| Outer Space Radio Jams: Nosaj Thing’s Outstanding NO REALITY | April 28, 2016 |
The new EP from Nosaj Thing is another stellar exercise in finely crafted electronic music.
| Bedroom & B: Gossamer’s Debut Record ‘Automaton’ | June 15, 2015 |
Ambient tracks and tropical beats that split the difference between instrumental hip-hop and My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Out July 10th on Innovative Leisure.
| Satin Black in the Desert: Hanni El Khatib x Freddie Gibbs | January 16, 2015 |
Max Bell never gives up. The second season of True Detective has been cast. If only Hanni El Khatib and Freddie Gibbs had auditioned, if only they acted. Instead, both would rather reflect on 2Pac in the desert in ’95: fresh from Clinton Correctional, Mad Max leather fetish in full effect. Gibbs took the rhymes and […]
| Shades of Blues and Blakroc: Hanni El Khatib’s “Moonlight” | November 11, 2014 |
Max Bell is looking for a spoonful. Hanni El Khatib likes hip-hop. See his website for the pictures of Outkast and vintage Mac Dre album covers. For aural evidence, listen to his latest single, “Moonlight.” The title track of his next album — out via Innovative Leisure in January of 2015 –“Moonlight” sounds as if it […]
| The Hypnotic Attack of Tijuana Panthers | June 19, 2014 |
You can hear the specters of the Tijuana Panthers surf rock past in the wipe out jangle of the guitar solo in the middle of “Nobo.” It’s an effective riff because it relies on feel and functionality not being some jerk off trying to flex. There’s also a tongue-in-cheek cry of “guitar” before it starts. […]
| The Crystal Antlers of California | August 13, 2013 |
Aaron Frank is also a fan of the Ol’ Dirty Bastard original. While they’re not as prolific as reigning garage rock king Ty Segall, Long Beach’s Crystal Antlers have made an equally significant impact on the SoCal indie scene over the past few years. Mixing psych, garage and glam and evoking influences as diverse as […]
| Classixx’s Valley Vacation | May 23, 2013 |
Max Bell went to high school in the valley. He never forgets. For those of you who hated the Daft Punk album, or just felt okay about it, there is Classixx—the Oak Park duo of Michael David and Tyler Blake who’ve moved from more than solid DJs/remixers to truly solid artists in their own right (see also: […]
| Video: Hanni El Khatib – “Family” | March 1, 2013 |
You say no to videos with orgy-loving Asian motorcycle gangs, Hanni El Khatib can’t. There are no pretensions to the San Francisco-bred, LA-based rock and roller. You might think it is a preposterous gimmick to film a video with Spider, Snoopy and the rest of the crew. But if you know Hanni, this was an […]
| Classixx – “Holding On” | February 12, 2013 |
Few names come as fitting as Classixx. Their latest single “Holding On” would be as dance-floor detonating in ’91 as it would in ’78 as it would in 2013. House music has staged a resurgence since dubstep drowned in a mound of molly and Classixx is one of the leaders of LA’s scene — alongside […]
| The Anti-Holiday Music of Machinedrum’s “Whatnot” | November 20, 2012 |
In 2010, Travis Stewart, the man behind Machinedrum gave you two options. There was Rooms, his juke-inspired chop-shop of a record that inspired raves from Son Raw and his diss of “Moombahton malarkey.” Biden was rumored to have stolen this phrase for use in his debate against Paul Ryan, but sources revealed at the last […]
