What's in your Head?

If you don't feel like dancing to this, what else could possibly make you want to dance? So smooth! From the album "The Face" by Disclosure, a brother duo from the UK. Happy ending.
xo

Bhārata

Again, I have been neglecting my Ego(tist). However, in emphasizing quality over quantity, I am excited to share an artist named Ami Dang, who I recently met while travelling in India. I particularly enjoyed track 4, A Strange Community, which fuses tribal sounds, drum beats, vocals and synth. Listen below.

Hukam by Ami Dang

As for a quick update on my first month of six in India:

- I have learned that dental floss, coffee, sex (masterbation may satisfice), a nap or aspirin can cure just about anything

- one of the great things about India is that your shit doesn't smell like shit, because everything already smells like shit (or cardamon, or sewage, or tar, or burning garbage) 

- I will be heading to Sadhana Forest in Auroville by the first week of February, and staying there for at least one month (this is cultivating some tremendous excitement for me!) 

This country is dynamic and gorgeous, and I cannot wait to encounter more adventures here. 

B3RLIN

I haven't updated this since I left Canada for Germany, and there is a good reason for that...I'm just enjoying myself too much to stop and reflect on how much I am enjoying myself. It's similar to when you are at a monumental live show and the people in front of you are watching it through the cracked screen of their shitty 5.2 megapixel Canon "coolpix" camera; they are better off actually soaking in the experience itself.

Berlin has been all that I wanted (don't ask me the criterion for this), and more. I won't bother with the details, but the bottom line is that two months in Berlin has taught me how to party more than all of the Burning Man experiences I have had and all the pre/post fiascos that have gone along with them over the last 3 years. Here are some artists I should be seeing soon here:

New Weird Latin America

My mind is currently being blown by these tribal, bassy house tracks by Mama Testa feat. Paul Marmota and Zut Zut. They both can be found on the Mulata/Haina EP released earlier this month. South America has been impressing me lately; Nicholas Jaar is based out of Chile, and Adrián Méndez (who is Mama Testa) is Franco-Mexican. Dig!

Mulata (ft. Paul Marmota) - NWLA R003 - Mulata/Haina by Mama Testa

Haina ft. Zutzut - NWLA R003 - Mulata/Haina by Mama Testa

Cloud Boat

Sounds like Burial but less dark and with live instruments- these guys are touring with James Blake right now.

Hippy-Hipster-Raver-Cowgirl...(Gangstaaaa??)

Sorry for the lack of updates, albeit, I swear I have a completely benign excuse! I have been travelling a bit to New York City, Portland, The Redwood Forest, Big Sur, San Francisco, L.A. and then to the almighty BLACK ROCK CITY. To finish things off I had an odd 24 hour decompression in Las Vegas before returning safe and sound to Toronto.

The Playa treated me like a bar of gold this year. Saturn, our reliable vessel, transported some absolutely wonderful companions (some old, some new) and myself on a fabulous journey full of discovery, adventure, challenge and constant soul searching. Special thanks to Alla, Jaca, Treymor, Wolf, Air, Rocky, Lamb Cunt and Rye Toast.

We were here. We were there. We will be again.

  

Wander / Wonder

Balam Acab will be releasing his first full-length album August 29 on Tri-Angle. Here is a taste of what's to come:

BALAM ACAB - Apart by TriAngleRecords

Alec Koone, you're the coolest fuckin' 20 year old around.

...to pluck the feathers off all the birds

Sex Smells

Ummm, hell-o Doom Metal. I have arrived to soak you in.

GHOSTPROM

Pitchfork gave these latest remixes 9.8/10. I can totally see why.

J.D. McPherson

How could you not like this! DIG! This one's for you today on Mother's Day, Mom; happy 62nd birthday to you up there too, Daddy-o.

You have no idea...

...the extent to which I am digging Young Montana? (aka Jon Pritchard). Again, 20 years old, from the UK and blowing shit out of the water. His new album, Limerence was recently released on Alpha Pup and the sonic similarities to the Brainfeeder collective are undeniable. I will undoubtedly be playing some Young Montana? at The Bellevue May 15 with Wolfgang Von Haddock. See you there!

A Cruel Picture

The Salem house has been playing late night muted sessions of the original 1968 version of Night of the Living Dead to Timber Timbre's album Creep on Creepin' On. The music fits flawlessly with the film on silent. This video for Purity Ring's Lofticries is akin to the general feeling of the Salem living room production but uses clips from the 1974 Swedish film Thriller: A Cruel Picture. Impressed.


Purity Ring- Lofticries from David Dean Burkhart on Vimeo.

The Most Gigantic Honest Mouth of All Time

I must say I liked Thom's dancing on Lotus Flower but Hitler may, to some extent, be right this time. Besides, who doesn't like a little sensationalism every now and again?

I don't love the new self-titled release from Gatto Fritto, but this video seduced me. It must be that damn fringe bikini; just see for yourself!

FYI

Event of the year, just so you know. Invitation only. xxxo

HBD013

Burial will be releasing a new solo single on Hyperdub March 28. The three tracks are ‘Street Halo’, ‘NYC’ and ‘Stolen Dog’. It's been four years since a solo release by Burial- I don't know quite what to expect, but I hope to see a progression of sorts. I have a deep love for Burial, but with four years to sit on his old material, releasing tracks that are merely "more of the same" will be a bit of a let down.

*Update* Below are two of the tracks:

Burial - Stolen Dog by weallwantsome1

Burial - Street Halo by weallwantsome1

Collaboration Gratification

A Burial, Thom Yorke, Four Tet collaboration? This doesn't surprise me the slightest (hell, it wouldn't surprise me if Johnny Greenwood himself was Burial, for that matter). I think the only thing more I could ask for is for LUKID and FlyLo to also join the party. Listen to the two tracks  1) Mirror and  2) Ego below. Limited physical release is March 21 (good luck getting your hands on a copy).

I'm just curious as to how this type of event happens: does Thom call up Kieran Hebden to see if him and Burial want to come over and play for an afternoon? To be quite frank, I'm more excited about the collaboration itself; the two tracks aren't blowing my mind. I feel as though Thom's stock has been down lately. Just sayin'...

Stephen Farris

...he reminds me of FlyLo but more 80's cosmic rock rather than cosmic space opera hip-hop. Bottom line: the resulting music is swag. Better yet, Stephen Farris, a 20 year old who hails from Houston, Texas, will be releasing a new album, Cosmic Sound II. Check out the rest of his work here- and take note that I dig every single one of his tracks; this is an LP artist for sure.

   Indigo by Stephen Farris

   Orange Mellow by Stephen Farris