PK’s Picks #1 -aoi’s “1”

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     Welcome to the first official segment of PK’s Picks. I’m PKSkyler, and I regularly siphon through the best lesser known music I can find on the depths of the internet and bring it to you in a casual review style format. Today’s choice was emailed to me about a week ago, and I’ve had a few enjoyable listens since then. We’ll be sending our ears on a quest through a relaxing symbiosis into a new musical world with this enticing bandcamp oddity ” 1 “, the debut EP by aoi.
aoi
     From what I’ve been able to gather, aoi is an independent composer, musician, and producer from Montreal,Québec. He studies molecular biology at the University of Montreal, and he also studied jazz music performance for bass guitar in the past. His debut album/EP “1” was created on his laptop over the summer and during autumn, which he released on October 22 of this year . It is experimental in genre, iinfluenced by post-rock, electronica, alternative, progressive rock, jazz and classical. I would label it along the lines of something like “electric prog?” I don’t know, but it’s good stuff, reminiscent of influences from artists like Radiohead or Pink Floyd, yet on some Scott Pilgrim style video game adventure.  
    We start this album off with “wavelings” a chilled out and spacey yet well structured opening instrumental. It opens with some pretty synths and guitars, which aoi increasingly adds more layers of as well as some electronic ambience. I eventually get the feeling of being in the Egyptian desert searching for an oasis, and finding illusions, yet continuing my voyage.
    The next two tracks change the tone to something even more distant and far from this world. It seems we have left or are leaving Earth, or at least found lands yet undiscovered. The electronic and upbeat yet dangerous nature track 2 puts off reminds me of some tracks off the Castle Crashers OST. A relaxing, and yet foreboding sample of a woman talking enigmatically appear at the end of track 3- “the void between“, seeming to warn us of the potential perils of our journey and human nature….who is this mysterious voice? She speaks the first and only words on the album.
     I personally really enjoy tracks 4 and 5. They feel like something pulled straight out of a video game set in some futuristic or at least technologically advanced setting- one with a great composer. Now that I mention it, this entire soundtrack would be fitting for a video game with its reliance of electric noises and synths in pretty much every track.
     Track 6 is the first to use some piano which I really enjoyed and felt it helped close out the song and bring us to the final track masterfully which is track 7, “waltz for ioa draconis“. It has the most fitting title of any track and is in my opinion the most emotionally charged. It’s incredibly soulful and melancholy, yet stays true to its title of being well…a waltz. You feel as if you are drifting back and forth in a sense, dancing in circles, the powerful electric guitar ballad helping drive your movements and paint this picture in your mind. The album leaves us with a sense of fulfillment from our journey, yet desire for comprehension of the meaning from it.

     The entire album is incredibly cohesive, relying on the previous and following tracks to help mesh together a seamless listening experience. You can also tell aoi has studied music and took care designing these songs, employing electroacoustics to his advantage. Some listeners may find qualms with the lack of any lyrical content whatsoever or what can seem to be the droning on and on nature of prog rock in general, however I personally find this EP to be relaxing and enjoyable to listen to, as well as not too distracting. It’s something you could put on while doing homework, in my opinion. That doesn’t make it boring and detract from its interesting sounds and textures though, although I can admit some listeners would be turned off by how the album was made all electronically, and goes through its variations a bit slowly. I also felt that the album performs best when listened to in one sitting, which can be seen as a negative to some as well. However all in all I would still recommend this to others and will have many more listens. I am looking forward to hearing more of what aoi will be releasing.

Final Score: 8/10

   Next week I’ll be checking out another lesser known gem. Feel free to send your submissions or anything you want to check out to me or my email, PKSkyler@yahoo.com. Thanks for reading.

GOOD FOR NOTHING

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GOOD FOR NOTHING Is The newest Release from #TeamSesh Member Bones.

Bones Is back again with another banging Project that takes a few steps In A different direction from paid programming 2 and many of his other Projects.

I know alot of people do not like the Newer Bones and the way his sound is starting to change.

 

 

GOOD FOR NOTHING has a lot of Relaxing chilled out vibeing songs apart the track list one of my Favorites would have to be

ROADKILL

 

RoadKill has An amazing Beat Prod By Highbrid. Bones Brings it with his soft sung lyrics and melancholy flows that drip over this beat perfectly !. This song Is A bit different from bones other stuff that is a bit more edgy and more in your face.

The Piano On Road Kill Is very ethereal and makes you feel like you are drifting away.

 

a lot of people are skeptical of where Bones is going to go as many people wish he would return more to His sound that was on his Useless Project with the blood curdling screams and edgy Raps.

 

I am interested in seeing where Bones takes him self overall and where he is going with his Music .

 

Best of Soundcloud II

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SHAMPOO GOD – L I G H T N I N G

Ever came across an artist that you’ve never heard of before and suddenly you spend the rest of the evening going through their lengthy discography? Shampoogod’s beats are smooth with an addictive layer of warm nostalgia on top. “Lightning” has some great pads that really complements the overall vibe of the tune. I seriously recommend you check out his Soundcloud and Bandcamp, where he has many beats available for you to enjoy.

Cosmic Cycler – Remember This Night

Slow and chilled is the order of the day here. “Remember This Night” is a vaporware styled track with an amazing sample. If you’re bringing a girl over, forget Netflix & chill, just play this track and she will get the message immediately.



BVLLVH – Rest Well, I’ll See You Again

Big trap drums and beautiful vocals. “Rest well” is a pretty lit song that could defiantly go down well at a party or club

Kloudeath – Drugged Out At 5th Street (/W lil Louie)

This track has a dark, pop punk vibe to it. Koudeath lays down his vocals over a trippy beat produced by Tundra. A lot of elements of this track, mainly the verses remind me of early Yung Lean (cirica Unknown Death 2002. Classic.)

Trey Skies – Castles

Hidden Jewels members Trey Skies and Windwaker team up on this track that could easily go down as a classic. Windwaker delivers a beautiful, Sombre, well produced beat that does a great job at complimenting Trey Skies Icy, depressing flow. This track is off his latest EP “Death Of Me” and I recommend checking out the whole project which oozes with a melancholy style very unique to Trey Skies.

Yume – Colours (Uyama Flip)

Here’s a track that’s nice and chill. “Colours” is an ambient, soulful instrumental that feels very fitting to listen to on a autumn afternoon.

CVRL – Crossing

Wavemob member CVRL from Denmark gives us a trance influenced wave beat that’s as chill as it is euphoric. This is defiantly one of the best tracks I’ve heard in a while as the synths compliment the mesmerizing vocals very well.

GLDEN – Close My Eyes

With an addictive hook and some great production by YungJZA, “Close My Eyes” is a downbeat track with a guitar lead and some booming 808’s. The whole vibe of this track is rather “emo” and feels like a throwback to the early 2000s pop punk sound with some modern trap overtones.

Sn0 Forest’s Vault: Episode 1

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Hello everyone and shoutout to those of you that still read and keep up with this blog. Today I’ve decided to start a new series alongside my Best of Soundcloud articles where I will be showing you guys some of my favourite albums and EP’s of all time, crossing many different genres. I want to do this not only to show you guys some cool music, but also so that you guys can see where I draw most of my inspiration from with my music. By the way I am working on a new best of Soundcloud for this week so keep an eye out for that.

John B – In:Transit / Future Refrence (DnB)

John B is quite possibly one of my favourite artists to this day. He is a British drum and bass producer who has been around since the 90s. However, what sets him apart from most on the scene is that his DnB tends to take influence from many different genres of music such as trance, jazz and synthpop. I like most of John B’s work, but Future Reference is probably my most played album of his and if you take a listen for yourself you can see why. Future Reference shows off John B’s variety of styles when it comes to DnB. “Forever” is a soft, alluring liquid DnB track with vocals and synths that can easily put you in a trance. On the other hand, “Show Me The Way” is a dark and aggressive track that still keeps a light overtone through the use of the vocal sample. “B Mine (Remix)” is a pretty unique jazzy DnB track that’s led by a saxophone, followed by a pulsing synth section for some contrast.

His album In:Transit deserves a worthy mention too. “Mercury Skies” is a smooth vocal DnB track with a pretty epic build up, while “Sight beyond” is an ode to the classic dark rolling DnB sound that came from the 90s. “Broken Language” is a dance floor slammer that has a nice vocal break followed by choppy baselines and big drums.

She – Chiptune Memories

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She is a chiptune electronica artist from Sweden. I first heard his album “Chiptek” and ever since then, I’ve been hooked to his nostalgic 8 bit sound. Chiptune Memories was released last year and is my favourite project of his to date. The whole album has a classic pop vibe to it whilst retaining its 8 bit chiptune sound. “Chiptune Memories” is a rather catchy track that to me, crosses elements of early 2000 Brittany Spears esque pop with an 8 bit, eurobeat influenced instrumental. Soft and alluring, “Nostalgic Vibes” brings the pace down a little. Only this time around She brings us a modern synthwave sound that’s drenched with his signature chiptune spirit.

The whole project features sounds created from the Nintendo Gameboy, NES and Sega FM Chip as well as synthesizers such as the Yamaha DX7. The album can be streamed for free on Spotify:

As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this post!

Larry Furlow Is sure to Get your head bumping

Larry Furlow has not disappointed me yet.With 18 songs on his soundcloud that all bang and tell a story of there own. Larry Furlow is deft someone to look out for

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Here Is some of that New flavor Iv been looking for.

Larry Furlow has not disappointed me yet.With songs 18  on his soundcloud that all bang and tell a story of there own.

One of my Favorite songs By Larry Furlow Has to be

SOMERSAULTS 

Somersaults .

 

Somersaults is a very wavey track that I have been listening to now for a while.

The lyrics are very Smart and creative. The story telling In these bars are spot on.

The hook to this song Is incredibly dope and Is almost nostalgic to me Because as A kid I went though a wrestling phase and loved Smack down vrs raw.

Anyway Larry Furlow Delivers with Somersaults. The Beat is incredibly funky and laid back.

 

DIPPIN & OUT

 

 

Another Dope Song from the Man Larry Furlow is Dippin & out

Dippin & Out Has A nice Smooth jazz kinda feel to it that is sure to get you grooving.

This song is a little bit different then Somersault’s but still keeps that Lyrical steez that you are looking for. The beat is deeply hypnotic and the producer did an amazing job with the mix down and master of the over all track.

 

I really dig Larry Furlow And his style and he is for sure someone that we are looking at now !!

 

Make sure to check him out on soundcloud

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feel free to go like our facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/TheExperimentalGateway

 

Also feel free to follow us on twitter : https://twitter.com/TH3Gateway?lang=en

 

The Return of Best Of Soundcloud!!!

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Hi and welcome to my official return to the best of Soundcloud. First of all I would like to apologise for my absence from the best of Soundcloud weekly posts. I’ve been busy with uni and my own music these past few months. I have also been having a bit of a rough time with my mental health but you should all know that i’m doing fine at the moment and things are starting to look better. Tomorrow I will be making a seperate post showcasing some albums and EP I have been enjoying lately to make up for my absence. Anyway, let’s check out some new sounds

9K Strip Club – Five Finger Posse

Working on dying member FORZA comes through on the production of this track with his familiar signature dark, melodic and gritty sound. Five Finger Posse flex all over this hyphy track with their drill influenced lyrics which gives off a Three Six Mafia / Spaceghostpurrp influenced sound. 9K Strip club is defiantly one of their hottest tracks and is bound to tear up any club. I Seriously recommend checking out their whole tape “The Bitter End”

Pure – Sidewalks and Skeletons

Those of you that follow this blog that’s into witch house and dark electronica are probably already familiar with Sidewalks and Skeletons. For those of you who aren’t familiar, then this track is a good start. S&S’s music has a wonderful, addictive spirit to it and “Pure” from his album “Wight Light” is no exception. The track starts with a haunty vocal sample and floaty, melodic elements sitting atop a sweet saw baseline before the song then transitions into the breakdown where we hear a thought provoking quote regarding the subject of death. this is then followed by my favourite part of the track, where the lush, downbeat spacey atmospheric pad chords come in, giving the whole track an angelic ytet depressing vibe. This song right here is for all you lone wolfs out there who despise the “normies” that rejected them.

Calling Me, Right Now – Pollàri

The melodic trap wave is really popular right now and Pollari really delivers with this track. This whole track gives of an RnB influenced vibe with Pollari addictive, melodic voice, over Sensei ATL’s chill and soulful production that sounds like it was somewhat influenced by synthwave / vaporware. Please don’t sleep on this track or any of Pollari’s works.

Skit x Cvrl – Nova

This track is sweet and beautiful. Top Notch wave music with some great synth work by 2 of the biggest pioneers of wave music around. there’s not a lot I can really say about this track, just listen and feel for yourself🙂 `

Grid – Triangle

More witchy vibes for you to check out. Powerful supersaw bassline under a high pitched synth with vocal sprinkled on the track is the order of the day here. Check this one out and prepare to be entranced by the tracks hollow aesthetics.

Ra//in – VOX

Here’s some chill, ambient music for you. Vox is a very atmospheric beat with a smooth gliding pad and vocal that carries the song, leaving lots of room for the drums to make and nice impact and tie the whole tune together.

Voyage – Since When x Slight

Another chill beat for you guys (Chill seems to be the theme of this post today). This track has some nice drums and an addictive bassline that flows nicely through the track. Let this songs beautiful aesthetics uplift and inspire you as we all continue to try to make sense of this crazy world, our surroundings and our fellow man.

Nakura – Daydreamer

This is a nice little future bass track that I’ve been meaning to write about for a while. The track starts up with some upbeat prog house synths chords that’s then met with some more sweet synths and mellow drums that give off the feeling of daydreaming in your bedroom on a nice summer evening.

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Escaping Reality: the Iconography of Vaporwave

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Awesome Article and blog check them out !!

Bandcamp Daily

vaporwave iconography
Every month, Simon Chandler offers insight into the ever expanding and changing genre of vaporwave.

Vaporwave is a strange and singular genre. Not just because many of its most celebrated albums revolve around sampling corporate muzak and aging pop hits, and not just because its practitioners remain mostly anonymous. It’s unique because its music is unusually inextricable from the cover art and imagery that accompanies it. Even more so than, say, metal or rap, vaporwave depends heavily on visuals in order to maintain its individuality as a musical form.

And yet, beyond offering newness and distinction where there are mainly appropriated samples and anonymous producers, the imagery of vaporwave draws upon a variety of themes. Whether it’s depictions of virtual plazas or neon-lit streets, vaporwave cover art doesn’t simply provide a psychedelic backdrop for the music of, say, Floral Shoppe or a Hong Kong Express. It also offers a…

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PK’s Picks Edition #0- PKSkyler(SUBMIT YOUR MUSIC TO ME!!)

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Hey everyone! PKSkyler here! I’m going to start a (hopefully) weekly feature here at The Experimental Gateway where I highlight an Artist, one of their Songs, and one of their Releases. I’ll go in depth aboutwhat I like and don’t like about them, as well as introduce them to you all. I’ll give reccomendations similar to the artist, and finally i’ll give a score for the artist’s album. If you’re a lesser known artist and you want to be reviewed, send me a message! Email submissions to PKSkyler@yahoo.com . You can also find me on facebook easily~  PKSkyler’s Facebook
Tell me:
1.) your name, and your artist/band name
2.) a short bio
3.) song you wish to be reviewed as a single/standout track
4.) album/ep/mixtape/release you wish to be reviewed and listened to in full
5.) Social media/music links (Facebook, Soundcloud, Bandcamp, Twitter, etc.)
6.) anything else you feel may be important

For this nonchalant and unofficial “episode” of PK’s Picks, let me just tell you a bit about myself.
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I’m Skyler Nelson, AKA PKSkyler, an experimental hip hop artist based in San Diego, CA. I’ve been into music since I was a child, seriously addicted to all kinds, but I’ve just started MAKING music seriously this year. I’ve made music before, but never thought to try and really go for it until this year. I’ve got a huge varriety of influences, so many so that there’s too many to list.
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One of my more popular songs is “Always Asleep.” The song basically is about how we wish to escape this world through things such as sleep, meditation, and perhaps otherwordly or unsavory means, and how life affects us, and how we must perserve (but its still just a chilled out rap song.). Listen to the single here
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My main album is Life Of Skyler. I can’t review my own album but here it is.  Life Of Skyler I would love all of your feedback on my work!

Email submissions to PKSkyler@yahoo.com or contact me on Facebook! Peace!

TEG TWITTER

A Lonely Morning

A Lonely Morning Is a very Awesome song that has a Smooth vibe to it and a nice synth melody that is Paired with some auto tone soaked vocals.

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I am Pleased to feature Shallow Vera and his Amazing Song Titled

A Lonely Morning

 

I Really enjoy Shallow Vera And his Music He has been featured before on the blog a few times and today I wanted to showcase his Song A lonely Morning.

A LONELY MORNING

A Lonely Morning Is a very Awesome song that has a Smooth vibe to it and a nice synth melody that is Paired with some auto tone soaked vocals.

I really Enjoy Shallow Vera and the production that is put into his tracks. The beat production for his songs are always on point and I really enjoy the slight trap influences that can be heard in this song. This song Features ft. YungJZAisDead And is produced by  [prod. void]

There is a  nice R an b type feel to this track And it  has that new school ethereal  TRILL Flavor.

The Vocals In A Lonely Morning Are very well done I feel. The auto tune is not Annoying and to out of pitch or range. The auto tune suits this song perfectly!. Shallow Vera lyrics are always deep and straight from the heart and that is something I thoroughly enjoy about him. I hope he never changes this and continues to grow as a Artist and becomes better.

The overall beat for this song consist of the new school ethereal type trap feel that is greeted by spaced out synths and reverb – ed hi hats. I Really enjoy the composition of the beat the levels sound perfect and It never feels like the instruments are battling in the mix .

If I was you and had some spare time I would Look into Shallow vera

  

 

 

 

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The Best of Soundcloud [Week 8]

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Samurai Pope – Arctic Tear

“Arctic Tear” is a track that sounds exactly like how you imagine it would. Icy chords plus a slamming 808 makes for an interesting yet chill beat.

Sake – Ashtray

If you like TRASH LORD, Drew the Architect or any other producer that makes minimal style trap then this is a track you should enjoy. Despite the minimal sounds, I could see this track being played out in a club or a party. The track begins with some swelling pads and a deep sub bass before it transitions into a big pitch bent 808 drop.

Haardtek x Astral – Conquest

Massive collaboration by Haardtek and Astral here. Conquest is a deep, majestic track which features some crazy drum patterns sprinkled with samples all throughout the track including the nostalgic PS2 startup sound. The hyped up beats are nicely contrasted with the angelic breakdowns and hollow synths. Some of my other favourite tracks by haardtek is “Flowers” and “Cemetery”

This is ▲д – ▲д – mgla

Here’s some chilling, witchy vibes for you to play on a rainy day. The track is centered around a dark, yet healing vocal sample that sounds like something straight out of a religious horror movie.

OISACMANE – Sick

“Sick” is a cool cloud trap banger that contains everything that makes cloud trap so good. Dope 808 patterns, potent drums and some nice samples thrown in, soaked in delay and reverb.

Koji – Mirror

Fresh new upload by koji. “Mirror” is a pretty technical track that features a crazy bassline juxtaposed with a variety of synths, samples and effects that come together to make this dramatic beat that sounds heavily inspired by glitch hop.

Negative – FD

Shout out to all the Initial D fans that follow us. This track sounds like how it would feel to be cruising down akagi hill in an RX7 at 10:30pm. A gentle, chilling pad make up the the melodic layer of the song, driven by a fat kick and sub bass to complete the wavy vibes this track brings. This track would actually feel right at home as part of a racing game soundtrack.

Thank you to everyone that follows this blog and likes my best of soundcloud segments. Before I wrap up this post, I want to do a little self plug and share with you guys my latest, 80s inspired synthwave track that I made entitled “’86 Midnight Runner” which can be heard on my soundcloud link below.