Chillout Scene

Artwork from Hashfinger's January 12 EP

I’ve been following the releases of Hashfinger on Sinoptic Music since this past summer.  Each month he releases an EP of electronic hip hop goodness.  The young Hashfinger hails from Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK and has been with Sinoptic since he was a teenager and is still just 21 but has a phenomenal talent for putting together great music using a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of a myriad of musical genres.  One minute you’ll be listening to 60′s lounge music and the next you’re listening to a Hawaiian themed song with hip hop beats.  (B1 on January EP)  A lot of his music seems to draw inspiration from or at the least conjure up imagery of old film soundtracks.

He produces some hip hop music under the name Neverlearn (hence the beats in all of the Hashfinger tracks), but I cannot emphasize enough how well he uses retro sounds for his mixes, sampling tons of older songs.   On August’s EP, he remixes a classic from the 60′s, The Turtles’ “You Showed Me”, with a hypnotic trip-hop beat.  If you are a fan of old school big band jazz, you’ll love Hashfinger as he is constantly adding beats to many classic jazzy sounds!

The November EP was probably my favorite of his so far and I think exemplifies his music best as it features smokey jazz flavored trip hop tracks which inspire visions of a film scene from a Parisian cafe or perhaps film noir.  The samples he chooses are so melodically interesting on their own, but when he adds his trip/hip-hop beats to them, it makes them irresistible!  The sax/piano duo on B3 is just amazing and is just about the perfect chill out track.

When I first started listening to Hashfinger this summer, I got a bit of a St. Germain vibe from his music. This was quite outstanding as St. Germain really got me into this genre of music to begin with.  However, Hashfinger seems to like a bit harder hip hop/trip hop beat over his stuff, which makes it a bit more interesting than the mellower St. Germain.  ”Chill out” music can be relaxing, but when it is also interesting, it makes it so much more enjoyable and allows you to fully immerse yourself in the music.  I think Hashfinger does a terrific job of pulling the “interesting” part off, which made his music so intriguing to me.

You can check out the January EP from Hashfinger’s Bandcamp site below.  I checked in quickly with Sinoptic before posting this and they let me know that “Hashfinger is currently selling exclusive beats as well as working on regular releases for Sinoptic. A pressed vinyl is expected at some point this year out on Sinoptic. Stay tuned to sinopticmusic.com hashfinger.bandcamp.com and @hashfinger for more details.”

Keep chillin’

-Chris

There is a very talented emerging artist on our hands who has been working on a number of things lately, but most notably doing some outstanding remixes for electronic music pioneer Moby.   His name is Ben Hoo from London and in the process of finding out more about him, I have also discovered how immensely talented he is.

Here is the interview-

I was always surrounded by music when I was younger, but I first got turned on to electronic music on a family holiday to Cornwall when I was 13.  We had an album “In The Mix ’97′ Volume 3″ on in the car repeatedly on the way there and the way back.  Tracks like Brainbug “Nightmare”, BT “Flaming June”, Tori Amos “Professional Widow”, Chicane “Offshore”, Airscape “Pacific Melody”.  I was amazed that there were so many sounds I hadn’t heard before so I couldn’t help but delve into it.  That was definitely the moment which changed my focus.

I saw on your bio that you draw inspiration from Nitin Sawhney (a great electronic artist) who else are your biggest influences?

Electronic music has been accessible here for a long time.  There’s a long history with rave / club culture, from illegal raves to world famous clubs such as the Hacienda and Ministry of Sound.  Our media is very open to electronic music… we have lots of specialist radio shows here pushing new music and long standing dance magazines like Mixmag / DJ mag plus great underground club scene with Fabric & Sankeys Soap etc.  Many people have had the opportunity to be part of a scene as a listener, performer, organiser, collaborator etc.  Entire communities have been created from the affinity with the music scenes. Communicating with our friends and those around us is still important here today and stands as a different and more personal outlet to the web.

Photo courtesy of Jenova 7 Last.fm bio

I sat down during lunch break from my “real job” to have a phone call with Michael Sirois, aka “Jenova 7” to discuss his music.  Jenova 7 is (among many other things) a trip-hop artist originally from Boston area, but recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career in film and music.  I came into contact with him on the social music website Turntable.fm in one of the chillout rooms.  I really enjoyed the trip-hop tracks he played and wondered just who this artist Jenova 7 was when the artist name came up.  When he told me they were his own, I just had to talk to him and find out more.

One of the questions I usually start off with is “What influences your music?” Sirois said he was heavily influenced by DJ Shadow and also liked Jimi Hendrix and DJ Cam.  I definitely heard the influence of DJ Shadow and DJ Cam as well as some Smoke City in his music.

Since he is a filmmaker and has a heavy interest in film, he said draws a lot of inspiration for his music from films.  He mentioned his favorite one is “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly” because the soundtrack was very avant-garde or experimental for its time. He also (along with me) loves film noir and jazz.  He says film noir is great because it did/does a great job of showing violent themes without actually showing the violence on camera (mentioned the word diegesis specifically), making it more of a psychological intensity.

Later I asked what he was listening to right now.  He said he was so busy working on other things that he did not have much time to listen to anything else at the moment.  He did say that he had checked out DJ Shadow’s latest effort “The Less You Know, The Better.”

I asked him what he was currently working on and he first mentioned a full length album was in the works.  It is tentatively titled- “The Sounds of Sector 7″ and is scheduled for release in a few months.  It should have “around eighteen tracks” and he actually started working on it before his latest EP “Dusted Jazz Volume 1″ was released.  ”Dusted Jazz…” is up as a free download on his Bandcamp site.  It is really a great chillout album in that he has some great downtempo beats.  He also uses some great jazz instrumentation.  Audiophiles will also enjoy it as he uses a lot of samples and integrates them well with the beats.  You can also pre-order the upcoming album on the same Bandcamp site here and with your order you can download five tracks immediately.  Finall

He also had just received an email the morning we talked about a record label interested in having him do an EP for them, so he was excited about that. Finally, he said he was working with a rapper he had met through Turntable.fm and they had been putting some music together as well.  So when I asked what he was listening to, he really wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t have much time to listen to other things.  He has a lot of irons in the fire!

It really amazes me how one website (Turntable.fm) could end up actually producing some great new acts just through social networking and the love of music.  I think there’s a good chance it stays around for a while, or at least until someone else comes up with a better format for DJ’ing to a virtual “crowd.”  I feel fortunate to have bumped into Michael on Turntable and look forward to exploring for more awesome new music and finding more people to connect with.

Keep chillin’

-Chris

You may know Naoki Kenji from his work with chillout acts The Sushi Club or JP  Juice (previously reviewed here at the Chillout Scene).  However you may know him or even if you don’t, he is a certainly is a purveyor of finely chilled beats.  Since I had reviewed JP Juice before, I wanted to make sure I let everyone know about Naoki’s next project.

I spoke with Naoki a bit over Facebook chat to ask him a couple of questions about the new release and he told me the meaning of “Shiokaze” is “salt breeze.”  That title is definitely fitting since he mentioned the album was produced entirely in Porto Petro which is “a little cozy town” located off the coast of Spain in the Balearic Islands.  He said he was raised near the Pacific Ocean and it had been a long time since he had been near the sea, so he wanted to produce the album there.

Shiokaze is a very well mixed album, balancing laid back beats with more uptempo dance beats.  None of it felt disjointed.  ”Umi No Oto” was a great “chill” track featuring the beautiful vocals of Japanese vocalist SHIZU which has a bit of a trip hop intro and then glides along a gentle groove with flowing string sounds in the background.  VERY relaxing.  A perfect track for a chillin’ after a long night out is the darker “Hoshi” which also had “SHIZU’s” whispering vocals and were accompanied by a sultry saxophone part, a great upright bass sound, and just the right amount of scratches to keep the trip-hop feel going.

On the more uptempo dance side, “Stratos 57″ has some gentle synth waves which keep the track relaxing and almost hypnotic, but there is a great beat to it with some interesting muted trumpet and bluesy keyboard throughout.  I also really liked the opener called “Ki Ite Mite” which is a nice dance track, but still had a hint of the beautiful mellowness that is to follow on some of the other tracks.  The bass beat is the hardest hitting on the album though, so it really gets you going.

Many thanks go out to Naoki for his time answering a few questions about himself and the music.  I am already highly anticipating his next project! Shiokaze is out today on 4MPO Records with the digital version to follow in December.

Keep chillin’

-Chris

Japanese for Beginners

Every once in a while  I will cruise the Amazon mp3 download store to get new ideas for blog entries or just to find new music to listen to.  Fortuitously, I stumbled upon a free download from  ”Near the Parenthesis.” “Near the Parenthesis” is actually San Francisco-based musician Tim Arndt. The free download was for a track named “soft warmly straw raincoat” and it is just beautiful!  I really enjoyed the light beat that flows with a gorgeous piano performance.  The intro seemed to be some electronic noise and sounded as if someone were trying to tune in to a radio station and then the main portion of the song kicks in.

Arndt puts together some beautiful ambient soundscapes all featuring his piano playing along with all sorts of wonderful electronic sounds.  I also really enjoyed “The First Surface” which uses a lot of off beats to intertwine with the step-like melody.  It’s just a nice flowing piece that builds and builds until it reaches a seemingly out of breath ending and gently fades away.  ”In Regard to Water” was a more intense bigger sounding track in which again the piano part carried the melody.  Just stunning.

I cannot reiterate enough what beautiful music Arndt has put together for this album.  Each song is so delicate, it seems if it were missing one voice the entire thing would not work.

His latest album is an aptly titled “The Near Pairing Thesis” and was released in June on n5MD Records. It seemed a bit more calm and laid back than Japanese for Beginners but was a great one to chill out to as well.  Go get it!

Keep chilin’

-Chris

I’ve been traveling a lot for my “real” job lately and on the plane I usually either read or listen to music. For a recent trip, I wasn’t sure what to listen to but then an artist named “Ketsa” followed us on Twitter and we reciprocated.  I then saw a tweet about a download available on his bandcamp site.  So, I downloaded “Ketsonica,” without knowing what to expect.  Ketsa is London-based musician and producer Dominic Giam.  You can read his bio here.

What I first noticed (and thoroughly enjoyed) about “Ketsonica” was Ketsa’s great work on the piano and how he implemented that voice with the other elements of the music. He puts together a lot of interesting sounds to make each track a beautiful multi-layered piece of art.

For example, the closing track “Brahhh” starts off with some dreamy piano but towards the end morphs into a heavy hitting bass extravaganza with tons of other glitchy sounds surrounding around it. “Resonance” was also a very beautiful track. It has a light hypnotic melody and the drum track is just awesome to listen to. With so many beats and backbeats, it is like candy for your ears! Another good example of his great ability to morph the piano parts with other sounds is “Project the Positive.”  The melody begins twisting and turning and then the other elements of the music emerge.  You then find yourself surrounded with some great synth and some deep bass hits.  Similar to his other works, it is all put together into one great cohesive package.

My favorite track on “Ketsonica” was “Memory Capture.” I loved the off-beat snare hits and winding melody which really drives the track.  The drum work definitely reminded me of our friends Arms and Sleepers with all of those off-beat snare hits.  The bells/chimes along with the use of horns (I think I heard an oboe?) reminded me of Bonobo‘s work.  Any musician who can be compared to those two artists is a winner in my book!

Ketsa’s most recent release is called “Flight of the Dragonfly” and just released on September 17th. Check it out!

Keep Chillin’

-Chris

I’m on a business trip in Buffalo, NY and luckily my rental car has SiriusXM Radio which means I can listen to Sirius XM Chill while I drive around town!

I heard this great chill track by Tiny Tunes on there today and thought it’d be a great video to share on a quick post.

What a great laid back track to enjoy while chillin’ or even driving around the greater Buffalo metro area.

I have a few posts already in the cooker and will get them out soon. Pretty excited about a couple of interviews! Come back here to check them out. Of course I will post the links over on Facebook and Twitter to remind you.

Keep chillin’

-Chris

Our friends at Fort Knox Recordings have something new for the waning days of summer.

“Liftoff” is a new project made up of two members of Thunderball (Steve Raskin and Rob Myers), Johnna Raskin, and Steven Albert (a former “Edsel” band mate of Steve’s).  When I heard about this release from the label and gave “Summer’s Shown” (see Bandcamp widget below, but you can stream it and “Kool it Man” at Liftoff’s bandcamp site) a spin, I didn’t realize the Thunderball guys were involved and thought it was a new group.  I was quite surprised (and pleased) when I read the press release to find out Steve and Rob were behind this effort.

“Sunday Morning Airplay” displays a number of musical elements and does a good job incorporating these new sounds and molds them together with a hint of the established Thunderball sound to create an irresistibly fun, yet relaxing new sonic idea.  I really liked how the vocal harmonies came together on some of the tracks, most notably on “Summer’s Shown” and “EmilyMaryAliceKatherine.”  It was reminiscent of a Mamas and Papas, laid back, psychedelic 60′s folk-rock sound where I really got the feeling of driving down the highway with the top down in a convertible enjoying a beautiful summer day.

“Feathered Up” was one of my favorite tracks and I think it summarizes the new sound perfectly.  I really enjoyed Rob Myers’ guitar playing on that track as he produced a perfect lazy, summery, and bluesy sound to go along with the flowing strings and a great laid back beat.  It is so light and delicate, one would think they actually are a feather floating along in the summer breeze.  The other track that really stood out was “Marshmeadows.”  Featuring a light beat, some flowing synth, and light vocals throughout, it also has the lazy daydream feel to it. The highlight for me was the slowly building glitchy intro coupled with acoustic guitar.  From then it takes you on a trippy journey which can be enjoyed in any environment, but instantly conjures images of laying on a grassy hill looking up at the clouds.

There was also the very cool “Kool It Man” and “The Morning” which seem to incorporate the Thunderball sound than the more chill wave influenced ones, but still fit in nicely on this new effort.  ”Kool It” really has a hypnotizing groove and tantalizing bass line and “The Morning” enjoys a bit of the international flavor with some bongos in the background and “spy movie” guitar style typical of Thunderball.

Unfortunately, you will have to wait until September to get your hands on this album, but by then it’ll provide a great reminder of how awesome your summer was.

Keep chillin’

-Chris

Radio One “Worldwide” host Gilles Peterson will be appearing in the US this month!  He’ll be performing a DJ set at Cielo Club in New York City on August 18th as part of the Giant Step Thursdays hosted by Giant Step Records.  He’ll also be making stops in LA and Chicago (at LIFT and Crimson Lounge, respectively) and a couple in Canada (full list below).  You can pick up tickets for the NYC event through TicketFly and they’re only $25!

Peterson is coming off of another successful installment of his “Worldwide Festival” in Sete (South of France) which featured many popular acts in electronic music such as James Blake, Quantic, Flying Lotus, among many more including pop sensation Raphael Saadiq.  The next segment of the festival is next month in Singapore.  You can check out the line up for that here.  For more information on Gilles, check out his website GillesPetersonWorldwide.com.

Keep chillin’

-Chris

Full list of DJ set dates-

AUGUST:

5th –  The Festival on the Other Side, Montenegro
7th – Apple Cart Festival, Victoria Park, London
11th – La Tulipe, Montreal
13th – LIFT, LA
17th – Crimson Lounge, Chicago
18th –  Cielo, NYC
20th –  Mod Club, Toronto

SEPTEMBER:
2nd – QEH, London
8th – Concrete, London
10th + 11th – Alex James presents Harvest, Oxfordshire, UK & Harvest festival, Jimmy’s Farm, Suffolk, UK
16th – 18th – Worldwide Festival, Singapore
23rd + 24th –  Tokyo
30th – Kee Club, Hong Kong

OCTOBER:
14th – Social, London
15th – Scala,  London

Our friends The Candlepark Stars released a new album yesterday!  We reviewed their previous album, “Shimmer and Gold” here last year and the follow up “All the Little Things” uses all of those same wonderfully beautiful elements that make their music so enjoyable.

“All of the Little Things” is only 8 tracks and Kerry recently posted on Twitter that it was originally planned to be an EP.  The running time is still 47 minutes, however, and still provides 8 great tracks of relaxing, beautiful atmospheric music.

“Fifteen Seconds Left to Live” is a beautiful, throbbing piece that pulsates like a beating heart.  During the beginning and middle portions, it is as though one is re-living images of their life as the seconds tick away and the music gets more and more intense.  Then at the end, the beating heart slows down to a halt and we are left with the sounds of gentle guitar and synth as we drift up into the heavens.  Truly an emotional track!

I also enjoyed the second track “Shimmerglimmer” which develops a nice little drum groove on top of their usual delicately produced sounds.  The epic final track “I Was Here” continually builds and builds using gentle piano strokes, guitar picking, and then goes into much bigger sounding guitar chord hits at the end.

If you are new to The Candlepark Stars, one of the best things about their music is it is ideal for pure relaxation.  You can sit back, relax, let your mind wander and take in everything. Or, you can envision a film playing in your mind and these wonderful sounds provide a soundtrack to your thoughts.  I think they have really grown musically since their last album and the more apparent layers of sounds is evidence of that.  This album appears to have more of a focus than Shimmer and Gold.  With tracks named “15 Seconds Left to Live” and “When I am Old and Gray” it appears as though there is a theme of facing one’s mortality or possibly reflecting on a loss of a loved one.  Either way, there is a definite soul to this album and they should be proud of what they’ve done with this new effort.

Keep chillin’

-Chris

Tracklisting-

1. Shimmerglimmer

2. Run With Me

3. 15 Seconds Left to Live

4. Take My Hand

5. It Gets Better

6. Love Wants Us to Win

7. When I Am Old and Gray

8. I Was Here