I’ve been a major slacker as far as blogging goes lately. But that’s ‘cos I’ve been un-slacking in other areas. You know, work and such. So anyway forgive me for what could be a series of really late passes. But anyways, Little Dragon are near and dear to my heart so here’s the infos on their new album Machine Dreams along with a download (below) of “Blinking Pigs” which I first saw over at TreesForBreakfast. Press release via Dog Day Press. “Feather” is currently being played by various DJs on KCRW.

Little Dragon return with a spectacular second album offering in August, a pulsating electro pop epic that Prince would be proud of (only fronted by a beautiful Swedish lady with a sultry voice). A bold and surprising side/two step onwards from their acclaimed 2007 self titled debut. Machine Dreams, with its nagging hooks and gloriously infectious tunes, will see the band break out into the mainstream.

Having toured relentlessly since the last record, Little Dragon found themselves to be very popular in the US specifically on the west coast. After sessions on KCRW’s flagship ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic’ show, their album became the most played on the station after Radiohead. No mean feat for the little dragons from Sweden, especially when they didn’t have a US record label backing their forays. The track ‘Twice’ was even played on hit US show Grey’s Anatomy. The band’s US success brought them to the attention of the likes of notorious basement dweller DJ Shadow and David Sitek, the latter asking them to support TV On The Radio on their US tour in May 2009.

Recorded in their home city of Gothenburg, Machine Dreams is fresh and kinetic. Be it Yukimi’s warmly inviting vocals, Erik’s dextrous drumming, the vast array of synths and bleeps created by Hakan or Frederik’s bubbling bass lines, together they don’t sound like anything else around right now. The move towards a more electronic sound was a conscious one, as Yukimi explains; “These days, humans seem more and more like machines, and as technology evolves, machines feel more human and it becomes fuzzy and beautiful and science fiction-ish. We feel dependent on our machines to create and live, and their sounds reflect us”.

Album opener ‘A New’ breaks us in gently with a single whirring note on the synthesiser, an almost alien sound that gradually morphs into a slow, thumping bassline. Yukimi’s vocals flow alongside Hakan’s assortment of sound effects interspersed with militaristic drums breaks. A magical opener that sets the scene and seems to sink into itself, taking us with it, until the pace is swiftly ratcheted skywards with ‘Looking Glass’, the massive snare, crisp driving beat and spacey synths revealing the band’s current penchant for the 80s. This influence continues apace into stand out track ‘My Step’. Utilising a solid drumbeat that nestles next to jagged and playful synthlines, the track breaks down into motorik propulsion with a scuzzy techno bassline that Yukimi works with ease.

Upcoming single ‘Feather’ finds Yukimi’s voice at its most detached and seemingly nonchalant, yet magnificently seductive. Backed by Hakan’s keyboard atmospherics, the song creates a soundscape reminiscent of Tears For Fears’ more reflective moods. Gradually layering more vocals, synths, echoes and reverb, it builds to a quietly psychedelic, dreamy cosmic swirl. ‘Runabout’ brings forth a mini Airto style percussive breakdown at the tail end of yet another Little Dragon pop gem. ‘Swimming’ bursts into life with stabbing keys and reflective bass, while Yukimi sings of young love “and now so many years have past, my memories as clear as glass”. The song is over as quickly as it started, flowing into the next miniature masterpiece in the form of ‘Blinking Pigs’.

The album closes with the stunning ‘Fortune’, which has already caught the attention of none other than DJ Shadow, who wrote to the band personally to say how much he loved the track. It’s no wonder really, as the textured melodies blend with the drifting percussion, creating a blissful sonic mood. With a smattering of drums and bass and the magic of Yukimi’s voice and Hakan’s electronic dynamics floating on top, it’s the perfect song to end this fascinating journey through Little Dragon’s brave new world.

With disparate influences from Depeche Mode to Prince, LCD Soundsystem to James Holden, Dancehall to R&B, Jazz and Soul, Little Dragon take their place among artists who straddle many genres, yet somehow create their own and in doing so create “sounds that make time stop” (Yukimi). Futuristic yet somehow retro, Machine Dreams sees Little Dragon achieve something timeless; that elusive pop classic.

Needless to say, I cannot wait.

Listen to “Blinking Pigs”:
[See post to listen to audio]

Download Little Dragon – Blinking Pigs

Thanks to the folks at A-Side for this free joint from Tony Ozier’s Aural Penetration album.”Futuristic Soul (Do You Agree?)” is produced by 14KT who’s got that Midas touch with tracks – pretty much anything he touches turns to dope.

Listen to “Futuristic Soul”:
[See post to listen to audio]

Download Tony Ozier – Futuristic Soul

You can find Aural Penetration at 
While you’re there, make sure to pick up 14KT’s excellent album The Golden Hour

The production duo of Ancient Astronauts are getting ready to release an artist album on ESL, June 9th – We Are To Answer. They have previously remixed the likes of Up Bustle & Out, Ladybug Mecca of Digiable Planets, Zion I, and Dr. Rubberfunk, and show off their musical pedigree with this excellent freebie mix (’bout an hour long) of hip-hop, funk, fonky hip-hop and all kinds of other good stuff.

“HEART OF THE FUTURE” TRACK LIST
01. Beatstalkers Anthem – The Beatstalkers (Foot Forward Music)
02. MCs Act Like They Don’t Know – KRS-1 (Classic Re-Edits)
03. I Wanna Make You Move – Freddie Cruger feat. Anthony David (Tru Thoughts Recordings)
04. Catatonia – Connie Price & The Keystones feat. Percee P & Wild Child (Ubiquity Records)
05. Edgelactic – The Beatstalkers (Foot Forward Music)
06. Classic – Ancient Astronauts feat. The Pharcyde (ESL Music/Switchstance Recordings)
07. Insight – Fort Knox 5 feat. Asheru (Fort Knox Recordings)
08. The Roc Boys Get Back – Jay’s Soul Connection (Amsterdam Gangster Music)
09. Funky Furious – DJ Aeon Seven (Modern Funk/Freestyle Records)
10. The Tide Is High – The Beatstalkers (Foot Forward Music)
11. 7 Nation Army (Grant Phabao Remix) – Nostalgia 77 feat. Alice Russell (Tru Thoughts Recordings)
12. Shine Eye Gal (Chase The Remix) – Michael Rose feat. Shabba Ranks (Like Dat Records)
13. Don’t Worry ’bout Romie – Beenie Man vs. Bob Marley (Jiggy Records)
14. Dukku Dukku (The Beatstalkers Remix) – Keith & Tex feat. Shabba Ranks (Fizzle Recordings)
15. Tequilimba – Barrio Katz (Planet Blend Records)
16. Blowing Up The Spot (Ancient Astronauts Remix) – Fort Knox 5 (Fort Knox Recordings)
17. Everybody – Ancient Astronauts (ESL Music/Switchstance Recordings)
18. The Outsider – Lack Of Afro (Freestyle Records)
19. Caffeine (DJ Format’s Getaway Remix) – The Quartertones (Freestyle Records)
20. Heard It Through The Grapevine – The Beatstalkers (Foot Forward Music)
21. Keep On Looking (Kenny Dope Remix) – Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings (Soulplex Recordings)
22. D’azour Cotaz (Ancient Astronauts Remix) – Timewarp Inc. (Timewarp Music)

Download the exclusive ‘Heart of the Future’ mix here!

And here’s a coupla treats from the album that demonstrates their versatility.:

Listen to “Everybody”:
[See post to listen to audio]

Download Ancient Astronauts – Everybody

Listen to: “I Came Running”:
[See post to listen to audio]

Download Ancient Astronauts – I Came Running

Kwatro once again have hit us up with some good stuff. This is a collaboration between beat maker fLako and an MC named Versis who added his, um, verses, to this instrumental of fLako’s which first appeared on his beat tape The First Spaceshit on The Moon.

Listen:
[See post to listen to audio]

Download fLako ft. Versis – Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

Stones Throw’s latest find is the very soulful Mayer Hawthorne. He’s got a classic soul n’ funk sound that even your parents might appreciate. And in this case, that’s not a bad thing. “Maybe So, Maybe No” channels a time when soul was good n’ funky, catchy and melodious. No production frills, no freakin’ autotuney majiggy,  just a nice dusty-sounding vibe that hearkens back to a simpler time :)

Download Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So, Maybe No

Listen:
[See post to listen to audio]

And here’s an extra bonus I found via Nialler9, the video for “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out”.

Mayer Hawthorne – Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out from Stones Throw on Vimeo.

Now, if only all white boys were this authentic in their use of soul and hip-hop. Asher Roth I’m looking directly at you (with a lot of malice).

What is it with major labels scooping up talent and then not doing a damn thing with it – J*Davey, Miguel to name a couple, and in this case – Steph Jones. He was signed to DTP/Def Jam for about 5 minutes but now he’s a free agent again. Hating that played-out vocal effect on this track (when will that lame trend end? I almost didn’t post this on principal) , especially when Steph Jones has a great voice au naturale – but the song is good n’ catchy.

Download Steph Jones – Shooting Star

Listen:
[See post to listen to audio]

Found via Next-Thing.

This slice of dopeness featuring Mystic (new album? please?) is just one of the gems featured on a new collection from The Angel and Supa Crucial Recordings. Supa Crucial Downtempo Remixes & Rarities displays The Angel’s versatility and comfort with genres from dubby downtempo to gritty underground hip-hop.The collection features collaborations with Divine Styler, Tre Hardson and more.

And lucky you, here’s some treats from the album.

Download “Make It Betta” (Divine Styler Remix) – The Angel feat. Tre Hardson
Listen:
[See post to listen to audio]

Download “Ride With The Flow” (Reflow Remix Redub) – 60 Channels feat. Navigator & Cokni O’Dire
Listen:
[See post to listen to audio]

Destiny Complete (Bittersweet Version, DJ Drez Remix) (mp3)

You can purchase the album at iTunes or at the SupaCrucial Store

“Tea Leaf Dancers” is one of my favorite Flying Lotus jams, and now there’s a pretty cool video to go along with it. Thanks to Blind I For The Kids

And some bonus downloads for you:

Download Local Legends ft. Blu
[See post to listen to audio]

And on this one Blu grabs a track from Flying Lotus’ Los Angeles album and goes to town on it.
Download GNG BNG (MeMix) – Blu x Flying Lotus
[See post to listen to audio]

Quite Nyce & Raydar Ellis recently released an excellent indie hip-hop album Champs Vs. The League which you should definitely check out if you like Zion I, Kero One, Little Brother and other soulful hip-hop acts. Here’s another track for your listening pleasure, “The Spirit”.

[See post to listen to audio]

According to Raydar Ellis “The Spirit” is “a song about having enough self pride to go out there and better yourself and in turn the people around you. ” For Quite Nyce, “The Spirit” means: “Exposing everything you have inside without hesitation to showcase the true. Many people wear masks and hide behind vices to protect themselves. The Spirit is about being you and bettering people around you. We all can be The Spirit.”

Download “The Spirit”

The guys were recently on tour in the UK and hooked up with Geoff from Portishead while there were there. Check the video below for a glimpse into that session:

Thanks to the lovely EMusic I recently grabbed Lisa Shaw’s brand new album “Free” and I’m pretty much in love with it. It’s full of the soulful downtempo-y, housey goodness you would expect. Lisa Shaw does this better than anyone else so grab this album for a wonderful end-to-end listen.

She has just released a video for the track “Tomorrow” which will probably draw Sade-comparisons. I don’t necessarily think it’s the strongest track on the album, but still good.

Here’s a bonus for you while I’m at it.
Download “Can You See Him”

And check out the interview over at Nu-Soul Mag