The Chilldown Period - Episode 24

This picture is indicative of the winter we've been having around here in Idaho. One of the great things about winter are the beautiful vistas it creates, and the unique sounds which come along with it.

Such as a eerie, beautiful, muffled silence from clouds, snow and precipitation combined.

We have some wonderful chilled out sounds to go along with this picture which I hope you enjoy.

(and you can get it here)

Also, special shout out to to Flawed Monkey and to ksabroso, both of whom you can find on Twitter.

Now, time for a quick correction - (((eco)))'s album is Bibbie da picnic and Noel Zancanella's is 12.

Corrections in tow; here's the show:


Caitlyn Hessell
"Always There" (mp3)
from "Always There EP"
(Summer Rain Recordings (White))
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album



Jon Kennedy
"Demons" (mp3)
from "Demons"
(Jon Kennedy Federation)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album



Moon Holiday
"Capsular" (mp3)
from "Moon Holiday - EP"
(Future Classic)
More On This Album



Arts The Beatdoctor
"Meditate" (mp3)
from "Progressions"
(Beats Broke)
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album



Coto Normal
"Outloud" (mp3)
from "L'ultimo"
(Silent Dream Records)
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album




The Northern Hemisphere - Celebration - Quiet Songs for a Loud Generation




Spirit Nation
"Seven Gifts" (mp3)
from "Winter Moons"
(Ultraviolet Productions)
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at mTraks
More On This Album




Just Plain Ant - December - Selections from the Fall - CC



Jay Bharadia
"Snowy Day" (mp3)
from "Snowy Day"
(Lumenessence Recordings)
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at appliedSB / MCNE (Groupietunes)
More On This Album



Noel Zancanella
"Like This" (mp3)
from "12"
(Sonom Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album



(((eco)))
"Immobile e perfetto" (mp3)
from "Bibbie da picnic"
(Minuta)
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album







Cruel Culture - Future







Pandatone
"I Forgot If We Dreamed" (mp3)
from "Happy Together"
(music related)
Buy at OtherMusic.com
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album





DJ Dark Dred - Pillzin'




Goo aka le gooster
"Week End A Brive" (mp3)
from "Elements"
(Synchrovisionrecords)
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

The Northern Hemisphere - Quiet Songs for a Loud Generation

I was approached a while back by The Northern Hemisphere himself to do a review of his upcoming release "Quiet Songs for a Loud Generation".

No, not the continent, but the artist (whom you can follow on twitter at @LPDevotee) who is a pretty cool guy. He said he had a new album coming out at the first of January and I was stoked he asked me to review his album.

It's an interesting mix of soft piano, off kilter drum kits, ambient drones, and some theme and variation.

The album starts off with some upbeat ambient music with the song "Celebration." It gets you in the mood for the release on a whole. A little Lullatone, some ambienteer, and some Boards of Canada influences in there.

Then comes the song which took me back and at first I didn't know how to take it. I was torn between not liking it at all to this is some good stuff. I've listened to it a few times, and when taken in context with the rest of the album, it fits. So, it's in the "like" category. "Empty Field" is eight minutes of drone and abstract drumming. The patterns of percussion are there and then a curve ball hits you and it seems to not even follow a set course. It's a very interesting take on theme and variation. The drums are the set theme, and the melody along with the songs "Sunlight" and "Waking Up is Hard to do" are the variation. On other songs there are some off-beat drumming, but these three songs set a pattern throughout the album for how it will sound. "Sunlight" has a jazzy feel while "Waking Up..." is peppier but a bit chaotic. It's that groggy reluctance to peak from underneath the covers. Plus, if there was more of a hip-hop flavor to "Sunlight", I can see it being released on the Black Lantern netlabel.

The Northern Hemisphere also throws in songs with nifty trip hop beats mixed with some Boards of Canada and Lullatone keys. "Exit Signs" and "We Came from Dark Matter" are his ventures down this road.

He takes travels down the paths of drone music, a la ambienteer, in "Moving Mountains to Dust", "Our Daily Routine" and "Vibrance Within". His light melodies keep the tone of quiet that one would expect from an album of such a title. In "Moving Mountains to Dust", there is faint spoken word with you have to stop, adjust your volume, and pay close attention to understand what is being said.

He delves into some nice guitar melodies in "A Lady Ghost" and adds a play on volume by taking you from a set loudness to almost inaudible softness with "Quiet Song." I mean, you have to turn up your volume quite a bit.

You'll also find different filters, feed back, and bass mixed in to make this a neat experience.

I asked TNH about the title of the album and he responded:

"I decided to name this CD "quiet songs for a loud generation" because, our society is filled with so many overwhelming aspects that it's tought to calm down a lot of the time. All of us are always so busy that it would be nice if we could voluntarily stop to "Smell the flowers" so to speak, every once in a while. The other reason why I decided to give it a unique album title is, that So many people have sleep schedule issues like myself which is insomnia. I started this project as a way to reach out to people in a physical as well as a mentally sort of fashion to calm the senses, and to just go blank for a while."

He went through numerous songs and album titles, directions and deletions to arrive at the album he's released. To me, it all seems rather therapeutic, and to summarize some of his feelings - an introductory vehicle to help balance to people's lives.

My one criticism on the album is there is space in one of the songs (of course, I can't remember it now), where the percussion is delightful and then it goes a little off-kilter (outside of the songs which feature off-kilter drumming), which takes some of the oomph out of the song.

This album also passed two tests for me: 1) I can fall asleep to it and 2) my wife likes it.

UBLF's Year End/New Year's Drum and Bass Podcast

So, I decided to end the new year right with some good ole drum and bass! We're gonna hit 175+ BPMs for 45 minutes plus.

It's gonna be epic!

So sit back, strap in, and sense your way into the new year!


Happy New Year to all of you out there!


Here's a way to directly download the show!


Now, to the tracklisting




Beckett - Something Version - Rudimentary Records - CC



Draeko - Night Shift - CC




Eye Depth - i'm falling - CC



Technox PL - Diavoli - Reloading EP - CC




Wintermute - The Elephant - digitalGEWITTER dG-FREE001 - CC




Autonome - Precision Device - Reinforcement EP - Criminal Wave Records - CC




brokenspud - Wendigo - CC




Hamster Alliance - Solarphage - CC




mobilehijack - The Mysterious Drummer - CC

Primate EP from Monkey Dub Recording

Through my dealings on soundcloud.com, I've come in contact with many awesome people. One of these groups/labels has been Monkey Dub Recording. I've been privileged to use a few of their songs on my Dubstep Directive podcast. When I found out they had a song called "Dr. Pepper" on one of their compilation EPs, I had to find out more.

And in that I wound up buying the album entitled Primate.

Here's how to describe it - if you wanted to introduce someone to the world of Dubstep, this would be a nice way to do it.

The album starts off with the hard steppin' dub sounds of Lady Snake. Big cuts, skanking lines, hard wobble, and grimey vocals mixed with charming lyrics.

... and bass - can't forget the bass!

B. Riddim is up next with the song Wake Up Dude! Here we go into the borderline chillstep territory. We're bringing dubstep back to the dub roots. The vibes are killin' it.

I hope I get the terms correct for VRS's song Step In To Dub. This takes me back to first wave ska/rocksteady sounds mixed with heavy dropping bass and drum and bass which is held back a notch to keep you skanking along with some steady steppin'. "Step In To Dub" to me is a middle ground between Lady Snake and B. Riddim. It definitely keeps the head noddin'!

Then comes my favorite song of the compilation - Hangman's "Dr. Pepper". Wobble, Laser, High Hats, Bass, stomping drum lines, infectious melody and grooves. There aren't any lyrics to the song, but I've found myself singing along to the instrumentation. It is just as addictive as my favorite soft drink.

The album finishes up with some laid back atmospheric dubstep from Accomplice. We're talking a few BPMs faster than the ambient dub sounds of Deep in Dub netlabel. I mean, this is just straight chillin' - the deep soothing bass, the flute, the nice dub guitar and keys and maybe some UK Garage influences to go alongside it all.

So, what is my verdict - get this album! It's not only a good intro into dubstep, but also into the Monkey Dub Recording's catalog on a whole.