Electronic Dance Music Blog & Podcast

For his latest video, Inglewood's own Shawn Chrystopher stepped behind the camera to direct (with the aid of co-director Adam Valencia) the first set of visuals off his upcoming mixtape Lovestory, which is set to drop July 10. The rather personal and equally  relatable cut "One of My Homies"now has an accompanying video which features black and white shots of Cali and Shawn rapping and hanging out with friends.

In addition to the video, news of world-renowned producer Timbaland's involvement with both Shawn Chrys' upcoming mixtape and his forthcoming debut album My Name Is Shawn, which is slated to be released this coming fall, should bring some extra buzz to both projects and serve as a positive sign of things to come from the Inglewood rapper.

• Shawn Chrystopher Official Website
• Shawn Chrystopher on Twitter
• Shawn Chrystopher on Facebook

The full length self-titled sophomore album from the Temper Trap has been unleashed to the world… well not exactly, fans from Australia, New Zealand, Germany & Ireland can get it today. The rest of us in the the States will have to wait until June 5th. Having gone through the entire album once already, we may not have enough to give a full review but one thing is for sure, The Temper Trap is a much somber album than Conditions. There are certainly uplifting rocky appearances like “London’s Burning” and ‘Trembling Hands’ but with the huge weight of the expectation of another “Sweet Disposition” on their shoulders, the album can appear to come across heavier than it is.

Stand out tracks include ‘The Sea is Calling’, the jazzy and piano driven ‘Leaving The Heartbreak Hotel’ and our favorite, the massive and beautifully arranged ‘Rabbit Hole’.

The Temper Trap – Rabbit Hole

The Temper Trap – Im Gonna Wait

The Temper Trap – The Sea Is Calling

Starting 2012 off on the right note, EARMILK had the opportunity to premiere 3 tracks off of Adventure Galley's upcoming LP. One of those tracks, "Weekend Lovers," just received a video accompaniment and EARMILK is excited to have the premiere. Despite being the bands first video, the Benjamin Ross Lyerly directed reel adds a hypnotic visual experience which acts to reinforce the already vibrant nature of "Weekend Lovers." Drawing inspiration from the song's lyric "neon jungles," the video captures what looks to be the most fantastic neon-centric party I've ever seen. Despite my first guess that the video was shot in Pandora, the reality that it was filmed in a century-old church in Portland, OR known locally as "Funky Church," is surprisingly only slightly less exciting. Flashing between a neon-filled sub-reality and its unlensed counter-reality, the former adds an additional layer of liberation to an already exhilarating party. This is particularly noticeable as quarrelsome guests clash one moment, only to find themselves intimately interlocked as "weekend lovers" the next. Enjoy the video and know it's okay to feel envious of those at the party. I do.

Adventure Galley will be making a stop to play in Merced, CA on Saturday 5/19 on their way to their show on Sunday 5/20 at the Hudson Block Party in West Hollywood. Alongside Adventure Galley at the Hudson Block Party will be acts such as White Rabbits, LP, Of Montreal (DJ set), and The Neighbourhood, not to mention delicious food. For those not living in Cali, Adventure Galley plans on completing a more extensive tour this summer and fall. Keep an eye out on their Facebook and official site for those dates.

• Adventure Galley Official
• Adventure Galley on Facebook
  
• Adventure Galley SoundCloud
  

Talented and quirky British singer/songwriter Neon Hitch stunningly covered Mac Miller‘s Donald Trump back in August of last year. Soon after, 22 year old producer Yashar Gasanov released a electrifying smooth dubstep cover of Neon Hitch cover that just did not get much attention. Luckily, we were able to discover this sleeping monster thanks to GMAD for posting it yesterday. Enjoy

Chicago-based musicians Midas Wells and Simple X, collectively known as Tensei, latest offering is a 70s soul, afro-funk and jazz fusion inspired EP II. The duo's latest EP is their second release on Los Angeles-based label Plug Research and a follow-up to their first instrumental effort EP One. The duo builds off the experimental hip hop production feature on EP One with tracks that take their direction from the sonically rich themed soundtracks of the blaxploitation era (e.g. Isaac Hayes composed Shaft soundtrack). The overall sound of EP Two is surprisingly varied to say the least.

 The EP's opening harp-filled track "Passport", which was featured on PR's Spring Forward Thinking compilation released this past March, sets the tone for this musical adventure in genre mixing and fusing. Upon first hearing the opening bassline and percussion on "Plazzio's Revenge" one may easily mistake the track for a classic Fela Kuti jam, as Tensei have incorporated  their own modernized form of afro-funk into their latest project. The EP's only vocal track, “Think Twice,” which features multi-instrumentalist Khari Lemuel of TheOnes and Jae Franklin, is an obvious nod to the soul-infused R&B of yesteryear and really shines through as a standout track on the EP.

EP II offers some tunes that are perfect for relaxing or just vibing out to while on the go. Thanks to Tensei and the good folks at PR, the EP is available for the small price of your email in exchange for a download link. Stream the EP below and follow the link to grab a digital copy for yourself. Enjoy!

Download: Tensei – II [EP]

• Tensei on Twitter
• Tensei on Soundcloud

‘Eg Anda’ is a spectacular cut from Sigur Ros highly anticipated new album Valtari. Delivering a serenity of spacey aquatic sounds serving as a landscape for the vocals to come through, ‘Eg Anda’ is another example of why there is so much buzz for the album.

Sigur Ros – Ég Anda

You will be able to buy/download Valtari on the 29th of May 2012.

David Dallas is one of the few New Zealand Hip-Hop artists to have international presence outside of the Australasian territory; he creates relatable, true to self Hip-Hop and never strays too far away from the Kiwi mindset within his music. I highly recommend checking out his 2011 album The Rose Tint, great rhymes, fantastic beats and some strong features.

But back to the song at hand, "Pay Off" is a track that is set to release on (what I'm guessing is) an upcoming project entitled Falling Into Place, no set release date or additional information on the said project but if it's anything like The Rose Tint (and "Pay Off" is a good indication that it will be) then it'll be dope.

I'd also really like to give props to the producer of this track especially, Nick "41" Maclaren. The beat and sample is infectious.

• David Dallas' Official Webpage
• David Dallas on Twitter
• David Dallas on Facebook

What’s up my ninjas??? Another work week has come and gone, and yes, it is Friday. You’re probably at that point in the day where you’re wondering if you should kick it into gear when you get off work, or just nestle in and watch the Notebook. I’m here to guide you in the right direction. So crack open a beer, bottle of wine, bottle of vodka, or scoop out some bathtub gin – and chase those nonsensical bullshit Notebook thoughts out of your mind with a sip of somethin’ tasty.

Once again, The Music Ninja is here to bring you a sampling of this week’s party-inducing tracks. One listen through, and you’ll be ready to go out and get down. So download this zip, stream it from your computer, phone, or iPad, crank up the volume and go get Blaired*.

Please dance irresponsibly.

* Blaired – The level of drunkness that only Blair (friend of the Ninja) can achieve.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL ZIP

LOO & PLACIDO – Skrillex Rock

Doug Bogan – Cant Stop The Climax