tiananmen square dance //

MIKE SLOTT - “KNOCK KNOCK”

My only previous experience with Mike Slott comes in the form “Unrelentless Drag”, an honestly so-so remix of Shigeto’s “Relentless Drag”, from his debut Full Circle LP. Put simply,

“Mike Slott is a musician routed in Jazz and Classical music but raised with Hip Hop and Electronic equipment. It’s becoming a familiar story these days but strip the story and gear away and you are left with one of the subtlest, most naturally gifted modern producers of the moment. His bravery to explore percussive, textural soundscapes with shifting plates of synthetic melody has earned him kudos from some of the worlds leading musicians and critics.”  — Lucky Me

Today’s featured original project is a whimsical trip-hop oldie (2008) that employs all of the staples of the brand: the slashed up pixie female vocals, the shambling beat, the 8-bit synth stabs, etc. Particularly light-hearted and uplifting, Mike Slott’s “Knock Knock” is thick and viscous, employing layer upon layer of saccharine synth sheets and honeyed bass tones, sweetening the pot in the most delightful of ways. Simultaneously light and airy, peaky electric piano stabs and the odd soulful sample leave just enough space in between the notes of this short jam for the sun to shine down and through, bathing the entire mix in a warm, golden hue. If you and I see eye to eye, then we will both be doing tha right thing and finding out what the rest of Mr. Slott’s music sounds like, after downloading the free MP3’s after the bump, that is.

MP3 Download of “Knock Knock”, by Mike Slott (from the Knock Knock / My Light Bridge 7”)

MP3 Download of “Unrelentless Drag (Mike Slott remix)”, by Shigeto (from Full Circle Remixes)

TARAGANA PYJARAMA - “OCEAN”

Found this little indietronic jewel the other day while noodling around What.CD’s related artist map. “Ocean”, a light and airy track by Taragana Pyjarama, builds slowly but surely with electric piano and an ambivalent beat until passionately whispered vocals find their way into the five-minute mix about halfway through. The sound of Danish producer Nick Erickson (Taragana Pyjarama), whose debut album is due out on June 18th via Kompakt, is not unlike that of other indie electronic bands like Delorean, Figurine, or Letting Up Despite Great Faults. The difference with Taragana Pyjarama’s sound, however, lies in the overall muted application of what I like to think of as the aural equivalent of soft focus (à la The Field). The light electronic pop jam from his debut self-titled EP (artwork NSFW) is cloaked throughout in a mellow fluffiness that can’t be as easily described in words as it can be detected via a simple listening session. Do tha right thing, and give this track a quick listen; and if you like the more radio-friendly facet of electronic music, keep your eyes and ears peeled for Tipped Bowls, out on June 18th.

MP3 Download of “Ocean”, by Taragana Pyjarama (fromTaragana Pyjarama EP)

MP3 Download of “Real Love”, by Delorean (from Subiza)

NIVA - “DIZZY EYES”

I finally caved and decided to make this track an integral part of my recent music collection after my girlfriend made me listen to it repeatedly. While electronic pop artist Niva’s music is typically just on the cusp for me, what with the warm, endearing synth and the sweeping pads, the vocals often come across to me as being a bit too mid-2000’s indie rock. Either way, track five from Feverish Dreams, the second most recent release by Stockholm’s Niva, is a worthwhile game-changer. Oh, and if you’re curious, the bit in “Dizzy Eyes” that pushed me over the edge into full-fledged fandom is the steady, yet subtle woodblock beat. Now you have to listen. Fans of chill indietronic music like Blackbird Blackbird and Passion Pit should enjoy this shining little gem, and the source of said scintillating light is POLY, a massive dump of legit tunes. Aren’t our significant others just wonderful? Do tha right thing as you gleefully download, and make sure that special someone knows just how lovely they are.

MP3 Download of “Dizzy Eyes”, by Niva

MP3 Download of “Boy from the Sun”, by Niva

1990’S THE DISCOVERY 1 BEAT TAPE

1990 is a little known downtempo and IDM artist from San José, California that utilizes quite a few of the tropes of glitch-hop, 8-bit, and chillwave music, but he does so to such unique effect that there isn’t the slightest trace of cliché to be found in his work. Alive and well on Bandcamp, and occasionally promoted via various monthly best-of-hipster-music blogs, He is yet unsigned, I believe, and his work has yet to exist in physical form. Alas, electronic music such as his is rich and evocative.


His debut album The Discovery 1 Beat Tape is definitely headphones music, the luminescent lasers of sound glittering so briefly and spontaneously that it takes an adept ear to appreciate the depth of each seemingly simple track. The aesthetic of 1990’s The Discovery 1 Beat Tape, amidst all the Gangpol und Mit-esque instrumentation, is that of very austere fantasy/sci-fi music. “Falcon Sword” was included on a TSQ mix several months ago, and the vibe of that track does permeate the album: one of the organic among the industrial, of wonder despite mundanity. 1990 may very well be a denizen of our planet, but his work conjures up images of 16-bit forests, of legendary swords bequeathed to youthful heroes, to the inevitable warping of time and space when the world is so close to death that the hero tastes defeat but nonetheless does the unthinkable and makes it out alive. The Discovery 1 Beat Tape is available totally free via 1990’s Bandcamp page right now. Fans of Com Truise, Krusht, Starfawn, and other independent retro downtempo artists, do tha right thing and jump on it! By the way, the above embedded video is the best I could do for standout “GRB990123”. I apologize that is just a clip, but the album is free, so you have to love me!

MP3 Download of “GRB990123”, by 1990

MP3 Download of “Ariel V”, by 1990

Ghostly downtempo/trip-hop artist Mux Mool released some early versions of the second installation of his Drum EP series back in January, but the real deal is now available to purchase today via the Ghostly Store. Mux Mool’s first Drum EP was like his very own “Final Fantasy”, in that it was a last-ditch compulsive effort that he used to discover whether or not he wanted to continue producing beats on a nearly daily basis. Thankfully, he chose the affirmative, and in memory, he recently created and released Drum 2 EP, all while on various flights around the world supporting his Skulltaste tour.







With six tracks of mostly instrumental chill electronic music and some kick ass cover art to boot, Mux Mool’s Drum 2 EP runs the gamut from Shigeto-esque exotic mashups (“Hypercolor ADD”) to emotional IDM in the vein of Teeel (“Jen and Soda”) Do tha right thing, because it is well worth the $5.89 it costs over at Ghostly International, and is also available via iTunes and Amazon for those of you who like to take a more mainstream approach.

MP3 Download of “Jen and Soda”, by Mux Mool (from “Drum EP 2”)

MP3 Download of “Enceladus”, by Mux Mool (from “Skulltaste”)

Here is a link to a free download of the Gold Panda remix of Swedish star Lykke Li’s “Sadness Is a Blessing” that was recently featured on RCRD LBL. Not to broadcast my pop culture ignorance, but while I’ve heard Lykke Li’s name a lot, I don’t know anything about her or her music. However, I cum rainbows whenever I find out Gold Panda releases anything new, so I had to post this Youtube video along with a link to a free download of the Gold Panda remix of Lykke Li’s “Sadness Is a Blessing”. Originally featured on her February 28th release “Wounded Rhymes”, this remix of Lykke Li is infused with a driving beat that obviously means business, and tinged with the exotic tones that put Gold Panda on the hipster map. It definitely deserves to go on the iPod.

MP3 Download of “Sadness Is a Blessing (Gold Panda remix)”, by Lykke Li