Clams Casino – Instrumentals

Clams Casino is an individual named Mike Volpe based out of New Jersey, USA.  Instrumentals is one of two releases (Rainforest EP being the other) that he has out so far. Initially self-released as a mixtape, this album has been re-released on Type Records, home to other well known works from artists like Xela, Grouper, Helios, Deaf Center, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Yellow Swans, and beyond.

This record in particular is spreading rapidly across the Internet. Instrumentals employs a wonderfully downtempo frame work which enables quite a bit of leeway for everything else in the album.  Care free instrumental hip-hop beats invade a foggy and spacious musical atmosphere, occasionally being propelled by minor use of manipulated vocal samples throughout the record.

Since first being spotted with its release in August, Instrumentals has received quite a bit of attention. It has been compared to DJ Shadow’s iconic Endtroducing…, released in ’96 (hard to believe that it’s been that long).

While they are both incredible albums, there are some notable differences – mainly in the sense that Instrumentals doesn’t use turntabilism, amongst other things. Having said that, if you continue to enjoy the memorable ’96 record, you’ll definitely enjoy Clams Casino’s latest output here.

Highlights of the album include All I Need, Realist Alive, Illest Alive, and Cold War, the last being a great example of an eloquently used female vocal sample to further the track set to a great beat.

I’m sure with Instrumentals, Mr. Volpe will continue to make waves in the hip-hop community with more quality releases in the future. Enjoy this one!

For more information about the artist, check out the following resources:

– Last.fm

– Discogs

– Type Records
Buy this release at:

– Boomkat

Download.

Machinedrum – Room(s)

Room(s) is the latest record from Machinedrum and is released on heavyweight electronic label Planet Mu. The man behind Machinedrum, Andrew Stewart, has quite a few albums under his belt which were typically released on the now-defunct (but still awesome) Merck label, briefly moving over to the Normrex and LuckyMe labels for two full length releases.

Machinedrum and moreso this album in particular could quite easily be described as a fruitful blend between Flying Lotus, Prefuse 73, and even Autechre to a degree. Musical elements from all three of these kings of electronic music are present in this lusciously created album.

The upbeat nature of the record is emphasized by extraordinarily calculated beatwork while sounding incredibly effortless and unforgiving. The album moves fast with processed vocals dancing throughout energized drum machine beats. It is clear here that its author is heavily invested and influenced by the sort of glitchy/instrumental hip-hop sound that makes musicians like Flying Lotus mentioned above so popular.

Some people may find it tedious to overcome the vocal samples that are used repetitiously throughout the album, however if one looks at the finer details of Room(s), you may find yourself entranced with Stewart’s perfectionist methods of creating songs that somehow sound even more unique than the last. Plenty of booming sub-bass almost usurp other elements that are present in the record giving it a deep textural characterization that enhance the chaotic drum patterns and the effortlessly injected and playfully autotuned male/female vocal sampling.

It is obvious that Room(s) is a new take upon a genre of music that hasn’t seen a lot of coverage and innovation recently since being recognized in the early 1990s. Born out of Chicago, Ghetto house was/is this genre that really took on its own form with sparse use of synthesizers and 808/909 drum machines (among other elements). It was also referred to as Footwork or Juke. By the early 2000s, a lot of this type of sound was absorbed by many of the UK-based producers coming out recently and into a genre now known as dubstep pioneered by artists like DJ Distance.

I don’t know what makes this album as good as it is. Maybe it is the ruthless methods in which everything down to the sequencing is formed and organized. Maybe it’s the way the vocal samples intertwine perfectly with hip hop-esque beats between this wonky fusion of Prefuse 73-style state of the art production and a spacious and playful take on an old genre that has really breathed new life into this type of music.

In the end, Room(s) happens to be one of the most fresh and innovative records of the year authored by one of the most creative individuals in the business.

For more information, check out the following resources:

– Last.fm

– Discogs

– Planet Mu

Buy this at:

– Planet Mu

– Bleep

Download.

Kelpe – Sea Inside Body

posted by tara

Sea Inside Body is a 2004 release from UK artist Kel McKeown, a.k.a Kelpe released on D.C Recordings. While it holds ties to IDM, glitch-hop, ambient and electronica, I would hesitate to classify the album definitively. Although a breakbeat or dub pattern is audible on most tracks, the utilisation of both synthetic and organic instruments definitely bring this album into its own genre of creative expression.

What essentially occurs is a psychedelic journey through sound, each track encompassing a distinctive journey as new melodies are continually introduced and percussion loops reinterpreted. While not recorded in surround, Kelpe tends to bend his mix such that the layers are continually fluctuating in location and amplitude. He makes a sense of movement tangible in similar ways to other glitch hop artists, particularly edIT and Tipper. Interesting to also note the interpretation which can come out  of glitch cutting vocals in tracks like “Age Sculpture”, an arguable parody of the modern British woman.

All in all this album represents three years in a row of my perfect summer jams. It’ll take you from the train to the park to school to work to the party round the block and back home again. From lighthearted to melancholy, consistently bordering on the surreal, this album does what I find electronic music should always endeavour to do – redefine the boundaries of sound. Considering the sheer strength of the technology which lies at the fingertips of contemporary producers, it is arguably a sheer waste of time to simply regurgitate what has already been done.

For more info, check out:

– Last.fm

– Discogs

– MySpace

– Official Website

If you like what you hear, purchase it at:

– Amazon

– Boomkat

Download.

Aether – Artifacts

Released late last year, Artifacts was released by an act called Aether on Exponential Records. A delightful, care-free blend of broken beat aesthetics with lots of cues taken from trip-hop / instrumental hip-hop.

It’s pretty straight up awesome. Lots of nice effects artfully mixed in, Flying Lotus-esque beats, tightly-knit vocal sample usage, excellent choice of said samples; a really light-hearted and positive album. Highly enjoyable.

The album is about forty minutes in duration with sixteen tracks and competently manages to remain pretty consistent the entire way through. The album’s opener, “Forgive Me,” starts off with a Portishead-like beat while heavyweight electro effects kick in right before icy cool female vocals come out of the woodwork. Most of the tracks on the record are pretty short; all under three minutes save the last song, which is equally as strong as its opener, while fusing male vocals with a Prefuse 73-esque musical backbone.

Perhaps the album’s strongest track is “Anywhere,” a short, melodic, and dreamy minute and a half exploration into a positive, content state of mind. A highly enjoyable and organic-feeling album. It’s almost as if Flying Lotus, Amon Tobin, and Portishead made a collab and produced this. Highly recommended. Throw some Rodrigo y Gabriela in there too if you include “Orfeu Negro.”

Stunning – it sounds like something released on Warp. Sadly, it isn’t being sold physically. You can order it at the artist’s page at Bandcamp (below), which is one of the best websites out there for musicians.

For more information, check out:

– Last.fm

– Discogs

– Bandcamp

Support the artist, if you like what you hear, buy it at:

– Bandcamp

Download.

posted by admin

Geskia! – Silent 77

Geskia is signed to Japanese independent record label Flau; he makes fantastic downtempo/IDM/ambient-ish music fused beautifully with elements taken from trip-hop, glitch, and breakbeat. There’s a lot of similarities to Obfusc, in the sense that the music feels very “organically” created; a delightful blend between downbeat styles found within the IDM scene and more of an abstract style found within electronic-oriented instrumental hip-hop acts a la Flying Lotus as well as trip-hop acts like Portishead, Hooverphonic, and The Atomica Project.

Extremely enjoyable and laid back, this 15 track, one-hour long record is highly recommended. Lush, beautiful trip-hop-like beats combined with a rich, organic texture and brilliant craftsmanship makes this one a solid hit at Clothes HQ. 5/5.

There is a lot of detail witnessed here; an exercise in boundlessness and finesse. It’s a rich marriage between a multitude of styles spanning multiple electronic-oriented genres. I am extremely impressed with this record; definitely album of the year material. Be sure to check out Eclipse 323, his latest full length that was just pushed out the door on Flau.

For more information:

– Last.fm

– Discogs

– MySpace

Support the artist, buy this at:

– Amazon (import)

– Boomkat (digital download; £6.99/~11 USD)

– Flau Webshop ($17 USD)

Download.

posted by admin