AlunaGeorge are one of the most unique Pop acts out there due to their heavy reliance on Hip-Hop & Electronic influenced production. While Pop is quite a broad term that certainly doesn’t cover what they do at all, it applies because they are so genre blending and catchy that it’s the only thing you can call them without rattling off a list of five or six genres. Their hooks (which are written by their lead vocalist Aluna Francis) are caught in my head for days at a time such as the one featured in “My Blood” which is an energetic chant declaring that if you want Aluna’s “love” and “blood” you have to face her directly and confidently. The beat is a synth based, rolling hi-hat, trap masterpiece that paces the tense setting of the videos slow drowsy effects. These two are certainly as dynamic as they come and continue to push the sonic limits of Pop music.
In lieu of a boring write-up, I’ll leave you with this quote from DJ Scratchin’ himself.
“Hey, I’m Mike! I live in New Jersey and I’ve been producing electronic music since 2005. I’m super psyched about my latest release “Secondhand” forthcoming Bluelight Tapes and 1833 has been kind enough to debut one of its tracks titled “Intentions”.
Lately I’ve been inspired by artists like Tendencies, The Phantom’s Revenge, and even Daniel Lopatin and Joel Ford’s old project, Games. I wanted to combine all of these influences into one coherent idea. “Intentions” flips a lesser known Billy Griffin sample that I found while browsing YouTube for hours and I really dug the original so I just had to do something with it. Hope you enjoy! “Secondhand” drops 5/10 on Bluelight Tapes.” bluelighttapes.com
St. Louis’ transplant Smino returned yesterday with a one off tracks produced by main collaborator Monte Booker, with additional production from THEMpeople. “Menu” or “me•n•u” is a bouncy, dance infused track that was dropped in celebration of Smino & Monte’s track “Kolors” reaching 1,000,000 plays on Soundcloud. Any reason is a good reason for new music from Chicago’s hottest rapper/producer duo. Enjoy “Menu” above and peep “Kolors” below if you’re not knowing.
I used to work at this streetwear/record shop called Foosh in Edmonton where we had a shop dog named Olive, she’s a super sweet English Bulldog that would headbutt you if she loves you. The staff always brings in their pups, my homie got this little guy named Murphy who is a tiny little baby I just want to hold all the time lol. Snuggly dogs are the best.
Cats though: my sister found this cat on a boat and named it Gilligan. It was literally the dumbest cat on the planet but had a heart of gold. This big, white, fluffy, durpy looking thing. It’d stand up on your lap and put its paws on your shoulders (kind of like a hug) and if it loved you it would drool- a steady stream of drool. So disgusting but it was mad cute at the same time. I was in Europe and I get a call from my sister (we never talk, so I knew something was up) and she told me that Gilligan got hit by a truck. Def shed a tear for that loss. RIP G.
What is the importance of space exploration in our society?
To put our existence into perspective.
Are you worried about the heat death of the universe?
Not as much as I’m worried about climate change.
Ideal contents of a banana split?
THC
Sartre considered contemplation a luxury, do you?
A luxury is something that is unattainable to the masses, but everyone has varying degrees of time to meditate and reflect in their own manner. I think a lot of people (myself included) forget how important having honest conversations with yourself is.
Who is the first celebrity you can remember having a crush on?
JULEZ SANTANA. When Clockwork came out I died. That was game over for me until I started getting into Pharrell heavy. I had about 10 posters of him in my locker lmfao. Back when he was the essence of cool + had neck tattoos + made music for the streets, not soccer moms.
What song(s) do you define as your “anthem” or alarm clock?
“I Just Want 2 Luv U” by Jay Z and Pharrell is my jam forever. Alarm clock was Gangstarr’s “Work” for about 3 years, now every time I hear that song played out I gotta do a lucidity test lmfao.
Donald Trump is a tangible example of increased absurdity (aka entropy) in the universe, can you name other examples?
The economy/financial system. People don’t seem to realize that industries mature, The US Dollar Standard is arbitrary, and everything is cyclical (These downturns have happened ever 7-8 years for the past century. We live in a system based off constant growth, how is that sustainable? The economy needs to contract and people need to stop going crazy every time it does b/c that’s what fucks up the economy more. The most wealth is generated during economic downturns b/c smart people strategically exploit others’ entropy.
Also- cell phone charges in Canada can be described as increased absurdity. The 3 large providers are an oligopoly rates keep going up because “the infrastructure is expensive: although they lease their networks to new market entrants which should reduce the price (because usage hasn’t rapidly increased with the entrance of the new companies as the population is still the same), but the prices stay high. We live in a massive country and technology in the network often needs to be upgraded, but Canada has an 80% urban population and I don’t get why rates aren’t lower in dense areas. (This rant is dedicated to my $750 Rogers bill).
Name one scent and one memory strongly attached to that scent.
Waking up to the smell of caramelized onions cos that means my mom’s making some bomb chana masala for breakfast T_T
Do you think trends are accelerating faster than ever ?
No because people are still wearing bastardized tribal prints.
What gives you the right?
Being of-age living in a socialist country gives me all the rights any other Canadian adult can access. Being a female POC in the music industry should give me the same rights as cis-men, but that is not the case.
How do you make earnest connection in a world of instant gratification?
Fans of Chicago’s Joey Purp have been patiently awaiting iiiDrops for damn near years, and yesterday we all got our first taste of his upcoming solo debut. A straight to the fundamentals hip-hop anthem, “Cornerstore” addresses the harsh realities faced by Purp and Saba growing up on Chicago’s South and West sides. While Joey talks about facing issues like playing with a found gun as a kid and Saba remarks on watching an old friend submit to a life of crime, a soul-filled beat from Thelonious Martin featuring additional production from Knox Fortune, Peter Cottontale, and Donnie Trumpet, pumps through speakers, accentuating Joey and Saba’s hard hitting raps. The whole track is topped off with a beautiful bridge delivered by theMIND. It’s a much more mature subject for Purp, but “Cornerstore” has me incredibly excited for the release of iiiDrops.
Joey Purp headlines the Metro on May 27th for the release party for iiiDrops and you can cop tickets right here.
“On a night of being way too high in LA I free-styled this song. I felt it necessary to be the intro because I want you to get to know the unfiltered and very flawed version of who I am first” bared Appleby on his soundcloud page.
Since he popped onto the scene about a year ago as the “it” Bitter Boy, Appleby’s talent and willingness to grow has impressed a number of people – Mama Sims, myself, and more notably the international publication known as Maxim and the media mogul, Russell Simmons. In producer Elias Abid, Appleby has found a true partner in crime. Together they are carving out new sonic territory in the fields of R&B and rap. Treat yourself to a listen of the new Down Dance EP below, buy it and watch out for more magic from these two rising stars in the future.
![Rahn Harper – Morning (ft. Mic Kellogg) [Prod. Mic Kellogg]](https://1833.fm/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/artworks-000160135202-0dgz78-t500x500.jpg)
