Tag Archives: Kenton Slash Demon

[Music Ninja Radio] Episode 103: Soultronica x Black Panther x Dance Bliss

Posted by Ash El Gamal - February 12, 2018

Music Ninja Radio is a weekly podcast recorded and broadcast live on San Francisco’s BFF.fm from 4-6PM PST every Friday.

Music Ninja Radio
Episode 103: Soultronica x Black Panther x Dance Bliss

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This week’s show was mostly a mish-mash of various Soundcloud/Bandcamp finds across genres plus a few favorite cuts from TDE’s Black Panther OST. A few other projects highlighted in this episode include stellar new EPs from Ravyn Lenae, Mija & Geotheory alongside Keinemusik‘s eclectic self-titled album. Closing out the show was a selection of left-field house cuts ranging from funky to hazy lo-fi to ethereal electro.

[16 To End 2016] Ninja Ash’s Best Of The Year

Posted by Ash El Gamal - December 31, 2016

As many grievances as 2016 brought, it’d be a lie to say it wasn’t an incredible year of music. Perhaps, that’s how it always works–the best art comes in the worst of times. Music has always been my primary coping mechanism and I couldn’t be more thankful for all the artists that made this year bearable and, quite honestly, pretty damn fun despite it all. These are the songs that soundtracked my best moments and lifted me up during my lowest–I hope they can do the same for you. Happy New Year!

Solange
Cranes In The Sky (Kaytranada Edit)

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No song quite captured the struggle of depression in a more captivating manner than Solange‘s ‘Cranes In The Sky.’ Kaytranada‘s edit makes it glow even more.

Moses Sumney
Lonely World

Soundcloud

2016 was a well-deserved breakout year for the incredibly talented Moses Sumney. “Lonely World,” with its intense progression, would be my song of the year if I had to pick one.

Autolux
Change My Head

Soundcloud

Autolux were easily one of my favorite discoveries of the year and “Change My Head” is them at their most potent–haunting, grungy and catchy with raw, dynamic percussion.

Moderat
Reminder

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Moderat‘s III was my favorite album of the year and ‘Reminder’ exemplifies the super-group’s incredible production in both its stark lows and explosive highs.

Mick Jenkins
Drowning feat. BADBADNOTGOOD

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This is just a beautiful protest song in so many ways. From Mick Jenkins‘ versatile rapping and singing to Badbadnotgood‘s flawless live instrumentation, it possesses a unique balance and thoughtfulness that few similarly themed songs display. Make sure to check out the entrancing music video as well.

Blood Orange
E.V.P.

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This one’s for Prince! Blood Orange couldn’t have given us Freetown Sound at a better juncture.

Kaytranada
Glowed Up (feat. Anderson .Paak)

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Two of 2016’s all-stars team up for pure gold capturing Kaytra’s intriguing cadence and Anderson .Paak‘s soulful flows.

Innanet James
Summer Prod. The Kount

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Innanet James‘ introduction to the music world comes with this no-fucks-given summer anthem that also highlights The Kount, a candidate for best new hip-hop producer.

Kid Cudi
By Design (feat. Andre 3000)

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Kid Cudi, Plain Pat, Pharrell & Andre 3000…yeah, could’ve guess this one would be in my 16 before I even heard it. Can’t stop listening to this one.

A Tribe Called Quest
We The People

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A message of inclusion that came when I needed it and from exactly the crew I wanted to hear it from. RIP Phife Dawg!

Rufus Du Sol
Innerbloom

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“Innerbloom” is truly Rufus Du Sol‘s manifesto–an epic that captures the essence of their endlessly playable 2016 release, Bloom. This song also spawned one of the best remixes of the year from What So Not.

Kenton Slash Demon
TT

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Kenton Slash Demon continue to enamor me with their trippy, textured take on dance music. ‘TT’ manages to feel both ethereal and ready for the dance floor.

Frank Ocean
White Ferrari (Jacques Greene Edit)

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The original version of “White Ferrari” may be my favorite track from Frank Ocean‘s emotional masterpiece, Blonde–capturing both its most and least accessible elements. Montreal producer Jacques Greene released nothing but phenomenal productions this year but this remix of Frank takes the cake.

Ross From Friends
Gettin’ It Done

Soundcloud

Aside from having the best name in dance music, Ross From Friends flipped everything I thought I knew about house music on its head. “Gettin’ It Done” certainly makes you want to dance but the lo-fi sonics teamed with a masterfully utilized soul sample create a vibe unlike anything I’ve heard before. If you dig this one, check out this mind-blowing live performance from Ross & crew.

Mall Grab
Father

Soundcloud

Mall Grab wins the award for my favorite house discovery of 2016 and this take on the sample from Kanye’s “Father Stretch My Hands Pt.1” was a staple in my DJ sets this year. While I love Kanye’s version, his cringe-worthy opening line disqualified it from any best of lists.

Billy Kenny
Work Me (Justin Jay Remix)

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Werk into the New Year!

[15 To End 2015] Ninja Ash’s Best of the Year

Posted by Ash El Gamal - December 31, 2015

When you listen to music as much as I do, your song selections and life experiences become inseparable–each impacting the other in both conscious and subconscious ways. That relationship embodies the uniquely subjective nature of music. You can listen to a song ten times and think nothing of it but then hear it in the right context or headspace and everything just clicks. As such, any effort of making an objective “best of” list proves a fruitless task. So rather than attempt that Sisyphean task, my ’15 To End 2015′ captures the songs that meant the most to me this year: ones that soundtracked my best memories, comforted me at my lowest points or simply possessed endless replay value. Peep my favorites of 2015 below. Hopefully they’ll take on a life of their own in your music collection.

’Beach House – Space Song’

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A trip to psychedelic space land–just close your eyes and absorb.

’The Internet – Under Control’

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A fresh and endlessly relatable take on R&B from Syd & co.

’Thundercat – ‘Them Changes”

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Built on the same Isley Brothers drum sample as “Today Was a Good Day,” this funk-injected jam crescendos a year full of nostalgia for the era of Parliament, James Brown & Sly Stone.

’Main Attrakionz – Ain’t No Other Way’

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Feel good Bay Area hip-hop for and from the soul.

’Raury – Forbidden Knowledge (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)’

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An absolute lyrical gem from a young artist with wisdom well beyond his years.

’Kendrick Lamar – These Walls (feat. Thundercat, Bilal & Anna Wise)’

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My most played song from my favorite album of the year: ‘To Pimp A Butterfly.’

’Jamie xx – I Know There’s Gonna Be (Good Times)(feat. Young Thug & Popcaan)’

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It’s hard to pick a favorite song from Jamie xx’s ‘In Colour’ but this summer anthem flipped pretentious listeners on their heads while showcasing the merits of melodic emcees.

’Shamir – In For The Kill’

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The danciest track from the year’s most pioneering pop vocalist.

’Mura Masa – Lovesick Fuck’

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In 2015 Mura Masa continued to prove his dominance in the realm of emotional future bass. This is easily my most played track of the year.

’Big Wild – Aftergold’

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‘Aftergold’ captures Big Wild’s genuinely organic approach to electronic music–one full of sonic plot twists and playful melodies.

’Lane 8 – Loving You ft. Lulu James’

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Lane 8’s compositions shaped my year and “Loving You,” the opener of his debut album, brings to mind feelings of excitement and new beginnings.

’Kenton Slash Demon – Harpe’

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The capacity for emotional power within an instrumental composition should never be underestimated–‘Harpe’ proves that.

’Tame Impala – Let It Happen (Soulwax Remix)’

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The magnificence of Tame Impala and the rare emergence of Soulwax combine for infinite grooves.

’Billy Kenny – I Eat Beats (Ardalan Remix)’

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This song is single-handedly responsible for piquing my interest in tech-house.

’Sonny Fodera & Gene Farris – We Work It’

Soundcloud

I listened to this every time I worked it in 2015.

[TMN Exclusive Interview] Kenton Slash Demon On Recreating Moments in their Music

Posted by Ash El Gamal - October 13, 2015

’Kenton Slash Demon – Harpe’

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Danish production duo Kenton Slash Demon didn’t first appear on the pages of TMN until about a month ago, but they’ve been making waves in electronic music for over half a decade now. Across a series of EPs, Silas Moldenhawer and Jonas Kenton, the artists behind KSD, have displayed a versatility fueled by a passion for dance music of all kinds. Regardless of styles employed or influences evoked, there remains a distinct emotional power across their catalogue even with an often minimalist approach–using stark undertones as a powerful point of contrast. Perhaps some of that dynamic range also stems from Silas and Jonas’s work as half of successful indie-electronic outfit, When Saints Go Machine. Their latest project, the Harpe/Syko EP, sees the Future Classic-signees continuing their sonic evolution with two lush and textured, albeit vastly different, compositions equally appropriate for a festival sunrise or an at-home chill session.

We had a chance to catch up with Silas of Kenton Slash Demon about growing up in Copenhagen, their production approach and the emotions that fuel their creativity–check out the interview below. You can grab a copy of Harpe/Syko now here and check out KSD’s upcoming US tour dates here.

TMN: How did you and Jonas first start making music and were there any memories from early on that stand out?

Silas: I think it was around seventh or eighth grade when Jonas started listening to electronic music and I had an older friend who had been DJing who got me into it. Jonas had been listening to some Danish artists like Future 3 and Bjørn Svin—he bought those CD’s and played them for me. We were not really good friends at that point, even though we were in the same class. We kind of bonded over the music.

At some point, my dad bought an old school sound module with standard MIDI sounds and hooked it up to our PC with, I think, Cubase 1.2 or something, in black and white and with no effects. We had no idea about equipment, programs or synthesizers. We had never even heard about synthesizers at that time, so we just started trying to make electronic music from these standard MIDI sounds. At that point, it was psychedelic trance we were trying to copy and it sounded really weird because we didn’t have any of the sounds you needed to make that kind of music.

TMN: How important has the Danish music scene been in forming your sound?

Silas: We never thought about how the scene affected us, but looking back it had a massive impact–just getting inspired by what’s close to you, what’s going on when you’re growing up, when you start to go out to clubs and you experience your first rave. For us, the scene we were first part of was like shitty trance music in a club called Gorgeous and it was only on Wednesdays. I remember we had fake IDs to get in and we were not really participating in the party. We were just standing in the corner looking at the DJ and all the dancing, just trying to learn. We were really curious about the whole thing.

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[Electronic] Kenton Slash Demon – Syko

Posted by Ash El Gamal - September 9, 2015

Kenton Slash Demon
Syko

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After hearing Kenton Slash Demon‘s “Harpe,” the first single from their upcoming Harpe/Syko EP, the Danish production tandem immediately became one of our top acts to look out for this year. A couple days ago they let loose “Syko,” presumably the second half of their upcoming Future Classic release, which solidifies the textured, blissful sound that they’ve established with their catalogue thus far.

Carrying on the deep, instrumental style, “Syko” sees KSD taking a groovier approach all the while maintaining the unmatched mind-altering relaxation established on “Harpe.” Once again, it displays how a well-crafted instrumental composition can evoke unmatched emotional power. There’s a certain depth that takes the listener on a magnificent mental excursion that’s easily worth repeated listens.

Harpe/Syko drops on 12″ vinyl via Future Classic on September 11th and can be pre-ordered here. It will be available a week later, on September 18th, digitally as well. Just in case a Ninja co-sign isn’t enough, it’s also worth noting that Flume reposted this on Soundcloud earlier today–it certainly seems like the perfect track for him to remix or at least fit into one of the more atmospheric portions of his live sets.

[Electronic Bliss] Kenton Slash Demon – Harpe

Posted by Ash El Gamal - August 13, 2015

Kenton Slash Demon
Harpe

Soundcloud

The capacity for emotional power within an instrumental composition should never be underestimated–a sentiment interestingly, and perhaps ironically, shared equally between fans of electronic and classical music. In fact, it could be argued that undeciphered abstraction leaves more room for personal and spiritual connection to a song. This couldn’t be more evident on “Harpe,” the latest single from Danish production duo Kenton Slash Demon, which is also one of their first official releases as recent signees to Australian juggernaut Future Classic. The label’s roster already boasts one of the most diverse collections of pioneering artists (Flume, Chet Faker, George Maple, Ta-Ku, Hayden James, Jagwar Ma and the list goes on) and their latest addition proves no different.

“Harpe” spans nearly seven minutes utilizing a stuttering, psychedelically-altered vocal sample backed by atmospheric pads and a steady house tempo to completely engross the listener with a repetitiveness that, at least for me, evokes a feeling of unrelenting reincarnation. That groove hits an interlude of suspension before returning with even more intricate textures. It’s an absolute musical odyssey that simultaneously elicits euphoria and darkness in a way that’ll connect with you in ways few tracks can.

Looking back at Kenton Slash Demon’s Soundcloud page, it’s clear why Future Classic chose them as their next project. If you’re digging this, we’d also highly recommend giving their Skydancer EP a listen.

P.S. Check out the heart-warming video for “Harpe” below.