tiananmen square dance //

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.

Synesthesiæ Films is not only our single favorite Youtube channel, but is also the creator of the official music videos for many of our favorite artists. Utilizing retro found footage and heavy visual editing, Synesthesiæ Films crafts nostalgic video montages for the vintage vibes purveyed by acts like 18 Carat Affair, Holy Other, Klockhaus, and many more. Periodically, they’ll put together a very short “station ID”, melding a choice cut from some lucky VHS-wave artist with washed out footage or decades old vector art. Do tha right thing, and enjoy these teasers created by Synesthesiæ Films, and then subscribe to their Youtube channel for more creative visual insight into the best of today’s electronic acts. You can even download their podcast mixtapes, deemed “Colourcasts”, at their Soundcloud page.

Music: Culture Voyage - “Digital Stargate”

Music: Com Truise - “Colorvision”

Music: Bibio - “Vertical Helical Stan”

Music: Letherette - “Montego Fuzz”

The sophomore installment of our new free monthly mix series is now officially available for stream and download. Featuring a hodgepodge of new singles and recently unearthed classics, VHS Wave Vol Two is a treasure trove of jams that feature that independent bedroom synthwave sound that we know and crave. Side A of the playlist starts with a typical VHS-wave bang in the form of Lapti’s sassy funk tune “Day by Day”, segueing into a more radio-friendly glo-fi and synthwave vibe after a few tracks. We packed in a couple of new wave and downtempo songs towards the end of the first side as well, most notably, a crashing entr’acte of sorts with Lusine’s stellar IDM/post-rock jam “Stratus”, from his most recent full-length. What sets this particular entry aside, however, from previous mixtapes is the very pervasive witch house tone in side B. Featuring everything from Main Attrakionz’ deep dark hip-hop (produced by Friendzone) to an ear-splitting loop-based vaporwave outro by Chuck Person, the second half of VHS Wave Vol Two is all hazy metropolitan chic and jet black urban serenades. Don’t miss our favorite cut from Giraffage’s newly released neo-R&B album or Elite Gymnastics’ “Is This on Me?” towards the end, an old unreleased gem from 2010 that we’re sorry we’ve only now just discovered. We’ve taken great care to compile only the absolute best of what we’ve heard since our last installment, so we sincerely hope you enjoy what lies here. If VHS Wave Vol Two broadens your horizons musically, please consider reposting on your social network of choice or jamming it at your next house party. We’d of course be honored if you followed us on Twitter, Facebook, and Bandcamp for more updates and plugs that don’t get full write-ups. Ultimately, though, we’ll be happiest if you explore the back catalogs of the artists represented here. Purchase their releases, fund their Kickstarters, attend their shows, and buy their merch, because they could really use more airtime and capital. If you discover your next favorite artist and give them a little bit of a financial bump thanks to our free monthly mixes, we’ll know that we did our job. Do tha right thing, and grab a free download of VHS Wave Vol Two right here, or stream it for free right here.

SIDE A

1.   LAPTI  day by day

2.   MIDNIGHT RUNNERS  late night dancer

3.   OCCULT YOU  warp drive

4.   GIRAFFAGE  all that matters

5.   AMUSEMENT  mural

6.   ONTHE88  an evening out

7.   TEAMS  original theft

8.   FANCY MIKE  swan swan

9.   MIRROR KISSES  takeover

10. CROZET  we can see it

11. LUSINE  stratus



SIDE B



12. MIAMI VICE  climate control

13. SUPREME CUTS  E2

14. CLAMS CASINO  motivation

15. KVLTIK  horizon

16. MAIN ATTRAKIONZ  chuch

17. JULIAN WASS  (theme from kuchibiru network 3)

18. TAQUWAMI  all my life

19. NAPOLIAN  ascension

20. ELITE GYMNASTICS  is this on me?

21. CHUCK PERSON  eccojam A3

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)

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! As luck would have it, this oft-celebrated American holiday just happened to fall on the same day that we typically release our free monthly mixes. Though rain, sleet, and shine typically don’t prevent us from holding up our end of the deal and providing you with our favorite recent finds, variable work schedules certainly can. Let’s get this out to you guys before all of the Black Friday madness, shall we? Tsq Vol II-9 is the product of a month’s worth of some serious musical soul searching. Honing our collective tastes further and further can often result in a myopic appreciation for niche micro-genres. Also, like any addictive substance, greater highs are required in order to keep us thrilled. As a result, we feel that our output consistently becomes more and more carefully limited to only the very best of the best of today’s forefront and independent VHS-wave, synthwave, and chillwave jams. This particular amalgamation of tunes is comprised of brand new singles, rare B-sides, and even some older finds that we feel deserve more attention than they received upon release. The playlist has a very uniform sound, relying heavily on that decayed retro sound via tracks by TAPES, Vektroid, and YUME, while still leaving more than enough room for dark, foggy witch house songs by names such as Synkro, Mes Enfants, and Ballet. We feel that this is a very strong representation of what we would like to hear more of. Do tha right thing, and grab a free download of Tsq Vol II-9, our most recent free monthly mixtape right here, or stream it via our Bandcamp page here. You’re gonna love the sassy samples in the opening jam by TAPES, the vintage soul of Stillsound’s offering, and the warbled mess that is Vektroid’s epic “Motions Feel”. Much love and thanks, by the way, to Purr Tapes, as we drew an unprecedented amount of inspiration from their most recent seasonal mix, Static Spectrum. Several of the tunes featured on our mix are a direct result of Krystal and Hunter’s hard work and artistic talent, so be sure to show them lots of love this holiday season. As always, we also highly recommend that you support the artists featured by following their Twitters, Facebooks, or Tumblrs. Pay for their music, spread the word about their talent, and buy their merch. We would also be flattered if you would check out our Twitter, Facebook, or Bandcamp as well, and be sure to share Tsq Vol II-9 via your favorite social network if you like it. Happy holidaze!

Tsq Vol II-9

1.   TAPES  M4CH1N3 L0V3

2.   JACOB 2-2  the dinosaurs of cabazon

3.   COM TRUISE  deflowered

4.   STILLSOUND  do you?

5.   SUMMER OF HAZE  slept together

6.   SAFEINHOUSES  curses

7.   UNDERWATER SEACREATURES  without hue

8.   LAY BAC  stay out tonight (ra cailum remix)

9.   DAYLIGHT RAIN  radar angel

10. VEKTROID  motions feel

11. STUMBLEINE  strawberry blonde

12. TEAMS  based love

13. ONTHE88  preppin’ for saturday

14. NU MAS  i miss you

15. YUME  2GETHR

16. DREAM KOALA  hipster girl (taquwami remix)

17. SYNKRO  broken promise

18. MES ENFANTS  ovahc1

19. BALLET  attempt

20. FREEZE-TAG  twice

Download here, or stream here.

(cover artwork and tracklisting artwork thanks to qwj qin)