scissorkick

No surprise that I'm posting this new gem of a remix from a new Mice Parade EP recently released on Bubblecore as both artists have been featured on scissorkick in the past. Kim Hiorthoy gives "Milton Road" ( a track from last year's Obrigado Saudade some of the happy we are looking for as spring rolls into town and enough of the Smalltown Supersound treatment to satisfy the IDM-monster hungering inside you. Circular percussion ans string stabs give way to a heady break reminiscent of less noisy Four Tet but with the same swagger as Hebden in his most head-nodding moments. Not sure how you'll respond to the rambling vocal samples. Half of me likes the sudden surprise, the other half thinks they (and the the repetitive, Rapture-like cowbell/hi-hat flurry) sort of unnecessarily tangle things up. But enough from me, what do all of you out there think?
Mice Parade :: "Milton Road" (My Skull With Flowers Remix By Kim Hiorthoy)

Posted by Steve at 4/19/2005 11:01:00 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Brand new track from an import deluxe edition of Beck's new Guero record. I am not sure if this is available inthe states but in addition to a second disk DVD, the deluxe edition features remixes from Royksopp, Octet and Dizzee Rascal as well. Since we are really enjoying Mr. Hanson's latest, it is a real pleasure to see one of the record's best tracks remixed by the Boards duo. This is a really nice marriage of BoC's lazy, organic ambience and Beck's slowly-paced Gordon Lightfoot-esque drawl. Although BoC hasn't delivered new original material in a while, this is a logical follow-up to their excellent Boom Bip remix. I think fans of both the artists involved will find it a symbiotic relationship worth checking out. Thanks to big Sam aka Devon Miles for hooking me up with this MP3.
Beck :: Broken Drum (Boards of Canada Remix)

Posted by Steve at 4/15/2005 12:59:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Here you go. This is what happens when virtuoso guitarists try and take things to another level. This may not be a dancefloor banger, but this is definitely gonna find its way onto some 'Acoustic Breaks' mix tape some day soon or at least be notable for sounding like a more powerfully laid-down version of the main riff in Beck's "Loser." For those who aren't familiar with Leo Kottke however, this track is definitely not representative of the guitarist's forte. To make a long, interesting story short (and boring), Kottke is a folk guitar phenomenon who plays with incredible skill while suffering from partial hearing loss in both ears. His constant touring and output have resulted in lingering hand pain which makes his story even more inspiring. His stock is in highly complex and innovative folk instrumentals, somewhere between pastoral elegance and pure power. Like a serene river that has flooded, its waters sweeping away cattle and your kids with the same indifference. Maybe not. And this track, unearthed while shuffling through iTunes, was something of a find for me as I was unaware of Kottke's more modernly produced stuff. It was taken from his "Standing in My Shoes" LP which was produced with former Prince sideman David Z. Doesn't necessarily mean its good, but I thought it would be of interest to Kottke/acoustic breaks fans.
Leo Kottke :: Dead End

Posted by Steve at 4/13/2005 02:51:00 PM | Permalink | Comments   

We do what we do not out of competition but out of passion. For some it's all about being first, but for most, we dig through filthy crates and mine racks, magazines and MP3 blogs simply for the transient electricity of that new discovery. One of the benefits of helping out with a label is that scissorkick gets to listen to its fair share of demos and white labels and as a result gets to spread deserving and relatively unknown music to like-minded listeners. A great example is the recently stumbled upon site for UK producer Scarf Face who sent Bastard Jazz a demo after they recently put out a record from another young, talented Brighton producer Mawglee. Both producers honor a longstanding tradition of solid leftfield UK production, creating tracks that satisfy both sides of the brain, predicated on a solid break yet free to roam any direction of an otherwise limitless sonic landscape. On my initial listen to the demos produced by Scarf Face, I was immediately struck by the cat's skillful ability to jump between genres and his obvious creative respect for his influences. A lot of what you will hear in the tracks posted (and in the additional tracks available from the link below) will remind you of samples and songs that feel familiar but are difficult to place -- a measure of success for any producer. "Lonesome" is a solid downtempo banger in the Tru Thoughts style that opens strong with an evocative chord progression and a massive downtempo break, getting a proper UK rubdown thereafter with a Brighton-sized serving of novel samples (Sarah Vaughan and Count Basie on the hook). "Harp Ruff" shows another side of his impressive oeuvre (seriously, hit the link and listen to all this stuff) more akin to Hebden's recent Four Tet stuff (think "Untangle" or various moments on Rounds) than a Mark Rae Manchester hip-hop instrumental. But still incredible and a sign that this young producer not only knows his way around the production side of things, but obviosuly shares the same diverse love of wax that brought you to this site in the first place. Click this LINK for a whole bunch of Scarf Face tracks.

Scarf Face :: Lonesome Scarf Face :: Harp Ruff

Posted by Steve at 4/07/2005 12:32:00 AM | Permalink | Comments