Thursday, January 28, 2010

bitter cold


hello all. more mixes i've been bumpin':

tin man - live acid set
aciiiiiid. keeping the tip going from my previous article about richie hawtin's upcoming plastikman project, check out this live set by tin man. definitely an intriguing character: his vocal studio tracks have this very dreary, downcast vibe, but here, he turns up the 303 and layers it over a bunch of simplistic drum patterns, synth chords and distorted noise, as well as the occasional, instantly-recognizable electro sample. go to tin man's website for more information and links.

mike parker - mnml ssgs mx42
in short: a stunning musical statement. only about 45 minutes long, but mike parker manages to make quite a point here. fitting 17 tracks into such a short set should quickly tell you that the mixing is gonna be tight, and sure enough, this mix drives forward relentlessly, ending with a chant and sitar drone that feel like one final deep exhale. go to the source for more info... and here for tracklisting.

tom bonaty - modyfier process part 182 - prologue showcase #1
the first in a 3-part 'mini-series' of prologue mixes on the modyfier blog, courtesy of the head honcho of the deep techno imprint. hypnotic and dark - standard prologue fare. with the recent release of cio d'or's excellent 'die faser' - the debut LP on the label - it seems like more good things can be expected from prologue in 2010. click here for the modyfier blog post, tom's words about the mix, and tracklisting.

hope you enjoy this selection of deep, acidic, atmospheric beats!

Friday, January 22, 2010

plastikman tour 2010!

being a huge fan of richie hawtin and his myriad musical experiments, i was very excited to hear that richie hawtin has announced a plastikman tour for 2010. so far, he's only on the coachella (california) festival's lineup, but check the plastikman facebook and this recent interview with richie, where he says, "there will be quite a lot of activity under the plastikman name this year"...

i'm too young to have experienced plastikman in a live setting before, so i'm hoping richie can dig deep, put out a NEW album (!), and really deliver with this tour, because it is sure to be highly anticipated. in any case, smilecoldanatomy eagerly looks forward to further plastik developments, and some tour dates closer to chicago :-)

chicago love

hello all, here i am returning from another weeks-long hiatus. my excuse: i've been busy buying up vinyl and putting tracks together in hopes to get a mix or two out to the world. until then, i wanted to share a couple mixes from a few local chicagoans.

kate simko - livePA from 'sunday school for degenerates', new york city, 2008-08-31
i've been a fan of kate's productions since i discovered her a few years ago. this 40-minute set is a nice hypnotic trip that showcases her unique style: plenty of smooth synth chords and sleek acoustic percussion, with some nice delay effects... no real peaks or dramatic dynamics, which is perfectly fine with me. nowadays, most of kate's stuff comes out via the ghostly international/spectral sound label axis (this set actually comes courtesy of ghostly's podcast), and she has brought her sexy beats to clubs around the world. nice to see a local do it big. check her myspace for more info.

phil stone - soul clap podcast 62: 'phil is ill'
phil's dj sets have been getting lots of love around chicago. in my opinion, he out-did seuil when the frenchman paid chicago a visit late last year, taking over the decks after seuil's rather flat set (with an even flatter ending track) and cutting it deep as the early morning light started to shine through the venue's windows. for these 80 minutes, phil keeps the bpm's pitched low, creating a nice mellow mood. phil switches it up for the last half-hour with a healthy helping of old funk/soul/electro jams. check the soul clap podcast blog for tracklist.


now on to a wayyyy different tip...

oni ayhun - mnml ssgs mx47
this name is very new to me. if you're having trouble tracking down any of this 'mysterious' character's releases, this half-hour livePA should be a good introduction. for the most part, oni keeps it verrry slow, relying on synth bleeps, distorted noise and heavy atmospheres, only picking up the pace at the end of the set. i personally would love to hear a few hours of this slowed-down mindfuck; it kinda reminds me of some downtempo plastikman tracks. check mnml ssgs for more info.

enjoy the music!

Friday, January 8, 2010

TOMORROW - saturday, jan. 8: insideout (clink - berlin) @ lokal!

come check out one of smilecoldanatomy's favorite dj's at a chill little club in wicker park tomorrow!

grant aaron, aka insideout, is the co-owner of berlin-based record label, clink. here's his RA page, and definitely check his nice, spacey remix of benoit & sergio's 'what i've lost,' out on bruno pronsato's new label thesongsays. i still frequently put on this mix he made last summer: 'stranger things should happen.' grant will be joined by local dj hernan sanchez. here's some details:

Grant Aaron aka Insideout
Hernan Sanchez


LoKal
1904 w north ave
10pm till close
drink specials all night!

... no cover, chill vibe, sexy dance music. fuck this cold weather, let's party!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

the day after the palindrome

hello all, we're just a few hours removed from a rare palindrome day... 01-02-2010. that is, unless you subscribe to the ddmmyyyy format; then you have to wait until february 1st for your time to shine... anyway here are a few more intriguing mixes:

killahertz - live at RTS.fm moscow studio: october 16, 2009
another guy - this time, from moscow - who has produced on fullpanda, you can expect more deep sounds, maybe a bit more immediately accessible to the dance floor than my previous fullpanda references, but still a head trip. killahertz escorts you quickly through long, hypnotic sections and interesting vocal tracks. check out his soundcloud, myspace, and discogs... i'm also about to dive into a free netlabel he has produced for, as well: fragment.

dvs1 - jackcast004
hooray for midwestern talent getting noticed on the international level! this minnesotan recently attracted the attention of berlin-based ben klock (of berghain/ostgut ton fame), who made dvs1 the first outside producer to put out an EP for klock's own label, klockworks. this mix shows off some nice sections of dubby atmospherics and more harsher sounds. check out the original blog for more info and an interview with dvs1.

ike release - sonic router mix
i've been listening to this one a lot. it's only 30 minutes long, but i just love this style, and the time just seems to float lazily by whenever i turn this on. a native chicagoan now residing in berlin, the music of ike release is a bit hard to describe. he combines stuttery, frenetic percussion with slowly-evolving dub chord progressions, and occasionally tender synth and vocal melodies. with the chords and melodies soaring over thick drumbeats, it's at once epic and danceable. after only discovering this mix a few weeks ago, i had the pleasure to see ike release dj at one of the last events at lava here in chicago, a club which (like sonotheque) is being 're-conceptualized.' i'm glad i made it out, because i got what i was expecting: a nice, smooth, deep mix of techno and dubstep. i see there's a little bit more information on the ike release at the sonic router blog; otherwise check his myspace for more info and to stream some of his productions.