Softly constructed soundscapes from Lisa and Kroffe

The Swedish duo continue to develop their comfortable yet boundary challenging sound

Lisa and Kroffe have been collaborating together for a while now, building up a discography of krautrock textured electronica. It’s been a journey through a wide expanse of territories, touching on genres such as folk, techno and light psychedelic.

Lisa is known for her work as the host of “Blue Monday”, one of Sweden’s most prominent music podcasts, while Kroffe is most often found amongst synths, both operating and constructing them.

Taking a step into their style of production you’ll find broad variety of approaches being employed, but the overall sense of Lisa and Kroffe’s work is that you’ve entered a sphere of gentleness. At times the tone is progressive, led through by soft beats. Other examples of their work exude a more meditative ambience, an environment coloured with delicately positioned waves of synth which encourage exploration of the self.

The duo has now reached the point of releasing their fourth album, a collection of ten tracks titled “Roslagens Famn”. Produced with support from ambient Swedish label Lamour Records, the album strikes a dreamlike note, adept at conjuring up soundscapes that feel fresh and without boundaries.

Our featured track from the “Roslagens Famn” is also the final inclusion on the LP: “Till Charlie”.

Stream the release on Spotify or support it on Bandcamp

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Floating through the Carnaval de Nantes with Words Between Heads

Words Between Heads is a NYC based bedroom producer. Often incorporating guitar, bass, and vocals into their productions, they enjoy experimenting with many genres while retaining a level of pop sensibility.

Inspired by time living in the city of Nantes, France, Carnaval de Nantes floats through a textured assortment of subdued elements that pulls inspiration from the smooth stylings of Bossa Nova music. The syncopated drum rhythm, clean layers of rhythmic and meandering guitar, and steady bassline set the mood for anything from a mid afternoon coffee on an early autumn rainy day to a casual stroll through the Carnaval de Nantes itself with all it’s merry festivities.

Check out more of Words Between Heads on soundcloud or Spotify

Emancipator & 9 Theory stick together like buds on 'Cheeba Gold'

What happens when two of the most reliable stalwarts of the west coast indie beat scene come together for a collab? You find gold. Cheeba Gold, that is, the result of a 4-day studio session between Portland’s Emancipator and LA’s 9 Theory. The collab makes a lot of sense musically; these two have been pushing lush, organic, laid back beats for so long now that it’s become one of the signature sounds of electronic music in the PNW, gracing festival stages and outdoor events for over a decade.

On the EP Cheeba Gold, no doubt a product of the title’s slang allusion, the two musicians find effortless rhythms with rich percussive elements, and lush timbric harmonies that showcase both their sense of musicality and deft instrumental skills. These guys know exactly the kind of sound they want to make, and it’s clear on Cheeba Gold that they are operating in top form.

RIYL: Bonobo, Tycho, Thievery Corporation

Cheeba Gold is out now on digital platforms, and if you really like it, a 12” vinyl is available from Loci Records.

— review by autonomy

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Gone in a (green) flash with Phoenix's Phortran

It could be the hot desert climate of the state of Arizona, or the nearly 300 days of sun Phoenix experiences per year, but beat producer ‘phortran’ seems to have some hazy heat running through his veins. Originally taking his musical inspiration from experimental electronic music and idm, it wasn’t until he heard Hip Hop artists such as Aesop Rock and MF Doom in the 90s that his musical tastes started to shift. Artists like Madlib, Dilla and Nujabes further fuelled the budding beatmaker’s creative blueprint, and laid the foundation for which his modern productions rest on.

Taking a look at phortran’s Soundcloud it’s quickly apparent that this style and finesse didn’t happen overnight. With more than 70 tracks posted over the last 6 years it’s clear that he’s done his homework and steadily honed his sound. He has recently become involved with a local Phoenix-based collective called Brunch Collect and put out a split EP called "States Away" with fellow beat maker- jives. He is currently working on his next split release with Korey Wade and playing shows around Phoenix.

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Winter Chill with Kurt Stewart's 'brrr!'

<3 winter sunsets

Winter on the east coast of America and Canada brings with it a few guarantees: short days, cold temps and regular dustings of snow. But this sub-zero hibernation isn’t all bad as Vermont- based beatmaker ‘Kurt Stewart’ shows with recent track- brrr! Although the name incites a whole body chill experienced only when your older brother shoves a handful of snow down your snowsuit, the sound of the track itself is actually quite warm and toasty. With a vintage croon to open the beat, the track bumps along with warm sense of nostalgia as the thumping kick drum drives everything forward. Although just over a minute long, brrr! gives us that brief moment of respite before heading back out into the bitter elements.

Happy winter from Kurt Stewart!
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Blink and you'll miss Instupendo's stunning winter elegy, 'Persona'

Modern music, especially electronic-based music, has a tendency to try to pull you in as soon as possible. This is of course not surprising, or even a bad thing, considering the incredible explosion of new music over the last decade or so, combined with the nascent expectation of instant gratification in our daily lives. But it certainly puts music that ignores this tendency on shaky ground — will compositional patience pay off, or will it end up devoured by the deluge of new music that presents itself to us every single day? For ‘Persona’, Instupendo doesn’t seem to care about any of that.

Instead of trying to lure you in, Persona creates its own emotional space, perfectly content in its own world. If you blink you’ll miss it, but if you approach it with care and attention, suddenly it’s impossible to ignore its delicate, detuned chords calling out to you. Winter is a season to slow down, and hopefully reflect thoughtfully on our lives. Instupendo, inspired by the season for this track, shows us why it’s worth it to do exactly that.

— review by autonomy

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Deep bongo bombs from Sweden's Tekkla

Tekkla - Love Vibration [CLIPP043] Crack a coconut on the head next to you and recline your seat til it recline no more! Stockholm’s Tekkla must have a life chiller then mr Snoop Double O G writing a track like this. Warm and tropical this beat is something out of an old surf video. You can pretty much smell the ocean with this Sheller. Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2Pa3aTm BandCamp: https://bit.ly/2CPHrKQ Youtube: https://bit.ly/2PEKsAx Beatport: About clipp.art: clipp.art promise an ongoing series of weekly/bi-weekly digital cuts - complemented by the occasional limited edition split artist 12 inch and dance party. Current clipp.art events and tours feature headlines from Gerd Janson, Ross From Friends, Bloody Mary, DJ Seinfeld, DJ Boring, Black Loops, Coeo, Auntie Flo and Demuja, while supporters for clipp.art original music include: Andrew Weatheral, The Black Madonna, Dusky, Laurent Garnier, Vin Sol, Skream, Little Helpers, Horse Meat Disco, Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, Jacques Renault, Nightmares on Wax, and more. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Follow Tekkla > @soundsoftekkla Join our fanclub and receive all past and future clipp.art stuff at clipp-art.bandcamp.com Follow our "Sounds Like A Good Time" Playlist - spoti.fi/2o51IC8 Subscribe to our Channels: Youtube - bit.ly/2o09yOu Spotify - spoti.fi/2EJMi0H Soundcloud - @clipp_art FB - facebook.com/clipp.art BandCamp - bit.ly/2LjbudJ Send Nudes 'N Tunes ☞ clippart001@gmail.com 000-919999-KETTY "WE CARE, BECAUSE U."

Swedish duo Tekkla sends summer vibes to Melbourne’s clipp.art label with a deep house bongo bomb, continuing clipp.art’s brisk pace of dropping quality singles. But ‘Love Vibration’ itself is anything but brisk. Clocking in at a breezy 110bpm, the track evokes beach side vibes with gentle bongos and builds beautifully with subtle pads.

Whether you’re a dj looking for the perfect opener to warm up the df, or just need a bit of summer nostalgia in your life, you can’t go wrong with Tekkla’s ‘Love Vibration’. And after that track gets you in the mood, Tekkla’s got a brand new mixtape for clipp.art that’ll surely have you hankering to crack open a coconut. You can hear the mixtape below, and if you like the track, hop over to clipp.art’s bandcamp to grab a copy yourself.

— review by autonomy

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Rising star Catching Flies set to explode

Out now, listen here: http://radi.al/CFNewGods Follow Catching Flies: iTunes/Apple: http://radi.al/CFNewGods/opt/0 Spotify: http://radi.al/CFNewGods/opt/1 Amazon: http://radi.al/CFNewGods/opt/2 Google: http://radi.al/CFNewGods/opt/3 Deezer: http://radi.al/CFNewGods/opt/4 Facebook: http://radi.al/CFFacebook Instagram: http://radi.al/CFInstagram Twitter: http://radi.al/CFTwitter Youtube: http://radi.al/CFYouTube  Soundcloud: http://radi.al/CFSoundCloud Bandcamp: http://radi.al/CFBandcamp New Gods’ marks the welcome return of the London artist whose music draws from a wide-ranging palette of influences including jazz, soul, hip-hop, house and electronica and has previously seen him handpicked by Bonobo to provide support on his World Tour. ‘New Gods’ perfectly encapsulates what Catching Flies is all about and sees him collaborating with two of London’s brightest stars: Jay Prince and Gilles Peterson favourite Oscar Jerome.

Multi instrumentalist, producer and DJ, Catching Flies, aka George King, has achieved a great deal in his musical career already. His tunes have received millions of hits and listens, he's got support from the UK's top DJs and taste makers and he's toured the world over supporting some of the biggest DJs and artists.

The one thing that has evaded him thus far is that illusive first full length album. However as 2018 inches to a close, Catching Flies is set to remedy that. With his album release on the horizon, Flies drops a tantalizing teaser in our above track, 'New Gods', featuring a pair of similarly rising stars, collaborating with singer Oscar Jerome and rapper Jay Prince.

Catching Flies, who usually operates alone, blending through the genres of jazz, soul, hip-hop, house, electronica and more delivers a tightly produced track in 'New Gods'. The trio each have ample time to shine as Jay Prince raps about life eternal, Oscar Jerome provides a soulful backdrop, all the while Flies sounds linger, guiding the listener from laid back electronica beats building to a crescendo of jazzy guitar/bass expressions.

The whole thing evolves over a mere 3 minutes time and leaves you longing for more. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a bit longer before his album drops, fortunately though, for those new to Catching Flies, like myself, our man George has more than an ample supply of music available online to satisfy that longing. Catching Flies has previously released an EP, another mini EP and loads of highly acclaimed DJ sets (such as the ‘On Deck’ Thump Mix) and mixes (such as his Solid Steel Radio Mix on Ninja Tune). He even has a monthly radio show on London based Radio station Radar Radio.

If you need any more help tracking Catching Flies as his star rises higher and higher, click onto platforms below:

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Serenity now with London's Sleepless

From 'Serene' Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/3LXOBHjYDBfZ7miS7Jg9gX?si=a2batCFWQtqmU18PZK_IFg Bandcamp https://sleeplessbeats.bandcamp.com Guitar on 'Process' performed by Rax Behéshti. Artwork @sleepsparrow

The classic downtempo, acid jazz sound is alive and thriving throughout Sleepless's 4th album, Serene.

While there isn't much info to be found on the man behind the beats, the music speaks for itself. It harks back to a simple time of bass heavy, laid back bobbers, with crisp snare snaps and the odd jazzy instrumental. I've been missing music like this. Sleepless recalls genre pioneers like DJ Cam, Dilla, Amon Tobin and more.

Serene, which dropped late last week is Sleepless's fourth album in five years. Each of his releases provide the lo-fi vibes which drew many of us into acid jazz and instrumental hip hop from the beginning. Serene, as an album is a pleasure. It's filled with smokey, back room sizzlers to help us fade into the night and early morning risers to bring us back. In our hard pounding, technological, unrelenting world, a little serenity is necessary to keep sane amidst the daily madness.

Stand outs from the 16 track album include 'Process' which features guitar work from Rax Beheshti, 'Don't Forget' which features smooth muted horns and the dreamy 'Where You At?'.

Don’t sleep on this release, go grab Serene on Bandcamp now.

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New album from Chill electronic producer- Hotwax

Nightwatch, a song by Hotwax on Spotify

Hotwax is 24 year old musician and producer Adam Keilbach. Adam is a self-taught musician and electronic music producer, and since 2011 has been crafting downtempo tunes with chilled out vibes, engaging hooks, atmospheric beats.

Based in Florida, Keilbach has released across a number of domestic and international labels including: Bad Pop (Mexico), Vacant Music (South Carolina), Intelligent Sound (Missouri), 2060 (Washington) and has contributed remixes to up and coming artists such as James Deen, Conclave, and fka Spazzkid. 

Last year Adam dropped his debut album- 'Communicator' on Olympia, Washington eclectic tape label, 2060. The album, consisting of 12 tracks packed with lush soundscapes and ethereal melodies, featured a number of special musical collaborations including live guitar from Nate Wagner and vocals from Navigateur and Steffalloo. 

Now, fresh off the press, we have the brand new Hotwax album entitled 'Nightwatch' to share with all you music heads today. Released just yesterday on Texas label 'Sleepless Collective', the album features 7 tracks of expertly articulated, synth-laden electronic experiences. From the upbeat, drum-driven rhythm of 'Nightwatch' to the minimal and melancholic 'Secret River' the album showcases Keilbach's skill in creating infectious, synth heavy atmospheres that are as cinematic as they are serene. 

Support the release over on Bandcamp

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