House – Page 13 – 7th Level Music

Review: Yila – Functional Collaborations & Combinations Vol. 1

British producer / sound engineer / beat maker Alastair McNeill, also known as Yila, recently decided to stick it to The Man by going back to house music / rave music culture doing what it does best – energize people.

He linked up with French DJ (and sometimes Kasabian drummer) GIOM and drum and bass maestro Christian Croupa, also known as Alleged Witches, for Functional Collaborations and Combinations Vol. 1 – a double-sided single that accomplishes its mission. It will make you move.

“Scam Pan,” the team-up with GIOM, had such a wicked synth-bass beat that sneaks up on you and takes your groove to a different level. The Alleged Witches collaboration, “Murmurs,” has a great horror movie-like synth line running throughout it and that is highly suitable for futuristic disco dance floors.

It’s a sweet addition to any DJ’s set list or any playlist you have for house music.

Keep your mind open.

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Ric Wilson and Terrace Martin encourage you to dance on “Don’t Kill the Wave.”

Chicago-based musician, activist, and organizer Ric Wilson and GRAMMY-nominated producer Terrace Martin are thrilled to share their new video for “Don’t Kill The Wave,” a standout track off the pair’s collaborative EP, They Call Me Disco, a “jubilant six-song burst of summertime grooves and throwback funk” (Pitchfork) out this past May on Free Disco/EMPIRE/Sounds of Crenshaw. “Don’t Kill The Wave” is joyful and motivating. Its accompanying video, directed by A Solo Vision, is reflective of its energetic spirit as Wilson and his friends have a living room dance party. “I made this song for the dance floors at the block party, the cookout, the weddings, the rallies, the covid19 living room clubbbbbbbbs,” says Wilson.

Watch Ric Wilson & Terrace Martin’s Video for “Don’t Kill The Wave” –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gB1p3lS2kG8

2020 is shaping up to be another busy year for Wilson. Shortly after the release of They Call Me Disco, Wilson dropped his acclaimed protest song “Fight Like Ida B & Marsha P”. Produced by Norbert Bueno, “the song combines a funky, bouncy bass line, a little Detroit house influence and handclaps with powerful subject matter,” according to Cool Hunting.

“I hear people quoting a lot of black men who were freedom fighters, which is valid,” says Wilson, who has spent time organizing with the likes of We Charge Genocide, Black Youth Project 100, Chicago Freedom School, and much more. “But when I think about next level courage to ball your fist up and look bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia right in the eye and fight against it, I feel like blk women like Ida B. Wells and non-binary folks like Marsha P. Johnson are of the bravest of us all and if ima fight any injustice I wanna have the courage of freedom fighters like them. The liberation of black womxn and black trans womxn lead to the liberation of all black people.”

Listen to “Chicago Bae” (Feat. BJ The Chicago Kid) (Co-Prod. by Ted Chung) –
https://youtu.be/ql-yoviDQas

Watch Video For “Move Like This” –
https://youtu.be/57NT3t8Nlo8

Purchase They Call Me Disco –
https://empire.ffm.to/theycallmedisco

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Kelly Lee Owens’ new single, “On,” shows she continues to do no wrong.

Techno producer/musician Kelly Lee Owens unveils a new single/video, “On,” from her forthcoming album, Inner Song, out August 28th on Smalltown Supersound. Following “Night” and “Melt!,” “On” is a rustling electro-pop glimmer that gives way to yo-yo synths and a tough-as-nails techno backbeat. It’s the alpha and omega of the Kelly Lee Owens experience, reflective of her ability to contain sonic and emotional multitudes within just one song. Shot on the Norwegian coastline, its accompanying video sees Kelly collaborating once again with Kasper Häggström, who also directed her “Throwing Lines” video. Like the song, it tells the story of a breakup.

“This is perhaps the most intimate and personal song I’ve written so far – the two halves of the track reflect upon sad acceptances of the truth and then the joyous aftermath of liberation that can come from that,” says Owens. “This can definitely be heard in the production and arrangement of the track – the first half sonically connecting to the inner revelations and the second half, the liberation in action, the forward motion.”
Watch Kelly Lee Owens’ “On” Video
Inner Song is the follow-up to Owens’ self-titled debut, which “introduced an extraordinary artist packing a hefty one-two combination of intimate, powerful electronic pop and cavernous, brain-melting techno” (MOJO), and was recognized as one of the most critically praised albums of 2017. It finds Owens diving deep into her own psyche—working through the struggles she’s faced over the last several years and exploring personal pain while embracing the beauty of the natural world. Sonically, Inner Song’s hair-raising bass and tickling textures drive home that, more so than ever, Owens is locked into delivering maximal aural pleasure, whether it be on a techno banger, covering Radiohead, or collaborating with fellow Welsh artist John Cale on a psychedelic lullaby.
Listen to “Night” by Kelly Lee Owens

Watch Kelly Lee Owens’ Visuals for “Melt!”

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Kelly Lee Owens’ “Night” is a great gift from her for self-isolation dancing.

“The pounding four-on-the-floor rhythm section on ‘Melt!’ makes for both a club banger and a political comment, a dazzling dance macabre for impending environmental collapse.”
— Pitchfork, “Best New Track”

“[Kelly Lee Owens] makes skittish techno that makes the hairs on your neck stand up and demands to be heard in a dripping warehouse.” — The Guardian

“a fathomless, flickering techno banger” — Gorilla vs. Bear
Convention-blurring techno producer/musician Kelly Lee Owens releases a new song, “Night.” The track appears on her new album, Inner Song, which has been moved to August 28th on Smalltown Supersound. Following techno banger “Melt!,” “Night” opens with a monopoly synth and Owen’s soft, intimate vocals, before transforming with a danceable, staccato rhythm and jockeying beat.

“This track speaks as to how feelings and insights are more accessible to us at nighttime – how the veils are thinner somehow and therefore how we are more able to connect to our hearts true desires,” says Owens. “I wanted to release this track as a gift to you during this crazy time, to give a part of my heart to you all.”
Listen to “Night” by Kelly Lee Owens
https://KellyLeeOwens.lnk.to/night

Watch Kelly Lee Owens’ Visuals for “Melt!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kW0vbVEIXE

[Keep your mind open.]

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[Thanks to Jessica at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Review: Sofia Kourtesis – Sarita Colonia

Hailing from Peru but based in Berlin, producer / DJ Sofia Kourtesis released a four-track EP, Sarita Colonia, earlier this year that slipped under my radar until I read about it in an article about the best electronic music we might’ve missed so far in 2020. I’m glad I found that article (which I can now no longer locate), because Sarita Colonia is a gem I would’ve otherwise overlooked.

The opening title track gets off to a great bouncy house start. The synths grow in volume and brightness as a steady dance beat keeps us grounded. “Moninga,” with its reversed samples and loops, is even happier than its predecessor. It even includes a sample from the cult film The Warriors (“Everybody says Cyrus is the one and only.”), which delighted me.

“Hollywood” is a groovy house track with thumping bass, Marilyn Monroe samples, synthesized hand percussion, and beats that shake more than a rabbit’s nose. It turns into a floor-filler around the two-minute mark when the synths back off and the bass takes the forefront. The closer, “Akariku,” has snappy synth-beats that almost sound like they’re cut off before they become full chops as heartbeat-bass thuds alongside them. The synths bubble until they’re at a rolling boil and you’re incapable of standing still by this point in the song (not even a full two minutes). The song is about love and lust, sampling The Temptations‘ “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” and Jakatta‘s “Ride the Storm.”

This is a slick EP. A full-length from Ms. Kourtesis would be a great addition to 2020’s electronic music catalog, but this well-crafted record is a great appetizer for more things to come.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Matt Karmil – STS371

UK producer / DJ Matt Karmil‘s new album, STS371, has an enigmatic title and equally intriguing song titles and cover (Are those worms? Fish? Amoebas?). The music is just as fascinating because it’s some of the best electro-house released so far this year.

The opener, “Smoke,” starts with chopped vocal samples and scratchy record sounds before dance floor beats and bass subtly drop into the track. “Hard” beings with dreamy synths that pulse like a heartbeat and then that sweet bass drops in to get you and, I would venture to guess, your lover moving.

You might think that a song called “Snail Shower” would be a slow, mellow cut, but it’s the opposite. It’s a bright, refreshing track with looped synths. “PB” was the first single released from the album. It’s a bold track with synths that hint at anger but drums and bass that hint at being a cool cat…until that wicked high hat comes in and gets you in the mood to move.

As someone who is studying the French language, I love the title of “Still Not French” – a peppy house tune that I can envision hearing while on the train in Paris. “Congo” is as steamy and mysterious as its namesake, with beats that are so layered they almost seem to trip over each other. “SR WB” could be the theme to a lost sci-fi show from the 1980’s.

“Breezy” continues the dance beats (and, wow, that electro-high-hat!) and adds poppy synths to the mix. “210” ends the album with more bright beats, sizzling synths, and body-moving grooves.

Even after listening to STS371, I’m still not clear on the meanings of the album’s and songs’ titles, but that’s okay. We don’t have to know everything. We can just play an album like this and groove to it while we undergo self-isolation.

Keep your mind open.

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Matt Karmil releases “210” from his upcoming album.

Acclaimed UK producer and engineer Matt Karmil will release his new album, STS371, on March 27th via Smalltown Supersound, and today presents a new single, “210.” Following lead single “PB,” “210” opens with shuffling synthesizer, later quickening with a muted, staccato beat.

“210 is named after a hotel room in Amsterdam,” says Karmil, “although not one I’ve ever stayed in. I like the way the chord hangs in the air and it’s, to me at least, somehow both intimate and urgent.”

Listen to Matt Karmil’s “210” –
https://soundcloud.com/smalltownsupersound/matt-karmil-210

STS371 is Karmil’s most concise album to date, with his signature mix of minimalism and reverb-drenched house still being the backbone of his warm, rich, atmospheric and melancholic sound. It was made largely while Karmil was traveling in a nonlinear process of recording. Anticipating the completion of his music studio in The Cotswolds in England, Karmil favored “on the fly” production methods to finish his album.

While his works fit within the tradition of techno’s timeless anonymity, Karmil’s highly personal music is anything but a xerox on dance music’s previous life. As Karmil puts it – minimally, simply and functionally: “I made a conscious effort to up the energy, and found a collection of tunes that felt coherent to me.”

STS371 follows 2018’s Will. Since the release of Will he has co-produced and mixed Kornél Kovács’ acclaimed Stockholm Marathon. He has also worked with, among many others, Matias Aguayo for Crammed Discs and Talaboman for R&S, as an engineer, mixing and mastering.

Listen to “PB” (lead single) –
https://soundcloud.com/smalltownsupersound/mattkarmil-pb

Pre-order STS731 –
smarturl.it/sts371-preorder

Keep your mind open.

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Matt Karmil unleashes wicked new single, “PB,” ahead of his full album “STS371.”

Acclaimed UK producer and engineer Matt Karmil is pleased to announce his new album, STS371, out March 27th via Smalltown Supersound, and today presents the album’s lead single, “PB.” STS371 is his most concise album to date, with his signature mix of minimalism and reverb-drenched house still being the backbone of his warm, rich, atmospheric and melancholic sound.

STS371 was made largely while Karmil was travelling. Anticipating the completion of his music studio in The Cotswolds in England, Karmil favored “on the fly” production methods to finish his album. “It was not a linear process of recording,” says Karmil, “and in the end the majority of the work was to arrange and choose the right sounds and vibe.”

While his works fit within the tradition of techno’s timeless anonymity, Karmil’s highly personal music is anything but a xerox on dance music’s previous life. As Karmil puts it – minimally, simply and functionally: “I made a conscious effort to up the energy, and found a collection of tunes that felt coherent to me”.

Of “PB”, Karmil states: “I made ‘PB’ over an extended period, having made a 120bpm tune with the same texture and then resampled it and upped the tempo one evening in Cologne. I wanted to make a committed acid track that draws you in and worked hard to get the drums, percussion and main melody working in harmony, but swapping roles a little.”

STS371 follows 2018’s Will. Since the release of Will he has co-produced and mixed Kornél Kovács’ acclaimed Stockholm Marathon. He has also worked with, among many others, Matias Aguayo for Crammed Discs and Talaboman for R&S, as an engineer, mixing and mastering.

Listen to Matt Karmil’s “PB” –
https://soundcloud.com/smalltownsupersound/mattkarmil-pb

STS371 Tracklist:
1.Smoke
2. Hard
3. Snail Shower
4. PB
5. Still Not French
6. Congo
7. SR/WB
8. Breezy
9. 210

Pre-order STS731 –
smarturl.it/sts371-preorder

Keep your mind open.

[Don’t forget to subscribe while you’re here.]

Too Free release an early contender for best singles of 2020 – “Elastic.”

Today, Too Free releases a new single, “Elastic,” from their forthcoming debut album, Love In High Demand, out February 21st on Sister Polygon. It follows “No Fun,” “another piece of earworm dance-pop” (Stereogum), and lead single “ATM.” “Elastic” is driven by a bouncing beat and jaunty percussion. “‘Elastic’ is an attempt to define those intangible spaces between seduction and letting go of your inhibitions,” says Awad Bilal. “Unlearning generations of conditioning to explore the different kinds of love that we are capable of feeling without stigma or fear.”

In conjunction, the band announces additional North American tour dates. Following their shows in Washington, D.C. and New York, they’ll play Chicago, Montreal, Winooski, and Bloomington. More dates will soon follow.

STREAM TOO FREE’S “ELASTIC”
https://youtu.be/OVgWyv3Svn4

WATCH “NO FUN” VIDEO
https://youtu.be/2R2DYl8AZhc

WATCH “ATM” VIDEO
https://youtu.be/bErEP9TJCQY

Too Free is the Washington, D.C.-based trio of Awad Bilal (Big Freedia, Vasillus), Carson Cox (Merchandise), and Don Godwin (Callers, Impractical Cockpit). Their only mission is a desire to connect with others in the space that music creates. Drawing from improvisation and experimentation, they deconstruct their songs to their most necessary elements, leaning into their collective punk ethos and DIY backgrounds. Drawing equally from elements of South Florida freestyle and Jersey electro into DC’s signature polyrhythms, the record is a continuous refinement of the virtue of motion – each composition rooted in propulsive energy that envelops. Aiming to make something with a more utopian outlook that counters the pervasive pessimism, archaic ideologies and dystopian timelines we interact with on a daily basis, they approach this project with an open-endedness that incorporates higher concepts of what pop art can sound like.

PRE-ORDER LOVE IN HIGH DEMAND
https://sisterpolygonrecords.bigcartel.com/product/pre-order-too-free-love-in-high-demand-lp-spr-033

TOO FREE TOUR DATES
Sat. Feb. 22 – Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall
Thu. Feb. 27 – Brooklyn, NY @ Trans Pecos
Wed. April 1 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
Thu. April 2 – Chicago, IL @ CoProsperity Sphere
Sun. April 5 – Montreal, QC @ La Sotterenea
Mon. April 6 – Winooski, VT @ The Monkey House

Too Free Online:
https://toofree.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/toofreedc/
https://www.pitchperfectpr.com/too-free/
https://www.sisterpolygonrecords.com/artists/too-free

Keep your mind open.

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Rewind Review: Soulwax – Essential (2018)

When the Belgian duo of David and Stephen Dewaele, otherwise known as Soulwax, were asked by BBC Radio to create an “essential mix” in 2017, they decided to create an entire album of new music based on the meaning of the word “essential” instead of just mix a bunch of material made by other folks. The result, Essential, turned out to be a great record mixing house music, dub, electro, and trance.

The twelve tracks are named “Essential One,” “Essential Two,” “Essential Three,” etc. No other ornamentation is needed. “One” mixes radio static and electronic alarm clock blips into a funky cacophony. “Two” brings in disco bass and what sounds like electro-vibraphone to get your booty shaking. It flows so well into the ready-made-for-the-dance-floor “Three” that you might not notice the transition.

The groovy bass continues on “Four,” and there’s a brief pause before the echoing chants of “Five” fill your head. The bells and other percussion of “Six” are downright addictive. “Seven” is a bit mellower than the previous tracks, but not by much. It still keeps you moving. The bass on “Eight” is fat as a whale and will have your entire house party moving so hard they might topple over your china cabinet. “Nine” mixes in odd rhythms to the funky bass for a cool brew.

“Ten” starts with menace, but drifts into a quiet bliss by its end. “Eleven” has the most discernible, and sexiest, lyrics. The sultry synth-beats certainly don’t hurt either. “Twelve” is the shortest track on the album at two minutes-thirty seconds, but it still has enough swanky bass to supply a half-hour DJ set.

Essential is indeed that if you’re a fan of Soulwax or electro music. They recently announced that their U.S. tour has been postponed, but dates would be rescheduled. Don’t miss them if they’re near you.

Keep your mind open.

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