kataBoom!

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND A MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT

kataboom! — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 11:16:56 +0000

Sorry I’ve not posted for months, I’ve been rather busy negotiating what I’m about to reveal below. I’m hoping that by now, you’ll have recovered from your New Years’ festivities – so brace yourself because I have some massive news for you.

kataBoom is moving to a new home.

That’s right, sadly I’m leaving the blog , but don’t worry - it’s in good hands. I’ve talked to the guys who’ll be taking over and they’ve got some frankly fantastic ideas, which I wish I’d thought of. Unfortunately it means that the site you’re on (kataboom.wordpress.com) is not going to be updated much any more, if at all – because all the action is moving to kataboom.tumblr.com.

I’d just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has helped with the blog since its inception. Many of the blogs that actually got me into this have closed up so I feel honored that kataBoom! is still around, generating more views than ever – even when I’m not posting! From bands who we’ve been able to interview – like Venice Ahoy, to the exclusive releases we’ve had from Hourglass Sea, to the milestones we hit one by one - it has been nothing short of a privilege to work on the blog.

Some quick stats:

46,441 views in under two years – without any advertising
July 11th 2010 was our busiest day, thanks to the FIFA World Cup Final
170 posts with over 575 tags
Deadmau5 got our most popular post - in fact it was more popular than our own home page

As you can see it’s been a rollercoaster. I wish you guys all the best for 2012, hopefully it’s going to be an awesome year for you. If you want a taste of the new kataboom – click here.

See you around,

kata x

KATABOOM EXCLUSIVE: kass – Emulsion (2011)

kataboom! — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:55:36 +0000

Emulsion is a collection of remixes, reworks and re-imaginations from UK beatmaker, kass (aka kassmusiq).

I can guarantee you that no other blog has their hands on this EP yet.

ENJOY

follow kassmusiq: youtube, last.fm, soundcloud, twitter, tumblr

Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles (2010)

kataboom! — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 18:19:33 +0000

Crystal Castles, also known as Crystal Castles II is the second studio album by… you guessed it, Crystal Castles.

It’s textural, inspired and mixes light and dark together, with chiptune inspired production from Ethan Kath, and gloriously distorted (and at times inaudible and/or incomprehensible) lyrics from Alice Glass.

Great stuff.

DOWNLOAD

Borgore – Borgore Ruined Dubstep Part 1 (2010)

kataboom! — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:03:14 +0000

Borgore Ruined Dubstep. He said it, not me.

Dubstep was meant to be like this, filthy yet effortlessly creative. No-one’s caused so much offence and stirred up such controversy since Eminem or 2 Live Crew, but yet musically Borgore stays on point.

The EP kicks of with Nympho, which is certainly be a shock for the uninitiated, so if this is your first time with Borgore, save it till last.

Arguably the best track is Borgore’s wonderfully inventive take on the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, My Favourite Things.

Altogether, definitely worth a listen.

DUBLOAD

Toro y Moi – How I Know (2011)

kataboom! — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 19:45:41 +0000

A man who can do no wrong at present, back with a quirky Scooby Doo-esque music video for the 3rd single release from Underneath the Pine.

Hourglass Sea – LA Lights (2011)

kataboom! — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 09:59:13 +0000

Expect big things from this man, and watch this space, because Dean Bentley, aka Hourglass Sea, is on fire. Time after time, without fail, Hourglass Sea delivers. Glittering riffs, sparkling glitches, bass that blows Hudmo out of the water, and a phenomenal amount of intelligent layering, that demands replay after replay.

LA Lights is no exception. And there’s an amazing video to boot.

Keep it locked right here for more in the future.

Little Dragon – Ritual Union (2011)

kataboom! — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:54:06 +0000

Sorry, no Soundtrack Sunday today, but I’d like to indulge you in this little masterpiece.

Seems to be the season of tour-de-force comebacks, and Little Dragon are no exception to the rule, with a frankly exceptional new LP, Ritual Union .

The title track is crisp, bold and beautiful – and it just keeps getting better from there. The time spent working with Damon Albarn and Gorillaz since the inception of Plastic Beach has obviously rubbed off on the band, and a new sense of purpose seems evident in the music. In particular, Yukimi Nagano’s vocals stand out and really cement the mix together. Wonderful.

Try it, you can’t go wrong.

DOWNLOAD

Hit me up if the download link is incorrect or if doesn’t work, and I’ll track down another :)

Hudson Mohawke – Satin Panthers (2011)

kataboom! — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 12:13:57 +0000

Hot damn, Hudson steps it up here. I always thought that Butter, his first LP, whilst good, didn’t do him the same amount of justice as his earlier works. This EP seems to add further weight to the notion that his music is best suited to the short release formats, where his creative energy can be condensed into a few punchy beats, as opposed to an hour’s worth of diluted creativity.

Beats here are off chain, crunktacular, inventive and dripping with raw energy, no shit. This is definitely a must-listen, because it’s sick as hell.

Out on Warp this Monday

Onra & Quetzal – Tribute (2007)

kataboom! — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:14:35 +0000

In case you didn’t already know, long time kataboom favourite, Onra, is currently gearing up to release Chinoiseries II – the thematic sequel to 2007′s Vietnamese-inpsired post-crunk masterpiece.

To celebrate, here’s a colab the man himself did with like-minded beatsmith, Quetzal in 2007. As a general rule, the pair take it in turns on production – with Onra behind the beats on most of the odd-numbered tracks, and Quetzal producing the majority of the even-numbered ones.

It’s lush, it’s summery, it’s chilled and it’s damned enjoyable. The beats are short, more like flavours than fully fledged songs, however there’s more than enough in there to warrant endless replays. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD

Pssst, Look out for: On a Sunny Day, You Don’t Have to Go and Settle Back

88-Keys – The Death of Adam (2008)

kataboom! — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:56:14 +0000

It’s always difficult to decide what album to blog after an absence, but there are few better to return with than 88-Keys’ The Death of Adam, a stonking piece of hip-hop storytelling featuring Kid Cudi, J Davey, Redman, Bilal, Phonte and even Kanye West as guests.

The basic premise of the story that the album tells is the story of a young man named Adam, whose various lusts lead to his eventual demise. What makes this album stand out, asides from the very, very strong concept, is the organic feel of the production.

It’s got some huge artists featuring, but thankfully they never eclipse the songs themselves. 88-Keys is an accomplished rapper, but Kanye West’s verse on Stay Up! (Viagra) totally rewrites the rules in a frankly astounding fashion. That said, West’s presence doesn’t choke the song, and Keys’ production still emerges the true star of the piece. Furthermore, smooth numbers such as Dirty Peaches provide good pacing for the story, and a pleasurably soulful feel to the album, whilst the (intentionally?) hilarious narration helps keep the concept tight.

Fantastic shizz.

Tracks to look out for: Stay Up! (Viagra), Dirty Peaches, M.I.L.F

DOWNLOAD

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