Wow. Draper just released his remix of Worship's Collateral. This is such a beauty of a song and it really makes me just want to kick back and relax. This song definitely takes me to another place especially as soon as the vocals kick in. It's so serene and well ... angelic. Draper nailed it with this one. Very nicely done.
I'd just like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday. I hope you enjoy this tune as much as I do. Let's bring in the New Year!
Dane Deaner has started another project dedicated more towards a more hip-hoppy style of music that he has been influenced by. Introducing Jeffrey Dean.
But first, I want to mention Five North which is Deaner's house/electro production project whom of which has already released an EP entitled Mixed Drink. He definitely has an ear for a gnarly electro/house riff and a lot of people have really taken to his work.
Then, in comes Jeffrey Dean. Jeffrey Dean just released his first track today and it is really quite different (in a good way, of course) from the musical style that is Five North. Not only has Jeffrey Dean incorporated his synth compilations from his producing abilities, but he has also added his own vocals which displays his versatility and true musical talent.
Versatility has always been one thing of mine that is really tell-tale of a true artist and it is probably the same for many of you. The question is: Can an artist stand the test of time and adapt to the ever-changing music industry? If yes, then you have a highly talented artist much like that of Dane Deaner. Being able to bridge his production talents with the spitting a few verses isn't necessarily easy and in his debut track "What It Is", he makes that connection very aptly and smoothly. Well done. I am looking forward to hearing a lot for from Deaner in the future from both of his projects. Perhaps an EP from Jeffrey Dean?
So, of course, without further adieu, I would like to introduce to you Jeffrey Dean's first single "What It Is (Prod. Five North)" also available for a free download. Enjoy!
Local Hero has released a new single called Lady Wisconsin after the success of their debut album `The Aldgate`. To no avail, they have created yet another beauty full of surf pop vibes and the oh so fitting vocals of Alex MacKay.
I had to listen to this song a few times to really get to the meaning of it and from what I`ve gathered, it is a tale of the chase dreams throughout a relationship. The back and forth, between the soothing vocal whispers to Lady Wisconsin`s fruitful rejections. The song gives a really nice look into the chase of a relationship and hints on that if you are persistent, you might just win over your love. In the end, it seems as though Wisconsin falls and that`s right when the instruments collide and create a masterful indie rock sound.
Not to mention, Maya Laner`s back-up vocals add such a serene element to the song mixed with her soft acoustic riffs. Beautiful composition as always from Local Hero.
London Elektricity is a musical collective best known for their Drum and Bass tracks. They also incorporate elements of breakbeat, funk, jazz, and often called 'melodic' dubstep into their songs.
Comprised of Tony Coleman and Chris Goss, London Elektricity focuses largely on live shows, but have also released quite a number of albums since their inception in 1999 when they released their debut album entitled Pull the Plug. At this time, Coleman and Goss had already started their record company called Hospital Records and subsequently released Pull the Plug on their label. A few years later, Goss began focusing his energy on managing the company leaving London Elektricity to Coleman. Coleman released London Elektricity's sophomore album and the group decided to further their career into live performances. Thus, London Elektricity took off.
Now London Elektricity has recently released their latest album entitled Yikes back in July of 2011. To honour London Elektricity's work over the years, I have compiled a list of some of my favourite remixes for you to enjoy. Check 'em out:
*This post is a re-release as we had run into some issues with the original post. We hope you like this one better.
Yes, you guessed it. Contrary to popular belief, we are not lazy and have actually been up to something really good for you guys. We have compiled our favourite Electronica, Dubstep, Indie, and Rap/Hip-Hop tracks of 2011 and made our playlists available to you. We've included music by M83, Bon Iver, Gotye, Lana Del Rey, SNOWMINE, Local Hero, Blackmill, Adventure Club, and so much more, so go take a peak and a listen.
We just want to take this post to thank everyone for your gracious support and that we will be continuing our music adventures into 2012. If you have any feedback, suggestions, comments, or concerns, you're welcome to voice them below. We'd like to hear from you you, good or bad. Also, we at OMR want to wish you a very merry Christmas (we're not afraid to say it) and to those of you who do not celebrate Christmas, a happy holiday! Cheers!
All we ask in return is for you to leave us with a comment of what song made your top track of 2011. Our playlists are featured on 8tracks which you can view either in the "Best of 2011" tab or conveniently in the following link:
Kingdomz is a fellow Torontonian who specializes in trippy lo-fi electronica (indietronica, in a nutshell) that makes you just want to kick back and toke one, especially in the midst of exam time. Chill tunes, that seems to be the theme for this mid-December. Sadly, there still isn't snow on the ground (here in Toronto) and Christmas music has been overplayed for the better half of this month, but hey, we have Kingdomz. Kingdomz and his chill tracks to relax to while taking our much awaited break from studying and that god-awful Christmas music. So make a hot chocolate topped with some marshmallows, turn on your Xbox, and put someKingdomz on. Here's Melt the World, my personal favourite of his tracks. His EP entitled Feels Right is available on his SoundCloud and most of his tracks are free, so hop on over there and grab them before the download limit is reached.
Turn off your television is a three man band from Sweden with influences in the 60s, 70sand the 90s. Inspired by the likes of Sparklehorse, Grand archives, Luna and Belle andSebastian many people describe their music as soft melodic folk pop with simple andmemorable hooks.
The Music:
I want to start by saying that I am absolutely privileged to listen this album as it is absolutely stunning. Turn Off Your Television is the perfect album for a mid-summer's afternoon relaxing on the back porch looking out into the proverbial grass fields with a group of friends just hanging out while playing a little guitar and watching the sun set. Their music just has that kind of feel to me, you know? Each song evokes such a strong sense of emotion and I can't help but feel instantly ... happy. Content, like I should be hanging out with my friends up at cottage by the lakeside up north drinking by a campfire. The imagery that each song TOYT provokes in me is crazy. I am absolutely blown away by how many thoughts and feelings are just popping up in my head. So that leads me to my next thought, isn't this what music is all about? Living the good life, I mean. Living the life, that you want to live, no questions asked, like you haven't a doubt in your mind that this is where you are supposed to be at this moment. Isn't that what music makes you want to feel? It makes you want to feel all tingly inside and TOYT is the perfect album to evoke that feeling.
Their heartfelt holistic songs really got to me, especially how the album starts off so perfectly with I Just Cleaned the Floor. Gills Mills said it the best with this quote:
Melting hearts with their melodic acoustic pop, this Swedish outfit has a feel of Grandaddy spliced with Sparklehorse - Gill Mills, Best of Myspace
I am extremely impressed by TOYT's self-titled debut album. It really doesn't get much better than that. I am really looking forward to what they've got in store for us for their sophomore. I'll leave you with a couple of my favourites off of their album, but if you would like to listen to the rest, follow the links below.
KATFYR has been busy at work lately coming up with some new tracks for us to enjoy and he has been kind enough to release one of them lately and he was also featured on a track with Klaypex which is the one I'm going to focus on.
Well, Klaypex and KATFYR have made quite a gem together. It has a catchy melody for a dub tune. I think (after his Katy Perry remix of E.T.) KATFYR should have stepped up the bar a little bit, but I'm sure it is difficult to top a track like that, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. If you aren't quite sure what I am referring to, visit this page and listen to KATFYR's remix first. You can do so here. KATFYR's remix took extremely well in the dubstep/electronic world and for good reason.
Anyways, back to Let It Go. The duo use a very nice crisp sound which is definitely a high quality production. Since I have been writing about dubstep for quite some time now, I'm going to be a little lazy and say just listen to Let it Go for yourself and don't listen to what I have to say this time (there's only so many ways to write "Dude, that was such a gnarly drop" if you know what I mean).
Also, second up KATFYR released an electro track which is actually amazing. I've listened to it a few times now and it keeps getting better every time I re-listen to it. I can't decide what he is better at producing, electro or dubstep? I mean, I prefer dubstep over electro house tracks, but he did such a good job on this that I don't think I can pick a favourite between the two. Leave a comment on your favourite of the two tracks below.
So I've got a little bit of a treat for you this week with a couple of new tracks from Naeleck and Oddity. This week, I thought I would change it up with a little bit of house which is a tad out of the norm for me. However, I am really digging these tracks and definitely wanted you to hear them.
Naeleck, if you can't remember is an electro house producer who is hailing from the mighty Tokyo, Japan. He has previously released Agaru EP which I featured here. Agaru, which I had mentioned, has this dark sound which gave a nice sdditive to the usual upbeat electro track. Now, Naeleck alongside of Oddity has moved onto a remix of Tight Jeans by D' Secret Svc. Oddity is a producer for Sony Music under the Synca division in Japan as well and has previously worked with Naeleck after he made a remix of Naeleck's Agaru track for his EP. If you listen closely, you will notice that the well versed Oddity brings a little bit of a hip-hop element to the table in their remix of Tight Jeans. Also, if you listen to Oddity's remix of Agaru, you will notice that same vibe beaming throughout his song.
Now out with a remix of Tight Jeans, Naeleck and Oddity teamed up to showcase their talents and their ear for a quality sounding house track. They also produced a dub edit of the track as well, which further proves the duo's versatility in the music production game. Take a listen and I hope you enjoy the tracks.
