I imagine this to be the type of soundtrack that would course through the circuitry of the robotic assassin that holds the same name as Branden Clarke’s solo project on Nueva Forma. Cold, analytic and surprisingly human. At times uncontrollably emotional and others very calculated. His ability to blend some surprising elements together for this full length is inspiring; as the ambient textures, trip hop, vocals and harmonic clicks and cuts mingle throughout this release without a second thought.

Upon first listen, it really brought me back to a time when this style of music was starting to take shape. Elements of what originally made me fall in love with Plaid, The Orb and Proem have been weaved in unknowingly to Branden’s work. It is refreshing to hear some of that coming back into modern releases. From the opening vocal lines of the collaborative cut Seahorse Paternity Test to the more straight forward personal favorites like Tom Almond Brokaw and Adult Tree, this is both a tribute to electronic music and a forward thinking foundation to build on.

Source – Nueva Forma

Keith Kenniff (aka Helios) just released the latest video for his Mint Julep music project. The creatives over at A Nice Idea Every Day did a splendid job on this shoot. The stereoscopic-style video really highlights the music without overshadowing it.

Source – Unseen Music

I’ve been toying around with the idea of updating the look of my Tidalkast mix series for a while now. I wasn’t happy with the design. It felt incomplete and I wanted something that was a little more simple and cohesive. I’ve also been playing with the idea of some basic shapes that I could bring into the design and revisit with each mix. This is the result. Shapes, colors, seasons.

Tidalkast 03 will be dropping on the first day of Spring next month. Both of the previous podcasts have been updated with the new art as well.

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So maybe once a month or so I intend to drop a playlist on here of some of my favorite picks from Soundcloud. This happens to be the first round, featuring a couple of splendid remixes by Loot, A new track from Option Command, a track by my label mate Gouseion, Shigeto’s masterful remix of Aaliyah, the cut up rhythms of Empt, Mitch Murder’s clever take on a Lazerhawk track,  and to round it out: A good old fashioned deep/tech house mix by Kevin Yost.

Rosso Corsa has been slowly amassing the world’s greatest roster full of new wave, electro and warm 1980s vibes. I was first introduced to them as a result of Mitch Murder’s Burning Chrome release. Short of going back to some of the classic Harold Faltermeyer releases and various soundtracks from that time, I hadn’t heard anything from our current generation that even came close. They have kept such a cohesive sound through all of their artists releases thus far and their artwork consistently has that same bright neon feeling. It’s cheeky without being overly comedic about it.

Lazerhawk’s Visitors LP dropped this week and it is full of magical arp lines and neon soundscapes. It’s like a trip down the foggy coast in the middle of the night on Highway 101 in your chromed out UFO, with multi-colored lights pulsating to every beat. The album art, designed by the talented Michael Delaporte only adds to the overall feeling. Add this to the list of releases that could use a vinyl edition – I need to be able to feel this in my hands while listening on headphones.

If you haven’t been exposed to what Rosso Corsa is doing, consider this your prep course. I can’t wait to hear what these guys do next.

Source – Lazerhawk via Bandcamp

I’ve mentioned before that I’m a sucker for a well done time lapse. Very Large Array + motion graphics + time lapse = Yes.

When I first learned that Anuj (Del Dot) was coming on board to join the Nueva Forma team not too long ago I was pretty excited. When I then found out what his current collegiate studies include, I knew we would be in for some serious math beats. He does not disappoint.

From the start on this debut EP, Anuj sets up the pacing perfectly. Lulling you into a comfortable setting with an ambient intro before pulling out the stops and assaulting you with his twisted breaks and dilated melodies. With every note and every glitchy percussion hit coursing through the veins of these tracks and hitting you relentlessly, there is a certain warm comfort to it all. A very human vibe pushes its way through and I think that’s what really sets this release apart. When I listen to Roll A Hard Six and Won’t C U Again I can’t help but hear the little pervasive elements of jazz that have intertwined themselves in his sonic palette. It’s a welcome addition to what is otherwise a very cold and digital genre.

While the style itself isn’t necessarily groundbreaking, his fresh approach to it certainly is. I’m looking forward to hearing more from him as he continues to learn and apply new techniques to this lush, bit-crushed, challenging soundscape. Nab it from the Nueva Forma shop if you haven’t already.

Source: Nueva Forma