Monday, December 15, 2008
Texan Melodies
Exponential Records is an independent label based out of Texas and since it's foundation in 2002 it's been putting out a steady stream of tasty electronica by a variety of largely Hispanic artists.The label was co-founded by Ernest Gonzales and this year saw him re-release his 2004 album Lullaby. Originally put out on CD under the alias Theory of Everything, Lullaby was inspired by the news that Ernest was to become a father and upon describing the thought process behind the project, Ernest explains "I wanted to make music for my baby to fall asleep to...my original idea was to create peaceful sleep inducing music and what came out is very dreamlike and electronic." The 2008 version is a digital-only re-release and features six of the seven original tracks plus a new one from Ernest and remixes by some of his friends. The new versions are in line with the mellow sounds of the original compositions and I'm sure the gentle melodies of both the old and new cuts are still helping to soothe his daughter to sleep and will continue to do so for many years to come.
Ernest Gonzales - Run Jump Seek (Zoon van snooK Remix)
In it's thirteen release history, Exponential has put out two compilations and we featured the excellent Wait til the Ice Melts back in April this year. Aether's Forgive Me was included in the post but this time around he gets an even bigger share of the limelight as its his debut LP, Artifacts, we're talking about. Having already been picked out on iTunes weekly indie spotlight, we clearly aren't the first people to notice the strength of this release and if melodic hip hop / electronica is your bag then you're gonna be in for a treat! Aether, real name Diego Chavez, has a whole host of other musical aliases and by all accounts he's rather busy on the production front so if he keeps knocking out quality work like this, this young man is definitely going to be one to keep an eye on.Aether - Autumn Pisces
Exponential releases can be bought from iTunes as well as direct from the label itself.
The label also offers a whole host of tracks for free download.
Labels: Aether, Ernest Gonzales, Exponential Records
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Wacky Weather
There's little wonder that the British are renowned for our frequent chatter about the weather when within two days we can go from people happily walking round in t-shirts and shorts to me awaking today and seeing two inches of snow on the ground. So in honour of these freakish occurrences, it seems fitting for me to finally get round to putting up some tracks from Exponential Record's 'Wait til the Ice Melts' compilation. The selections below give a good feel for this very pleasant walk through the many facets of indie electronica and if you like these you can pick up a copy of the full release direct from the label's website.[on hiatus] - Out of the Blue
Aether216 - Forgive Me (stream)
Dead Waiter - The Liar (stream)
Labels: [on hiatus], Aether216, Dead Waiter, Exponential Records
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Rare Breed
The subject of today's post will be old news to many of you being as it's based on an album that came out the best part of a year ago and by an artist that's been putting out stuff since the back end of the 90s. However, Panda Bear only came to my attention after I noticed his Person Pitch album riding high in many of 2007's 'best of' charts.Having never heard of Panda Bear, I just assumed that Person Pitch was going to be another collection of tasty dancefloor delights but upon giving it a listen it sounded more like it had been stuck in a time warp for the last 40 years. In fact, the initial listen was akin to rummaging through your parent's record collection and finding a discarded gem from their youth. Numerous others have already made reference to the similarities with Brian Wilson's sound so I shan't harp on about it here as 60s music isn't exactly my speciality and I'd probably end up spouting even more rubbish than usual. Instead I'll simply leave you with a track from the album and a link to pick up a copy of your own.
Panda Bear - Take Pills //Paw Tracks
I'll also leave you with a tasty (unofficial) remix we were sent of the opening track from the album which juxtaposes the retro sounds with some modern day electronics. The man behind this runs Exponential records and it's well worth checking out his label over at www.antipop.net
Panda Bear - Comfortable in Nautica (Ernest Gonzales Remix)
Labels: Ernest Gonzales, Exponential Records, Panda Bear
