In my mind, there are electronic dance music albums that are just that and then there are music albums that are electronic dance music. I Love You, Dude by Digitalism is definitely the latter. Digitalism is an electronic house duo from the city of Hamburg, Germany consisting of members, Jens Moelle and İsmail Tüfekçi. I Love You, Dude is their follow-up album to their idealistic debut, Idealism. Sophomore albums have a tendency to make me worry. Especially, when following a successful debut album and as in succesful, I mean a great listen for me.

Probably one reason I really like this album and what Digitalism is doing is because there is more to their electronic music. They bring more of a punk element to the table and use lyrics in a lot of the tracks on I Love You, Dude. The album starts with the classic heavy drones of Digitalism in “Stratoshpere.” The song is a perfect instrumental build up into what is to come. They follow it with “2 Hearts” which showcases the duos talent to sing and well, talk together through a portion of the track.

The third song on the album is definitely gaining popularity throughout the gaming community of the world as it is featured on EA Sports’ Fifa Soccer ’12. “Circles” is the name of the song and it has a way of making you want to play it again and again. This goes for the game, the song and the album. After two songs with lyrics they come back with “Blitz” another head bobbing instrumental track that gives your mind a break from having to digest too much information. Once you listen to the next song, “Forrest Gump,” you will understand just why it is called that.

Once the sixth track hits, you are wondering what kind of album you are listening to for a second? “Reeperbahn” is an in-your-face heavy electronic metal rendition. It gears you up for the home-stretch of the album. In the back portion of the album it makes you feel more like Digitalism made the soundtrack for Tron: Legacy instead of Daft Punk. “Antibiotics” is an upbeat funky rendition that makes you feel like you are participating on “The Grid.”

On “Just Gazin’” they do a great job of making you feel as if you are gazing off into a sunrise that causes you an ultimate euphoria. After you are placed in that peaceful state of well being the talented German electronic duo come back at you with the heavy hitting “Miami Showdown.” The second to last track, “Encore”, is another fun instrumental track on the album. It picks up momentum and at a point a couple of minutes in you get a picture in your mind of a crowd somewhere getting off of their feet. They close the album with ”Harrison Fjord,” enough said.

Release Date: June 20, 2011

I have no idea what I was thinking not really giving Statik Selektah any credit for his beats, but that attitude quickly changed after listening to 1982; Statik was able to craft beats that accented Termanology’s ferocious style perfectly, and it’s blatantly obvious that these two are lights out together, and they should definitely continue making music in the future. On one of the album’s standout cuts “Radio”, Statik Selektah puts on his masking cloak and does an impeccable job of mimicking the classic style of DJ Premier, and Termanology spits venomous bars about his experiences with the form of media known as radio. Bun B joins forces with Termanology to glide over Statik Selektah’s ice smooth beat on “You Should Go Home”.

On what is surely the album’s finest cut, Saigon and Freeway rap alongside Termanology on “Life is What You Make it”, and Statik’s beautiful beat built from piano keys and soulful strings is nothing short of magnificent. Saigon is the first out of the gate, and he wastes no time in flexing his lyrical ability: “Snake shit’ll make your face get hit harder than Statik make the bass kick/base spitter, basic necessity’s an accessory/my destiny is taking complexity to the next degree”.

I think I can credit my friend Aaron for putting me onto this album; I think he asked me about it one day, and I remember saying I knew it had been out, but I hadn’t listened to it. I’m glad that I looked into it because I absolutely love this album. Statik Selektah & Termanology did an impeccable job crafting an album that sharply showcases the times they grew up in, and it also does a great job of paying homage to the sounds that shaped their tastes. 1982 is a beautiful manifestation of Hip-Hop that sounds like it belongs in the golden era, and sleeping on this album should be considered a felony as far as I’m concerned.

8.5/10

Dig Deeper: (Download) Statik Selektah & Termanology, 1982 (The FreEP)

Nick Thayer an Australian born DJ and Producer from Melbourne just dropped his Like Boom EP, less than a month ago, on February 7th, 2012. Sometimes it takes a little while for the sound to reach our ears all the way here in the United States from Australia but this is one DJ that you should not ignore. If you like original sounding electronica with many different levels and fun elements look no further. Nick Thayer best describes his music “as putting 7 glowsticks in a blender.”

Skrillex signed him to his record label OWSLA and his Like Boom EP is his first release since this signing. Skrillex was quoted saying, “Nick is one of the most versatile producers I know… taking everything from house to drum and bass to moombahton and putting his own forward-thinking spin on it. Not genre bound, just music bound.” Head over to Nick’s website and it will direct you to one of the many places you can take a listen.

The fun and funky track “Facepalm” will definitely get you dancing as he almost talks to you with his electronic hooks. This track is my favorite and within a minute you will know if you are down with Nick Thayer and what he has to offer your ears. In his track “Like Boom” featuring Wizard Sleeve and N’Fa he brings hip-hip into the electronic music world and for a change it actually works really well. Nick Thayer is someone that Skrillex discovered at a party while in Australia. Now, let MindInversion allow you to discover; Nick Thayer.

Yesterday the new track by the Gorillaz was released. This track is a funky rendition that utilizes its guest collaborators, James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and Andre 3000, very well. It has the catchy sound of a classic LCD Soundsystem track with an added flow from Andre 3ooo to finish it off. The new track is available for download on converse.com(great marketing I may add) so if you like what you hear go on over and scoop this one up for free. While you are there check out the Limited Edition Chuck Taylor Gorillaz Collection or play around and design your own pair of Classic Chuck Taylors.

That’s right folks, The Coldplay Sessions album is finally here. I was going to hold off on posting this until I did a review, but I’m so blown away by this project that I felt compelled to post it now. GoodMusicAllDay, Ashley Outrageous and DJBooth.net proudly released M.i’s new project on Tuesday. The Austin, Texas native did all of the production on the album (with the exception of the last track which is produced by Tyler Keyes), and he also did all of the mixing and engineering. The production on this album is crisp, and all of the samples are perfectly utilized to make incredible cuts.

I’ve been a fan of M.i’s since I first heard his mixtape Prep Time, and I can honestly tell you that I will keep following this dude as long as he keeps putting out music. In today’s music age, it’s not that common to see a jack-of-all-trades like M.i, and he’s very good at what he does. Ever since it came out on Tuesday, I’ve been spinning The Coldplay Sessions non-stop. As I’ve said many times before, M.i has a laid back flow that makes it so easy to like his style. Now all I can do is impatiently wait on the album that Tyler and M.i have been putting together for the last year since Tyler moved to Texas; good lord is that project going to be bonkers.

You can download The Coldplay Sessions here, and make sure you stay tuned for an album review coming very soon.

The Chicago-based group Kids These Days is one of the reasons I always show up to a concert on time. While attending the SOJA show at the Cabooze this past Sunday night those God damn Kids These Days started off the night right. They only got to play a 4-track, 30-minute set and in that time you could tell that they made one hell of an impression on the crowd.

They had a total of 7 members on stage with so many different working elements. They combine the sound of jazz, blues, classic rock and hip-hop. The energy that they brought to the stage and their abilities to perform in such a way made it seem that they already have the difficult part down. These damn Kids These Days consist of; Macie Stewart on the keys and vocals, Nico Segal on the trumpet, J.P. Floyd on the trombone, Vic Mensa on the mic, Lane Beckstrom on the bass, Greg Landfair Jr. on the drums and Liam Cunningham on the guitar and vocals.

Before leaving the Cabooze on that night I had to stop by their merchandise table and pick up Hard Times. I suggest you check out Hard Times and if you happen to get a chance to see Kids These Days live, do yourself the favor. You will be drawn in by Macie’s voice in “Be (A Night in Tunisia),” Vic’s smooth flows in “Hard Times” will put a smile on your face, and you can never get bored watching the trumpet player Nico Segal. In his trumpet solo in “Summerscent”, Nico got down so hard I thought his face was literally, going to explode.

Here is their video for “Summerscent” and in this track you will get every element that this talented band brings to the table.

When talking to Jacob Hemphill you understand that it isn’t about getting rich and famous but more about gaining popularity in order to spread their message. SOJA’s passion to spread this message really comes to life when in the presence of one of their live performances. This was apparent from the get go when the band opened up with “Mentality” the opening track on their new album. Jacob was very appreciative of the fans and genuinely thanked everyone that came together on that Sunday night numerous times throughout the show.

The 7-piece band from Washington D.C. were on their 6th show in 6 nights but showed no sign of slowing down. The energy that trumpet player Rafael Rogriguez brought during “Tell Me” made the crowd vibe as one.

The first and only bra was thrown on the stage during the fourth song in the set. Jacob then told the crowd how it signifies that they have their first night off in a week. Another one of their new songs “Slow Down” just happened to follow-up that interesting incident.The crowd in Minneapolis were really into the show singing along for the majority of the show. SOJA’s live show is a perfect blend of crowd vibing jams with mellow folk-like reggae for a rollercoaster ride of a show that will take you up off your feet and then back down to earth so you are firmly planted ready to take tomorrow on. The fans are definitely getting the message and it was nice to see a show where everyone was in such a good place.

SOJA blended their new album with some of the classics to play an amazing show that lasted almost 2 hours. Classic SOJA songs where Bobby Lee takes his deep rastafied voice and gets the crowd elevated was an element that gave their show a stand alone variety of sound.

All of the sounds that are brought to the table from percussionist Kenneth Brownell throughout the show provide entertainment and more of that unique sound that comes with a 7-member band. These 7 musicians play so uniformly and provide the crowd with the natural wonder that is organized chaos.Towards the end of the show they slowed it down with “When We Were Younger” and this song means a lot to the band because it explains how they feel about not having the answers like they once thought. Now that they are wiser they just want to ask the questions to allow their fans to think about what the answers should be.

This was followed by introductions of the band mates that were accompanied by mini-solos. SOJA left the stage only to get the infamous “1 more song” chant. There was no way they weren’t going to come out for an encore after the love the crowd had already shown for them. One part that sticks out in my mind is when Jacob Hemphill was trying to thank the crowd after he finished up a song. He was taken back when the crowd continued to scream and clap for what seemed like an eternity.

The encore started when Jacob walked out alone and started playing “Everything Changes.” He sang the first verse by himself at a really slow pace then the band walked back out and joined him for one hell of a jam-session of a finish.If SOJA ever comes to a city near you I highly recommend you take the trip to go and check this out. From the saxophone and trumpet to the whistles and tambourines you will not be disappointed with any sound that hits your ears. Plus, you will leave in a lot higher spirits with the message that was just delivered to you by the guys of SOJA.

More pics from the show:

Filed under: Concert Reviews, Reviews Tagged: Bobby Lee, Everything Changes, February 19, Hellman Escorcia, Jacob Hemphill, Kenneth Brownell, Mentality, minneapolis, Rafael Rodriguez, Ryan Berty, Slow Down, SOJA, Strength to Survie, Sunday, Tell Me, the Cabooze, When We Were Younger ]]> http://mindinversion.net/2012/02/20/concert-review-soja-the-cabooze-minneapolis/feed/ 1 jr38 Jacob Hemphill Rafael Rodriguez SOJA at The Cabooze SOJA Minneapolis Bobby Lee of SOJA Kenneth Brownell of SOJA Jacob of SOJA SOJA at the Cabooze Minneapolis SOJA Encore Ryan Berty on Drums Hellman Escorcia on Sax, Rafael and Jacob of SOJA SOJA Frontman Jacob Hemphill SOJA Encore at the Cabooze Jacob Hemphill during Encore SOJA having fun SOJA jamming, getting love from Minneapolis http://mindinversion.net/2012/02/20/concert-review-soja-the-cabooze-minneapolis/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/MindInversion/~3/MKAIw-xJfy8/ http://mindinversion.net/2012/02/18/slept-on-saturdays-shad-tsol/#comments Sun, 19 Feb 2012 00:31:37 +0000 Tim Althaus http://mindinversion.wordpress.com/?p=9099 ]]> Why does it seems like people constantly sleep on Hip-Hop music that’s made by our neighbors to the north? Some of my favorite artists are from Canada, and Shad definitely falls underneath that umbrella alongside Classified. My friend Aaron told me to check out Shad a while back, and I downloaded his material, but I never really gave his music the chance that it deserved. I started listening to The Old Prince quite a bit after a while, but for some reason I never gave TSOL any spins; I would later come to find out that I was missing out on one of the best albums in the last 2-3 years. Shad quickly became one of my favorite emcees with just a few spins of TSOL; his skill on the mic is undeniable, and he’s able to skew so many topics in a short amount of time without sacrificing any attention to detail.

Shad starts his lyrical display on “Rose Garden”, an uplifting song built around entertaining catchphrases and a joyous beat built on top of an incredible sample flip. One of my favorite tracks on the album is “Keep Shining”; it’s Shad’s tribute to all of the beautiful women in this world, and  in his first stanza he spits about the type of female that he identifies with, “I roll with clever broads with goals like Federov/seekin’ better jobs instead running scams like Set It Off/some aren’t the sharpest, but they know what they stand for/they don’t let jams disrespect them on the dance floor/and no, they didn’t hit college like the Danforth/for damn sure they got each other’s back like a Jansport”. Shad takes the opportunity to display his story telling abilities on “Telephone” as he narrates the struggles between himself and another female; even though it’s a serious track, Shad manages to slip in witty punchlines like “…when I need help this female won’t take my calls/it’s like pool, and that’s her cue to break my balls”.

In my opinion, the opus and apex of the album is the track “Yaa I Get It”; EOM’s beat is a ferocious creature with razor sharp teeth, and Shad’s rhymes are the perfect remedy to tame the beast. He pulls out all of the stops, and he lets loose a lyrical legion of hardcore punchlines: “Well my name ain’t little Wayne Gretzke, but ya’ll know better than to check me/in the game, I hold records like a Technic”. My personal favorite line comes with a reference to one of my favorite athletes of all-time: “…welcome to the big leagues where they pitch heat/still on a hit streak/my rappin’s like batting .360/hey Griffey slow down do something less cerebral/I’m not big enough yet I gotta keep impressin’ people”.

TSOL is one carefully crafted cohesive masterpiece; everything about this album is great, and it should stand amongst the best albums in the last few years. I have to thank my friend Aaron again for introducing me to Shad because as I said before, he’s become one of my favorite lyricists. With projects like TSOL, Shad could have a very bright future ahead of him, and he might even get Canada the massive amounts of respect they deserve for their Hip-Hop scene.

Minneapolis is a treasure trove for great music.  Fortunately I have been going out and experiencing some of it first hand.  At the end of 2011 and at the beginning of 2012 I was invited to a show by a friend and I experienced Tiger Vs.  I have seen a lot of local talent over the past few years, but Tiger Vs. stuck out to me.  They had something different and interesting about them.  Their sound radiated on a different level; the concept of their music was deep to my ears, it did not sound thrown together, but put together carefully piece-by-piece.  This was a multi-layered band with a multi-layered sound.  At first they reminded me of a Radiohead-esque type band (with a touch of sound from The Beatles), but then I was hit with thing I hadn’t heard before, classical sound in a present setting.  The vocals were deep and the sound was of quality and thought provoking.  Their sound was new and interesting.  They didn’t sound like a one off band, all of their songs were solid.  I completely enjoyed my experience, and at the end of the set I wanted more.

So after a bit of contemplation I searched out Tiger Vs., I wanted to know more about them.  I figured I would sit down and write to the band and collect some information.  As I see this band has something to offer musically.  Tiger Vs. intrigued and delighted at the Triple Rock.  They were the opening act, but I feel they had the ability and talent to be the headliner.  They did an excellent job and I feel they deserve a shout out on Mindinversion.  So here is my second attempt at an interview.  I hope it is as interesting and revealing as possible.  Check out Tiger Vs. they are down to earth and their sound is deep and moving.  Introducing Tiger Vs., here it is, the interview:

TS:  Members of Tiger Vs. and their roles:

Tiger Vs.:  Ranelle Johnson- singer/songwriter, keyboards

Addison Wasson- electric cello

John Accaregui- drums

 TS:  Where are you all originally from?

Tiger Vs.:  Ranelle- Spicer, MN

John & Addy- Iowa City, IA

TS:  How long have you been performing together?

Tiger Vs.:  1 year

TS:  What do you think the Minneapolis music scene brings to the table for local bands, and how has that benefited you (Tiger Vs.)?

Tiger Vs.:  Everyone in the local music scene is very welcoming and supportive. Bands help each other out with booking shows and promoting each other’s music. The Minneapolis scene is also really eclectic and provides a place for music of diverse styles.

TS:  Who is Tiger Vs. most influenced by musically and what is in your boombox right now?

Tiger Vs.:  We all grew up in very different backgrounds. We also all are influenced by and listen to a variety of genres. (Rock, pop, hip-hop, indie, jazz, electronic, punk, funk, classical).

Influences: Beach House, The Books, Portishead, Sufjan Stevens, CocoRosie, Battles, Don Caballero, The Beatles, Bjork

Boombox Right Now:  Ranelle-  Dvorak (Symphony No. 9 in E minor), The Beastie Boys (Hello Nasty)

Addy- J Dilla (Donuts), St. Vincent (Strange Mercy)

John- Beach Boys (The Smile Sessions), Dr. Dre (The Chronic 2001)

TS:  After rocking a show describe the type of after party Tiger Vs. has.

Tiger Vs.:  We go home and let out the dog.

TS:  I noticed at the show you all played musical instruments, such as the electric cello, and the piano (it seems to make the listening experience more involved) as an artist how does having a classic instrument like that on stage make your performance different?

Tiger Vs.:  We use modern spins on our classical instruments. We are able to express the classical sound in our music, but are still able to provide that rock edge in our live performances.

TS:  What is the direction of your band, is there a sound you are trying to emulate?

Tiger Vs.:  There is not a specific sound that we are trying to emulate, for we have a lot of different influences. We are about to release our first EP. After this, we are looking forward to writing new material and expanding our sound.

TS:  Where does your inspiration come from when writing songs?

 Tiger Vs.:  Thought bubbles, freedom, Addy’s fear of birds, breakfast, coffee, and vigilante justice.

 TS:  Where do you see Tiger Vs. in a year?

Tiger Vs.:  Writing new music, releasing another album, playing shows outside of Minneapolis.

 TS:  Dream venue?

 Tiger Vs.:  Aboard the Battlestar Galactica…or

 TS:  Pepsi or Coke?

 Tiger Vs.:  Coke for whiskey, Fuck Pepsi.

 TS:  If there is one thing that you would want your audience to know about, or take away from you (Tiger Vs.), what would it be?

Tiger Vs.:  We are passionate about writing music, and are grateful for the opportunity to share and perform. We just want people to have fun and enjoy themselves at our shows. If they can relate to the music or take away something more from it, that is awesome.

TS:  I asked for a CD at the concert at the Triple Rock and you all said you didn’t have one.  If I want to get a CD of yours now where would I look?

Tiger Vs.:  We have not pressed/released our first EP yet. We do have a website where you can listen to some of our tunes that will be on the upcoming EP.

www.facebook.com/tigervsmusic

www.soundcloud.com/tigervs

We are currently working on designing our own website, which should be up by March!  www.tigervs.com

TS:  Also, can I get a shirt or CD or something?  Tiger Vs. shirts would be awesome by the way.

 Tiger Vs.:  We will be releasing our first EP this Spring 2012. We will keep everyone updated on dates and more info on our websites. It is going to be real soon! We just need to master our tracks and find an artist for our album art.

 TS:  Lastly, If you could hang out anywhere in Minneapolis what side would it be on, and what bar?  a.)  Downtown, b.)NE c.) South d.) Uptown e.) North f.) Loring Park.

 Tiger Vs.:  WEST BANK!

Favorite Bar: Triple Rock

Bowling at Memory Lanes

DP! (dog park)

End of Interview.

***

I would like to give a big thanks to Tiger Vs. for taking the time to answer my questions.  I would also like to say if you have the opportunity to catch Tiger Vs. live do it.  They are a locally performing band and they are very talented.

Joel Zimmerman, aka deadmau5, gave his fans a pleasant surprise yesterday when he released this new track. If you are a fan of this Toronto, Canada based electronic music producer you will be a fan of “maths.” If you didn’t know this track was out there yet, take a listen with your less than mau5 like ears.