dublab : future. roots. radio

WHOOSH. Another year of incredible recordings out the window! Our Sprout Sessions last year were all so out of this world it was actually a (kind of awkward) chore to choose the 'best'. Rest assured knowing that these are at least SOME of the most incredible live moments we captured last year.

We're super excited for 2012 and the musical adventures it will bring. We'll be busy with organizing concerts and broadcasts around the world, and are even more psyched to share them with you and the amazing folks here at the FMA. 2012 is sure to be a much livelier year for us as our tiny organization continues to grow and grow. Thanks for tuning in to our part of spectrum - and happy new year!

Bonus Beat Blast is an original Creative Commons beat/rhythm library from dublab’s international family of music makers, compiled exclusively for their Proton Drive.

Not only does it feature over 70 tracks by the likes of Asura, Daedelus, Kidkanevil & DZA, Raleigh Moncrief and many more, but the entire collection is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 3.0 license which gives you the freedom to share and remix the work even for commercial purposes as long as you credit the original source.

The full Beat Blast, including lossless FLAC files, is currently available only by donating to dublab -- a non-profit audio source and a very good cause! But since they are CC licensed, they're sure to be distributed far and wide, and dublab is encouraging you to share the myriad creations that these beats inspire.

As a teaser, check out this beat below from James Pants, one of several JP contributions to the Bonus Beat Blast. James Pants' Stones Throw releases are top favorites, taking what WFMU's Liz B calls "a freeform approach to dance music." And if you crave more rap beats, James Pants recently posted JP Failed Rap Beats #1: 2004-2008 + 1 from 2001 on his top-notch tumblr.

By now you’ve probably heard the roaring buzz enveloping young L.A. beat-maker and song-smith Will Wiesenfeld, a.k.a. Baths. If not, you are in for an aquatic treat of epic proportions from this lad, who recently unleashed a massive wave of joyful melodies and sturdy, Low End Theory-approved beats into the hearts of music-lovers all across the land with his debut LP, Cerulean, on Anticon Records. Weisenfeld stopped by the dublab studio to radiate his essence in this dublab “sprout session” exclusively for your ears.

Imagine escaping from a sarcophagus. You’re making your way out of a hidden tomb, and finally catching a glimpse of daylight gleaming through a crack in the wall. You’re pushing with all of your weight to move the door which has kept you hidden for thousands of years; your atrophied muscles aren’t much use. Your dusty lungs take in one last gaping breath, and you push one last push with all your might. The door moves just enough so that you can squeeze through. Now you’re fearing for your life because the sun is much brighter than you imagined. You quickly retreat back into your tomb and find an elevator door that reads “Hell.” You start your journey down the elevator shaft. You witness scenes of lifeless bodies floating in purgatory; breathless souls staring at you wide-eyed, sleepless, lifeless, and Godless. You see your destination as bats fly up at you like Mongolian warriors, shredding your mummified arms with their razor sharp wings. They pluck out your eyes and replace them with Christmas lights. Now put this image into sound. You have Italic Indian. Blowing our minds with sonic journeys, story-telling and scenery that our minds dare not wander on their own…

These Silk Flowers, hand delivered from New York City, grow on you. You might as well just put this live session on repeat, because silky seeds are being sowed in your brain as soon as you push play. Several listens later, the odd and enigmatic shades of gray which first confronted you bloom into a prismatic synth world populated by kaleidoscopic colors, unique song structures, and haunting, strangely poignant vocals. Remember — although not of the natural world, life-like Silk Flowers never die.

Courtesy of Post Present Medium.

http://www.myspace.com/silkflowersnyc
http://silksilkflowers.blogspot.com/
http://www.postpresentmedium.com/

Has this world’s maddening pace got you feeling down and out? Is your soul in need of nurturing? We felt like that too, until this serene “sprout session” wherein Juilianna Barwick flooded our studio with such a heavenly chorus that, for a fleeting 36 minutes, we left this world completely. We floated in the air as all of our hopes and dreams melted into layer after layer of vocal loops cascading down like beautiful, healing waves. We sat on clouds. We cleansed our minds and souls completely. Now it’s your turn. Inspiring, angelic and reassuringly human, this one woman choir will make time stop all around around you. For more Julianna Barwick, check out her latest EP “Florine” on Florid Recordings.

Collage visionaries the Books are one of our favorite high-thinking/feeling bands. They were kind enough to stop by dublab again to share some of their conceptual magic with the world. As the finale for our 10th Anniversary Proton Drive they created an absolutely mind-blurring mix of wide sound sources. Once your ears have had a few decades to fully absorb this offering be sure to check out their dublab “Found Sound” session from a few years back.

This very special sprout session will hypnotize you. Disregard the future and abandon the past, for here The Present will be your only focus. Erase your mind and allow these drones to guide your eyes from left to right… when we snap our fingers, you will awaken into a world of tropical thumping and circus reverie. Your body is now weightless, hang 10 on these sound waves while you float in and out of time and space. Enjoy wandering through this new dimension of sound – and don’t forget to come down!