Loving the name-check at 1:15.

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And when it gets a bit too heavy, how you gonna go? Put your hands on your headphones, pull the trigger on your dro. Most everything’s in the cloud these days anyhow. Back then distant drums signaled news, but we don’t always need the boom-bap for a smoke signal. Why not wrap it around yourself, let it settle thick, make it a blanket—that’s the wisdom of the best dudes here. The greatest trick you could ever pull is making them think it all blows by you. As for me, just leaning at the lenticular, getting wavy.

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Three sisters who are clearly gonna work it out.

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The first single from Shaking the Habitual gets a video from feminist porn director Marit Ostberg. Album title seems very apropos, given this 10-minute monster.

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Don’t need to say much about this one—just welcome back, g-funk.

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The focus of Relics is more on electronic rhythms and grooves, but every now and then you’ve got to get in touch with your inner sad bastard. Here’s a mix tape to get you all snuggly with melancholy.

[download]

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Earlier in 2012 I helped my comrades in Idol Patterns, Anngie and Jason, throw a Halloween party in Berkeley. It was the first of what we hope to be many Rhythm Rituals, dance nights featuring a variety of dark music, from synthpop oddities to abstract techno and other bass-heavy varietals. The venue was guarded by occult statuary, including more than a hundred animal skulls, and we broadcast a video we had put together, building a magickal narrative from segments of various ritualistic films from the 60s and 70s—The Devils, The Devil Rides Out, Blood on Satan’s Claw (notice a theme?), Suspiria, some Coffin Joe selections, Kenneth Anger’s Invocation of My Demon Brother, and of course Sir Richard Bishop’s God Damn Religion. Other DJs included Nako from Popscene and Shutter, as well as Nihar from Warm Leatherette and Haceteria.

Musically speaking, below you’ll find the first hour of what became a 2 1/2 hour set. I started with a few newer tunes before returning to the original age of inspiration: late 70s/early 80s New Romantic numbers, some dystopian alt-disco, and a smattering of spastic post-punk. It was most def the time to dance on Sprockets.

[download]

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As imaginary genres go, chillwave is pretty grounded in time. The style was born in the fall of ’09 when Carles found a few bands that reminded him of how last summer felt. 2011 was the year that trio came back with new albums: Neon Indian, Washed Out, and the even more prolific Toro y Moi. But the sound was always there waiting for us, conjured up in the act of looking back: sherbet skies, faded flip-flops, mix tape tracks washing into each other, an AnCo sticker on a Prius. You’re unpacking an old bag, sand spills out, you catch a whiff of SPF 80, warmth shimmers down your limbs. Nearly all of these tracks were recorded or remixed in 2011, so there’s clearly something in the water. Unbottle this one halfway between nostalgia and next season.

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[download]

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Dubstep pioneer, Big Apple label owner, one half of Digital Mystikz, part proprietor of the infamous DMZ club night—Mala has his fingers in a lot of pots. And after two years to steep he’s finally serving up some congri, blending new bass music with authentic Cubanismo  on Mala in Cuba. Gilles Peterson, ever on a search for fusion, sent Mala on a series of trips to work with local musicians and record native rhythms. To Mala’s credit, he lets the original samples breathe, warping them to fit the rhythm of bass music circa 2012 but never using a horn or a timbale as simply garnish. It’s a thoughtful and surprisingly uplifting blend, and he saves the sweetest touch for last—a collaboration with rising vocalist Danay Suarez.

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Mala – Noches Sueños feat. Danay Suarez [download] [buy]

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Few words ring together more beautifully than “Mediafire account suspension.” In the meantime, the fellas at Night Slugs have a new mix of old and fresh techno tracks. It’s courtesy of Jam City, whose debut Classical Curves will be available on May 28. You can grab the mix for free here.

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