It's no secret that we loved Soft Lighting 's Portraits . I like to think that we don't hand out perfect scores on a whim around here unless we're utterly amazed on multiple different levels. While there were many songs on Portraits that I loved, one spoke to me in particular: 'Dangerous'. From the first, tense moments of the song to it's eerie synths and vocal effects, this song exemplified edginess. From there, the premise of the video basically played itself out and all we did was fill in the blanks. The [...]
Soft Lighting: Portraits - Soft Lighting is the solo work of Kansas City producer Bryan Cox. His work has been chronicled and lauded by this site over the last year and for good reason. His continued innovation and attention to detail surprises at every turn. When you put on a Soft Lighting record for the first time, there's no way of knowing what exactly you'll be hearing. These are the artists I live for. Cox's debut album, Slow Motion Silhouettes , was an eclectic mix of chill wave, synth wave [...]
We're honored to premiere "On the Nod," the first single off Kansas City producer Bryan Cox's new album Portraits . Cox, AKA Soft Lighting , makes "languid, seductive pop" with traces of late 80s and early 90s dark house. "On the Nod" recalls the classic indie dance sound of Manchester's Factory Records, the Tony Wilson-owned imprint that launched the careers of post-punk trailblazers like Joy Division (later New Order), Happy Mondays and the Durutti Column. The track begins with nothing but Cox's washy vocal and a guttural bassline before gradually building into a wall [...]
![[MP3] Aimes’ new reMix EP](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4803463_lg.jpg)
Brooklyn Chilly SynthPop artist Aimes is gearing up for the release of a new reMix collection. A release of reworking of tracks from his acclaimed Beautiful Decay EP of last year, Aimes has roped in the likes of Soft Lighting , Chaz Bronz , Beto Cravioto, Travmatic, Business Casual Disco, Rioux and Jules Schimmer and more for an eight track (which is more of an album really!) monster that spans numerous electronic styles and delivers something for everyone. Standout tracks on the release, for us, include [...]
It's taken an entire year and thousands of albums to get here, but I've finally managed to compile the best records of 2012 and put them in an easy-to-reference list. The top 5 all had perfect scores, so choosing this year's best was harder than usual. In the end, there can only be 12 this year and moreover, one that surpasses all. As always, I want to personally congratulate all the artists mentioned here today and thank you for your tremendous talent and dedication to your craft– You guys are the best of the best and it was a pleasure [...]
Music videos are a rarely mentioned factor of many of the images that come to mind when we listen to music. In 2012, some of these videos were not only fantastic, they defied expectation in every regard. So whether you were thinking of ballerinas, birdmen, your computer coming to life or launching into space on a homemade spaceship or not, these artists have indelibly ingrained these images into our minds forever. These videos are as much pieces of art as the songs themselves and the best of the best of 2012: #10 Ski Lodge: I Would Die To [...]
From the time I heard Nooka and Synthemesc 's collaboration 2 months ago, I knew something special was happening. While I obviously have reviewed a number of their records and interviewed a handful of their artists, Synthemesc is still a label in development... incidentally, any good label will continue to change as time goes by and in turn, influence others during that time. When I first decided to make a couple of fan videos, I really hadn't planned on going much further than 2. However once I got going, I knew we had to make one for [...]
After digging around the web for info on our Soft Lighting post , we discovered this fantastic track from young Miami producer AbdeCaf . Taken from the new Rebuild ep, "Never Know" is a gorgeously heartbroken synth ballad that also features Soft Lighting. Rebuild is out September 25 on Fluorescent Records .
mp3: Soft Lighting - Hong Kong Nights "As darkness falls on the steamy streets of Hong Kong, one man refuses to stand by and watch his city be transformed into a post internet wasteland. Steve Guy is on a suicide mission to navigate the urban badlands and to capture and kill every single last digital phantom and cyber banshee." Soft Lighting , aka synth-based producer Brian Cox, has just released his excellent new ep Laser Tag and AMDISCS is offering it [...]
With all the songs left on Synth Record's Noozik compilation, you'd think we'd slow down a bit. But no, we're still keeping pace quite nicely. So nice that yet again we're premiering 2 more videos this week that we're very proud of. Today, we have Soft Lighting 's futuristic 'Nookafesto' and OnThe88 's light and airy 'We Speak Nooka'. Please do enjoy. Nookafesto We Speak Nooka
Soft Lighting: Glamour Shots - Bryan Cox is a complex guy. After hearing his debut, Slow Motion Silhouettes , I was reasonably sure I'd figured out where he was coming from. His style was a bit disjointed, but distinctly original. A little chill wave, a little experimental pop and lots of synths. Yeah, I liked it. I liked it a lot. 4 short months later, the last thing I was expecting from him was another brilliant record. Perhaps a nice remix album with some great artists like Brothertiger or [...]
Perhaps the next playlist you'll introduce your friends to will be loaded with Brothertiger. It's quite possible since the tracks that John Jagos remixes and produces, while from various artists, bring a calming, electronic dance aura through the speakers. The Toledo, OH native arrived on the spinning scene back in 2010 and was green in the scene but hardly in heart. The tracks below possess the chillwave touch he enhances each with, including Queen's classic "Bohemian Rhapsody" and Blackbird Blackbird's synth-friendly "Happy High". We last mentioned Brothertiger before the the release of Golden [...]
It's raining today. At least it is where I am. And nothing rings in the somberness of a rainy day any better than some chillaxed, relaxed vibes. If "So Good" by Soft Lightning doesn't do it for you then I can't help you. Additionally, you can always count on boys of Digitalism for bring some of the best tempo-ed remixes in the game. Grab your umbrella, raincoat, and you're waterproof headphones because today is a wet one! Check it and check out. Cheers. -lev So Good (Original Mix) - Soft Lightning [...]
The first time I heard Another Green World , my mind was reeling with questions: What does this remind me of? How is he pulling this amazing thing off? What the hell did he just do there? In short, I was enthralled with nearly every aspect of it. While I instantly wanted to tell the world about what I had been repeating over and over on my iPod, it still took me a while to form the adequate words to do it justice... even now it seems slightly underwritten. After listening to In Dreams [...]
Bryan Cox is Soft Lighting and vice versa. No, not the dreamy particle physicist Brian Cox , the dreamy chill wave pop artist. Perhaps this is why Soft Lighting suits him better and with a sound that conjures images of dimly lit rooms and landscapes, this alias becomes even more appropriate the more you hear it. He recently made his debut with Slow Motion Silhouettes on Synthemesc in March and left a lasting impression with his original take on synth pop. After debating the sociopolitical impact of Saved [...]
Even before Soft Lighting debuted last month, he began releasing a video for every song on his album. I've seen a few bands try this, but none have done it as well and as seamlessly as he has. You can find them all here . In case you're wondering, he recorded this latest video on an old VHS camcorder for his wife. All together now: Awwwwww Out Tonight Back in high school, nobody liked Black Flag more than I did... Well, nobody really knew who they were, [...]
Soft Lighting: Slow Motion Silhouettes - Soft Lighting is the solo work of Kansas City-based artist Bryan Cox. Chill wave has a lot of different forms especially when you're talking about Soft Lighting. Though this is Soft Lighting's debut record, there definitely isn't a particular style that he's gravitating towards. There's plenty of chill wave and chill wave-inspired songs on this record, but to simply label it that way and be done with it just wouldn't be fair... Slow Motion Silhouettes takes cues [...]
Guest Post: Episode 1 - Meet Hearing Gold Blog This is the first installment of our Guest Post feature where we ask a music blogger to introduce themselves to us and gives us a tiny round up on what they are currently listening to and a short description on what their blog is all about. In our first episode we meet Vancouver based music blog Hearing Gold . In june we had the pleasure of working with the team at Hearing Gold on [...]
In addition to playing guitar for New Savages, Bryan Cox records as one-man chillwave project Soft Lighting . Recently signed to Synthemesc Recordings, Cox releases the first Soft Lighting album, Slow Motion Silhouettes , today.… [ Read more ] [ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]
Softlightes: Captain Brokenheart Fights The Infinite Summer - Softlightes are an electro pop band from California. You may be saying to yourself,'I don't know these guys... do I?' Well, that depends on what you were listening to 5 or 6 years ago because that's how long it's been since they released anything formally. Even this record didn't enjoy a formal release- It was released for free on Soundcloud , but you can find it available for free here ... Sure, this took 5 years to make and it's a break-up album in [...]
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[MP3] Avec Sans’ ‘Hold On’
