After the recent release of their latest single “Loser Like You”, Brooklyn-based dance rock crew argonaut&wasp are set to release their new EP Ha! Fiction.
Ha! Fiction’ is a colourful, imaginative EP born out of change, struggle and big ideas. Having relocated to New York City a year ago, the move meant a bigger workspace, more rent and a new perspective on music.
“This transition brought changes greater than we could of predicted…the sight and sounds of NYC changed our perspective on music, why we do it and how we listen to it. This EP is a reaction to all of that. And as we scramble to make sense of it, we realize it’s just what we make it.” – argonaut&wasp
Throughout the EP there are clear nods to greats like Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem, The Clash and Daft Punk, as the band takes the listener on a imaginative, lyrical journey. Their disco-infused single “Loser Like You” is a taste of an EP that is guaranteed to be a whirlwind musical journey, free flowing with funk-driven guitars, quirky vocals and thoughtful lyrics.
Opening track “Paisley” features a sun-kissed bass–line paired with fun, care-free lyrics that call for dancing. It’s an introductory track that perfectly encapsulates the band’s musical style — gooey and groove-filled sounds given weight by lyrics inspired by big changes and growing pains – and sets the pace for what’s yet to come.
Hot off of his successful collaboration with Galantis, Hook N Sling is maintaining steady momentum with his brand new release. This time, the LA-based producer steps into the spotlight with his remix of The Chainsmokers’ “All We Know,” out now for free download.
Never one to be complacent with his style, Hook N Sling steps out of his relative comfort zone and ditches his signature electro-house style for one with more intensity and appeal. Positive vibes are evoked through a well-balanced combination of deep bass lines, bouncing synths, and a playful melody as he explores sounds outside of his usual style. This release highlights Hook N Sling’s undisputed versatility and introduces a new and improved aesthetic that will charm fans of all demographics.
Hook N’ Sling aka Anthony Maniscalco has aproven history of releasing chart-topping records. His music cuts through the saturated electronic dance music space while showing a constant evolution to his sound, staying two steps ahead of the game at every turn. With an ARIA Music Awards nomination, a DMC Buzz Chart #1, a Beatport #1, and a Hypem #1 under his belt, Hook N’ Sling continues to make a statement as to the versatile appeal of his music. He’s earned tens of millions of spins across Youtube and Spotify, earning support from respected peers like Kaskade, Axwell, Don Diablo, The Chainsmokers, and more.
Navy Gangs is a pop quintet currently residing in the washed out and overly demanding area of New York City. Singer/Guitarist Matthew Tillwick, Guitarist Noah Kohll, and Drummer Gavin Cordaro began orchestrating music together in 2012 at Central High School in the red light district of Omaha where they failed their junior years miserably.
For 2 months they took jobs working in the desert dome at the Henry Doorly zoo until they saved enough of their dismal wages for one way bus passes to New York City, where they moved in temporarily with Kohll’s grandmother Estelle.
After making some new friends in Washington Square park, the 3 boys found themselves in a basement scene in little Italy. It was there that they met their bassist, Wilson Keithline from Providence, Rhode Island. Together they became Navy Gangs, a troupe who’s songs grab influence from dark rooms, hopeless romanticism, table wine, and back page humor.
The EP was recorded in Noah Kohll’s grandmother Estelle’s home by Joey Kimono straight to 2 inch tape and was mixed and mastered by Steve Marion of Delicate Steve. It features vocals and percussion from long-time friend Coley Gold, a nomadic vixen who plays shows with the band often but never rings ahead of time (just shows up).
Derived from heartbreak, endless internet streaming, and the pain that is being social, Navy Gangs debut EP is a pop miracle. Joining the ranks of huge acts like Lady Gaga, Beck and Green Day, they’ve been named one of Newsweek’s “10 October Albums To Look Forward To.”
Get out on the dance-floor and let your body move to “The Thirst”, the brand new single from Los Angeles house producer Eric Sharp, featuring the very talented multi-instrumentalist & vocalist, Zhao.
Eric Sharp and Zhao have been friends for a few years now, and when the idea to collaborate came up they knew they would have a great time working together. What followed was a very natural co-writing process with their individual strengths complementing each other really well.
“I think this track is inspired by the fact that we both live in LA where you can’t go anywhere without seeing obnoxiously attractive people. Sometimes that energy just boils over and needs to be expressed. In terms of the production, my aim was to try not to over-complicate things and just make more of a dance-floor oriented upbeat jam and I think that worked out pretty damn well.” – Eric Sharp
Taking advantage of Zhao’s multi-instrumental abilities, they’ve blended live-bass and live-guitar with classic house beats, driving synth melodies, smooth production and Zhao’s incredible voice. The boys decided to try it out in a few DJ sets before locking it all down, and from the reaction they received from the crowd they just knew they had done something right!
Hook N Sling has teamed up with international duo Galantis for “Love On Me,” their new collaboration out now on Big Beat Records.
“Since remixing ‘Gold Dust’ for Galantis last year, we’ve been talking about collaborating on something. ‘Love On Me’ is here!” – Hook N Sling
“Love On Me” has the makings of yet another bonafide hit for the native Australian to add to his seemingly endless catalog of successful releases. The bubbly pop single features an irresistible vocal sample, reminiscent of a perfect sun-shining day. Hook’s studio chemistry with Galantis is impressively on display throughout the song, featuring a steel drum beat that doubles as the melody, along with hook-laden vocals and a massive drop that’s destined for club play for years to come.
This release comes at an exciting time for Hook N’ Sling aka Anthony Maniscalco. His proven history of releasing chart-topping records that cut through the saturated electronic dance music space show a constant evolution to his sound, staying two steps ahead of the game at every turn. With an ARIA Music Awards nomination, a DMC Buzz Chart #1, a Beatport #1, and a Hypem #1 under his belt, Hook N’ Sling continues to make a statement as to the versatile appeal of his music. He’s earned tens of millions of spins across Youtube and Spotify, earning support from respected peers like Kaskade, Axwell, Don Diablo, The Chainsmokers, and more.
Lucas Nord is a 24 year old producer and singer from Stockholm that’s already got a number one single — “Run On Love” featuring Tove Lo in 2013 (see video below). Now he’s got another one coming with his second album Company, called “Do About It” with Naomi Pilgrim. The song includes pop, R &B and house all rolled up into a burrito.
Speaking about the track Lucas said: “When I came up with the idea of having a feature on this record Naomi instantly came to mind. She has that soulful touch I’m always looking for. We have known each other for a while and have discussed doing some kinda collab in the past so when this came up I think we both felt it was the right time to do it. I’m very, very excited for it to finally come out.”
Thrival Festival just continues to get better and better every year. This year we were introduced to a new venue, the Carrie Furnaces. The festival also brought it’s largest lineup yet. I’ve saved you guys the trouble of reading all the other articles and posts out there, I’ll tell you the gist.
Friday wasn’t the best, and there’s a lot of feedback on social media to verify that. There were long lines galore; for drinks, for wristbands to GET drinks; and some heavy confusion around drink tokens. Oh, and then they ran out of water. BUT ALAS, no fear, they fixed everything all up for Saturday which was amazing! It’s not very often that an event like this fixes up main complaints in time for the following year, let alone Day Two!
The music has great feedback from Friday (shout-out to Lettuce!!!) EXCEPT for one MAJOR setback. Hmm…let’s see, we have Daya performing and we have The Chainsmokers performing. Daya and Chainsmokers have the hit song “Don’t Let Me Down” and yet they definitely let everyone down by not performing that song together! Whyyyyy? Blasphemy! I seriously don’t get it, can someone explain this to me? There was a chance for some legendary shit right there. *big sigh*
But, here’s a video of them performing their brand new song, “All We Know” featuring Phoebe Ryan:
Anyway, according to festival goers, Saturday ran much smoother and they nixed whatever the hell those drink tokens were about (Thank goodness because no one has time for that when they’re going to have a good time and listen to music!)
I did not make the Music Festival for Day One. But, my main passion was Thievery Corporation who was headlining on Day Two. You know how in your car, if you have Sirius, you can set “alerts” to let you know when certain artists or songs come on, and you can set it to auto-tune to that station. Well, Thievery Corporation is one of the groups on my “alerts” list….and lemme tell you, that alerts list has maybe 3 artists on it. So, that’s how excited I was, if that puts it into perspective for you.
I would have never known the fiasco of Day One had I not read about it, because Day Two was a dream. The weather was perfect; anyone from Pittsburgh knows that’s a huge accomplishment to have good weather for an exciting event. The crowds weren’t as big as Day One, which I attribute to the Chainsmokers crowd, but I welcomed the much more relaxed flow. Especially since only a week before, I was in California for the Kaaboo Music Festival (which The Chainsmokers also performed at) and it was way oversold and overcrowded. So much so that we were forced to leave the event early. Womp Womp.
I also did not deal with any of the parking or shuttle woes thanks to Uber. Though I very much like that a shuttle service was available. So, Uber dropped us off at a designated drop-off area and we marched on down to the entrance. The entrance brought on a teensy bit of confusion, since there were different locations for general admission, will call and VIP, but nothing major. I just have a really bad sense of direction. Once inside, we were thirsty (duh) and while I’m happy with almost anything, my friend was bummed about no liquor, unless you were VIP. BUT, it was still a step up from last year because this year there was wine. Maybe next year everyone can have access to liquor, who knows. Oh, but there were, however, two Skyy Vodka gals there though giving out free shots of a watermelon vodka of some sort, so we took advantage of that (again, duh).
I love that this festival has two stages with only one band playing at a time. This way, there’s no conflicts of interest and you can hear the band playing from anywhere on the festival grounds. And there’s no long waits in between the bands because the next one is already setting up on the other stage. Ty Dolla $ign was supposed to perform, but sadly had to cancel due to a death in his immediate family. But, there was lots to check out besides the music. There were vendors set up selling different items including clothing and coveted flower crowns. Rivers of Steel Arts created live iron pours. The Wheel Mill Stunt BMX team put on a show. There was even a tent with a virtual reality simulator to check out.
Metric put on a fantastic set and wowed us with some of their best songs. Here’s a video of “Breathing Underwater” from Shawn Glass on YouTube:
When it was getting to be that time (Thievery Corporation), the place was noticeably and expectedly even more crowded. I can’t even express how excited I was to see this group that’s been together for over 20 years and yet this was their very first time performing here in Pittsburgh! Their set exceeded mostly everyone’s wildest expectations and hopefully it doesn’t take them that long to come back! They were the most perfect close-out for a sensational Thrival Festival.
After their set, everyone wafted around seemingly walking on clouds. And then suddenly…something more happened. Over yonder, music started playing. The strange but cool artsy thing that everyone had been looking at all weekend sprung to life. It was the Squonk Opera! And what…pray tell, is that?
Squonk Opera is a group of interdisciplinary performing artists from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Led by artistic directors Jackie Dempsey and Steve O’Hearn, Squonk Opera’s shows consist of music, visual art, and acting elements in an attempt to make a form of opera accessible to all people. The group “like to think of ourselves as a wacky, provincial opera company,” says Dempsey, who named the group “Squonk” after a description of a jazz saxophonist’s playing as a “squonk-fest”, rather than the legendary creature of the same name. — From Wikipedia
Check out this little tidbit video of Squonk Opera performing from their Pneumatica show:
I’m so glad that Pittsburgh keeps moving up that cultural ladder and bringing more and more awesomeness, especially in the music department. There’s always going to be little hiccups but this festival was overall a huge success and I can’t wait to see what next year brings!
(P.S. I’m sure I’ll think of more suggestions, but I’d love to see Lotus come perform next year! — Here’s a video of them performing “Anti-Gravity” at the Summerdance Festival in Ohio this year!)
Following on from his recent remix of “Wild Heart” (see below) by Brisbane songstress Romy, Australian house producer Cliftonia has delivered an incredibly infectious dance-floor treat called “I’m Looking For”, which is just the first track off his forthcoming debut ep.
Cliftonia had a goal in mind when he began writing this track, and that was to create a house record with Jersey and future-bass influences, a record with that certain infectious flare that just makes people want to get up and move.
“I wanted to make a song that showed my love for House, Jersey, Hip-Hop and Future Bass. I have a huge love for artists like Trippy Turtle, Vices and Brenmar, so when making this track I had those influences in mind, and I feel that I’ve accomplished that with this song”– Cliftonia
An infectious future-bass beat takes the lead as Cliftonia draws us in with his house-driven grooves, warm summery sounds and thumping production, while its feel-good vibes get your body in the mood for a bit of a groove.
“I’m Looking For” is available now from iTunes or Spotify, and you can also score a free download via Cliftonia’s Soundcloud, where you’ll also find the above mentioned remix of Romy’s “Wild Heart”.
“There are 8 million stories in the naked city.” The ones about two irreverent best friends from Brooklyn are soundtracked by just as many beats. Curated by music supervisor, Matt FX Feldman, the official soundtrack for Comedy Central’s acclaimed series “Broad City” captures the show’s (and New York’s) wild style with such precision to the point where the songs become truly instrumental to the storytelling. As The New York Times quoted Matt on working with the show’s creators and stars, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson: “Our tastes are a Venn diagram, and that middle circle is really, really big.”
Broad City’s Original Series Soundtrack, released via Milan Records in association with Comedy Central Records, is executive produced by Jacobson and Glazer alongside Matt FX. The trio selected from a stellar roster of under-the-radar artists as diverse as New York itself and include Chile’s DJ Raffand Ana Tijoux, Toronto’s Tasha The Amazon, Baltimore’s Normaling and Rye Rye, Rick Owens & Mad Decent-affiliated queer hip-hop sensation Zebra Katz, and beatmaster RJD2 who famously provided the theme to AMC’s hit “MadMen” himself.
Both the tropical flavored banger “Tigre” by emerging Dominican/Canadian artist Jarina De Marco, as well as “Dat Gyal” by prolific producer Tony Quattro were previously show favorites, and are available for sale for the first time exclusively on the soundtrack. The release of both tracks will come as a welcome of relief to devoted fans. As one noted on Reddit regarding “Tigre”: “Can’t seem to find it and it’s driving me crazy!” When asked about the tune, Feldman had this to say, “Tigre came to me originally as a demo that Jarina wasn’t even sure she’d ever release! Luckily, the song hit like hot fire when the episode aired and people are still hitting Jarina and I up to this day asking where they can find the track! Happy to be able to get it out there finally.” For his part, LA-based Tony Quattro has contributed over 10 cues in 3 seasons to “Broad City” so far, including many composed bespoke for the show.
Of his inclusion of “Latino & Proud” as Broad City’s theme, DJ Raff has said, “When I saw the ‘Broad City’ clip I felt that it fit very well in terms of the graphics, the storyline, and the characters. Everything went well together and the song felt perfect on the show… I’ve seen a lot of positive comments on SoundCloud, YouTube, and other social networks saying, ‘Broad City’ got me here.”
”The colorful international vibe reverbs through all the featured artists’ aesthetics, from Zebra Katz’s ode to “Marijuana,” to the album’s artwork and packaging featuring an insert with spliff-rolling instructions (printed physically on green paper!) designed by artist Mike Perry.
A verified tastemaker (and foodie), Matt FX approaches the show’s music as a master chef, slicing and dicing and mixing together indie, hip-hop, and electronic vibes into a vibrant compilation befitting the lead characters’ larger-than-life personas and city they call home. When 24-year-old Matt isn’t music supervising shows like “Broad City” or Hulu comedy “Difficult People” (both executive produced by Amy Poehler), he is an in-demand DJ and producer in his own right.
A show like “Broad City,” that trades on the city’s transitive energy and ephemeral connections, necessitates a soundtrack that can keep pace. For the last five years of his young and prolific career, Matt FX has proven to be that ear to the ground, absorbing a dizzying sonic zeitgeist with uncanny accuracy and zeal.
Broad City’s Original Series Soundtrack Tracklist
1. Latino & Proud – DJ Raff (Intro)
2. Tigre – Jarina De Marco (Soundtrack Exclusive)
3. Marijuana – Zebra Katz & Kashaka
4. La Nueva Condena – Ana Tijoux
5. #NOTYOURS – Scooter Island Ft. Junglepussy
6. YES Bitch – K Rizz
7. Steady Now – Tasha The Amazon (Cubby x Karman Remix)
8. Let ‘Em Say – Lizzo & Caroline Smith
9. Dat Gyal – Tony Quattro (Soundtrack Exclusive)
10. Low Drop – Normaling (Ft. Rye Rye & TT The Artist)
Is there anything that T/W/R/K can’t do? As if theircontinued success in the electronic space wasn’t enough, the duo from NYC (also known as their solo aliases Benzi & eSenTRIK) are once again fusing the worlds of hip hop and dance music together with the release of their new single “Hands On It,” featuring Migos, Sage the Gemini, and Sayyi.
Premiered via Billboard and BBC Radio 1 Diplo & Friends, T/W/R/K’s “Hands On It” is somewhat of a return to glory with their signature club sound. It’s a veritable goldmine of talent – Atlanta’s biggest export Migos contributes a hectic but flawless first verse, followed by a lyrical smackdown by Bay Area champ Sage The Gemini. Rounding out the tune is a catchy hook from rising starlet Sayii. If you like what you hear, you’ll be happy to know that T/W/R/K’s newest single is set to be part of a forthcoming EP, which will contain an extensive star-studded feature list comprised of names likes Fetty Wap, Eva Simmons, Sliink, Rich the Kid, and more. Stay tuned!
Musically Amusing 