I revived an old music blog from the early 2000s?

Maybe it’s been a foolish endeavor, and maybe I’m the only one who misses the blog ol’ days, but I’ve been giving it a shot. I’ve been working on restoring some of the old content, though much of it was lost. I’ve slowly been rebuilding the old remix sunday archives, and even posting the occasional new edition. And I’ve been writing again.

You can find all the label’s releases here, on bandcamp, or most anywhere you listen to music these days. I’ve still got copies of some of the old vinyl releases, and I recently released the first in a set of charitable cassette compilations to raise awareness about the continued [mis]use of broken windows policing methods.

Plus, I put together a playlists section with a handful of spotify lists that hopefully start to capture a [slightly] updated version of the moods we used to peddle. Give those a listen and a ❤ if you would be so kind. If you want to get in touch, just give me a holler.

– Haldan/Boody

  • From the Mailbox 23

    Stunning submission from Sawyer G. (Sawyer Gebauer), best known for his brilliant Catch Prichard project. Where the latter project has seen Gebauer primarily exploring the psychedelic sides of folk and country music, this current record succeeds in marrying similarly ambient sound-beds with caroming jazz and breakbeat. Gebauer feels virtuosic here; stitching together ricochets of collage drums with meandering sax and found sound. I hope he keeps down this path, I’ll be excited to hear what else he can mine from it. No bandcamp for this, but Gebauer was kind enough to let me offer the mp3 to you all here. (It’s also available for streaming all over.)

    Sawyer G. – “See/Saw” (mp3)

    New music from LA’s Angélica Garcia, produced via collaboration with indubitable talents Dave Sitek and Ciel. “BUTTERFLY” tells the story of Garcia’s time in NYC working at House of Yes, and the inspiration she found in the confident and resilient staff and club kids. Garcia imagines the butterfly as a symbol of self actualization amidst a club culture characterized by intrinsic violence, and simultaneously as a metaphor for the daily subjugation experienced by Latinos and immigrants in the US. In resolving these countervailing concepts, the song elegantly straddles beauty and grit — balancing determined propulsion in the verse against a sense of ascendance in the hook. Grab it on bandcamp or stream it wherever you do that.

    Angélica Garcia – “BUTTERFLY” (bc)

    Lovely work from Italian producer Tiny Little Ghost (real name Vanni Casagrande). “Still Under” is described by the artist as intended to capture the feeling of slipping into a lake at night. It’s an unpretentiously inky and aquatic piece. The third movement really tugs downward into colder water–where one’s body is forced to quickly adapt, pushing blood through the vascular system, ultimately warming one’s extremities. The song is from the Tiny Little Ghost’s upcoming album, Nocturnal, a concept album tracing the sunset to the dawn. No bandcamp for this one, but Casagrande was generous enough to let me share with you the mp3 here; the song is also available at all the usual streaming outlets.

    Tiny Little Ghost – “Still Under” (mp3)

  • Mailbox: Mute City – Entroponetics Vol. 1

    In the late aughts, when I was living in Copenhagen, I became friendly with many of the artists there propelling the growth of a vibrant dub-techno-meets-downtempo scene. As has often been the case with musical subcultures in CPH, these guys were doing fine, eating and doing expert work creating a scene that almost nobody outside Denmark was really clocking at the time. Now that geography and era mean so much less for art and its inspiration, it should come as no surprise that an artist like Mute City–based in Somerville, MA–would feel freedom to make music like this, despite being in a place where he’s likely disconnected from any robust local scene particularly expressive of this exact style. “Never the Same River” is delicate, dubby, and songwriting-forward in a way that would have made it perfectly at home amongst that school of Danish masters 20 years ago. It feels sort of like condensation on a single pane window on a day like today: facing out into an icy winter, with the warmth and light of hygge behind it.

    This is from Mute City’s newest record, Entroponetics, Vol. 1, a collection of [mostly] previously-released compositions and remixes. It really runs the gamut stylistically, so don’t expect only dubby Nordic vibes. Case in point, Mute City also sent over another song from the record, which sits in distinctly different territory. His remix of SLC artist Below the Smoke is glitch-heavy and distorted–indicative of the album’s (and artist’s) range.You can download both songs below, then go grab the record from bandcamp. FYI, bandcamp only on this one.

    Mute City – “Never the Same River” (mp3)

    Below the Smoke – “Follow Me” (Mute City’s Corrupted Save File Mix) (mp3)

    Also, check the visual for “Never the Same River” below, after the jump.

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  • Visual Velcro 41

    Princess Nokia – “Drop Dead Gorgeous” (sc)

    Heems – “Rakhi” ft. Pavvan & Ajji (bc)

    Zopelar – “Call It Love” ft. Hernbean5150 (bc)

  • New Hots Hots 11

    Vegyn – “The Path Less Travelled” (bc)

    Loukeman – “Won’t U” (bc)

    Soho Rezanejad – “L.O.V.E” (bc)

  • Visual Velcro 40

    King Krule – “Time For Slurp”

    Wiki – “No L’s” (prod. Tony Seltzer & Jam City) (sc)

    Lol K – “Outside Chance” (bc)

  • Visual Velcro 39

    Mount Kimbie – “Shipwreck” (sc)

    Armand Hammer – “Doves” ft. Benjamin Booker (sc)

    Wu-Lu – “Daylight Song” (sc)

  • New Hots Hots 10

    Brassica – “Turdnadoe” (sc) [buy on bc]

    Sully & Salo – “Nights” (Not Just A Dub Mix) (sc) [buy on bc]

    Lanark Artefax – “Meszthread” (sc) [buy on bc]

  • Visual Velcro 38

    Thomas Bangalter – “CHIROPTERA” (sc)

    Multiform Palace – “Tompkins 88” (sc)

    Slim Soledad & Iki Yos – “T.E.T.A Intergalactica” (sc)

  • Visual Velcro 37

    Maluca – “NYC Baby”

    Scott Thorough – “Magnassanti” (bc)

    Caine Casket – “New Lyfe” (mp3)

  • Visual Velcro 36

    Tul Waitoonkiat – “Nueng Kamtham” (Black Merlin Traverse Dub Mix) (bc)

    404 Shadow – “Turn the Page” (sc)

    Ibby Njoya – “Mustafa”

  • Visual Velcro 35

    Ivohé – “yemmal2am” (mp3)

    ALIAS – “COCKTAILS AND DREAMS” (sc)

    Kamasi Washington – “Dream State” (ft. André 3000) (bc)

  • Visual Velcro 34

    MOY – “Frequency of Creation” (bc)

    Tati au Miel – “My heart” ft. Cecilia (bc)

    Erika de Casier – “Ex-Girlfriend” ft. Shygirl (bc)

  • Visual Velcro 33

    Reptant – “Metachrosis” (bc)

    Pépe – “Cloudbusters” (bc)

    Transfiguration 2020 by Universal Everything (with foley by Simon Pyke)

  • Visual Velcro 32

    Mumdance – “In Love Again” (sc) [buy on bandcamp]

    Big Dope P – “Top Shelf” ft. Littlez (sc) [buy on bandcamp]

    LeFtO Early Bird – “Diane Charlemagne” ft. Iman Houssein (bc) [buy on bandcamp]

  • Visual Velcro 31

    Lyra Valenza – “Joy Divided” (mp3)

    KETTAMA – “Fly Away XTC” (sc)

    Goitia Deitz – “Romance” (Tom Furse House Remix) (bc)

  • Visual Velcro 30

    Tyler, The Creator – “WHAT A DAY” (prod. Madlib) (sc)

    Luke RV – “Great Advice”

    Mattr – “Eno” (sc)

  • Visual Velcro 29

    Shygirl & Cosha – “thicc” (sc)

    Oneohtrix Point Never – “On an Axis” (sc)

    Lord Spikeheart – “REM FODDER” ft. James Ginzburg & Koenraad Ecker (sc)

  • Visual Velcro 28

    Kim Gordon – “BYE BYE” (bc)

    Beth Gibbons – “Floating On A Moment” (sc)

    YUVI – “Жидає” (bc)

  • Visual Velcro 27

    Joshua Crumbly – “again, on the road” (bc)

    Brian Wenner – “Age of Execution” (bc)

    Paultra Violet – “I Will Find Your Heart” (bc)

  • Visual Velcro 26

    Gacha Bakradze – “Bowl” (bc)

    Solbore – “The Often” (bc)

    Kelela – “Happy Ending” (A.G Remix) (bc)

  • New Hots Hots 9

    DJ Arana e Triz – “Fuzil dos Drake” (sc)

    pherris – “Sinta Isto” (sc) [buy on bandcamp]

    Falcons & Richtanner – “Art of Baile” (mp3)

  • Visual Velcro 25

    Hatis Noit – “Jomon” (bc)

    Rubio – “Llorar” (sc)

    Max Cooper – “In Threes” (bc)

  • Visual Velcro 24

    Daphni – “Cloudy” (Kelbin Remix) (sc)

    Don Gog – “Q” (sc)

    Parable – “Pin Drops” (bc)

  • Visual Velcro 23

    A.dixen – In Safety (sc)

    Evening Ocean – Believe In Good Things (sc)

    SUBFICTION – “weird glitches ‘n’ different shakes” (medley)

  • Visual Velcro 22

    Eluard – “Funny Jasmine” (bc)

    AAOM – “Infinitum”

    ECHT! – “Cheesecake” (bc)

  • Visual Velcro 21

    RiDylan – “Exit This” (bc)

    Six Missing – “Cleanse” (bc)

    Inwards – “Leavin’” (bc)

  • Visual Velcro 20

    Max Cooper – “Forgotten Places” ft. Kathrin deBoer (bc)

    Pari Eskandari – “Chador” (bc)

    Benson Taylor & James Adrian Brown – “Church Of First” (bc)

  • Solbore – Seemingly Magic Things

    Solbore – “Seemingly Magic Things”

    Tectonic plates move because they’re dragged along as the molten mantle flows beneath them. The mantle flows because of convection currents created by the heat of the Earth’s core. The earth’s core is hot because it’s full of radioactive elements in a state of perpetual decay.

    If the first half of this song sounds like anything identifiable, it’s probably some part of that process. Maybe the crush of the plates colliding; or the drag as they slip off the mantle; or the hyper-rapid boil of the heavy metals in the core; or maybe the embodiment of decay itself. After three minutes of all that heat, the song gives way to a kobyz solo that feels like water pouring into the tectonic gash, eventually petering off like steam disappearing into the atmosphere.

    From Brighton-based Czech/Argentinian producer Solbore, from his yet-released album, Never Alone, Often Lonely (out in Febrary). I’ve also selected another prerelease piece that features one of my favorite artists of the past few years, Varsity Star (I wrote about him last year)–a much sweeter affair, but no less compelling.

    Preorder Never Alone, Often Lonely on bandcamp, or stream the singles all over.

    Solbore – “Seemingly Magic Things” ft. Inwards, Neil Cosgrove, Lachlan R. Dale, Nurbolat Kadyrbayev (bc)

    Solbore – “Back in Time” ft. Varsity Star (bc)

  • Mailbox: Ainonow – Exile

    Ainonow – “Exile” ***Photosensitivity warning***

    Ainonow, real name Kyle Kroeck, is a Boston-based artist seeking to provide catharsis to his listeners. He aims to do this through razor-precise sound design at high tempos. He says he wants his music to allow listeners to embrace their dark sides–recognizing that darkness is part of being human–meanwhile providing a healthy and comforting space to channel those feelings. It’s not so often you hear this kind of emotional ambition from an artist working at the harder fringes of stateside Drum & Bass. And I’ll admit, I’m overall pretty cautious about dipping my toes into the vat of US bass music that includes Neuro, Mainline, and US-breaks. That stuff has just never been my bag. Above 160bpm, I’m just usually far more partial to the UK stuff: the grit and tangle of Jungle, the silkiness of old school Liquid.

    But credit where credit is due, Ainonow is using some of the conventions of those US sub-genres to make something truly refined. This is incredibly intricately programmed music, with an impressive amount of patience and a refreshing lack of reliance on the standard build up+drop+breakdown/repeat structure. This is without doubt music for the dancefloor, but for all that the basslines may growl, they never stay in one place for long or quite repeat themselves. And those drums sound less like the lonely loopy staccato of typical D&B drum programming, and more as if someone spiked a marching band’s gatorade with adderall and convinced them the floor was lava. It’s refreshing to hear this level of thoughtful experimentation in this kind of packaging, especially from a producer so clearly concerned about how his music affects people emotionally. Big pad breakdowns, 90s nostalgia, ePiC dRoPs, and massive over-compression aren’t the only ways for an American bass music producer to coax strong feelings from people, and Ainonow is evidence of that.

    Ainonow is current with two-tracker Exile. Grab it on bandcamp for free, or steam it on your outlet of choice.

    Ainonow – “Exile” (sc)

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    This review was written in support of the artist’s promotional campaign.

  • Visual Velcro 19

    L E M F R E C K – “U Gd? (GOD/GOOD)”

    El Búho – “Cenizas de Agua” ft. Nita

    FVLCRVM & Annet X – “Do It All Again”

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