[Album] Big Gigantic: "The Night Is Young"
Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken make up the eclectic electronic dance music duo Big Gigantic. The pair have made name for themselves over the better part of the last five years since entering the national scene on the back of their talented, yet still developing aesthetic of mixing Jazz and Electronic sensibilities coherently into a single production. Where the pair's debut project, Fire It Up comes with glitchy electronic hits and seemingly forced horn runs, their latest project is anything but. Polished over incessant touring schedules and packed festival lineups every year, Big Gigantic has evolved into one of the most entertaining live electronic acts in the world. Forget the smoke, light stick cannons and 3D renderings of acts like Excision, Datsik and the like; what sets Big Gigantic apart and allows them to live up to their name is the innate ability to be different through instrumentation.
The first time seeing Lalli induce a drop with his saxophone, accented by Salken on drums live is an almost truly out of body experience. The Night Is Young very well may be the duo's best offering to date. Building on production lines established on the last project, Nocturnal, it is a full step up from where they were a year ago at this time. On "Blue Dream" you can hear pieces of "Rise and Shine", but with a distinctly different play on notes that takes it to a different place sonically. Sounds are tighter, the horns and electronic hits feel in tune with one another. If their debut project was electronic with a sprinkle of Jazz, this latest offering is a more equal split of tendencies. Adding Cherub on the first single off the project, aptly titled "The Night is Young" is the perfect collaboration for the pair and one that I am personally glad is out in the world. The project was released both as a free download via their website and on iTunes and Lalli and Salken announced a nationwide tour (Tickets) in tune with the project's release. Check it all out below.
(Check the Kanye sample on "Clvdbvrst")
[Video] The Black Lips: "Boys in the Wood" (NSFW)
The Black Lips today released their latest video viz Vice/Noisey, and it's one you'll probably remember for awhile. The group, which last graced listeners with an album on 2011's Arabia Mountain, commissioned fellow Atlantans The ATL Twins and Matt Swinsky to direct this hell-raising romp through the forest that includes everything from fire dancing and sponge bath in a coffin to "murder and face-pissing". It's a hell of a way to climb back into the public eye after a elongated time away and the song isn't half bad either. "Boys in the Wood" is the first single off The Black Lips' forthcoming studio project, Underneath The Rainbow, due out March 18 on Vice Records, with pre-orders now available on iTunes. The band also announced a Spring tour, for which the dates can be found below.
Beats Music Enters the Streaming Game
Dr. Dre and Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine took over the headphone industry with their celebrity-driven Beats By Dre line since emerging in 2008 and now have their sites set on the online music-streaming market. The pair behind the iconic Beats Electronics announced plans over the weekend for their next project, Beats Music, an online music-streaming service not unlike Spotify, Pandora or iTunes Radio. Beginning on January 21, users can subscribe to the service for a $10 monthly fee after which they are prompted to provide three genres and three artists from which the program creates a custom algorithm from which to browse music.
While Beats Music does boast a 20-million song roster, it still couldn't swing The Beatles or Led Zeppelin, but that doesn't seem to be stopping others from getting on board. According to Mike Snider of USA Today, "Already, AT&T is on board with an economical $15 monthly family plan. Another major player, wireless speaker company Sonos, plans to have Beats Music operational on its speakers and music systems on Day One. More collaborations will likely become public as the launch date nears." It seems that the next big race will be for Internet streaming supremacy, and Pandora and Spotify better watch out because Beats Music seems ready to take things up a notch.
[via USA Today]
[Video] Ka: "You Know It’s About"
I've been hearing about Brooklyn native Ka for a minute now. The buzz around him hasn't been focused solely on his rappinf abilities, proving himself as a true 21st Century artist with some foresight, Ka has made people recognize him for both his skills on the mic and behind the camera, as he directs his own videos. The latest is for his single "You Know It's About" off his The Night’s Gambit project available on iTunes. Check out the video below as Ka takes viewers on a B&W journey through Brooklyn.
[youtube id="5QQluCCNJU4" mode="normal" align="center"]
Nike Unveils The Nike+ Move
When it comes to winter, it's easy to just throw on some sweatpants and hibernate all the way through until spring. The cold weather makes it harder to be outside, and it makes it easier to skip out on the gym. With the Nike+ Move, it makes it a little easier to remain active and defy the urges of being a couch potato all winter long.
The app is free and exclusively made for the iPhone 5s, tracking every movement you make so you can earn more NikeFuel points. The app gives you detailed graphs and charts, relaying information about the days you were most active and where you moved the most, along with peak times of exercise, as well as the type of movements you did. If you need some motivation to exercise or just want to monitor your workouts during the winter months, go and download the free app.
[Via iTunes]
Apple Announces Launch Date for iTunes Radio
It looks like Apple is ready to step into the ring with Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, and Google Play Music All Access by officially announcing that it's music streaming service iTunes Radio will be available September 18. Apple's newest music feature will be released as part of the new iOS7 update. "Its focus is placed on playlists or stations based on the music that already exists in users personal libraries, this is generated from iTunes entire catalogue." You will be able to use iTunes Radio on all Apple devices as well as with iTunes Windows based devices. There is no cost to using iTunes Radio and it is completely free but like other services it will supported by ads but there is an upgrade that's ad free for a price.
[Via Hypetrak]