Tag Archives: Raury

40 Songs to Prepare for Sasquatch! 2016 [Festival Preview + Playlist]

Over the last few years, Memorial Day Weekend for us has become synonymous with Washington’s Sasquatch! Music Festival–you can take a look back at our review from last year to get a sense of just how much we love it. The 4-day event separates itself from other major festivals by offering a one-of-a-kind backdrop overlooking the Columbia River Gorge and being just far enough in the boonies that all attendees camp together. That combination makes for a more communal experience while offering some relief from common festival-goer complaints.

In its second year back to a 4-day bill, Sasquatch! presents one of its most unique lineups to date shedding light on local Seattle musicians early in the day while bringing the headliners everyone has come to expect (aside from The Cure!) to take on the evening performances. While late sets from the likes of Jamie xx, Disclosure and Major Lazer jump out as major electronic acts, the daytime seems more focused on indie rock / pop and hip-hop, which should fit a sunny day in the Gorge perfectly.

To help all our Sasquatch Ninjas prepare, we’ve put together a 40-song playlist highlighting 10 acts for each day of the festival. Whether or not you’ll be at the Gorge this year, we hope you discover some new artists in here–we certainly did in putting it together. If you do make it out, look for the dude with the most colorful shorts and come say what’s up!

Day 1

Lion Babe – Treat Me Like Fire (feat. Snakehips Remix)
Oh Wonder – Body Gold
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – Can’t Keep Checking My Phone
Marcus Marr – Peacemakers
Flume – Smoke and Retribution (feat. Vince Staples)
Alina Baraz & Galimatias – Pretty Thoughts
Yeasayer – Silly Me
Todd Terje – Strandbar (disko)
Disclosure – Jaded
Chet Faker & Marcus Marr – The Trouble With Us

Continue reading

Related items:

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

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’

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

’The Internet – Under Control’

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

’Thundercat – ‘Them Changes”

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’

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

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

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

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

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)’
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’

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

’Mura Masa – Lovesick Fuck’

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’

‘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’

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’

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

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

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

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

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

’Sonny Fodera & Gene Farris – We Work It’

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

Related items:

[Hip-Hop] Raury – Forbidden Knowledge (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)

Raury
Forbidden Knowledge (feat. Big K.R.I.T.)

From the moment Raury hit the scene last year with “God’s Whisper” and his subsequent Indigo Child mixtape, the young Atlanta artist placed himself outside the boundaries of genre restriction. Even with such a broad range of styles that spans from folk to hip-hop, he’s managed to build a cohesive following who’ve come together over his music’s youthful energy and positive message. As he gears up to release his debut album next week, Raury has let loose what might be our favorite single yet.

“Forbidden Knowledge” features a minimal, ethereal instrumental that serves as the perfect canvas for Raury to display his abilities as an emcee. Delivering rhymes with a quick-hitting stream-of-conscious flow, the talented up ‘n comer displays an incredible level of lyricism as he explores issues of social injustice and inequality.  After two stellar verses from Raury, Big K.R.I.T., a legend in his own right, takes the mic adding wisdom of his own. The somewhat unexpected collaboration proves a powerful, thought-provoking one that showcases the versatility of both artists. All We Need drops is out via Columbia Records on October 16th and is available for pre-order here.

Related items:

Lollapalooza 2015: Our Top Takeaways [Event Review]

Lollapalooza-2015

As with any music festival, after Lollapalooza is over, it always takes us a few days to digest everything and snap back to reality. For locals, the festival serves as a three day escape within our own city. For outsiders, it provides them with a completely unique way to experience Chicago. The magic of Lollapalooza is simply unmatched, and despite a weather scare on the final day, Lollapalooza 2015 turned out to be just as memorable as years past. On the next few pages we’ve broken down some of our lasting impressions from Lolla.

Continue reading

Related items:

[Hip-Hop] Black Friday Mixtape Roundup (Free Downloads)

TMN Black Friday Mixtape Roundup

Black Friday is fucking weird, let’s just be honest. A day after showing “thanks” to their families, millions of Americans migrate to their local WalMart to fight over gifts their kids will forget about after a week. One great thing that does come from Black Friday every year, though, is a slew of new mixtapes from emcees who see the holiday as a perfect time to give their fans some free music. To help you ninjas navigate the countless releases, we’ve rounded up our 4 favorite mixtapes from Black Friday below. No waiting in line, no fatal fist fights over the latest version of FIFA, no stuffy, smelly crowds and, best of all, everything is free. Just scroll away, preview some tracks, read our thoughts and hit the Download button if you’re feeling it.  Continue reading

Related items:

[Deep House] Raury – God’s Whisper (La’Reda Remix)

Raury
God's Whisper (La'Reda Remix)

La’Reda, an LA-based duo made up of two established musicians in Brion Charles and Nathan Barbour, came out with a unique edit of Atlanta-based artist Raury‘s “God’s Whisper” yesterday totally spicing things up and adding their own twist. This rework features a subtle deep-house beat and a chilled out vibe that fully consumes your attention. The original voice samples are incorporated cleverly into the mix. The hollow synths used in the breakdown towards the end of the song fit perfectly with Raury’s powerful vocals. It’s complex and deep without being overdone.

Free download of the song is available here–make sure to check out La’Reda’s Soundcloud for more deep house goodness!

Related items:

[NEW] Raury – God’s Whisper (Flosstradamus & Aryay Remix)

Flosstradamus
God's Whisper (Flosstradamus & Aryay Remix)

After teasing this epic collaboration on their Instagram two weeks ago, Chicago’s Flosstradamus have let loose their Aryay-assisted remix of the talented Raury‘s “God’s Whisper,” one of the strongest songs of the year. Raury’s folk-leaning original makes this an unlikely track for Floss to take on, but the end result is enormous serving as yet another testament to the versatility of the production duo and fellow Chi-town native Aryay. This one is a true testament to the growing cross-genre collaboration in music feeling like a triumphant clash of two potent youth movements. Stream, and grab a free download, above. In case you missed it, also make sure to check out our exclusive interview with Flosstradamus here.

Related items: