WRUV Reviews

Gold Panda’s sophomore album is titled Companion.  His debut, Lucky Shiner, was a borderline banger album, heavy beats with a demo feel to it.  This album has more of a polished, produced sound.  It still contains some solid beats and a found-sound vibe to it.  It also has some glitchiness with some Dubstep/Drum and Bass accents to add to the mix.  A few mellow tracks help balance things out.  The result is an album that has an Experimental feel but also is refined and has some elegance as well.  This album is an excellent evolution from his debut.

Tracks: 2,4,5,7,11,13

Gonna Dig This is the latest from Graham Knox Frazier.  This is pure, straight up House music.  Not over powering, the tracks are smooth with solid beats and have a coctail lounge feel to them.  Uncomplicated, what you hear is what you get.  Grab a cocktail and mingle before hitting the dance floor.

Tracks: All Good

We Feed Ourselves single is the latest release from Young Athletes League.  There are three tracks: Glossed Over, Monaco Sunglasses, and the title track We Feed Ourselves.  The music is a mixture of Synth House and Indie-Dance.  Very upbeat but tinged with New Wave subtleties to keep the pace smooth and steady.

Tracks: All Good

Let Go is a single from The Japanese Popstars.  The tracks range from Big Beat to Dance Dubstep to House/Techno and Glitch.  Nice variety and a good sound for each track.  Check it out!

Tracks: 1,2,3,6

The latest from Chancha Via Circuito is titled Rio Arriba.  The music is considered Cumbia Folk Music, which it is.  It also, though, contains all the elements of modern Electronica with deep steady drumbeats and layers of synths and processors.  The title track Quimey Neuquen by Jose Larralde has been beautifully remixed by Circuito.  The original and remix are so similar yet the remix is electro layered in a very subtle and almost traditional fashion blurring the lines of old and new.  The tracks have a slow, methodical flow to them creating a trance-like or meditative state.  Some of the later tracks shift into a “true” Electronica sound blurring the sound ofmodern and traditional even more.  This music takes a hold of you.  You feel like you’re listening to music that was created thousands of years ago by ancient time travelers or cosmic visitors who collaborated with ancient cultures.  Sit back, relax and drift.

Tracks: All Good 

Manifestations is the debut album from Mono/Poly.  There  are seven tracks on the album, each on has it’s own story to tell.  Some tracks have a wobbly bass with some glitch like on the track Manifestations while Forest Dark has more Ambient vibes.  There’s also a Funk vibe on some tracks as well.  Overall a pretty solid debut, there are some heavy sounds here that will get you moving to the dance floor.

RIYD: Metro Area,Bassnectar,Kraak and Smaak

Tracks: All Good    

Kraak and Smaak’s third album is titled Electric Hustle.  The album is a combination of House with some tracks having a strong Disco element to them.  What I like about these guys is their delivery of the Disco/Funk sound.  They don’t beat you over the head with the sound.  Instead they blend it masterfully with the House sound creating a “seriously fun” sound rather than a bulls**t, cheesy disco sound.  Vocals from Dutch songstress Lex Empress adds a sexy, Soul/Jazz component to several of the tracks as well.  A few slower, loungy tracks break up the pace nicely.  A boisterous, funky album that isn’t all fun and games.

RIYD: Metro Area

Tracks: 1,3,4,6,7,8,10,11

Promised Land is the title of the remix album of the same name by Findlay Brown  The original track is Pop Indie Rock Dance.  The remixes range from straight up Dance to Downtempo Dance, Lounge, and some mellow Funk Dance.  Not a bad remix album.  Worth a listen.

Tracks: 2,3,4

Debut album from Matthewdavid is titled Outmind.  Signed to Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label and working with far out producer Take on previous EPs has given Matthewdavid some experience in the Minimal/Experimental genres.  Outmind has a cerebral feel to it.  The tracks have more of a sound experiment feel, there are some beats here and there (and the usual assortment of popular genre influences-Dubstep, Trip Hop, etc.) but the album moves from track to track in a stream-of-conciousness fashion.  It’s like having a soundtrack to your mind when you’re falling asleep.  Not quite awake, not quite dreaming, images moving and merging, scenes shifting between normal and absurd.  A excellent album to drift to.

RIYD: Deru, Sight Below, Hype Williams

Tracks: All Good-best when played as a whole album

Debut album from long time DJ/producer Toto Gonzalez a.k.a. Mr. Pauer is titled Soundtrack.  The music is full of Latin/Caribbean influences (Cumbia,Tropical,Dancehall) with a heavy Electronica sound mixed in.  Ranging from 8-bit to Dubstep, the electronic sound slinks in and out of the various Latin styles.  The two genres are seamlessly blended creating an intriguing sound that’s Urban and Tropical at the same time.  It conjures up images of palm trees and nightclubs.  Very well done.

RIYD: Chico Mann

Tracks: 1,3,5,6