AURAL WES WEEKLY TRACK ROUNDUP #2
Lists lists lists! Aural Wes members each send in a song they've been listening to the past week. Contributions span genres and moods. It's fun for children of all ages. Maybe write home to your mom about it. Hit the jump below to read on.
Tuxedo - So Good
I've tried to inject more funk into my life and Tuxedo is my IV. A collaboration between two great minds, Jake One and Mayer Hawthorne make funk music that makes your body move. There is this inherent fun that comes with every track like "So Good", the second track off their inaugural EP. "So Good" is driven by this beautiful bounce beat, elegant Mayer Hawthorne vocals, and a way-too-smooth bass line. You won't stop listening, so let the funkiness permeate your soul.
-Eric
AK and Issa Dash, the MC's behind the Flatbush and Joey Bada$$-affiliated Underachievers, released their debut mixtape a few months ago and have picked up quite a bit of momentum since. This track is a prime example of why- the duo's ear for calm, tight, and intricate instrumentals serves them well as they lash out with an unusual smoothness and speed. I think you just might dig it.
-Anton
Ella and Oscar - April in Paris
While Middletown is certainly not Paris, it definitely is April now. Listening to Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, and Ray Brown kill it on this 1975 recording of April in Paris can transport you anywhere. For me: sun shining, smoking a spliff, drinking a G+T, lounging on a deck, overlooking the ocean. No drums on this track, but the three masters groove super hard regardless. Anyway, this song could totally get you laid or something.
-Isaac
Travis Stewart is one busy dude. Releasing music for over a decade, the Berlin-by-way-of-Brooklyn producer is behind the Machinedrum moniker, half of the UK-house/garage duo Sepalcure, and half of JETS, a drum ‘n’ bass-inspired glitch-hop outfit with friend Jimmy Edgar. Just last month, he signed to Ninja Tune for a four-album deal with a full length expected as early as June.
Machinedrum's latest track, "Clissold VIP" is a throwback to the drum 'n' bass classic by Fracture & Neptune. Released on Astrophonica, Stewart adds his own footwork/jungle flare to the original with airy, dancy jazz chords that open up the tune, choppy jungle breaks, and a "roll-that-shit-up" vocal drop that leads to a rumbling bass line in the middle. A sign of good things to come from Machinedrum, whose output has remained steadily impressive and on point throughout all these years.
-Nicholas
Recently came across this song from a few years ago. Mesmerizing synth arpeggios, that slow build. Luke Abbott can make you forget that you're captivated.
-Albert
Loma Prieta dropped I.V. in the depths of of winter last year, and have since maintained a place in a dark, chilly recess of my heart. It's hardcore/(insert arbitrary subgenre here) music approached on the production end, with an ear for dense, sonically compressed soundscapes and crushing walls of noise. It's like what Mount Eerie would sound like if Phil Elvrum started writing songs about bath salts instead of creepy forests or whatever. This track drags the listener through a tumbling maelstrom of percussion and crunchy bass before culminating in a explosive "chorus??" surrounded by a lush and actually kindof pretty guitar arrangement. Fuck spring!
-Matt
The Knife - Networking
The best new song I've heard all year.
-Chelsie
