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Shigeto

14 Jun


Hi everyone.

This past Sunday night I was in Manhattan seeing a small show featuring two incredibly talented artists. The headliner was Clark, whom I have written about before. He put on one hell of a dance party, showcasing pretty much every single style of electronic known to man. But he is not who I want to talk about. Rather, I would like to focus the spotlight on the artist who opened, named Shigeto.

Shigeto, is a young artist from Michigan, the name being his Japanese middle name. He gained popularity by making bizarre and interesting beats. Here are two of his more popular ones.

 

The concert started out with him playing his beats for us in good old electronic fashion. He had a small controller which he used to play this one particular high-hat sound. But what really astounded me is when he about 20 minutes into his set sat down at the drum set placed on the stage and began displaying his ridiculous abilities as a jazz-drummer.

I’m pretty sure everyone in the audience including myself was left speechless, managing only maybe the sounds of awe. I was remembering what my friend had said about Shigeto taking Jazz classes. They surely paid off. Only those lucky enough to go out on a Sunday night would know the glory. Even Clark seemed slightly intimidated as it most definitely was a tough act to follow.

Be sure to look out for this aspiring artist in the future, and if he just so happens to be playing a show in your area, I recommend ditching all responsibilities to see it. You won’t regret it.

-oko

&)

P.S. I found a video of him performing live. Enjoy this awesomeness.

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Andrew Jackson Jihad

9 Jun

Hello everyone.

Sorry about my sudden disappearance. I just recently graduated, which means that there is this entire transitional phase nonsense I have going on. It still isn’t completely finished,  but I definitely have a good sense of what I want to do in life. Astronaut. I also spent this last semester broing out to an unprecedented level. All the smash bros time did not allow for any blogging time, so again I apologize. This band I’ve got here though will hopefully make up for it. ❤

Andrew Jackson Jihad is a folk-punk band from Phoenix Arizona. Their music consists of fast paced sing-along folk songs with over the top depressing and politically incorrect lyrics,  which easily get a crowd dancing and excited. I personally think that they are brilliant and that words cannot describe it. I’ll just dump a few youtube videos of their songs and you can see for yourself.

This is one is my personal favorite.

I feel like there is something everyone can enjoy in this man’s clear words and the message that they instill. Music is above all else about the feeling. While they may have political overtones if you really drill down, the words are there mainly to sound nice and to remind you that you’re not the only one with these crazy ideas in your head. Music is about sharing.

-oko

P.S. No one will know how truly evil I really am.

&)

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Feel Good Inc.

2 Feb

Hi everybody. The first week of school has been very hectic for me. I’m running around like a chicken with its head cut off, one that is going to meetings and interviews anyway. Even decapitated chickens need jobs. So this week’s post will be rather succinct.

Everyone has heard of the Gorillaz song “Feel Good Inc.” right? Just in case you haven’t, here it is.

The song is an amazing rock, hip-hop fusion which become incredibly famous and rightfully so. The song flows so naturally from rapping to acoustic guitars that it actually allows rap haters to appreciate the art (yes me). Also, being the first band to really try something like this successfully has helped them become famous.

Now, I want you to compare the original version of the song to this cover, performed by a girl named Josie Charlwood.

The first thing you have to realize is that this entire song is done real-time with a couple of loop pedals and other hardware. Not only is this girl musically talented, but she is also technologically savvy. I am almost convinced by now that the cover is better than the original. The sound of her guitar mixed with her voice creates a milky sweet sound which does the original justice. The rap line blows me away with ending slur and the “hahaha’s”. There’s something incredibly attractive about a girl who can do that.

&)

-oko

P.S. I have new tunes in the works!

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Mono/Poly – Forest Dark

26 Jan


Hi there everyone. My last semester at Binghamton University is coming up and I’m slowly preparing to be pushed out into the working world in an attempt to make a living. My time at this school has been very interesting to say the least. It was kind of like a personal social experiment. I would subject myself to various humiliating or mentally trying situations in order to see my own reaction. And of course I was only aware of it in hindsight, so as to obviously not upset the delicate nature of the experiments. I must say that some of the results were quite informative.

Actually, all that I really learned is to not mix large quantities of alcohol and magic. Weird things happen then. My results are also slightly inconclusive on that, because my notes become a bit fuzzy, so actually never mind.

To kick off this final semester I have but one amazing song. This time it is a song by Mono/Poly entitled “Forest Dark” off of his Manifestations – EP. Signed to Brainfeeder (Flying Lotus’ label), this LA based artist shook the foundation of the experimental trip-hop scene with this 2011 release.

The song begins in some rainforest with a deft synthesizer riff that sets a sort of neutral -1 mood. An outstanding setup for what is to follow: a dark explosion of hip-hop madness. Deep pulsating bass lines envelop your brain like slow vibrating tendrils while the main melody of a slowly stuttering synth distracts you.

This furious break skyrockets the mood to +8, pretty much right on the cusp of inciting riots. But Mono/Poly realizes this and in order to maintain the mellowness he initiates a sort of descent which creates an entirely unheard effect in the face of hip-hop. Basically the synths from the beginning make a miraculous return to calm everyone down, forgetting that all they really do is just set up another drop.

This time it’s even better, with a +9 to face-melting, the retriggering of the different instruments display the advanced level of beat making that this artist is on. Like some giant monster crawling out forest, this song is trying to eat you, but only to regurgitate you so that it can eat you again.

The last part is basically one giant softening and a return to neutrality. The monster threw you up a second time and has left you on the forest floor to ponder what just happened. It actually becomes very ambient and trippy towards the end proving that Mono/Poly has many different tricks up his sleeve. I recommend listening to the rest of this album and gazing at the pretty cover art:

Wish me luck as I try to find a job. I think I’m going to actually have to start going to company information meetings. I always thought those were some kind of jokes.

&)

-oko

P.S. Full Circle.

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Flying Lotus – Pattern + Grid World

19 Jan

Hey everyone. I have a quick little post about a strange little Flying Lotus EP named Pattern + Grid World. First and foremost, this EP has probably one of the best album covers out there and needs some words about it.

The picture above is the said cover art. Is it a man hiding in bushes or a strange space monster? The level of detail is astounding up close, but as you move further away the pictures seems to change. The leaves fade away like an illusion and only the eyes are left staring at you from a blur. Pretty trippy is you ask me.

Released in 2010, Pattern + Grid World is considerably different from his previous release, Cosmogramma. Whereas Cosmogramma was out there and focused more around inflections of jazz,  Pattern + Grid World is simply out there. Take the first song for example:

“Clay” is only the spacey introduction to some cosmic drama. Once Flylo’s signature tribal sounding beat drops in it becomes a completely revolutionary experience. It hovers right there on the edge of being completely out there and bizarre, but just relaxing enough to listen to in any situation. The different melodies are interchanged frequently and partially drowned out by random sounds that really it just is an airy blur, sort of like the front cover art. It all makes sense!

The next song is the single. I put down below because musically it is much different from the rest, but it has a really cool and music video. Don’t forget to watch it, but now listen to this:

As aside from its completely cool name “Time Vampires” is in every way similar the first song yet bizarrely different. It begins with strange voices and again a nice beat. But this whistle begins to play that makes you begin to question your current situation. Like telephone hold music from hell, it mocks you by being pretty yet infuriating. Only a man like Flylo can pull something like this off.

“Jurassic Notion/M Theory” is definitely the weirdest song on the album. This song is the quintessential modern tribal experience. Rollercoaster noises, strange people cheering, and a bass line which gives up way too easily. Nothing more can really be said. You just have to let this one sink it on its own.

Flying Lotus is releasing his brand new album at Coachella this year. I won’t be there since I’m poor and in need of a job, but I’ll be watching the stream. Sort of like the album art.

&)

-oko

P.S. As promised:

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