Roosevelt
Cologne-based Marius Lauber has been an all-around musician since the age of 7 — from experimenting with piano and guitar, as well as producing indie pop under his own name and German pop band Beat! Beat! Beat!. However, nowadays he seems to be looking at music from a more adaptive perspective as he’s now masked as electronic pop producer Roosevelt.
Since his first appearance with the track “Sea” earlier this year, Roosevelt has been gearing up for its official debut with electronic label Greco-Roman. To heighten the suspense, he’s been touring all this past year, and as of this past month, was opening for Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs in England. Finally, the single was released Tuesday and includes the original track “Sea,” along with a dubbed version and an impressive bonus track titled “Soleil.”
This newly released work of his is amazing and clearly marks a confident beginning of a what Roosevelt has planned for the future. The two originals both reel in catchy chords consisting of twisted synths, echoed vocals and prominent drum lines that create a uniquely seamless, dreamy sound. As with Greco-Roman, they’ve chosen wisely, despite this being Roosevelt’s debut work and seem to have much confidence in him as this release is framed aside releases of well-known artists Disclosure, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Hot Chip’s Jon Goddard. Yet, we don’t see why Roosevelt should be intimidated — these tracks are flawless and his plan for an EP next year is definitely news that has excited his steadily growing fan-base.
Once you get off repeat for the tracks streamed above, head over to iTunes for an exclusive dub version of “Sea” along with info for purchase.
P.S. His live shows look so much fun. Really wish there was a “demand” button for musicians right now…
Outputmessage – Quantum Love EP
Bernard Farley’s (aka Outputmessage) latest release, the Quantum Love EP, is out today on Output Noise Records. Member of Volta Bureau and self-described math nerd, the DC-based producer has put together a five tracks which ruminate over the connection between love and physics.
R&B ballad “Tachyons” is a highlight (named after theorized particles that bend the rules of time). Farley sings of a love that once was and how “nothing’s gonna bring it back” despite his stubborn attempts. The result never appears forced. Instead, the track feels simple and earnest. And pretty damn catchy.
Be sure to catch Outputmessage at U Street Music Hall this Wednesday, October 3rd alongside Aeroplane, Tiger & Woods and DJ Provoke. He’ll be playing a special live set to celebrate the release of the EP.
Keep up with Outputmessage on Facebook, Twitter and SoundCloud.
Interview with Redline Graffiti
Halfway between Passion Pit and Frank Ocean lies Redline Graffiti. The collective owes much of their stylings to last year’s wave of lo-fi electronica (see: Neon Indian, Washed Out, et al). Yet with the sexy swagger of R&B combined with an eye for pop hooks and a rock ‘n’ roll flare, their fresh take on this DIY aesthetic is all their own. We caught up with Donald and Drew, two members of the foursome, ahead of their appearance at the Black Cat this evening to talk about inspirations, aspirations, and more.
Redline Graffiti will be playing the Black Cat tonight, Friday, Sept 7, alongside Volta Bureau (live) and Protect-U. Doors open at 9pm. Purchase tickets here.
Blue Boats – Summers Down
It’s just about that time of year when there’s nothing better than coming across a catchy, youthful tune that gets your mood up to par with the warmer weather. UK’s Blue Boats has done just that for us this week. A dream-pop solo project started by Olly Gale, a student in Bournemouth, couldn’t have chosen a better time to release his newest track “Summers Down.” The bedroom pop piece is highlighted with dreamy similarities to artists such as Craft Spells and Wild Nothing with a vibrant guitar lines and echoed vocals. As with his previous work, a mirrored rhythm of synth and drums runs in the background to keep a consistent, inspirational flow throughout the song. Take a listen and dream away, summer’s certainly not down with this on play.
Check out of some his other work on his Bandcamp where it’s all free to download!
Blisspop at SXSW
South by Southwest is a week of performances by cutting-edge underground artists, potpourris of paper-based entry wristbands, and getting to know Texas’ notoriously weird city. Even to someone like myself who’s experienced two CMJs, and having worked at a college radio station for the past four years and thinking I know music, SXSW has proven me floored as the next level of music festival. The showcase features a range of artists, from dystopian midwestern folk rockers to DC-originated moombahton DJs.
Taking place every spring in Austin, Texas, the city transforms itself into a fantasy world for a week, flooding the city with musicians, journalists, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, and loyal followers and fans. Locals also have a strong presence at SXSW, a few Austinites I met were St. Edwards students and were generally enthusiastic about having artists from across the globe come to them. Not to say Austin is a city at all lacking musical culture. Famously, Austin is also known for PBS Show “Austin City Limits,” which, since broadcasting on national television since 1976, has opened up Austin’s entertainment draw to the rest of the nation. During South By, Austin locales are rented out for the week and taken over by artistic collectives, record companies, and American companies to further industry connections. The venues and bars of the city of Austin open their doors, promoters standing outside vouching for all passerbys to see “the next big band.” Although its a lot for anyone to absorb in a week, I’m going to guide you through a number of amazing acts who should be worthy of your attention in 2012.
