Latest Posts

Lone – Reality Testing

June 25, 2014

British producer Matt Cutler began recording as Lone in 2007 and has since been responsible for the some of the most inventive, dynamic tracks in dance music in recent years, layering hip hop drums with 90’s rave-inspired synths  to create a maximalist sound that feels equally suited for a solitary headphone trip as it does for the club. Reality Testing, Cutler’s fifth full length and second LP for the esteemed, rehashed dance label R&S Records, delivers much of the same kaleidoscopic bliss as 2012’s Galaxy Garden, but with more concision and emphasis on texture and reflective atmospherics than its’ predecessor. As a result, the album presents itself as synthesis of 90’s hip hop grooves and jazzy, melodic house, two genre’s that share both a common past and formative purpose. When last year’s J-Dilla referencing single “Airglow Fires” was released along with the ethereal b-side “Begin To Begin,” it was apparent Lone’s return would be marked[...]

Fashion Expo 1990 – Fashion Expo 1990

June 16, 2014

Despite being recorded between 2007 and 2008, the material that makes up the debut of Buffalo electronic duo Fashion Expo 1990 is much more reminiscent of the sounds that dominated the clubs and dance music during the decade of their namesake. With melodic piano lines inspired by house and jazz, along with synth textures and acidic bass lines that pay homage to various historical dance music scenes, the self-titled record is a compelling amalgamation of classic influences arranged in a manner that captures the same energy and enthusiasm that characterized the timeless sounds of that era. Back in 2007, Miles Kirsch, keyboard player for indie rock outfit Difficult Night, composed much of the album with help from Mike Bassette as the two regularly played the material out in the following two years. While the project was initially intended to be solely a live act, delaying the release of any recordings. Fashion[...]

Tonight: The Bloody Beetroots

June 5, 2014

When I think of The Bloody Beetroots, I hear “1, 2, WOOP, WOOP,” a humming scratching, a ticking clock and the guttural screams of “Warp.” [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/18855122″ params=”color=00aabb&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /] From Italy, Sir Bob Cornelius Rifo is known for his punk influence on the electronic world. He adorns a mask during performance and is known to many as The Bloody Beetroots. Whether it be a DJ set or a live performance, it is more than just dance music. The art of the Beetroots spans time and history, and incorporates cultural influences that set the sound apart from the rest. Last year, The Bloody Beetroots did a collaboration with Paul McCartney. The music video for that song, “Out of Sight,” truly captures the poetic essence of who Rifo is. “Electronic dance music is the bridge that spans my musical influences. My intention was to use the energy of punk[...]

Tonight: Aesthetic Perfection

May 24, 2014

Electronic music, in all of its forms, can be a fickle beast. It’s kind of like dating a German chick: sometimes you love her, but she doesn’t always love you back. Music made electronically through drum machines, synthesizers, and samplers always seems to be bubbling at the surface, but never quite boils over. Which, according to Aesthetic Perfection’s lead singer and primary creative force Daniel Graves, is just fine. “The state of electronic music is kind of irrelevant to me. I don’t exist in a scene that will ever be mainstream, so the mainstream’s acceptance of it doesn’t really affect me,” he says, adding “Europeans embrace electronic music more than we do is just a matter of culture. They just exist in a world that likes the sound more, we exist in a world that loves Nickelback.” AP’s latest release, Till Death, is a great departure from their early discography.[...]

Pizza Pizza Comes Through With Some Fresh Slices On Pie I

April 23, 2014

Airy synths, lead bass rhythms, and a variance of drum noises help form an impressive first album for Buffalo electronic hip hop artist DJ Pizza Pizza.  A pitched down “Pizza Pizza” DJ drop spatters throughout the songs, and they are probably the only words that matter on the whole project. The rest of the vocals heard serve as instruments as Pizza Pizza crafts a debut full  of different head-bobbing trip-hop/trap instrumentals.  Pizza Pizza is probably worth looking into due to his image alone. Every picture on his social media accounts is pizza related, and  his logo is of Little Caesar’s mascot holding an MPC and rocking a gold grill in his teeth with some gold on his wrist.  The format of the album, titled Pie 1, is that each song is a numbered slice that makes up the whole pie. The first song, “Slice 1,” is a really hard hitting trap beat[...]