I AM A LASER!

R/D :: Face of God EP

Double You — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 20:21:01 +0000

I’ll be straight up –I’m a fan of R/D’s music and live performances and his newest four track EP, Face of God, continues to earn my support.

True to his Los Angeles roots, each track has a West Coast Hip Hop inspired “wave your hands in the air” melody; but this is no ordinary landscape. These tracks are a multi-pass to an animated digital world of crystalline data packets, cybernetic assassins, and shimmering pipelines of bass. Squawking robo birds make their territorial calls as bursts of sequenced creatures communicate from the deep of their environment. Like Daft Punk bangers, but with much more open space in which to drive.

R/D’s proficiency as a sound designer has gone into hand crafting each hit, each signature pulsing bass rhythm –there are no stock sounds here. In depth instrumentation forces his computer to chisel the future tones it was meant to. Many times you experience a bold use of early 90’s inspired dry stereo sawtooth bass lines that wind up and down your body to usher you through anthemic panoramas of a vast horizon. By design, these cuts are meant to be played live and loud.

Preview all four tracks below and enter your own landscape. Available now through his BandCamp page with a free track to download. Get it!

Read our previous interview with R/D here: http://iamalaser.com/2009/06/16/rd-cricket-ep-mini-mix/ along with his Fever Ray remix of “I’m Not Done”: http://iamalaser.com/2010/03/29/fever-ray-im-not-done-remix/

Knowa Knowone :: Turn of the Tides remix

Double You — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 02:12:32 +0000

C-mon & Kypski’s full length banger, We are Square, is getting the remix treatment by some of our beloved West Coast toasties. First up in our in box is the “Turn of the Tides” remix by Knowa Knowone. Download it here or slurp it up below.

[See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

NastyNasty :: Behind the Bushes Remix

Double You — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:27:29 +0000

Bay Area Bass-Slayer and Dubstep wunderkid, NastyNasty, has given I AM A LASER a nice little exclusive track for you. You like The Knife? Here is his remix of “Behind the Bushes” from the Deep Cuts album that is sure to sizzle your whiskers and add more bubbles to your pipe! Download it here and or just listen below.

NastyNasty: “Behind the Bushes” Remix. Original Track by The Knife
[See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

Just who is NastyNasty you ask? NastyNasty is the 5th incarnation that a young man, named Jasper, has made electronic music under and it will surely not be the last. Previous to being introduced to Dubstep, he was under the impression that he was making bass heavy southern rap beats. In his own words; “I’m kind of a weirdo who doesn’t go out alot. I feel as if I’m wasting life if I don’t spend at least a few hours a day working on music…it’s really really really ridiculously hot in my studio right now and it doesn’t help the fact that i suck at writing.”

Like what you hear! Check out NastyNasty on SoundCloud

Likes: Coffee, Lady Gaga, Kombucha, Lazers, Danzig-Era Misfits, Cheeseburgers, Hi-Tops
Dislikes: wack bitches
Labels: Frite Nite, Bad Acid/Black Acre, Robox Neo-Tech, Seclusiasis, Made In Glitch
Discography (as NastyNasty):

Heavy Little Things (self released) July 2009
Dancefloors and Deathrattles (Vermin Street) oct 2009
The Reef (Frite Nite)Nov 2009
Can’t Fathom This (car crash set) Dec 2009 (remix)
Nintendont (Vermin Street) Jan 2010 (remix)
Clunge (Seclusiasis) Jan 2010 (remix)
forthcoming:
Better Off Alone (Seclusiasis) july 2010 (remix)
Puke Paint (Frite Nite) July 2010
Myspace (Bad Acid/Black Acre) Aug 2010
“New York Legs” (Robox Neo-Tech) sept 2010
“No Names” (Planet-Mu) 2011???

Siren :: Jingletown

Joyce Su — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 18:47:27 +0000

Has anyone else noticed a huge difference between Nor Cal’s bass music and the rest of the world’s bass music? Nor Cal producers have this hyphy hip hop tear-out laser sound that is so distinctly theirs… and they really fucking love their wobbles. That said, Siren’s “Jingletown” (Muti) has a definitive Nor Cal vibe to it. He tries to capture the vibe of ”Jingletown,” the ghetto neighborhood in the south part of Oakland in a meaty five course album.

The Good: I enjoyed the first track, “Summer Time in Oakland;” it is visual- the tune transports me to a hot sticky summer cruise through Oakland. Big ups to Siren for capturing a moment so eloquently.

The Bad: The rest of the album’s production to me sounds static. Nothing stands out stylistically, and the message Siren tries to convey gets lost somewhere in the cloud of mid-bass.

The Ugly: There are a lot of layers to his songs, but they are so heavy-handed that he loses the balance between melody and “fart bass” (you know, that synth Joker, Mimosa, and Nit Grit use). My biggest complaint is that Siren relies on this synth to carry the entire song. There should be a variety of different melodies, instruments, and hooks brought in, evolving the tune, making it complex and interesting rather than overwhelming and flat. I found that a lot of the songs were too compressed, and aurally inarticulate.

Really at the end of the day, it’s a matter of taste. I think a lot of people would like this album, especially on the dance floor. Siren tore it up at the Eskmo show last week at The Do Lab’s King King event… but I’m pretty over this fart bass sound for the moment. The market is saturated with it; the industry is drowning in it. I can’t wait until the newer innovative sounds I hear creeping in, start gaining traction on the dance floors instead.

♥,
J

[See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

Nobody Beats The Drum :: Grindin’

Double You — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:29:08 +0000

Hard core dance floor sweaty fusion meisters (breaks, electro, hip hop) from Amsterdam, Nobody Beats the Drum, are set for their first US East Coast Tour ever! Check ‘em out with tour mates C-mon & Kypski wherever you can or at Camp Bisco along with a slew of other West Cost faves!

Jul 08 2010 : Sound Lab – Buffalo, NY
Jul 10 2010 : Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
Jul 11 2010 : The Khyber – Philadelphia, PA
Jul 13 2010 : Harper’s Ferry – Boston, MA
Jul 14 2010 : Brillobox – Pittsburgh, PA
Jul 17 2010 : Camp Bisco 9 – Mariaville, NY

If you’re new to Nobody Beats the Drum, get a visual primer here of their sound as the video for Grindin’ takes working with colored blocks to a whole new level!

Short Documentary about the production process of the stopmotion video ‘Grindin’.
This ‘making of ‘ was made by Susie Oosting. It shows the process in which the maker of the video, and one third of the group, Rogier, lost his sanity. He is momentarily in rehab.

Timonkey :: Future Perfect

Double You — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:32:56 +0000

As I began reviewing Timonkey’s newest album, Future Perfect (Muti Music), I knew I had to lay down on my couch for this. As I hit “play,” otherworldly dubbed out journeys through the minds sky began to knit the hemispheres of my brain. Shall I say: wobbly sonic scrub a dub dubs pound you like a massage therapist chewing at your muscles or an all consuming audio brew hand crafted by a Chinese herbalist to cleanse and re-pattern your Chi? Both!

As his press release states: “10 years ago, Timonkey climbed a massive Redwood tree that towered above a renegade party in the Santa Cruz Mountains. As the sun rose, he received the inspiration for what has been his mission ever since: to make the best sunrise music ever. Delivering a proper morning set is a delicate art: the dancers need strong energy to keep going, but they are also craving something different by this point in the experience. Timonkey is one of the few DJ/Producers who… can give a long night of rave and revelry the closing ritual it deserves.”

Future Perfect resonates with a deep signature West Coast sub (no pun intended) culture sound. We all have, at some level, committed to not only a sound style, but a radically different perspective of culture first. I mean the formula is this: a vision of life is discovered and then its art, music and fashion are created from its new passionate perspective. You can see this construction deeply at festivals such as Lightning in a Bottle, Symbiosis, and EMRG+N+SEE as well as hear it in this album. Available now on Addictech.

Timonkey: “Quantum Echo”
[See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

St Andrew :: Going to Vietnam Teaser

Double You — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:54:02 +0000

Andrew Swanson aka St Andrew (1320 Records) seems a bit nervous. Just got a swell email containing some new music of his with a little note stating: “I’m going to Vietnam on Wednesday…. so I thought I’d share some tunes I made in case anything happens to me.” Okay. I’m sure you’ll make it back safe! Till then, listen to these fine cuts!

St Andrew: “Midnight Girlfriend”
[See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

St Andrew: “Fire (St. Andrew Dub Rub)”
[See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

Virtual Boy: “Threshold Of Pain (St Andrew’s Tequila Sunrise Flying V-mix feat. Osaka & Erkddrk)”
[See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

Story Image by: Daniel Simon

NIT GRIT :: SYNTHETIC HEAVEN EP

Double You — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:03:51 +0000

This is where the rubber meets the road as they say. Bay Area internet Bass-aholic and mix phenomenon NiT GriT is about to drop his debut EP this July 2nd on Simplify Records (though…… it’s available now on Addictech. Which, btw, I never understand why labels tell me a release is dropping on a certain date and then Addictech is already selling it. So that would mean it’s out -right?). You can preview all the tracks here and also get the free track “Bit Crusher” on NiT GriT’s SoundCloud page.

Lorn :: Nothing Else

Joyce Su — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:09:35 +0000

“Lorn killed it. Mosh pit during his set. 3 people sent to hospital.” – @djdstyles

Did this really happen? Does it really matter? Either way, that’s some pretty fucking epic buzz on the Twittersphere. Between trolling around Low End Theory for the past four years (and seeing what’s capable of happening there [remember Prefuse 73 slaying faces]) and listening to Lorn’s new album, Nothing Else, off Brainfeeder… I’d believe it. This album is everything bass heavy without being ridiculously cheesy, coughRUSKOcough.

Though Nothing Else is intensely moody with its machine gun percussion, the hauntingly ethereal harmonics accompany the crawling, grimy bass in such a way that intellectually balances each track out. With this album, Lorn has taken a giant step ahead of the sea of “dubstep,” “bass music,” “whateveryouwanttocallit” producers and established a sound all his own that is neither senseless or violent. This album is not a flash-in-the-pan romance, it’s one for the books; it is the beginning of Intellectual Bassism.

Distributed by Alpha Pup, Nothing Else is available now through most digital retailers. Peep all the free album goodies below:

Download the free track “Cherry Moon” here.
[See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

Video trailer for Nothing Else featuring the album track “Tomorrow.” Directed by Brainfeeder mainstay Strangeloop.

Lorn – ‘Nothing Else’ Album Mini Mix on SoundCloud

Sinning In LA Does: I AM A LASER

Double You — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 22:21:43 +0000

Our pals over at Sinning In LA did us a good one by coming to last Thursday’s I AM A LASER showcase and interviewing FreQ Nasty about his GiveBack program and our partnership with him on the Domes For Haiti Project. You can read the full well written article here. Also, check their video below and then visit the I AM A LASER GiveBack page to see how you can donate to those in need and receive a nice boat load of great music tracks from some of the best Bass Masters in the biz! Woooooop!

SPLATINUM :: Love for Those Hustlers

Double You — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:27:17 +0000

Just got this in our inbox – we love free treats!

SPLATINUM’s back with more of that sauce on a 6-track devotional to the gangsters and the hustlers. The “hip hop obsessed” Seattle duo has been getting freaky with the samples and blessed it all up with their slippery signature frequency modulation swagger. Call in the mop boy for this one. Super sonic clean up in booth 3! Spam it, share it, love it, burn it, because thugs need love too!

Inside the Codex: the Art of Cosmogramma

Double You — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:54:37 +0000

Yo! Warp Records just posted a real nice video on the artist Leigh J. McCloskey who crafted the artwork behind Cosmogramma, Flying Lotus’s newest album.

R/D Video: “FACE OF GOD” FEAT. NADINE RICHIE

Double You — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 20:17:49 +0000

Love this! R/D has a new video and it’s ROCKS!

Come to I AM A LASER June 10th & Giveback to Haiti!

Double You — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:52:04 +0000

I AM A LASER and June 10 performing artist FreQ Nasty have teamed up with Giveback.net to offer you 2 ways to support the ‘Domes for Haiti’ project!

ONE:

A limited amount of special VIP tickets are available for the June 10 showcase. Each pair of tickets includes seating at a specially reserved VIP table with waitress and bottle service (drinks not included), Two Backstage Passes, prime views of the bassline mayhem that will ensue, and Immediate download of the Haiti Compilation! FreQ Nasty will also meet and greet anyone who takes up this offer and sign anything they have!!! After partying in style all night you can leave feeling twice the vibes knowing that every dollar you paid goes to helping the hurricane victims in Haiti get the housing they desperately need. Click here to be a VIP: Giveback.net/iamalaser.html

TWO:

19 dope artists have contributed 16 amazing tracks in order to help you make the decision to assist those suffering in the latest Haiti hurricanes an easy one. They are asking that you buy and enjoy this music knowing that every cent you give goes to building shelter for homeless Haitians by the ‘Domes For Haiti’ crew. There is a ($10) minimum price set for the compilation but you may give more if you think what we are doing here is a good thing. The music is just the excuse to give – what you are paying for is a roof over the heads of those who need it most right now. Please give as much as you can and lets make a difference. Click here to Get the Music: Giveback.net/iamalaser.html

SUPER BONUS:

Free FreQ Nasty track for YOU to download NOW!

Listen to the compilation below and purchase to help our fellow human beings in Haiti! Thank you!

Win Free Tickets to our June 10th Super Wow Live Showcase!

Double You — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:23:05 +0000

We have an amazing I AM A LASER showcase to promote and we need your help to do it! AND….YO AND!!! There’s something in it for you: A chance to win a Pair of Free tickets to the show! It’s like us handing you $50. You in?

How do you enter to win? Simple, just send out a tweet linking to this post or RT this tweet and you are in. You can enter multiple times, each tweet you send out linking to this post, or this tweet is considered an entry and increases your chances to win.

This contest lasts for the next seven days (June 3rd – 9th, 2010). At the end of each day (7 PM PST) we will pick one winner and award a Pair of Tickets to see Tipper, Freq Nasty and King Britt as Soul Litchfield perform live at The Music Box @ Henry Fonda on Thursday June 10th 2010! See show details here. We have 20 tickets (10 pairs) to win. Somedays we will announce two winners so that all 20 tickets are won.

You can follow our Twitter feed @iamalaser or check back at this post to see if you have won. We will be updating this post each day with the winners and of course announcing them on Twitter.

Get on it!

————–
June 3rd Twitter winner: @EastWestPodcast =A Pair of Tickets!
————–
June 4th Twitter winner: @JDubRich =A Pair of Tickets!
————–
June 5th Twitter winner: @ShugTaylor =A Pair of Tickets!
————–
June 6th Twitter winner: @Ardentbiscuit =A Pair of Tickets!
————–

King Britt is Soul Litchfield

Double You — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:30:09 +0000

Soul Litchfield is a new experimental beats project by producer King Britt. Playing with rhythm and texture is the vibe to tripped out instrumental platters. Headnod Acrobatics Volume 1 (SNS0003) is the first in a series of beat driven experiments on the Saturn Never Sleeps label. I AM A LASER is proud to be hosting this new Soul Litchfield project along with Tipper and Freq Nasty at The Music Box @ Henry Fonda on Thursday June 10th. Read more about that and pick up your tickets here!

Preview the Soul Litchfield sound with his track “Throw Ups” and download it for free.
[See post to listen to audio -yes thatz right! -go to http://iamalaser.com]

King Britt shares the origin of the Saturn Never Sleeps project and label.

King Britt explains his personal history as a musician and prouder from the days with The Digabel Planets to the present state of music production.

SaQi :: Heart’s Castle

Double You — Mon, 24 May 2010 19:00:23 +0000

Heart’s Castle, just released by Portland based saQi, is a collection of songs featuring vocalists/singer songwriters. These tunes are twangy, electric, exotic, bouncy and filled with haunting vocals (supplied by Kyrstyn Pixton, Luz Elena Mendoza, Christopher Worth, Cohen, and Leslie Kernochan) that surf through time. All of this is punctuated with Latin inspired horn sections that scream viva la fiesta and gorgeous electric guitar riffs! A special island of underwater dreams, mermaid breakdance circles, and Pirate Booty that will wash you upon a distant shore where your cell phone has turned into a conch cell. Heart’s Castle is well composed and refreshing bite of music for your next Caribbean adventure.

You can preview the album here and purchase it through the saQi BandCamp page.

How To Destroy Angels

Double You — Fri, 21 May 2010 20:00:21 +0000

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh – YES! Great music. Great Tension. Great Video. More!

How To Destroy Angels (Trent Reznor from NIN plus wife Mariqueen Maandig and Atticus Ross) just released the single “A Drowning” from their soon to arrive six song self titled EP on Amazon and Itunes.

Tipper Music :: Free Wobble Factor DJ Mix Download

Double You — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:51:58 +0000

Dave Tipper, who is set to blow our June 10 Future Culture showcase literally off of the map with ridiculous genera defying BASS (sorry -can’t geo-tag this one!), has just posted his Wobble Factor DJ Mix (previously available only for purchase) up on Soundcloud for you! Get it, eat it, share it, and then come to our show at The Music Box @ Fonda! Get Tickets here: Groove Tickets

Download it here: Wobble Factor DJ Mix

I AM A LASER :: Live June 10 =Tipper + Freq Nasty + King Britt + You!

Double You — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:53:42 +0000

I AM A LASER goes to the next level with this one! Tipper + Freq Nasty + King Britt + Dr. Strangeloop + Primal Luxe + YOU + and it’s all going down at The Music Box @ Fonda June 10th! This evening of mad wobble, live artwork, and earthly delights is brought to you by the Service Company and Project Sweatshop! Be there with us!

Purchase your Advance Tickets online at Groove Tickets ( Search for: I AM A LASER ) now by clicking here: http://bit.ly/junelzr or by visiting the box office at the venue.

18+ with ID | 9PM – 2AM | Be Rad!

+++Performing LIVE June 10.2010+++

Check these amazing photos of the newly renovated Music Box @ Fonda • 6126 Hollywood BLVD • Los Angeles, CA 90028. Gonna be a grand evening with you all!

Beat the line and get your Advance Tickets NOW: Groove Tickets ( I AM A LASER)

Are you coming!!!