Aaron Frank can see clearly now, the rave is gone. After a first listen through the spastic, skittering melodies of Bjork’s new single “Crystalline”, it would almost appear that the reclusive Icelandic queen of electronic had been hanging out in British dance clubs like FWD and Plastic People for the past several years, soaking in […]

Aaron Frank still doesn’t like witch house. Alongside Bristol and the Seattle, over the last several decades, Manchester has made a name for itself churning out perpetually gloom and doom artists like Joy Division and The Smiths. Understandably, there’s something intensely mystifying and gloomy about Holy Other’s With U EP. Add that to the fact […]

Aaron Frank reps Louisville like DeJuan Wheat. It’s easy to look at the artwork and promotion leading up to Circuital and guess that My Morning Jacket’s sixth album is heavily conceptual.  It’s not — even though the Louisville quintet’s last two albums attempted something similar. Instead, Circuital comes off like it’s trying to articulate a […]

In hindsight, it would’ve been tragic if Dap King and Daptone co-owner Gabe Roth hadn’t approached soul singer Charles Bradley in a small New York club nearly a decade ago. The payoff came on the 62 year-old’s debut, this spring’s No Time For Dreaming, a record that initiated a wider audience to his James Brown […]

Aaron Frank recommends playing this at a high volume near a residential reservoir. Less than a year ago, XLR8R’s podcast series peeled the curtain back on Leaving Records and its mysterious proprietor, Matthewdavid, a Florida transplant to LA making woozy, ambient beat music that providd  a perfect soundtrack to Southern California’s scorching summers. Prior to […]

Mary Anne Hobbs isn’t a Radio DJ. She’s an international ambassador for bass. Beginning as a roadie for a British rock band, and transitioning to a print journalist for NME and Sounds Magazine, Hobbs will tell you first-hand what an uphill claw it’s been to get to her current station. At the same time, she […]

Releasing a successful album can be a double-edged sword, especially for new artists or someone that’s never been in the spotlight. Touring and publicity can become a poisonous combination for those lacking a relatively well-adjusted background, and for some they may just feel like an unnecessary bore. Luckily, Egyptrixx (real name David Psutka), has found […]

At the forefront of instrumental hip-hop and modern electronic music, Take has spent years helping forge a strong scene within his native Los Angeles, but also constantly evolving to avoid stasis. Before critics got misty-eyed over James Blake’s sweater set this winter, Take had already covered similar territory, manipulating and stretching his own vocals over […]

Aaron Frank dreams of electric beats. 62 years young, Brooklyn-based soul man Charles Bradley just released his debut album last month on Daptone Records. Several years ago, label co-founder Gabriel Roth plucked Bradley from relative obscurity after seeing him covering James Brown songs in a New York nightclub. Subsequently pairing him with him producer and […]

Aaron Frank records obscure bass music under the name Velma. After releasing two of last year’s best LPs, Caribou and Four Tet have extended their contract in 2011, offering a new collaborative effort in the form of a split 12″, oddly revealed today in the comments section of Irish music blog, Nialler9. The forthcoming release […]