Recently i've been focusing more and more on making mixtapes and these are two of my latest. Both come with track listings and free downloads. I present to you 'Blazed & Confused' and 'Illusions'.
Words: My Own
Sunday 20 May 2012
Wednesday 28 March 2012
Dinosaurus Rex Interview
I would like to thank Dan Bombard aka Dinosaurus Rex for taking the time to talk with me. In this interview the up-and-coming Chillwave/Future Funk Fort Collins producer talks Flying Lotus, social media and 'hipster-hop'...
JP: What music did you listen to growing up and who would you count amongst your influences?
D Rex: I grew up on classic rock. In early highschool i would've told you my influences were Led Zeppelin, Cream, Band of Gypsies, Queens of the Stone Age, Kings of Leon and The Strokes. Later on i would've cited My Morning Jacket, Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, Death From Above 1979, and The Mars Volta. I'm currently listening to a lot of Hip-Hop, trip hop and experimental. Lots of Vanilla (esp. High Life), Onra (Long Distance), Flying Lotus (FACT: i named my song "1983" because the sample was recorded in '83 and Flylo's record is one of my favorites), Justice, Toro Y Moi, Teams, Handbook, Haz Solo, Darius and Breakbot.
JP: What genre would you classify your music and where does it fit in today’s scene?
D Rex: I like to think its a brand of Chillwave but honestly i think its more along the lines of Funk and Hip-Hop. Future Funk.
JP: How do you feel about the whole Chillwave movement and do you like being compared to artists like Toro y Moi and Sloslylove?
D Rex: I associate with the scene so much and I'm pleased with the direction that it's going in. In its beginnings, i remember thinking that Chillwave sounded like an artist, not a genre. Too uniform. It's good to see the genre emerge into a lot of sub-markets. I especially applaud Toro for how advanced his albums are compared to other artists in the scene. His albums have so much depth.
JP: Tell me about your production process.
D Rex: Well, it's pretty simple actually. I spend the majority of time digging up old 80s records to find good samples. From there, i take the tune and find a bunch of good sounds to pull from it. I then decide which ones work and which don't. I love taking samples with a bit of vocals or some wonky synth, anything that grooves. I add drums, synths, or other samples on top before wrapping it up.
JP: What future projects can we expect from D. Rex?
D Rex: You can definitely expect more EPs and LPs from me. I am also compiling a mixtape of my favorite up-and-coming artists from around the world that should be finished in the next week or so.
Artists to expect hearing on this mixtape: FLOYDCHEUNG, Amor Est, Snubluck, MAITRO, Slow Magic, MARK//ELDON, Ananth, A Sol Mechanic, Pepil Pew, myself and definitely a few more. From what i have already received from these artists, i can assure you - it's going to be a banger.
Furthermore, my buddy Brent (MC for local rap group Team Latch Key) and i are working with some D REX tunes off my first EP to produce a hip-hop album. It's going to be super cool. I joke with him that they should call it "hipster-hop".
JP: Who designed the album art for Cosby Sweater?
D Rex: I'm super glad you brought this up. I asked my pal Paul Keefe to paint/draw something for my album (I told him it was called "Cosby Sweater"). He painted an awesome design of a super groovy cosby-style sweater. I then met with my friend Sarah Keats with a general concept of what i wanted it to look like. We scanned the painting, took our favorite section of the design, and she worked her magic on it. I am still so pleased with it.
JP: Do you have any plans to tour in the near future?
D Rex: Not yet, no. In fact, i just played my first live D REX set on Friday. It went well (excluding a few hiccups) so i hope to start gigging around Fort Collins and Denver, it's definitely something I'm excited to do. That's all in the future.
JP: What are you studying and does it conflict with your musical aspirations?
D Rex: I am a Marketing major so i have found the emergence of social media to be very helpful with promoting my music and gaining experience in branding. Without SoundCloud or Bandcamp my music would be nowhere. The reach that we have today is remarkable. We are able to streamline certain types of information to the exact target consumer - it's fantastic. I would've never known about 90% of what i listen to today if i hadn't joined these networks.
JP: Are people starting to treat you any differently around campus?
D Rex: No, people don't really treat me any differently for that exact reason. Only people who would've been interested in those blogs, read those posts. To anyone else on campus, i'm just Dan. Although keep in mind my friends definitely show me love on the internet and the local radio station. Thanks Davis.
JP: What advice would you give to other students out there trying to push their material?
D Rex: I don't really know...get a twitter acount maybe. Be as resourceful as you can and make your music as accessible as possible.
'Cosby Sweater' is out now and available for download here. Check out the album review below.
Words: My Own
JP: What music did you listen to growing up and who would you count amongst your influences?
D Rex: I grew up on classic rock. In early highschool i would've told you my influences were Led Zeppelin, Cream, Band of Gypsies, Queens of the Stone Age, Kings of Leon and The Strokes. Later on i would've cited My Morning Jacket, Modest Mouse, Band of Horses, Death From Above 1979, and The Mars Volta. I'm currently listening to a lot of Hip-Hop, trip hop and experimental. Lots of Vanilla (esp. High Life), Onra (Long Distance), Flying Lotus (FACT: i named my song "1983" because the sample was recorded in '83 and Flylo's record is one of my favorites), Justice, Toro Y Moi, Teams, Handbook, Haz Solo, Darius and Breakbot.
JP: What genre would you classify your music and where does it fit in today’s scene?
D Rex: I like to think its a brand of Chillwave but honestly i think its more along the lines of Funk and Hip-Hop. Future Funk.
JP: How do you feel about the whole Chillwave movement and do you like being compared to artists like Toro y Moi and Sloslylove?
D Rex: I associate with the scene so much and I'm pleased with the direction that it's going in. In its beginnings, i remember thinking that Chillwave sounded like an artist, not a genre. Too uniform. It's good to see the genre emerge into a lot of sub-markets. I especially applaud Toro for how advanced his albums are compared to other artists in the scene. His albums have so much depth.
JP: Tell me about your production process.
D Rex: Well, it's pretty simple actually. I spend the majority of time digging up old 80s records to find good samples. From there, i take the tune and find a bunch of good sounds to pull from it. I then decide which ones work and which don't. I love taking samples with a bit of vocals or some wonky synth, anything that grooves. I add drums, synths, or other samples on top before wrapping it up.
JP: What future projects can we expect from D. Rex?
D Rex: You can definitely expect more EPs and LPs from me. I am also compiling a mixtape of my favorite up-and-coming artists from around the world that should be finished in the next week or so.
Artists to expect hearing on this mixtape: FLOYDCHEUNG, Amor Est, Snubluck, MAITRO, Slow Magic, MARK//ELDON, Ananth, A Sol Mechanic, Pepil Pew, myself and definitely a few more. From what i have already received from these artists, i can assure you - it's going to be a banger.
Furthermore, my buddy Brent (MC for local rap group Team Latch Key) and i are working with some D REX tunes off my first EP to produce a hip-hop album. It's going to be super cool. I joke with him that they should call it "hipster-hop".
JP: Who designed the album art for Cosby Sweater?
D Rex: I'm super glad you brought this up. I asked my pal Paul Keefe to paint/draw something for my album (I told him it was called "Cosby Sweater"). He painted an awesome design of a super groovy cosby-style sweater. I then met with my friend Sarah Keats with a general concept of what i wanted it to look like. We scanned the painting, took our favorite section of the design, and she worked her magic on it. I am still so pleased with it.
JP: Do you have any plans to tour in the near future?
D Rex: Not yet, no. In fact, i just played my first live D REX set on Friday. It went well (excluding a few hiccups) so i hope to start gigging around Fort Collins and Denver, it's definitely something I'm excited to do. That's all in the future.
JP: What are you studying and does it conflict with your musical aspirations?
D Rex: I am a Marketing major so i have found the emergence of social media to be very helpful with promoting my music and gaining experience in branding. Without SoundCloud or Bandcamp my music would be nowhere. The reach that we have today is remarkable. We are able to streamline certain types of information to the exact target consumer - it's fantastic. I would've never known about 90% of what i listen to today if i hadn't joined these networks.
JP: Are people starting to treat you any differently around campus?
D Rex: No, people don't really treat me any differently for that exact reason. Only people who would've been interested in those blogs, read those posts. To anyone else on campus, i'm just Dan. Although keep in mind my friends definitely show me love on the internet and the local radio station. Thanks Davis.
JP: What advice would you give to other students out there trying to push their material?
D Rex: I don't really know...get a twitter acount maybe. Be as resourceful as you can and make your music as accessible as possible.
'Cosby Sweater' is out now and available for download here. Check out the album review below.
Words: My Own
Tuesday 27 March 2012
Dinosaurus Rex - Cosby Sweater (Album Review)
'Cosby Sweater' plays like a grainy 80s summer daydream. You can practically smell the BBQ and feel the cool breeze on your summer skin. Soulful loops and intricately cut vocals teamed with undeniable Toro y Moi influenced filtering make this an irresistible listen. In fact songs like 'Stay the Night' and 'Just Call' could easily be nestled into the latter part of Chaz Bundick's 2010 record 'Causers of This'.
Dan Bombard is the man behind Dinosaurus Rex. The Isley Brother-sampling, Adult Swim enthusiast and Colorado State senior is fresh on the scene but has already managed to capture a sound far beyond his years.
Album opener 'It's Yours' sets the precedent with rich textures and a progressive nature. Featuring panpipes, sweeping vocals, off-beat tropical drum patterns and an overall driving groove, this simply had to be the first track on the record.
The whole blazed and confused vibe is sustained throughout the album with each track feeling more like a chapter of a story than an individual piece. The invasive, vertigo-inducing 'Just Call' slowly twists and turns itself into the blissful, perspiring title track 'Cosby Sweater' - A luxurious looping drawl of a beat sampling Bill himself.
The final chapter of the record, Flying Lotus inspired '1983' is deep and soulful. The heavy filtering is back and the drum beat mirrors that of 'It's Yours'. This creates a perfect symmetry which I believe envelops the essence of D Rex; Amongst the many layers of loops, synths, filtering and vocals, clarity and precision are maintained throughout.
'Cosby Sweater' is an incredibly full-sounding record featuring a huge amount of technical ability for a producer that is essentially still a student. With summer right around the corner this is the perfect time to grab the album. Download here
Words: My Own
Photo: Sarah Keats
Friday 23 March 2012
ClammyClams Mix - Jacques Pierna
I recently made a selection of some of my favourite Clams Casino songs. Nothing fancy, nothing complex, simply a no frills mix that I feel maintains the ethereal vibe he manages to weave into all of his tracks.
For those of you that don't know, Mike Volpe is the unsuspecting Physiotherapy student turned highly in-demand beatician hailing from New Jersey. He reached out to the 'based' community (pioneered by Lil B) over Myspace back in 2007. Since then he's been hounded by pretty much every up and coming rapper for his hazy, other-wordly instrumentals.
For those new to Volpe's work, Lil B's signature growling and unconventional raw style may be a little too much to adjust to straight away. For this reason I have only included tracks without the rappers in this mix. I also think this allows the listener to better appreciate the musicianship and themes of ClammyClams' music.
Download the mix here
Not only has Clams Casino worked with based rappers such as Lil B and Soulja Boy, he recently produced a number of songs for Harlem fashionista A$AP Rocky's full length debut album, LiveLoveA$AP. Check out the (VICE produced) Scarface/Belly/The Warriors inspired video for 'Wassup' below:
A$AP Rocky Wassup Prod. Clams Casino from Daniel Ible on Vimeo.
Words & Photo: My Own
Wednesday 28 December 2011
SBTRKT - Ride To Freedom
Analogue vibes. Aaron Jerome can do no wrong in my eyes. Expect even bigger and better things from the two-step/electronic producer next year with more interesting collabs and (hopefully) more much-deserved recognition. 2012 is the year SBTRKT blows up.
Anyone else think this track is pining for a couple of verses from Sampha? Check out Ride to Freedom below:
sbtrkt - ride to freedom by sbtrkt
Words & Photo: My Own
Saturday 17 December 2011
Sad Souls - U Send Me
I'm still reeling from last night's events: a five hour b2b session with a new friend (featuring The Cure, Souls of Mischief and Tracy Chapman to name a few), a young couple dry humping in a corner, drawn out debates with security guards and 6am booze runs resulting in vinegar-tinged Rosé and dirty whiskey. This morning I was battered, bruised and broken but then this pretty little ditty fell into my hands and saved my soul.
Sad Souls is Tom Auty's dreamy, ambient solo project based out of Ann Arbor, MI. Check out his fantastic blog here.
U Send Me is hypnotizing and beautiful and samples Spandeau Ballet's classic ballad True. Download below:
U SEND ME by Sad Souls
Words & Photo: My Own
Friday 16 December 2011
Sloslylove - Amour
Soulful/Sexual/Funkadelic sounds are what Sloslylove provides. There's not one weak track on his latest album Can't Get Enough. Such plush, full-sounding songs bursting with colour and energy make this a perfect weekend listen. Clever loops, irresistible basslines and beatific vocals ensure this is not just another 80s influenced, synth-heavy, drum machine-driven record to add to the pile.
Download my album favourite Amour below:
Sloslylove - Amour by Indiegenous
Words & Photo: My Own
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