Hidden Gems

 

I just found out about this crazy new band... Dave Mathews Band. We all know who they are, but recently I've just been letting iTunes navigate itself on random and I've been finding some hidden gems in my library. After a morning hangover splash in the ocean, these tunes came on and paved the way for the rest of my day. I think some people get turned off with bands when they get too big. But I say, if it sounds good, its good. And lets face it, there's a reason a band attracts a colossal following - because people like their music. Enjoy these classic picks as you wind down from a weekend full of barbecuing and cold beers.

Dave Matthews Band - Stolen Away On 55th & 3rd by therabble

Dave Matthews & Soulive - Joyful Girl by therabble

Purple Castles Made of Glass

When Ethan Kath collaborated with noise-punk singer, Alice Glass, to produce their self-titled album Crystal Castles in 2007, this electro cult erupted with gothic-rave goers agreeing to dance over vintage Mario 8-bits that had sat in a grungy basement awaiting their return. The experimental sounds of their popular release "Crimewave" attracted avid listeners from all musical backgrounds, as it simultaneously pierced the ears and soothed the senses. After leaking on to the internet in April, their new album Crystal Castles II has begun to create a thrill in the hearts of those left hanging on for more following their last release. A bit more spacious and even more creepy, this album expands on the electronic plops we were left with last time, while maintaining the fuzzy riffs and megaphone chants that provide the perfect dance beat for those looking for a little more edge without heading into that dreary night club in the back alley.

This remix of their new track "Celestica" is sure to provide listeners with the pop-infused beat and jumpy sound needed to make this weekend worth dancing to. Enjoy.
Crystal Castles - Celestica (Professor Purple Remix) by therabble

Breaking Down the Bells

Broken Bells is the collaborative duo of Brian Burton a.k.a. Danger Mouse and James Mercer a.k.a front man from The Shins. Although this group only took off in October of 2009 they are doing incredible things. Full of mellow, catchy vocals, the group's sound is simplistic and bare-boned, using only the essentials to make you keep these songs on repeat. The style is definitely unique - like a unicorn getting struck by lighting while walking on the water. This indie-rocked, electro-vibed group is a good one to look out for. They are touring all over this summer starting on the West coast right now. It's too late to change your mind, you let lost be your guide.
Broken Bells - The Ghost Inside by therabble
  Broken Bells - The High Road by therabble 

A Brand New Perspective

These two tracks are quite possibly the most accurate expressions of the spectrum of emotion. This first one from the recently released Vitalic album, Flashmob, comes at you like a thrusting jet stream ready to rip down your house, while gently setting you in a nest to gather your thoughts from the intoxicating coma it just put you through. Vitalic debuted in 2005 with their album, OK Cowboy, combining pop-spiked synthesizers with harmonic heavy bass-lines. To add to the intensity that Vitalic offers, this song is collaborated on by The Bloody Beetroots, that for those of you don't know, are an electro-punk duo from Italy that give the Dalai Lama a hard time standing still. Even for those with the most basic electronic appreciation are sure to take this song for a ride, again, and again, and again...
Vitalic - Second Live (The Blood Beetroots remix) by therabble

The second song is one that many will recognize from popular Kid Cudi song "Man on the Moon." However, this song at its purest form may perhaps be one of the most beautifully orchestrated electronic track that I have came across yet. It comes from Japanese electronic artist, Nosaj Thing, self-released EP Views/Octupus. After this glitchy, trance-like, hip-hop synthed takes hold of your consciousness, and you form a new outlook on the people you thought you knew and the perspective you thought you had, come back to the rabble and get ready for what we're gonna do for you next.
Nosaj Thing - Aquarium by therabble

Soul Sunday

My body literally hurts too much to write anything of importance, compliment, praise, or understanding. Every week is Soul Sunday. This is kind of like when people introduce someone and say they need no introduction, which is obviously giving them some type of introduction. But this song sums up Sunday in a nutshell. We know you're feeling a little roughed up from the weekend. Take it Easy.
  Lionel Richie - Easy Like Sunday Morning by therabble

Hip Hop Fridays

Once a week we will hit you with something different. Fridays will provide you with a healthy dose rap, hip hop, and R&B. The only constant is change, and change is good, so embrace it.

From New York hails a duo called Gang Starr started back in the 80s. DJ Premier and Guru were producing hip hop beats scratched with New York's jazz swing style. They "put in work," releasing hits on 12" vinyls and "watched there status escalate." In 2005 Guru and Premier concentrated on other projects and took a break from the group. Unfortunately, the break never ended and the group seemingly split. Tragically, Guru suffered a heart attack in February and was in a coma for 3 months. Just last month he past away on April 19, 2010. Rest In Peace.
Gang Starr - Full Clip by therabble

Gang Starr - Work by therabble

Everything In It's Right Place

Every person has those moments that they will never forget. First kiss, first time driving, first time getting high, and most importantly, first time being moved by a live musical performance to the point of nirvana. The year was 2006, the location was Bonnaroo Music Festival, and the band was Radiohead. Regardless of the days experimentation and adventures, that moment, standing with the only person who shared the same love of Thom Yorke and company as I did, will never be erased from my mind. Radiohead conducted one of the most theatrical and moving sets I have witnessed to this day. There was something in the air that night, and it wasn't the smell of the bohemian youth surrounding us. No, it was something much more. It was "Everything In It's Right Place," the exact-fucking-right-space! I wish I could sit here and describe Radiohead using colorful vocabulary and emotion, but the fact is, this band has too many elements to be broken down into words. This band is the modern music revolutionary. There landmark internet release of In Rainbows for free in 2007 is just one staple of their incredible career. 

I am definitely a skeptic of other artists' attempts to recreate or remix the ingenious work of Radiohead, but AmpLive's work on his album Raindayz Remixes proved to be quite impressive. Not to mention it is available for free as the group would have wanted it. So be open-minded and tune in...
Radiohead - Nude (Amplive Remix) by therabble

Radiohead - Video Tapez (AmpLive Remix ft. Del the Funky Homosapien) by therabble

Golden Ghostwriter

Ramble John "RJ" Krohn of Columbus, OH, better known as RJD2, has been spinning some of the freshest tracks to hit the finely-tuned eardrums of avid music listeners, since Maceo Parker dropped "Passed the Peas." While his name remains unrecognized by the masses, his sound is more familiar. Getting started in 1993 with a pair of tables borrowed from a friend, RJD2 began producing hip-hop beats for the underground scene and grew in popularity amongst the urban skate subculture. In 2006, he contributed a remix of "Airbag" for Radiohead's album, Exit Music. He has even found his way into the television community, having songs on commercials, and even the theme song for hit AMC show "Mad Men," with his song "Beautiful Mine." This artist leaves you hanging on to his last note waiting for his next release. Fortunately, on June 22nd he will be dropping Inversions of the Colossus, including instrumental and alternate versions of his latest LP, The Colossus.

This mashup of his popular song, "Ghostwriter," and hit Jurassic 5 song, "What's Golden," is sure to leave you in desperation for the release of his new album. Plugin, and enjoy the sound of RJD2.
Golden Ghostwriter (Jurassic 5 vs. RJD2) by therabble

Revamp, Redub, Reglitch, Reuse, Recycle (((STS9)))

Our school hosts a big outdoor concert every year called Extravaganza. This year I could have cared less about all of them, except for Chromeo. So I went to check the Canadian electro-funk duo. Just as I was speaking of the poor sound system and even poorer organization of the event, Chromeo layed down a slumper that made heads drop and arms raise. I thought I was a pretty big fan, but I had never heard this one. I still haven't been able to find this gem, but I did have a thought as I was grooving to it... "I cannot wait to see STS9 again."

So I searched for new music (the best kind) and found two great remixes of STS9 tracks that I think will tend to your liking.

The first is Eskmo, a San Francisco based electronic producer with an experimental sound, which is stimulating but not overbearing. Eskmo has a few shows throughout the summer in California, Colorado, and New York.
STS9 - Shock Doctrine (Eskmo Remix) by therabble

The second is an electronic, dub, psychedelic DJ from the Southern UK, Ott. Personally, I'm down with his sound. Very different, very interesting stuff he calls "Hallucinogen in Dub," in which he takes trance tracks and remixes them slower, fatter, and more chillout friendly. Ott is finishing out the last leg of his U.S. Spring tour right now.
STS9 - The Spectacle (Ott Remix) by therabble

Lightning in a Bottle

From the loosely formed group of brothers and friends officially referred to as The Do LaB, emerges the return of the festival that the underground LA scenesters know too well as Lightning in a Bottle. Utilizing the natural beauty of SoCal forestry and mountain scenery, this small group of friends began in 2000 bringing a spectacle fed by generators, retro lighting, and old-skool vinyl, coupled with a sense of PLUR. Now, 10 years later the Do LaB is doing it again with more vitality than ever before. Set in the 100 acre blissful hills and lush forest of Oak Canyon Ranch located in Irvine, California, LIB9 is sure to bring tranquility and good times.

Experience musical performances from artists such as The Album Leaf, Apparat, Glitch Mob, EOTO, Nosaj Thing, Adam Freeland, Emancipator, and many more! Plus, what would a festival be without a bounty of art, yoga, dance performances, organic food markets, and people that simply want to get (sound)tribal!

Buy your tickets to Lightning in a Bottle 9 now by clicking on the poster above.

LEAVE IT BETTER, LEAVE IT BEAUTIFUL

Emancipate Yourself

This internet phenomenon has reached new levels of hype, making his debut on the scene at the age of 19 in 2006 with his album "Soon It Will Be Cold Enough." At the request of instrumentally sound and electronically unique group STS9, Douglas Appling under his alias Emancipator has been invited to perform at several festivals.

With this 2007 release of mashup "Shook," Appling found himself reaching new levels of artistic achievement in the modern world of music, joining the top 50 downloads of the year on Hype Machine. This unique and humbling combination of rapper Mobb Deep and Icelandic sensation Sigur Ros, is a euphonic blend of organic instrumentation and electronic sounds.

Listen Up. Rabble On.
Emancipator - Shook (Mobb Deep And Sigur Ros remix) by therabble

Wednesday Night Lights

The lights are gorgeous. The Boulder, Colorado based group, Pretty Lights, is the fabulous work of Derek Smith and Cory Eberhard. The two combine live drumming and digital sampling of everything from jazz to gangsta rap, making "glitchy hip-hop beats, buzzing synth lines, and vintage funk and soul samples." Pretty Lights newest release, "Making Up A Changing Mind," is the first of a trilogy of EPs to be released in 2010, so look out for them all. The six tracks on this album dump, slump, and bump.

All of the music can be downloaded for free at prettylightsmusic.com (donations encouraged).

These two tracks are sure to make you groove. So tune in to these jams and let the noise do the work.

Pretty Lights - I Can See It In Your Face by therabble

Pretty Lights - Finally Moving by therabble

The Start

The Rabble is a music blog. Simple and plain. We will bring you songs that make us feel good, and hopefully you will soon be knocking them in your ear buds at volumes that are sure to onset an early hearing impairment.

Sound Tribe Sector Nine “The Rabble” is a tune that has never found its way to a studio release. This slumper is found only in STS9′s live sets (which every person should undoubtedly see). This song is the start.

Listen Up. Rabble On.

Sound Tribe Sector 9 - The Rabble by therabble