Flying Lotus – Zodiac Shit

Hopefully by now you've heard Flying Lotus' amazing album 'Cosmogramma'. If not, I highly recommend you go buy it now, or at least go give it a listen. FlyLo has had a long relationship with the Adult Swim team from the Cartoon Network, and they've paired up and created quite the "head trip" of a video.

James Blake In 2011

Big things are coming from the man James Blake. Over the last year or so, he’s put out some amazing dubstep tunes that have helped shape where the sound currently is. Then he put out the Klavierwerke EP. Suddenly he changed the game again. The is of course reminiscent of his dubstep tunes. However, the many layers and now his added vocals bring things to a whole new level. It’s minimal. It’s deep. It’s extremely emotional. It requires you to think and contemplate while you listen.

Now he’s getting ready to release his first self-titled full length on Atlas/A&M records. It’s out February 7th, so make sure you run out immediately and buy it. Vinyl preferably, but digital if you must. Either way, support the man. He has amazing things in store for 2011.

Below are samples of the evolution of his sound.

Air & Lack Thereof - James Blake by Vincent Van Golgoth

James Blake - Klavierwerke by Minty Fresh Blog

James Blake - Limit To Your Love from HLAMOROUS on Vimeo.

Jacques Greene - (Baby I Don't Know) What You Want

I stumbled across Jacques Greene thanks to Hepcat Radio and the LuckyMe Collective. Jacques' style of groovy House with warped vocals really seem to be striking a chord with people. For me it feels like a House version of the kind of sounds that James Blake seems to turn out with beautiful precision. Mr. Greene's beats are no different. The track opens with light tambourine sounds and introduces low, warped synths. The vocals fill in with the "so sad, so sad" refrain echoing. Check out the below video to see how a House track is really put together.

Jacques Greene - (Baby I Don't Know) What You Want from Jacques Greene on Vimeo.

Earnest Blount - For Tadashi

From the We Did It Collective comes an experimental EP from Earnest Blount. His seven tracks take you on a journey through a world of electronic beats and experimental jazz. The lush and layered sounds on his track "For Tadashi" create a world of space sounds and singing synths. I'm currently trying to pull together a link to the free, full EP. But for now, here's just a sample of some of the beauty.

Listen now

Daedelus - Stampede Me

Daedelus is probably one of the most diverse producers I've had the pleasure of listening to recently - whether it's floating acoustic arrangements with his wife as The Long Lost. Or one of his live performances with his signature cut up, pounding techno. Daedelus' latest EP titled "Righteous Fists of Harmony" features the track "Stampede Me." Below is the video, directed by Chris Shen, in all it's dark slow motion and powerful glory. This song (for me) really epitomizes that moment of calm you have before exploding in joy or anger. There's calm in the strings, small eruptions in the percussion, and tension in the soft spoken lyrics.

Daedelus - Stampede Me from Chris Shen on Vimeo.