dancethyselfclean

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Tame Impala - “Let It Happen” (Soulwax Remix)

I'm not usually one to post remixes, but when Soulwax comes out of hiding to do a remix of one of my favorite songs of the year, I feel the urge to tell people about it, especially when it's this good.

The song just debuted on Beats 1 Radio, so it hasn't hit the likes of Spotify (or even SoundCloud) yet, so we'll use YouTube because it's there. Soulwax takes Kevin Parker's vocals, that great drum beat and some of the interesting sounds from the original track and adds some funky distorted bass, cowbells, shakers, and arpeggiators to make a track that James Murphy (praise be to LCD) would be proud of.

But really, that cowbell is the real MVP here.

[dancethyselfclean]

Magic City Hippies (feat. The EMEFE Horns) - “Brnt”

I try to get my new music fix in a few different ways. I track certain blogs through Hype Machine. I subscribe to constantly-updating playlists on Spotify, curated by friends, artists, and music blogs. But this next discovery comes from the new Spotify-curated Fresh Finds playlist. And surprise: a great new band has emerged from Miami, of all places!

Yes, the home of Mr. 305, lavish lifestyles, cocaine (probably), and my middle- and high-school years has spawned a new beachside sound that combines the carefree sounds of Poolside and the funk/hip-hop influences of Thievery Corporation. The closing track of the Hippie Castle EP, Brnt, is the hands-down highlight. Throw in some horns, some rapping, and the Latin-influenced beat, and you get the most umistakably Miami track of the year so far.

[dancethyselfclean]

Escort - “Animal Nature”

Neo-disco is back in a big way, thanks to Escort.

This sometimes-17-person disco band from NYC just released a funky, sultry dance-floor filler of a track from their upcoming sophmore LP, coming out in October. Singer Adeline Michèle once again hits it out of the park with her made-for-the-70s vocals, not to mention heart-of-the-band producers Eugene Cho and Dan Balis' great melding of sounds both old and new. Just listen to that guitar line!

I'm done talking. You need to put this on repeat, your playlists, everything.

[dancethyselfclean]

Rationale - RE.UP

"It’s been far too long.” I feel like this is an apt song to revive my regular posting habits.

One of the things I love about doing a music blog is that I can better explain why I love listening to the things I listen to. While blogging takes a bit more effort, it’s relatively effortless to listen to The Hype Machine, hearing a song that you instantly love, and immediately adding it to your Spotify (or equivalent) playlist. I’ve been curating a quarterly DYC playlist, and if the song is on this blog (and available on Spotify), it'll appear in my quarterly playlists.

Anyway, enjoy the slow burn of Rationale, he's releasing his debut EP soon and I can't wait. And here’s the Dance Thyself Clean Summer 2015 Mixtape in all its current glory:

[dancethyselfclean]

PLOY - "Hard to Say"

Hyattsville duo PLOY have slowly been playing various venues around DC and cranking out electro-R&B jams over the past few months, and they've just released their latest song on SoundCloud. With singer Gil Wocjik providing the soulful voice and Justin Victoria laying out the haunting, hypnotic beats, this will definitely warm up a cold day in Hyattsville, let alone my day in DC.

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Concert Review: Punch Brothers - 9:30 Club, 2/21/15

Punch Brothers was my gateway to bluegrass music. Like most, I knew only 'Rye Whiskey,' off their debut album. But two years ago, I had the chance to see them perform at Virginia Tech (and given the rural location, I was dying to see ANY concert there). What I wasn't expecting was five of the most talented musicians on any instrument playing in a band together. Since then, I've been waiting for a chance to see them again, and with a three-night stint at the 9:30 Club, I finally received my chance.

Punch Brothers' latest album, 'The Phosphorescent Blues,' has a few good songs, but their second album is still my favorite. However, they played all of the songs I enjoyed on the third album, including 'I Blew It Off' and 'Magnet,' a more high-charged song compared to the rest of the songs on TPB. However, their harmonies will make any song soar. The best example is probably the instrument-less Irish drinking song cover of 'The Auld Triangle'. Some people knew the words to the chorus, but by the time the song was over, the entire room was singing along, as if we were all sitting next to each other at the same bar. 

They can play songs that have a normal pop song structure - verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus - and they can also play extended instrumentals, giving each person on stage a bit of time to show off to everyone else. Hearing the band play a bit quieter to give one person the attention on stage is fun to watch as it probably is to play. It's not often that you get to see a banjo solo, then a mandolin solo, then a cello solo, then a violin solo, then an acoustic guitar solo one after the other at the 9:30 Club. It's a definite toe-tapping, hand-clapping good time for a lot of people. 

And with a hearty 'AHOY!', they played my favorite song from the 'Ahoy!' EP, 'Another New World.' With the disco ball lighting up the dim blue room, Chris Thile sang a song about loss at sea. Seeing how instruments traditionally associated with bluegrass music can be used in a sea shanty is part of the appeal of Punch Brothers - they can make bluegrass music instantly accessible to someone that usually associates the genre with a person that blows in a jar. And because of their success in doing so, they have succeeded to pack the 9:30 Club three nights in a row.

Chris Thile seems to have his hand in a lot of musical projects. He'll always be known for Nickel Creek, but Punch Brothers have made a name for themselves. And if it wasn't for 'Rye Whiskey,' I may have never found out about Nickel Creek. Whatever he does, and whatever the rest of the band members of Punch Brothers does, they will likely have my interest from here on out, because their musicianship is not one to miss.

[dancethyselfclean]

Concert Review: Kishi Bashi String Quartet - Sixth & I Synagogue, 2/19/15

What better venue to have a string quartet playing the indie pop tunes of Kishi Bashi than the Sixth & I Synagogue? Rhetorical question. There IS no better venue. And there might not be a better concert that I see this year than this one.

Inherent bias alert: Kishi Bashi's show at the 9:30 Club last summer was my favorite concert of 2014, so he didn't need much to wow me this time around. But what is usually performed with a looping machine and K. Ishibashi's violin is now being performed with four insanely talented string musicians...and K himself, when he feels like dropping the conductor mantle. Along with banjo musician Tall Tall Trees, the group of six gave some new takes on old favorites and faithfully recreated others. 

The set-up of the concert was this: at times, he would let his string quartet take up string duties as he waved his violin bow as if it was a conductor's baton. At other times, he'd switch back and forth mid-song. Or, he would even take up solo duties and let the string quartet sit back and watch. But there's no doubt about it - the quartet was a treat to watch, especially when they were handed solo parts during various songs.

One of the highlights was 'I Am the Antichrist To You,' from his debut album. The way it is played live normally will easily give anyone chills, but when given to a string quartet, the song reaches a new level of emotion. The combination of viola, violins, and cello give new layers to every song in the Kishi Bashi repertoire.

That isn't to say that it the entire concert had a classical vibe to it. With songs like 'The Ballad of Mr. Steak', the high-energy pop sounds are retained as K dances about on stage. And with 'Atticus, In the Desert,' the foreign feel from the original is retained, string quartet still in tow.

But one of the biggest surprises of the show came at the very end. K, the string quartet, Tall Tall Trees, and Busman's Holiday (the great brotherly duo that opened for Kishi Bashi) all moved to the center of the crowd on the ground floor and played 'Bright Whites' without the aid of any microphones or devices of any sort. Relying on the volume of their voices and instruments, the crowd would sometimes clap along, realize that their clapping is overpowering the music, and then just listen. I've only seen Punch Brothers similarly unplug their instruments for the crowd and play, but more bands should recognize that there's some strange magic in playing acoustically for a crowd of hundreds.

Having already high expectations for a Kishi Bashi show, he met my expectations and then some. The string quartet and Tall Tall Trees came together with K and played some amazing, emotional, and overall fun music in what was probably the perfect venue for the night. And who knows? Maybe he'll actually go ahead and play with a full-on orchestra next time.

[dancethyselfclean]

LCD Soundsystem - "Daft Punk is Playing at My House"

Yesterday was the 10-year anniversary of LCD Soundsystem’s debut album, called…LCD Soundsystem. Within those two discs is the beginnings of a one-man musical project that would eventually grow into a band and one of the most influential bands of the 2000s. Combining synthesizers of all types with drums, guitars, and bass, they paved the way for today’s synth-pop bands and, really, electronic music as a whole. Even today, there isn’t really a band like LCD Soundsystem (though Holy Ghost! comes close). 

Anyway, enough of me talking about my favorite band (as if the blog title didn’t give that away). Here’s one of my favorite songs off of the album. RIP LCD.

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The Walking Sticks - "Burn Brighter"

DC synth-pop band The Walking Sticks definitely hit it out of the slow-jam park with this one. Posting their latest single on New Year's Eve, singer Chelsea Lee's voice carries through a dream-like musical landscape and sparse hip-hop beats. 

If you haven't given it a listen yet, their latest EP, Pop Dreams, is definitely worth checking out. In Washington DC, there are a lot of synth-pop bands brimming just below the surface that are worth supporting, and The Walking Sticks is definitely one of them.

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Lostboycrow - HiyHiy

At first, you're hit with a great dance-inducing drum sample track, then the vocals come in. And then the deep synths. And that synth line during the chorus. And you think to yourself: this must be what it's like to hear a song before it takes over everyone's Spotify playlists.

Lostboycrow is a not-very-well-known artist right now (as of writing this, he only has 244 likes on his Facebook page), but I can see this song gaining traction over time with its dark-then-light pop leanings. On his Facebook page, he describes his music as "a pop minded vocalists dark love affair with the world of modern R+B." After hearing how great this song is, I'm definitely going to keep tabs on what he releases next.

[dancethyselfclean]

The Killers - "Don't Shoot Me Santa"

At this point, every other Christmas standard has been covered in every which way possible, so I always love coming back to this song every December. If you haven't checked this song out yet, prepare to add it to your holiday playlist for years to come (and maybe even your non-holiday playlists, too).

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Mauricio's Favorite 10 Albums of 2014

Your prayers have been answered: time for another totally subjective top 10 list! Again, this is only my list and is probably very different from yours. But if you want to check out some new music that you might've missed from 2014, this is a good place to start.

10.The Juan Maclean - In A Dream

Nancy Whang (LCD Soundsystem's former keyboardist) brings her unique vocals to danceable, soulful electronic sounds brought to you by John MacLean. In my opinion, this was a vastly underrated album that more people need to have on their radars. Must listen: "A Place Called Space"

9. FKA Twigs - LP1

Haunting vocals, haunting atmosphere. The personal lyrics and totally-out-there beats make this one of the most sonically challenging albums of 2014 - and one of the most critically acclaimed. Must listen: "Two Weeks"

8. Flight Facilities - Down to Earth

Downbeat, but not too downbeat to not dance to. There's lots of great instrumental tracks, songs with guest vocalists, and fun production values in this one. Must listen: "Sunshine (feat. Reggie Watts)"

7. Future Islands - Singles

What will probably be known as the band that made the biggest breakout in alternative music circles, lead singer Samuel Herring leaves his heart and soul in every song- and even live, too. Must listen: "Back in the Tall Grass"

6. Spoon - They Want My Soul

Can anybody hate a Spoon record these days? They somehow find a way to stay true to their original sound, yet find a way to blaze a path forward with the slightest electronic tinge to their rock-fueled songs. Must listen: "Inside Out"

5. Alt-J - This Is All Yours

One of my favorite sophomore albums of recent memory, though I seem to be in the minority in saying that. I think the second album is much more full of atmosphere and subdued grandiosity. Left Hand Free isn't able to describe the rest of the album, and I'm very thankful for that. Must listen: "Bloodflood Pt. II"

4. SOHN - Tremors

The debut album from London-by-way-of-Vienna musician (and Aaron Paul lookalike) Christopher Taylor is another one of those 'atmosphere' albums that gets the production values just right. Every time I listen to a song on here, I discover something new about it, and his memorable voice is one to look out for in the future. Must listen: "Bloodflows" 

3. Chromeo - White Women

Chromeo have finally hit it big. I've been a fan since their second album, Fancy Footwork, but their fourth outing has seen loads of airplay thanks to "Jealous (I Ain't With It)". But the best part is that the rest of the album is a highlight compared to that one. If you need to start a party the right way, this album is the perfect one to do so, from start to finish. Must listen: "Come Alive (feat. Toro y Moi)"

2. Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 2

Now if you want to incite a riot instead of a party, this album might be the way to go. The rap duo of El-P and Killer Mike managed to outdo even their critically-acclaimed debut album (released for free) and gain even more accolades this time around. They don't mince words when it comes to questioning authority and tearing down any fuckboy standing in their way. Must listen: "Close Your Eyes (and Count to Fuck)"

1. Kishi Bashi - Lighght

A big reason as to why I thought Kishi Bashi's live show was my favorite of 2014 was because of his musicianship. And it shows here. There are happy songs. There are imaginative songs. There's a happy and imaginative song song about a steak that wants to be eaten. With his sophomore album, Kishi Bashi finds a way to create a more imaginative second album and prove that a violin can make great indie pop music. Must listen: "The Ballad of Mr. Steak"

Honorable mentions:

LCD Soundsystem - the long goodbye: live from madison square garden // My favorite band finally released their four-hour farewell concert. It's constantly on repeat on Spotify and will be until the end of time.

Beck - Morning Phase // Not just Sea Change, Pt. 2. It looks up in a way that Sea Change didn't, and Beck is at his strongest now.

Kimbra - The Golden Echo // Taking from a plethora of musical styles, Kimbra can take on hip-hop, disco, pop, or basically just about anything she sets her mind on musically conquering. 

Todd Terje - It's Album Time // Sought-after producer and remixer Todd Terje finally releases an album of original material and makes the world dance in the process.

Old 97's - Most Messed Up // This band has been around longer than some of you have been alive, and they show no signs of backing down with this fierce, rocking alt-country gem. 

Load up some songs from these albums and enjoy!

[dancethyselfclean]

Mauricio's 10 Favorite Concerts of 2014

I go to a lot of concerts, some impromptu and others anticipated for months. So I decided to round up my ticket stubs, re-live the memories, and pick my ten favorite shows from this year (while attempting to be brief about why). So here goes my completely non-subjective list of favorite shows I've seen this year.

10.  Shakey Graves/Joe Sundell/Esme Patterson. The one-man band that is Shakey Graves brought a band along this time, and it was a foot-stomping good time.

9. Ghost Beach/Panama Wedding. The beachy vibes and electronic stylings of Ghost Beach was perfectly complemented by the up-and-coming Panama Wedding, creating one long and fun party at U Hall.

8. HAIM. Yes, everyone's favorite H&M/Uniqlo/Kohl's band puts on a face-melting show worthy of the best rock bands. Not only can they tear it up on the guitar, but Este has an amazing bass face that is not to be missed. 

7. Grouplove/MS MR/Smallpools. The infectious energy of Grouplove, the subdued grandiosity of MS MR, and the catchy guitars of Smallpools made for one of the greatest one-two-three punches of live music I've seen in a while.

6. Phantogram/Lia Ices. Phantogram delivered with soaring vocals, beats that translate to the live stage even better than in the album, and a dramatic light display. One of the highlights was singer Sarah Barthel donning a disco ball-like dress and singing as spotlights shone on her, lighting up the 9:30 Club.

5. Bleachers/Misterwives. Take the anthemic rock cues from the likes of Bruce Springsteen and U2 and hand them off to the guy whose main project is a band that is already known for its pop grandiosity, and you get an amazing concert. Plus, Misterwives had a set that was brimming with just as much energy and fun, and they haven't even released an album yet.

4. St. Lucia/The Knocks/HAERTS. All three bands have their own sounds. HAERTS with their more melodic synth-pop, The Knocks with their DJs-with-live-instruments-and-singing style, and St. Lucia with what I've read one paper call 'Phil Collins-style tropical pop for a new generation.' I don't think there is a better description. Everyone left the concert smiling.

3. Foo Fighters. The headliner of Firefly Festival on Friday night, one of the biggest rock bands of our generation absolutely delivered with a two-plus hour set of their best hits (their new songs were still being worked on). Reminiscing about Rehoboth Beach and cracking jokes between songs, the band got the crowd jumping and singing with ease. Hearing the crowd sing My Hero is now in some of my never-forget concert moments.

2. Chromeo. If you're in need for a dance party, there is absolutely no other band that I would recommend to make that happen than Chromeo. They're hitting it big now with hits like "Jealous (I Ain't With It)," but their entire set list, their top-of-the-line (and I mean it) light show, and their chrome instruments ensure that not a single body is left standing still.

1. Kishi Bashi. I can't stress enough the level of musicianship this man has. One of the most humble musicians I've seen before, he is able to get the crowd dancing and then immediately have them go completely silent as he plays a beautiful violin piece. Armed with a 'space banjo' player and a bassist/drummer (and at other times, with only a looping machine and his beatboxing skills), he turned the 9:30 Club into a musical paradise.

Honorable concert moment mentions:

1. Jukebox the Ghost's second half of their concert: an all-cover set. The three-piece piano pop band from NYC by way of DC played such classic wedding band hits like "Don't Stop Believing," "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," and "I Believe in a Thing Called Love." 

2. Phoenix singer Thomas Mars climbing to the balcony at Echostage and shaking fans' hands. As he kept shimmying along the balcony railing, with even more fans underneath him on the ground floor.

3. St. Vincent's robotic stage moves. She is some sort of guitar goddess that decided she'd grace us with her presence. Nobody else can tiptoe sideways, forwards, and backwards so peculiarly while melting faces with her ability to absolutely shred.

[dancethyselfclean]

T-Pain - "Stoicville"

Two words come to mind after listening to this: HOLY. SHIT.

Chances are that none of us were paying attention to what T-Pain has been up to up until last week. I follow Bob Boilen (NPR's All Songs Considered / Tiny Desk Concerts) on Instagram and he mentioned that Yusuf Islam (Cat Power) and T-Pain had both played Tiny Desk Concerts at the NPR office that day. I thought to myself, "T-Pain? Interesting..." 

And then T-Pain's Tiny Desk Concert was posted online. Now the people can't get enough of him. Personally, I've listened to the whole performance five times. And the wave of positive buzz is about to turn into a tsunami, and it's all because of his latest song, "Stoicville."

T-Pain rose to fame due to his innovative (at the time) use of Auto-Tune, the likes of which was used everywhere in the mid-2000s, including Kanye West, Kesha, and Michael Bublé, among others. But then it became a joke as quickly as it rose to prominence. And as it became a joke, so did T-Pain, becoming an afterthought in the musical world. 

The struggles T-Pain has seen during his childhood, his rise to fame, and the subsequent fall from grace is all documented here. And in a marked change from what he's known for, he eschews singing for a poetic rap flow. These are some of the most introspective lyrics from a mainstream artist I've heard this year, and it's also, in my opinion, one of the biggest musical surprises of the year too. 

Anyway, I'm done typing here. Listen to "Stoicville." It's damn good. 

[dancethyselfclean]

Discnotheque: 10/31/14 Three-Hour Mix

Discnothéque 10/31/14 DJ Bill Spieler by Discnotheque on Mixcloud

Happy Friday! I've stumbled across a relatively new Friday night DJ set at DC9, a bar just south of the U Street and 9th Street NW intersection here in DC. The concept goes a bit like this: imagine if you were on a dance floor...WITH NO CELLPHONES AROUND FOR PEOPLE TO USE (dun dun DUNNNN)! 

Of course, you can choose to keep your phone, but you'll need to pay a $5 cover. Otherwise, give up your phone, put it in a secure locker that they'll supply, and you get in for free! And, judging by this three-hour mix that they've put up from last Friday, it's great to dance to anyway! Check out this mix if you need some fun music to get your weekend started.

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Sheppard - "Flying Away"

You may have already heard of Australian indie-pop band Sheppard. But maybe not. If you have, though, it's probably because of their 30 million-plus-Spotify-streamed song, Geronimo. Personally, I think it's a bit too repetitive, which means it'll be a radio mainstay for a while. I'm here to help turn the tides with a better, but much more unappreciated song from their EP, Flying Away. 

It has all the makings for a big indie-pop song - piano underpinnings, a chorus with long notes that you can sing/yell along to, and an 'epic' feel to the whole thing. I totally recommend you listen to this, and not just because this song only has 84,500 streams on Spotify while Geronimo has 30 million and counting. Sheppard's debut album will be coming stateside early next year, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, turn the tides!

[dancethyselfclean]

Concert Review: SOHN @ U Street Music Hall (11/1/2014)

I seem to have an issue with missing opening acts lately, something I usually pride myself on doing most of the time. I missed Wet's half-hour set, so this will only be about British Jesse Pinkman doppelganger (and haunting falsetto singer) SOHN. 

Christopher Taylor, also known as SOHN, plays mesmerizing, sometimes-haunting, and intricately-layered downbeat electronic music. Sometimes, the crowd will be dancing, and other times, they'll be perfectly still watching SOHN hit the high notes and the synth keys. U Hall isn't a place with great sight lines if you're not the tallest person in the room, so it was hard at first to tell that he had two people playing supposrtin on stage with him, as well.

Some of the music layers were prerecorded, so it wasn't completely live. But is that really going to deter from the experience? The music of SOHN is so layered that it wouldn't be possible for three musicians alone to recreate it live. Instead, they give songs like Tremors and Lights a slightly different, but familiar feel with live instrumentation for some parts and pre-recorded bits for others. In an entertaining left turn, SOHN sang the beginning of Tempest completely acapella, minus the jumbled voice that accompanies the album version. And then the fire alarm kicked in at U Hall. The smoke machines set it off, but he kept playing and even slightly changed the tempo of the song to humorously match the fire alarm's incessant beeping.

And that voice! Songs like Tempest and Lights best show the heights that his voice can go to, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. Being a person that likes to dance at concerts, I obviously enjoyed the more pop-leaning Artifice, where the tribal-sounding percussion and buzzy synths propelled the crowd into moving more on the dance floor. My friend, who I brought with me and had never heard SOHN before, commented that "a lot of his songs sound the same," which I can understand if it's your first time listening to his music. I'd agree that some sound similar, but there are a lot of different sounds within the genre that he can do. So I don't completely agree. 

In the end, the musicianship is top-notch and whatever he was wearing on his head (some sort of beanie/hood/scarf combo?) was an interesting conversation point after the show. The feel of the show overall was subdued and intent on captivating the audience, briefly punctuated by a bit of dancing in Artifice. SOHN still has a long way to go to reach more listeners stateside, but he's well on his way. And I know I'll keep preaching the SOHN bible for anyone that wants some great electronic music until he comes back to DC again.