Blog: dipped in dollars

It's a little more than an honor to have Gavin Handley from Jus Like Music contribute to our Substitute Teachers series. The label started out as a blog, and eventually blossomed into a roster of forward thinking artists who are currently pushing the boundaries of what electronic music can be. He also co-hosts a fantastic radio show on NTS that showcases his phenomenal taste in music. This mix consists entirely of Jus Like Music releases, and all of these artists have material that you must [...]

heRobust hooked us up with Late Night / Morning After , a double LP he's released through Saturate Records this week. Georgia's best beatmaker really surprised me with this one, exploring aggressive bass melodies on Late Night and a balanced, upbeat, and alluring collection of beats on Morning After . You can download both albums for free, but there is also a 73 vinyl / t-shirt package that is well worth [...]

Word has come via Stone's Throw of Australian producer Jonti 's new album Sine and Moon , a free collection of 15 tracks spanning a variety of styles. The album's title matches its sound quite well, as Jonti employs the use of lighthearted samples, light, pitter-patter sine-based synths and some occasional tropics-infused vocal elements while bathing the entire sound in a wash of after-hours, moon glazed placidity. Check our favorites below and download the whole bag of tricks here . [...]

• Jonti - Moon Goddess
• Jonti - Nagoya Train Station 3AM
• Jonti - Nightshift in Blue (Alternate Version)

Eglo Records let us know about their big time birthday bash at Fabric on Thursday, March 8th. Floating Points is going to officially debut the visuals for his live show (which will probably look something like his video for "Sais" ) and Fatima will be performing with the freshly formed Elgo Live Band on top of DJ sets from Alexander Nut , Arp 101 , and Funkineven . [...]

I'm trying to catch up on music I've been sitting with for a month, so here goes. Chicago's Innobushu released his Distraction EP in mid January, and it's a lovely piece of work. Upbeat enough to keep you hopeful for spring, but laid back enough to be described as "essential music for late night reflections". I couldn't have said it better. You can stream the rest of the tracks and grab the files for a low low price here .

I first heard this track by Hermitude while listening to Gilles Peterson over the weekend. Hermitude is a Australian hip-hop group who's members consist of Luke Dubber (aka Luke Dubbs) and Angus Stuart (aka Elgusto). I shared this track with a few people this morning and it became quickly apparent that I needed to make a post ASAP. As Danger so eloquently stated; "Fuck yeah steel drums!" I couldn't have said it better myself. Simply put this song sounds like how summer feels. The two person hip-hop group has a forthcoming album [...]

Devonté Hynes has been making music under many different names, and I am absolutely in love with them all. His latest, Blood Orange approaches nostalgia with the most sublime minimalism and little genre-restriction. "Forget It" is his newest single, and represents the best of a forgotten time in rock music. Grab the rest of the album here for less than $10.

Machinedrum has swallowed the early chunk of 2012, collaborating on new works with Azealia Banks and Om Unit , remixing Bonobo and Gang Colours , and releasing his own SXLND EP on LuckyMe earlier this month. I don't know how he's going to keep up at this pace all year, but hearing this Letherette remix of a [...]

Ernest Gonzales might be better known to some as Mexicans With Guns , but his latest release, Natural Traits , makes his birth name something to remember. I've been sitting with it for a few weeks now, and it's just one of those albums that feels effortlessly good . Sublimely peaceful, it is at once calming and captivating - an admirable achievement for an instrumental album. Its hard to quantify in words, bu this video for "The Voice of Fate (I ♥ You)" perfectly plays into its subtleties and [...]

Last week ended with a very nice email from Cascine , who sent over an EP from their latest signee, RxGibbs . Futures EP is definitely more on the chill side of the label's roster, echoing their description of sanguine, sophisticated dance music with hook laden vocal samples that journey through a seemingly endless myriad of effects and filter sweeps. You can download the album's title track for free on their soundcloud right now.

It all seems a little too easy, of course I would love a dark track with a severely slowed down sample of "Ain't No Sunshine", but I just can't deny it. Montreal's Wolfey cites DJ Shadow as an influence, and that sound is the most evident in "A Marvelous Persona". Anything that brings back memories of Entroducing..... is alright in my book. You can snag his entire Sleep Country EP for free here .

PMR Records sent over a couple of Two Inch Punch reworks at the beginning of the year with the request that we didn't share them, and it was great to see the Metronomy rework make it on his soundcloud last weekend. TIP 's dub-infused R&B works well against the unabashedly synth poppiness of the original, presenting a sound that needs to be further explored in a proper collaboration. There are still a couple of copies left of his [...]

Robin Hannibal was behind some of the greatest pop music happening last year (including one of our summer anthems and the perfect Parallel Dance Ensemble ), and I can't believe we've slept on his solo work for so long. Bobby focuses on the exploration of vulnerable emotion, articulating a keen confluence of Pharrell / Ennio Morricone / Charles Stepney influences through prophetic layers of vocal arrangements and somber electronics. He [...]

Easily one of my favorite new acts, 14th have fleshed out their latest single, "Take Me There", with an official music video, as well as a stunning acoustic session. The second video offers a bit of insight into how they came to be making music and the meaning of the track. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for more material, but for now, this should satiate me.

"Come Save Me" by Australia's Jawgwar Ma is the first release from The Blue Rider , a new singles label. Rarely am I one to post straightforward rock songs, but I am a sucker for 60s-influenced pop. The video is composed of simple silhouettes that are an elegant representation of the sound. Downloads and limited 73s will be released on February 27th, stay tuned to their site for more information.

Tourist is the artist formerly known as Little Loud , and I was given the opportunity to simmer with his forthcoming Tourist EP this week. This kid from Brighton produces clear, upbeat chillwave that references the better sounds coming out of 2009 as demonstrated by this debut single, "Placid Acid". You can purchase the full EP from Make Mine when it's out on March 12.

I love getting PR emails about artists who have personally reached out months before, and Elephant & Castle has come back to us in a big way with a collaboration with tUnE-YarDs ' Merril Garbus. "En Memoria" almost sounds like something Daedelus would have produced, with sweeping arrays of orchestrated samples that cyclically give way to Merrill's gorgeous vocals. He'll be releasing his second album on Plug Research this March, and they've promised a full length that will sound something like [...]

Headlined by Jeymes Samuel, The Bullitts , is a UK based music outfit. The first single "Close Your Eyes" featuring Jay Electronica and Lucy Liu dropped in April 2011, and their debut album titled They die by dawn and other short stories is scheduled to be released in June 2012. Just last week they released this video for their newest track "Supercool," and that's exactly what the video is - super cool. Personally I can't think of anyone who doesn't like Rosario Dawson . This video just reiterates [...]

This track from Swedish duo Staygold has been out for quite some time now, but it's coming back to life with a remix from Rimer London . The original is stripped of its nightclub sheen, and pared down to just the essentials. This new version is darker and more emotive, but still remains light enough to move your feet. It's a nice reminder that spring is just around the corner. The original has also been a colorful video, which you can check out here .

Donky Pitch have been prolific with everything they've sent over so far this year. This video for 813 's "Splinters of Violent Glasses" is throwing Spectrum Riff EP on the forefront of Russia's beat scene, with a cosmic array of pixelated space creatures and environments. Be sure to throw this one on in HD. Splinters of Violet Glasses by Donky Pitch Transparent Fiolet (digi exclusive) by Donky Pitch