EMAC (Electronic Music Appreciation Center)

I do not intend to infringe upon copyright on this blog. If I have posted a song you own and would like me to take down, please contact me directly, and I will take it down immediately. I am currently seeking writers/bloggers to help run EMAC! If you are interested, please contact me. - Danny Email: emacradio(at)gmail.com (change "(at)" to "@") EMAC is a blog dedicated to promoting independent music. Our tastes lean most heavily towards left-field electronic music, but we are open anything with electronic influence, and we have a secondary focus on hip hop. We post a "Song of the Day" everyday, about which we tend be very inclusive; that is, in making our song choices, we give little regard to its established popularity or even the amount of electronic influence it holds. We were founded first in June 2010 as a Facebook page, and we later expanded to Tumblr. Music submissions are encouraged! If you would like to submit your own or that of another artist you'd like to suggest, or have other questions, contact our email. Note: we will only post your music as a "Song of the Day" if it is available somewhere on Soundcloud or as a freely available MP3. YouTube and Vimeo are also acceptable in the case of music videos. Another note from Danny: I do make music, but I will never use this blog to promote it. However, sometimes I do post music made by people I know personally. In these cases, I post not as a favor but because I genuinely feel their music deserves to be heard. I never have any creative involvement with this music. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-28513922-2']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[emacradio]

Announcement: Indefinite Hiatus

Hello all,

For nearly five years, I have had the joy of running EMAC. It expanded from its humble beginnings as a Facebook group to its slightly less humble beginnings as a Tumblr blog while maintaining daily post output. Now, the workload has finally caught up with me, and I have decided to put EMAC on an indefinite hiatus. The content will live on on this page, and the most important content (e.g. lists, reviews, monthly recaps) will also be archived on Speakers // Screens, a multimedia blog I run with some of my peers. I may continue to post content sporadically there, and in the event that I restore EMAC to a more regular schedule of operations, new content will also be posted on Speakers // Screens for the time being. Even though EMAC will no longer be updated as frequently as usual, it still lives on in its archive and in the possibility of my rejuvenating it in the future, so please stay with us by continuing to follow this blog and following Speakers // Screens, which does keep up a more regular output of content in both music and film. Also, if you would like to contact EMAC, please do so by contacting Speakers // Screens directly. Thank you all who have followed EMAC over the years. It has been a blast to share music with you all and find plenty of intriguing artists in the process.

Thanks for tuning in! - Danny

[emacradio]

Month in Review: February 2015

Welcome to EMAC’s 26th monthly recap, where I will look at some of the most notable moments in electronic music and hip hop throughout February 2015. Titles of releases that I recommend highly will appear in bold.

Note: Because Song of the Day is no longer a daily feature, the “Songs” section of Month in Review is currently on hiatus.

Albums:

BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah - Sour Soul

Though Ghostface Killah’s verses add little new to his repertoire, BADBADNOTGOOD’s instrumentals are exceptionally evocative, recalling classic psychedelic jazz-funk that could score an especially stylish blaxploitation film.

Dan Deacon - Gliss Riffer

Dan Deacon has no trouble sustaining his infectious energy throughout his explosive records, but even maximalism can become grating and monotonous in the wrong hands. Thankfully, Deacon continues to find new colors within his vibrant palette. Gliss Riffer is unmistakeably a Dan Deacon record, but Deacon cleverly interprets the techniques of minimalism to serve his own brand of maximalism. This relationship between the two theoretically opposed schools of thought is not new to his music, but Deacon is creative enough to suggest otherwise.

Drake - If You're Reading This It's Too Late

Though ostensibly a stopgap before his more proper album is released later this year, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late is one of Drake’s most consistent records yet. His moodiness, bite, and charm blend seamlessly alongside production that convincingly sells that signature combination. Even on supposedly minor releases, Drake is clearly growing more confident as an artist.

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma - A Year With 13 Moons

Sedative and surreal, A Year With 13 Moons is a fever dream of ambient haze, decaying noise, and disembodied drum machines.

John Carpenter - Lost Themes

Horror and action film auteur John Carpenter cannot be accused of false advertising, releasing an album that sounds entirely believable as a score to one of his films. Though none of its compositions are particularly memorable individually, they comprise an album that walks the thin line between cheesy, fun, and frightening that is familiar to Carpenter’s reputation as a filmmaker.

Levon Vincent - Levon Vincent

Levon Vincent’s self-titled album confidently bends subgenres as it ventures through various strains of gritty house and techno. Though not always as distinctive as it could be, it is exceptionally produced, and its moments that shine do truly shine.

Susanne Sundfør - Ten Love Songs

On Ten Love Songs, Susanne Sundfør crafts synth pop with the flair of a grand orchestra, using her commanding vocals and intricate composition to embed an air of majesty within her pop sensibilities.

EPs:

Nmesh - Sparks!

With recordings dating back to 2006, Sparks! is the second release Nmesh has dug from his archives this year. Like his industrial foray GOD?AWFUL, though featuring a different aesthetic variety, Sparks! foreshadows the playful sampling and eccentric tone Nmesh would later establish on his recent releases.

Open Mike Eagle - A Special Episode Of

A Special Episode Of is a fine snapshot of alt-hop artist Open Mike Eagle, showcasing his lyrics that blend the thought-provoking with the comedic. Rounding out the cast are spiritual cousins Milo and MC Paul Barman on highlight “Trickeration,” who match Open Mike Eagle’s witty and irreverent character, and left-field producers such as Exile and Gold Panda.

[emacradio]

Month in Review: December 2014 and January 2015

Welcome to EMAC’s 24th and 25th monthly recaps, where I will look at some of the most notable moments in electronic music and hip hop throughout the months of December 2014 and January 2015. Titles of releases that I recommend highly will appear in bold.

Albums:

Arca - Sheep

This 17-minute score Arca composed for a fashion show by clothing label Hood by Air frees the producer even further from the conventions of traditional beatmaking, thrusting him down a rabbit hole of heavily processed samples and all-consuming atmosphere until a glorious coda triumphs over the chaos.

Björk - Vulnicura

Though her songwriting has been more memorable in the past, Björk remains one of the boldest and most singular pop artists alive on Vulnurica. Enlisting Arca and The Haxan Cloak, who bring experience in intricate experimentation and disquieting atmosphere, respectively, to the table, Björk collaborates with these contemporaries to produce an immaculately detailed, dramatic collection of instrumentals that match her intensity as a vocalist.

Death Grips - Fashion Week

While fans eagerly await the alleged final Death Grips release, Jenny Death, the group has released this collection of instrumentals. It is less overtly experimental than their latest output, but its structural directness is welcome in the context of a sonic makeup that is no less confrontational or infectious than usual.

Jeff Bridges - Sleeping Tapes

The premise of Sleeping Tapes superficially reads as absurd: legendary actor Jeff Bridges narrates surreal, soporific ambient instrumentals composed by True Detective composer Keefus Ciancia to lull listeners to sleep. Sink deeper into the record, however, and discover delightfully phantasmagorical production and the grandfatherly charm of Bridges.

Nmesh - GOD?AWFUL

Sample collagist Nmesh digs into his archives to release GOD?AWFUL, a previously unreleased record produced in 2009. Predating the inception of vaporwave, the genre in which he has made his name throughout the past few years, GOD?AWFUL instead deals in illbient, a sinister strain of hip hop-indebted electronic music. Despite the moody aesthetic, Nmesh's playfulness is ever present, lending the release an exceptional heft through giddy sampling and a lighthearted attitude.

Panda Bear - Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper

Panda Bear's new album is one of his most vivid yet, a tapestry of colorful samples and rich vocal harmonies. After the pleasurable yet vanilla Tomboy, Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper is a welcome burst of flavor.

Percussions - 2011-2014

The ever-prolific Kieran Hebden took to Bandcamp to release a compilation of singles he produced as Percussions between 2011 and 2014. Though not as essential as a typical Four Tet record, the compilation is a consistently engaging showcase of the producer's talent as a connoisseur of rhythm.

Various Artists - [GST-01]

Newly formed collective Galaxy Swim Team offers an affectionate look at the bright and chipper aesthetics of anime, chiptune, classic video game music and more through the lens of contemporary electronic music.

EPs:

Aphex Twin - Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2

For listeners who thought Syro lacked adventurousness, Computer Controlled Acoustic Instruments pt2 is the appropriate response, a short collection of experiments with acoustic instruments and complicated electronics. Despite following Syro mere months after its release, this EP has a distinctly different flavor; it is less grounded, but its accomplished tinkering is riveting.

Songs:

Antwon - "Kyocera" (prod. Cities Aviv)

BADBADNOTGOOD & Ghostface Killah (ft. DOOM) - "Ray Gun"

Burial - "Temple Sleeper"

Cities Aviv - "Graced and Blessed"

Dan Deacon - "Feel the Lightning"

Death Grips - "Inanimate Sensation"

Death Grips - "Runway N"

DJ Slugo - "Ghetto" (prod. Nicolas Jaar)

Emanative + Four Tet - "Makondi"

The Go! Team - "The Scene Between"

Ham American - "Medelunen"

Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst - "Recruit"

Lone - "Life Time Loop"

Mount Eerie - "This"

Oneohtrix Point Never - "Rush"

Percussions - "KHLHI"

Purity Ring - "Push Pull"

Ratkiller - "Wake N Shake"

Shabazz Palaces - "#CAKE (Animal Collective Premature Deflirt Mix)"

Shabazz Palaces - "Ham Sandwich"

Shlohmo - "Buried"

Susanne Sundfør - "Delirious"

Thom Yorke - "You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry"

Toro y Moi - "Empty Nesters"

Yamaneko - "Yonkoma"

[emacradio]

Shlohmo - "Buried"

In one of his grimmest beats yet, Shlohmo draws deeply from the well of horror with "Buried," a single from his next record.

[emacradio]

Cities Aviv - "Graced and Blessed"

A resplendent orchestra of synthesizers hangs over this new track from left-field rapper Cities Aviv, providing its central appeal.

[emacradio]

Announcement!

Hello all!

I am here to announce that the Song of the Day will no longer be a daily feature on EMAC. Quite frankly, I simply do not have the time to continue upkeeping it daily. However, I will still post them less frequently, and I will still maintain the monthly reviews and yearly lists.

I am also in the process of bringing in other writers to help keep EMAC running. If you or anyone you know is interested in writing for EMAC, feel free to contact me.

Thanks for tuning in!

- Danny

[electronicmusicappreciation]

Visit Original Link

[emacradio]

Mount Eerie - "This"

Phil Elverum lets the gloom of droning keys and the portentous pulse of synthesized bass lay a heavy foundation on this new Mount Eerie single.

[emacradio]

Percussions - "KHLHI"

Though some months old, this single Four Tet released as Percussions, a cross between classic soul sampling and four-to-the-floor club sensibilities, was just properly released through Bandcamp.

[emacradio]

Susanne Sundfør - "Delirious"

Leading up to her next album with another single, Susanne Sundfør spins assured pop music from purposeful synthesizers and cinematic strings.

[emacradio]

Quasimoto - "Green Power"

[electronicmusicappreciation]

Visit Original Link

[emacradio]

Gas - "Untitled" (Zauberberg #6)

[emacradio]

Dan Deacon - "Feel the Lightning"

Zany electronic pop artist Dan Deacon has invited listeners to remix his peppy latest single, "Feel the Lightning," through releasing the stems on his SoundCloud.

[emacradio]

Antwon - "Kyocera" (prod. Cities Aviv)

Surreal yet sex-driven, San Jose rapper Antwon matches his flow to a Cities Aviv beat that plays like bizarro 80s pastiche.

[emacradio]

The Go! Team - "The Scene Between"

Upbeat, sample-happy pop group The Go! Team return with a new album in March, and this cheery single is the title track.

[emacradio]

Ratkiller - "Wake N Shake"

Lo-fi sample collagist Ratkiller has compiled disembodied rap machismo into a strangely stimulating first single from his forthcoming album.

[electronicmusicappreciation]

Visit Original Link

[emacradio]

Death Grips - "Runway N"

Death Grips jolts EMAC into the new year with an unannounced album of instrumentals, including this fever-pitched yet melodically sound cut.

[emacradio]

Andrew Hewitt - "A Boy Held Up by String"

Andrew Hewitt's tense, urgent score for Richard Ayoade's doppelgänger black comedy The Double is one of 2014's most effective uses of music in film.