Jesse Boykins III

ARITHMETIC WAS NEVER one of jazner‘s favorite subjects, but after a quick recap on basic addition principles, he discovered that taking one part seductive soulful rhyme slayer Jesse Boykins III outta Brooklyn mixed with beat king on blast Machinedrum equals The Love Apparatus, a duo whose velvety flows and satin rhythms are a force to be reckoned with.

The two have collaborated on a couple jams that have been on perma replay on jazner‘s jukebox.

“Tabloids (Machine Drum Remix)” has a soulful beatscene rhythm, floating on subtle yet tender synth and held together by Boykin’s passionate vocals.

“B4 The Night Is Thru” is smooth like butter, light and whimsical like the cool down after a long night out, and perfect for the after party popping between the sheets.

Check out The Love Apparatus below.

Tabloids (Machine Drum Remix)

B4 The Night Is Thru

Machinedrum Treats To Come

Machinedrum - Room(s) Planet Mu Records

THE SUMMER’S SET to get hotter when Travis Stewart, best known for his work as MachineDrum and representing half of Sepalcure, drops his new LP, Room(s), July 11 off Planet Mu Records.

Take a sneak peak and sample the album at Planet Mu.

It already sounds like there are some bangers waiting to pop off this record, with “Now U Know Tha Deal 4 Real”, “The Statue”, “Youniverse” and “Door(s)” firing up an early interest on jazner‘s radar.

Room(s)‘s available samples seem to suggest MachineDrum combines different shades of juke, jungle, garage, and soul to formulate a bass heavy, uptempo vibe that’ll set the footworkers feet aflame and make the dance floor go insane.

While you wait for the album to drop, check out a remix MachineDrum rolled out on his Soundcloud this week, a juke edit of Roni Size’s “New Forms” that bleeds into a jungle jam so ripe for replay.

Boiler Room also released a new MachineDrum track, “Listen 2 Me”, that slowly creeps along with nocturnal bass, minimal pings and a warped vocal sample.

Roni Size – New Forms (MD Juke Edit)

Listen 2 Me

Lake R▲dio

SMOOTH WATERS DROP beats, sending chill waves from antennas to digital dials on Delta, the latest EP from Caden Moore’s Lake R▲dio project.

Delta aligns itself to a similar aesthetic as Hype Williams, producing ambient numbing beats that pull you in to a tripped out vortex ethereality.

The first half of the EP rings especially strong, the introductory “Never” sucking you into a swirling kaleidoscope of heady synth and ghostly drums, with just enough bass to keep you floating.  “Chant II” quickly cuts in with super mellow vibes strung along by calming keys and wispy drums, the second half transforming into turntablist scratches and creeping vocals.  Delta ends with the six-minute Moby-like jam “Always”, wrapping up the EP with an airy bow.

Check out Lake R▲dio’s Bandcamp for Delta and earlier released materials, or listen to the EP below.

I Am The Dot

SIX EPS ARE a lot to haul out of a record store.

So Zach Tipton, the man behind I Am The Dot, did us all a favor and recently compiled his previous releases into one big LP, A Collection of Songs (2008-2010), which you can purchase at his Bandcamp.

Collection weaves in and out of moods and timbre Tipton engaged in throughout his three year trek as I Am The Dot, moving from the crystalline, Brian Wilson Smile-like pop of “We Have Not Arrived”,  to the slacker “River of Solitude” and wonky church organ fueled “Formaldehyde”.

The standouts on the album primarily come from I Am The Dot’s self-titled debut EP way back when in 2009.  “Oranges” kicks the album off with an ethereal wallow through forlorn guitars and vocals that are crisp and ardent.  “Love Song for Camus” has a choppy drum track that perfectly offsets colorful jingles of sleigh bells and popping background vocals.  “Middle of April” breaks it down for a sick chorus and autumnal feel.

Sample the album below and check out the video for “Love Song for Camus”.

DJ jazner’s Jam Of The Day

TODAY WE’VE GOT a cut off of Groundislava’s debut 8-bit rich eponymous LP, released by our good friends at Friends of Friends Music.

“Young Lava” is less kitsch and not as overtly 8-bit as the rest of the album, opting instead for a deep, muggy low end and fuzzy synths to make for a buzzing track full of head banging potential.

Peep the track and the album at FoF.

Young Lava

Dayum Funky

Dâm-Funk - Toeachizown

PASADENA’S ULTIMATE BOOGIE man Dâm-Funk just dropped a bomb with his mix Truth for Oki-Ni you can peep here or catch below.

Straight wax no digital ish, Truth bridges different eras to create an eclectic fusion of funk, soul, spacey electro and boogie that’ll get you swervin and groovin all night long.

The first three tracks start the mix off strong.  And everyone can use a little purple with Prince & The Revolution’s “Girl” at around the 50 minute mark.

DENA knows the price, and Dâm-Funk knows how to spin it.  Take a listen.

Truth

TRACKLIST

Larry Bright – Sunbeams
Fashion – Love Shadow
Onra – Moving
Norma Jean – High Society
Charles Earland – Tell Me What It Is
Paradise – Stop And Think
Glenn Jones – Everybody Loves A Winner
Oliver Cheatham – Something About You
Bryan Loren – For Tonight
Mazarati – She’s Just That Kind Of Lady
Tangent – I Just Got To Be Free
Jimmy G. – Get It On
Prince & The Revolution – Girl
Baby Buddha – My Generation
Prefab Sprout – Silhouettes
Prefab Sprout – Spinning Belinda
B.F.C. – The Climax
Jeff The Brotherhood – Beastmaster 420

Space Jam

LOOPING STRAIGHT OUTTA Eagle Rock (PasaDENA’s next door neighbor), Hold The Phone is a duo of Sun Araw’s Cameron Stallones and his bud Barret Avner making heady jamz using the guitar, synth, and zither.  Repping Sun Ark Records, the group recently released the “Safe Breezes” cassette, which jazner stumbled upon at merch table of the Animal Collective show and something you can peep here.

“Safe Breezes” bumbles along with looping, lo-fi drum sequences and drifting synths overlaid with surreal guitar that makes for a cosmic space adventure to the outer regions of reality.

Sample the album or purchase it at Sun Ark shop and check out Sadistic Candle while you’re there.

High Wolf

CHAKRAS WILL ALIGN after a sonic swim through High Wolf’s “A Guide To Healing” 7″ off Bathetic Records.  Namaste.

Tripped out Indian tropes and Eastern instrument samples float through all levels of the soundscape.  A subtle beat patters in the background, slowly maintaining an entrancing trudge through a swirl of tones.

“Free Your Energy Field” bumps with a booming tabla and buzzing strings for a far-out trek of looping tantras.

“Swallow Pills with Ganga River Water” thrums with raindrop-like pings and spacey synths to create an atmospheric lull that helps jazner decompress after a hard day’s work.

Tracks to help your meditation process, High Wolf has your back.

Free Your Energy Field

Pond Juker

KEEP THE JUKE and jive alive with the man leading the London chapter of Chicago juksters Sir Addison Groove, who keeps clobbering crowds with immense bass and footworkin-friendly beats.

Coming out May 2nd off 3024 is the “It’s Got Me / Minutes Of Funk” 12″ available for listening below.  Break em off some of those moves.

It’s Got Me

Minutes Of Funk

Black Sun Rising

HYPERDUB’S HEAD HONCHO Kode9 is back with The Spaceape, serving up some solar fire on their second full-length, Black Sun.

Five years after the two dropped Memories Of The Future, Kode9 & The Spaceape completely flipped the switch on their sound for Black Sun.  Whereas Memories felt more spacey, both in the sense of roominess and drugginess, with a reggae vibe lurking in the shadows and droning rhythms from the drum and bass, Black Sun is much more compact, with quick hitting UK funky drums banging the offbeats all over the place, glossy synths, and the female vocal presence of new comrade Cha Cha to offset The Spaceape’s tantric flows.

The perfect bridge between the two albums is “Neon Sign ft. Cha Cha”, which begins with a field recording, Burial-like tape tappings, calling back to Memories classics like “Nine” or “Glass”.  The track smoothly drops with a warm bass, popping snare snaps and hi-hat clinks ready to get you hop steppin’ all over the floor.

Black Sun‘s bookends are particularly noteworthy.  The first track “Black Smoke” weaves between juke and funky rhythms, shaking it up with jumping drums and swampy synths that continue to ebb and flow throughout the album.  Flying Lotus helps close it out on the final track “Kryon”, an electronic daze with tiny pitter patters, woozy synth and a low bass hum.

“Green Sun” lets Kode9’s voice on Black Sun ring the clearest, showcasing the UK funky drum pattern and heavy bass with a minimal yet poignant synth presence that all comes together in an extremely well produced piece of grimy goodness.

A step in a different direction from Memories, Black Sun is packed full of bangers that’ll keep you raging on through the night.  Cop a copy today

Black Smoke