Midlife – HighClouds https://highclouds.org HighClouds - A Music Blog Fri, 14 Jul 2017 14:12:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.2 https://highclouds.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/favicon.ico Midlife – HighClouds https://highclouds.org 32 32 110112611 Free Anckaert’s playlist #11: Washed Out, Doro & Buga, Lee Gamble and more! https://highclouds.org/free-anckaerts-playlist-11-washed-out-doro-buga-lee-gamble-and-more/ https://highclouds.org/free-anckaerts-playlist-11-washed-out-doro-buga-lee-gamble-and-more/#respond Fri, 14 Jul 2017 14:12:59 +0000 https://highclouds.org/?p=28937 Look who is back! Our brand new playlist curator Free Anckaert – note to native English speakers: yes that’s his real name, it’s not a nickname – is back with a selection of his favorite tracks.

Every week, Free scours through hundreds of SoundCloud tracks to find the best new gems by artists that are flying under the radar.

Each week our Brussels-based fellow overwhelms you with a variety of songs that make your head go nuts. This week, he offers us a playlist with a summer vibe! Here are a few of his favorites:

Doro & Buga – Overdue:

Midlife is the thread through this playlist. The label run by Belgian progressive electronic producers Kassett, Samuelspaniel and doro might be the best the Belgian music scene offers at the moment. Its sound is challenging, measurable with international level (Lee Gamble, Lorenzo Senni, Rabit, Lexxi,…) and together with Hiele, Sky H1 and Ssalivva they’re putting Belgium on the avant-garde electronica world card.

Doldrums – PERV:

As one of my all time faves I’ve been looking forward to Airick Asher Woodhead’s 3rd record since he released “The Air Conditioned Nightmare” in 2015. His first and second LP were released by Arbutus Record and Sub Pop respectively, so you’d expect Esc to go for at least as big. Following other recent indie releases by Washed Out, Molly Nilsson & Still Corners (and probably a lot more), the Canadian choose for the smaller label. What does that mean for his sound? It’s still rough (ruw), industrial, catchy IDM-ish though more atmospheric without losing its edge and dancey aggressiveness.

Washed Out – Get Lost:

In similarity of shoegaze, that other laidback indie genre called chillwave has got three pioneers: Toro y Moi, Neon Indian and Washed Out. After the chillwave wave (2009-2011), the first showed the most creativity on “Anything In Return” (2013) and “For What” (2015), but disappointed big time on his new “Boo Boo”, released last week. Neon Indian really got me with his “Polish Girl” on “Era Extrana”, but wasn’t really able to captivate me until his surprisingly good, funky and catchy “Vega Intl. Night School“, released in 2015. Washed Out seems the one ‘stuck’ the most in the chillwave style, though on his new album “Mister Mellow Ernest Greene” he gives the genre a twist turning it more funky, almost sounding like Bonobo (I’ve Been Daydreaming My entire Life) or Unknown Mortal Orchestra.

Another week of fresh tracks by breaking artists around the world — brought to you by FREE. Check the full playlist below!

Check on Free‘s playlist every Thursday on HighClouds and follow our curator on Soundcloud.

]]> https://highclouds.org/free-anckaerts-playlist-11-washed-out-doro-buga-lee-gamble-and-more/feed/ 0 28937 Free Anckaert’s playlist #8: RIN, Baba Stiltz, Nick Nicely and more! https://highclouds.org/free-anckaerts-playlist-8-rin-baba-stiltz-nick-nicely-and-more/ https://highclouds.org/free-anckaerts-playlist-8-rin-baba-stiltz-nick-nicely-and-more/#respond Fri, 26 May 2017 16:23:34 +0000 https://highclouds.org/?p=27993 Look who is back! Our brand new playlist curator Free Anckaert – note to native English speakers: yes that’s his real name, it’s not a nickname – is back with a selection of his favorite tracks.

Every week, Free scours through hundreds of SoundCloud tracks to find the best new gems by artists that are flying under the radar.

Each week our Brussels-based fellow overwhelms you with a variety of songs that make your head go nuts. Here are a few of his favorites:

RIN – Broke:

This American-Japanese, Brussels-based electronic artist RIN knows how to merge experiment with catchiness and high pitched stringlike tunes. If someone knows she’s performing in Brussels or elsewhere, please let me know!

Baba Stiltz – Can’t Help It:

From Swedish and Stockholm-based artists I always expect to hear indie/electro pop. Sorry for my prejudices to them who are not, including Baba Stiltz. Stiltz could easily chose to be a (boring but) well-paid straighforward house producer, as you can hear in the intro of “Can’t Help It”. Though the building tense gives away he can do a lot more and is going to something great. Cuz “Can’t Help” is an amazing dance pop song with emotional touch added by Stiltz’ soft Erlend Øye-ish voice.

Nick Nicely – The Otherside 2:

Described (in 2012 already) as “the greatest popstar that never was”, Nick Nicely is still around doing his thing and doing it well. “The Otherside 2” is the B-side of Nick’s brand new single “Ghostdream”, the follow-up of “The Otherside” (2004) and just the perfect exotic breeze in this weather.

Another week of fresh tracks by breaking artists around the world — brought to you by FREE. Check the full playlist below!

Check on Free‘s playlist every Thursday on HighClouds and follow our curator on Soundcloud.

]]> https://highclouds.org/free-anckaerts-playlist-8-rin-baba-stiltz-nick-nicely-and-more/feed/ 0 27993