SoDown and Bass Physics are back again with yet another stunning collaboration, this time unleashing “Tension” upon the world alongside a menacing music video.
“Tension” follows up on their last collaboration, “Pull The Trigger,” once again incorporating both of their unique styles with heavy bass, saxophone, guitar, and hip hop. The result is a blistering, fun bass tune that’s at times both bouncy, energetic, charged, and unapologetic.
“‘Tension’ reflects on the current state of the world with social media, climate change, political polarization, inequality, and the impacts of the virus. To us, this tune signifies a realization of the need for change and the motivation to take action,” SoDown and Bass Physics explain.
Jimmy Edgar has been an unstoppable creative force for nearly two decades, consistently churning out creatively ambitious and innovative electronic productions. In February 2021, the veteran added to his legacy by releasing CHEETAH BEND, a remarkably innovative LP that tests the boundaries of modern electronic music. Complementing Edgar’s off the wall instrumentals are a true A-list of featured artists including the likes of SOPHIE, Hudson Mohawke, and Danny Brown. The record is as bombastic as it is experimental, and overall its a must-listen for fans looking for a totally unique sound.
Dancing Astronaut caught up with Jimmy Edgar to chat about his new record, his production style, collaborating with so many differing artists, and more. Read the Q&A below.
One of the standout traits in your music is your knack for sound design—what part of a particular sound tends to catch your ear most?
JIMMY EDGAR: I love the way sound can move your imagination. The way frequencies can let your brain follow an imaginary path or how a sound can inspire you to move your body in a certain way. As humans we want to be coherent with the sounds we hear.
You feature artists from a broad array of genres on CHEETAH BEND—how do you bring artists with such different skill sets and creative perspectives into your world?
JE: I don’t have a set formula, I just had a vision and it all fell into place. There honestly isn’t any pre-conceived idea that made them all come together, I just let my excitement create the path for everything to manifest. Of course I love the artists I work with and I had some visions of others that weren’t able to participate but that is all part of the fun. Instead of a bunch of planning I just went with the flow.
The music community has been reeling with the tragic loss of SOPHIE. You worked with her on “METAL,” if you’re comfortable with it, could you please share a little about the impact SOPHIE and her work had on you?
JE: SOPHIE was my best friend and a genius who I love very dearly. We spanned so much time together and taught each other so much over 10 years. It’s difficult to put it into words but if you can imagine a friendship that is so mutually exciting, learning from each other, supporting each other and inspiring every moment, then you can begin to understand her and I’s relationship. I’m at peace but she will be sorely missed by me and the world.
‘CHEETAH BEND’ is arriving 17 years after your debut project, what advice do you wish you heard when you were starting your career? And if you could go back and tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
JE: Follow your highest excitement. Let your passion lead the way. Don’t ever listen to discouraging thoughts or words.
What’s the secret to sustaining such a lengthy music career without ever sounding stale?
JE: If you’re living your passion you won’t need any secret! Part of my passion is keeping things fresh, learning new things. Take risks. Don’t second guess your excitement.
What do you hope listeners take away from CHEETAH BEND?
JE: Honestly I don’t care!! I did my best and what I wanted to do so anything above that is a bonus. I could care less what people think of the album for real. Of course I would love people to love it with me, but I did what I needed to do. I knew I was finished when I was so grateful to have had the opportunity to make it and that’s enough for me.
Lucinda Williams has shared a cover of Sharon Van Etten‘s ‘Save Yourself’ – you can listen to it below.
READ MORE: Sharon Van Etten interview: “I don’t think I’d be a good wrestler, but I really love Glow”
The country-rock artist’s rendition of the song will appear on ‘Epic Ten’, a special 10th anniversary edition of Van Etten’s second album ‘Epic’ (released in 2010). A cover of ‘A Crime’ by Big Red Machine arrived earlier this month.
Ahead of the new record’s digital release on April 16, the video for Williams’ take on ‘Save Yourself’ landed on Van Etten’s YouTube channel today (March 18). In the clip, we see the Louisiana musician performing in the studio.
Van Etten announced the cover on Instagram last night alongside an image from the first night she and Williams met after the latter’s show in Tarrytown, New York in 2016.
“I shyly came backstage after being invited and she walked up to me with a glass of wine in her hand singing ‘Every time the sun comes up I’m in trouble…’,” she recalled. “I wanted to cry.”
Van Etten went on to hail the “legendary” Williams for covering ‘Save Yourself’ “with such devotion”. You can see that post below.
‘Epic Ten’, which comes with the original album, also features SVE covers from Idles, Courtney Barnett, Fiona Apple and more. A physical edition arrives on June 11 via Ba Da Bing.
Speaking about the anniversary release, Van Etten said ‘Epic’ “represents a crossroads for me as an artist – going from intern to artist at Ba Da Bing, from solo folk singer to playing with a band for the first time and beginning to play shows on tour where people showed up”.
A documentary on the making of ‘Epic’ will be screened along with a special livestream show by Van Etten and her band on April 16 and 17 – you can find out more information here.
Sharon Van Etten’s latest full-length album, ‘Remind Me Tomorrow’, came out in January 2019.
Closely following the release of their Slow Down EP, Gilligan Moss is back with a funky new track called “Special Thing,” out now on ODESZA’s Foreign Family Collective.
“Special Thing” arrives textured with enchanting nature sounds, creating a beautiful tune that encompasses a warm summertime sensation. Infused with groovy guitar riffs, a filtered vocal loop, and smooth chord progressions, “Special Thing” is true to its name.
Friends since the age of three, the dynamic duo comprising Gilligan Moss have been on quite a journey through the years. Although the two have been releasing music together since 2015, their forthcoming album will be their debut. Just last month, Gilligan Moss released their first EP featuring three previously released singles, “Ultraparadiso,” “Ferris Wheel,” and “Lee’s Last Dance” and one brand new track titled “Slow Down.”
“Special Thing” marks the fifth song from Gilligan Moss’ forthcoming album, Gilligan Moss. Each addition to this collection conveys a story and guides listeners through a musical journey. It is evident that the two creators have tapped into their own personal experiences, incorporating select moments of inspiration into their music. You can expect to hear the full story—all 13 tracks—when the album is released in full on April 9th, 2021.
Stream or download “Special Thing” on your preferred streaming service here.
Tom DeLonge is selling music gear used by Blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves through a new partnership with Reverb.
DeLonge announced his team-up with the online instruments retailer this week, detailing the ‘Official Tom DeLonge Reverb Shop’ in a video on YouTube – you can check it out below.
READ MORE: Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! – Tom DeLonge, Angels & Airwaves
In the preview clip, DeLonge explained that he had accumulated “so much gear” through recording and touring over the years, “but now we’re kinda overflowing with this stuff… we kinda need space”.
“We’re gonna be selling a lot of the old gear,” he continued. “We have a lot of really cool stuff.”
Among the items going up for sale are Blink and A&A road cases, amps, pedals and keyboards, as well as “one synth that has the Angels presets on it”.
“I’m excited for anybody that’s a fan of the music that I was fortunate enough to make and be a part of to get their hands on this gear,” said DeLonge. “So hopefully you guys will find something you like.
“If you do end up owning some of this gear though, I need to warn you that there’s going to be a few things that happen: you will get more handsome and everyone will love you. That’s part of the rock’n’roll lifestyle.”
The musician explained that he’s selling the gear to “make space for the next Angels & Airwaves run”, with the band recently teasing their “epic” forthcoming sixth album on Instagram.
DeLonge told a fan on Twitter last week that the record’s first single would sound “very Box Car Racer”, his past side-project with Travis Barker and Angels & Airwaves guitarist David Kennedy.
The floodgates have been opened, and festivals are beginning to make their grand comebacks.
Damian Lazarus’ Day Zero festival has announced that it will be returning to the Dead Sea at the beautiful and historical ancient mountain of Masada. The event is expanding to two nights on September 9th and 10th, 2021 and the lineup is out of this world.
Diplo, Charlotte de Witte, Luciano, Lee Burridge, DJ Tennis, DJ Holographic, Sasha, Nick Warren, and more were announced as performers for the unique music fest. Day Zero events are unlike any other, celebrating new beginnings through mind-blowing live performances and jaw-dropping locales. For Day Zero Masada: Dwellers of the Dead Sea, they will bring the intimacy of their beloved Tulum staple, the Club Stage, to the desert of Israel for a night of dancing under the stars and rising with the sun against the backdrop of the ancient Masada.
The Masada is considered one of Isreal’s most storied historical locations, tracing back to 30BC, and is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. The team behind the festival takes the location’s history into full consideration and promises to take the utmost care to honor and protect the sacred lands. To do so, they enforce a strict no-trace policy for all attendees and are committed to carbon emission offsetting through sustainable event production, recycling, and biodegradable materials.
Day Zero Masada: Dwellers of the Dead Sea will take place on September 9th and 10th, 2021. Tickets can be purchased here.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Philadelphia International Records (PIR), the Philly soul imprint founded by production duo, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, along with long time collaborator Thom Bell.
To celebrate fifty years, much of which has influenced the dance music space, PIR is premiering a stellar remix through Dancing Astronaut. Grammy-award winning DJ/producer Tracy Young put her funky-fresh spin on one of the most iconic melodies in dance music from the imprint’s house band, MFSB. “T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia)” featuring The Three Degrees is a Grammy-award winning track, and theme song for the legendary television show Soul Train from 1973-1975. Updated versions of the song were used as the show’s theme starting in 1987 until the show ended in 2006.
Tracy Young won the Grammy for Best Remixed Recording of Madonna‘s “I Rise,” last year, marking the first time a female producer has ever been nominated and won this category. The production virtuoso has racked up 60 #1 U.S. Billboard Dance Club Chart hits since 2000.
The remix is a funky house jam to its core. A strong percussion backbone glides alongside an unctuous baseline, eventually introducing those memorable “people all over the world” and “soul train” lyrics. The soulful guitar comes in for an absolutely groovy hook that screams disco house, and a more than ideal representation of the iconic Philly soul sound.
Tags: grammys, MFSB, Philadelphia International Records, PIR, premiere, Sony, Tracy Young, TSOP
The man who went viral for miming along to Fleetwood Mac while drinking Ocean Spray on a skateboard is selling the original video as a non-fungible token (NFT).
Nathan Apodaca’s TikTok video caught the attention of millions last September, including celebrities such as Wiz Khalifa right through to Fleetwood Mac themselves, with bandmembers even re-creating the skater’s ode to ‘Dreams’.
Apodaca’s feel-good video also secured him a virtual spot at Joe Biden’s inauguration in January.
Now, according to TMZ, Apodaca will tomorrow (March 19) put his 23-second clip on auction as an NFT with a reported starting bid of $500,000 (£358,437). The publication added that Apodaca sees giving someone else ownership as a way to spread his success around, since he has made lucrative gains from it.
Apodaca’s video, however, will not include the original audio snippet of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams‘ because he does not own the copyright.
The viral star reportedly plans to use the money earned from the auction to buy his parents a house and open an event centre in his hometown of Idaho Falls.
NFTs have been in the news recently as a new music industry trend adopted by the likes of Grimes and Kings Of Leon.
An NFT, as NME‘s Mark Beaumont explained recently in a blog, is a form of cryptocurrency asset. Most cryptocurrencies are fungible (or ‘spendable’) tokens; you can exchange them for other cryptocurrencies or spend them on goods where they’re accepted.
“Non-fungible tokens act like digital gold bars, rare trading cards or paintings kept in safe storage – they’re kept on the blockchain (basically a Cloud for financial assets, but where everyone with an account keeps a note of what you own) in your name but you can only sell or trade them as collectibles.”
Earlier this month Kings Of Leon released their new album ‘When You See Yourself’ in the form of an NFT. ‘NFT Yourself’ coincided with the arrival of their eighth studio effort on March 5, with the $50 (£35) NFT versions each containing a unique token with artwork, tickets, music and other forms of content. The band generated $2million in sales.
In February Grimes auctioned off 10 exclusive pieces of crypto art, dubbed WarNymph Collection Vol.1, in the form of NFTs, while Halsey sold her People Disappear Here artwork collection as NFTs yesterday (March 17).
Aphex Twin, meanwhile, sold artwork as an NFT for £90,000 on Monday (March 15). A portion of the proceeds will offset the environmental impact of cryptocurrency.
Following earlier rumors, Tomorrowland has officially announced that it will be going on this year, with new dates of August 27-29 and September 3-5.
“The regular festival weekends (July) will probably arrive too soon this year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” Tomorrowland shared. “Therefore, for 2021 only, Tomorrowland will move to August 27, 28 and 29 and September 3, 4 and 5.”
Though it’s only a difference of a month, at the rate that nations are vaccinating their citizens, four or five weeks could make all the difference in allowing greater numbers into the venue to have a good time and return to our regularly scheduled festival season.
Typically, Tomorrowland would begin announcing its artist lineup around January, but this year has been anything but typical. However, given that Tomorrowland has announced the festival is prepared to go forward this year, we can only believe that there has been a lot still going on behind the scenes and we could get a lineup soon.
“We want to stay positive and hopeful towards an unforgettable end of summer of 2021, but realize that there is also a chance the 16th edition of Tomorrowland could take place in 2022,” the festival writes on its website. “We expect to come back to you in May with a detailed update. For now, we will keep working hard to realize the most beautiful & safest festival.”
The regular festival weekends (July) will probably arrive too soon this year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, for 2021 only, Tomorrowland will move to August 27, 28 and 29 and September 3, 4 and 5.
Less than a month has passed since Insomniac—the worlds leading dance music promoter—launched its new record label Lost In Dreams. Today, the brand has announced another new imprint to operate under the Insomniac Music Group umbrella: Factory 93 Records.
Launched as the underground arm of Insomniac, Factory 93 celebrates both established and emerging acts worldwide, honing in on all things house and techno. Launched as a warehouse series back in 2016, Factory 93 is a constantly evolving underground music experience. Breaking into the record label space, Factory 93 Records will be a means to eternalize these worldly sounds, dedicated to forming a collection of underground house, techno, tech house, and even disco music.
While there are not many details currently available about Factory 93 Records at this time, we can expect a roster of international acts revealed soolabeln, which will be accompanied by a plethora of underground tracks. The new imprint is a “carefully curated catalog,” according to a statement by Pasquale Rotella, Insomniac’s founder and CEO.
“Factory 93 represents the beginning of Insomniac. Underground dance music will always be the roots of everything we do,” said Rotella. “Factory 93 is a very passionate part of the Insomniac portfolio worldwide, which makes this new record label even more exciting for us. With the addition of Factory 93 Records, our team will be able to carry over its vision from the live events side into a carefully curated catalog we can’t wait for you to hear.”
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