POST CATEGORY : Introducing

Introducing: Asa Moto

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Asa Moto are the Ghent-based duo of Olivier Geerts and Gilles Noë.

The Belgian pair recently released their very first EP on DEEWEE, the label created by the Dewaele brothers – you might know them better as the men behind 2ManyDJs and Soulwax. This excellent effort features two incredible, irresistible tracks. Firstly – ‘Wanowan Efem’ blends touches of disco and house into a nice neat package with an undeniably danceable groove. It draws it’s unearthly, cosmic powers from a funky analogue bassline, bongo-infused beat shuffle and polished off with a ‘Wanowan Efem’ vocal chant. ‘Stay Awake’ meanwhile, harnesses a much more down-tempo rhythm. Combined spaced-out synths, phased drones and metallic percussion, with a sort of slo-mo state of hypnosis and a groove that reaches into the realms of late ’80s / early ’90s Balearic acid house. Two highly danceable tunes that captivate entirely, from two rather promising producers to key an eye on.

Asa Moto’s debut EP ‘Stay Awake’ / ‘Wanowan Efem’ is out now and it comes highly recommended. Check it out below and buy it here.

Introducing: Phare

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Known for his work as one half of atmospheric duo Lyttet, Peadar Kearney, has a new solo-project, Phare.

As Phare, Kildare native Kearney, is leaving the softer elements to one side, preferring instead, to zone in on clubbier sounds, and to say it is fruitful would be an understatement. Phare gracefully floats in an ambiguous hinterland between subtly euphoric and vaguely ambient, sustaining the rhythm and protracting the promise of a euphoric climax, while captivating through repeated propulsive beats and swirls. Mixing warm sounds with a crisp frosty elegance, he creates a hypnotic, comforting sound collage, and none more so than with twinkling crystalline grandeur of debut single ‘UP’. While ‘UP’ chimes and shimmers with a glacial-like sheen, ‘Monday’ continues the trend but raising the tension and intensity somewhat. Chiming notes resonate through every track and the beats are delivered with pin point accuracy – as sublime introduction as there ever could be.

Check out ‘UP’ & ‘Monday’ below. If you’re EP bound next month, Phare will be gracing Saturday’s Oxjam at Electric Picnic, @ 1 am (in association with HomeBeat).

Introducing: Mirror Test

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Some of you may remember Melbourne based psych-popper Wilding (aka Justin Wilding Stokes) coming in for lavish praise on the blog, numerous times over the past few years.

Well, Wilding has teamed up with a bunch of friends from various Melbourne bands, including Tam Vantage & Grand Prismatic, for a new project called Mirror Test. Connecting through a shared love ’80s British indie – like The Pale Fountains and The Smiths – it is little surprise then, that their debut single ‘Washed Up’ is of a similar mould. With guitars bright and shimmering, ‘Washed Up’ is an bright, infectious and irresistible cut of sing-along, jingle-jangle indie. Hushed vocals add a certain tone of melancholia, as we’re treated to a rather splendid three-and-a-half minutes, emulating the sparkling brilliance of Echo & The Bunnymen or The Smiths at their finest.

You can check out new single ‘Washed Up’ below now, while we await Mirror Tests’ debut EP, which is in the works too.

Introducing: The Intelligence Service

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The Intelligence Service – Alex P., Heather Campbell, Sam Daoust and Dror Zur – are a four-piece psychedelic garage rock band from Vancouver, BC.

The brand of psych-rock this foursome pedal is a crazed delight for your ears; for a rather lazy comparison, it’s a catchy concoction of The Doors meets The Velvet Underground with a dash of Frank Zappa. Having already released their latest and great EP, Maladies back in April, their debut album Transgressions and West Coast tour, is set to follow in October. As a taste of the former, ‘Driving To My Sun’ is pumped with a real air of positivity and optimism. Swaggering along a smooth groove set out by the vintage organ work, it is met by a wall of fuzz, solid drums and delightful harmonies, with the kind of hazy, nonchalant drawl of the lead singer atop. ‘School Me’ meanwhile, is an altogether rowdier, scintillating sonic burst of psych. Fuelled by relentless hammering drums, the guitars remain fuzzy and the organ catchy, but the vocal interplay between Alex and Heather is the key; the juxtaposition of the dreamy and the manic is divine.

Maladies is out now and available here, with their debut set to follow in October.

Introducing: Kinship

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Kinship is the moniker of Vancouver based producer Thom Klob.

Since 2014, Klob’s sound has been exploring elements of UK garage, house and more left-field electronica, with a strong focus on manipulated vocal snippets and bright melodies. And how. Having recently teamed up with Vancouver collective ‘El Cheapo’, Kinship released ‘Skinhead’ a stellar intro, and one that’ll surely get you moving. ‘Skinhead’ builds from a fanfare opening with layered fuzzed out electronics, backed by a pulsating beats and other pin-point percussives, brought together with vocal samples. Take Kinship’s brand new single, ‘Eh’ too, it is a dusty sounding house tune, incorporating all the aforementioned attributes, with a swooning, irresistible groove and plenty of bounce. This is spectacularly good, just like ‘Skinhead’. Now, we could continue with me waxing lyrical but hey, your own ears are the best judge here. So, sit back, relax and prepare for some magic.

You can sample some choice sounds from Kinship below, you will not be disappointed.

Introducing: TERRY

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TERRY is an Australian super group of sorts – comprised of (deep breathe) Al Montfort (of Total Control and Dick Diver), Zephyr Pavey (Eastlink, Total Control, Russell Street Bombings), Amy Hill (Constant Mongrel, School Of Radiant Living), and Xanthe Waite (Mick Harvey Band) – who’ve announced their debut album, TERRY HQ, will be out July 1 via Upset the Rhythm.

Ahead of its release next month, they’ve kindly been previewing their debut LP with some sublime singles. So far it would appear their sound is a sort of throwback to that late ’70s / early- 80s era – with touches of punk, post-punk, glam and indie – and it is magnificent! The first glimpse was provided by ‘Don’t Say Sorry’, a nervy, scratchy and off-kilter stomper. It operates in the blurred lines between punk and indie, skittering along with an unhinged guitar until the midway point, where it careers off into a discordant, sonic self-implosion and never looks back. Their new single ‘Third War’ is an infectious, warped take on classic ’70s glam with punky tones. Unravelling at its own pace with a peaceful acoustic strum and vocals, it is offset by the constant drone of an electric guitar, and juxtaposed by melancholic musings surrounding a seemingly doomed world.

TERRY HQ, will be out July 1 but for now, get your ears into the jerky rhythms of ‘Don’t Say Sorry’ & the wonderfully infectious ‘Third War’.

Introducing: Kayla Painter

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Kayla Painter is a Bristol based musician who crafts inventive, experimental and ambient soundscapes.

Signed to Turnstile Music, Painter’s sound draws from techno, garage and post dub, to create intricate, intriguing and curious compositions of restless rhythms, surging deep bass lines and warm flourishes of ethereal ambience. Painter’s latest single, ‘Drones’ demonstrates just that, and more. It is a lush, densely layered piece of ambient excellence, that is beautiful, graceful and bewitching as it glistens with exquisite majesty. Similar exalted praise can be bestowed upon the twitchy, twinkly and divine previous single, ‘Revert’. Also worth your attention is collaborative single ‘Avallaunius’, which saw Painter team up with ex-Trwbador member Accü and released on Turnstile Music in January. This is all rather sublime; music get lost in and simultaneously to be amazed by.

‘Drones’ was released just this week, you check out Painter’s excellent self-directed video below, along with a number of other, choice cuts.

Introducing: Class Portrait

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Class Portrait is the moniker of New York-based, electronic, indie-pop project fronted by Michael Vaughan.

Previously he had been making his way in the world as house music producer, with a number releases on labels in the UK and Portugal to his name, before trading it in, and stripping down the sound to a guitar, vocal, and a drum machine. Or, in his own words; “a man, a guitar, a drum machine and a dream”. This new project may be in its infancy and judging by his by his debut EP Time Zones, the dream is alive a well. Take title track ‘Time Zones’ for instance. Vaughan’s hushed vocals ride a wave of electronic flourishes and swells of synth, effects and electronics, while the steady beat anchors the slinking, meandering groove. Combined, they ooze an aura of smooth, coolness. ‘Close To Me’ offers indie-electronica from the other end of the spectrum. Uptempo and driven, with a meaty guitar chugging its way through snappy beats and gushes of synth/electronics, while Vaughan’s vocals remain calm, cool and hushed. Bursting with creativity and ideas, Class Portrait’s debut is a wholly irresistible and inspired collection of splendid indie-electronica.

You can check out ‘Time Zones’ and ‘Close To Me’ below and if they are to your satisfaction, you can find the full Time Zones EP, here.

Introducing: Dumb

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Dumb are a Vancouver foursome – Nick Short, Felipe Morelli, Gal Av-Gay and Nir Av-Gay – who proclaim themselves as a “punk rock band!”. They are that, and a whole lot more.

Following on from two 2015 EPs, Friendship and Tulips, they’ve recently released their debut album, Beach Church. In this holy house of beach (Beach Church), across nine-songs we a graced with a rather ‘smart’ collection from Dumb. The album is littered with an intoxicating flurry of crunchy indie-rock songs that flirt with indie, punk, garage, post-punk and even occasional surf elements. From the twangy, surf-themed instrumentals of ‘Beach Church pt. I, II & III’ to the rough-and-ragged, crunching guitars, cymbal crashing and shout-able lyrics of the likes of ‘Refrain’ or ‘7-11’; Dumb eek out a middle ground between garage rock, spaced-out psychedelia and the driving stomp of punk. It all works together and come across as endearingly authentic, suggesting that Dumb is a band to keep an eye on.

You can listen to some choice cuts from Dumb’s debut LP below and if you would like to get your mitts on Beach Church, it is here, all you gotta do is ‘name you price’. Also, they play Vancouver’s Music Waste on Saturday, June 4th (the full schedule is here).

Introducing: Jons

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Jons are a four-piece from Victoria, BC – Patrick Rendell, David Parry, Logan Holmes & Keenan Mittag-Degala – who’ve got a penchant for laid-back, lo-fi, psych-tinged guitar-pop.

Jons’ debut LP, Serfs Of Today (just re-issued by Solitaire Records), brings the mellow, hazy vibes. Their soothing, sun-kissed sounds wash over you with such an ease, like a lullaby, as guitars chime and shimmer, and riffs meander, amid the mellow undulation and frazzled production. Jons’ sound is just so pleasant on the ear, music to get lost in (with), the vocals are easy and practically float atop of fuzzy, mild distortion and warm go-with-the-flow harmonies.With the aid of iPhones and cassette recorders they carve out their own modern day niche, distilled with an endearingly authentic, excellently arranged, mellow, breezy and bright psychedelic sounds.

You can sample the sweet and soothing delights of ‘Don’t Complain’ and ‘Sugarfree’, perfect examples of their incredibly warm and inviting style. If they are to your liking, you can try out Serfs of Today, here.