What I'm listening to today: "Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt", DJ Shadow
This album hit electronic music like a meteor. Apparently real heads already knew who DJ Shadow was and Dan the Automator had been working with him for years, but the first I'd heard of DJ Shadow was this song coming on Rice Radio 91.7 FM circa 1997 and I can draw you a diagram of exactly where on San Felipe St I was driving at the time because the moment is seared so clearly into my memory
What I'm listening to today: "Devil Stuff", Evil Nine
The first half of the 2000s saw this explosion of headphones-friendly "instrumental hip hop" whose existence I chalk up to DJ Shadow, if not as a direct inspiration then at least for convincing the record labels this stuff could sell. (Or maybe it was "Praise You".) Here's some fun big beat music made of metal samples. Yeah uh, my mom's boyfriend's kids are into this devil stuff from listening to Black Sabbath—
What I'm listening to today: "Heart's Desire", Awkward McLain
A Bandcamp beatmaker goes in for a bit of lo-fi hip hop and astral projection. Lovely crisp feeling.
The box is SP-404mk2, the most recent of a series of surprisingly incremental updates to J Dilla's favorite sampler, with the main effect AFAICT to add, like, USB and SD card support and the stuff that makes a device actually convenient to use in 2021.
What I'm listening to today: "The Mashed Up Mixes - Diplo of Hollertronix Meets RJD2"
During that 10 minutes of mainstream craze for "mashups", lo-fi hip hop virtuoso RJD2 invited a few artists to make DJ mixtapes out of his his back catalog. There's also a good one by "Haul & Mason", but this mix stuck in my head forever for a segment that strings together Cat Power, Slick Rick and Steve Reich, and later on what's still to me the definitive version of Outkast's "Roses"
What I'm listening to today: "Jellyfish", Kazumi Totaka (Nintendo)
There is a weird pattern in video games:
- The "water level", in any game, is usually everyone's least favorite, but
- The "water level" often has the coolest, most memorable music of the game.
Upthread I linked some "ocean vibes" music from Mario Artist for N64DD. That game has *three* ocean-themed songs, all bangers; here's my other fav. Charmingly cheesy hold-music jazz transitioning into trip-hop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8DlaLKT3q8&list=PL-pEm4IqI6c_DfCBqt5VBvR-atgwqTlZB&index=95
What I'm listening to today: "What Does Your Soul Look Like?, Pt. 3", DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow followed up his major-label "debut" with an (incomplete) overview of his pre-"debut" indie releases. The information economy of the late 90s was less developed than that of today & getting into DJ Shadow in 1998 was a *little* confusing. Whatever! Here's the most rocking track from "preemptive strike". This *fucking* piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9VIDrDXJmc
PS: Shadow fans listen to the Mighty Atom Endtroducing mix
What I'm listening to today: "Durationplex", Sevish
This musician describes this track as an exercise in golden-ratio "maxxing"; the (xenharmonic) tuning scale is based on ϕ, the (polyrhythmic, constantly shifting) rhythms are based on ϕ, the FM timbres are based on ϕ. Experientially all you can tell is that the musician was doing something *very specific*, which you can grasp the shape of but not understand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXMqkyVbFmI
( This track is also on Bandcamp: https://sevish.bandcamp.com/track/durationplex )
What I'm listening to today: "Small drops 2025-08-02", atnr
"Minimal Ambient". Giant reverb landscapes. Sitting on a dark hill, your hair mussed by gentle breeze, watching on the horizon the spaceships take off.
Made by combining Yamaha's modern DX7 revival, an original Game Boy, and three guitar pedals, one of which only exists to simulate the sound of cassette tape; someone probably *could* have made this exact music in 1989, in principle.
What I'm listening to today: "Fly to the Leaden Sky", Manabu Namiki
This is the stage 1 music from "Battle Garegga", an incredibly maximalist top-down shooter made in 1996 by former Compile staff. This is from the 2016 PS4/XBox rerelease, so the original onboard chip synthesis is replaced with slightly different instrumentation including crisper drum samples that really do improve this one track. A giant glowing idol to the 1980s, an exuberant tower of electric guitars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF-ENkufyCY&list=PLguGBzflGahMxYlXtQxX5e4yuqPMWKBAn&index=3
What I'm listening to today: "Speciation", Passepartout Duo
An old technique in ambient music is "phasing", where you play two loops of different lengths and let them go in and out of sync, creating different interesting patterns. It's a truism this requires electronics or tape, because two humans trying to play out-of-sync tempos would confuse each other. These two seem to be actually doing a live phase performance, dueling xylophone and gameboy-style squarewave loops
What I'm listening to today: "Souzou Suru", Haru Nemuri
High-energy Japanese rap with seriously weird production. My wife was listening to this and now I'm listening to it.
https://specific.bandcamp.com/track/souzou-suru
Every lyrics site swears up and down she's saying "Touch my Yes", not whatever it is you thought you heard.
( If you're enjoying yourself by the end of this song maybe listen to the next one on the album, which I like for its mid-90s-arcade-shooter-style sampled guitars… https://specific.bandcamp.com/track/bang )
from the album Shunka Ryougen
What I'm listening to today: "Finally", a773
This Danish musician uses the modular synth rack— usually the domain of weird noise ambient— for a purpose I've never seen it turned to: incredibly sincere Fusion Jazz. 80s fusion did use simple, early synths— and modular also tends toward the simple, because simple base tones respond best to layering in complications. So there's a lot of plausible 80s feel but with the strangest mystery sounds slipping through the background
What I'm listening to today: "Mood piece from one machine to another", Sonaura
Three minutes of degraded humming, drone piece on two cassette tape machines one of which seems to be having serious problems. The desert in late evening, a wisp of smoke moving in a way smoke shouldn't. A transmission you pick up briefly on the radio and then can't find again. Do you hear it? No, it's gone. As far as recordings of degraded humming sounds go I'd say this is a pretty good one
What I'm listening to today: "Level 0", Jim Andron
In the 90s there was a thing called "smooth jazz". I think boomers probably understood it, but I was never clear how it was different from "easy listening music".
This opener from 1992's famously odd "CD-I" version of Tetris is easy-listening music transcended to the point you can understand why people like the genre. Hold music pulling at your heartstrings, incredibly cheesy FM piano over shockingly hype bass work
What I'm listening to today: "Orange", Tristan Baldi
Chill tabla groove on the Dirtywave M8, a small handheld tracker. Big warm analog-style pads and lots of fun little sound design scribbles low in the mix. Sun shining through some sort of medium, like the fronds of trees or the smog of southern California
What I'm listening to today: "Mocktapus, Rocktapus, Unlocktapus Rex", Prince Charming featuring Philosophy Major
I'm … I'm really not sure what's happening here! A two-minute hip hop hallucination, two or three stations fighting for control of your FM radio, a bunch of musical instruments thrown in a dryer and they turned it on. Sometimes my brain sort of demagnetizes and thoughts swarm in all directions aimlessly like bees. What if that felt pleasant? That's this song
What I'm listening to today: "White Paws", Tristan Baldi
This piece hijacks the Subharmonicon, Moog's idiosyncratic semi-generative synth, to a purpose it's not typically used for: Acid, coaxing some surprisingly 303-like sounds out of it. Combine this with an unusually clicky configuration for the DFAM and you have an unusual, unpredictable, quiet but punchy little electronic jam.
What I'm listening to today: "While you were gone", a773
This is the fusion-jazz-on-modular-synths guy I linked last Sunday. This track has that "downtempo Sega" feel but leans into the weirdness/jazziness by being in 7/8 time. Most people listening to 5/4 can tell they're listening to "a weird time signature" but 7/8 sounds like "normal music" with a strange pressured feel you can't explain. If you sleep too long the fire goes out you dare to dream and we have no doubt
What I'm listening to today: "Biology 101", Dr. Octagon ft. "Chewbacca"
Removed track from Kool Keith's career-redefining "Dr. Octagonecologyst", present on the original indie release but not the Dreamworks version. The point where they apparently went "too far". Too weird, too creative, too surprising, too hard to follow, too "Kool Keith". A Dan the Automator groove slowed down to the breaking point, with a flood of incredibly dense sci-fi rap wordplay running over it.
What I'm listening to today: "Cosmic Interlude", LTJ Bukem
Chill jazzy electronic from the year 2000 with delicious stand-up bass sounds. Bukem spent the mid 90s staking a flag on what he called "Intelligent Jungle" (as far as I can tell he invented "the Dreamcast menu sound") but then as the 90s ended pushed past that and crafted a distinct brand of self-confident instrumental jazz with skeletal drum&bass patterns as support. Would feel at home on a Ninja Tune mixtape.
What I'm listening to today: "Time 4 Breaks", Breakbeat Era
This album was supposed to be the Roni Size clique's breakout moment into pop domination, but a series of odd decisions left it as a one-off artifact that you've either never heard of or are still obsessed with 25 years later. This track shows the project at its best: A pop song structure with heart-gripping vocals and the production gloss of 1999's best D&B production team. Progressive but goes down smooth.
What I'm listening to today: "Imouha", Etran de LAïr
Incredible surfrock¹ jam by a band that describes themselves as "the stars of the Agadez guitar scene" (Agadez is the fifth largest city in the Republic of Niger). Do not miss the video-toaster-core video. Dudes rock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xeytuhn0irM
I found this as the YouTube algorithm's next recommendation after watching "Prisencolinensinainciusol".
¹ Sahara rock?
Imouha (Official Music Video)🎸✨ 🎸✨ 🎸✨ from "100% SAHARA GUITAR", the new album by Etran de L’Aïrhttps://tinyurl.com/100saharaguitarhttps://etrandelair.ban...
What I'm listening to today: "Late Morning", Breakbeat Era
A couple days ago I linked the song from this album I thought had the closest chance of getting mainstream euro radio recognition for this odd Roni Size project. This (incidentally the next song on the album) is the track I think appeals best if you just like SOUNDS. Six minutes onrushing bull head down subway to an afternoon headache, breakbeat jungle boiled down to annihilation of all thought, moksha in motion
What I'm listening to today: "icm", a773
One last track from the musician I've been calling "the fusion-jazz-on-modular-synths guy". So thing is, mixing jazz and electronic music is not odd, it's just what you're *expected* to do is cut up the jazz as a backing for sampled breakbeats. This raises a question: What if a773 made a track with breaks? Turns out it turns out extremely well. Something here for both prog and Ninja Tune lovers. Nice understated bassline groove.
What I'm listening to today: "Hold Tight London", Chemical Brothers
This is just literally the song stuck in my head today.
Chemical Brothers are underrated TBH. They got some radio play with "Dig Your Own Hole" and I think the electronic heads (in the US?) mentally classified them as pop and tuned out. They continued making jams. I think this might be the best song they ever made. Does it stop being rock music if the guitars are sampled? *Are* these guitars sampled?
What I'm listening to today: "Erm...Yes, This Is Yamaha RS7000", Isobutane
This ungainly 1999 pro groovebox from Yamaha is fairly capable at making techno and hip hop. It… doesn't sound like this at all! Apparently using no external samples only tweaked presets this musician creates a drunken rush of chaotic glitch sounds, a simply wild wobbling bass line and this one sound like an angel got stuck in your crawlspace and is moaning in divine ecstasy until you let it out
What I'm listening to today: "AudCalc, Zeptocore, Phantasmal Force, GREAT CONJUNCTION Micro Synth Coordination", Arman Bohn
I at one point considered myself an authority on small handheld devices that make odd sounds, and I… I recognize exactly two of the six devices on this table. A glorious mess but it all comes together, floats your mind on a melange of algorithmic beeps, chirpy synth beats and bitcrushed Amen like a crashing sea. More is more. I like the buzzy bass.
What I'm listening to today: "souvenir d'autrefois", Trhä & Midoran
Asked on bsky for metal that makes every bar on the graphic equalizer jam all the way up. Blurry thrashy metal with kinda those stoner jam feels and this amazing softness like cassette tape, every blast of sound is a little bit rounded off. Ends with an inexplicable detour into… like… if I say "title screen music for a strip mahjong tabletop unit in a dingy bar in Kabukichō in 1994" will you understand?
from the album Trhä & Midoran
What I'm listening to today: "沈む！", Banshimoku
I saw these folks live last night! Shizumu (沈む) appears to be "Sinking" or "Sink!", like a command. The word she yells at the end of the chorus is "ILLUMINATION!" in English. "Banshimoku" is a Japanese name for the Placodont, an extinct triassic reptile. Walking through the market this morning, kept yelling to myself under my breath, the quietest yell, "ILLUMINATION!". May the bridges we burn be the lights that show our way
What I'm listening to today: "Untitled", Åreknuteknyterne
In 1986 a tiny Norwegian cassette label named "Yecch Tapes" released a compilation named "FFFFF" with this song. It would be wrong to say it sounds like it does because these are ghosts reaching out of history to haunt us. That's just the cassette sound. But this sure *sounds* like ghosts trapped outside time, trying to score an epic 80s action thriller, but they're ghosts so it only feels like inexpressible loss
https://tribetapes.bandcamp.com/track/untitled-fffff-version
from the album Åreknuteknyterne
What I'm listening to today: "Virtual Star Embryology" (Revolutionary Girl Utena ED 2), J.A. Seazer
Ancient times. Perfection. Isolation in the desert.
Atmosphere, atom, a star of causality.
Yes, a child of earth is conceived
The embryo of philosophy.
The endless surface of the torus,
A single organic mechanism
A single perpetual motion.
Ah, it is empty movement!
Just empty movement,
Empty
@neauoire Well, through Revolutionary Girl Utena! His ensemble did all the in-episode music (the "fight songs") for the entire anime and the second ending theme, which is what's linked above. I'm pretty sure Utena popularized Seazer more than anything else.
All I know of his stuff is Utena and Throw Away Your Books Rally in the Streets.
@neauoire No I haven't heard of this one :O
The ones I've seen ( https://letterboxd.com/mcc111/ )…
Pastoral / Throw Away Books
Funeral Parade
A Man Vanishes (1967)
Death By Hanging (1968) (Also Mr. Lawrence and Taboo/Gohatto)
The Man Who Left His Will On Film (1970)
If we are moving forward…
Burst City (1982)
Iron Man Tetsuo 1 and 2
@mcc Ah! if you've seen Tetsuo, you probably don't need to see Pinochio. I haven't seen Death By Hanging and The Man Who Left His Will On Film, I'll have a look.
There's this movie called Grass Labirynth in the style, that I've been meaning to watch for a long time, but there's hardly ever any seeds to grab it off as a torrent..
mcc
Devine Lu Linvega
