Smells like drum and bass?

Nonex

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" MP3
"The Saw" MP3

Five years ago in Madison I picked up a cd by an artist I had never heard of. The cover said, "Ethereal Drum 'N' Bass", which jumped out at me so I checked it out. I had no idea know what ethereal dnb meant, but it sounded like something I would like. Nonex consists of keyboardists/programmers El Topo and Volker Bertelmann, drummer/programmer Piid and vocalists La Trek and Sam Leigh Brown. Their self-titled debut album was released in 1999 by Shadow Records.

The album is darker than the majority of "atmospheric dnb" releases of the late '90's/ early '00's. Some of the tracks have a glitchy, IDM feel which at times resembles Squarepusher or Amon Tobin. I used the song "Something For Your Mind" on a downtempo DJ mix I made and I decided to put up two more for you to check out. I couldn't pass on their Nirvana cover with the female vocalist but I don't feel it is a good representation of what the LP is like so I chose two.

Phazz-A-Delic

De-Phazz- "Detunized Gravity" MP3

Jazzy, electronic, downtempo, trip hop....whatever you want to call it, De-Phazz is quality. German musician Pit Baumgartner is the center of De-Phazz and Pit has done it all. Started off Dj'ing, has done remixes for everyone from Kool & the Gang feat. Lauryn Hill, Boy George, Kurtis Blow, A-ha, to Ella Fitzgerald (Verve USA). He owns record labels including Phazz-A-Delic records and he has been releasing great music with De-Phazz for years. De-Phazz is a proper balance of live instruments, dubby production techniques, and always features great guest musicians. All of their albums are worth checking out and there also is a "best of" out.

Buy De-Phazz from eMusic

Words Like Weapons

So the members of the Orchard Lounge crew are very excited because we are booked to play at Camp Bisco which is a summer festival with many bands and DJ's. The stars of the show are a band that we have had many amazing experiences with, The Disco Biscuits, who will headline each night with their patented sound of techno-rock trance-fusion.

Here is the announcement

The band Brothers Past is also on the bill and they are not just a great band but are great people as well. I was lucky enough to be able to grace the decks in between their sets on NYE in Philly and they blew the roof off the sucka! Brothers Past has been touring relentlessly promoting their phenomenal new studio album, "This Feeling's Called Goodbye."


Brothers Past- "Words Like Weapons" MP3

I am completely blown away by what these guys can do in the studio. I am a sucker for a quality studio album because when you lock great musicians in a room with a bunch of toys and let them experiment you see what they are truly capable of. The album is not filled with long, noodly jams like some jamband albums. Instead it is packed with emotional lyrics and vocals, great melodies, and cool sounds. It is a very mature album and I think fans of many different styles of music, from indie rock to electronic, would find something they like.

Brothers Past's site says:

Some more information about This Feeling's Called Goodbye: It was produced and mixed by Jon Altschiller, who has worked with many great artists on numerous projects, including Lenny Kravitz (Live DVD), the Dave Matthews Band (Live at Red Rocks), Phish (Picture of Nectar and Rift), John Mayer (Any Given Thursday), Ben Folds Five (Naked Baby Photos) and the coming Simon and Garfunkel release. Mastered by the renown Fred Kevorkian with everyone present at his studio at Absolute Audio.

BUY the album from their site and check the tourdates because they will be coming to your town.

TONS of old school videos

OLD SCHOOL

Go nuts! Schooly D,UTFO, Eric B and Rakim, Planet Rock, LL, and way more.

BBC History of Hip Hop 1984

This site has the amazing 1984 BBC documentary History of Hip Hop. The footage is amazing and I would love to find this on DVD. If anyone knows where to find a copy or can figure out a way to download the clips let me know.

Conquering The Sun

Sieg Uber Die Sonne- +1 (Multicolor)

"Cleaning Windows" MP3

These days any time a sound emerges in the world of house music there is a new name for the genre. Tech house, tribal house, deep house, vocal house, blah blah blah. Now the choice word (for me to POOP on!) is "telectro" which is a fusion of tech house and electro. I love both styles but I don't see the need for another genre of house music. So just to challenge the labelers I chose a track that could be considered just about anything. It has funky guitars, a minimal beat, and quirky German electro-pop vocals.

German producers Sieg Uber Die Sonne have released some very interesting albums with a wide range of sounds. I used their slamming track "Hot" from the 2001 album, (-)x(-)=(+), on my most recent DJ mix, Warp Zone. You can download the mix from Orchardlounge.com In 2004 they released another mathematical themed album, +1, which is a nice blend of electro-pop vocal tracks and instrumental tech house songs. "You Better Send Me Home" is another solid track from the album that I was going to upload but the "cleaning windows" track is so bizarre that I had to use it. "Stop The Plug-ins" is a dark, driving techy track with a bassline that doesn't quit. The harder edged tracks they produce are a nice contrast to some of the lighter songs on the album

Forced Exposure said:
"Amazing, how clever Sieg Über Die Sonne arrange the sounds on their fourth album -- nearly 10 years after their debut. As if it is the most self-evident innovation in the musical world, +1 compresses the most moving dancefloor styles and renovates the greyed coating of Electrofunk almost in passing. Meanwhile both musicians Pink Elln and Dandy Jack (formerly with homebase Frankfurt) reside in Berlin, which one may notice by the first-class production of +1. The contact to Chilean Jorge González who wrote, sang and arranged all vocals on +1 -- partly live in the Sun Electric studio Berlin, partly via digital media, exists since the mid-Nineties and he already had given his voice to the club hits 'You'll Never Come Back' & 'I'm Not A Sound' (among others) from their third album = (+) (multiColor). Jorge's professional approach to melody lines is remarkable, as well as his charming handling of language."

L'usine vs. Snoop

L'usine and Snoop Dogg Mash-up
"It's Hot Like The Sun" MP3

"Drop it like it's hot" has been tired for a while but when layered over a track by Ghostly International's finest, L'usine, it sounds fresher than ever. This will be used in the next downtempo set I play for sure.

new Tosca album

Tosca- JAC (preview)

Well, the album isn't out yet and I do not have any mp3's but you can preview the forthcoming Tosca album right here.
Also check out the G-stoned site for info on all of the g-stone recording artists...they are all great.

Daddy G

Daddy G- DJ Kicks (K7)

The Meters "Just Kissed My Baby >
Nusrat Fateh Ali-Kahn "Mustt Mustt" (Massive Attack Remix) MP3

The DJ Kicks series is one of my favorite compilations because I love just about every artist that has been chosen to make a mix. The purpose is for the artist to create a mix cd of tracks they love and not necassarily what is new and what they need to put out there. Kruder and Dorfmeister, Thievery Corporation, Chicken Lips, all the way to Underworld have contributed mixes to K7. New Order and many others have created mixes for the "Back To Mine" series which is the same idea and is equaly good. The newest was compiled by Daddy G, a founding member of Massive Attack. I love his mix because it is loaded with dub tracks, both old and new. He also uses quite a few Massive Attack remixes which perfectly compliment the dub and reggae. He rounds out the album with tracks by ranging from Aretha Frankilin to Lil Kim.

I really like this review of the CD: RIGHT HERE

Fela

Fela Kuti-The Underground Spiritual Game Mixed By Chief Xcel

"Look and Laugh" MP3

Fela Kuti is one of my all time favorite artists. This pioneer of Afrobeat music also was a man with a message. His music was the medium he used to carry his political viewpoints. If you are not familiar with Fela Kuti I highly suggest taking some time and learning about his life. For a music class in college I wrote a thesis comparing Bob Marley, Fela Kuti, and Marvin Gaye by the messages in their music. Whether it be his 40 wives, getting arrested countless times for smoking marijuana in public, or performing in his underwear, Fela was a character. This new album released on Quannum features some of his finer moments mixed together by Chief Xcel. Since many of his songs were over 15 minutes long, Xcel takes segments from various songs and pieces them together.

Pitchfork said:
"The Underground Spiritual Game is an unbroken set of Kuti's music taken from throughout his career, meticulously compiled and mixed by Chief Xcel. Xcel is one half of Blackalicious, a hip-hop act that have themselves begun realizing the full potential of discourse inherent in their genre, and Xcel hopes to continue making his way through Fela Kuti's enormous output. Though touted as a "remix" of Kuti's work, The Underground Spiritual Game leaves the original sounds relatively untouched. Instead, Chief Xcel seamlessly melds selections from 11 of Kuti's tracks, occasionally adding effects, and inserting spoken snippets of Fela speaking. It's put together in a manner that stands as a testament to Kuti's political views, but pays equal homage to his musical impact."

Misch Masch

Tiefschwarz- Misch Masch

"Unit Four-Body Dub (Tiefschwarz Remix)MP3"

The Orchard Lounge households have always loved Tiefschwarz. "Thru A Little Window" was one of the tracks that always would be played if we were DJ'ing or just at home hanging out. Their original tracks and remixes are always great. Fast, funky, and always fun to listen to. Ali and Basti Schwarz who are Tiefschwarz have been generating a nice buzz in the last year or so. In 2004 they released a double cd comp containing a mixed cd and a cd of their remixes.

About Dancemusic said:
"Disc 1 of Misch Masch is a colorfully vivid exploration into the brothers' celebrated styling of minimal electro tech/house. Overflowing with deep and rumbling techno tracks from Derrick May, Drama Society, Kiki, and many more, Tiefschwarz most certainly brings the throbbing Berlin club experience directly to the listener. The transitions are not as extensive as a standard DJ mix might normally be, but the showcase here appears to be on the individual tracks themselves.

Disc 2 is a non-mixed collection of distinguished Tiefschwarz remixes and kicks off with their electro-groovy take on Micatone's Plastic Bags & Magazines. The compilation furthers itself by spotlighting the duo's (often funky) tech remixes of Truby Trio, Hell, DJ Tal, Unit 4, amid others; shining remixes include Lopazz - Blood, Tiefschwarz - Blow (Dub), and Lost n Alive - Feels Like Love. Both compilations are extremely well produced and arranged; fans of Tiefschwarz will be proud to add Misch Masch to their collection."

New Mix, New Website!

Ben Silver- Warp Zone (March 2005)

You can download this and two other new mixes on our brand spanking new
ORCHARDLOUNGE.COM site!!!!

1) Booka Shade- Double Identity (Get Physical Music)
2) Sieg Uber Die Sonne- Hot (Tyrant)
3) Afrilounge- The Dude (Get Physical Music)
4) Natural Rhythm- The Jive (Natural Rhythm Remix)
5) Random Factor- Back To Me (20/20 Vision)
6) Jordan Vesteyo & Sneak-E Pete -Valentino's Revenge (Blunted Funk)
7) DJ T- Robot Riot (Electric Re:Repress)(20/20 Vision)
8) Jeff Bennett- The Phone Call (Morris Audio)
9) Martinez- Machine Script (Get Physical Music)
10) Dan Berkson- Easy (Gourmet Recordings)
11) Silver City- The Galactic Ride (Ralph Lawsom Mix) (Get Physical Music)
12) Kevin Yost- Gentle Storm (iRecords)
13) David Duriez- The Why (Gourmet Recordings)
14) Depeche Mode- Policy Of Truth (Captiol mix- Francois K 1990)

2 new live sets to download

The Bays- Live at Jazz Cafe London 2005
You have to register with an email address so do it and grab this show. They have otehr mp3 shows as well and each is has a unique sound. The Bays are one of my favorite live-electronic all improv bands. They do not record, do not have set song structures, and they say they do not rehearse. They sound just like a DJ and it is all on the the fly. The keyboard player, Jamie Odell, also owns Freerange records. I have posted about them in the past.

The other:


BIG BUD- Feb 2005 DJ MIX
My main man BIG BUD who just put a DJ mix online. Big Bud is one of my favorite drum and bass producers. He incorporates dnb, dub, and downtempo into his work and his album on Good Looking "Infinity plus Infinity" is one of my all time faves. Sound-Trax has all of his info including samples of his new double-cd set he is puttng out!!! I can't wait for that!Apparently one disc is nasty dnb and the other dub and other beats.
tracklisting:
01….Motive………..7″ special……………………(shout)
02….Motive………..Saviour dUb………………..(soundtrax)
03….Big Bud……….Children of jah…………….(soundtrax)
04….Syncopix…………Fade away………………(Brand:Nu)
05….Calibre…………Hypnotize………………….(Soul:R)
06….Breakage…………….4me…………………..(Critical)
07….Pacific………..Crippled………………………(Soundtrax)
08….Visionary…….She makes me feel……….(31 records)
09….Ill Logic +Raf………..Fever…………………(Dispatch)
10….Logistics………Inside my Soul……………(Hospital)
11….Ill Logic +Raf…..one step 2 glory……….(Double Zero)
12….Basic Operations…….Earsoul…………….(Advanced)
13….Cyantific………….Reincarnation dUb……(Hospital)
14….Calibre/High Contrast…..Mr. Majestic…….(Signature)

Serial Hodgepodge

Lusine- Serial Hodgepodge

"Ask You" MP3

Many of the posts I have made lately feature German or UK based labels so I thought I would American this time. Ghostly International which is based out of Michigan is one of America's top labels for abstract electronic music that touches on many different genres. Matthew Dear and Dabrye are two of the more popular artists on the label but the guy who has been does it for me the most is Lusine. His most recent LP, Serial Hodgepodge is an amazing release and the track hosted is one I would play early on in one of my downtempo DJ sets.

Ghostly said:

"After relatively low-profile full-lengths on labels such as Isophlux and Hymen, Lusine (sometimes known as L’usine or Lusine Icl) releases his most accomplished album to date on Ghostly. Jeff McIlwain, the man behind Lusine, continues to shame the bloated IDM market with beats that kick and hiccup under fluttering melodies, confidently exhibiting the power of suggestion rather than overt display, in arrangements thick with emotion and complexity.

Serial Hodgepodge serves as a defining fusion of instinct and intellect, as the sense of funk and dance genres in Lusine’s meticulous programming prohibit anyone from sitting still, while the myriad other elements flickering across the mix offer great things to those who read between the lines. The range of moods amongst the album’s tracks also suggest an inextricable link to the psychological strength of music. Percussive hits converse with one another while vocal samples pique the individualistic responses of a Rorschach test.

Previously, the music of Lusine was treasured only by those fortunate enough to have discovered it; with Serial Hodgepodge, McIlwain’s talents will undoubtedly find a larger, more eclectic and responsive audience. Hodgepodge offers not only something to immediately captivate anyone who hears it, but also innumerable layers of detail to be discovered through dozens of listens, placing it among the most wholly rewarding albums to be found in any genre in recent memory."

The Chocolate Elvis Dubs

Tosca- The Chocolate Elvis Dubs

"Chocolate Elvis (Baby Mammoth Version 3)"

For me it gets no better than the masters of downtempo, Kruder and Dorfmeister. They have influenced just about anybody who is affiliated with the downtempo scene whether it is a producer, DJ, or just the blunted guy stuck to his couch. The K+D Sessions album is still one of the top downtempo releases of all time. Aside from DJ'ing, remixing, and releasing countless quality albums on their g-stone recordings label together, they also have multiple side projects that are just as good.

One of the side projects for Richard Dorfmeister is Tosca which also includes Rupert Huber. The duo released the singles "Chocolate Elvis" and "Fuck Dub" in 1996. A triple-pack of remixes -- from Fila Brazillia, Baby Mammoth and others -- appeared in early 1997. Tosca has put out many other "must have" albums but I will get to that in some other post in the future. The other side project, Peace Orchestra, is also too good to lump into one post. The track I chose is the one of the Baby Mammoth remixes which I really like.

Here is a bonus video clip of the K+D 2001 summer sessions

new NIN track

NIN- "the line begins to blur" leaked track from With Teeth


I had a major NIN phase in high school and look forward to seeing them again live. NIN is one of the most powerful live acts out there and had the same effect on me that Radiohead does. Here is a track from the forthcoming "With Teeth" album that was leaked out. Can't wait to hear the full album when it comes out.

Hello Stranger

Kaos- Hell Stranger (K7)

I have been streaming this album all week at work and I like it a lot. Daniel Wang and Erlend Oye are on the album and people were telling me it is like Metro Area with vocals so I knew I needed it. Click the link and you can listen to the entire album and also purchase it through mp3 downloads.

K7 says:

When you hear „Hello Stranger“ for the first time, you might think that Kaos is a new music group. All the ingredients that shape the sound of a band are here: Live drums, an electric bass, guitars, live percussions and keyboards. And, the voices of real singers.

But you only have to add the prefix „DJ“ to the name Kaos to realise what this is: the new album by the Berlin DJ Kaos. The legendary master of the wheels of steel, former member of Terranova and initiator of the infamous Ghost Cauldron project now returns as Kaos with his most mature solo effort to date.

To define ‘’Hello Stranger’’ as a typical DJ album would be wrong. The beats are groovy but not linear, the tunes are stretched but less tracks than proper songs. For the album, Kaos was looking for new challenges. Because sampling as we know it, is dead. This is especially the case for a producer like Kaos who has been working with sample based music for over a decade and for whom the collaboration with real musicians presented a new, exciting perspective. Kaos engaged various musician friends and singers. Names like Erlend Øye, Daniel Wang, Khan and Snax from Captain Comatose, Matt B. Safer from The Rapture, the performance artist Namosh, Nicole from Electrocute, Boy from Brazil, Eddy Cooper or Jason Friedman from the New York punk rockers The Boggs appear on the album.

For the recordings, the individual collaborators met with Kaos in his studio where they jammed (in the traditional sense) off of Kaos’ own rhythm and harmony structures. The vocals on the album were generated in a similar way: Kaos hummed a melody, language fragments were played around with and after a few tries a real song was born. Afterwards, Kaos arranged everything on his computer.

Musically, ‘’Hello Stranger’’ has a very versatile sound. However using average genre definitions is problematic. The sound of Kaos is somewhere between disco, New York white funk, Italo and rock. Kaos stated that „the album is a ‘good time album’, one that you can have fun with both at home on the couch, as well as in the club on the dancefloor“. „Hello Stranger“ is a proper Berlin album. Except for the two New Yorker guest musicians Matt B. Safer and Jason Friedman all the other artists involved call Berlin their home. The album presents an informed illustration of the current developments in today’s most exciting music-capital in the world.

Last but not least, the album elegantly reflects the sound that Kaos has been cultivating for years as a DJ. It is a sound that equally features the sound of yesterday and today, where the golden Glimmer Twins motto „Where The Past Presents The Future“ rules. Based on the solid conviction that music is a medium that can independently transcend all chronological and genre related definitions, what counts is simply the good vibe, the good groove and the uniqueness of sound.

All of this can be drawn from „Hello Stranger“. It´s DJ Kaos` own “Roots Music “ album which propagates “back to music“: far away from trends and clichés the only thing that counts is good music. The album´s title is based on a song by Marianne Faithfull, which she took from the legendary New Orleans icon Dr. John. Ms. Faithfull´s album was also an attempt to get „Back To The Roots“. Kaos has brilliantly mastered the cultivation of this principle on his new album.

Jeremy "Ayro" Ellis LIVE SET

Jeremy "AYRO" Ellis- Live Set (Streaming from brokenbeatradio.com)

I love this guy and he has a new album coming out on Ubiquity Records called, Lotus Blooms. I do not have it yet but am looking forward to picking it up. You may recall I posted about him in the past and hosted his note for note interpretation of a Herbie Hancock classic.
From Brokenbeatradio:
AYRO (LIVE) - June 28, 2004 This week the Federation and BrokeN'Beat radio bring you very hot live recording from May 7th at the Mission in NYC. Armed with an arsenal of electronics and keyboards, Ayro comes to bring it... all freestyle... without a net. A packed house got down to the electronic, the love, and the funk, the likes of which they will not soon forget. Apologies for the contagious mis-pronounciations of people's names that was going on that night. Ayro's live sets are legendary. They include shows at the Detroit Electronic Music festival in 2001 and 2003, playing with Jazzanova and Koop, headlining with Kyoto Jazz Massive in Tokyo, and rocking all-night block parties on the streets of Puerto Rico. He broke out worldwide as a solo artist in 2001 turning the heads of selectors such as Gilles Peterson, Dj Spinna, Jazzanova and countless others. His new album ElectronicLovefunk is a raw, experimental and eclectic fusion of soul, jazz and techno filled with sweet vocals and lush polyrhthyms. You can pick up this essential record at Dustygroove.com.

a proper downtempo album by a jamband

STS9- Artifact

"Tokyo (radio edit)"

I have featured many of the new-school, electronic style jambands on this site. Disco Biscuits, Lotus, Brothers Past, The New Deal, The Bays, The Egg, and more. Each of them has their own style and some have vocals which could lead into a 20 minute techno, house, drum and bass, or even a dub jam. Others play all instrumental live electronic music with the focus on their improvisation skills. Another band that I have liked for a while is Sound Tribe Sector Nine or STS9. This band has evolved a lot over the last few years and now has more of a "live downtempo" sound rather than only rocking instrumental jams. Now, they still are a jamband but they have been mixing it up and adding some new effects and techniques that I really like. They have been doing less improv, and more beat-oriented songs with the laptops. This is something that some of their older fans are not happy about because some of their jams do not rock as hard or peak like they may have in the past, however other people (like me) love the new direction and change.

First of all the drummer, Zach Velmer, is a MACHINE. In my opinion he is the leader of the band and he can bang out drum and bass beats that will make you think they are programmed. Maybe he is a robot, who knows, but I guarantee if you see them live he will blow your mind. The guitar player, bass player and keyboard player have all added laptops with programs like Reason 2.5 running which they use to add samples, loops, and other sounds which give the sound a more "electronic" feel. They have also played sets with an all midi electronic setup which is drums, keys, and laptops only and no guitar. They are going to be playing a "live pa" style set like this at the WMC along with LTJ Bukem and many other D'N'B artists one day and they are playing with Mark Farina another night.

You can stream and also download shows from archive.org and here is the link to a show where they played an all electronic set: 10/31/04

So this leads me to their best work yet which is their new studio album, "Artifact". The album has the same feel as any K+D, Tosca, Dzihan and Kamien release. Deep, melodic grooves with great effects on the live instruments they use. I am really, really impressed by this album and I am excited that this band put out an electronic dowtempo album this good. I think this release is as good as many of the downtempo albums that I love and use to DJ. This is one step closer to a fusion between the jamband fans and the clubbers. The track I posted is the radio edit and the album version is much longer.

Read more about STS9 HERE and check the tour dates because they are great live.

Old School Gems

THE BOX! Hip Hop Archive

Ok, I could easily have posted a couple mp3's of some old school Fat Boys if I wanted to. Or maybe hit you with some rare EPMD or live LL Cool J...shiiiit....I could have posted some classic battles from the 80's.

But

Rather than given you an appetizer I decided to take you to the Sbarro $3.99 ALL YOU CAN EAT!!! NAWMSAYIN? Today I received an email that literally made my day. It was a link to "The Box" which is an old school site filled with mp3's, videos, photos, and bio's with some of my favorite old school rappers. I may be a white kid who grew up in Wisconsin but I still am a certified old school junkie. I can still recite all of LL's "Radio", I know just about every line (including the lyrics to every song) of both Breakin' movies, and a friend and I once transcribed every line to each of the LL VS. Kool Moe Dee battle songs...and this was WAY before the OHHLA "Jack The Ripper" is on the site and I just listened to it 4 times in a row! I used to think if I could build a time machine to go back in time to see the concert of my choice I would see The Dead 5/8/77, or maybe Derek and The Dominos, or Grant Green Live at the Lighthouse. Well, now I think I would zip back to the early 80's and see the oldest of the old school like a Planet Rock party or maybe the first Def Jam tour with Run DMC, Beastie Boys, and crew.

CRUSHIN!

this ad rules

GREAT COMMERCIAL!

I will post later but just saw this great ad and thought I would share. His moves look like David Elsewhere's. Hopefully this will be on during the Super Bowl.