[Watch] Prism Tats - "The Liar" (Official Video)

Yoooo how in the world did I miss there was new Prism Tats songs on the world wide web?! I mean I know I am only a whopping 6 days off but I don't think y'all understand how much I enjoyed his self-titled debut album. It was by and large one of my favorite records of 2016. If you have not heard that shit you need to get on that! 

ANYWAY 

Almost exactly one week ago today Prism Tats dropped a double single, which also came with a music video for the A-side, "The Liar". I am a person who typically gets very distracted while trying to watch music videos but this for the first time in awhile this actually held my attention. 

This video will probably make you wince a bit watching the rubber bands go across his eyes and stuff, but at the same time it's hard to take your eyes off of. I think this is the first time I've ever seen someone rubber band their face so I think part of what intrigued me was what on earth would compel someone to volunteer to do this. haha 

I don't know much else around this release other than that he's got some shows in California coming up in August with Pickwick. I'd like to think this means he has plans to feed us music constantly, but that's just me being selfish.

For now, enjoy "The Liar" and "Apples":

Hello, World!

side note: ugh ugh life has been so busy that I have a lot to catch up on which I promise I will do this week but I was so excited to stumble across this that it couldn't wait. 

[Interview] Yuksek Just Wants To Make You Groove

The day that Yuksek's debut album, Away From The Sea, graced my ears back in April of 2009 was the day my standards for what an electronic album should sound like were raised to such an insanely high level that only a handful of artists/records have managed to meet since. 8 years, 12 EPs, 3 LPs, and a plethora of remixes and various other projects later, the French producer and DJ has firmly cemented himself as a staple in the dance scene by meticulously making music that will have you dancing until daylight. Literally. I was literally out until 3am last month at his DJ set at Le Bain a few hours after he graciously chatted with me at his listening party in SoHo for his latest album, Nous Horizon, which was released in February. 

"It's more the music drives me than me who drives the music,"

He explained that his approach for making albums is less intentional and more of the byproduct of constantly creating. "I'm not thinking, 'I'm gonna do this kind of record,'" he said, "I just sit in the studio every day. Sometimes doing production for others. I [also] started to make movie scores and stuff. In between I do some stuff for me, just like tripping on a synthesizer or playing bass or something." He went on to detail how this sort of creative process turns into an album, "I record and record and record a lot of stuff and then something comes together like a puzzle in a way." This may sound daunting for some artists, but for him it's an integral part of the process. "It's more the music drives me than me who drives the music," he said. 

While Away From The Sea and Living On The Edge Of Time were both more on the indie/pop spectrum of dance records, his latest endeavor, Nous Horizon, is definitely more disco-esque than anything he's released to date. Even so, there is one core element to all things Yuksek related: groove. "I'm good for that: making people groove," he noted. As he put it, at the end of the day his music is all about, "feeling good, enjoying yourself, and having a good time." 

Unlike his previous albums, you'll notice that this time around that some quality artists appear alongside Yuksek on Nous Horizon: HER, Monika, Juveniles, KIM, and Roman Rappak, vocalist of SKOA favorite Breton. These were more than just your standard features on dance tracks, mind you. "It's called featuring [on the track listing] but I think the word is not exactly accurate," he said, "[...] featuring is sometimes you make an instrumental, you send it to someone, and then like [they] do your shit. On this we did it really old fashioned. They came to the studio. We worked together on the songs as well."

The only criteria for working with Yuksek in any capacity is fairly straightforward: he has to like the artist both personally and professionally. It's something I've continued to admire about him. It's amazing that for such sophisticated music there's zero pretense to how he operates. This is especially the case for both his album and his label, Partyfine, which he started in 2013 as a way to elevate talent that oftentimes might slip between the cracks otherwise. "I thought about [starting the label] for quite some time. I like to produce music for other people and to make records," he explained, "Sometimes it's a bit frustrating to do it and then the project disappears after I finish mixing it or producing it. [With Partyfine] it's more having relationships with artists and to help them to reach the goal they have with their music."

Considering he's both an artist and a label owner, of course I had to pick his brain about streaming. While most people assume that a record will either be a hit or a dud immediately, he sees releases now from a different perspective, "[...] what you release now, I don't know about in 50 years, but in 3 years people can hear it still and you get money from that. Even if it's a small amount of money but it's here." Moreover, he thinks that streaming gives albums a longer shelf life than what existed prior to streaming. "In the past, when you just released an album on vinyl or CD in a shop, when it's not in the shop anymore it's finished. No one can buy it and so it's long term. That's what's interesting with streaming," he noted, "You create a catalog like you do with a publishing company. You know that [like a publishing deal that streaming is] long term because you [have] tracks that are maybe going to be in a movie or in something in 5 years. Streaming has to be seen in that way I think." 

Funnily enough, as I was writing up this interview I decided to refresh my memory of his earlier EPs, which resulted in me wandering to eBay to pick them up on vinyl. Thinking he might be on to something there.

As you can see, Yuksek is some kind of awesome. Be sure to pick up his latest album, Nous Horizon and follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Soundcloud. Oh! And check out his label Partyfine, which is currently prepping some upcoming releases as we speak! 

[Listen] Mason - "Toucan"

I mean just from this press photo we can already tell that Mason is future #SKOAfam amirite?

yoooooo the sun is shining in NYC and I just found my new favorite track to strut my stuff to! 

Enter: producer/DJ/label owner Mason hailing from Amsterdam! In a completely serendipitous moment I happened to catch BBC R1 Dance's tweet about another song of his, "Rhino" (which I cannot find a full version of on BBC but there is this clip). Being the curious person I am when the BBC claims something is the "Hottest Record In The World " I decided to look into this gentleman myself and WOW WOW WOW WOW there is so much goodness going on that I can't wait to spend some quality time this evening going through all of it. 

In addition to what has me dancing in my chair to presently, "Toucan", Mason also has a label called Animal Language, which appears will be chocked full of artists I will soon be gushing about based on the few clips I checked out on Soundcloud. 

I will report back with more findings once I dig into this but MY EARS ARE JUST SO HAPPY I HAD TO SHARE AS SOON AS I COULD! 

Listen to "Toucan" below! 

SO!? Do we love or do we L 😍 V E!?!?!?! 

[Recap] Um, A Lot Of Music Just Dropped Out Nowhere Today

me trying to keep up with how many songs just keep falling out of the sky today 

lol remember when the RIAA was so proud of themselves 2 years ago because we all agreed on a global release day and we went from #NewMusicTuesday to #NewMusicFriday worldwide? 

lol lol lol #tbt to that cute idea according to Foster The People, Phoenix, HAIM, and Fall Out Boy. 

In an attempt to make your life easier so you don't feel as frantic as I do right now, here is a recap of what just the fuck dropped: 

Foster The People - III

Well this was a nice surprise! Earlier today Foster the People released 3 new tracks globally before bundling them as a cutie lil EP called III. Apparently these are off an upcoming 3rd album that's going to be dropped this summer. No other info there, but they did unveil some tour dates which you can check over on their website because I'm tryna make this update quick and dirty and don't feel like copying and pasting. 

Phoenix - "J-Boy" 

Another album announcement! Another solid jam! Phoenix just unveiled their lead single, "J-Boy" off their forthcoming album, Ti Amo, which will drop on June 9th. This is glittery and summery af, but not quite punchy enough for the coveted title of Song Of The Summer. I will still be drinking in the sunshine to this regardless. 

HAIM - "Right Now" 

If you have been waiting 4 long years for new HAIM music then you best stop everything and peep this video RIGHT NOW. This comes from their just announce upcoming album, Something To Tell You, which drops on July 7th. 

Fall Out Boy - "Young And Menace"

So here is a Fall Out Boy song that I believe would be better suited as a Patrick Stump song than a Fall Out Boy song but it is still pretty dang good. The track follows yet ANOTHER album announcement. You ready for this name, y'all??

It's called

M A  N   I    A

Yes, spaces and all. I don't know either. Bless these dudes. But yeah the record drops on September 15th, so we have plenty of time to get this fucking spelling right. That all said, props to the guys for the video, which features a glimpse into a fictionalized characters somewhat-hard-to-watch home life that tries to escape a home riddled with domestic violence. 

SZA - "Love Galore (feat. Travis Scott)"

LAST ONE (I think?)! SZA also after keeping her fans anxiously waiting for music from her upcoming album CTRL has finally dropped another morsel today for everyone to savor, "Love Galore" featuring Travis Scott. It's been said that CTRL will be the next project released on TDE but other than that there's  not much else we know. 

AM I MISSING ANYTHING ELSE FROM TODAY? Jfc. 

[Watch] HUMANS - "333AM"

Love love love that I was literally just thinking about HUMANS this morning and then here they are in my inbox with a brand spankin new track! 

Rounding out their series of singles that came before this latest track, "Water Water" and "Bout Chu", "333AM" is yet another vibey jam that is begging to be played in the darkest and sweatiest underground nightclub one can find. 

In anticipation of the official release of their new track, HUMANS put together another sexy video of people in their dope ass bomber jackets roaming around New York, which you can watch below. 

Oh oh and speaking of the dope ass bomber jacket in the "333AM" video, apparently they sold out of the "Water Water" design so now you can buy a "333AM" one which is still as hella tight as it is expensive. Bummer that these are going on sale now that summer is fast approaching, but I guess sometimes we suffer for fashion anyway, right? 

ugh I neeeeeeddd it. who wants to get me a belated bday present? ;) 

I am also happy to relay that the duo have prepped a series of EPs that will be released this summer courtesy of their freshly inked deals with Haven Sounds and Mom + Pop Music. More on those EPs once I have more deets. 

I am going to do my best to ignore that somehow I missed their North American tour and that they were in Brooklyn 2 weeks ago otherwise I am going to get very upset. Good news for you folks in Canada though as they have some dates coming up in late May/early June with , so make sure you're a better fan than I am and hit that shit up. 

More HUMANS updates coming soon! 

Upcoming HUMANS tour dates:

May 29 - Vancouver, BC - Malkin Bowl w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL and Fakear

June 7 - Edmonton, AB - Union Hall w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL and Beach Season

June 8 - Calgary, AB - Palace Theatre w/ RÜFÜS DU SOL and Beach Season

June 24 - Toronto, ON - NXNE at the Portlands w/ Passion Pit, River Tiber, Yukon Blonde, etc.

The Future Is Looking Bright: A New Fischerspooner Album Appears To Be Coming Very Soon....FINALLY

Fischerspooner gonna Fischerspooner. 📷: Vincent Urbani

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this Instagram Story since I saw it two days ago. 

Thank the lorde I recently decided to split my attention between Snapchat and Instagram Stories otherwise I would have missed out on this VERY interesting hint of awesome things to come: 

from Casey Spooner's IG story

Do you guys remember almost a year ago TO THE DAY when the heavens briefly parted and sent down a Fischerspooner track in the form of a NICOPANDA video with some really stellar choreography because I sure as hell do!

Definitely haven't played this video an embarrassing number of times since it came out. That would be crazy. 😳

So yeah that video dropped

and

then

nothing

happened. :( 

Well actually that's not true.

If you're just catching up like admittedly I am, a little bit of news started to leak out near the end of last year.

To bring you up to speed, these are the things that we know:

• A Fischerspooner album titled SIR is coming.

• It supposedly has been done since February 2016.

• It is "unabashedly homosexual" #respect

• Michael Stipe both co-wrote and produced it.

• There is a song on said album that is apparently so good that it made Casey Spooner CRY (!!!)

• Things are trending towards a release date existing because contracts have been signed.

Are we on the same page yet? Do you understand why I legit had trouble going to sleep the other night after I saw this? It was already enough of a challenge to prepare myself for having Fischerspooner back, but then you factor in BOOTS and newcomers (to my ears) Crush Club in the mix with them, knowing all the while that Michael Stipe has been carefully keeping watch over this project.... 

the future is actually starting to look bright, you guys. 

Are you excited? 

I'm so excited! 

(btw you need to read the entire NICOPANDA interview with Casey Spooner. Bless that man)

Let The Algorithm™ Move You: Musings On Spotify Related Things Coming Soon

Ever since I went all in on my support for Spotify I have increasingly become obsessed with how music consumption is changing based on the technologies that have been developed. It will not surprise you to know that I am a person who is always frantically looking for new music. My mission has always been the same since I was a #teen: find the best stuff, support the best stuff, share the best stuff. 

Prior to digital music rising to its current prominence, I used to stroll aimlessly through record shops looking at album artwork inquisitively and buying things at random hoping that they would be good. The features Spotify have rolled out over the past couple years have both broken my brain and my discovery/consumption habits. Sometimes it's in a good way, sometimes in a way I worry will negatively effect the music community. I often wonder if this happens to other people, so I have decided to include this as things that I talk about here. 

Do you do interesting things with Spotify to discover music? Have you made a friend with someone who followed you on Spotify? Has streaming changed your music consumption habits for better or for worse? These are things I want to explore. 

More soon! In the meantime, please enjoy the delightfully random things The Algorithm™ delivers to me. :) 

[Listen] VOWWS - "Heartbreaker"

VOWWS @ AVIV days before it closed for good :( 

WELL WELL WELL LOOK WHAT THE GRIM REAPER DRAGGED IN! 

I don't want to hear about how your Tuesday feels like a Monday WE HAVE NEW MUSIC FROM VOWWS SO THAT'S JUST NOT POSSIBLE. 

I feel like the last time I saw my little darklings at the second to last show at AVIV (RIP RIP RIP) that they previewed this new song, "Heartbreaker". Either way, uh... shit yes this is so good. 

It's been more than a minute since the darkest duo released their debut album, The Great Sun, but you can tell from, "Heartbreaker" that while they've really dug their heels into this sound that they've carved out for themselves that from a lyrical standpoint they're continuing to trek out into deeper waters. 

As Rizz explained to Blackbook (or unveiled in a press release that my ass has yet to receive),

"[Heartbreaker is] about cults of personality and the manipulation and control that goes along with them. Devoting yourself completely to someone else’s vision of the world can give a feeling of safety and protection; but it’s false, poisonous and ruins you from the inside. The world is now dominated by extremes that are pulling us further apart, unmooring us from anything real – we’ve created our own disease and are killing off the cure. We wanted to capture that in a song.”

Couldn't agree with you more, girl. KEEP THOSE TRUTHS COMING. We need y'all. 

MORE WONDERFUL NEWS: these kids are heading out on tour in February in support of White Lies! I am especially excited that they will be playing Music Hall of Williamsburg on February 2nd because MHoW is stones throw away from the last venue they played at in NYC (Cameo Gallery) before they packed up and shipped off to LA and actually started getting the attention they so rightfully deserve! 

We've come a long way, babykids <3 

Which VOWWS show will YOU be at? It's okay if you say all of them. I'll just be jealous forever.