Given that a heavy does of INTENSE rain is coming this way, I figured we all could use a little relaxation by way of the one and only Kumon Plaza. I've heard many many 8-bit synth... [go to the website to read the rest of the article, download mp3s and more]
Kumon Plaza - River Spot After a successful run of independent releases and a tour of California under the guise of his low fidelity synthpop side project HAPPY TRENDY, the Edmonton-based whizkid Dylan Khotin-Foote returns to his primary outlet; Kumon Plaza. In his latest song "River Spot", Dylan takes the fluttering synthesizer lines and Mini Pops drum sounds that he is known for and transforms them into a languid (but lucid) electronic meditation on implied aquatic themes that feels right at place during these looming last days of summer. [...]
Daily Doses: Kumon Plaza "River Spot" From River Spot Single (2011) "When I leave, I'll just disappear. At least until the day I show up, sit in your favorite chair, and pretend I was never gone." Having released the beautiful (And free!) LP Cliff in July of 2010. Dylan of Kumon Plaza has since been employing the time honored artistic tradition of doing whatever the hell he feels like under whatever name he feels like, releasing tracks and EP's as Happy Trendy and Gay Boiz as [...]
Aug 7, 2011, 8:14pm
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Kumon Plaza - River Spot The Do Lectures are an annual long-weekend conference held in Wales, on a farm gorgeously located between the Teifi Gorge and Teifi Marshes Nature Reserve. The festival promotes idealism of ambitious goals and the survival of fantastic, eclectic ideas through their intimate lectures, discussions and superb selection of enthusiasts. Attendees spend the weekend in furnished tents placed upon raised wooden decks, and the festival itself is limited to eighty participants and thirty speakers. If tickets weren't $3,000 we'd be there every year, but the notion that [...]
Kumon Plaza is Edmonton, Canada's Dylan Khotin-Foote. He makes trip-slip-hip-synth-glitch-pop that'll get you on your feet. Kumon Plaza's debut EP "Cliff" is available digitally FREE of charge here: http://kumonplaza.bandcamp.com / Follow our Brand new Facebook Fan Page: LYFSTYL
In a normal month it takes at least three weeks for a selection (5) of great remixes to roll into my inbox, but the holidays must have everyone getting fresh because the remixes have been streaming... [go to the website to read the rest of the article, download mp3s and more]
Daily Doses: Happy Trendy "Skinny Ghost" From Old Friends (2011) I love starting the new year off with new releases, and old friends. Happy Trendy is the new (Side?) Project by Kumon Plaza's Dylan Khotin-Foote, the 17 year-old wunderkind from Canada. Knowing Dylan pretty well, I'd hazard a guess that this project has a bit of Casiotone For The Painfully Alone inspiration. On "Skinny Ghosts", The dry vocals that concentrate on their inner emotion to deliver, minimal drum programming and, obviously, casio keyboard sounds all conjure up the minimal sounds [...]
Happy Trendy - Old Friends "Old Friends" is the title track of Happy Trendy 's debut tape - Old Friends ( Orchid Tapes ). The song is about looking past the hardships of the past and trying to move on. It's about growing up and accepting that no one is at fault. Dylan Khotin-Foote creates these simple analog songs for this project, with plenty of catchy moments and vocals. His low-pitched voice is quiet and personal; exactly the way it should be. The overall sound of the album is looking [...]
DOWNLOAD MP3: Happy Trendy - "Public Transit" A few weeks back, Dylan Khotin-Foote - also known under the working title of Kumon Plaza - sent over some new jams that he recored as part of a side-project entitled Happy Trendy, which for the first time featured Khotin-Foote utilizing his voice as an instrument. To my surprise, within the two weeks that I was away, Happy Trendy was able to record and release an entire EP that consisted of eight heartfelt minimalist numbers, all fueled by a vintage Casio keyboard. A bit [...]
DOWNLOAD MP3: Happy Trendy - "Skinny Ghost" Dylan Khotin-Foote sent this fresh track my way under the newly discover moniker of Happy Trendy, putting aside the gadgetry for the time being of Kumon Plaza. In replace, is a voice. One that we've yet to be introduced to. With minimal synth washes and lingering sadness, "Skinny Ghost" tugs at the heart strings and makes for the perfect soundtrack as sister winter carries on. You can pick up another track entitled "I'm in Comfort" apart of the 73 via Happy Trendy's bandcamp [...]
Happy Trendy = Skinny Ghost [ photo ] Well son of a bitch. Looks like our favorite Canadian kid wonder is at it again, but with a little different flavor. Dylan Khotin-Foote aka Kumon Plaza has departed from his 8-bit Gameboy wielding forte, and brought us something warmer, friendlier, and instantly comforting. The side project is Happy Trendy , and is everything a good side project should be. Distinct of Kumon Plaza, but not unrelated; and full of promise. [...]
This post is a "QuickPick". QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that's sent to me that I like (or just music I like but have no words for because it's so awesome), out into the dubya dots. Any time I get sent music that I like I "star" it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later. If it's still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can't get through writing [...]
We all know that the worst part about vacation, is coming back. I got back from nearly a 10 day vacation, and my head is still fully submerged in all these emails filled with great music for me to enjoy. Driving back from San Francisco yesterday seemed to beckon a soundtrack of only Coma Cinema . It was a quiet and slow drive, one where you just sort of stare out the window lost in the movement of the vehicle, and what you are leaving behind. I was very excited to [...]
Daily Doses: Coma Cinema "Her Sinking Sun" Kumon Plaza Remix (2010) Kumon Plaza's back! Dylan Khotin-Foote, the young genius behind Canda's Kumon Plaza, was most recently featured on Dead As Digital as one half of Gay Boiz . Here he goes from the acoustic beauty of that track back to his electronic roots with an apocalyptic remix of Coma Cinema's brilliant "Her Sinking Sun" . Changing instrumentation behind a cover as emotionally charged as this one without losing the feel is always difficult, but here that challenge is met impressively. Opening by [...]
Det har varit alldeles för tyst om Dylan Khotin-Foote och hans Kumon Plaza sedan vi alla föll som furor för hans debut-EP Cliff i somras. Nu är han tillbaka med en grym remix på Coma Cinema s Her sinking sun , vilken för en stund stillar vårt hungrande efter ny skön electronica från den unge kanadensaren. Missa förresten inte den ultravålds-stinna videon till nämnda låt, gjord av Kiss Kiss Fantastic s Rachel Levy [...]
I don't think I've written about music from Edmonton...since Cadence Weapon, and that was a while back (that's a hint to Cadence Weapon - new music please!). Kumon Plaza... [go to the website to read the rest of the article, download mp3s and more]
QuickPicks are my attempt at getting all of the music that's sent to me that I like, out into the wide web world (or dubya dots). Any time I get sent music that I like I "star" it in Gmail and then go back and listen to it a day later. If it's still as good as it was a day before then it goes up on the site, but sometimes I get backlogged and can't get through writing up pieces for each artist and stay on top of the game, so hopefully this will alleviate some of [...]
Daily Doses: Gay Boiz "Mat" From 429-2649 (2010) When Dylan From Kumon Plaza mentioned he'd be doing a project with Rachel Levy of Kiss Kiss Fantastic in which they recorded everything on mobile phones, although I have the utmost respect and love for both artists involved, I thought it would most likely be an awful sounding, tinny piece of novelty. That's not to say it wouldn't an interesting, maybe even amusing tinny piece of novelty. But [...]
Kumon Plaza = Hans Kruger feat. Jessica Jalbert Looks like Dylan Khotin-Foote has been busy recompiling his original release of the debut EP Cliff . It's nearly doubled in size with the addition of mostly collaborations and remixes, including the likes of COOLRUNNINGS , Kiss Kiss Fantastic , and GOBBLE GOBBLE . Click on the new artwork above to go download the epic re-release of Cliff now.
KNIIFEPRRTY was one of the first bands I blogged about for manalogue, so I was excited when they sent along their new single " STAY WILD " which they are selling via their Bandcamp page and can be previewed on soundcloud here: Maybe drop a little coin for this if you dig it. Speaking of digging and being dug, my buddy and fellow Albertan KUMON PLAZA was recently featured on FORKCAST [...]
Pasta Primavera
Rebel Magazine
Dead As Digital
lyfstyl
Neon Musical Insight
smoke don't smoke
Listen Before You Buy
No Modest Bear
manalogue
Antony and the Johnsons
A Place to Bury Strangers
Hot Chip - Night & Day
Sleigh Bells - Demons (Official Music Video)
A-Trak & Dillon Francis - "Money Makin'" (Official Video)
The Rains of Castamere by The National
DIIV "How Long Have You Known?" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Cadence Weapon - "Conditioning" (CFCF Remix)
Gaggie x Bo Deal – Loose Lips [Prod. by Young Chop]
Summer Camp - "Always"
