Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Disco of Doom - Warpig *FOURSIE Award Winner*

ELECTRONIC/TECHNO/METAL
Artist: Disco of Doom
Album: Warpig
Tracks: “Spawn Again” & “Warpig”
Street Date: August 4, 2009
Label: Coco Machete




Congratulations on your FOURSIE, Disco of Doom!
Awarded by: Sunny Dee

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Spiraling downwards is the only way to define the feeling of listening to the fittingly titled electronic artist Disco of Doom. According to Sunny Dee, “It’s like zombies eating the earth mixed with freakin’ the best beat ever.”

Disco of Doom’s first release entitled EP1 was released in 2008 on Passenger Records and immediately reached the ears and hearts of fellow electronic artists AutoKratz, Tronik Youth, Etienne De Crecy, Alex Metric, Acid Jacks, Miles Dyson, and many more. It was after this release that the band had the opportunity to tour across the UK, opening for headline gigs in Amsterdam and Helsinki.

Currently signed to New York City-based label Coco Machete, Disco of Doom released its second album Warpig in early August and continues to destroy dance floors across the globe.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Thunderheist *FOURSIE Award Winner*


HIP HOP / RAP / ELECTRONIC
Artist: Thunderheist
Album: Thunderheist
Tracks: “Nothing2Step2” & “Space Cowboy”
Street Date: March 31, 2009
Label: Big Dada

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Congratulations on your FOURSIE, Thunderheist!
Awarded by: Olga Kozedub

Montreal-based Thunderheist, consisting of Isis Salam and Grahm Zilla, released a total of five EPs since October of 2007. Their March release of their first full-length album, Thunderheist, seems to be a culmination of all their past work since the time of release.

The band’s music as well as their music videos have been featured at various popular music outlets such as Jimmy Kimmel, South by South West film festival, YouTube, Hip Hop Connection, DJ Mag, Music Week, Dazed and Confused, and many more. Many remixed Thunderheist tracks are floating about the internet waiting to be listened to.

Though in completely different realms of electronic music, outspoken Iris has a habit of bad-mouthing her peers, non-crediting music samplers Crystal Castles and eccentric pop princess Lady Gaga.

Since March, Thunderheist has released a new EP entitled “LBG (Little Booty Girl).” Keep it coming you two.

To listen to more from the Canadian duo, visit their MySpace!

Monday, December 14, 2009

Hakan Lidbo *FOURSIE Award Winner*


ELECTRONIC
Artist: Hakan Lidbo
Album: Yellow Fever EP
Tracks: “Yellow Fever (Death Step Remix)” & “Done Up (Hakan Libdo Remix)
Street Date: May 19, 2009
Label: Tigerbass


Congratulations on your FOURSIE, Hakan!
Awarded By: Matt Laszuk (CEO)

"Who did you select for your foursie, and why." - Sunny
"Hakan Lidbo, because he's bangin." - Matt

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If you’re ever in the mood for jaw-dropping electronic music, turn your attention to Hakan Lidbo, who was recently awarded as one of the 100 best producers of electronic music in the world by Urb Magazine. Lidbo has 10 years of experiences as a pop and dance music producer – most techno/house. He has also managed Swedish record labeles such as MNW Dance and Left < > Right Recordings. His discography consists of more than 150 records that range from avant garde to clean-cut vocal pop/house.

In the past, Hakan has made music for commercials, film, television shows, computer games, and a ballet – just to give you an idea of his musical scope.

In an interview with Montreal Mirror, Lidbo explains how he got into electronic music in the first place:

“Not when I was a kid, but I think some of the reasons I began producing music with electronic equipment were pretty much the same reasons you wanted to be an astronaut - you get to wear really cool clothes and work with high-tech, rocket-type things. When I first saw Kraftwerk and Yello play, I was blown away because I thought that it was amazing to be able to work with these computers and machines with knobs. And you know, for me, to have a job where you feel very cool is pretty important.”

To check our some of his work, visit his MySpace.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Le Castle Vania


ELECTRONIC/ DANCE
Artist: Le Castle Vania
Album: Nobody Gets Out Alive
Tracks: “Nobody Gets Out Alive,” & “Trouble in Daylight”
Street Date: December 8, 2009
Label: Always Never


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According to Le Castle Vania’s MySpace page, the music sounds like “dirty disco dance beats and a bad ass robot shredding on a keytar annnnnd some other stuff” – which isn’t entirely wrong.

The Atlanta-based indie electro/trance/house artist knows how to drop a good beat. Le Castle Vania, who is currently on a funky tour of the West Coast and then Australia and then the West Coast again, recently released Nobody Gets Out Alive Рwhich happens to be a dirty disco dance single. Reminiscent of a faster, less suggestive and risqu̩ She Wants Revenge, Le Castle Vania (aka Dylan Island) keeps it flashy while tasteful.

Island’s past EPs and remixes have been highly praised and the artist is considered an up-and-coming during the next year. An LP should be released some time in January or February of next year so be sure to look out for that. Stay updated by checking up on Le Castle Vania’s MySpace!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Polymorphic


ELECTRONIC/ TECHNO/ HOUSE
Artist: Polymorphic
Album: Rock On EP
Tracks: “Rock On,” “Scream”
Street Date: December 1, 2009
Label: Coco Machete


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If you’re a fan of Steve Aoki, the Bloody Beetroots, MSTRKRFT, etc., you’ll most likely enjoy Polymorphic, too. And if you don’t, well that’s too bad!

The Moscow-based artist recently released a new EP, Rock On, featuring three new tracks – “Rock On,” “Scream,” and “Move Faster.” The EP also includes an awesome remix of “Rock On” by Marseille. Most tracks are darkly aggressive and maybe even scary at times – but that’s not surprising. Polymorphic said in a MySpace blog post, “As the days get darker so shall the music, ... there’s only one thing we can really say about the last two tracks… they are scary … ‘Scream’ WILL make you ‘Move Faster.’”

Holy mackerel! NO, but seriously they’re not kidding. This music isn’t for the faint of heart… or hearing. I can clearly imagine myself getting trampled by a crowd of rave-goers and then exploding on the floor (with my glow stick fading out slowly by my side).

But don’t worry about that because you can listen to Polymorphic in the safety of your own home. Check their MySpace out!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Pal Joey


HOUSE
Artist: Pal Joey
Album: NYC Darlings
Tracks: “Flight 801” & “Party Time”
Street Date: November 11, 2009
Label: Pal Joey


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Apologies for the late Pal Joey blog posting, but it goes to show you that there was so much to information to consider and process about the artist/record label, especially since Pal Joey is considered as a great house legend and pioneer and influencer of all music after the 1980s.

From upbeat, funky electro to low-key trance, the artist demonstrates creative shifts and changes in the nuances of making enjoyable music. Pal Joey has worked with and produced albums for artists such as BQE, Lascivious, Paul Violet, Brio, Beautiful People, Dreamhouse, Soho, and Birdhouse (just to name a few).

Pal Joey’s new album NYC Darlings is a collection of ear-catching tracks – good for winding down and chillaxing. We hope Pal Joey continues to collaborate with other artists and release new stuff soon!

For more information, visit Pal Joey's website.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Conya Compilation


ELECTRONIC/ HOUSE
Artist: Various Artists
Album: Broaden Your Horizons Pt. 1 & 2
Tracks: Edmund “Electronic Love,” Copy/Paste “Caravan 2”
Street Date: November 17, 2009
Label: Conya Records/ Clubstar


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Alright, so when you think of German electronic/house/trance music, you probably think of really intense beats, rhythms, and bass, with a super deep and creepy German guy singing in a low monotone. Or we’re just exaggerating because an electro-Rammstein comes to mind at first thought.

This is not the case for the first ever Conya Compilation, Broaden Your Horizons Pt. 1 & 2! Originally founded in 2002, the record label wanted to focus on tribal house music however its made a shift to soulish, groovy deep electro-house dance music crafted by some of the best foreign house artists including Jay Tripwire, Manuel Tur, Jay West, Gianluca Pighi, Haldo, Sebastian Davidson, and Brazilian Soul Crew. Part 1 of Broaden Your Horizons, “The Soulful Rub,” mostly consists of laidback soul that you can still definitely dance to. Part 2 of the compilation, “The Deeper Club,” focuses on the deeper house and electronic side of Conya Records. The purchase of either part comes with a DJ mix of the tracks by Henri Kohn who compiled Broaden Your Horizons.

No, this ain’t yo run-of-the-mill compilation, but it’s a diverse collection of super good European/Canadian/Russian electronic music – and no it’s not reminiscent of an electro-Rammstein at all, just in case that thought is still in your head. Although that would probably be interesting too!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Arcane Trickster


ELECTRONIC
Artist: Arcane Trickster
Album: Eidola
Tracks: "Dope On A Rope,” “Zombie Shuffle (day mix)”
Street Date: November 10, 2009
Label: Tempest Records


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Arcane Trickster is the love baby birthed by producer Damiano Verna of Tempest Records and Christopher Innes. To give a brief and perhaps concise idea of what type of electronic music the two produce, imagine yourself riding a super funky roller coaster elevator-craft through outer-space, traveling through a mangled up montage of old film and audio clips, seeing neon-colored aliens techno dance around you in circles, and spiraling out of control into a nearby nebula:



Pretty awesome, right?!


Arcane Trickster is not your typical electro-pop band that AA-clad youngsters are fawning over these days. The two seem to bring out a darker tone in their music, especially in “Hex,” in which one of the back beat/rhythm sounds very reminiscent of the Prodigy’s “Smack My B***h Up.”

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Mogi Grumbles


ELECTRONIC/ HOUSE/ POP
Artist: Mogi Grumbles
Album:The Black Box Set
Tracks: "M.W.T.F.," "Missed Connections"
Street Date: October 27, 2009
Label: Moodgadget Records


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Correct us if we're mistaken but Mogi Grumbles could possibly be the hippest thing to come out of Michigan since... cars... when they were first invented.

Apparently in the current state of pop culture, it's standard for songs to last a total of 3 or 4, maybe even 5 minutes (if you're like, U2 or something). As a result people are all antsy now when they hear a track lasting 5+ minutes... and we think that's absurd! People used to sit through hours of operas and junk a few centuries ago and now most people can't even sit through a 5 minute track without fidgeting for their iPods.


The California Aggie arts editor put it in good enough terms in the paper yesterday. "Give anyone an album with five or six minute tracks and people will either faint or fall asleep with boredom." This has a high probability of being true, but we're willing to give people the benefit of the doubt... for now.

Now how is this relevant to Mogi Grumbles? Well, every track off the Black Box Set is designated as an EP and lasts about 2-3 times longer than your average MGMT song (no offense beebs!). Supposedly this is Mogi's way of making fun of the electronic genre, which has inherently taken a strong liking to short singles.

The point is, there's absolutely nothing wrong with long tracks! The double digits may look intimidating at first but it could end up being that much better (or at least better than you expected), and this is definitely the case for Mogi Grumbles' Black Box Set.

Check out his remixes and updates on his MySpace!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Emergency


ELECTRONIC/ POP
Artist: The Emergency
Album: Dreams That Money Can Buy
Tracks: "Fire in You," "Stars Explode"
Street Date: October 23, 2009
Label: Metal Postcard Records


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EMERGENCY: You need to listen to this album.

The Emergency, based in Melbourne, Australia, has been rubbing shoulders with super awesome electro-pop acts such as Cut Copy, The Presets, Architecture in Helsinki, A.R.E. Weapons, Glass Candy, and Midnight Juggernauts for quite some years now. More importantly, they've released plenty of that gooey, head-bobbing, body-movin', booty-shakin', synth-drenched music that everybody has been mega craving more of lately... but a few years ago in 2001ish! Super hipster status. It's like when Discovery covered and released Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" on their LP like 2 seconds before Michael Jackson passed away - except not that intense at all.

During the past few years, vocalist/keyboardist Milo and Morgan the gadgeteer have been in the studio cranking out some vinyl singles and remixes. Ubes cool! However, word on the street is that cassette tapes are making a comeback (vinyl's apparently too vintage now), so get on that Emergency!
Dreams That Money Can Buy is the duo's second studio album and features Sydney-based artist Catcall and Outrun's bassist Mark O'Keeffe. The new record was completely recorded and produced in their own studio allowing them the DIY creative license that may not have been available elsewhere.

Hit up their MySpace for more details on their various releases and new music!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Amtrak



ELECTRONIC/ DIRTY
Artist: Amtrak
Album: Dirty Dancing
Track: “Mmm Cake”, “Fit to Hit”
Street date: September 22, 2009
Label: Audio Reconnaissance


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Indianapolis-based label and distributor Audio Reconnaissance is sending out its head recruit, Amtrak, to scout out the electronic scene this fall with Amtrak’s LP, Dirty Dancing. Amtrak is the relatively new project of Morehead, Kentucky DJ, Caleb Cornett (Amtrak began in 2005). Amtrak’s debut EP in 2007, “In Transit”, generated national attention, leading him to gigs with artists such as The Ben Ishmael Revival, The Glitch Clique, and Surreal Estate. One blogger who attended Amtrak’s performances at the Indiana Electronic & Experimental Music Exposition in March wrote, “his late-night vibe was refined and lush.”

Dirty Dancing is smart and trendy, able to provide the perfect setting for anything from posh clubs and lounges to smaller get togethers. Of course, an hour-long ride on Amtrak would be appropriate as well… har har.

Check out “Mmm Cake” and “Fit to Hit." One is delicious and the other can beat up your annoying neighbors.


^ Poser Amtrak

The real Amtrak says: Mmm... cake!

Other notables at Audio Reconnaissance include Dreadnots, Old Ovelus, Twilight Sentinels, Smear, and the Glick Clique.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Slip On Your Shades... Roy Davis Jr. Makes You Feel Cool

Artist: Roy Davis Jr.
Album: God Life Music
Track: “What Cha Gonna Do? feat. Erin Martin”
Street date: July 20, 2009
Label: nice+smooth ultramedia

He’s probably one of the only DJs out there right now who incorporates soul into electronic music seamlessly. It’s not like he doesn’t have the experience to know what works; this guy started DJing when he was 12, 13 years old, and it was all up from there. In the 1980s, he started his own production company, Phuture. In 1998, he recorded hit single “Gabriel” with Peven Everett, which sold over 250,000 copies. As a producer, he has garnered quite the reputation as well; everyone from Warner Brothers, Sony, to MCA has been knocking on his door for Billboard hits (for Mary J. Blige, Seal, Patti LaBelle, Eric Benet/Faith Evans, etc.). Oh, and he DJs in places you and I only dream about visiting, like Dubai. Jealousy!

On his album God Life Music, Davis channels the ultimate house, cool R&B feel in a soulful, spiritual direction. Not only is his music highly suitable for posh clubs and lounges, it is also cathartic. You know it’s good when you can’t even describe it (absolutely no references to illegal substances here!). Go on, as your close dealer friend would say. Try it out for yourself.

For more RDJ goodness, check out his MySpace page.

Other notables at nice+smooth ultramedia: Kinder Atom, SolaZul

Food for Ears: DJ Food as Stage Four's 1st Electronic Podcast Feature!


Electronic
Artist: DJ Food
Album: One Man’s Weird is Another Man’s World
Track: “The Illectrik Hoax ft. Natural Self”
Street date: July 7, 2009
Label: Ninja Tune

To all our electronic music aficionados and anyone in search of something truly original, have we got something for you to snack on: DJ Food! The DJ Food project was created close to 20 years ago and has included a number of DJs and producers over the years. DJ Food hasn’t put out new music for 8 years. Currently, DJ Food is comprised of sole performer Strictly Kev.

One Man’s Weird is Another Man’s World is appropriately titled and reflects just how wide of a spectrum the album covers: the tracks range from an ethereal, outer space feel with a textbook recording on energy waves to tracks that are clearly influenced by African tribal music—very creative, experimental production. “The Illectrik Hoax ft. Natural Self” is driven by rhythms and beats; it also features spoken word dialogue that are layered over the tracks, which is unexpected but pleasant. Contributing artists on the album include Ken Nordine, Nathaniel Pearn (aka Natural Self, one half of The Broken Keys), Bundy K Brown, The Dragons and Dr. Rubberfunk.

DJ Food is signed under Ninja Tune and distributed by IRIS Distribution. Check out his MySpace!

Other notables at Ninja Tune: Daedelus, King Cannibal, Mr. Scruff

Friday, July 17, 2009

The Beginning Of...


Memo from the Surgeon General

Prescription of Stage Four powered by BlinkerActive to be administered in weekly doses to listeners with the following symptoms:

1. Unexplained urges to escape the monotony of mainstream music
2.
Desire to impress all those surrounding listeners with his or her impeccable taste and exclusive access to the best alt/rock or electronica
3. Desire to make fun of people while they make fools of themselves
and to win truly random/ridiculous prizes with each podcast release
4. Uncontrollable tendency to indulge in freshest sounds around.

Side effects include an overall sense of euphoria and urgency, sex appeal, and a greater appreciation for addiction to the best new music out there, hands down. Welcome to the Insanity! Greetings to all of our listeners! Pat yourself on the back—you’re making history. This is Stage Four’s very first podcast, powered by Iris! Stage Four will be regularly combing through millions of tracks (that’s an exaggeration) that come our way (fate) for the best alt/rock and electronica—all 100% certified indie, delivered straight to your headphones. Each podcast will highlight an artist yours truly believes to be strongly buzz-worthy. And who knows? Maybe you too will discover that this—steady eye contact here, don’t break away—is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.