Remix)
Ward 21 - Never Sell Out
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp (The Very Best Remix)

Don't you deny it now:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20100416.zip


Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:
DJ mixes
Blog archives
CPI fan page
Buy me books
Friend me on Last.FM to see what I am listening to

Enjoy!
~CPI

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

MP3 blog 2010/04/13

blog 2010/04/13 - come on panda taffy, mama's feelin' lucky!

Hitting you with another 80 minutes of underground joys!

Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate - Doudou
Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate - Kala Djula:  As I've gushed about before, anything by either of these artists is essential.  Put them together?  And you're easily nearing the best of the year, by far.  Toure died in 2006, and this was one of their final encounters.  Some compositions from each of them, and each arrange traditional pieces as well.  2 master musicians who dediated their lives to their instruments, and let us in for a peak at their genius.  Simply bliss, and highly recommended.

Chihei Hatakeyama - Cave
Chihei Hatakeyama - Confession:  The only fault I really have of Katakeyama is the occassional succumbing to the Windham Hill keyboard cliches.  Much of the material, while dwelling that realm of synth ambience, is still quite engrossing.  The first track here is from the LP "Ghostly Garden", and the 2nd from "A Long Journey", both 2010!  Hatakeyama, like Roach and Lustmord and others, know that the marketing cycle of drone ambienters isn't quite the same as say Vampire Weekend.

Dead Confederate - Heavy Petting:   I was super psyched last time I posted some Dead Confederate.  Holy shit, wasn't Start Me Laughing an insanely good track?  Well I got the album Wrecking Ball and it wasn't all genius throughout, but here's another standout track from that outing.

Foals - Spanish Sahara (Mount Kimbie Remix):  Mount Kimbie were always IDM in my mind, but then they kept creeping up on the charts of dubstep fans.  I couldn't be happier!  Well, I could be, if more dubstep had that clicky dubstep influence and textural subtlety going on.  This track is gorgeous.

Man & Vänner - Sandstorm (Man & Vänner Dubstep Remix):  Put your hands up if you played Dance Dance Revolution!  If you are a veteran of the dance pad, or a veteran of the cheeseball ravetrance scene, chances are Sandstorm is drilled thoroughly in to your brain.  This is a much needed retwist.

Red - On My Knees:  Downtempo will always have a place in my heart, and there are so many great vocal licks in the archives of soul music to continue to produce tracks like this.  This is a good thing.

Rox - My Baby Left Me (Terror Danjah Original Mix):  Solid vocals worked in around a lovely crunchy beat.

She & Him - Thieves:  Volume 2 is the cleverly titled follow-up to their Volume 1.  I have to say, I haven't been able to get in to it yet, but the new single here is quite lovely.  But still, get all over this one if you are an M. Ward fan, or a fan of the Volume 1.

Schlachthofbronx - Vem Que Tem ft Marina (Daniel Haaksman Remix): 

Sightings - Tar and Pine:  From the new album City of Straw, this track reminds me of some of my favourite 7"s from the 80s, with the crunchy distortion and disaffected off-key spoken vox rambling just to the side, in the background somewhere.  Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but this isn't about you.  We've discussed that.

Sophie Madeleine - The Knitting Song:  Yep, this pretty much exactly how I was hoping a song entitled "The Knitting Song" would sound like.  OK, maybe there were more handclaps in my mind, but the harmonica, ukulele and chimes were all there.

Team Me - Weathervanes And Chemicals:  From the 2010 "Music Alliance Pact", I love this whole "group of best friends singing in a shower" kind of vibe.

The Ambience Affair - Lost At The Start:  Off the 2010 Patterns EP and man I just want the day to be over at this point.

The Radio Dept. - David:  This kind of reminds me of 80s new wave pop.  Feel good times.

XXXchange - Better Than You:  In the vein of disco anthem "Music Sounds Better With You", here we get another diva workover to great effect. 




THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate - Doudou
Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate - Kala Djula
Chihei Hatakeyama - Cave
Chihei Hatakeyama - Confession
Dead Confederate - Heavy Petting
Foals - Spanish Sahara (Mount Kimbie Remix)
Man & Vänner - Sandstorm (Man & Vänner Dubstep Remix)
Red - On My Knees
Rox - My Baby Left Me (Terror Danjah Original Mix)
She & Him - Thieves
Schlachthofbronx - Vem Que Tem ft Marina (Daniel Haaksman Remix)
Sightings - Tar and Pine
Sophie Madeleine - The Knitting Song
Team Me - Weathervanes And Chemicals
The Ambience Affair - Lost At The Start
The Radio Dept. - David
XXXchange - Better Than You


It's all wasted, but we salvaged the moment:  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20100413.zip


Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:
DJ mixes
Blog archives
CPI fan page
Buy me books
Friend me on Last.FM to see what I am listening to

Enjoy!
~CPI

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Rae Spoon & CPI - thereisafire (2010)

Rae Spoon & CPI - thereisafire (2010)

A freely downloadable EP, released April 2010.


1 - Rae Spoon - Come On Forest Fire Burn The Disco Down (CPI Remix)
2 - Rae Spoon - There is a light, but it's not for everyone






Rae Spoon and DJ CPI team up to release a fun electronic remix of Indie favorite "Come On Forest Fire Burn The Disco Down" as well as the long awaited elektro version of Rae Spoon's much performed song "There Is A Light, But It's Not For Everyone".

Free Download at http://thetastates.com/mp3s/RaeSpoon_CPI_-_thereisafire.zip


Rae Spoon: http://raespoon.com/
CPI: http://thetastates.com/

Artwork by Noam Lapid
Masterng by http://schematicsound.com



Alternate download link: http://www.killbeatmusic.com/raespoon/

Upcoming tour dates:
April 15 - Guelph - House Concert @ 161 Neeve with Sarah Mangle
April 16 - Toronto @ The Holly Oak with Sarah Mangle
April 17 - Maynooth @ The Arlington with Sarah Mangle
April 18 - Peterborough @ The Spill with Sarah Mangle
April 19 - Ottawa - House Concert @ 160 Primrose with Sarah Mangle
April 22 - Montreal @ Center Ambroise with Glenn Nuotio
April 25 - Guelph @ Kazoo Festival

Thursday, April 8, 2010

MP3 blog 2010/04/08

blog 2010/04/08:  My week has been a biathalon of errands.  Except, no guns.

Claude VonStroke - Bay Area
Claude VonStroke - The Greasy Beat ft Bootsy Collins (Funk Bomb DJ Version):  2009's Bird Brain LP was fricking fantastic.  There just almost never exists electronic albums that work as a whole.  But holy shit, Claude does it up right.  This is a super pleasure from start to finish.  And the funk!   The funk is so right.  And thank heavens for Bootsy Collins, still funky after all these years, and never compromising his flaboyant style.  Highly reccomended for DJs and electronic music fans alike.

Colin Meloy - Jack The Ripper (Morrissey cover):  Meloy loves singing songs.  For a guy with a songbook a mile long, he still takes a good amount of time to dip in to the classics, and this is from his Sings Morrissey endeavour.

Enda Mac Nally - Derp ('Light The Way, Enda,' Mix):  Just another little indie pop remix done right.

Gil Scott-Heron - Me And The Devil
Gil Scott-Heron - On Coming From A Broken Home (Part 2)
Gil Scott-Heron - Where Did The Night Go:  This man is a wise master, but he's back with something simply stunning for 2010.  His new album "I'm New Here" mixes modern day production and forward thinking grooves with wonderfully soulful singing mixed equally with pitch-perfect spoken word.  Ultimately original, and highly recommended.

Kid Sister - Daydreaming (Jakwob Remix):  Oh how Jakwob has some real shiners out there!  And instead of a slammer, this one is rather subdued and thoughtful.  Well played, sir.

Major Lazer & Harold Faltermeyer
- Pon De Foley (Ludachrist Remix):  Yeah, this is so damn appropriate it hurts.  Axel Foley on the beat box!  (and if you are too young to appreciate this...  what the hell?  Go rent Beverly Hills Cop and get stupid drunk.

Mala Rodríguez
- Tambalea (A Tidus Mix):  What is she saying?  I don't know, but I love the laidback sort of "get of my porch" kind of tone in her voice.

Matias Aguayo - Koro Koro:  I still haven't heard the 2009 full length "Ay Ay Ay" yet, but oh man this pulsing little chanter is a delight.

Mulatu Astatke - Green Africa:  Some times jazz is a dangerous weapon that is sent out to just melt your mind.  This track is just nuclear.  Insanely complex and at the same time disarmingly familiar, how can you not get sucked in?  From the new LP Mulatu Steps Ahead.

Spektre & Matt Cooper - Kicking K:   This is probably the best way to break the tech-house drought on here.  Incredibley atmospheric and punchy, with enough crunch & dubby Radioslave hacks going on to keep me satisfied.  What a good trip.

The Icon And The Axe - Dust Bowl
The Icon And The Axe - Munich To Berlin
The Icon And The Axe - Portrayal In A False Light:  These are from the 2009 album "Propaganda", which is pretty great, and flew underneath everyone's radar.  I dunno.  Maybe it's because it sounds like the 90s?  Like something that could have been a collaboration betwee Poe and James?  If you can get down with that striaght-up pop-rock with soulful folk-like lyrics, really give this album a try.  The whole thing is pleasant, and there are a number of infectious melodies.

The Knife - Annie's Box (alt. vocal):  We posted a track from "Tomorrow, In A Year" earlier in the blog, but now that the album is properly released and I've been able to go through the whole thing, I just had to post up more and mention it again.   The scope of the project is wonderfully large without being unapproachable.  It is certainly far more adventurous in the soundscaping area than more traditionally idm-poppy Knife stuff, but if you've followed them this long, you really owe it to them (and yourself!) and follow them down this dark alley as well.  Highly recommended for everyone interested in abstract electronic music, dark idm, and opera.

Toe - ??????:  I don't know if this track had Kanji characters or what, or even what album it's from, but it's a wonderful slab of instrumental rock that reminds me of the best of The Dylan Group, with a touch of Tortoise.  And that makes Caitlyn very happy.  I wish it were 20 minutes long.

Warrior Queen and Heatwave - Things Change:  Closing things up is the CPI's MP3 Blog favourite Warrior Queen, and this single comes to us from a Soul Jazz Records comp, who pop up every year to remind us just how awesome of a label they truly are.


THIS WEEK'S TRACKS:

Claude VonStroke - Bay Area
Claude VonStroke - The Greasy Beat ft Bootsy Collins (Funk Bomb DJ Version)
Colin Meloy - Jack The Ripper (Morrissey cover)
Enda Mac Nally - Derp ('Light The Way, Enda,' Mix)
Gil Scott-Heron - Me And The Devil
Gil Scott-Heron - On Coming From A Broken Home (Part 2)
Gil Scott-Heron - Where Did The Night Go
Kid Sister - Daydreaming (Jakwob Remix)
Major Lazer & Harold Faltermeyer - Pon De Foley (Ludachrist Remix)
Mala Rodríguez - Tambalea (A Tidus Mix)
Matias Aguayo - Koro Koro
Mulatu Astatke - Green Africa
Spektre & Matt Cooper - Kicking K
The Icon And The Axe - Dust Bowl
The Icon And The Axe - Munich To Berlin
The Icon And The Axe - Portrayal In A False Light
The Knife - Annie's Box (alt. vocal)
Toe - ??????
Warrior Queen and Heatwave - Things Change


Booty reporting for duty, indeed.  http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20100408.zip


Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:
DJ mixes
Blog archives
CPI fan page
Buy me books
Friend me on Last.FM to see what I am listening to

Enjoy!
~CPI

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

followup

Someone sent me a message:
"You mentioned being able to sort through music very quickly. Do you just listen to the first few seconds and skip it if you don't like on first listen? I find that method to not really be reliable since I might end up loving something after letting it grow but hate it on first listen."

The stuff I can sift the fastest is dance music. Very few tracks evolve beyond a basic set of sounds and structures. You have a house track. You check the intro, you check the drop, you check the main bassline. This was especially easy back in the days of vinyl, as you saw the difference in groove width and could easily spot a breakdown visually. I would fly through stacks 18 inches high at the record shops.
With most electronic music, and with most music in general, I am looking for something a bit new and exciting, or at least the same old ideas, but so well executed that they are fresh again.
I will immediately skip something if it contains tropes of the genre that truly bug me, and I actively listen for these things. One should be extremely fickle with electronic music for this.

With my mind in that critical framework of "searching for any excuse to stop listening to this and move onward", I have to temper my fear that "wait, this might be something fabulous, if I just let it grow on me." You have to get over this fear if you really want to explore a breadth of music. This is the fear that you may be overlooking something awesome.
The reality is that every day there is a huge amount of new music being recorded. For the sake of example, let's say 100 GB of music comes out each day. (Whatever number we chose, assume it is growing at least at a rate of 1% daily...)
Of that 100 GB, 80 GB is probably of genres you didn't even know existed. Of the remaining 20 GB, 19.5 GB is probably anywhere from crappy, to mediocore, to decent. 400 MB of that is spectacular, and 100 MB of that will be that which stands "the test of time". (note: any amount that "stands the test of time" diminishes as you extend the timeline, with each generational culture viciously editing and codifying the culture before it down to the smallest of representations. QUICK! Name your five favourite songs from the 1940s.)

The numbers are all made up. But there is always more incredible music to listen to. And we really shouldn't worry too much if we didn't give something enough time to grow on us, especially if we are well versed in the genres and tropes that a song employs and exists amongst. (If you new to a genre or artists, best listen to the recommendations and learn and absorb, even if it doesn't do much for you at first.)
Some people get anxious when they are behind on editions of the blog, and promise me they will catch up. I tell them that really, it doesn't matter. Just pick up at the latest and continue because there will always be more.

There are always other people in the hivemind that will eventually point you in the direction of something awesome you perhaps missed 1, 5 or 20 years ago. If it has "stood a test of time", it will still make you happy to discover it then, than if you had discovered it now. I remember back in 1996 when I really wanted to hear every new hiphop album at the store. It was a waste of time.
An example of this for me would be Bill Callahan. I didn't like his 2009 album when I first heard it. But then I saw it on a Best Of 2009 list. And I tried again and didn't like it. Eventually on the 4th time a Best Of 2009 list sent me back to it, it clicked and I "got it". And it's awesome.
Our web 2.0 culture is filled with redundancy, so no worries!

And as all this relates to the MP3 Blog here, this was never intended to be an overview of music. This was always an overview of music as taken through the lens of CPI's tastes. I just listen to far more music than a "typical" music fan, so for many, the overview offered suffices. For many other, this is just one of the many ways to explore music.

~CPI

Sunday, April 4, 2010

MP3 blog 2010/04/04

blog 2010/04/04 - the cogs!  they keep churning!

Hurray for the long weekend!

Me & You - The Hoop Loop
Nickodemus & Osiris - Brooklyn Ole
Nickodemus & Osiris - Mariposa ft Carol C:   Oh yes, oh yes!  We're kicking things off with a splash downtempo retrospective funk.  The Me & You track is from the Tru Thoughts 10th Anniversary collection, a FABULOUS retrospective of a greatly endearing label.  I still remember stumbling upon their first 12"s, back in a post-triphop world where only a few places like Ninja Tune were bringing quality beats to the table.
The next 2 tracks are from the almost as funky Turntables On The Hudson 10 Year Anniversary comp, and really, you can't go wrong with slinky Nickodemus beats.
Both comps are highly recommend for lovers of organic funky beats and soulful/jazzy downtempo.

Blue Foundation - Eyes On Fire (Zeds Dead Remix):  I love the indie-pop vocals, but the dubstep electro rework beat fits in really well, and doesn't just overwhelm the entire track like many other dubsteppy remixes.

Brite Lite Brite - Now That You're Around:  It's really the chorus that makes this one such a winner, but oh what a chorus.

Crimen - Bass & Diamonds ft Fresh Girls (DirtyBeats Remix):  I especially love the old school acapella dropped on this track.  You don't hear that a lot these days.

Elaine Lachica - Bewilder
Elaine Lachica - Rapture:  I had never heard of this artist before, and these are from the album I Think I Can See The Ocean.  It's always great to stumble upon something new like this.  It's not mindblowingly complex, but there's a seductive darkness to them.

Ewun - Screw Up (The Upbeats Rmx):  There's been a paucity of jungley beats on here as of late, so let's remedy that right about now.

Gooseflesh - Still Wild (Iron Toyz Remix):  Ok, whatever, I've lost my words.  It's so sunny outside.

Loscil - Estuarine:   New Loscil, called Endless Falls!  It's pretty fabulous mellow ambient electronics.

People You Know - See And Be Scene:  Brilliant pop rock fun and OMG IT IS SO SUNNY OUTSIDE

The Twilight Sad - The Neighbours Can't Breathe (Acoustic Version):  This is from the single for "The Room" and hey wait it's so sunny outside, why am I writing this?

We Are Bright & Broken - This, Our Good Stone Mother:  This is from a self titled EP of just fabulous textured acoustic ambience.  "Two studies for electric guitar, sine generator and ring modulator."

Woodpigeon - 7th Fret Over Andres
Woodpigeon - Piano Pieces For Adult Beginners:  I couldn't get in to all of their 2008 album "Treasury Library Canada", but these songs are good.  OK fuck that, I'm outta here.  IT IS SO NICE OUTSIDE.  Just load up your ipod and hit the trails.



THIS WEEK'S TRACKS

Me & You - The Hoop Loop
Nickodemus & Osiris - Brooklyn Ole
Nickodemus & Osiris - Mariposa ft Carol C
Blue Foundation - Eyes On Fire (Zeds Dead Remix)
Brite Lite Brite - Now That You're Around
Crimen - Bass & Diamonds ft Fresh Girls (DirtyBeats Remix)
Elaine Lachica - Bewilder
Elaine Lachica - Rapture
Ewun - Screw Up (The Upbeats Rmx)
Gooseflesh - Still Wild (Iron Toyz Remix)
Loscil - Estuarine
People You Know - See And Be Scene
The Twilight Sad - The Neighbours Can't Breathe (Acoustic Version)
We Are Bright & Broken - This, Our Good Stone Mother
Woodpigeon - 7th Fret Over Andres
Woodpigeon - Piano Pieces For Adult Beginners


WHY ARE YOU STILL AT YOUR COMPUTER????   http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/blog20100404.zip


Stay on top of everything new at http://djcpi.blogspot.com

More info:
DJ mixes
Blog archives
CPI fan page
Buy me books
Friend me on Last.FM to see what I am listening to

Enjoy!
~CPI

Saturday, April 3, 2010

A REPORT FROM HQ

PART 1)  GETTING ISH DONE.

My achey fingers are happy to report that I have gone back to the 2009 blog entries and added genres to all of the files, and reuploaded all of the archives. 

If you go to http://thetastates.com/mp3s/blog/ and download blog20090102 through to blog20091219b, these MP3s will now have genre tags that match the system I started in 2010. 
(For those wanting to download a large list of files, I recommend the Download Them All extension for Firefox.)
I do not recommend downloading the 2008 and 2007 blog entries at this point, as I will eventually go back and put in their genres as well. 
Seriously, 2009 alone should keep you busy for what, like a month?

The genres are just general guidelines, which often refer more to the specific scenario in which you would enjoy the tracks, more so than a strict definition of sound.

Again, a summary of the genres:
 Hiphop:  The rhyming over beats goes here.
 Beats:  Dubstep, IDM, downtempo, jungle, etc.  A mixed bag for the late-night basshead crew.
 Dance:  Mostly 126 BPM-esque party music.  Sort these tracks out for your workout mixes and dance parties.
 Folk:  Softer music hovering abstractly in the folk traditions.
 Pop:  Pretty much anything that is radio-friendly and easily approachable.
 Experimental:  Only sample this genre if you are in to adventurous sounds.
 Lighter:  Grab-bag genre for the lighter things that don't fit in the above.  Could be ambient, jazz, soundtracks, etc.
 Harder:  Grab-bag genre for the harder things that don't fit in the above.  Could be metal, breakcore, screamo, etc.


step 1)  I recommend unzipping a number of entries, maybe say 10 at once, and then loading them in to Itunes or whatever music program you prefer.
step 2)  Sort them based on Genre, and use that as your guideline to file them in to folders you want, or proceed with mass deletions of genres that you know you just don't have time and/or desire for.
stpe 3)  Keep being awesome.



PART 2)  HOW ISH GETS DONE.

I get a number of questions about how I find new music.  I've been a music addict since childhood, and a "DJ" since 1998, so my techniques have been refined over the years thanks to emerging technology.

I'll spare you my history, but what I do now is a multi-pronged approach:
1)  Use Google Reader to subscribe to RSS feeds for all of my favourite online music stores:  Juno.co.uk, Beatport, Bleep, Turntable Lab, etc
2)  Use Google Reader to subscribe to music review and media blogs:  too many to name.
3)  Use Google Reader to subscribe to many MP3 album blogs:  I mostly actually just use this for older experimental music, but sometimes that appears on the blog.
4)  Follow various torrent sites, looking specifically for artists I like and for artists I don't know that receive a lot of interest.  ("scene releases" is actually a fairly reliable way to find singles)
5)  Have a robot scour a list of 200 MP3 blogs nightly and download all of the MP3s from them that it can.  These are then sifted via bulk processes. (about 5 GB/week)
6)  The content is then placed on a USB drive daily:  new purchases, new downloads, older but-recently-downloaded albums, and a huge bulk load of random web-scoured MP3s.
7)  I then just listen to music all day long at my job, often siftling very quickly through larges swathes of music.  I generally clear 3 GB to 4 GB of music daily.  (A DJ quickly learns how to sift through mass quantities of sounds, especially electronic music.  Even still, my perpetual backlog grows daily.)
8)  Exceptional discoveries are sorted in to folder to be shared with the internet masses via this blog.
9)  Everyone lived happily ever after.
10) Oh, and everyone died.  Eventually.

So it's definitely a busy hobby with no real end in sight.
And that's where you come in:  By actually producing something useful and providing a service which can help streamline your life, I get to experience the warm sensation of not feeling like I am wasting my entire life!  HURRAY! 
Caitlyn can find a sense purpose in the drudgery of the constant toil!  HUZZAH!

But it's not all about YOU PEOPLE! (sheesh!)
Doing this allows me to readily compile highlights of all the great music I find, so that I will always have the best new music to listen to at my fingertips.  I listen to all of these entries a few times on my mp3 player when at the gym or on walks.  This process is also very useful for preparing my DJ mixes, basically a rather intricate sifting and review process.
If I look back over any year's period, I will have now have an incredibley thorough list of all of my favourite music from that time.
In a similar way, when I am old and bed-ridden, I will always be able to return to my DJ mixes to rediscover my favourite tracks of a lost era.


So enjoy!
~C*