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[NEW] Kid Cudi – Confused

Posted by Ash El Gamal - August 1, 2015

Kid Cudi
Confused

Soundcloud

After a few weeks of teasing on social media, Kid Cudi‘s returns late at night with the first single from his forthcoming album, Speedin Bullet to Heaven. As promised, “Confused” features all live instrumentation carrying a distinct grunge vibe bringing to mind his cover of Nirvana‘s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” one of the strongest tracks from his WZRD album. However, it feels like Cudi’s improved in adopting the style with more polished instrumentation than ever (he plays all the guitar and bass himself) resulting in an interesting combination that falls somewhere between 90s rock, psychedelia and Cudi’s one-of-a-kind vocals. As its name suggest, the release is a song about inner turmoil, conflict and torment. It’s Cudi at his most vulnerable, which for loyal fans at least, always feels like his best. It’ll be interesting to see how the general public responds but we’re definitely digging this.

Although there’s no set release date for the album, it seems highly likely that it’s just around the corner. While you wait, give this a late night or early morning listen and let us know what you think.

[Get Crunk] Friday Party Playlist (Vol 158)

Posted by Tyler Trew - July 31, 2015

It’s a little later than usual, so let’s get jump started. This week has had a load of free downloads to choose from, but we narrowed it down to twelve exceptional ones that we felt we needed to share with you today. Whether you’re looking for big name tracks, or hidden gems, we got you here. From Disco Fries 1986 bootleg to the Snails and HeRobust VIP to NYMZ remix “Still In Love,” you will be partying hard. Try not to go too hard, though. It may be tough with how amazing these tracks are, but we’ll let you decide if they tickle your fancy as well. Rage on, and #danceirresponsibly.

’Europe – Final Countdown (Disco Fries Bootleg)’

Buy

’Kygo – Stole The Show ft. Parson James (Bardi Bootleg)’

Buy

’Deorro x MAKJ – Ante Up’

Download

’FIGHT CLVB – Dub Dee A Freak ft. Savana Painter’

Buy

’Silento – Watch Me (SAM F REMIX)’

Buy

’Calvin Harris – How Deep Is Your Love (Goshfather & Jinco Flip)’

Buy

’Space Laces – Digital Gangsta (Dusty Bits Remix)’

Download

’Snails & heRobust – Pump This (VIP Mix)’

Buy

’Tha Trickaz – LΞGΞND’

Buy

’Apashe – I’m A Dragon (Snavs Remix)’

Buy

’01 Didiko (Original Mix)’

Buy

’JAHKOY – Still In Love (NYMZ Remix)’

Buy

Rose Quartz Sits Down With TMN To Discuss New Album, Record Stores & More [Exclusive Interview]

Posted by Matthew Bloss - July 31, 2015

Denver based Rose Quartz has long been a staple in many of The Music Ninja staff’s music diets. Back in December, the now four-piece released their re-tooled, textured and evolved debut EP as a full four-piece, Leaving Now, which we fell head over heels for and most recently dropped a collaborative ‘TMN Premiere’ single with Brothertiger, “Pleasure & Pain”. Last weekend we had the chance to take in one of our favorite music festivals, The Underground Music Showcase, in Rose Quartz’s backyard of Denver, which this year featured headliners like DIIV, STRFKR, Tennis and of course, Rose Quartz themselves for one of the busiest three-day stretches we have the pleasure of consuming all year. After taking in their Saturday performance on the Main Stage, we caught up with Ethan, Alex, Clay and Matt after an intimate and enthralling set on Sunday at the Hi-Dive to discuss the important things in life. Like disco, Schlitz Malt Liquor and loads more. Read our entire interview below.

TMN: First off, thanks guys for sitting down with us, we’ve been huge fans since it was just Ethan & Alex as FLASH/LIGHTS, and then of course to the debut Flashlights EP from Rose Quartz. We’re just going to keep it super casual, so let’s just get right into it.

So, now that you’re a full live quartet with the addition of Clay on bass and Matt on drums, there seems to have been a shift in sonic temperament from the Flashlights EP to your most recent EP Leaving Now, which we loved. Can you talk a little bit about how that shift has affected the songwriting and recording process for you guys.

Alex: Yeah, we’ve done a lot of different things now that we’re a four-piece. We’ve been writing for the entire band now, and shifting our influences much more to a funky, disco kind of influence. We’ve been listening to a lot of the BeeGee’s, Hall & Oates, and Michael Jackson…

Clay: …The Gap Band

Alex: …Yeah The Gap Band, and a bunch of good 70’s funk and disco. And I think that just that has really helped out, and then having four people, whether it’s on stage or in the studio, just having three other people to smile at has made us want to play I guess, happier and more upbeat in regards to the music.

Ethan: And now that we’re a four-piece band, the writing style has changed. When it was just the two of us we had to write stuff that could be performed by two people and didn’t look shitty. *Laughs from the room* Which limits the kind of writing we could do in terms of our live performances. So now that we can do it as a four-piece we can write much more complex stuff with more layers, and more tasteful ways we could actually recreate live. So that was a big shift for us definitely. Just.. finding the groove.

Read the rest of our interview with Rose Quartz after the jump….

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Chris Lake Discusses his New Sound, “Stomper,” and Ending the Negativity [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - July 31, 2015

As we continue our month-long spotlight on Chris Lake, we’ve come to our favorite part of the Residency Program. Don’t get us wrong, we’re always excited about sharing some brand-new music or a wicked custom mix, but an interview gives you insight into an artist like nothing else.

Seeing how it’s Friday, we’re guessing today is going to be a lax day around the office, which makes the perfect situation for you to take 10 minutes off to get to know one of our favorite musicians.

TMN: Hey Chris! Thanks for taking some time to connect. It’s been a long time since we last spoke – all the way back in 2012! It’s good to connect and it’s great to have you as our Resident Artist.

CL: Thank you for inviting me!

TMN: First things first, let’s talk about the shift you’ve gone through this year. What inspired it?

CL: It came off the back of isolation from the rest of the world. I was a little bit disillusioned as to where I found myself positioned. I got a bit sick of some of the events I was playing, some of the bigger festivals, the main stages, and some of the things I found myself doing to make people dance.

I had lots of time by myself about a year ago and started to mess around and try new things. I went back to what I did years ago, and tried to put a new spin on it. I just loved it. It felt like an 18-year-old kid again, just producing and having fun. I was innovating in my own way, creating a sound that no one else has. I’m confident I’ve got that now. I’m confident you can listen to a record and say, “that’s a Chris Lake groove.” And, that makes me feel good.

It’s the sound of my heart, so to speak. I know it’s quite as attention-grabbing as some of the records I’ve done over the past few years, but I love it.

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MANTU & Max Joni – And I (Alle Farben Remix) [TMN PREMIERE]

Posted by Clayton Warwick - July 31, 2015

MANTU & Max Joni
And I (Alle Farben Remix)

Buy

Feel that groove? Yeah, you do. It’s got you strutting down the sidewalk feeling like a cool million. You’ve completed another long haul of five straight days of work, and now a few days of freedom lie directly ahead. What’s the best accompaniment to that blend of accomplishment and impending celebrations? Alle Farben’s remix of “And I.”

The original, which is crafted by Mantu with vocals from Max Joni, is a rather soulful deep house record, highlighted by a luscious bass line and lyrics that would make Chris Isaak nod in approval. Today though, it’s all about the remix at hand, which was dialed up by this impressive Berlin-based artist.

The first two minutes are pair perfectly with the groove we mentioned in our opening line, seemingly crafted just for a walk down a busy city street, your drive home from work, or that first cocktail you’ll have when getting ready for tonight. After that, we’re welcomed into some pitched-down vocal samples, which tie in the personality of the original.

This remix is officially out via Ultra Records as of today. We highly recommend you pick it up for your end of the week endeavors.

[R&B] Tory Lanez – Say It (Prod. Pop Wansel)

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - July 31, 2015

Tory Lanez
Say It

Buy

After teasing us with a snippet of “Say It” late last week, Tory Lanez has come through with the unabridged version of his latest single as promised. It’s barely been a month since the release of Cruel Intentions, Tory’s collaborative EP with the WEDIDIT collective, but the Toronto native is already gearing up for another full length release set to drop through Benny Blanco‘s Mad Love imprint. The fresh new tune is rooted in old school R&B, as Tory once again shows off his singing chops over an instrumental that utilizes a sample of Brownstone‘s “If You Love Me” to perfection. The song is a bit more mellow and relaxed than Tory’s typical output, but we’re not complaining. We trust that you’ll find this one in your rotation way past the end of summer.

Hip/Hop
Soul

Lollapalooza 2015 – Must See Acts [TMN EDITORS’ PICKS]

Posted by Baseer Ahmad - July 30, 2015

Behold, Chicagoans, the biggest weekend of the year is almost upon us! If you’ve been to Lollapalooza before, you know there’s something magical about being able to see all your favorite artists in the heart of the city, surrounded by Lake Michigan to your East and the scenic skyline to the North and West. As we all know though, when it comes to attending any music festival the most grueling detail is trying to determine who to see. You have to account for different tastes, conflicting set times, and even bathroom breaks amongst your group of friends. Our hope is to make that process at least a little bit easier for you by highlighting some of our picks to help guide your decision-making and possibly influence you to check out some new talent. We’ve ordered things chronologically to simplify everything. Have fun and be safe out there guys!

(P.S. Even if you won’t be partaking in the festivities this year, you’ll still have plenty of opportunities to join in on the fun. The beauty of Lollapalooza is that all your favorite artists are gathered in one location, so chances are there’s another gig in the city you’ll want to be at. You can check out the full list of shows over at Do312.)

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