Thought I would round off and bring clear focus to the sound found in these two older posts (here and here). Dont worry, no o.c.d'ed attempts to start a series this time :)
I will leave it up to you discover the artists below if you hear something you like.
My brief intro is this: Over the past 4 years a sound has emerged that has more recently been picking up momentum and therefore attention. Inspired by Burial's epic emotive genre-evolving [dubstep] Untrue LP and The Knife's edgy-yet-melodic Silent Shout LP, this sound-now-genre is best described as 'ghostly slow-moving electro-pop', but has come to take on a few other handles, like 'drag', 'witch house', or even 'haunted house'. The term 'drag' seems most relevant, but only for its historical import as it was the word used to describe the screwed, chopped and syrupy hip-hop style of DJ Screw and others in Houston in the 90's. Salem, seemingly the first band to bring attention to this slow and dark electo-pop, used this name to describe their sound because they were making twisted and chopped hip-hop but with heavy, spooky synths and creepy vocal samples. So in spite of the sound now being a kind of pop, it more closely resembles hip-hop, Houston hip-hop, but with the added elements of dub, goth, electro, ambient house, and contemporary pop. Interestingly, its twisted, drudging and druggy poppy hip-hop sound is creating a global non-local scene that is independent of the indie scene and is connecting and building through the internet. And for some ephemeral reason through the music the dissenting and scattered bedroom community is palpable and generating a kind of warm nostalgia for the halcyon days of the genre's underground and subversive beginnings that were intimately and seemingly innocently 'tied to [cough] syrup abuse' and budget mixtapes.
The take home point here is that, at present, this genre is populated by just a handful of artists, Salem, OoOoOO, Balam Acab, White Ring, Creep, and Fostercare, all of which (except for Salem) have started up in the past year and all of which (including Salem) have come from different musical backgrounds and influences. These previously unconnected beginner producers provide the genre with a refreshingly varied musical soundscape in spite of the fact that all are working from the same dark, thick and twisted aesthetic. The one thing that is obvious in the sound is the thing that in my mind ensures the artists and the genre relative longevity - the artists love and respect for music of almost any genre.
I will leave it up to you discover the artists below if you hear something you like.
My brief intro is this: Over the past 4 years a sound has emerged that has more recently been picking up momentum and therefore attention. Inspired by Burial's epic emotive genre-evolving [dubstep] Untrue LP and The Knife's edgy-yet-melodic Silent Shout LP, this sound-now-genre is best described as 'ghostly slow-moving electro-pop', but has come to take on a few other handles, like 'drag', 'witch house', or even 'haunted house'. The term 'drag' seems most relevant, but only for its historical import as it was the word used to describe the screwed, chopped and syrupy hip-hop style of DJ Screw and others in Houston in the 90's. Salem, seemingly the first band to bring attention to this slow and dark electo-pop, used this name to describe their sound because they were making twisted and chopped hip-hop but with heavy, spooky synths and creepy vocal samples. So in spite of the sound now being a kind of pop, it more closely resembles hip-hop, Houston hip-hop, but with the added elements of dub, goth, electro, ambient house, and contemporary pop. Interestingly, its twisted, drudging and druggy poppy hip-hop sound is creating a global non-local scene that is independent of the indie scene and is connecting and building through the internet. And for some ephemeral reason through the music the dissenting and scattered bedroom community is palpable and generating a kind of warm nostalgia for the halcyon days of the genre's underground and subversive beginnings that were intimately and seemingly innocently 'tied to [cough] syrup abuse' and budget mixtapes.
The take home point here is that, at present, this genre is populated by just a handful of artists, Salem, OoOoOO, Balam Acab, White Ring, Creep, and Fostercare, all of which (except for Salem) have started up in the past year and all of which (including Salem) have come from different musical backgrounds and influences. These previously unconnected beginner producers provide the genre with a refreshingly varied musical soundscape in spite of the fact that all are working from the same dark, thick and twisted aesthetic. The one thing that is obvious in the sound is the thing that in my mind ensures the artists and the genre relative longevity - the artists love and respect for music of almost any genre.
Balam Acab - See Birds EP (fs)
"fear, nostalgia, bliss, sadness, euphoria, beauty, peace, dreams,
loneliness, longing, i want you to get lost..."
See Birds by BALAM ACAB
Pink Priest - Tell Me Something Awesome Before I Go to Sleep (Balam Acab Remix) (right click save as here here)
Salem - King Night (2010) (fs LP!)
Title track sampling Silent Night
Salem - Red Lights (From Yes I Smoke Crack EP - fs)
Radiohead - Reckoner - (Salem Remix) (right click and save as here)
White Ring - icx999
Creep - Jessica King
Referenced Articles:
Pitchfork A and B
Fader
BONUS:
Salem - Streets of Philadelphia (Springsteen cover) (right click save as here)
Bruce Springsteen - Streets of Philadelphia (fs) (Official Music Video)
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