Good things come to those who wait. Or to those who go out and get it. Or to those who know that it’s Tuesday and there is a new Indie Dojo laying around the internet just waiting to be found.
As it stands right now, Netsky is a household name across the population of dance music lovers across the globe. For us, he solidified a standing place as one of our favorite producers through a continuing body of impressive work, inventive and engaging live performances, and for helping introduce a younger group of American festival goers to one of our favorite electronic genres.
As older members of the dance community, we fondly look back on the days where drum ‘n’ bass had its own stage, boasting an array of blazing fast break beats, rolling basslines, and soaring synths and vocals. Somehow, through the years, that stage slowly disappeared, giving way to more bass-heavy varieties of DJs, leaving an entire generation without this storied portion of dance music.
While there are other notable Producers and DJs who contribute to bringing DnB back to the forefront of the scene, we’re particularly enamored with our latest Resident Artist. His style is instantly recognizable, causing fans to immediately say his name when tracks like “Rio,” “Running Low,” or “Eyes Closed” come on. Both of his albums can be enjoyed start-to-finish, and have been enjoyed in such a fashion here at TMN HQ many times over. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention his live performance, which brings a much-appreciated approach to dance music to those that were lucky enough to buy a ticket.
Simply put – this may be the most excited we’ve ever been about a Resident Artist. Make sure to tune in all month long to get a first look at some exclusive content. And, if that isn’t enough, you can expect a single from his new album later this month. Until then, enjoy this collection of some of our favorite Netsky tunes.
This week we celebrate the spirit of collaboration, sharing and musical inspiration in the form of Mothica’s Mythic EP and the amazing remixes that came about as a result of her releasing the acapellas for the world to re-imagine. The first feature from Kayge Calypso and DUNN elects to finely slice the vocals, piecing them together with key lyrical moments from the original track and a breathtakingly beautiful acoustic atmosphere. The outcome is a sound that is like butter to the ears. In much the same fashion, this next interpretation of ‘Hand Grenade’ is another gorgeous display of intricate vocal chops, this time infuzed with mellow future vibes that have us floating on a wave of carefree feelings. It’s not often we get a chance to talk about artists hailing from the small island of New Caledonia, but if this effort is anything to go by, Koyö may have just put it on the map for 2016.
Next up we have the same track taken in a very different direction, with a pair of Swedes in Native and Lost going for a deeper house-driven approach that will soothe your soul and ease you into your Monday in the best way possible. Outside of these stunning Mothica-inspired discoveries, another golden find for the week was courtesy of Vancouver’s Syre, releasing a short yet ever so sweet jam called ‘Sizzle’. It’s simple, fresh and fun, which is often all you need to create a tune that is very much at home within our humble Dojo abode.
But it’s nothing without people to share it with, so we hope you enjoy this and all the rest. Peace out!
We were first sucked in by London-based trio, Dark Sky, when they collaborated with Breach on the amazing track, “The Click,” three years ago. Seriously we can’t get enough of that track. You’ve got to check it out if you haven’t yet. Dark Sky has since released some other EPs and LPs that have kept them on our radar, and most recently they’ve caught our eye with their new track release, “Em Cy.”
“Em Cy” is an 8-minute long symphony of electronic that’ll keep you skating through whatever you’re up to on this fine weekend. Known for their profound sounds, Dark Sky starts the track off with an acapella of vocal samples, using snippets of human voices to create the base of the track’s tempo. Adding reverb and delay onto these voices, they seamlessly begin transitioning from dry vocals to more ambient sounds. One second you’ll hear a vocal with a certain delay effect, then you’ll hear an entirely synthesized sound with the same delay effect and it’s hard to discern what really originated from what. It’s fantastic. And from there the song continues to develop into a mature piece of music that reminds me of the works of an artist like Apparat or Jon Hopkins.
We’re very glad this track has got us listening to Dark Sky avidly again.
Oakland’s Feed Me Jack became TMN regulars in 2015–headlining our first ever San Francisco showcase and dropping a fantastic collection of covers. With the release of their latest EP around the corner, we’re excited to be bringing you the premiere of its first single. In typical FMJ fashion, “Emergency” showcases the up ‘n comers’ impressive musicianship while encapsulating their continually evolving sound. One of their more ambitious sonic undertaking to date, the single spans five minutes growing out of a lush, synth-backed opening. That intro recesses into an airy bridge which gives way to an unexpected twist around the 2:25 mark with the emergence of a heavier guitar progression. The sonic journey only gets more compelling in the second half proving a welcome and bold departure from the traditional verse/chorus structure–a common characteristic through out Feed Me Jack’s catalogue.
With its adventurous composition, “Emergency” is the type of track that you can truly get lost in forgetting what you were even listening to in the first place. Having seen the five-piece perform before, we can imagine this being a monster in FMJ’s live set providing opportunities for improvisation at each turn. Feed Me Jack’s Ultra Ego is due out on January 14th. In the meantime, give this a few spins and let it sink in.
As usual to end the week, we have some free downloads for you. Not only are they just any free downloads, but some of the best from the week, ranging from the soft to the hard. However, even if they’re on the chiller side, that doesn’t mean they’re not party tracks, because that’s what this weekly playlist is all about, isn’t it? As you go through these twelve singles, your ears will thank you, but who should really be thanked are the producers who put these tracks together like Lost Kings, Debroka, Jayceeoh, Taylor Thomas, Patrick Reza, NIGHTOWLS and the many others who had a hand in making these tracks great. We cap it off with my personal favorite of the bunch, a collaboration from youngster Tucker Kreway and QUEST. We’ll leave you to it; do as you wish with them, but make sure always to #danceirresponsibly.
Speculation around the status of Kanye West‘s upcoming album, SWISH, has been swirling pretty constantly since the turn of the new year when Yeezy decided to drop his underwhelming Nike dissing, Jumpman-esque single “Facts”. So when Kim Kardashian West teased the prospect of new Kanye music every Friday late last night, it’s safe to say all his fans had a mini freakout. Comparisons were instantly drawn to Ye’s revolutionary “G.O.O.D. Fridays” series back in 2010 which sent the internet into a frenzy leading up to the release of his much herald album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. While last week’s release seemed more like a throwaway teaser, this brand new single from Kanye seems like the real deal. While Kanye has never been known to mince his words, what makes “Real Friends” special is that it seems to come from an honest and vulnerable place, as he struggles to maintain relationships and questions how many genuinely trustworthy individuals he really has in his life. Packaged with the brand new single also comes a snippet for (what we presume to be) next week’s release, titled “No More Parties In L.A.” which is produced by Madlib and includes a feature from Kendrick Lamar. From the sound of it, things are only about to get better from here.
