Can't pass up a band from my home state. Seattle's Big Spider's Back has a new album out, Warped. It is the debut EP from electronic musician Yair Rubinstein, featuring the twenty five year old Seattle-based artist’s blend of ambient noise, feedback and sample-based pop. The record began as a bedroom recording project back in the summer of '07 has evolved into a full length record. I recommend you check out a track.

Mp3: Big Spider's Back - "Perfect Machine"

Buy: Get Warped here.

Link: Check out a cool video for an equally cool track "Mind Grapes."

photo by The Astrid

Reissue from the Jazzman Records (now on Now-Again) is a set of spaced out funk. Something we don't get enough of is natural yogurt, and while I probably wouldn't name a band after it that is exactly this mysterious duo did. Natural Yogurt Band work in spare, funky territory with a mix of heavy drums.

Influence here is from cinematic funk particularly that of the Italian soundtrack variety. Makes me think of a vintage Guy Richie soundtrack. The album is called Away with Melancholy and I highly recommend you give it a listen. The new release is an expanded version of the now out-of-print debut album. Check out a track.

Mp3: The Natural Yogurt Band - "Chapter One"

Buy: Get the record here.This North American version is limited to 1,000 pieces in each format – once they’re gone, they’re gone.

photo by Nosaj Thing.

Don't forget that Bassnectar is playing with Nosaj Thing tonight in Chicago at the House of Blues. I am surely going to be there and I encourage everyone to head down there. My opinion is that Nosaj Thing's record Drift is one of the best records of the year. Still tickets available so go get some and meet me down there.

Blockhead aka Anthony "Tony" Simon is a hip hop producer from Manhattan. He has a great catalog of solo stuff along with producing for Aesop Rock. His new record Music Scene came out on Monday. He has always had a knack for great production. A quick listen of the record and this one is no different. Check out a track.

Mp3: Blockhead - "It's Raining Clouds"

Picture from the cover of the album. Get the record here.

The Portico Quartet are a 4-piece (hence the quartet part!) modern jazz group from London. They comprise Jack Wyllie (soprano and alto saxophone), Duncan Bellamy (hang and percussion), Milo Fitzpatrick (double bass), and Nick Mulvey (hang and percussion). There new record is called Isla. The video above is for their single "Line" which was featured on the award winning 2008 album Knee-Deep in the North Sea.

Mp3: The Portico Quartet - "Johnson"

Get the record here.

Two Crown King the soul, hip-hop group made up of Adam Dick and Sean Goodchild from Ontario Canada. The two met while studying together at Fanshawe College's prestigious Music Industry Arts program. It appears there is three additional members of the group (see picture), not listed on their myspace page, I assume backing group.

This is the first time I have heard of this duo (5-piece?) and they certainly have a great mix of vocals and production. Their single "A One Man Mess" is a great track. Check it out.

Mp3: Two Crown King - "One Man Mess"

There first full length ep is due out soon.

Friend and fellow blogger Double L has done it again. Noted for his fantastic reggae mixes and reggae blog he brings us a collection of hip-hop, reggae and R&B gems from the 1990's. Mix is real heavy and while the "party" vibe of the mix isn't realized here with me listening to it at my desk with two sleeping poodles* next to me, I assure you if you had the components of a party this would be an awesome mix to rock. Heavy D, Notorious Big, Buju Banton, Jay Z and more are all in the mix. Check it out.

Mp3 link: Double L - Flash Back Party Mix Volume 1

*For the record they are standards (I don't mess with any other size) and they do not have a poodle cut. Scroll to the bottom of the blog for reference if you have not done so previously.

Chromeo, Boys Noize and Crystal Castles will be playing Freaky Deaky Halloween this Friday at the Congress theater. I hope everyone see the possibility of this being a truly great dance party. If you haven't you need to check Boys Noize's Essential Mix on the BBC pretty great stuff. Here is a couple great remixes of Chromeo's new track "Night by Night" in preparation for tomorrow.

Mp3: Chromeo - "Night-by-Night" (Skream Remix)

Mp3: Chromeo - "Night-by-Night" (Siriusmo Remix)

Both remixes are available on Green Label Sound.

Gift of Gab is one of my favorite emcees. For those that might not know Gab is the 2nd half of Blackalicious along with Chief Xcel. His new record Escape 2 Mars is due out November 3rd. Gab is on tour now with a bunch of top notch hip hop talent on the Deadliest Catch tour featuring Charli 2na, Mr. Lif and Lyrics Born. Check out a track off his upcoming record.

Mp3: Gift of Gab feature. Del and Brother Ali - "Dreamin"

Buy: Get the record here.

Amazing album art by the way.

New music from romanian born and Brooklyn based producer, DJ Center. Great deep beat-driven track, with equal parts down-tempo soul, roots and dub reggae. Center's 2006 mix CD, Feel What I'm Feelin, garnered critical praise and URB called it an, "expertly blended, lovingly conceived..." mix record. It really is one of the best jazz podcasts I have heard.

This first song from Center's upcoming Summer 2009 EP release, Everything In Time, features the sweet vocals of the Tunisian-French singer, Ms. Samia Farah, whose incredible self-titled debut (Sony Music France, 1999) was a hypnotic blend of soul, dub and reggae.

Mp3: DJ Center feat. Samia Farah - "Tout Passe"

Buy: Get the whole EP with remixes from the acclaimed Waajeed here (iTunes).

photo of Brooklyn graffiti by toddwshaffer

On the heels of the successful Friends of Friends series releases (Vol 1. Daedelus and Jogger, and Vol. 2 Larytta and Bauchamp), FoF Music is gearing up for their first full-length release, Been Meaning to Tell You by AG friend/artist/blog re-designer Ernest Gonzales. In anticipation of the release, they are releasing an EP, Self Awakening, by Gonzales.

The EP features the title track in addition to two alternate versions, a remix by Faunts and a cover by Take. The EP also includes "We Can Live in the Forest," another Gonzales original, as well as covers by Cyne, Mexicans with Guns, and Yppah. Check out the remix by Florida based hip hop group Cyne below.

Mp3: Ernest Gonzales - "Upon the 49th Day" (Cyne Remix)

Head over to his site/blog at Been Meaning to Tell You.

photo of Austin sky by DigiDragon

If you have been reading you know AG is a big fan of Jason Chung aka Nosaj Thing, a 24-year-old producer from California with loose ties to Flying Lotus and the L.A. glitch-hop scene. Been loving his record Drift since it came out and am looking forward to seeing him next month at the House of Blues playing in support of Bassnecter. Video is by yourstru.ly check it out.

Buy: Get some Nosaj Thing stuff here.

Analog Giant has just surpassed 1,000,000 (aka F4240 if you are into hexadecimal) page views. Something that is pretty amazing for me thinking that I started an electronic-hip hop-political blog from what was essentially an attic apartment in Montpelier Vermont. Yeah sure I know Perez Hilton gets a million views a day but I never thought I would be able to get such a large audience.

I am glad there are more people out there that love the music I do and support this blog.

Thanks to all that stop by the site and I hope you keep coming back. Peace!

Mp3: DatA - "One in a million" (Drixxxe Remix)

Link: Get more music from DatA here.

New record from Doom (aka MF Doom, Daniel Dumile, Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah). Personally I find Doom's work by whatever moniker he has chosen is hit or miss for me. Some of his tracks I totally love and then there are others that I really just don't get into. Anyway, Unexpected Guests is a compilation of old Doom tracks that the Gold Dust imprint has gathered up an thrown on a single record. The record is due out this month.

"DOOM also has a thick catalog of guest appearances, remixes, non-album tracks, & vinyl only singles. For the first time, Unexpected Guest presents many of these hard to find tracks as a mix CD, executed and overseen by the Super Villain himself."

Guests include Talib Kweli, Ghostface & GZA as well as underground heroes Vast Aire, CountBass D and Kurius. Check out a promo track with an annoying sample showing up periodically throughout the track:

Mp3: Doom - "Bells of Doom"

Get the record here.

Duck Sauce, the collaboration between DJs A-Trak and Armand Van Helden, have released a video for dancefloor filling single "aNYway." Probably the best house single of 2009, Track has been receiving heavy daytime airplay on Radio 1's A list. Check out the video.