Captain Supernova - Doors of Perception (Cold Busted)

Captain Supernova has re-entered the atmosphere from out of nowhere with a fantastic new album, titled Doors Of Perception. An 'American astronaut' sent to interact with extraterrestrials using synthesizers, but also a multi-instrumentalist with high profile appearances at San Jose Jazz Festival, Rendezvous LA, and Loftsess under his belt, Captain Supernova has developed a unique and confident sound that draws upon equal portions of jazz, hip hop, funk, and synthy trip hop to complete his vision. After the acclaim and success of his self-released debut Visions of the Unknown – which made its way on many 'best of 2014' lists – Captain Supernova has adjusted his flight plan to orbit the Cold Busted label. Doors Of Perception builds on his stunning musicality and deft stylistic fusions to reveal seven tracks of smooth and uncompromisingly funky jazz-influenced music.

The secret weapons in the Captain's arsenal are an amazing crew of guest vocalists. Jackie Gage, who was heard on Visions of the Unknown, contributes her soulful tones to "Only One", with the lovely music providing an ample showcase for the Bay Area singer. "Without Gravity" is a smooth, jazzy wonder that dreamily incorporates the voice of Notown Sound's Angela Muhwezi … the result is a fine sonic approximation of 'floating.' Globally active Los Angeles-based vocalist Laura Mace waxes wistfully with "Leaving The Past Behind", capturing a feeling of psychedelic balladry when mixed with Captain Supernova's flowing music-field. Also from Los Angeles, Natasha Agrama collaborates on two very different songs: the late night waltz "Searching Forever" and the pensive but upbeat groover "Free Fall (Of Your Soul)". Despite the variety of vocal contributors, Doors Of Perception has a cohesive, story-telling sequence, glued together by Captain Supernova's smart and melodic arrangements.

So, have a seat in the smoking lounge of Captain Supernova's star cruiser, grab a glass of galactic libation, and have a deep listen to Doors Of Perception. You will be blissfully floating in no time at all.

Abicah Soul - "This whole project is tops. Each tune speaks quality in volume."
Ohmega Watts (Ubiquity Records / Mellow Orange Collective) - "What's in a name? The ability to embody it and if a Supernova had a soundscape, 'Door of Perception' would be it. A completely solid release!"
Kid Loco - "Nice and trippy."
DJ Moneyshot (Solid Steel) - "Cool soul with that modern twist. Deffo makes me prick up my ears and open my eyes."
Jaymz Nylon - "Amazing!"
All Good Funk Alliance - "'Door Into Doors' reminds us of Alan Parson Project. Really cool."
Tommy D Funk (DJ Times Magazine) - "Wow … some top class jams on this wonderful and well produced and very sexy album."
Mojo Rising (F.A.M.I.L.Y.) - "Delicious, intelligent, psychedelic, soulful downtempo. Many layers to explore."
riccicomoto (Ibiza Global Radio) - "Cool grooves with a mighty jazzy atmosphere and great vocalists … really marvelous."
DJ Zach (Subtronic End Radio Show) - "Cold Busted is absolutely killing it. Lots of soul here."
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - "This has a real soul touch, and even jazz vibes, and the compositions have a unique sound … a delight."
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) - "Super soulful jazzy vibes throughout … welcome back from the outer reaches of your space-filled mind, Captain!"

Available now from Bandcamp, Beatport, iTunes, Juno Download, and Spotify.

Dday One - Gathered Between (The Content Label)

Gathered Between is Dday One’s fifth studio album in ten years, a lost chapter from his discography unearthed through an exercise in memory.

The tracks on Gathered Between were originally recorded after Dday One’s second album, Heavy Migration. But a hard drive failure took the album away, leaving only a handful of tracks that were released on rare and now out-of-print compilations. In early 2015, while listening to a rough demo of the album, Dday decided to reconstruct Gathered Between using memory as his only guide.

Dday dug through his crates to relocated samples and, using classic samplers and various other technology, reprogrammed the album beat by beat like an audio archaeologist. As a result, Gathered Between expands the language of classic hip-hop production in the same spirit as the greats of the genre.

Gathered Between offers a captivating instrumental hip-hop journey across ten tracks. As with previous releases, the crackle of vinyl sits next to melancholic horn melodies and piano licks, fingered bass dances across breaks, and disembodied voices give the slightest hint of the author’s opinions. Built from hundreds of samples, the music is a tapestry of pasts on which the listener is invited to write their own memories and hopes for the future. Starting off with a bang, "One Another", a tune of unification, brings to mind hints of classic Pete Rock production, the crunchy drums and bubbling stabs of "Alchemy Loop" are reminiscent of golden era aesthetics but move beyond. The album is held together by the same attention to detail and intricate sample layering that has defined Dday One’s work to date.

Gathered Between was mastered by Finland’s Janne “Fanu” Hatula, a diverse producer and engineer who has worked with Bill Laswell, Damu The Fudgemunk, and Klute, among others. The album’s cover features a photograph entitled ‘Between Worlds’ photographed by Melbourne’s Andrew Parmi. Displaying a bird flying between an older and modern build, it was chosen by Dday One to symbolize the combination of nature and architecture and to represent the album’s transitional nature, then lost and now found.

Gathered Between is Dday One’s fifth studio album in ten years, a lost chapter from his discography unearthed through an exercise in memory. It offers a captivating instrumental hip-hop journey across ten tracks. As with previous releases, the crackle of vinyl sits next to melancholic horn melodies and piano licks, fingered bass dances across breaks, and disembodied voices give the slightest hint of the author’s opinions. Built from hundreds of samples, the music is a tapestry of pasts on which the listener is invited to write their own memories and hopes for the future. Give this a spin.

Renegades Of Jazz (Agogo Records / Mojo Club) - "Great album. Dday One fan here of the first hour and this album again shows his skills."
Kid Loco - "That classic trip hop sound … well done."
Dogu (Ancient Astronauts / Switchstance Recordings) - "Super-dope production and vibes here … epic sound aesthetics!"
DJ Moneyshot (Solid Steel Radio) - "Neck-snap drums and dusty loops, all left to stew until done to a turn. That old real sh&t, brother."
Nickodemus (Turntables on the Hudson) - "Nice chunky trip hop jazz beats resurfaced!"
Scrimshire (Wah Wah 45s) - "I really love this … lovely stuff."
Ben Mono (Undertones Gang / Plant Music) - "Dope stuff … full support."
Rory Hoy (Howlin' Records / Super Hi-Fi) - "A very nice release … it has a lovely DJ Shadow kinda vibe to it."
Diesler (A Little Something Radio) - "A deep, mysterious journey into sound."
Quincy Jointz (Timewarp) - "Let's call this trip hop, but in a really fresh style. Sounds dope."
Mojo Rising (Cold Busted) - "Dusty, jazzy boom bap beats are always en vogue in my universe. Love the ethnic references on some of the tunes."
DJ Osric (Black and Blue Radio Show) - "It's quite rare to find hip hop that you can just kick back to and enjoy for how it makes you feel. This album is one of those rarities. You can vibe up or down to it and feel fully immersed in the atmospheric charm of it all. One that will continue to grow on me with each listen."
Adrian Lugo (WEFT 90.1 FM) - "Excellent record. The production shines with impeccable drum programming, expert sampology, and a sound that is so crisp and bold. They hardly make hip hop records like this anymore."

Available now from iTunes, Amazon, Juno Download, and Spotify.

Tone of Arc - Sundust / The Indigent (Roam Recordings)

Eclectic and ambitious San Francisco duo Tone of Arc have contributed their evocative sound to Roam Recordings' second offering of 2016. Tone of Arc are comprised of Derrick Boyd (previously recording under the name Dead Seal) and Zoe Presnick … through well-received releases for the likes of No. 19 Music, Om Records, and Touch Of Class Records the pair have transmitted a series of moody electronic compositions that draw as much inspiration from cerebral post-punk gigs as sweaty, visceral dance floors.

"Sundust" opens the single with its methodical tempo and haunting soundscapes, electrified by Derrick's pensive words. The cut unfolds like a dream as layers of synths and vocal snippets build and vibrate throughout. "The Indigent" is a more stripped-down affair. A straight-forward four-on-the-floor rhythm, accented by big tom fills, creates the space for backwards pads and hinted melodies. It's a mechanical meditation. Barcelona-based producer Lokier (HAKT, Days Of Being Wild) is also on hand for a haunting remix of "Sundust" that adds a commanding bass line and puts a spotlight on the vocal. Its steady forward motion is hypnotic in effect, intensifying the brain-to-feet aspect of Tone of Arc's music.

Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe) - "Sick … I love it."
Anthony Pappa - "Cool release … my favorite track here is 'Sundust'."
Nick Warren - "I'm a big fan of Tone of Arc … I love the originals."
Jamie Kidd (BYC Music / Box of Kittens) - "'Sundust' is a beauty."
[a]pendics.shuffle (Adjunct) - "'The Indigent' is really nice."
Ulysses (Neurotic Drum Band) - "These have a cool kind-of-leftfield feel to them but would totally work on the dance floor."
Chris Fortier (Fade) - "Sounds great!"
Tronik Youth (Nein Records / Back-Yard) - "The Lokier remix of 'Sundust' for me."
Phunktastike (Spirit Soul Music / Undertones Gang) - "'The Indigent' … great tune here!"
Cosmonauts (Super Trooper) - "Love all three cuts here … supporting."
Sleazy McQueen (Whiskey Disco) - "If I had only one release to describe the ethos of Roam, it would be this one … a dark journey, energetic and provocative."
Signal Deluxe (Blaq Records / Fade) - "'The Indigent' is our kinda groove … nice one."
Jon Manley (hOUSEwORX Radio Show) - "Refreshing, haunting electronica beats. Well worked."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, and Spotify.

Jon Cates - Wibbly Bibbly (Shameless Audio)

Shameless Audio is proud to present "Wibbly Bibbly", a spacey and driving bass house affair by Jon Cates (Cates&dpL) with impressive and diverse remixes from MO7S (Monism Music) and Caloris (the duo of Joe Bellirngham and Traeger Evans).

Cates' original is a serious genre-spanning dance floor crusher that bridges classic and contemporary house vibes. Cates deftly combines bass house low end and melodic leads with classic deep house hi-hat grooves, vocal samples, and filtered synth lines. The track starts with a heavy sub-bass and stripped down, but quickly crescendos into a tripped-out, peak hour journey into some 'really strange' and extremely hooky music.

The MO7S remix takes the track deeper and and in more melodic directions. MO7S brings out some of the original's melody and groove then layers them with all sorts of percussion and a rich, organ-like synth. Most of the track's core drive comes from a warm and moving bass line and a subtle yet grabbing use of the original's key hook. Like Cates, the M07S remix builds up in all the right ways, but is always DJ and dance floor friendly.

The Caloris' Reflection mix harnesses the original's drive and channels it into a deep and stripped-down big room tech-house banger. A sonar-like synth, trippy filtered leads, and deconstructed vocals from the original gallop over Joe Bellingham's signature spacey pads and driving low end. The interplay between the kick and bass line makes subs, DJs, and dancers move in all the right ways.

Joeski - "Dope!"
Anthony Pappa - "Cool release … some nice tracks here that will be used."
Tensnake - "The original is nice."
Larry Tee - "Groovy!"
Tom Lown (Lucky Sun / Savoir Faire) - "Nice vibe on the original … warm, bubbly and deep."
Pete Moss - "Excellent!"
Ivan Garci (Vlosfer Records / Deepwit) - "Fantastic release with some great sounds."
Denite (Diynamic / Get Physical) - "Nice tracks … the original is the one for me."
Chris Fortier (Fade) - "This sounds good!"
Pete Williams (Natural Rhythm) - "Jon's original is the one. Its driving groove and atmospheric elements makes this release."
Pat Lezizmo (Conya Records / Karmaloft) - "A very nice original!, a cool MO7S remix, and an excellent Caloris remix. Nice package!"
Lorenzo al Dino (7th District Inc. / Royal Plastic) - "All three tracks are well done and get my support."
Tyler Stadius (Deepsite / Dialtone Records) - "I love the hypnotic original … I'll play it soon."
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "Wow … this is serious. Great remixes but the original is simply awesome with its driving bottom end, bright percussion, and cool spoken vocal."
Sandro Bianchi (Ibiza Sonica) - "Nice tracks … I especially like the MO7S remix."
Michael Fossati (Spirit of House) - "The original is a truly glamorous slice of atmospheric late night bliss."
Strictly Underground Music - "Really good EP! 'Wibbly Bibbly' is our pick here but we really like the deeper and darker vibe on the Caloris’ remix."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, and Spotify.