The first time I listened to of Santogold’s “Creator” I thought I was hearing a new Gang Gang Dance song. Mainly because of Santi’s intense and haunting vocals on the intro, but once Freq Nasty’s BIG break-yo-neck rhythm dropped I knew this tune would be on dance floor repeat for a long time. A bit of Google sleuthing revealed that this is the formula for what will probably be one of the best albums of the year.
Santogold(out of Brooklyn NYC) has teamed up with producers like Switch, FreQNasty, Naeem (Spankrock), Disco D, and XXXchange for her forthcoming solo album. The handful of tracks that have already surfaced definitely showcase her versatility and talent as a vocalist, as well as a nice range of production styles and influences. Santi began with her rock band Stiffed in 2001 making new wave tinged punk/ska. From what I gather Stiffed eventually split and Santi has since gone on with her solo career after hooking up with Lizard King records (most known for signing The Killers). While the backbone of her sound remains rooted in her punk/reggae past, her music is about as new sounding and exciting as pop gets right now! We cant wait for more and I cant wait to start hearing it on the floor.
Santogold- “Creator” (mp3)
Panther - How Well Can You Swim?
Amazing.
Can you imagine a world where this song by Portland Oregon's Panther could be our pop music? Imagine this song on the radio, popular with the kids... Electro beats, busted up soul singing, insane synthesizers burping and farting. It is what I call 'totally excellent'.
Panther is Charlie Salas-Humara. Lately, he has showed up on MTV2 with a nomination for "Video of the Year" and in Spin Magazine. Not at all bad for someone whose live show, I hear, includes a great amount of "floor dancing" - have a look at his video for "You Don't Want Your Nails Done" to see what I'm talking about. His new album, Secret Lawns is a roller-coaster for sure: sweet pop tunes, avant punk, free jazz and everything in-between.
He has recently toured with other hot-scene-luminaries like the Gossip and Ratatat, and he is on the road right now, so have a look at his tour page to see a list of his upcoming cross-country dates - I'm psyched to see him here in New York! His tour info and song samples are also on his myspace page so check it out as well.
Secret Lawns comes out on Fryk Beat in a week or so (March 6th), and it is definitely worth the trip. Act fast as well, because the first 1000 copies include a DVD of videos including loads of Floor Dancing.
Sleazemore is the man to go to when you want to party it up big time. This guy doesn’t sweat, get tired, or lose his cool. He is my brother from another mother, and he is definetly someone to keep your eyes peeled for. Originally from Florida and imported to San Francisco he has been behind the decks and behind some great parties for the past four years. Behind a great party called ‘Lights Down Low’ here in San Francisco, Sleazemore has brought some great acts that hadn’t even gotten hype before his party. Recently celebrating their one year anniversary and keeping it strong this shit is not going to die out. Not just that but he is a great graphic designer and makes some great flyers that never ever take themselves too seriously and he has the hottest girlfriend in all of the Bay Area.
Sleazemore is doing something that most people don’t dare to touch here in San Francisco, bringing the rave to the hippies, hipsters, and music connoisseur’s. You might think it’s done and over rated, but can you claim you are the only one doing it in such a big city as SF? No. Besides being something different and refreshing, it’s not as much about banger’s as it is about bringing the dance out of you and making your nose bleed and swallowing it as it falls into your mouth with joy.
Recently hooking up with our new BigStereo pride and joy Justin Baum of mix blog Ravegression and now BigStereo. Sleazemore brings us his new original mix called ‘Dyslexic Disco Vol. 2′.
Welcome our new baby boy Justin who will be writting with us now and partying with us at South By Southwest. Come party with the BigStereo family in Austin or the three boys(Sleazemore, Justin, and me) in San Francisco.
Sleazemore- “Dyslexic Disco Vol. 2″ (mp3 via Ravegression.com)