Since the beginning of this magazine that we have been receiving great electronic tracks. For some reason, we didn’t post about those submissions because we felt they should be integrated into a specific mood. We are now building that mood with a monthly post focusing on the best of indietronica. This is Electromental – part 6.
RLGNS & Vasco Completo – passionately uncaring
We’ve talked about RLGNS (3 times already) and we’ve talked about Vasco Completo. These are two of our favorite new electronic acts out there, and it makes us even more engaged knowing they are also doing music together. passionately uncaring is a gorgeous 2-track release, that without taking the rhythm much up it keeps us, as listeners, in the chill zone, in an electrified chill zone. First, the jazzy vibes that drive both songs, sound more spaced and breathy and gives us the chance to introspect and care. That’s super evident in passionately. Then, there is also a slow Funk kind of vibe that is more evident in uncaring. And while both these descriptions can sound suggestive, it actually makes sense from that perspective too. In need of some of the two? You might want to click play below.
Carl Chaste – This Is Me
Carl Chaste is a french polyvalent drummer (and then some) who debuted his solo House project 15 days ago with This is Me. Crafted for years in the shadows, his unique sound comes out as a very raw, straight-to-the-point, “less is more” approach to this genre. About This is Me, Carl shared that “[he] just wanted to offer a little intimate cave for people to dance, those places we miss where we can all be who we want“. This 90’s inspired power-House will wake even the sleepiest of the bones during this tragic pandemic the world is going through.
Trip Tease & Kris Berle – Red
This is the first track off of a new EP from this collaborative duo formed by Trip Tease and Kris Berle, from Mexico City. The song is a soft house track, built on a gorgeous melody that brings all the summer vibes and a lot of nostalgic memories, and a bit of mystery. Even though the tack might sound a bit repetitive for the most distracted ears, it is indeed a very dynamic one, exploring tempos, variations, and layers which helps it with all those emotions and warm feelings we’ve mentioned. Red is, above all, an electronic song to everyone who misses the disco and the dancefloor, just remember how it sounds when the DJ plays the first tune of their setlist.
June Pageant & John Paul Labno – 31:31
Just another collab this time between the trio June Pageant and the composer John Paul Labno, the combination is not exactly an electronic tune but we felt like this would fit perfectly here. 31:31 starts as a pure techno/ambient song but immediately brings new elements from deep bass to drums and extremely layered vocals which pulls the track to a whole new world. And that’s exactly what we need. No folklores or big things, this just transforms an obvious ambient tune into an unpredictable electronic gem. The whole thing just blows our minds when the horns come in, but we’re going to spoil it for you.
Jacana People – Imari
Nothing hits better than a deep house/Downtempo tune. Imari has everything we need for any occasion: just play it in the morning for an uplifting wake-up, at a cheerful lunch, an unforgettable sunset, or at a warm-up night out, you’ll love it in any of those cases. And we’re not talking about anyone but one of the most ascendant duo on the UK scene. Their sonorities float between Bonobo, Burial, or The Fields, as they say, but we go further and say they sound just like they want to, making their path into one of the most exciting electronic’s environments in the world, as it is the UK, and especially London.
Mahogany Chrome– 20 M Hitters
Some of us, the ones that were born in the late 80s, might have a strong connection with acts like Faithless and Massive Attack. As much as a lot of bands do sonorities that are somewhat close to those, we’ve found in the will to experiment the most enriching element. Mahogany Chrome is a (very new) US-based project that fits somewhere in that description. 20 M Hitters is a track really powerful and much of it comes from that deep bass and electronic feel it transmits. It is relaxing and serves introspection perfectly, but the ending vocal hooks (also in the form of Faithless kind of preaching) are the ice on the top, and we’ve never felt that an ambient track could transform into this kind of hearing contemplation.
Keith Smackdown – Agent Jawbones
Keith Smackdown is the electronic alter ego of producer Daniel McKenzie and one very exciting new project that can really put us feeling in the zone. Trying to listen to Agent Jawbones without partying your house, moving along, or at least tapping your feet, might be an impossible challenge. Clearly inspired by Funk sonorities and putting an electronic aura around an almost nostalgic feel of the composition, the track is one that keeps giving and giving, and also one that can easily put into DJ sets, entire new takes, groovy bars, and private parties. Taking inspiration from acts like Kaytranada or MNDSGN, this is a groover and an instantaneous feel good.
You can listen to all these tracks (and previous others) in our ElectroMental playlist on Spotify or here: