Ah Valentine’s Day, when love is in the air and chocolates are in the belly. V-Day (not to be confused with the other V-Day) is a day when couples all over take time out to renew their loving vows with one another. Lucky for you, I spent Valentine’s Day alone listening to dubstep and grime in my lonely, lonely room. You’re welcome.
1.“The Birds”- Guttstar
It seemed only fitting to kick this love-fest off with a sexy cut. Hailing from Burlington, Vermont, Matt Gutt (aka Guttstar) has put together a 5-track EP celebrating all things love. Titled “Double Healix,” this opening track sounds like making love in a laboratory. Careful, watch out for the Bunsen burner. Ow! The Bunsen burner!
2.“The Frog Dimension” - Nick Bliss
I’m always pleasantly surprised by odd chord progressions. So much of music relies on tired, rehashed chord changes simply because it’s what everyone’s used to. It’s especially true in electronic music, as most people are too paying attention to the drums and rhythm tracks to notice. Check out the slightly unpredictable progression in the intro: Like the travelling hypnotist who came to my high school, Bliss lulls you into a trance, suddenly drops serious bass, and tricks you into clucking like a chicken in front of your crush.
3.“MmmHmm” - Flying Lotus
I’ll admit, I was a little surprised when La Roux won Best Electronic/Dance Album at the Grammy’s this week. But no one took it harder than Flying Lotus. After releasing one of the best reviewed electronic albums of the year, he was snubbed for a nomination and subsequently went on a Twitter rampage in the following days. Well, Mr. Lotus, I know it’s no Grammy but here’s my award for Best Flying Lotus Song on a Low-Level Electronic Music Blog for the week of 2/13-2/19. Congratulations, sir. You’ve earned it.
4.“Contagious (The Isley Brothers) Remix” - Cuthead
I have a friend named George. George is one of the best people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing, and I’ve known him since 6th grade. But George is also one of the most heinous abusers of Facebook chat known to man. Every day I get piles of links to songs and videos, some of which are good, some of which are forgettable and most of which are generally awful. But George was kind enough to send Cuthead my way, and I was kind enough to listen. Glad I did, because this soulful, powerful and occasionally Pretty Lights-sounding artist has been playing on non-stop repeat in my head. On this remix of The Isley Brothers tune “Contagious” he wisely preserves the haunting, wounded voice of Ronald Isley, instead of cutting it up or marring it with sound. Maybe I ought to start paying better attention to George’s links? Hey, who’s IM’ing me. Oh, son of a bitch! Hi, George.
5.“Cat Rats” - Skrillex
It’s come to my attention that Skrillex has become a majorly polarizing figure in the electronic fan community. Some sing his praises, while others begin compulsively swearing at the mere mention of his name. I’m not sure what people are complaining about, but I do know one thing. Skrillex is here to stay. So shut the fuck up.
If you’re an artist who’d like to be featured on Natty’s Picks of the Week, shoot me an email at natty@theuntz.com