Tag Archives: Kehlani

Outside Lands 2016: 13 Acts To Catch Before 4 [Event Preview]

As Outside Lands approaches every year, there’s a unique buzz around San Francisco. Between those frantically searching for tickets, hashing out set conflicts, proclaiming excitement or proudly boycotting, the City’s biggest festival is on locals’ minds this week. For the last 5 years we’ve watched Another Planet Entertainment’s crown jewel grow along a similar trajectory as the Bay Area–rapidly rising in popularity (and price). Even with the ever-changing landscape that surrounds it, Outside Lands maintains a dedication to quality music, comedy and food in 2016. The lineup sticks to the tried and true formula of local / up ‘n coming acts, the years’ current headliners and a rare performance from a star of the past.

While we’d be happy to harp some more on how awesome Anderson .Paak, Rufus Du Sol or LCD Soundsystem are, we thought we’d take this opportunity to introduce all our Bay Area Ninjas to some acts they might fall in love with for the first time this weekend at Outside Lands. We know how hard it is to get your crew moving, particularly in SF, but we think these artists make accelerating your pre-game well worth it. Hope to catch some of you Ninjas out in Hellman Hollow!

Day 1

Make It Funky DJs (Heineken House, 12-1:30PM)
For the most prompt attendees, we’d recommend kicking off your weekend at the Heineken House with our friends from Make It Funky. Over the last 3 years, the DJ collective have established themselves as a staple of San Francisco nightlife. If you haven’t yet been to one of their events, their set in the Heineken House should serve as the perfect introduction to their funk/disco vibes and get you dancing from the jump. – Ash

Marian Hill (Twin Peaks, 12:45-1:30)

’Marian Hill – One Time’

Marian Hill is the cleverly titled Philly-based band consisting of Jeremy Lloyd and Samantha Gongol. While they haven’t been on the scene long, the band makes up for short-term fame in their long-term chemistry – having performed together since middle school. Since gaining notoriety behind the catchy “One Time” in early 2014, Marian Hill has been putting together jazzy-electronic tracks at a solid pace. Their debut album, ACT ONE, is out now and well worth a listen. – Dom P.

Wet (Sutro, 2:30-3:20)

’Wet – It’s All in Vain’

While riding the wave to fame behind a hipster following, Wet has taken the back roads to success, allowing their vast internet following to shower them with (well deserving) praise behind early bedroom productions. Since putting out the 2013 melodic “I Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl”, the Wet trio has signed to a major label and toured nationally. Recently reemerged from their production studio in the wooded thickets of Hadley, Massachusetts, Wet dropped their debut album Don’t You and will be certainly gaining even more followers after their OSL performance. – Dom P.

Vulfpeck (Panhandle, 2:55-3:35)

’Vulfpeck – Back Pocket’

It’s unlikely you’ll see any performance quite like Vulfpeck’s this weekend. The funk/soul band take a fully improvisational approach to songwriting resulting in a catalogue of epic, at times comedic, jams that are morphed and built on during live performance. Don’t let their light-hearted approach fool you, though, Vulfpeck are truly gifted musicians who involve the audience in their show at every opportunity. – Ash Continue reading

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[Chill] Kehlani – Jealous (Mr. Carmack Remix)

MR•CAR/ACK
kehlani, jealous (carmack remix)

Mr. Carmack has always maintained a peculiar aura, even amidst his recent surge in fame. In many ways, he has intimated the qualities of a pseudo- ghost writer for progressive and future music as a whole (TMN has chronicled many of his releases here and here and here). Moreover, his guiding influence has been felt far and wide without direct connections to many artists, in large part, due to his staying power over the years. He may have been better suited to call himself Mr. Consistency.

To that point, Carmack is held in unanimous high esteem by his peers, despite lacking a level of popularity or notoriety (among general music fans) which would typically accompany the talent and reputation of works as great as his. By setting the bar within the Soulection crew and the music producing community at large, Carmack has been releasing tracks this summer at a break-neck pace.

Following up his #SongsFromScratch collaborative release under Adidas+YoursTrulySF with Kehlani last month, Carmack has revealed a remix to the songstress’ latest hit, “Jealous”. Kehlani’s massively popular hip-hop/soul track receives a complete revamp in this latest rendition; Carmack introduces a deep bass line and smooth vocal oscillation techniques, giving the remix a dreamy and ambient quality.

Fluctuations in the dynamic scheme and timely interjections of future elements throughout the tune keep the listener engaged with the instrumental aspects of the song and steal some of the attention away from Kehlani’s moving vocals – which is no small feat. “Jealous” really comes together at the 3:12 mark after Lexii Alijai‘s fast rapping third verse, when Carmack is able to merge the style of the original with his own distinct impression of the song.

Keep tabs on Carmack this summer: music festival enthusiasts can catch his sets at Camp Bisco in Pennsylvania, Hard Summer in L.A., and at the Canadian music festival Shambhala.

 Photo credit: GL Askew II 

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[Future] Banks – Someone New (Esta Remix)

Banks
Someone New(esta Remix)

This summer, the Soulection super-team has continued to release progressive tunes on a daily basis. With its recent announcement as a program on the new Apple Radio, the Soulection brand has become nearly synonymous with a new type of music altogether. Demonstrating an exceptional style and flair, this crew of producers have toured, coproduced, and pushed each other to create innovative music for the last several years.

L.A. based crew member Esta – who has worked with the likes of JMSN, Kehlani, Towkio, Alina Baraz and many more – released his newest remix, “Someone New” late last week. The original, an acoustic track from Banks.’ album Goddess, is a soft-spoken ballad often overshadowed by the mainstream success of singles “Warm Water”, “Brain”, “Drowning”, and “Beggin for Thread”.

With the additional support of Jose Rios creating an up-tempo harmony on the bass guitar, Esta injects new life into his energetic new version. In “Someone New”, Esta once again does a masterful job of crafting synthesized loops, especially within the bridge of the song. This rhythmic tune succeeds in feeling unique while still amplifying the passionate elements of the original.

Esta is currently on tour; fans can catch him at stops in Washington DC with Goldlink and New York with Sango later this summer.

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[NEW] Mr. Carmack & Kehlani – All In

Mr. Carmack
All In (with Kehlani)

In the latest installment of Yours Truly‘s always-dope Songs from Scratch series, an ongoing project backed by Adidas Originals that fuels artist collaboration, Oakland-bred vocalist/songwriter Kehlani has teamed up with the pioneering Mr. Carmack for a slow-burning jam. Mr. Carmack, whose Red EP is around the corner, has been an omnipresent force in music for the last couple years as a humble, albeit somewhat reluctant, representation of the modern-day renaissance producer. Meanwhile, Kehlani’s debut album, which perfectly captures her unique approach to songwriting and distinct voice, has made her a well-deserving favorite among tastemakers.

“All In,” born out of two artists’ exhaustion from their respective grinds, features a markedly chilled-out Carmack with downtempo percussion, oscillating synths and gorgeous piano. Kehlani’s voice matches the backdrop flawlessly, but her lyrics are what truly shed light on the track’s significance for both artists. A fascinating contrast emerges from the combination that reflects the wear and tear that come with success and the perseverance required to keep going. It’s a deeply emotional, yet valiant, tune that surely marks a point in time of the careers of two promising talents.

If you’re looking for some mid-week inspiration, we’d definitely recommend checking out the behind-the-scenes video below and the full story behind “All In” here.

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