Michael RJ Saalman “Ripe Hymns”

09 Sep 2013 — Parker Bruce

The video for Michael RJ Saalman's new track, "Ripe Hymns", is very focused on hands. Director Stephanie Wickizer gives us hands doing a bevy of myriad things. Saalman and his song are kind of flirting with us and getting to know us at first like the hands in the video are, then things get serious with aptly uncoordinated, unceasing cymbal compressions marking the change in intensity and the sounds of things ripening if you will then going rotten with rapidity. Salmaan's tape, "Ripe Hymns" is coming out on Crash Symbols, so look out for that. Also, check out the video for a new track by Diode (Worried Mothers' David Hansen, Digital Leather's Shawn Foree), the clanky, banging-on-pots-and-pans "Peck on the Lips." Their first tape will be out on Crash Symbols in a bit as well.

Preview: Decibel Festival 10 (& Hush Hush Records Showcase Giveaway)

06 Sep 2013 — Kelsie Brown

Seattle is a city that has been known for quite some time as a prominent music city - though not quite for its electronic scene, it's rapidly changing. This can be attributed almost entirely to the presence of Decibel. Starting in 2003, every September Decibel hosts a multi-day electronic festival, bringing in prominent artists from all over the globe. Each year the festival expands, bringing in bigger and bigger audiences and hosting more and more events. Decibel now is responsible for a large portion of electronic events throughout the entire year.

Coming up on its tenth year, Decibel is ready for its largest event to date. Taking place from September 25-29, the festival includes five days and nights of shows, after-hours parties, boat parties, experimental & audio/visual events (OPTICAL events), educational panels & conferences, and film showings. For full details, lineup, and information on how to acquire individual show tickets and full festival passes, visit the Decibel website.

As No Fear of Pop's sole Seattle writer/editor, and has someone who has been attending Decibel for several years, I am thrilled to announce that we will be conducting a ticket giveaway for a showcase that fits directly with NFOP's vision as part of our series highlighting Decibel. Follow the break to find out more information on #dBx, and how to win a pair of tickets to Hush Hush Records' official showcase.

Considering Decibel's location, it's only natural that one of Seattle's most prominent music labels is hosting a showcase. Hush Hush Records have been responsible for the releases of several of our favorite Seattle electronic artists, like Cock & Swan and DJAO. Taking place on Saturday, September 28 at downtown venue The Crocodile, the lineup is a hefty one featuring six prominent artists. The night starts off with three of Hush Hush artists, all well-established Seattle beatmakers, taking the stage for a while. Domokos opens the show, followed by buddies DJAO and Kid Smpl.





The second half gives the reigns to three international producers: Henry Krinkle, Ryan Hemsworth, and Cyril Hahn. Relative newcomer to the scene, Henry Krinkle makes stunning, lush house beats from his home in Shanghai, China. Ryan Hemsworth, of course, is a poster child for NFOP - we're straight-up addicted to his cheerful breed of dance music. Bern, Switzerland native and Vancouver, BC resident Cyril Hahn struck gold with last year's house remix of Destiny's Child's hit "Say My Name". His house-infused remixes of classic R&B tracks intertwined with indie classics (Haim, anyone?) will be the perfect way to close out the night at nearly 2am, just in time to head over to the Kompakt 20 or Mixmag afterhours parties. Ticket information, set times, and venue details are over here.







Want to win a pair of tickets to the #dBx Hush Hush Records showcase? All you have to do is go over to the No Fear Of Pop Facebook page, make sure you've "liked" us, and comment on the preview, part 1 post by no later than Sunday, September 15 at 9pm PST. The winner will be selected randomly and will be contacted via Facebook sometime that week.

We're also quite excited about XLR8R's showcase at Decibel, taking place the night of Thursday, September 26 at Capitol Hill venue Chop Suey, featuring extensive sets by three artists of whom we're big fans: Huerco S., Vessel, and Evian Christ. Advance tickets and Decibel passes can be purchased through Decibel's website.

Eastern Hollows “The Way That You’ve Gone”

06 Sep 2013 — Ashley Canino

Today, Eastern Hollows brings us the second single from their upcoming, eponymous LP. "The Way That You've Gone" follows the release of the first single from the album, "Summer's Dead," way back in December 2012. The wait was well worth it--lead singer Travis DeVries' vocals shine on the aggressively heartfelt track. This may be the strongest hook we have heard from the band, which is saying something with super sticky songs like "Northern Lad" -- off of Days Ahead EP -- under their belts. "The Way That You've Gone" falls right into Eastern Hollows' M.O. of making listeners feel amped and dancey in the face of the morose.

The Eastern Hollows LP drops this Fall.

Sebastian Palomar “Alpine Retreat”

06 Sep 2013 — Nestor Burma

After choosing the world of city banking over a promising swimming career, Italian producer Sebastian Palomar has achieved creative redemption in the form of a motivational booklet with accompanying songs, entitled The Physical and Emotional Benefits of Swimming. While Seb's often baffling rhetoric is clearly the sound of a man who's gobbled up too much self-help literature (or chlorine), his music is welcoming and gorgeously narcotic. Over-treated synths and garbled instructions tow the listener through refractions of Debussy and Popol Vuh, evoking impressions of turquoise against marble or the cacophony of the bath. This is the noise of the swimmer's headspace - or, as Palomar would put it, the "weird kaleidoscopes of atomised thoughts" that come to mind when immersed. On "Alpine Retreat" we hear Seb at his luxurious and muscular best, reclining in a jacuzzi that could be powered by the man's pomposity alone. Sebastian Palomar's album is out now on Dramatic Records, and you can see him play live this Saturday at Hackney's Power Lunches.

Euglossine “Ring of Blue Light” (exclusive)

05 Sep 2013 — Kelsie Brown

Summer is rapidly reaching an end, and that means the time of summer nostalgia is approaching. Euglossine's new track does the trick. Based in Gainesvile, Florida, producer Tristan Whitehill makes glazed-over, hyped-up IDM. Bringing in elements of tropical pop, video game soundtracks, and wavy synths, Euglossine's Dance District is a uniquely modern twist. It makes us comfortable to know that lighthearted dance music like this does still exist.

Dance District will be out on September 14 via MJ MJ Records. Pre-order the tape over at their bandcamp, where you can also stream a few other tracks. Stay tuned to hear more.

Huerco S. “Prinzif”

04 Sep 2013 — Andrew Wagner

Huerco S.'s new single, "Prinzif", sounds a bit like a song trying to start and not quite succeeding. The track begins with a simple drum beat and a looping, warbled synth line that comes in and out of clarity, forming the basis of a techno track but never fully coming together. The music then abruptly cuts out, leading to a long ambient passage adorned with the crackling of a tape recorder. After a long build-up, the song finally delivers on the promise of the opening few lines, with the song's seemingly disparate parts joining together to form a little nugget of techno bliss. It should come as no surprise that such bliss is shortlived, with Huerco S. cutting out on the jam nearly as quickly as it started. 

Listen to "Prinzif" below. Huerco S.'s debut album, Colonial Patterns, is available September 23rd through Software Recording Co.

Stream: B£AMS / TESLA “Patches / Lazer-AC” Split LP

03 Sep 2013 — Nestor Burma

Interesting proposition here from Canterbury producer B£AMS and newcomer TESLA. While B£AMS's outing on No Pain in Pop's "The Bedroom Club II" saw him channel dark cymbal rushes and Caretaker-esque disintegrations, "Patches" finds the producer in colourfully lackadaisical mood. Velvety keys and molasses drone ooze from one daydream into the next, before ideas collapse and whispered vocals bubble and retreat Doppler-like. The producer's highlife roots are more apparent here than ever (he is the grandson of Nigerian Ogene legend Oliver De Coque). The flipside, from London-based doctor and noise-tamperer TESLA, is more of a mystery. Cavernous, anodyne ruminations soar high like vapour trails before morphing into expertly twisted hip hop beats reminiscent of Prefuse 73 or Matthew David.

Patches / Lazer-AC is out in late September via Kit Records.