[Download] Hodgy Beats' 'Untitled 2' EP

One half of MellowHype and Odd Future member Hodgy Beats comes out of nowhere with a free EP. Titled Untitled 2, the EP is available to stream below and for free download here.

[Sasquatch! 2013] Recap: Day Two

As the weekend of Sasquatch! festivities continued, the weather got better and so did the overall mood. The sun beamed down and the festival goers were waking up eager to party. The smell of bacon was met with the crack of beer cans opening, and campers were quick to set up ladder golf or throw a frisbee around. Day two was already off to a fantastic start and the nighttime was even better. The xx, Bloc Party, Holy Ghost!, Porcelain Raft, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, a hilarious stand up set by Nick Offerman and more, Saturday really impressed with some of the best performances of the festival. Check out the recap of day two below (and read our recap of day one here).

Photo by Christopher Nelson.

Much of Saturday was spent hanging out in the campgrounds, meeting our neighbours, drinking beer and enjoying the sun, putting us all in a good mood. Spirits were high as well as being consumed, and around two in the afternoon my girlfriend Katherine and I headed off to the festival grounds. Over the next couple of hours, we spent some time in the backstage and media areas doing interviews (these will be appearing on the blog over the next five days) with some fantastic musicians. Everyone we met was so interesting and fun to chat with and that's the feeling I got throughout the whole festival. There was always someone new to meet.

At around 6 o'clock, we made our way to the El Chubacabra tent to see Nick Offerman. For those unfamiliar, get familiar. Offerman is best known for playing Ron Swanson on Parks and Recreation as well as being married to Megan Mullaly of Will & Grace fame. The guy is hilarious, with a very straightforward, dry Nick Offerman. Photo by Matthew Lamb.delivery, and it all works into his American everyman style. He strutted out without a shirt on, calmly stating, "You were warned that minor nudity was included." Putting on an American flag button-up, he offered attendees his "10 tips for prosperity." He encouraged the consumption of plentiful meat and bread, to practice romantic love and to do it often, as well as the safe use of drugs and intoxicants. He also dished out a few songs on his guitar, and at the end even brought his wife and actress Stephanie Hunt on stage. They did a mashup of Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" and Cypress Hill's "Hits from a Bong" that was simply awesome. You can check out the mashup here, but be warned the sound quality isn't the best.

Next up was Holy Ghost!, who performed at the Honda Bigfoot stage right after Offerman's set. It was good timing and I was really excited to see these guys live again. Rest assured, they did not disappoint. The sun was still bright when Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser tore up their hour-long set. With a full touring band supporting them, they sounded great. Kicking it off with their new single "Dumb Disco Ideas," the New York duo then dished out loud, dancey renditions of "Hold On," "Wait & See," "Do It Again," "Hold My Breath" and pretty much their whole debut album. I didn't stop dancing that whole hour.

Still on a bit of an energy high from Holy Ghost!, we caught the second half of Bloc Party's set at the main stage. While we showed up late, what we did see was fantastic. I caught them last year at Outside Lands Bloc Party. Photo by Christopher Nelson.Festival in San Francisco, and they sounded as good if not better this time around. Sitting comfortably up on the hill, their set sounded so tight and it was a treat hearing songs from all four of their albums. While most of the set was material from Four, hearing old highlights like "Helicopter" was great. They even debuted a new song titled "Ratchet." Crowds were high-energy for this one.

With a bit of free time on our hands, we caught a short bit of Porcelain Raft at the Yeti stage. I had never seen Mauro Remiddi live but I really enjoyed his debut album Strange Weekend, so I was excited to find out what he sounded like in person. After hearing both "Drifting In And Out" and "Put Me To Sleep" I was very impressed. Remiddi's dreamy tunes sound great live, floating effortlessly through your eardrums. After what I heard, I was sad to leave, but The xx was waiting right around the corner.

Heading back to the Sasquatch stage, we prepared for The xx. Tucking into the left side of the stage, we made our way into the crowd and up to the front left. With a great, up-close view, we parked ourselves inRomy and Oliver of The xx. Photo by Christopher Nelson. place. As the band walked on stage the sun was giving us it's final minutes of light, giving way to the band's dark attire and stunning light show. All I can say is these three blew me away. Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie xx know how to build and atmosphere and completely own a crowd. Their stage presence is minimal and quietly charming, and for good reason. They let their instruments and sounds do the talking, using heavy bass kicks, explosive claps, rolling basslines and dazzling light arrangements to put you in a trance. It was so mesmerizing to see and hear "Reunion" live, being carefully strung along by the slowly-encompassing atmosphere. "VCR" was met with roaring applause, and then complete silence as the crowd gave way to the music. As was "Islands." As was "Swept Away." "Angels." "Crystalised." Seriously, it was like that with every song. I had no expectations going into it, but I left that stage in awe.

Walking away from the main stage, my mind was lost, still in a daze. We wandered to the El Chupacabra for a change of scenery. It was a drastic shift going from the minimalist beauty of The xx to the pulse-pounding electronic beats of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. That didn't matter. My excitement for TEED quickly took over. Easily securing a spot against the front barrier, our eardrums were met with a barrage of pulsating bass and synthesized sounds. Surrounded by flashing lights, he kept the crowd moving for an hour straight, never letting go. TEED assaulted the senses with a well-paced set, and fans responded with high-energy dancing. He threw down tracks both old and (mostly) new, including "Your Love," "American Dream Pt. II," "Garden," "Stronger" and more. This was my first taste of electronic music at the festival, and it was so good.

Following TEED's set I had a ton of energy, so my friends and I bounced around to different stages for a while. First, we headed to the main stage, reaching the crest of the hill overlooking the tail end of Sigur Rós' set. The view was beautiful. A clear black sky speckled by stars dominated while the band doled out their final songs. It was a brief visit to the main stage—only 10 minutes—but it was a mellowing follow-up to TEED. My attention was occupied by something else, though, as Sigur Rós' quieter presence lost out to Tame Impala's raucous sounds at the nearby Yeti stage. We brashly decided that the party should continue and headed in that direction.

Tame Impala were supposed to perform at the Honda Bigfoot stage at 10pm, but due to their gear arriving late they were moved to an 11:15 set at the much smaller Yeti stage. That didn't matter, though. By the time we arrived at Yeti, the crowd was massive. Thousands of dedicated fans amassed around the stage, and the band responded with a fuckin' rowdy set. They brought songs from both Innerspeaker and Lonerism and Empire of the Sun. Photo by Matthew Lamb.unleashed them in loud, blistering fashion upon us, enveloping vocalist Kevin Parker's fragile vocals in warm, psychedelic sounds. It was incredible to hear "Elephant" roar to life, causing the excitement level to explode, and to lose yourself in "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" as it drifts along in a dream-like manner. The highlight was easily the end of their set, as "Solitude Is Bliss" so very loudly echoed from the stage, leaving everyone with the words "You will never come close to how I feel" etched into their minds.

Still feeling the reverberation of Tame Impala course through my body, we set our sights on the final show of the night: Empire of the Sun. Gladly choosing this band over Laidback Luke's set at El Chupacabra, I prepared for the bright, colorful extravagance of Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore. That's exactly what we got. Booming explosions of light and smoke introduced the band, donned in absurd outfits and accompanied by bizarre dancers. Apparently, they needed over an hour to prepare the stage and costuming for the show, and it certainly showed. This is pure showmanship, with stage-wide visual wonderment. The music was fantastic too. It was great to finally hear "Standing on the Shore," "We Are The People," "Half Mast" and "Walking on a Dream" live, but it was the new material that really stood out. "Alive" was anthemic and the whole crowd was chanting along energetically, while brand new songs from their upcoming album Ice on the Dune really showcased a catchy '80s dance vibe. I did get the sense that their was a lot lip-syncing going on, but I admit I didn't care because it was so bright and theatrical and fun. Fuck... is that a bad thing? It was just so good!

Day two really showcased all of what Sasquatch! has to offer: amazing music diversity, stunning vistas and weather as well as tons of memorable experiences. It was a day full of continuous high notes, amazing performances and ridiculous fun, and the story continues tomorrow with a recap of day three.

By Adrian McCavour.

[Album Stream] Listen to Gold Panda's New Album 'Half of Where You Live', Watch Video for the Track "My Father In Hong Kong 1961"

Every song Gold Panda has shown from Half of Where You Live has been fantastic, and with one week until the sophomore album drops he's decided to offer up a stream of the whole thing. Streaming over at NPR, the LP is the producer's ode to the city, described as a "city album." For a visual sense of this, he has unveiled a video for the track "My Father In Hong Kong 1961." It focuses on the different aspects of life in Hong Kong, from busy streets to the food and culture. Watch it below.

(via Nowness)

[Watch] Vampire Weekend Have Their Last Supper in the Clip for "Diane Young"

Vampire Weekend brought a bunch of their friends together and had one last supper. The ensuing debauchery sees the band, along with Chromeo, Santigold, Dirty Projectors' David Lonsgtreth, Sky Ferreira and The Walkmen's Hamilton Leithauser, partying lavishly. If there's one thing to take away from the "Diane Young" video, it's that saxophones make for good pipes. Check it out below.

Modern Vampires of the City, Vampire Weekend's third album, is out now.

[Sasquatch! 2013] Recap: Day One

Sasquatch! 2013 came and went this past weekend, four days of incredible music, memorable friendships and drug addled debauchery. There is no better reason to navigate the beauty of eastern Washington state towards the gorgeous sights of The Gorge Amphitheatre. Graced with the winding currents of the Columbia River, the panoramic views are equalled only by the performances taking place there. Day one, Friday the 24th, saw a headlining performance from Seattle hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, representing their home state, as well as fantastic sets from Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend, Father John Misty, Japandroids and more. Kicking off the festival, there were memorable moments but also disappointing ones. See our recap of the first day below.

Photo by Matthew Lamb.

Day one of the festival was off to a rocky start. After trekking from Vancouver to The Gorge, our group arrived at the festival grounds at 2:30am to the sight of a lengthy lineup. Fast forward to 6am and we finally began setting up our tents, exhausted by the drive and lack of sleep, dizzy from the numerous beers consumed. As the rain began to pour down, we laid back for a much needed sleep. After six hours of rest, I wandered the campground, running into friends and soaking in the festival atmosphere. There was excitement in the air and I couldn't help but feel the same way. Sasquatch! had begun.

After hours of drinking, my girlfriend and I made our way to the festival grounds. Once our media bracelets were secured we headed in, ready to catch ScHoolboy Q & Ab-Soul at the main stage. The crowd was packed in front of the Sasquatch stage, but to our and everyone else's disappointment ScHoolboy and Ab-Soul never showed up. People in the crowd muttered things along the lines of, "Oh, they must have gotten too high," but that's no excuse. Kush coma or not, it was a disheartening start to the festival.

On a more positive note, the absence of ScHoolboy and Ab-Soul did give us the chance to see Japandroids at the Honda Bigfoot stage. Saying "fuck you" to scheduling conflicts, we made our way to an energetic View from the crowd of Japandroids. Photo by Christopher Nelson.crowd cheering for the Vancouver duo. Their performance brought to light one of the biggest issues I had throughout the festival: the sound at the Honda Bigfoot stage (more on this later). Despite this, Japandroids' loud sound overcame these problems and led to a rowdy crowd and a great performance. The crowd-surfing was already in full swing.

Father John Misty followed Japandroids at Honda Bigfoot, bringing his eclectic folk stylings to the The Gorge crowd. He and his band brought a colorful backdrop, complete with an overarching rainbow. J. Tillman and co. tore through their debut album Fear Fun, delivering fantastic performances of "Nancy From Now On" and more. Thankfully, the band's gospel folk sound was not victimized by any sound problems. Rather they gave fans an energetic and memorable set, continuing the tone that Japandroids set before them.

Father John Misty. Photo by Matthew Lamb.Making our way from Honda Bigfoot to the main stage, all I could do was bask in the beauty of the scenery. Sweeping vistas and carving river canyons, it's impossible not to feel lucky being at Sasquatch!.

Approaching the rising hill of the Sasquatch stage, it was clear that UK outfit Arctic Monkeys had amassed an incredibly eager crowd. Sitting comfortably atop the hill with a beer in hand, I watched impressed at every minute of their performance. Dressed in a dapper suit, frontman Alex Turner was in top form, driving forward with boming vocals backed by Jamie Cook on lead guitar, Nick O'Malley on bass and Matt Helders on drums. The Brit rockers have such a polished live sound, and it showed when they broke out renditions of "R U Mine?" and "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor." If the crowd on the hill was excited, then the people in front of the stage were going absolutely insane. Swaths of fans swayed and danced in unison, arms in the air ready to move or clap whenever called upon by Turner.

For a festival experience that started off with some disappointment, the three bands I did see more than made up for it. Japandroids were loud and energetic. Father John Misty was unique and put his all into hyping up festival goers. Arctic Monkeys simply killed it. Unfortunately, the cold weather and some poor clothing choices on my part, day one ended early. I missed Vampire Weekend, but it wasn't the end of the world. I heard Macklemore & Ryan Lewis gave an outstanding performance, appreciative of a headlining spot and such dedicated fans, but I wasn't torn by the thought of skipping it. In the end, turning in early turned into a night of drinking with friends and a delicious meal at our campsite. After all, Sasquatch is more than just a festival, it's camping, getting dirty, drinking, smoking, and generally enjoying the time you spend with those around you. While I didn't see a ton of bands the ones I did see were great, and overall Friday set the perfect tone for the days to come.

Sasquatch at night. Photo by Christopher Nelson.

Day two will be published on Monday, with thoughts on Nick Offerman, Holy Ghost!, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Bloc Party, The xx and more.

By Adrian McCavour

[Watch] James Murphy Discusses His Life and Career with Red Bull Music Academy

Red Bull Music Academy has been curating a lot of exciting things in New York this month, but among the most exciting was a 90-minute interview with James Murphy. In front of a 60-plus audience of students Murphy discussed various aspects of his life and career, including the history of DFA Records, his favorite songs and influences, his personal style, his DJ sets and more. Watch the full interview below, and trust me it's worth it.

In other James Murphy news, he recently spoke with Rolling Stone about his role on Arcade Fire's new album. He revealed that the band had been recording at DFA Records' studio in March, and that his role was more along the lines of suggesting ways to approach or fine-tune aspects of the record. He then said, "I think it’s going to be a really great record, actually. I’m eager to see it come out."

Once again teaming up with Red Bull Music Academy, Murphy recently performed a DJ set in New York celebrating DFA Records' 12-year anniversary (also see RBMA's related short documentary). Stream his full set below.

[Album Stream] Disclosure - 'Settle'

Disclosure's hotly anticipated debut album Settle is now streaming in full before it drops on June 4th. The LP features guest spots from AlunaGeorge, Jessie Ware, Jamie Woon, London Grammar, Sam Smith and more, adding some amazing vocal talent to its fourteen tracks. Head over to The Guardian and give it a listen. My bet is you'll be blown away.

Settle Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. When a Fire Starts to Burn
03. Latch (feat. Sam Smith)
04. F for You
05. White Noise (feat. AlunaGeorge)
06. Defeated No More (feat. Ed Mac)
07. Stimulation
08. Voices (feat. Sasha Keable)
09. Second Chance
10. Grab Her!
11. You & Me (feat. Eliza Doolittle)
12. January (feat. Jamie Woon)
13. Confess to Me (feat. Jessie Ware)
14. Help Me Lose My Mind (feat. London Grammar)

[Watch] Banks Gets Sensual in Her Video for "Warm Water"

We've introduced you to Los Angeles singer Banks before, and her most recent song "Warm Water" is a sensual, smooth love letter wrapped in velvet production from Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. That sensuality seeps effortlessly into its new visuals. The black and white clip is simple in its focus, placing Banks in the warm embrace of her lover alongside watery imagery. Check out the Dylan Knight-directed video below.