SPEAK

Finding SPEAK this morning was a great way to start my weekend! Their 'art rock' is the perfect music for a relaxing weekend, which is exactly what I plan on having!

After discovering the band, I saw that they have a feature on RAC's Strangers album that came out earlier this year. Any artist that has RAC's stamp of approval is cool with me! After checking out their SoundCloud it seems they are gearing up to release some more music soon. Their latest single, Gates, will give you a solid first impression. Check it out below!

The next song of theirs that you need to hear is called Be Reasonable, Diane. It's a good song to use to gear up for a beautiful summer day. Crack your first beer and hit play on this track below!



Make sure you follow them on Facebook, as there will def be more music coming out from Speak this summer.

Enjoy! <3

100's - IVRY

Today I stumbled upon an up and coming rapper from Berkeley, CA that is single-handedly pumping funk back into west coast hip-hop. He follows along the path that OutKast blazed in the 90's and picks up where they left off by putting a fresh spin on an old school sound. Let me be the first to introduce to you 100s and his latest release, called IVRY.

This mixtape is so good because of the way 100s can switch between his soul/funk vibe and making some harder rap songs that make you wanna say "uhhhhhhh!" It is nice to have that variety, especially when he is able to do both ends of the spectrum so well. For example, the first song off the tape, Inglish Outro, goes hard. It is a solid statement song that lets you know that he isn't here to fuck around. 100s means business.



On the flip side, there are tracks like Fuckin Around that channel the likes of OutKast mixed with old school Mac Dre. The funky beat and the vocal layering in the chorus make this an ultimate throwback tune. I feel like I'm cruising around The City (my Bay Area natives know what I mean) in my scraper straight mackin! Get right to Fuckin Around below.



Another amazing track from IVRY is Slide On Ya. This is the lead single off of the release, and rightfully so. The beat is impeccable, the verses from 100s are smooth and the chorus ties the whole thing together in a cool way that is slightly reminiscent of Kendrick Lamar. Check out Slide On Ya below.



The last song that is definitely worth mentioning is the fan favorite, Ten Freaky Hoes. This track is like 90's anthem Mambo No. 5 if it were written by Too $hort. It is a list of descriptions depicting some of his sexual encounters with various women. Needless to say, it is an entertaining listen. Check it out for yourself below.


If I could post every song from this release, I would. They are all excellent. The best part: it is up for free download! Make sure you follow him on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date with all of his music.

Enjoy! <3

Cazzette - Sleepless

Today I heard for the first time the latest and greatest from the Swedish DJ duo that Avicii and his manager brought to light a few years ago known as Cazzette. Since their last album came out we haven't heard much from these still relatively fresh faces. Now they are back with an all new sound for their latest single Sleepless.

Cazzette was typically known for their high energy electro house with occasional flashes of some dirty dubstep breakdowns, especially with their plethora of remixes released on their SoundCloud back in 2012. For 2014 they have shifted with the times, and incorporated some deep house elements as this genre begins to gain some massive traction throughout the US dance music community. This new track reinforces the belief that artists should experiment with new sounds and try new things. Us as fans love when artists deviate from the norm. It reminds me of when Dillon Francis put out Without You. Much to the fans surprise, although the song strayed drastically from his previous music, it became one of his most universally loved songs to date.

The first thing that stands out about Sleepless are the vocals, courtesy of The High. They set the mood of the song and put you in the right frame of mind to truly enjoy the funky beats. All in all, Cazzette knocked this one out of the park. I hope to hear more music like this from them in the future. Check out Sleepless below!

Enjoy! <3

Zhu - Faded

Today I want to post about a very interesting new find. There seems to be little publicly available information about who and what Zhu is. He apparently lives in California and makes really cool vocal deep house music. However, since he (or she) believes "music is faceless," I guess we should let the music do the talking!

I was not quite sure how I wanted to describe Zhu's music upon my first listen. It is definitely deep house, but the fluidity and cohesiveness of the EP is not something you see very often from a deep house artist, or any electronic music artist in general. It does help that the same vocalist is on every track, though. Regardless of classification or genre, I really dig Zhu's vibes and am excited to see what the future has in store for this emerging artist.

Now.. to the music. Here is the first song I heard from Zhu. It immediately caught my attention. The dark bass line and melody paired with the soft vocals make this track hauntingly seductive. Believe me when I say that you wont be able to stop hitting the play button for weeks. Check out Faded below!

Beyond Faded, it is really hard to choose which songs to feature on this post. The EP as a whole is fantastic. I have been listening to it continuously for days now. Therefore, I am thinking I should leave you with a sweet taste in your mouth from hearing Faded for the first time as I show you the way to more of their music and let you take the helm on this musical journey. The rest of Zhu's music can be found on the Audible Twilight Spotify Playlist as well as on SoundCloud. Where you go from here is entirely up to you. Just know that you won't be disappointed no matter what you choose.

Enjoy! <3

WE ARE TWIN

Now that it's beginning to heat up, I am starting to dig that summertime indie-rock vibe again. After laying dormant for the past few months, I am so glad to welcome it back into my life, along with the 90 degree San Diego weather. Leading this sunny resurgence this Spring is WE ARE TWIN.

The female lead vocal has been another big theme lately, and for this style of music I think it couldn't be a better fit. Her sometimes sexual, sometimes affectionate lyrics are always fun and I could see her vocals soaring in an outdoor festival setting. Their song The Way We Touch has been on repeat on my Spotify for about a week now and I still cannot get enough. If you have ever loved/lusted after someone completely irresistible, this song is for you. It instantly puts me in a better mood. Check it out below!

I also really dig their track Keep On Lovin' You. This song falls into a similar vein as the The Way We Touch. I love the way her voice gets that little soulful edge to it in the chorus which adds some grit to the track. Also, the effects on her vocals make it seem like you are hearing the song playing from an old school radio which brings that cool vintage sound to the track. Check out Keep On Lovin' You below!



Check out the rest of their EP on Spotify and 'Like' them on Facebook to see when they are coming to your city!

Enjoy! <3

Dream Koala - Earth. Home. Destroyed

The past 12 months have been quite favorable for this young talent. His unique blending of his live singing and guitar mixed with electronic beats has been taking the global ambient scene by storm. Today Dream Koala is back with his new 5-track EP called Earth. Home Destroyed.

Watching the progression in his production and overall song quality has been really cool over the past year or so. These 5 songs are his best work to date. I feel like I can turn on his music, turn off my mind and just ride the musical sound waves to a better place. I especially like the song Gold for doing just that. I love the way the track amps up with the beating drums towards the end which keeps me as a listener captivated to the last second.

Earth is another great track from the EP. It is one of the most energetic songs I have heard from Dream Koala. I really like it because of that. All of his music seems to blend together if you play it all back to back, but this one would stand out to any fan of his as having more life than the rest.

The last song I really enjoy is A Cosmic Landscape. There are no vocals, but I love when a song can take your mind to another place without any use of imagery or descriptions in the lyrics and it relies solely on the sounds and whatever emotions or experiences they trigger in your brain. That is true ambient music.

If you like the EP, buy it on his Bandcamp or on iTunes! Throw him a 'Like' on Facebook too while you're at it.

Enjoy! <3