Matta

British dubstep duo, they got a great music video for their track Release the Freq :

Parov Stelar

Linz, Austria (2004 – present)

Marcus Füreder a.k.a. Parov Stelar lives and works in Linz, Austria. The freedom of jazz combined with the groove of house and breakbeat describes the character of Parov Stelar. Parov’s productions address the DJ at the club as well as the listener in his easy chair.

After DJ-ing in clubs in the 1990’s Marcus started making music in 1998. He used his real name and the pseudonym Plasma. In 2004 he started producing under the name Parov Stelar. He founded his own record label Etage Noir Recordings the same year.

Source: lastfm

Track: The MojoRadio Gang

Album: Coco

Orange Blossom

Orange Blossom is a French band that plays a mix of electronic and world music.

The band was formed in Nantes in 1993 with Pierre-Jean Chabot (known as PJ Chabot) on violin and Jean-Christophe Waechter (known as Jay C.) on percussions and vocals. In 1994, Éric Chauvière (organ) joined the band and a first audio tape was recorded in september. In 1995 the band stabilized with the arrival ofCarlos Robles Arenas on drums, djembé, and sampler, and the departure of Éric Chauvière. Their first disc, Orange Blossom, came out in 1997 on the Prikosnovénie label, selling 15,000 copies.

Before their second album came out, the group was influenced by ethnic and traditional music. They met and collaborated with several non-French artists, like Ivorian percussion group Yelemba d’Abidjan and Egyptian group Ganoub. They toured in Egypt, France, and Belgium. Vocalist Jay C. left the band in 2000 and created prajña. In 2002, percussionist Mathias Vaguenez and vocalist Leïla Bounous joined the group. The album Everything Must Change came out in 2005 on the Bonsaï Music label.

Carlos Robles Arenas is Mexican. Leïla Bounous is part Algerian, part Breton.

Source: lastfm

Song: Denya

Album: Everything Must Change

Mensch

Mensch a brand new band, formed in early 2010, is a duo composed of Vale Poher and Carine Di Vita.

With her 2005 solo project under her belt, Vale Poher produced two albums (Mute 2005 & Tauten 2008) and two EPs (Blue Time vs Suspense & 3×2) both of which met with critical acclaim.
Alongside this, she collaborated on a vast array of projects in a number of artistic fields: from theatrical productions with Vincent Roumagnac, to Fine Arts with Saâdane Afif (winner of the Marcel Duchamp Award in 2009) and a stint in the film industry with Vergine Keaton (award for best music at the Clermont Ferrand Festival for The Short Film in 2010). Vale Poher has also featured in the works of other musicians : Mansfield.Tya, Flore, Doctor Flake…
In 2008, she created the Vale Poher Group, through which she met the bassplayer Carine Di Vita, aka Marilou. As for Marilou (vocal/bass or guitar), she has worked with many bands : Spade & Archer,
Le Peuple de l’Herbe, Groom, and more recently, Rzatz.
After 2 years of collaboration, the lady musicians then decided to embark on a new rock project : the result was MENSCH.
Bass / Guitar / Keyboards and Beatboxes, aerial vocals and catchy tunes. The duo combines rock, kraut, pop, afrobeat & new wave, all of which make up the Mensch sound… somewhere between LCD Soundsystem and Blondie… let’s dance and die !

Source: Mensch

Song: Mystery Train (of Life)

Album: Dance and Die

EZ3kiel

Tours, France

Founded in 1994, EZ3kiel is a magnet-Dub band originating from Tours, France. In the beginning they had a singer, however there is no recorded material from that period.

Since 1999 they have worked as a trio:

Yann Nguema (bass guitar, visuals)
Joan Guillon (samples, effects, keyboard)
Matthieu Fays (percussion)

They released in 1999 the mini album ‘Equalize-it’. In 2000 they released the album ‘Handle with care’ (Jarring Effects/Pias), which featured many collaborations with big names of the French independent music scene (such as Yann Tiersen, Sylvestre from Dit Terzi and Sir Jean from Meï Teï Sho). That album intrigued the audience and confirmed the band’s eclectic style. During their live performances, they are known for creating a poetic universe with beautiful visuals and graphics, which are made by bass guitarist Yann N’Guema. He uses samples of various photographs, which in combination with the music creates a special audio-visual experience. Other French electro bands use visuals on their live performance, but EZ3kiel are really something special compared to them, their visuals are synchronized with the sound. In 2003 they released another album ‘Barb4Ry’ (Jarring Effects/Pias) which showed that the band’s mature period came.

Source: lastfm


Song: Obssd
Album: Barb4ry

Tropics

Tropics is Chris Ward, a British producer and multi-instrumentalist in his early 20s who came to our attention last year. During the time we signed and released his first single ‘Soft Vision’, his early unreleased tracks and remixes were being given attention from the likes of Pitchfork and others, so we knew we were onto something special.

Since that time things have moved on. He’s released two singles and the synth-pop of his early tracks has evolved into a more substantial and personal sound on this, his debut album. ‘Parodia Flare’ features Chris as a multi-instrumental auteur, playing drums, guitar, and a range of synths and electronic boxes, as well as singing on these songs.

Coming from a family where music was always played, it made sense as a musician for Chris to act almost as a conduit by wiring the sounds he enjoyed growing up with into his own creations. The music he makes weaves vintage sounds, the Rhodes keyboard (an instrument associated with Jazz fusion sits central to the songs on this album), alongside banks of old synths, software and guitars, live drums and electric bass. Tropics is a suitable name for Chris’s music as each song is like a warm analogue jungle of sounds, drawn into focus by Chris’ naive singing voice and his knack for a lush melody. Given that the album was recorded in a walk-in wardrobe at his house, the steamy heat that the album gives off is a testament to his imagination.

Source: planet.mu

Song: Mouves

Album: Parodia Flare

All India Radio

Australian masters of instrumental mood land their spaceship bang in the centre of planet Chillout on their brand new album Red Shadow Landing. The band deliver eleven songs that encompass instrumental post-rock, moody film score on a cosmic journey through hypnotic chilltronica with echoes of Morricone, Brian Eno, Pink Floyd & Mogwai.

WIRED magazine says about All India Radio: “Since the turn of the 21st century, All India Radio has mashed the ambient-hop signatures of DJ Shadow, Tortoise and Thievery Corporation with the instantly recognizable guitar soundtracking of Ennio Morricone and Angelo Badalamenti. The resulting narcotic musical textures are capable of floating listeners to galaxies far, far away.”

They were nominated for Australian recording industry award (ARIA) and have collaborated with Steve Kilbey (who wrote the magical US top 20 hit ‘Under The Milky Way’ - rediscovered by the world in the hit movie ‘Donnie Darko’), Graham Lee (The Triffids), Ed Kuepper (The Saints and now Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds guitarist) and David Bridie (Not Drowning Waving) among others.

All India Radio (self titled) One of the most elegant and simple instrumental rock albums I’ve ever heard - a heavenly cloud of radiance that is simply not of the material world. - Brainwashed.com

I cannot recommend this album highly enough. If you want an album that will warm you up during these cold winter nights, then look no further; this will get inside your soul and stay with you for a long time. -http://www.thedwarf.com

Melbourne-based All India Radio’s self-titled third album is a breathtaking triumph; one of the most exquisite, ethereal, instrumental records ever made in Australia. - The Brag Magazine

Source: lastfm


Song: Saucer
Album: The Silent Surf

Deichkind

Hamburg, Germany (1999 – present) 

Deichkind is a German band from Hamburg, which was founded in 1999 and originally consisted of MC Malte, Philipp, Buddy and the producer Sebi who died in february 2009. DJ Phono supports the band at their live shows. Their lyrics are often humourous.

The band first burst onto the German music scene in 2000 with their hip hop album “Bitte Ziehen Sie Durch”.

“Noch Fünf Minuten, Mutti” followed in 2002.

In 2005, Deichkind represented the German state Mecklenburg-West Pomerania in the Bundesvision Song Contest, a Eurovision Song Contest rip-off for German bands. They finished 14th from 15 entries. 

MC Malte left the band in the summer of 2005, whereafter the group focused more on a style of music which they describe themselves as techrap (techno/rap).

In 2006 the album “aufstand in schlaraffenland” was released and Deichkind made a row of legendary performances at open air festivals in costumes fashioned out of duct tape, foil, flashing lights and inflatable toys. The song “remmidemmi (yippie! yippie! yeah!)” describes a house party that gets out of control and has become an urban hymn among German party-goers.

One of their most scandalous performances was at the Melt! festival in 2006 where the band spontaneously invited fans to join them on stage. Over 400 people jumped at the chance to party with the band to the song “Remmidemmi” (->youtube).

As of april 2008, Buddy has left the band to embark on a solo career and has been replaced by Ferris Hilton, perhaps better known as Ferris MC.

Source: lastfm

Song: Remmidemmi

Album: Aufstand Im Schlaraffenland

Fever Ray

Stockholm, Sweden (2008 – present) 

Fever Ray is the solo project of Karin Dreijer Andersson, who is one half of the Swedish electro act The Knife (the other half is her brother Olof Dreijer). Andersson was also the lead singer and guitarist for the defunct indie pop group Honey is Cool.

The first, self-titled Fever Ray record was released digitally on January 13, 2009 and its first single “If I Had A Heart” was released on December 15, 2008. 

Born in Gothenburg, Sweden on 7 April 1975, Andersson currently resides in Stockholm, Sweden.

What would you do if one decade into your career you suddenly saw one of your songs turned into a worldwide hit, won six Grammis in your native Sweden and your latest release was declared album of the year by one of the world’s most influential music websites? If you’re Karin Dreijer Andersson, formerly singer with ‘90s pop hopes Honey is Cool and was one half of The Knife, the answer is to take a couple of years off and return as a solo artist under a new name: Fever Ray.

In Karin’s own words, “I had so many songs to record that I just had to make an album. I thought I was going to have a longer break but I guess it will never happen. I can’t stop working. My aim was to finish the album and now that it’s done I’m a bit restless (good that The Knife has an opera to write then.) During the last years I discovered that I like to sing too, so I hope that my newly found live band Fever Ray will make it to the stages next year. We are rehearsing and building something beautiful and brilliant.”

Source: lastfm

Song: Seven

Album: Fever Ray

Foals

Foals are an indie rock/math rock band which formed in Oxford, England in 2005. They are currently signed to Transgressive Records in the United Kingdom and Sub Pop in the United States. They released their debut album Antidotes on 24 March 2008 in the UK, and 8 April 2008 in the US. The band’s second album,Total Life Forever, was released on 10 May 2010. Foals also released a mixtape named Tapes in July 2012 for !K7 Records. In November 2012, as an advance off their third album Holy Fire (February 2013), the band released “Inhaler”.

In early 2007, the band released the limited edition 7” singles Hummer and Mathletics, both produced by Gareth Parton. In the summer of 2007 Foals began working on their debut album in New York. It was produced by Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio, however, the band decided to mix the album themselves, stating that Sitek made the first master copy of the album sound like “it was recorded in the Grand Canyon”. Yannis has stated multiple times during various interviews that Foals and Dave Sitek are on good terms, even though the copy by Sitek was rejected by the band.

Foals released their debut album, entitled Antidotes, on 24 March 2008 in the UK and 8 April 2008 in the US. The album was a commercial success in the United Kingdom, debuting at No. 3 in the UK Albums Charts. The album was a minor success in other countries, charting in Japan, France and the Netherlands. Non-UK versions of the album include the early Parton produced singles.

Source: lastfm


Song: Cassius
Album: Antidotes

Nova Heart

Nova Heart is Helen Feng’s 冯海宁 long awaited solo project.

Dubbed as the “Queen of Beijing Rock” or “Blondie of China” Helen, born in Beijng and raised in the US and Canada, has been a staple in the Chinese music scene since she moved back from Los Angeles to Beijing in 2002 when she was hired as VJ for MTV China. In 2004 she founded Ziyo自游 one of Chinas longest running and most popular indie bands (and renamed it Free the Birds in 2010 after changing musical directions) and subsequently became radioshow host of The Rockshow a very influential program at Beijings HIT FM on China Radio International. In 2007 she co-founded the seminal Chinese electronic group Pet Conspiracy. Within the next three years she sang the theme song for Hollywood blockbusterThe Mummy III, won several of the most prestigious Chinese Music Awards (Midi & Chinese Music Awards), hosted the Vice Creators Project, co-found FakeMusicMedia (with her partner Philipp Grefer) and toured Europe three times – a fact that until this day very few, if any, chinese bands have achieved.

Upon culmination of her final whirlwind European tour as front-woman of Pet Conspiracy 宠物同谋 in fall 2010, Helen quit the band and took a few days off in Istanbul to prepare the next steps for Free the Birds自游.

But the powers of the city had different plans and threw her and her partner DJ Metro Tokyointo raucous Raki-fueled nights through dizzying mazes of narrow alleys into the ancient discotheques of Constantinople. One fateful night, a chance encounter with Roman electronic-cowboy Rodion (Gomma Records) gave birth to NOVA HEART. After returning to Beijing, Helen sent her self-produced tracks 3000 miles down the silk road to Rome where Rodion would tap them with his magic disco wand. The outcome is a mix of sexy psychedelic disco with lo-fi ethereal pop vocals. A sinister disco beat buried under haunting soundscapes evoke images of naked ghosts dancing under a slightly run down mirrorball in an old, soon to be demolished Beijing hutong..

After completing the production for Nova Hearts´s debut EP “Beautiful Boys” in Rome (released in China in April 2012 on FakeLoveMusic), Helen recruited Bo Xuan (ex-Hedge Hog bassist), Wang Hui (guitar player of Free the Birds自游) and occasionally Metro Tokyo for Nova Heart´s live line up. Her much talked about, siren-like, stage presence gives the live shows an unpredictable edge.

Until the end of 2011, only half a year into their existence, Nova Heart already played at Chinas most prestigous contemporary art gallery (UCCA), got invited to some of Chinas´ biggest music festivals, was guest at the Zurich Street Parade/Lethargy Festival, part of aMTV China special, and played a sunset spot at the mainstage of Clockenflap festival in Hong Kong, sharing a stage with the likes of Santigold, The Cribs, French Horn Rebellion or Bombay Bicycle Club.

In 2012 everything is moving even faster and Nova Heart is going around the world. Before having any release out, they’ scheduled to go to 4 continents within 6 months having been invited to the Sound Kapital Tour, the first showcase of chinese underground bands in Australia in February, North America in March for SXSW + Canadian Music Week and Europe in June for the c/o pop festival.

While in Adelaide they recorded the first Takeaway Show by a chinese band for La Blogotheque with well known french filmmaker Vincent Moon (Arcade Fire, REM, Tom Jones, Fleet Foxes, Phoenix etc.)

For October / November 2012 the first full European tour is in the works including eight countr.ies and important festivals like MaMA (Paris), Iceland Airwaves (Reikjavik) or Vienna Waves (Vienna).

Source: Nova Heart
Album: Beautiful Boys

Filastine

Grey Filastine is an audio-visual artist born in Los Angeles, based in Barcelona, and often nomadic. He composes a dense transnational bass music that collides the lowest frequencies of dubstep with the highest-level beat science, acoustic strings, voices, and lofi street noises. The results are “Awesome and delicate… hybrids so fluent they defy classification.” -Pitchfork

Filastine’s debut record, Burn It, was released by DJ Rupture in 2006 to much critical acclaim: “Filled with both jagged edges and moments of sad sweetness… Burn It is sure to win fans across multiple scenes”- XLR8R. The album ricocheted around the world, licensed and re-released by labels in France, Japan, and the US. The follow-up album, Dirty Bomb, dropped in 2009 through an alliance of labels led by French electro-dub imprint Jarring Effects. Prefix Mag called it “the prototype of globalized urban sound… It will devastate your subwoofer.”

Performing up to a hundred concerts per year, Filastine uses percussion to control loops and synchronized video from a heap of electronics wired to an amplified shopping cart. You may have seen him at a sweaty Tokyo nightclub, a football stadium in Casablanca, a respected euro-fest like Sónar, in a parking lot in Borneo, or touring the US with Bassnectar.

Source: lastfm


Song: Colony Collapse
Album: £00t

Toro y Moi

Columbia SC, United States

Toro y Moi is a solo project of 24-year-old Columbia, South Carolina native and resident, Chazwick Bundick. in 2009, Bundick earned a BFA in Graphic Design from The University of South Carolina.

Chaz Bundick’s methods are constantly evolving. While heavily influenced by his parent’s vinyl and tape collection, his contemporary influences are Animal Collective, Sonic Youth, J Dilla, and Daft Punk.

Toro y Moi started in 2007 as a bedroom project that quickly grew into live performance. The music is associated with the chillwave movement but the sound is influenced by freak folk, R&B, and french house.
Toro y Moi is signed to Carpark Records. The first full-length album, Causers of This, was released in January 2010.
Toro y Moi’s second album Underneath the Pine was released in February 2011.
His EP titled Freaking Out was released in September of 2011.
A compilation of songs titled June 2009 was released in April of 2012.
His newest album “Anything In Return” was released January 16, 2013.

Source: lastfm


Song: Studies
Album: Anything In Return