by Andrew Sacher

DOWNLOAD: Martyn - "Viper" (MP3)

Martyn began DJ and promoting d&b nights in Holland as far back as 1996, but it was as recent as three years ago that his production began to be recognised. He had releases on Marcus Intalex's Revolv:R, both d&b and dubstep-- fitting since Marcus Intalex released one of the first deep house inspired dubstep-esque singles "Taking Over Me" as far back as 2000. But while Martyn bought into early Wookie material, it wasn't until Kode9's "Sine of the Dub" that Martyn took notice of dubstep. "I heard that record and it fitted right into some of the music I was hunting down at that time such as the reggae/techno from Berlin like Rhythm & Sound, Main Street and Basic Channel," he explains. [Pitchfork]

Martyn released his second LP, Ghost People, last month via FlyLo's Brainfeeder label. The album is full of hollow dubstep beats in the vein of Kode9, who is mentioned above as one of Martyn's influences, and features guest vocals on the first track by Spaceape, who collaborated with Kode9 in 2006 for the pioneering Memories of the Future album, and again earlier this year on the duo's followup, Black Sun. But what really makes Ghost People a memorable listen is the way he works in his house influences. He can come out sounding like a better version of Deadmau5's early material (before he began taking a much frattier direction). The songs layer four-on-the-floor beats with more off-kilter ones and almost always use percussion in the forefront of the song, with a sparse melody in the background. The one exception is the album's especially house-y closing track, "We Are You In The Future," which opens with a catchy bouncing synth line that gets built off for almost 9 minutes, and is by far the longest track on the album. The album track "Viper" is available for download above.

Martyn's only got one North American date coming up and its The FIXED Holiday Bash at Public Assembly on December 16 with Jonas Reinhardt (live), Andrew "The Wiz" Potter, Ulysses, JDH & Dave P, and a back room hosted by Throne of Blood. Tickets for the show are on sale now.

All dates below...

Continue reading "Martyn's released his 2nd LP on Brainfeeder, playing the FIXED Holiday party (dates & MP3)"

photos by Sharese Ann Frederick

Ed Banger's DJ Mehdi signs a fan

Bassnectar closes out the final day

"Bassnectar, arms flailing and Cousin It hair flying in all directions, brought the loudest set of the weekend, inspiring two concertgoers to scale a 30-foot support pole inside the tent." [NYU News]

Fresh off a recent appearance at Electric Zoo 2010, Bassnectar will return to NYC to play Terminal 5 on Nov 6th with Beats Antique (DJ set) and Emancipator. Tickets are on sale. The show is part of a larger US trek for the electronic artist that extends until the middle of December (and that was previously listed without the NYC show). All dates below.

In terms of new material, he says:

This week i finished the latest Bassnectar EP, 'Wildstyle' which is the most bonkers collection of music i've ever created. Each song was crafted with you in mind, and how your body and soul will be affected when the waves of this music are crashing through your cells. We will have more info soon with regards to release, but it will definitely become centerpiece of the fall soundtrack.

In the meantime, and as promised, we have our fourth and final set of 2010 Electric Zoo pictures in this post. You can also check out PART 1, PART 2, and PART 3, before continuing with PART 4 below...

Continue reading "the final set of Electric Zoo pics & more Bassnectar dates "

DOWNLOAD: Dada Life - Giant August Mix 2009 (MP3)

Pilooski @ Brooklyn Bowl - Sept. 26, 2009

Last week was great music-wise! On the less dancey side of things, Gonzales showcased his great talent behind the piano, not to mention a hilarious sense of humor at Joe's Pub friday night. Early Saturday night Phoenix rocked Central Park to perfection, followed by a late night dj set from Pilooski at Brooklyn Bowl, completing the weekend's trifecta of musical talents from Paris.

Pilooski's set lived up to the two I witnessed previously. Starting at 1:15, and deejaying nearly 2 hours, Pilooski treated the modest sized but seriously moving crowd to a great variety of highly danceable tunes. From some of his own expert edits ("Crawfish" by Elvis, "Beggin' " by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, etc.), to disco, to even some harder sounding electro, Pilooski yet again, showed New York how a wonderfully diverse dj set could still be extremely cohesive and get everyone dancing. Yes, he's already been here three times this year, but I can't wait until Pilooski is back again. In the meantime, here's what's going on this week, starting with Thursday (10/1):

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 1) (Dada Life, Tim Exile, Annie Mac, free Martyn & Micachu tickets & more) "