Funk Friday : Viceroy - No Ending

New Mix, From an Old Friend

Viceroy - No Ending by Drugs and Mirrors

Apparently, our dear old friend, Viceroy has an endless supply of talent in his bag of tricks. His recent release "No Ending" brings the status-quo of filter vibes and a raspy vocal hook. It's clear  that, his skills in production continue to blossom. His knowledge of timing, his beat making continue to grow, much like my anticipation of his next release. The fantastic thing is, Viceroy's career seems to have No Ending.

DnM

Ambassadeurs - Rossler

Coitus Causation 

Ambassadeurs - Rossler by Drugs and Mirrors
 

There are a small quantity of aphrodisiacs known, including but not limited to; Oysters, The Notebook and most commonly alcohol. Well maybe the latter isn't an aphrodisiac, but it does make things easier. Add another to the list, for Amassadeurs' 'Rossler' will get her wetter than sitting front row at sea-world and will cause more 'getting jiggy with it' than Will Smith is aware of.  There is something so sexually ineffable about the smooth bass lines and sultry distorted vocals, aligned against a funk-a-rific melody. There is a perfect balance, in 'Rossler' of slow, ariose beauty and cacophonous 8-bit allowing  Ambassadeurs' jam to be the perfect coitus causation.

DnM

Hip-Hop Hump Day : Tayyib Ali - Do It

Soon To Be...

Tayyib Ali - Do It by Drugs and Mirrors

For up and coming rapper Tayyib Ali, it is certain that his destiny will be most prosperous. With flow as smoother than glass, and outstanding production, he will undoubtedly go far. His most recent release 'Do It', samples and old, un-placeable, soulful vocal that rings throughout the track 'Do it / And I can.' It is inevitably clear that Tayyib, can and is, doing it exceptionally well.

DnM

                             

Funk Friday : Starlesoufs - Love Cloud

You Know How..

Starlesoufs - Love Cloud by Drugs and Mirrors

There are few absolute certainties that exist in life. One being, that idiotic inebriation will indubitably result in shame and remorse. Two, brown eyed females create instantaneous smitten. Thrice, that Starlesouf have stumbled upon the perfect concoction for French inspired Nu-Disco. A recipe that includes a dash of filter, a dollop of funked out bass lines, a pinch of sextastic vocals, and splash of guitar. Voilia! A disco-vibed track that will have dance floor, rump-shaking in no time.
Starlesouf sampled late 70s disco star Phyllis Hyman's "You know how to love me" Which echoes continuously throughout this funk jam. Another certainty, if Starlesouf keep producing songs such as this, you will know how to love them.

DnM

http://www.facebook.com/starlesoufs?ref=ts

Beast of the weeK : Logic - Can I Love

 It ain't suppose to make sense. Love. Passion. It is what it is...

Logic - Can I Love by Drugs and Mirrors

Infatuation, heart-ache, and longing are emotions that are not entirely esoteric, these feelings are common ground.  Without the bleak state of heart break, we would never appreciate the butterflies of affection they are the; yin and yang, black and white, opposites yet inseparable. Much like, the lady of love logic raps about in a track titled 'Can I love' off his debut mixtape - Young, Broke and Infamous. Logic reminisces on the times of a prior girl friend, the happiness it brings, the emotions it stirs and the desolate state since their break-up. Quoting him '..and right now I'd love you more than I would like to admit, because we are separated, unto you this song is dedicated, I'm love sick and I need you to medicate it...because all it proves is that we never made it".  The chorus rings with the question 'Can I Love', yet the true question is, can you love again?

DnM

http://www.facebook.com/MindOfLogic

Artist of the Month - Billions and Billions /w Interview

Artist of the Month

billionsandbillions.us

facebook -http://www.facebook.com/pages/Billions-and-Billions/124500474229634

http://twitter.com/#!/bilyunznbilyunz

It was a huge pleasure to sit down with, Carl Sagan, deep-space inspired post rock, ambient artist - Billions and Billions. His music is intricate as the cosmos, more beautiful than the crab nebula and pulls you in deeper than a black-hole.  With mellow guitar riffs accompanied by a sublime ambiance, BnB will put you at ease. This is Billions and Billions debut album and with the creative talent he posses, I doubt it will be his last. The only thing I enjoy more than the album, was the interview.

Billions and Billions - Ghost View by Drugs and Mirrors

DnM : Hey, we are here with Xristos, from Billions and Billions. How are you doing today?

BnB :  I'm doing alright. Thanks for having me.


DnM : Xristos, for those unfamiliar with BnB would you care do tell the folks a little about your style of music?

BnB : Basically, I combine a sort of noodley/midwesat guitar style with some ambient beats and synths; maybe throw in a tad bit of European skramz or something heavy, then add poop/fart noises, and then you have yourself a Billions and Billions record, but don't hold me to that! Honestly, I'm really bad at describing my music with words. The best description would probably be the album cover, or just do some stargazing; that's Billions and Billions.


DnM :  Post-Rock is such a small unearthed niche, what drove you to pursue this genre?

BnB : I honestly didn't intend to make a post-rock record, but it was definitely one of the brighter influences that shined through the music, so I understand why people would consider it that; especially how the album flows like a post-rock record. There are a lot of post-rock bands that I like, and there are also a lot I don't like. So yeah, it just sort of happened on it's own.

Billions and Billions - It Was Beautiful by Drugs and Mirrors

DnM : Your Bandcamp page states that all music on the album was written by you, does that mean you play drums/piano as well? Or are you using some sort of software?

 BnB : I really do wish I could play drums and/or piano, but I do not own any of those instruments. I've always played around with production software just for fun, and one day decided to use what I've learned over the years to compensate for the lack of instruments I own. I'm not huge into theory, but I know enough to compose what's playing in my head. In the future, I will record some songs with guest musicians, and use real instruments.


DnM : Your song 'A Shift in Orbit' transverses so many emotions, from troubled-nervousness to peaceful-serenity. What I imagined was being pulled away from the earth, through the cosmos. What inspired this song? (By the way, the Carl Sagan vocal recording is a perfect fit, loved it)

BnB : Thanks! It's sort of a weird how that song came together. I decided to spontaneously record a jam session with a dirty guitar that was missing a string or two. During this time, I was going through some dramatic changes in my life, and just sort of poured myself out while playing. After I got the guitars recorded, I came up with the beats and piano sections, but felt it was still lacking something. Since this song was very personal to me, I decided to use a message in it from Carl Sagan -- the man who really helped me make sense of the world at a time when everything was totally new to me. I had no idea if the sample would even fit in the song where I wanted to put it, but it ended up working out way better than I hoped. It was like the song basically made itself.
Billions and Billions - A Shift In Orbit by Drugs and Mirrors


DnM : Cliche question #1 - Who are your biggest influences?

BnB : I could say it's my friends and family, a past memory of a stranger, the inspiring ideas from history's greatest thinkers, works of art, or maybe just a night of stargazing, but musically, it's even more hard to define. I listen to a very wide variety of music, and I try to absorb all these things that inspire me, but to name just a few bands that really shaped the way I make music, it would be Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Kaki King, The Album Leaf, and The Appleseed Cast, Owls/Ghosts and Vodka (anything Victor Villareal has touched).


DnM : Being that your music, borderlines on say...a unconventional form in concert, what does/would one consist of exactly?

BnB : I never actually intended for any of the songs to be performed live, although I would really love to perform some of them live. It wasn't until recently that I've been able to get a band together, and we're going to work on recreating the songs for a live setting. The new material is definitely being made for a live performance and hope to be playing shows before the end of the year.


DnM : Alright Xristos, If you had the opportunity to any drug with anyone from past or present, who and what would it be?

BnB : Bong hits with Dave Chappelle.



DnM : Thank you so much for spending time out of your day to chat with Drugs and Mirrors, Xristos, Take care.

  BnB : Thanks again for doing this with me! 

Billions and Billions - Powers of Ten by Drugs and Mirrors

Groundislava - The Dig

Groundislava - The Dig by Drugs and Mirrors

It's ironic how, when a songs predominant synth, such as Groundislava's-The Dig, can be so simple when in 8 bit format, yet be so complex. With an in-depth chord progressions, and  a broad intricate melody line, it truly tells a story.

-Rory