tiananmen square dance //

There’s this homie that we kick it with that goes by Nicoteenbuzz, and he’s one of our most trusted organic sources for legit new jams of the independent electronic ilk. He has a real nose for a wide variety of experimental jams, trading in everything from super radio friendly indietronic stuff like Passion Pit to the work of obscure bedroom vaporwavers like Computer Dreams. No one real person has been more instrumental in the creation of Tiananmen Square Dance than the man behind Nicoteenbuzz (and many, many other pseudonyms over the years). With that in mind, we’d like to give special attention to his latest free mix, the NICOTEENBUZZ JUNE 13 MIXTAPE. Featuring several new singles along with a handful of tried-and-true favorites, the many isolated strains resulting from that seminal summer of 2010 are all briefly represented here on Nicoteenbuzz’s latest free offering. Come for Clams Casino’s dark underground hip-hop and Wasted Nights’ nostalgic VHS-wave and stay for Com Truise’s warped synthwave and Ice Cream Social’s bite-size splashes of 64-bit synesthesiæ. Do tha right thing, and grab a free download of NICOTEENBUZZ JUNE 13 MIXTAPE. Afterwards, follow our good buddy on Twitter for more good recommendations.

Download here.

Gloria Supatra Bhargava is one of us: a twenty-something corporate shill by day and vibrant artistic mind after-hours. While not whiling away the hours at what is probably a very lucrative career with advertising, Gloria combines vintage photography with surreal landscapes and galactic portraiture. As you well know, we love collage art at Tiananmen Square Dance. It’s what we know best: recombined samples from countless different bygone eras, all collected together as a cohesive, hyperreal mash-up. Collage Calamity is Gloria Bhargava’s outlet, and we hope you enjoy her work as much as we do. Below are some of our favorites. Do tha right thing, and check out her portfolio, and be sure to repost on your favorite social network if you like what you see.

“Whatever Happened to Analog?”

“Power Source”

“Afro Heartbeat”

After our hiatus, we re-arrive with the third installment of our new and exciting VHS Wave series. We owe our readership and listenership (?) an apology due to the unannounced vacation, but we are sure you understand. If it makes you feel better, we did our homework, and we are very happy with and proud of VHS Wave Vol Three, featuring the most tracks on any mix released to date (barring double releases, of course). This worthy entry into the Tiananmen Square Dance canon boasts more than its fair share of recent synthwave singles and old vaporwave and witch house faves. Kicking the party off with an overlooked VHS-wave oldie by Culture Voyage and bookending the experience with a mind-blowingly hazy banger by Friendzone, this mix is among our most treasured so far. Many little known artists from AMDiscs made their way onto the playlist, due to the timely release of their 2013 mixtape, so we’re happy to spread their love. Additionally, look for new singles by Luxury Elite, Airbird & Napolian, and Phaseone. We dredged up everything from the retro IDM-influenced synthwave in Dreams West’s “</3” to Giraffage’s glo-fi rework of Owl Eyes’ “Closure”. The varied representation of our favorite experimental electronic music styles is here in full force this month, so we’re sure you’ll pardon our releasing it a little on the late side. It’s well worth the wait. Download it here, or stream it at our Bandcamp page if you like to keep your hard drive uncluttered. As per usual, we highly appreciate your listening, and we sincerely hope that we broaden your musical horizons or at least add to your growing collection. If you enjoy what we have compiled, repost on your favorite social network. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more regular updates, and above all, support the featured artists financially. Buy their albums, attend their shows, and fund their Kickstarter projects. Without them, TSQ would probably just be a bunch of Nickelback songs.

SIDE A

1.   CULTURE VOYAGE  digital stargate

2.   POORSCHE  good anna da bad

3.   HORSE HEAD  we can win

4.   DREAMS WEST  </3

5.   ESPRIT 空想  cruiser

6.   MIDNIGHT RUNNERS  tell me

7.   LUXURY ELITE  secret

8.   DIANA  born again

9.   TAPES  slow touch

10. AIRBIRD & NAPOLIAN  in the zone

11. MIAMI VICE  skymall™

12. JACOB 2-2  videolympics

SIDE B

13. AIRSPORTS  dubbed in 3D

14. SUPREME CUTS & HALEEK MAUL  ball

15. JOGGING HOUSE  you don’t talk

16. THE PILLARS OF CREATION  gloom

17. OWL EYES  closure (giraffage remix)

18. CHUCK PERSON  eccojam B7

19. SAINT PEPSI  balancing towers

20. RIMAR  all we have

21. PHASEONE  bianca

22. LAPTI  featuring ol

23. SECRET SCHOOL  ghost ocean (oh, the world!)

24. FRIENDZONE  !!-major

Download here.

The cycle has begun anew. We are now on year three of Tiananmen Square Dance’s reign. With the inception of our domain, our Twitter, Facebook, and Bandcamp page, our reach has expanded exponentially. As a result, so has the amount of time and level of dedication that we’re putting into locating, praising, compiling, and perpetuating this new wave of independent electronic music. With this second anniversary upon us, we’re excited to announce the first edition of a brand new series, VHS Wave Vol One. There’s no better way to describe that microniche sound that we live for, so we officially adopting “VHS-wave” as our cornerstone focus. It is getting so incredibly difficult to whittle the deluge of fantastic jams that we pull in every month down to an acceptable length, but we’re sticking closely to the formula. In addition, we’ll be adopting a side A / side B method that we’ve loosely employed before, and that will be the rule for future monthly free mixes. With this particular installment, VHS Wave Vol One, we dug deep into the dark corners of the discographies of some of our favorite retro lo-fi synthwave acts, unearthing some choice cuts by Vektroid and 18 Carat Affair. In addition, we added some funky fuel to the fire in the form of entries by Midnight Runners and Sloslylove, thanks to the free new Keats//Collective Vol. 3 playlist. Friendzone’s original contribution, along with their production of Mondre M.A.N.’s “Do or Die” also come courtesy of their recently released Kuchibiru Network 3 mixtape. Of course, we also took great care to represent some of this past month’s standout singles as well, most notably Teams’ rocking new wave tune “Hatsumi” and Mirror Kisses’ eighties drenched synthwave banger “Runaways”. We are very happy with VHS Wave Volume One, a reasonably cohesive mixture of VHS-wave, synthwave, and new wave (with a splash of underground hip-hop). We hope you enjoy this collection as well. If you’re just joining us, feel free to peruse our back catalog here at our site or at our Bandcamp page. Follow our Twitter and Facebook for regular updates that don’t make it to the site. Those of you who have been fans for some time, we appreciate your retweets, shares, and posts immensely. Remember that every track on this mix that you enjoy was painstakingly crafted by a corresponding artist that deserves your financial support. Pay for their Bandcamp albums, pledge to their Kickstarters, and buy their merch. We love this current musical movement, and if it ends because no one paid for the songs, we’re gonna be pissed. In conclusion, do tha right thing. Download VHS Wave Volume One here, or stream it for free here.

SIDE A

1.   VEKTROID  orion megalith

2.   MIDNIGHT RUNNERS  stop over

3.   SLOSLYLOVE  been a long time

4.   SPINOFF  understood

5.   TEAMS  hatsumi

6.   SOFT LIGHTING  relive the motion

7.   SHADES  y.g. united

8.   MIRROR KISSES  runaways

9.   CROZET  before tomorrow, nooka

10. PHASEONE  hunter

SIDE B

11. FRIENDZONE  moments (part 2)

12. MONDRE M.A.N.  do or die

13. GUMMY†BE▲R!  daydreamingdeath

14. THE PILLARS OF CREATION  lust

15. FUJIMOTO TETSURO  puddle

16. 18 CARAT AFFAIR  10th & quindaro

17. WASTED NIGHTS  views

18. SAND CIRCLES  continuity

19. SUPREME CUTS  epitome

20. NAPOLIAN  rejoice

Download here.

Due to fan requests, better local uploading speeds, and record traffic, we will be fleshing out our back catalog of free monthly mixes over at our Bandcamp page. We added Tsq Vol II-3 to the lineup of free streaming playlists this morning, and we intend to have every entry in the second volume of monthly mixes available as soon as possible. Vol II-2 will probably be up for your consumption tonight. Thanks so much for the interaction, guys. Keep the requests coming, the links reposted, and the jams streamed and/or downloaded. We have over 6,000 logged listens since the inception of Tiananmen Square Dance at Bandcamp and one verified successful referral. Someone paid for 18 Carat Affair’s Gorgeous/Fantasy after “Iced” was just recently featured on our newest entry, Tsq Vol II-12, so pat yourselves on the back. Remember to funnel that rabid support towards the artists that actually create the art that we bring to your attention. Speaking of which, anyone who is interested in having their artwork featured on the cover of a mixtape in our next volume should get at us, like, yesterday. Just message us through Tumblr, tweet us, email us, post on Facebook, whatever. Lastly, in case you’re interested, here are the top ten tunes over at our Bandcamp. Peace.

1.   GAUNTLET HAIR  mop it up

2.   SUMMER OF HAZE  pussy juice

3.   THROWING SNOW  le cœur

4.   SELVA OSCURA  canopy wake

5.   CAPO BLANCO  hi, belmondo

6.   GIRAFFAGE  visible

7.   WASHED OUT  good luck

8.   PURO INSTINCT  dream lover

9.   TEAMS  love distance

10. STONER SHOWERS  give me a chance

This month, we have really been on the prowl, and it has certainly paid off. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we’re bringing this very uniform-sounding collection of the choicest cuts to you early this month in the form of Tsq Vol II-12, the final entry in the second volume of our running monthly mix series. So many fantastic jams that we’ve discovered this month are on the cutting floor just so that we could keep the flow going and keep the quality high. We’re incredibly excited about every single one of the artists featured on this playlist, and we feel that we have a good mixture of brand new singles and tried-and-true favorites on the table this month. There are so many special moments caught on tape here; like the sci-fi surrealism of Ford & Lopatin’s “Channel Pressure”, the retro sass in Kanoba’s “Missed Call”, and the dark deep house of the mixtape closer, the instrumental version of Main Attrakionz’ “Love Is Life”. Vol II-12 is a consummate curation of this month’s top VHS-wave, synthwave, and chillwave finds, with the occasional downtempo, witch house, and italo-disco entries. Get it for free right here, or stream it at our Bandcamp page here. We’re seeing record levels of engagement with our internet audience right now, so we want to thank you for listening, reposting, and sharing. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and stream past mixes at our Bandcamp page. Most importantly, though, purchase the releases by the featured artists if you like what you hear. When Bandcamp asks you to name your price, give ‘em fifteen bucks or so. The independent bedroom artists that we write about need your support, so do music as a whole a favor and pay for it.

Tsq Vol II-12

1.   18 CARAT AFFAIR  iced

2.   FORD & LOPATIN  channel pressure

3.   KANOBA  missed call

4.   WAYPHASER  altered state

5.   SWEATER BEATS  like that (make you feel it)

6.   SOFT LIGHTING  lust

7.   CROZET  just wait

8.   LAY BAC  stay out tonight

9.   MAROON 5  one more night (com truise remix)

10. PHYSICAL THERAPY  dope for me (hard dub)

11. EV3NMORN  yuriko

12. NAVIGATEUR  moshimoshi

13. CAPO BLANCO  so far so long

14. WASTED NIGHTS  girl (1986)

15. OHBLIV  san souci

16. D/A/D  thames

17. LUXURY ELITE  farewell

18. FRIENDZONE  i have nothing

19. SYNKRO & INDIGO  guidance

20. MAIN ATTRAKIONZ  love is life (instrumental)

Download here.

(tracklisting artwork thanks to Glass Planet)

At this juncture, I’d say we may very well have hit upon a magical formula for dredging up some real chill vibes, whether they be new singles or forgotten entries. This month’s edition of the Tsq Vol II series is comprised primarily of further finds by artists that we’ve been watching lately, bringing to the table a lot of retro lo-fi synthwave sounds that we like to call “VHS-wave”, a made-up phrase that perfectly encompasses the tone and aesthetic of those types of jams. A very pronounced non-western eighties experience is at play on Tsq Vol II-11, fringed of course by a small number of noticeable downtempo and dream pop entries. What really stands out to us (the must-hears, if you will) are the bass-heavy intro by Capo Blanco, Summer of Haze’s noisey witch house tune, and that chopped up new wave disaster that is 18 Carat Affair’s re-interpretation of Mirror Kisses’ “Team Follow”. That vintage-tinged pitch-shifted track by Teams is pretty legit too, considering it came off of a collection of B-sides and unreleased songs. We’re pretty proud of this selection, and we’re offering it up for free download here and free stream here. In fact, we’ve got a small selection of cuts that didn’t quite make it to the mixtape table, and all it takes is one interested person to ask about them, and we’ll post a short, free addendum to Tsq Vol II-11. As always, we highly recommend that you follow our Twitter, Facebook, and Bandcamp for updates that don’t make it to the site. In addition, we urge you to explore the work by artists that we feature that you enjoy, and we know they would appreciate it if you supported them financially. With that, enjoy this month’s playlist, and let us know if you dig it!

Tsq Vol II-11

1.   CAPO BLANCO  hi, belmondo

2.   STOUT CORTEZ  berliner

3.   MIDNIGHT RUNNERS  rush line

4.   LAY BAC  kasumi (孤独)

5.   GAMES  shadows in bloom

6.   SUMMER OF HAZE  i know you wanna fuck me ∞ why can’t you love?

7.   A GAP BETWEEN  neon signs

8.   MIRROR KISSES  team follow (18 carat affair re-freak)

9.   DREAMS WEST  mind over MIDI

10. TEAMS  MVP

11. EAGLES FOR HANDS  glitterall

12. TAPES  L.O.T.W.K.

13. VEKTROID  yr heart

14. OCTO OCTA  memories

15. SUNDAY MORNING  lovers

16. NAPOLIAN  art

17. LASERSHIP STEREO  whispers

18. OCCULT YOU  love trick

19. LLLL  falling alone

20. NU MÄS  warm arms

21. :PAPERCUTZ  rivers

22. PHASEONE  it’s not forever

Download here.

(cover artwork and tracklisting artwork thanks to 80’s Touch and Operation Neptune)

Merry Chrimbus, everybody! As a special treat this holiday season, we’ve decided to release a double mix this month. Where normally we only put out about one cassette tape or compact disc’s worth of new-found jams every month, this time we’ve doubled the fun. Tsq Vol II-10 is our first two-parter, and it can be downloaded and streamed for free via our Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, or Bandcamp: you decide. We made some great discoveries this past month, including smooth mega-mixes by Juicy and Keats//Collective, and we came across some seriously underrated releases by acts such as Games, Klockhaus, and YUME. XLR8R fueled our fire with several best of 2012 lists, and ISO50 dredged up a lot of memorable jams as well. Brand new singles by Freeze-Tag and Ruddyp graced the playlist as well, along with a choice cut from the new split album by 18 Carat Affair and Lasership Stereo, Pleasure Control. Both “discs” of the two-part mixtape carry a pronounced VHS-wave vibe, with a strong ambient witch house streak and various italo-disco, downtempo, synthwave, glitch, chillwave, and even shoegaze showings. It was a serious pleasure putting this epic mix together, featuring stellar artwork by Emilio Arboleda-Sanchez (Pimpslapped). Do yourself a favor and make space for the suburban synth triumph of Games’ “Planet Party”, the reverb-soaked self-deprecation in A Gap Between’s remix of Hello Square’s “Office Jargon”, the no-holds-barred uptempo sensuality of Midnight Runners’ “Found”, and the over-the-top first-world drama in Luxar’s “Eternal”. Honestly, I don’t think we’ve ever distilled what we love about retro lo-fi synthwave down to such a distinct point before, and that is what we feel lends this playlist such an overall uniform sound. Do tha right thing, and dig into this massive pile of hipsteriffic goodies by downloading Tsq Vol II-10 here and here, or stream the entire thing for free at our our Bandcamp page. As always, we want to thank you for reading and listening. Follow our Twitter, Facebook, or Bandcamp for further updates, and please support the artists on the mix financially. If you like one or two tunes particularly well, research the artists or acts and pay for their releases and/or merch. It would probably be a more beautiful world if these guys could make a liveable wage doing what they do. Either way, though, enjoy Tsq Vol II-10 in all of its sprawling glory, and Happy Holidaze!

Tsq Vol II-10 Disc 1

1.   SPINOFF  it’s simple

2.   DISCLOSURE  flow (amusement remix)

3.   OCCULT YOU  cassette girl (minami)

4.   GAMES  planet party

5.   CAPO BLANCO  iiid-mension

6.   SOMEPLING  tapemooves

7.   HELLO SQUARE  office jargon (a gap between remix)

8.   DEL DOT  roll a hard six

9.   NAPOLIAN  hoobangin ‘96 (blue wrangler sport)

10. CROZA  arrival

11. VEKTROID  nobody here

12. THE PILLARS OF CREATION  stylin

13. WASHED HANDS  lachine canal (i’m on my way)

14. PHIL GERUS  looking for bruce

15. LIQUID DAYS  down the line

16. THE BILINDA BUTCHERS  tulips

17. SYNKRO  memories of love

18. BITTERTV  sakura blossom

19. COYOTE CLEAN UP  downhill exxxpress

20. YUME  4EVR

21. :PAPERCUTZ  rivers (synkro remix)

Download here.

Tsq Vol II-10 Disc 2

1.   MIDNIGHT RUNNERS  found

2.   RUDDYP  maybe

3.   FUTURE UNLIMITED  golden

4.   JOLLY MARE  ziloca

5.   SIVEY  a little help

6.   JACOB 2-2  communicore

7.   KLOCKHAUS  goldenrod

8.   MATT MILLER  want you need you

9.   CLYDE ELDON  hold on

10. OCTO OCTA  high reflection

11. LUXAR  eternal

12. LASERSHIP STEREO  sweet rain

13. MAITRO  abstract romance

14. M83  reunion (tropics remix)

15. FREEZE-TAG  don’t lose your mind

16. JUNO  horses and waves

17. NO CEREMONY  hurtlove

18. SUPREME CUTS  lessons of darkness (apology)

19. SAND CIRCLES  white sand

Download here.

(cover artwork and tracklisting artwork thanks to Emilio Arboleda-Sanchez)