james blake

Electronic, New Artists 25/11/2011

New Artist: Dam Mantle

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Tom Marshallsay a.k.a. Dam Mantle has been making big waves in the Electronic music scene the last few months after releasing the We EP, out on his own label Get Me!. His eclectic mix of gloomy pads, pitched down vocals and skittish 808 drum hits makes for some really haunted vibes, somewhere in between Burial and James Blake. You can grab the EP here – we really insist on it actually. Check out Not A Word below and you’ll see why!

Electronic, New Artists 13/06/2011

New Artist: Psychologist

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It takes a brave man to make music through minimal sound effects and the raw power of his own voice. Before James Blake took such a leap of faith at the end of last year, there was Iain Woods, the man behind Psychologist. And whilst the former basks in his critical acclaim, the latter carries on creating less recognised, yet equally magnificent music. His sound falls somewhere in between two ends of the minimalist spectrum – the bass-driven Blake and the piano-led melodies of Oupa and Perfume Genius.Recorded in a church, Waves Of OK is the first of two EPs released by Psychologist this year and, as a result, each of its five unnerving songs have a real hymnal quality. The standout is Come In Waves, which sees Woods’ voice take centre stage, so distinguishable that the piano and bassy sound effects are just an afterthought. Be sure to explore some other highlights on Psychologist’s Hype Machine page, and watch out for the second EP release later this year, which contains further electronic explorations.

Electronic, New Artists 19/05/2011

New Artist: Ifan Dafydd

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There is little known about Welsh named Ifan Dafydd. With only two songs to his/her name and no official website or label backing, Dafydd is certainly under the radar. Applying an extremely similar style to that of James Blake’s pre-album material, speculation is fast spreading as to whether Ifan Dafydd, likeHarmonimix, is just another alias that Blake hides behind. Amidst all this uncertainty the only thing we can really be sure of is how great the music is. Dafydd’s No Good organically corrupts Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m no Good with pitched-down samples, warm synth-lines and sparse wooden claps to create a rich and intimate sound. It’s accompanied by a chopped and screwed video of the original Winehouse song that you can watch below. We’ve also treated you to a new release by the mysterious producer that popped up a few weeks ago called Tree House. Whoever it is that’s making these sounds, Ifan Dafydd is without a doubt a talent to to watch and admire over the coming months.