Introducing…Snakehips!

Snakehips, aka Ollie Dickinson, is a London-based producer whose influences include the likes of Mad Lib & Pete Rock. In his free time, he manages to make some pretty outstanding remixes, like indie rock duo Wild Belle’s “It’s Too Late” featured above. As far as we’re concerned, he’s upstaged the original version. None of this is meant to detract from Natalie Bergman or her Dusty Springfield-like fabulousness. Enjoy! 

Check out his Facebook page here.

Mellowing out in Perth.

There have been so many great artists coming out of Perth, Australia in the last several years. At the forefront of Perth’s underground scene is Diger Rokwell, aka Ash Hosken, a DJ/Producer that coordinates The Community, a collective of local musicians and performers. He’s remixed for Pond and is a fan of Bonobo, DJ Krush, and the Gaslamp Killer, among others. Featured above is “Rework,” an instrumental track with mellow hip hop influences. All of this just makes one want to move to Australia.

Check out his Twitter feed and see what’s going on.

Daft Punk: Reinventing or Recycling?

Artists evolve. They change course. They experiment. Or they get stuck. As you listeners know, the Internet exploded with Daft Punk mania today. There is nothing wrong with paying homage to DP - they are, after all, totally legendary, and no amount of criticism can detract from their prestige status. Daft Punk set an impossibly high standard with Homework, even Discovery. With Random Access Memories, are they merely exploiting that funky disco sound (Random Access Memory refers to computer data storage. In this case, is it a play on words or just an excuse to reference their big disco hits?) Of course, we can’t ask all artists to put out mind blowing album after mind blowing album. But lyrics like these? “I’m up all night to get some. She’s up all night for good fun -I’m up all night to get lucky.” Snooze. Why are we all so quick to pretend we like something when deep down, we are not moved?

Music for good weather.

Pond is a Perth-based band that includes 3 out of the 4 members from psych rock giant Tame Impala, including Kevin Parker, its frontman. Their latest album, Hobo Rocket, is set to release on Modular Recordings. The preview track featured above, “Giant Tortoise,” is refreshingly robust. Pond attributes some of their influences to Can’s lead vocalist, Damo Suzuki. Enjoy!

Fortuitous, England.

British producer and DJ Pedestrian, aka Jack Sibley, has gleaned inspiration from multiple genres. As a teenager, his interest in beat making grew out of a love for hip hop, then drum and bass, and eventually UK bass. He would later experiment with house-y tempos, finding his signature here.

Featured above is his collaboration with London duo Maribou State. Enjoy :)

Find tour dates here.

Stones Throw from Jamaica

The pioneering hip hop label Stones Throw has joined forces with the man behind the wildly popular LA reggae night, known as Dub Club, for the release of a new album, Dub Club: Foundation Come Again, produced by Jamaican artist Tippa Lee (pictured above, left) and Tom Chasteen, the co-founder and DJ of Dub Club. It’s set to release July 16, 2013. We can’t wait!

Check Stones Throw out for more info here.

Notes from Yorkshire, England

The Cutler is Steve Cobby of renown electronica duo Fila Brazillia, and David Brennand aka “Porky,” owner of Pork Recordings. Their third album is set to release in late May. For a taste of what’s to come- check out their latest single, “OFGB,” which features ethereal vocals from Sheffield-based alt-folk outfit Little Glitches. The result is a rather intoxicating blend of dreamy, melodic notation. Enjoy!

See more about The Cutler on their website here. They are from Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire (England).

Throwback Thursdays

Indie singer-songwriter Liz Phair achieved commercial success with her critically acclaimed album, Exile in Guyville, released in 1993, one of the all-time best years for music. One of her most well-known singles is “Explain It To Me,” a song about fading stardom. One could also interpret the lyrics as criticism of celebrity worship? Either way, it’s pretty awesome.

Shoegaze with an electronic touch.

Houston-born artist Yppah, aka Joe Corrales Jr., currently listed on Ninja Tune Records, is of the multi-talented sort. Heavily influenced by psych rock, big beat, and shoegaze band My Bloody Valentine, Yppah incorporates a blend of musical styles into his productions. As a former bass guitarist and scratch DJ, he’s been able to experiment freely with an array of instruments, both analog and digital. Check out his lush single, “City Glow.”

He has a huge following on Facebook. Look him up.

Coachella watchin’…

Super talented LA-based DJ & electronic producer Mimosa, aka Tigran Mkhitaryan, is typically associated with dubstep acts like Skream and Pretty Lights, even glitch hop producer Flying Lotus. His music is heavily hip hop-influenced, with references to post-dubstep. Check him out if you’re heading to Coachella. He plays on Sunday, April 14, at 3:30.

Follow Mimosa on Twitter.

Other key acts to watch out for: Joris Voorn, Jeff the Brotherhood, Sparks, Rodriguez(!), DIIV, and of course, Disclosure.