Saturday, August 20, 2011

Nero's New LP - Welcome to Reality

I have mixed feelings about posting up this LP. On one hand, Nero is an incredibly gifted pair of sound engineers who know how to spin dubstep into just some of the greatest bass drops that you might just lose your mind. I remember hearing Doctor P, Flux Pavilion, and Nero all drop just these crazy tracks right around when they did "Innocence", and I was like damn, the UK just owns dubstep. But on the other hand, a lot of people really liked it. A lot. And Rusko had the dub scene swelling in the states as more and more kids got into it, ending in what we have today. A rising tide of really awful brostep and wobbles being made fun of because the snyths are just fluctuating wildly over poorly made two-step beats in everybody's attempt at dubstep.

I know it's not really the biggest issue in the world. Bad music will always be around. And it's not fair of me to blame Nero for it, but I kind of do. "Welcome to Reality" is a great album with some of the most annoying tracks snuck in that just kind of leave a bad taste in your mouth. I don't know why. All of their hits are in there: "Innocence", "Promises", "Guilt", "Me and You", and the more recent "New Life". There's also what I'm assuming is Nero's take on "Stress" which isn't bad in the song "Angst", but sounds exactly like you think it would. And overall the rest of the other tracks are great. But when I listen to tracks like "Crush on You", "My Eyes", and "Must Be the Feeling" I feel like I need a shower. It just sounds like manufactured Dub-Trance that I know inspires so much awful music to pop-up. It's not like these songs can't hold their own. They're well made and I can totally understand someone liking them. It's just how many times do you want to hear another giant epic sweep up with some random chick singing some loop to hit into a wobbling bassline. It's just repetitive in the same way people hate Rusko for having the same sounds.

Regardless, you should check out the release and make up your own mind about the situation. If you're missing Nero's hits from your collection then you should pick it up. "Innocence" and "Me and You" remain awe-inspiring tracks and the new "Fugue State" and "Doomsday" absolutely crush. If you have everything Nero already, then maybe check out the tracks I mentioned before you grab it.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

The M Machine New Single + HARD Comes to Portland

I'll admit it.  For a bit of time I lost faith. After seeing some absolutely garbage shows here in Portland (I'm looking at you Bohemia) I was beginning to think our wondrous city of bridges was losing its touch. But Figure brought it hard and tonight the epic arrival of the HARD tour arrives to rock the Roseland Theater with the likes of Digitalism, GESAFFELSTEIN, and one of my favorite duos, Jack Beats. So if you aren't amped up and ready to go nuts, start preparing.

So in honor of my newly restored belief in our cause, I'd thought I'd hook you all up with the new single from The M Machine, a San Fransisco duo who put out a crazy awesome teaser video I spoke of long ago. I was excited to hear what these boys were bringing to the table and "Trafalgar" does not disappoint. What we have hear is an incredibly well produced track that runs a little long (6:00) but drops into some of the best dark, grinding synths and epically constructed beats that would put a Dada Life song to shame. It doesn't have the hard edge that an Ikki song or Q.G. track would provide, but it's got those long melodies combined with awesome sounds that I miss from when Danger used to drop tracks. It's worth a listen for sure, so check it out below and if you like it, it's free on Facebook. Party on pretty people.