Posts Tagged ‘Downbeat’

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New tracks coming out of a deep frozen country

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

Coming Home

Seems like winter is here to stay in this deepfrozen city of Copenhagen.
Looking out of window and all I see is white snow falling gently before it hits the street and turns into this undistinguishable mass of salt and snow. Pretty on the way down towards darkness though.
I have managed to squeeze out a few crisp tracks from inbetween the stiff fingers of this horrible winter.
From down below the fireplace I give you the arabic inspired track “Coming Home” featuring long time collaborator Helle Chirholm on vocals arabica – mostly anyway.
It has been underway for a long time since this summer in New York where I made the first parts and Gbatokai Dakinah layed down a funky bass to go with it. Right there on the corner of 1st avenue and 9th street.
Its a nice track I think – if such a thing is possible at all. There is some arabic feel to it, and the different roles play well together, so I pad myself on the back.  Listen to Coming Home
Great job from Helle and Gbatokai – they make it come alive.
Its already featured on “Dubai Fashion Week” – something like that.
At last I want to point your attention to this blog where you can listen to these good peoples idea of the best music of 2009 – some good tracks inbetween.

Happy New Year

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Comfort Fit new remix album – new downbeat tracks

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Comfort Fit’s  player “Polyshufflez” goes into the second round with fourteen que re-interpretations by Laurent Garnier, Domu, Opolopo, Atjazz, Boom Clap Bachelors, Robot Koch, Jay Scarlett and other artists.

Laurent Garnier and  Atjazz (Innervisions/Sonar Kollektiv) remixed Comfort Fit’s “Ask the Devil” featuring the bestselling book author Howard Marks.

Further dancefloor crashing remixes come from Comfort Fit, Sweden’s finest funkateer Opolopo (Especial/Tokyo Dawn Records),   Jacob Korn (Running Back/Permanent Vacation), global bass buccaneer Tim Turbo and  a  special remix from  breakbeat guru Domu (Treble O/Tru Thoughts), who  just recently announced his retirement from the music business to the shock of  everybody.

Other contributers are Jay Scarlett (Beat Dimensions), Lazer Trooper Robot Koch (Robots Don’t Sleep), the brilliant Swede:art (new album on Tokyo Dawn 2010), Singing Statues ( Jack High, Ghostly International), Germany’s up and coming Hip-Hop producer fLako (Kwatro), Denmark’s Boom Clap Bachelors and rtformat (Tokyo Dawn).

This is not the most chilled downbeat around, but definitely some interesting downbeat tracks inbetween.
My favourite must be the Atjazz Deeper mix: “Ask the devil”

TRACKS:
1. Next Incarnation feat. Caits Meissner (Boom Clap Bachelors remix)
2. Seen Not Heard feat. NOTE (Jay Scarlett remix)
3. Yer Daddy feat. Wallis Bird (Domu remix)
4. Peter Pan (Portformat remix)
5. Exabyte (Singing Statues remix)
6. Exabyte (fLako remix)
7. Fired up! feat. Blaktroniks (Opolopo remix)
8. Ask The Devil feat. Howard Marks (Atjazz Deeper remix)
9. Seen not heard feat. NOTE (Tim Turbo remix)
10. Wicked Game (Swede:art remix)
11. Fired up! feat. Blaktroniks (Robot Koch mix)
12. Superposition (Comfort Fit remix)
13. Snare Wars (Jacob Korn remix)
14. Ask The Devil feat. Howard Marks (Laurent Garnier mix)

<a href=”http://www.ganga.dk”>Ganga – Downbeat / Chill Out Music</a>

http://www.ganga.dk
http://www.flincmusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/gangalounge
http://www.youtube.com/gangalounge
http://www.last.fm/music/Ganga
http://www.ilike.com/artist/Ganga
http://www.gangamusic.info
http://www.bandbase.dk/ganga
http://www.reverbnation.com/ganga

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New chill out downbeat Track from Ganga

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

I think I was too quick the other day when I wrote about a new track that I finished. That wasnt here by the way…hm. On myspace…But anyway.
Its one of the tracks I was working on in New York a few weeks back.
Its finally coming together, and I thought I did it… but no. After some days break, and some other ears, I decided to work on some more details, all smalln stuff that needed fixing.
Helle Chirholm sings on this track, and does a beautiful job combining english lyrics with also some arabic sentences. Making it all work together beautifully.
Gbatokai Dakinah put down a nice bass – right on the actual corner of 1st avenue and E 9th street on that rainy afternoon.
Really nice bass playing.
Now its just gonna take me a few days to finish this, and then I will put it up for listening.
I will also soon have a new give away track for those who signed up for my newsletter.
Here

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New funky downbeat out on Poets Club Records

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

ckp209_cover_72dpiWinter is creeping in on Copenhagen and I tug in under my blankets with my computer and listen to some new material from Poets Club Records. The active little german label just south of the border – way south of the border actually. Its Oliver Kieser now out with his solo project “Egotrip”.
Some may know Oliver Kieser from the 90s where he recorded on G-Stone Recordings (Kieser.Velten was his project) and developed his unique deep and groovey sound.
This release is called “Shanty Boogie” and consists of the original track “Shanty Boogie” and two remixes.
One dubby house mix by Razoof and Emanuel and the other one by fellow funk brotheres Quincy Joints (one half of Geriba with releases on Funk Weapons and Citrona records).
All very funky stuff – almost old school qualities in some of these funky riffs, if you are in to this kind of funky keys and old school synts and the occasional vocal drops.
Nice release.

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“The Black Angels” – chill out with the brainwaves in Webster Hall

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Just happened to catch a show last week with “The Black Angels” in Webster Hall New York.
Very cool band with tons of backward references such as Velvet Underground, Doors, Black Sabbath and possibly others I cant remember right now.
Even the artwork for one of the posters was nearly a total ripoff of an old Velvet Underground cover. A blackhaired woman in a psychedelic bedding of what appears to be flowers.
It sounds maybe not so cool to ripp of stuff like that, but in regards to the music its actually very original and they play with great nerve and black intensity. Very dark, but a beautiful darkness that lets you take of on that journey that so much other is the essence of listening. Definitely not your average downbeat listening experience, even though many of the tracks are slow.
Got their album also, after only hearing one song maybe.
But I think I would have bought the vinyl anyway, just because the cover was so great looking.
Thats the way to go – make a great cover and your vinyls will be sold not for the music, but because they look good.
Dont really care so much for CDs. I will rather download if I can get 320 kbs mp3s – ofcourse my favourite bands I would love to have on CD – so I guess its not totally true.
Next show was the Raveonettes – my fellow countrymen from Copenhagen, whom I had never heard live before and really didnt know know too well.
But they delivered a truly amazing concert. Noiserock and retro sounds in one nice combination. I love her voice – wish she would sing on more tracks than she does.
I can understand what they are trying to acheive with the dubbing of their leads – they kind of blend well together, but they also sound good alone – both of them. I must admit they were better than The Black Angels in terms of “The Show” they put on. And one funny detail. The drummer is standing up and they are performing with a backtrack and click track for the drummer. Makes it a little stiff I would say, but you hardly notice because they play so well.
Nice noises.
Ganga – Downbeat / Chill Out Music

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Friday, September 11th, 2009

“The wills and the wonts the does and the donts” – James Curd - my morning listening today.

Sneaks in under the hood and works on my brainwaves with his strange sounds. Not that strange actually – but just not ordinary.

Lovely downbeat track to start the day – in a smooth but energetic way.

Nice very straight beat and a funny bass line is what makes this track what it is. His voice fits perfectly with this music for the slow ones.

Then there is the Enzo  Ponzio remix, that takes the oddness out a little further. Its still not VERY odd – odd in a normal way.. hehe. Is that possible? I guess here it is.

The timing of the words reminds of the first hip hop stuff from the est coast “Dont push me cause Im close to … the… edge” was it Grandmaster Flash? I think so. Nice timing – works all the time…. when it works. Confused? What I mean is, this kind of old school hi hop timing is almost archetypical, so if you dont use it the right way it will stick out and bite you in the nose..

Next track on this little James Curd trip is called “Back off move away”.

The timing is still very nice and thisn track is a little bit more busy – with a very active electronic arpegiator bass line. The production is very minimal – very tight and well defined roles that all sits well together. This track is not so chilled as the other tracks, but still nice. Funny Phil Collins like drum breaks and a nice little synt line that stops JUST before it gets annoying – so thats how its supposed to be.

I will trow myself out into this new day now – loaded with some new fresh old sounds.

Some strange track is waiting for my reptile brain to work on it in the most mysterious ways.

<a href=”http://www.ganga.dk”>Ganga – Downbeat / Chill Out Music</a>

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Biosphere is in my ear

Saturday, September 5th, 2009

Sorry about the wording – couldnt help it.

I just purchased the Biosphere album “Dropsonde” and I am listening to the track called “Birds fly by flapping their wings” .

Some nice breaks riding along in this track. Some repetitive synt stuff and a kind of spooky pad is also there and makes it al sound very snowy white and nordic – melancholic but in a happy way, if that makes any sense.

Next track on the cd is “Warmed by the drift” – the same atmosphere (or Biosphere maybe) is present here, but a little more dark maybe. Synt drones evolving and some random small noises creeing into the mix here and there. Its still repetitive and reminds me a bit of Murcof – the mexican electronica wizard. Not much going on in this track and thats great. It all warms up a bit in the end where he introduces some synt bass sounds and small pizzicato like figures – gives it a new more human feel at the end. Its actually just the transition to the next track – he tied them together.

In the next track “In triple time”,  he is ofcourse in tripletime as the title says, and we are back at the breaks again, exept last time the rhytmic flow was in 7th (means 7/4 or 7/8) – well doesnt mean so much to a non musician maybe, but its a bit no so obvious to compose in this time signature – in this genre anyway. Peolpe has a tendency to stick with 4/4 – how little adventorous that may sound.

This track is in triple time and a little dark also – fast and with a very old school synt sound and still very repetitive. Very melancholic.

The track “From a solid to a liquid” is almost ambient in the old way – like Brian Enos “Apollo” f.ex. – very little movement and sporadic synt lines and a background drone noise thing that prevails the whole track – like planets turning or something – a very beautiful track. Perfect for a nap on the couch after a hard days work.

On ”Arafura” he breaks op the structure with “broken cd”  loops. STill very repetitive but moving in its own crooked way. Sounds like broken equipment somehow – nicely done.

In “Fall in fall out” there is a jazzy feeling and even some vinyl noise  – love this one. Could put anyone to sleep in under ten minutes. Lovely track.

All in all a great album for home listening, falling asleep, staring out into space on a rainy day.

<a href=”http://www.ganga.dk”>Ganga – Downbeat / Chill Out Music</a>

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DJ Krush is old news ofcourse

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009

but never the less GOOD old news.
And as with most other good music,  it doesnt matter so much how old we are – I mean – the tracks are.
In this case the tracks are 8 years old.
So they just started school I guess. Lets see how they look when they look at the retirement age – are we still listening to them, or do we think they are out of style and place them on a shelve.
I think not, these are all great track from the downtempo maestro DJ Krush.
Its hip hop, but with so much other stuff added to the production, so it could have fooled your ears here and there.
Listening to “Danger of Love” – great voice – Zap Mama I think provides these chilled vocals. They really have a nice edge to them – the Horace Andy quality.
This must be a downtempo classic if there ever was one. Really smooth and mellow grroves and nice voices and instruments – some ethnic sounding stuff as well. And vibes – playable vibes that is – starts out the whole thing with the flute track “Song 1″ (Cant imagine it took so long for an artist to finally have the guts to release a song with a name like that). Nice ethnic flute and breaks that fits perfectly.
Some hypnotic synt or lower vibes get your mind confused and it all ends up in a beautiful corner of your mind – blocking your view of all the small parts its put together from- like it should be.
Okay, moving down the track line, here is a bit of humor in “Duckchase” – with a strange duck sound continuing throughout the track – I can see where the name came from, but its more funny than good in my opinion. Nice production though – really cool rhytmic flow – ….hmm. okay, I give up… its actually also a very cool track with some fantastic scratching – sound slike scratching anyway – sscratching a … yes scratching a duck ofcourse. Christmas tune maybe (danish christmas ritual)
Here is the list of personnel on the cd:
DJ Krush, Black Thought, Zap Mama, Tunde Ayanyemi, PhonosycographDISK, Company Flow, Kazufumi Kodama, N’Dea Davenport, Boss The MC, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, Kukoo Da Baga Bonez, Sunja Lee.
I can recommend this journey – its a nice one, with just enough of surprises to keep you interested – even if you are not into hip hop, you can definitely chill on the couch to this one, or take a little slow dance on the coffee table.

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Chill out on the westcoast – with Om Records

Friday, August 28th, 2009

There is something about this music from the westcoast – of the US. Waves rooling and everything is soft and easy.
Listening to J. Boogie, “Deep in the cut” – beautiful downtempo track. With a funny cut up vocal and a nice sounding sitar – and the slow hip hop beat just making the heartbeat of the song – cruising with the modal baseline – really simple percussion and a funky flute – handclaps – deep in the cut – deep in the cut. Funky and indian at the same time.

Really warm sounding track that can go on forever without noone ever noticing how long it has been playing – it sucks you in. Like the waves of the pacific – rolling on the shores – calming the upset – cooling the hot.
Now I am on a new track – “Try Me” they call it – nice downbeat, funky and chilled and with a nice male talking voice and a – not too souly – female vocal.
The flute is still here, and its a bit like Barry White also was in that studio that day.
Sitar also still there, giving the whole thing the ethnic touch.
Soft trumpets – very laid back feeling in this music.
I can highly recommend it “J. Boogies Dubtronic Science” – its from 2003 I think – out on Om records in San Francisco. J. Boogies Dubtronic Science Home of Kaskade, Mark Farin and King Kooba.

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“The adventures of ghosthorse and stillborn”

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

In the dream I was a warewolf…..

thats how Coco Rosie starts off side two on their album named “The adventures of ghosthorse and stillborn”.  

Nice lyrics, although I must admit some of them fly over my head. Just cant hear all the words she is singing/saying. Doesnt matter though, there is a very nice ring to her voice, that make up for the lack of recogniceable words.

Maybe all the rationalists of this world will disagree, but there is so much to be learned from nonsense -  linguistic nonsense that is. Words that doesnt make normal sentences and sentences that doesnt have an obvious meaning. This is poetry. Or could be.

So I dont mind so much when there is a word or two missing there – makes it so much more interesting to listen to, when not everything is cut out for you. Either you can look at it as a challenge  – to make (a new) sense of the words, or you can just lean back and taste the words as they hit you – just let them hit you. Dont analyse their meaning in the context – listen to them as they themselves were music and forget all you learned about logic and language.

There is a logic beyond language – and this is where you learn stuff you didnt know you needed to know -  when you switch off the analyzing part of your brain.

How you are gonna do it is your own problem – I would say the people who knows best about these things are probably peolpe that meditates a lot, or regularly go beyond the intellect via some practice or special technique.

But I would say that it is possible for everybody to enter a non intellectual state where you can experience some  new territory, by just closing your eyes, listen and watch the movie. Sex would be one way of getting to a place similar to that.

The first track on the b side of Coco Rosies album definitely is a good way to start.

Close your eyes – you are on your way. 

There is definitely a big Bjork inspiration in many of the tracks on this album. The same fascination of the “little girly voice”, that I think Bjork must have – or has. Its very intimate  and combined with the lyrics, it has a great effect – whether or not you are analyzing the words and meanings.

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