So, the last thing I expected to be posting today (or ever) was a mash-up mixtape (the last Girl Talk album actually made me want to cry), but I just can’t deny how great this is. The Hood Internet presents Trillwave 2 a delightful blend of hip hop greats and some of D.I.D.‘s favorite indie darlings. This is summer at its core, so let these jams guide you through the weekend. Tracklist below.

The Hood Internet – Trillwave 2 by Мишка Bloglin

1. Lil Wayne x Rick Ross x Com Truise – Slow John
2. Sean Kingston x Nicki Minaj x Stewrat – Dutty Disagreements
3. R. Kelly x Wisin & Yandel x Baths – Maximal Burns
4. Raekwon x Method Man x Ghostface Killah x Twin Sister – Wu Daydream
5. Drake x Rick Ross x Holy Other x Supreme Cuts – Touch One
6. Das Racist x Cults – Go Hahahaha
7. Lupe Fiasco x Handsome Furs – The People Serve On
8. Young Chris x Bibio – Anything Philly
9. Lil B x Gold Panda – Real You
10. Fabolous x Washed Out – Eyes Be Killin Em
11. John Blu x Gonzales – Theme From Yo Booty
12. YG x Millionyoung – Sentimental Boot
13. Drake x Grum – Someday We’ll Find Your Love
14. Nicki Minaj x Hercules And Love Affair – Moment 4 Leonora
15. The Cataracs x The Pack x Boards Of Canada – Blueberry Cycling
16. Big Sean x Chris Brown x Man Man – Last Knuckle
17. Raekwon x Ghostface Killah x Destroyer – Kaputting It Up
18. Arcade Fire x Blondie – Sprawl Of Glass
19. Eric B & Rakim x Clark – Don’t Sweat The Tednique
20. Warren G x Nate Dogg x Toro Y Moi – Still Regulating
21. Dom x Gucci Mane x Usher – Stranger In America
22. Empire Of The Sun x Wild Nothing – Walking In Chinatown
23. Felt (Slug & Murs) x Caribou – Sun Chewed Up
24. M.I.A. x Sufjan Stevens – I XXXOed
25. Broken Social Scene x Twista x The Legendary Traxster – All Wetter

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Toro Y Moi is releasing a new EP titled “Freaking Out” on September 13th, and has shared a glipse of what that will sound like through his cover of Cherelle’s R&B classic Saturday Love. Toro takes an interesting approach to this track by notching the BPM up a few figures and adding additional synth and vocal layers. News of the EP release comes hand in hand with a smattering of new tour dates running from July through December, which you can check here while listening to the new track below.

Toro Y Moi – Saturday Love

Cherelle Ft. Alexander O’Neal – Saturday Love

 

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I’m still a little fried from remixing Toro a few weeks ago, so I had Crimson write this one up.

Toro Y Moi’s Underneath The Pine has brought fan anticipation to a hefty swell—and rightfully so. Chaz Bundick’s earliest tracks hit the scene like a tsunami almost two years ago, and his debut album, Causers Of This, both expanded and encapsulated his unique sound. By incorporating a wide range of sonic textures and influences in his earlier works, he effectively and consistently prevented his sound from falling prey to the undertow of reductive categorization and hyper-labeling that so many other chillwave acts have experienced. This is why I have deep respect for Toro’s work, and it’s what kept earlier songs like Talamak and Blessa firmly situated in my monthly playlists and mixes.

When an artist experiences significant success after dropping material on an audience eager for innovative and intelligent music, what do they do next? Ultimately, what follows an initial victory can make or break the legacy of a person’s work. It is a tricky balance. Progression is imperative, as is continually incorporating your sonic roots as you move forward. In this pursuit of development Underneath The Pine aims high, and in some ways Chaz hits the mark. I was initially quite impressed by his level of success in transitioning from sequencing to live audio recording, which gives his vision for songwriting a different energy and facilitates live performance of the tracks. The live recording also allows for a cleaner presentation of polyrhythm, interesting chord progressions, clever phrasing and melodic enterprise (Go With You, Divina and Good Hold come to mind). The dryer, sparser percussive elements give these songs more room to breathe than if they were produced through the Causers Of This mold, and in this way, Chaz tests the old idiom about necessity and invention. These songs demonstrate the effectiveness of this new approach.

Yet the tracks hit me as exceptions to the general vibe of the album. As much as I respect Chaz’s desire to evolve in the direction that Underneath The Pine represents, I still couldn’t help but yearn for the deep synths, heavy beats, and immersive glow that typified Causers Of This. It was a fresh, clever, and honest sound that the album seemed to distance itself with each listen. In attempting to represent of a multitude of musical styles, Chaz’s latest work spreads itself too thin. It is a tray of many different hors d’œuvres—some tasty, some less tasty—that after munching still leaves me craving a main course. The cohesiveness that landed Causers Of This on firm footing is less present; many of the tracks towards the middle and end of the album unfortunately fall flat and dilute the listening experience. The catchy, upbeat singles New Beat and Still Sound do hold their own as Chaz ventures into a different take on lo-fi funk-pop, but they did more to remind me of my preference for other artists that have already taken this sound to the nth degree.

However well Chaz progresses through portions of Underneath The Pine, a majority of the album fails to tap into the foundations of what made his earlier works so memorable. Maybe this is the catch to using more live instrumentation in this album; maybe it is merely the way my ears are wired. I still must applaud him for taking a courageous step in a new direction. His creative process will undoubtedly benefit from stretching his musical muscles, and I hope his next venture will be a more comprehensive inclusion of his sonic roots.

You can stream the album here before it’s out on February 22nd.

Toro Y Moi “New Beat”

Toro Y Moi – “Still Sound”

February 18th, 2011 | Published in Music  |  3 Comments

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Crimson and I noticed the stems for Toro Y Moi‘s Still Sound were up on Carpark Records‘ soundcloud, and we decided to give it a go. You should like us on Facebook if you’re really into it.

Toro Y Moi – Still Sound (Comanche Remix)

January 28th, 2011 | Published in Music  |  2 Comments

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