The newest edition of MAPCAST is now up streaming over at our Soundcloud. Robbie’s picked his best from this month’s Music Alliance Pact – including some seriously chill beats from España, Italy’s most fervent Thurston Moore worshippers and a mailbox smashing tune from our own backyard of course.
Stream/download previous podcasts for free here!
Whaaaat a dreamboat. Here’s the new video for ‘Coward’, the new single from wunderkind Hayden Calnin. The video is just Calnin alone in his home studio with his Akai. If you’re familiar with his EP or other live sessions, you’ll know the prominent drawcard in Calnin’s previous material has been his simple approach to the whole layered indie electronica thing. ‘Coward’ is pared back, but it’s no wallflower of a tune. Calnin’s amazing vocal refrain pulls this through. Sure, a home studio ain’t a cabin in the woods – but here’s the point where you leave any grievances you might have for Justin Vernon at the door. It’s really nice to hear a track that would have otherwise been buried in reverb in an acoustic context. LET’S TALK ABOUT FEELINGS, OKAY.
‘Coward’ is available for purchase here.
Silo Arts seems to fit the bill of a label that seems to be dripping in cultural cool. Being a Brisbane-based, outward looking label that’s pegged to Frenchkiss Records, the Silo Arts collective have managed to make a real mark since their start in 2011.
The likes of Rainbow Chan, ƒriendships, and Tincture lead the charge for Silo, creating a niche of young, curated electronic music that reaches beyond domestic ears. Tomorrow, they’ll be staging their unofficial Melbourne Music Week showcase at The Workers’ Club.
In the lead up to this, we asked label founder Hugh Francis to explain Silo’s deal:
Silo Arts started in 2011 as a little artist collective. We got a bunch of like minded Brisbane producers together and started doing some shows around town, and hosting some internationals. The exact birthday of Silo Arts is unknown, however it’s roughly September, around Bigsound. We started in 2011 as a little arts collective, doing gallery shows with a bunch of unknown producers. We were lucky enough to be discovered by the peeps at Frenchkiss when I was working for CMJ in New York City in 2012. Those guys are pretty close to the CMJ crew, and I guess someone mentioned that I was running a small label back home. They had a listen to our sampler, and sent us a contract within a week. For me, that’s point where I really got my head in the game – up until then it had been a DIY collective. That’s when we decided to really have a go at this whole label thing….
While we only post stuff from this small corner of the world, For those new to MAP (Music Alliance Pact), it’s that time once a month where our hormones go rioting for month new music from around the globe. Us and a whole selection of fun blog-ly types get to assert our supposed internet authority by picking the best tracks each month. It’s a compact version of Eurovision without the spandex, violence and soviet subtitles.
MAP is also available in podcast form curated each month by our very own Robbie Ingrisano. Listen to the latest edition of MAPCAST over at our Soundcloud account here.
Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 27-track compilation through Ge.tt here.
ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Onda Vaga – Tataralí
AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
La Mancha Negra – Belango Twist
AUSTRIA: Walzerkönig
Robotra – Morninglight 2
BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Marcelo Jeneci – De Graça
Click after the jump to for a full list of tracks…
Foreign/National seem like a bunch of dudes who enjoy irony. I’ve never been to Paris, but I hear they’re all assholes anyway.
‘Paris’ is the newest track from the Melbourne five-piece, taken from their debut EP set for release in 2014. Previous demos (‘Life Tourist’, ‘She Told Me A Story’) are scattered with jazzy hooks and cooool percussion plucked directly from the EASY-LISTENING section of the Qantas in-flight entertainment brochure. Not holding that against anyone, I could use a holiday. ‘Paris’ on all terms, is a leisurely gem of a pop tune – cascading twin-riffs, killer drumming and some cruisy mellotron harping down the chorus line. Sounds like Born Ruffians and Air floating on a raft down the Sienne. Is that even ironic? I don’t even know. Vincent Gallo eating a breadstick.
Leading up to his stint at Paradise, we asked our favourite bearded beat brother Oisima to pick his top 5 Australian electronic producers across this wide, brown, digitally enhanced land for us.
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1. Slamagotchi
Slamagotchi has always been, and always will be one of my favourite Australian producers. He’s always two steps ahead in his visions and his message through music. When his debut album drops it’ll create a serious stir…
Mei Saraswati’s music is the purest form of expression. It’s so free & so goddamn funky, I seriously cannot get enough. Hands down, she’s my favourite vocalist in Australian music. Here’s hoping we one day get a chance to create music together.
3. Silent Jay
No one’s drums smack as hard as the brother Silent Jay! His production is so clean, although seems effortless in such an incredible way. Every time I see him perform live I leave with a sore neck from getting down so hard.
4. Nakagin
Nakagin has this beautiful way of creating the most encapsulating wall of luscious sound. You feel like you’re wandering through a rainforest just after a sun shower with the light peering through the leaves. Such amazing music from such an incredible person I’m fortunate enough to know.
5. How Green
How Green is undeniably one of the most underrated producers in the country. Adelaide based, he’s going to cause a serious stir once his music blesses more & more eardrums in the coming months & years.
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Catch Oisima performing at alpine best-fest Paradise Music Festival on the 29th Nov – 1st Dec.
The organisers of the festival are also throwing a pre-party TONIGHT at the Liberty Social Club, details here.
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MT (or Many Things) is led by Michael Tomlinson, the heartbreaker from late Brisbane band Yves Klein Blue, who’s followed YKB’s Britpop tendencies to their proper conclusion and actually moved to London. He must have sold his soul at the crossroads on the way (or perhaps imbibed a Phoenix box set), because new single ‘Alpha Romeo’ has got to be the grandest pop song he’s delivered yet.
MT’s work seems simpler than Tomlinson’s earlier stuff; less wordy and more direct, focused primarily on the id-centred payoffs that come with a massive chorus. The tone is slightly ambiguous for a pop banger, Tomlinson crooning ‘I’m tired of lying / when people ask me if I’m alright,’ before launching into reminiscence like a drunken former frat bro: ‘Romeo used to be my call sign / Call me up for a good time’. The hook, however, is sweetened with disco synths, gospel girl backing vocals and a rockstar delivery that’s utterly convincing.
‘Alpha Romeo’ is officially released on 29 November through Dew Process and Universal Music Australia. Expats/absconders can catch MT’s single launch party at London’s Oslo on the 28th.
Latest Comments
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Still trying to purchase!!!ANTHONY J LANGFORD
Cool track. Congrats Joshua. Hope the release is a success.Tristan
Man I love these guys. I can't believe they are not releasing any new music. I've been to so many…sophie
^^ I love Grimes! Banoffee is one of my new favorite music artists! :) I love With Her, Reign Down,…Ace
Read your review then listened to the EP. Fantastic ! Different to most hardcore punk I listen to. Somewhat more…