HOWLS.
Ok ok. This one isn’t exactly plucked from obscurity. 58,000 plays in the first 3 days earns you the ‘not an underdog’ badge by my humble standards. But given the hip Soulection association, those clicks could be from anywhere, so it is plausible many of us here may not know Howls yet.
The collab between Perth’s most prolific and endearing fount of feels-heavy beats (Taku) and his multitalent mate (Kit Pop) has seen 3 tracks in the past month, each showing some vastly different colours.
From the playful samples and endless deep 808 tails of ‘001’, to the bent and cruisy ‘002’, and now the intense future-drama of ‘003’. The last is my current preference, just imagine that being dropped on you through a great system.
(Technical aside – ESTA the Californian Soulection beatmaker did add mouse clicks into 003 to (presumably) notch up the intensity even further, and sticklers may note that California is not in Australia. But Miks said OK anyway this time. So take that, sticklers.)
The variety is refreshing, the elegance is refreshing – and the tracks keep a relaxed and playful weirdness even when it gets heavy. Fittingly 003 appeared in my Soundcloud stream between two Mr Carmack (USA) tracks, and those 3 tracks just sat there nodding at each other in heavy-yet-effortlessly-cool ways.
I think this kind of stuff is an important piece if Australia’s electronic puzzle right now, and a heap of fun.
…
Adam
NUCLEAR DREAM HOUSE.
Here’s a quirky beat to augment your day, but in truth I don’t expect you will like it today.
Sorry.
Maybe I should say, ‘here’s a quirky beat to augment next week’ as that’s what it did to me.
I moved on when I first heard ‘Hopeless‘ by Nuclear Dream House, but it hung around in some part of my mind, working out, and growing in strength and character as if undergoing training befitting a Rocky montage.
And then we’re here now. It’s sample based/lo-fi/offtime and I know a lot of stuff is. But I submit to the internet that it has something that makes it a unique grower. And I submit that I don’t know what that something is.
Maybe Jonathon Boulet knows, he mixed it. I think that link might in fact be Parades, but that’s another thing you can question when you ask him about the first something.
I can only recommend you hear it, don’t put any pressure on yourself, and if necessary just wait…
…
Adam
TINCTURE.
Ohhhh mate. I fucking love it when a guy you wrote about a while ago comes back with a follow up that takes what he did well and kinda nails it even more. Brisbane’s Tincture has done that. The producer has just released the follow up to last year’s ‘Tryst’ which featured Hazel Brown.
The new track ‘Similar Circles’ takes the soulful vocals, but still keeps a real delicate style production. This is a real relief if we consider the aggressive stuff that’s coming out of a lot of the Australian beats scene at the moment, and it immediately sets Tincture apart from the rest. ‘Similar Circles’ manages to harness that delicate soulful sound into this sense of uneasy urgency. But it doesn’t go where you expect it to. It holds back – there isn’t that culmination of energy resulting in one big climax. It nearly does, but it leaves you in the lurch. As he has shown in his earlier work, Tincture masters restraint in his production, something all too rare in the current Australian beats landscape.
This is good.
…
Miks
BLACK VANILLA.
So when you combine some of the best beat makers in the country, you get Black Vanilla. And fuck me sideways, it’s bloody good. If that sleazy darkish beattronica style r’n’b is your thing, then, well, get sum black vanilla inta ya.
The three piece consist of Marcus from Collarbones, Guerre, and DJ Plead aka. Jarred Beeler. The first single, ‘Call Your Husband’ comes from a mixtape the guys are putting out on August 1 called Black On Black On Black. There is also a three date tour on the cards too, with Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney gettin’ a lookin – deets below.
Black Vanilla – Black On Black On Black launch deets.
August 8 Goodgod Small Club, Sydney (w/ Major Napier, King Tears Mortuary, East River, B. Deep)
August 9 Ghost Ships, Adelaide (w/ Guerre, Oisima, Strict Face, Cyst Impaled)
August 10 Gasometer Upstairs, Melbourne (w/ Golden Blonde, Angel Eyes)
…
Miks
GUERRE.
Some awesome new Guerre for your Tuesday night. It’s part of a split ’12 with another Sydney beatsmith Nagakin.
It’s like this future beat sleaze r’n’b that is really fucking good.
Getting a proper release on Sep 1, but in the mean time stream it here or on the The Finer Things Records bandcamp page.
…
Miks
CHET FAKER.
Melbourne boy Chet Faker has a new single out. After hitting the blogosphere rather large with his cover of No Diggity, there’s been a fair bit of love for the bloke.
For me, it’s that beaty soul sound he got goin on. This new one, Terms and Conditions, as opposed to others, is more focussed on the vocals, which I really dig. It sounds a little more down-tempo r’n’b. And not only does it work, it shows that he can do more than one thing.
Chet Faker – Terms and Conditions
And for some reason, during the second line of the chorus I wanna sing: And there ain’t no holla back girl. Yeah there ain’t no holla back girl. But anyway.
Chet also has a new EP Thinking In Textures, due out late March. Although the presser is calling it an EP, i’m more inclined to call this one a mini album – it’s a seven tracker and features some already well known tracks of his. Keep an eye/ear out – this will be sure to establish this bloke.
Miks
MAAMF: an australian music blog 