BASSNECTAR & G. JONES – “MIND TRICKS” FEAT. LAFA TAYLOR

As Santa Cruz bass producer, G. Jones, gets ready for his What The Festival performance in Oregon tonight, we’re give YOU  a listen to his latest banger, “Mind Tricks.”  This four minute track finds Jones teaming up with two other NorCal alumni, Bassnectar and Lafa Taylor for an existential dive down the rabbit hole–well, earholes really. With piercing whistles and drugged-out, tripped-out loop vocals, it’s easy to see why this badboy already had over 40,000 listens in 72 hours.

This all begs the question: is “Mind Tricks” an indication of more tasty collaborations to come? With the festival season in full-swing there are a lot of chances for artists to meet-up over a few beers and discuss upcoming tracks. So, we’ll just have to keep our ears to the ground and eyes peeled because 2016 is only half-way done and a lot of our favorite artists are just getting started.

Make sure to check out our FREE, LAFA TAYLOR show at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz on July 2nd before he rocks the Northern Nights festival 7/15-17.

 

 

 

LAFA TAYLOR – LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE 2016 RECAP VIDEO

In case you haven’t noticed, Los Angeles based producer and rapper, Lafa Taylor, has been murdering the music scene lately. Earlier this month he dropped not one, but TWO collaborations he’s featured on. One with major acts Beats Antique (“Killer Bee”)  and the other with a producer who got his start in Santa Cruz,  Bassnectar (“Speakerbox”). This comes after a string of constant touring and playing some of the year’s biggest festivals, like Serenity Gathering, Envision and Lightning In a Bottle.

For those who might’ve missed it due to poor decision making, Lafa just dropped a LIB 2016 Recap video, produced by Michael Daniel. Featuring the Starro remix of his and Aabo’s song, “Run To Me,” the two minute feature transcends the festival’s feelings of community and love.

Wide, aerial drone footage sweeps across the screen, landing on Taylor’s set that’s clearly a party for the audience and performers. Dancers, back-up singers and a stage full of fans, Lafa’s energy is clearly contagious as slow-motion shots capture the sea of smiles. Look closely and you might even see a familiar face or three.

Make sure to catch Lafa Taylor in July at the Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz and at the Northern Nights Music Festival in Cooks Valley between Humboldt and Mendocino Counties.

 

FOALS – NIGHT SWIMMERS (MURA MASA REMIX)

At only 20 years old, producer Mura Masa has been taking the electronic world by storm for several years now. Born in the Channel Islands, at age 16 he discovered Ableton Live and dropped his first tracks in 2013. The following year his label, Anchor Point Records was picked up by Polydor and Interscope for distribution and he subsequently released his first mixtape, Soundtrack to a Death.

After leaving the Islands to study in the United Kingdom, Masa began performing live and quickly sold out such infamous British clubs like the Green Door Store and Elektrowerkz. Last year, he dropped his first EP, Someday Somewhere, with the lead track, “Firefly,” getting significant airtime on BBC1.

Euphoric is excited to spread his latest track, a remix of indipop band–Foals’– “Night Swimmers.” Only hours old, Mura Masa’s vision is a bass-filled and beat-driven track that keeps the integrity of the original with a burning twist. Utilizing looped vocals and spaced-out timing, Masa reinvents “Night Swimmers” as an introspective and carnal trip through the mind.

Sit back, pop in some headphones and let your thoughts wander. Mura Masa  is in control, now.

 

 

 

OLIVER TREE – SOULMOTHER, I LOVE YOU (FEAT. GETTER)

H-O-L-Y SHIT. Oliver Tree–the Santa Cruz artist formerly known just as Tree– is K-I-L-L-I-N-G it!!!! A homegrown musician who expanded his creativity on darkly dreamy lyrics and odd sounds found in the strangest of places is fresh off a song collaboration and video–“Forget It”–with Bay Area DJ, Getter. Then, two days ago, the college-age, now Los Angelino, artist drops another introspective and banging track. “Soulmother, I Love You,” of course, featuring Getter.

The track features familiar Tree sounds–distant voices, introspective lyrics–combined with faster beats and more layers than he has stacked in the past. It’s a return to his electronic roots with the age and experience of someone who knows what their doing. Don’t believe me? Give it a couple of plays and try picking out all the different sounds. At under 3 minutes, Tree keeps the punk ethic while growing within his art.

We can’t wait to see what he does next.

 

MACHINE GUN KELLY – 4th COAST FREESTYLE

Machine Gun Kelly is at it again. The Ohioan artist–by way of Texas–first earned his stripes in 2006, while still a teenager, with the release of his first mixtape, Stamp of Approval. Since then he has collaborated with Wacka Flocka Flame, Juicy J, Bone Thugs -n-Harmony and others; signed to Sean Combs’ BAD BOY RECORDS label and has appeared in several feature films like SLC Punk 2 and Beyond the Lights. Dude even appeared as himself on WWE, a childhood dream of many, am I right?

 

“4th Coast Freestyle” finds MGK doing what he does best, spitting fire lyrics over beats as syruppy as lean. Does it indicate more music from Kelly in the near future? Stay tuned, Euphoric fans!

 

THE CLAYPOOL LENNON DELIRIUM – BUBBLES BURST

Anyone familiar with the works of Les Claypool know the Sonoma County resident’s mind is a psychedelic experience all on its own. From the wonderful and weird world of Primus to Oysterhead, Frog Brigade and even Duo de Twang, Claypool manages to top his strangeness with each passing album.

That’s why it was no surprise to hear he teamed up with Julian Lennon and released a psychedelic-garage inspired album called The Claypool Lennon Delirium. For you youngsters out there, Julian is the son of this guy, John, who was in a little known band called The Beatles (Julian is also the namesake for one of the Beatles’ more infamous songs, “Hey Jude”).

But Holy Hell. Even I wasn’t quite ready for this delirious trip despite one of my favorite concert memories is frying balls on acid while watching Primus play the entire “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”  complete with Oompa  Loompas and giant mushrooms on stage (or at least I think that was real). After all, nobody expected these two to collaborate, ESPECIALLY not on a song–or video–about the King of Pop’s chimpanzee companion, Bubbles.

If you have a solid mind or just like to fuck with the boundaries of your reality, then check out The Claypool Lennon Delirium’s first video, dropped today.  But be careful, some things can’t be unseen.

DJ SKIZZ – LISTEN TO JAZZ FEAT. YOUR OLD DROOG

A melody of brass horns floats through the air as the murmur of a vinyl LP rotates in the background. Then a rough but smooth voice comes through the speakers as Your Old Droog spits (“I don’t rap, I skat”) lyrics not about money and bling, but jazz artists and real life.

The song twists and bends through the chambers of your mind.

Jazz guitar sporadically breaks through the smoke of music and memories, adding an extra layer of euphoria. And this is only the first single released by DJ Skizz from his upcoming album, Cruise Control, due July 29th.

Born in Boston, Skizz now resides in Brooklyn and if “Listen to Jazz” is any indication of what to expect from Cruise Control, he will have one of the hottest albums in 2016. For hip hop fans that prefer substance over materialism, “Listen to Jazz” is reminiscent of Entroducing DJ Shadow, and early De La Soul. The perfect soundtrack for chilling with your crush this summer to show him or her just how smooth you be.

 

BOB DYLAN – DON’T THINK TWICE, IT’S ALRIGHT (ANIMAL COLLECTIVE REMIX)

Yesterday Bob Dylan–you know, that guy your parents always tried to get you to listen to when you were young but you really discover when you’re in college–celebrated his 75th birthday. In honor of the King of Garbled Crooning with the Golden Lyrics, Animal Collective remixed his famous, early career track, “Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright.”

Needless to say, the Baltimore band of experimental pop artists do a complete make-over of the classic Dylan song. While the original is a break-up song, it’s also a little faster than most, moving away from the heartbreak and infusing a sliver of hope to the listener with it’s charismatic tempo. Animal Collective turns this concept on its head with a heartbeat tempo; strange mystical sounds and their signature animal noises in the background. We have to admit, it’s oddly soothing and surprisingly good, even with the looped samples of Dylan’s harmonica lulling ears at the end.

 

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PROPHETS OF RAGE

Look, let’s be real. Shit’s getting bad out there in 2016. Global Warming, racial violence, terrorism, Donald Trump, all signs of our times and probably the Apocalypse. America, and the world, needs to hear more voices speaking up and shouting out. We need. . .the Prophets of Rage!

By now you might have heard the rumors that Rage Against the Machine members Tom Morello, Brad Wilk, and Tim Commerford will be regrouping. But wait, it gets better. They’ll be joined by Public Enemy’s own prophet of power, Chuck D., and the one-and-only B. Real of Cypress Hill.

A clock on the Prophetsofrage.com counting down to May 31, it appears the rumors are true. This week Chuck D tweeted teasers to his fans. Factmag.com is also reporting the band will make their live debut on June 3rd at the historic Hollywood Palladium, with a Whisky A-Go Go show to follow.

JOEY PURP – “GIRLS” FEAT. CHANCE THE RAPPER

Anyone who says hip-hop is dead hasn’t checked out Chicago’s SaveMoney collective. The most famous name to come out of the group to this point has been Chance the Rapper, but all that is about to change with the drop of Joey Purps’ debut, iiiDrops.

I’m sure you’re thinking, “But Joey Purps has been building his name for the last year featuring bars on several tracks,” which is true. But fam, check it. The singles he has been releasing on the path to his debut have been some of the most fire hip hop I’ve heard in a minute. First came “Photobooth,” with it’s James Brown horn section samples and just the right amount of space floating between the booming beat.

Enter his second single, “Girls.”

Following in the footsteps of “Photobooth,” there’s a lot going on in this song and yet maintains a minimal sound that keeps it honest. Produced by Knox Fortune–another SaveMoney member who recently made his debut on Chance’s latest mixtape, Coloringbook,– “Girls” plays between a rubbery, bouncing bass and odd sounds like chimes, bubble pops and a subtle rhythm in the background as if someone is drumming on a drinking glass. So how did he create so much space for Purp and Chance to lay their flows so smoothly?

Purp and crew are creating new, exciting music with an old school flow and feel that feels almost timeless. I guess the future will tell but for now, turn this shit up loud!!!

iiiDrops on May 27th