V4YS EP Review - Hold Your Horses ! - Apologize EP

Baroque or chamber folk, polyphonic pop...the wording to describe indie bands blending classical or jazz instruments (notably violins and horns) into their music may be relatively complex or obscure. Still, when executed with a large dose of talent and a hint of grace, the recipe sounds incredibly natural.

Latest case in point with Paris-based Hold Your Horses ! who are releasing their third EP titled Apologize.

Sometimes cheerfully chaotic, sometimes energetic, sometimes melancholic, the 4-tracks-long record is first and foremost bursting with humanity.
If I am not familiar with the seven-member band influences, I cannot help myself to think of Canadian combo Broken Social Scene but also of early Cure which you will probably aknowledge are not impure thoughts !

From their blazing orchestration choices to the genuineness of their duo of singers, the band clearly holds no horse whatsoever and should definitely not apologize for it.

Below you'll find a full streaming of the EP which you can get on heir Bandcamp Page.











Pop baroque ou polyphonique, chamber folk...la terminologie utilisée pour décrire les groupes indie incorporant à leurs productions des instruments habituellement "réservés" à la musique classique ou à la sphère jazz/soul (violons, cuivres...) peut sembler ésotérique voir obscure. Pourtant lorsque la reçette est exécutée avec une bonne louche de talent et un soupçon de grâce elle sonne incroyablement vraie et naturelle. 
Dernier exemple en date avec Apologize le troisième maxi du groupe parisien Hold Your Horses ! 
Parfois délicieusement chaotique, parfois joyeusement énergique, parfois subtilement mélancolique, les 4 morceaux du disque débordent d'une émouvante humanité que l'on doit autant aux audacieux choix d'orchestration qu'à l'authenticité de leur duo de voix. 
Si je ne connais pas les multiples influences des 7 membres du groupe, je ne peux m'empêcher de voir les ombres bienveillantes du combo canadien Broken Social Scene voir de Cure version early days planer non loin de ces chevaux sauvages...


Maxi disponible sur leur page Bandcamp, streaming intégral ci-dessus.

V4YS EP Review - Ocelote Rojo - Pacarina EP

Self-produced about a year ago but only passing by my ears now, here are some sweet lo-fi/folk vibes from a Chilean musician named Ocelote Roja.

I strongly suggest you check out his Bandcamp or Soundcloud pages where you can listen and download his poetic instrumental ballads. Built around several layers of acoustic and folk guitar arpeggios plus a few delicate samples evocating the rainforest, his music has a soothing and exotic feel with maybe a touch of Ry Cooder's sound into it as well.

A few extracts below from the Pacarina EP, Untitled#1 and H'ain :







Auto-produit il y presque un an mais venant seulement titiller mes oreilles maintenant, voici quelques douces vibrations lo-fi/folk venues du Chili. 
Je vous recommande chaudement d'aller visiter les pages Bandcamp ou Soundcloud de Ocelote Roja sur lesquelles vos pourrez écouter et downloader ses jolies ballades instrumentales pleines de poésie. Superposant plusieurs lignes de guitares folk ou acoustique ainsi que de subtils samples sonores évoquant (à mon sens) de mystérieuses forêts tropicales, sa musique a un effet à la fois apaisant et dépaysant. Avec peut-être en prime un petit écho du guitariste Ry Cooder dont le nom me vient à l'esprit à l'écoute de ce maxi.


Ci-dessus deux extraits de ce Pacarina EP, Untitled#1 et H'ain.

V4YS EP Review - Pears - Saldanha Bay

He may be from Brooklyn, he may have roots in South Africa, in fact there is not much we know about producer Pears except he just dropped a superb track on the net titled Saldanha Bay (named after a famous harbour in the western shores of South Africa).


Highlife guitars, afro rhythms, funky bassline and a huge feeling of joy and happiness emanating from a track that should have you get up, dance and smile !

V4YS EP Review - Bukky Leo & Black Egypt - Skeleton EP

What about some brand new afrobeat vibes ?

Thanks to German-based Agogo Records label (which we recently mention following their release of the brillant nu-soul LP from The Soul Session) a legendary Nigerian musician is back with a very promessing EP titled Skeleton EP.

I'm talking of saxophonist Bukky Leo that you may know for his previous solo productions (notably the brillant album Afrobeat Visions from 2005) or more obviously for his collaboration with Fela Kuti and his drummer Tony Allen in the 70's/80's.

Before releasing an LP at the end of the year, Bukky is warming up the scene with a couple of tracks displaying  the two sides of afrobeat : first Skeleton, a slow poetic groove offering a beautiful dialog between an electric guitar melody and the horns, then Afrobeat Jam, an explosive dancing cut with vocals chorus answering a horns deluge.
But that's not all ! Gilles Peterson and DJ/producer Simbad join the party to offer two great soulful/afro house remixes of Skeleton.
Definitely my favorite afrobeat prodiction since last year From Africa With Fury: Rise by Seun Kuti !

Below snippets from the four tracks. The LP will be available on June 11th.










Retrouvez cette chronique en  français sur le site WegoFunk !

V4YS EP Review - Kim Brown - Spring Theory EP (Just Another Beat Recordings)

Catching up with some stuff I did not took time to properly listen to these last few weeks, here is a phenomenal deep house EP  coming from Germany.

Released last March on underground label Just Another Beat, Spring Theory is the first production from previously unknown artist Kim Brown. It gathers two extremely deep tracks alternating minimal moments with irresistible euphoric peaks. Add to that a subtle work on rythms, bass and percussions samples and you're in for an essential record !

Streaming below :







Même avec un peu de retard je me dois de mentionner ce que je pense être l'une des plus belles productions deep house de ce premier semestre 2012.  Sorti courant Mars sur le très bon label allemand Just Another Beat, ce Spring Theory EP est l'oeuvre de Kim Brown, producteur jusqu'alors totalement inconnu, .
Le maxi rassemble deux titres délicieusement deep alternant les moments minimal avec d'irrésistibles montées euphorisantes. Ajoutez à cela la finesse des rythmes, des nappes et lignes de basses ou l'utilisation raffinée de samples de percussions et vous obtenez une production indispensable !
Streaming ci-dessus.

M. Josephine - Donut Soul EP (A Jay Dilla Tribute)

Great Jay Dilla-inspired productions always deserve some support, don't they?
So let's show some love for the Donut Soul EP from Jersey City-based singer M. Josephine and producer Mike Marvel revisiting the nu-soul side of the mother of all beatmakers.

The duo picked four of the most sensual cuts he produced for artists like A Tribe Called Quest, Common or Erykah Badu, kept most of the original music and simply let the writing and singing talent of M. Josephine do the rest.

Baby-making music at its best !

The icing on this Donut is that you can get the EP for free on M. Josephine's Bandcamp Page !

Tracklisting and full streaming below :
Leaving You (rework of World Play from A Tribe Called Quest, produced by Jay Dilla)
Push On (rework of  Didn't Cha Know from Erykah Badu, produced by Jay Dilla)
Electrified (rework of Dime Piece from Jay Dilla)
Overjoyed (rework of So Far To Go from Common, produced by Jay Dilla)











Retrouvez cette review en français sur le site WegoFunk !

V4YS Album Review - DJ Mitsu The Beats - Beat Installments (Jazzy Sport Recordings)

Cornerstones of the Japanese musical landscape, the archipelago's nu-jazz and electro/hip-hop scenes harbour a wide array of world-class artists and bands. Think of bands like Soil & Pimp Session, Quasimode, Sleep Walker or Kyoto Jazz Massive and of producers like DJ Krush, DJ Muro, Grooveman Spot or DJ Kentaro ... just to name a few.

Bridging these Nu-Jazz and Hip-Hop worlds, DJ Mitsu The Beats has been establishing himself over the years not only as an outstanding DJ but also as a brillant producer able to design mind-blowing beats while also incorporating live instruments and vocals' soulful touch. Almost three years after his second LP A Word To The Wise, he is returning with a new project titled Beat Installments released on Tokyo-based Jazzy Sport label.

Fully instrumental (with the exception of a few vocals samples) this mini-LP gathers pure jazzy hip-hop cuts (Always Something, A Little Piano, Nightfall...) as well as tracks flirting with slo-mo/deep house (Slide, Silver, Snow Bunny...). Whatever the pace of the beats, each track offers a soulful backbone made of groovy bass lines and beautiful live instruments melodies (keyboards, electri guitar or trumpet). An extremely well-produced record that I highly reoommend you to xcheck out !

Below three extracts, Always Something, A Little Piano and Nightfall  :








Retrouvez cette chronique en français sur le site WegoFunk !

Saux - It Frightens Me (Single - Free Download)

A few weeks back I highlighted Amsterdam-based Saux superb EP titled Rear Window.

The musician & producer is already back with a new great single confirming his talent for designing beautiful melodies, subtle beats and soulful orchestrations (keyboards and bass line on this single being played by himself).


It Frightens Me is a laid-back and sensual tune but it's also groovy enough to warm up open-minded dancefloors. And if it was not good enough Saux is offering you a free download through the soundcloud player below.

Go get it and spread the (soulful) word around !




Retrouvez cette chronique en français sur le site WegoFunk !

Vibes4YourSoul Mixes#15 - Electro-Pop Sounds

Vibes4YourSoul Mixes#15 - Electro-Pop Sounds

Welcome to the 15th episode of our mixes series !
This new mix focuses on groovy electro sounds with an indie/pop edge.
Blending original tracks and several cool edits or remixes, it features a few classics as well as overlooked songs that I hope you'll enjoy digging.

Enough talk, let's chill to these peaceful and melancholic vibes !


Please find below the full tracklisting, a streaming as well as a dwnld link.

Tracklisting :
Summer Heart - Third Wave (Work Drugs Cover)
Imagination - So Good, So Right (Casual Encoutners Dub Edit)
Rhye - Hunger
Birkii - Holy War
Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere (Psychemagik Edit)
Mike Francis - Survivor
Daft Punk - Something About Us (Cherokee Remix)
Jazzanova - I Human (Dub)
Metronomy - Everything Goes My Way (Ewan Pearson Remix)
James Curd - Guide Me (Gigamesh Remix)
Mitzi - India
The 2 Bears - The Birds & The Bees
Discodeine - Flakenberg (Pilooski Mix)



Voici le 15ème épisode de notre série de mixes ! 
Cette fois-ci direction des sonorités electro aux accents indie/pop. Rassemblant quelques classiques mais aussi des sorties récentes qui méritent le détour ce Electro-Pop Sounds mélange les originaux à quelques edits ou remixes que j'aime tout particulièrement jouer en ce moment. 
J'espère que ce mix à la fois groovy et mélancolique vous plaira !
Ci-dessus le tracklisting ainsi qu'un streaming et un lien dwnld.

V4YS EP Review - Synkro - Broken Promises EP (Apollo)

First release of the reborn Apollo records, the ambient-focused brother of legendary dance music label R&S Records, Broken Promises from Manchester-based Synkro (aka Joe McBride) brings 4 outstanding downtempo tracks flirting with the worlds of House, Dubstep and Tech/Dub.
From the very slo-motion housy beats and beautiful piano line of Broken Promises to the deep dubstep rythms and warm vocals samples of  Why Don't You and Memories Of Love or the captivating arabic-like percussions spicing up the ultra-deep closing track Knowledge, here is a consistent EP where each cut is worth existing. Essential !

Full streaming below :










Broken Promises du producteur mancunien Synkro (aka Joe McBride) est la première sortie du label Apollo nouvelle version, petit frère du légendaire label dance Music R&S Records consacré à l'ambient music sous toutes ses formes.
Le disque rassemble 4 remarquables morceaux downtempo flirtant tour à tour avec les univers House, Dubstep et Tech/Dub. Depuis la house au ralenti et la splendide ligne de piano de Broken Promises, en passant par les rythmiques deep-dubstep et les samples vocaux envoûtants de Why Don't You et Memories Of Love jusqu'aux percussions tribales/arabes de l'ultra-deep Knowledge, voici un maxi d'une qualité d'ensemble assez époustouflante. Savourez-en donc chaque moment avec le streaming ci-dessus !

V4YS Album Review - Summer Heart - About A Feeling

About A Feeling, the first LP from Malmo-based Summer Heart (aka David Alexander) is an outstanding indie/chillwave production that should delight anyone enjoying the likes of Toro Y Moi, Baths, Tropics, or Schlohmo ad a musical genre currently in full bloom.

Built on melancholic slo-mo beats, radiant electric guitar melodies and ethereal vocals benefiting from superb digital effects, its soothing atmosphere simply is addictive.
Add to that the brillant remix of US duo Working Drugs' beautiful song Third Wave also recently dropped by the young man and I'm sure you'll start following him closely !

You can stream and get the LP on his Bandcamp Page, and download the Third Wave remix for free on his soundcloud page.
Below you'll find three extracts : I Wanna Go and I Wanted You On The Other Side from the LP as well as Third Wave :





Summer Heart - Third Wave (Work Drugs Cover) by Work Drugs


About A Feeling est le premier album du suédois Summer Heart (aka David Alexander). 
Production indie/chillwave épatante, le disque devrait ravir tout ceux qui apprécient les Toro Y Moi, Baths, Tropics, Schlohmo...et un style musical actuellement en plein essor.
Rythmique lente et mélancolique, mélodies lumineuses à la guitare électrique et vocals planants bonifiés par l'utilisation d'effets digitaux, tels sont les déterminants majeurs d'une production qui dégage une atmosphère apaisante dans laquelle il fait bon se prélasser. 
Ajoutez à ça le splendide remix du morceau Third Wave de l'excellent duo américain Working Drugs que le jeune homme vient aussi de commettre et je suis sur que vous garderez son nom en tête !
Vous pouvez écouter et vous procurer l'album sur sa page Bancamp et downloader gratuitement le remix Third Wave sur sa page Soundcloud.
Ci-dessus vous trouverez trois streams : I Wanna Go et I Wanted You On The Other Side , extraits de l'album, puis Third Wave.

V4YS EP Review - Rush'd - For My Dogz EP (Square Harmony Records)

Earlier this year we mentionned up-and-coming Saint-Petersburg-based label Square Harmony following a brillant slo-mo house EP from Axo Lott titled Finding Futura.

Alternating lo-fi/house releases with uk-inspired future bass sounds, the Russian label is definitely gaining traction and is now back with a new treat, the For My Dogz EP by producer Rush'd (aka Educated Fool).

Gathering a couple of powerful, dark & bass-heavy dubstep cuts (For My Dogs and its remix by Koloah), the EP's hot part definitely is a soulful deep-dubstep anthem titled Easy that should have a few good dancefloors...easily shaking thanks to its warm kzyboard and vocals samples supported by an infectious rythm.

Check it out by yourself with the streaming below. The label is also offering a free download of the track on its soundcloud page !







Il y a quelques semaines je vous mentionnais le jeune label russe Square Harmony via le superbe premier maxi slo-mo house d'Axo Lott intitulé Finding Futura. 
Alternant les sorties lo-fi/house avec des opus future bass/dubstep d'influence Uk, le label basé à Saint-Petersbourg est en pleine ébullition depuis sa création en 2011 comme en témoigne cette nouvelle petite perle intitulée For My Dogz EP que l'on doit au producteur Rush'd (aussi connu sous l'alias Educated Fool).
Rassemblant deux titres assez sombres aux lignes de basses surpuissantes (For My Dogs et son remix par Koloah), le point d'orgue du maxi est le morceau Easy, hymne dubstep soulful où les chaleureux samples de claviers et de vocals font mouche. Nul doute qu'il devrait retourner quelques bons dancefloors...easy !


Ci-dessus streaming et lien download offert par le label via sa page soundcloud !

Patrick Watson - Adventures In Your Own Backyard (Domino Records)

I came accross singer/songwriter Patrick Watson in 2007 through his mind-blowing contribution to Cinematic Orchestra album Ma Fleur.

If I had immediately been seduced by his singing talent, it is only three years later, after attending an unforgettable concert of Cinematic at the Royal Albert Hall where he made a splendid appearance, that I started to really dig into his own solo productions.
Lending his name to a four-men band, he had actually already been releasing three beautiful folk records, Just Another Ordinary Day, Close To Paradise and Wooden Arms. He now comes back on Domino records with a new little gem titled Adventures In Your Own Backyard.

Still composed of Mishka Stein (bass), Simon Angell (guitars), Robbie Kuster (drums) and himself on keyboards, piano and vocals, the band recorded this third LP almost entirely in Patrick's apartment-turned-studio in Montreal. Alternating between melancholic acoustic songs and lush candy-like pop moments, the LP also gathers a wide range of instruments, all beautifully arranged, demonstrating Patrick Watson's edge for production. The icing on the cake is of course his pure high-pitched voice acting as a breadcrump trail towards emotion !

I'm already mad to be out of town next week when they come to visit Paris, if you want to avoid such a disappointment, check out their their tour dates here.

Below a couple of extracts : Words In the Fire live acoustic on a fire escape for a Montreal newspaper and Into Giants, live acoustic as well !






J'ai découvert le chanteur/songwriter canadien Patrick Watson en 2007 à travers sa contribution à l'incontournable album de Cinematic Orchestra intitulé Ma Fleur. 
Paradoxalement ce n'est que trois ans plus tard, après avoir eu le privilège d'assister à un concert inoubliable du groupe anglais au Royal Albert Hall de Londres où il fit une apparition éblouissante, que je me suis mis à m'intéresser à ses propres productions.
Prêtant son nom à un groupe de 4 musiciens (Mishka Stein - basse, Simon Angell - guitares, Robbie Kuster-batterie, et lui-même au chant et piano) il avait en fait déjà enregistré 3 albums folk dont l'excellent Close To Paradise qui rencontra un franc succès dès sa sortie. 


Après avoir longtemps tourné un peu partout dans le monde, les 4 compères nous reviennent avec un nouveau petit bijou folk intitulé Adventures In Your Own Backyard qui sort sur le label Domino records.
Enregistré quasi intégralement à Montréal dans l'appartement de Patrick transformé en studio, le disque a donné lieu à une orchestration très riche, bien mise en valeur par des arrangements soignés et une production de grande qualité. Alternant les passages intimistes où les mélodies au piano et à la guitare dégagent une douce mélancolie avec des moments plus flamboyants, voir pop, ces "aventures dans votre jardinet" ont surtout pour guide la voix splendide de Watson, source inépuisable d'émotions.


J'enrage déjà de ne pouvoir me rendre au Cabaret Sauvage la semaine prochaine pour leur venue à Paris.
Toutes les dates de leur tournée sont disponibles ici.
Ci-dessus deux extraits, Words In The Fire, en live acoustique dans une cage d'escalier pour un journal de Montréal et Into Giants en live acoustique sur scène.

Rocket Juice & The Moon (Damon Albarn, Tony Allen, Flea, Erykah Badu, Fatoumata Diawara and Guests) - Rocket Juice & The Moon (Honest Jon's Records)

Musically speaking Damon Albarn definitely is a Jack of all trades and a master of all.

Never resting, the former Blur leader keeps on testing new artistic frontiers, successfully multiplying the audacious projects with a wide range of musicians. Confirming his love story with african sounds that saw him work on several high-quality productions these last few years with artists like Fela drummer Tony Allen, legendary Kora player Toumani Diabaté or Kenya-based Owiny Sigoma Band (whose first LP was one of 2011 best afro/world record), he is now back with a new musical UFO titled Rocket Juice & The Moon.

Set-up around his friend Tony Allen, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and himself, this new project also welcomed a top-notch list of guests like Erykah Badu, french/malian singer Fatoumatou Diawara (whose 2011 LP Fatou was part of our records of the year selection), the furious horns from the HypnoticBrass Ensemble or Ghanaian rapper M.anifest.

With this epic journey of 20 songs, Albarn once again proves he has become an amazing director able to make the most of a dream-team of artists that obviously took an immense pleasure to take part in his open-minded musical laboratory. The roads opened by each and every of these musicians are diverse, we travel from afrobeat, to highlife, funk, soul, hip-hop and even dub without ending up getting lost as the phenomenal rythmic roadbook designed by the Allen/Flea duo acts as a powerful lighthouse.

It's hard to extract one specific cut from a delighfully loose ensemble that sounds best when enjoyed as a whole but here are three picks that form a valid snapshot of the diversity of a record that to me is the second afro/world schock of 2012 alongside Ebo Taylor's new LP.
First Manuela where Erykah Badu enters the futuristic afro-groove space, then Chop-Up and its sunny and joyful guitar line, finally Poison where we remember that Damon Albarn is first and foremost a great singer.










Retrouvez cette chronique en français sur le site WegoFunk !

V4YS Album Review - Jazzanova - Funkhaus Studio Sessions with Band & Paul Randolph (Sonar Kollektiv)

Well-known producers & DJs, members of Berlin-based Jazzanova crew have consistently been spreading great sounds around  for the last 15 years whether through the many splendid releases of Sonar Kollektiv (their own outfit that has become one of the best european independent label) or through their live acts and brillant radio shows (Kaleidoscop & Jazzanova Radio Show).

Following a mostly electro career, their 2008 (must-have) soul/groove/dub album Of All The Things opened the door to live instruments and was subsequently followed by an outstanding "full band" live tour that saw them travel the world for almost three years.

Pushing forward in this new musical direction, Jazzanova producers Axel Reinemer & Stefan Leisering decided to record a live studio sessions as a proper legacy of the recent tour.
Featuring the same live band and singer Paul Randolph, these Funkhaus Studio Sessions deliver their fair share of infectious drumlines, groovy basslines, funky guitars, hot Rhodes keyboards and powerful vocals. Nothing is missing to fully grasp the soulful essence of the crew.
From the now classic Fedime's Flight and Theme from Belle Et Fou to the brand new cut I Human to several songs from Of All the Things, the record is an essential snapshot of one of the cornerstone collective of the nu-groove/electro scene.

Below a couple of extracts from these live sessions, Let Me Show Ya & I Human :







Retrouvez cette chronique en français sur le site WegoFunk !