Shem - Spring

It's been a long time since we last posted about polish Drum & Bass/Electronic producer Shem and it seems like in the time that has past, Shem's sound has really matured and developed.
In 'Spring' Shem has abandoned the traditional genre conventions of electronic music, opening the track with a sampled classic piano riff which soon evolves into a bouncy hip-hop beat. This beat in turn evolves into a bass filled and vibrant wonder, twisting and turning throughout the track before forming a melodic and rhythmic backing to the sampled classic hip-hop vocals (Crooklyn Dodgers) which are scattered across the track.
It's not only interesting and exciting in terms of it's breaking with convention, it's also a finely produced track, making for an extremely enjoyable listen.
Props to Shem, he's got us grooving again, in a whole new way and he's done it with style.
Check out the track below and download for FREE or 'Pay what you want' via Bandcamp.
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Oby Nine - Weightless EP

Limburg's Oby Nine aka Jasper Spobeck takes his musical inspiration from the most far reaching corners and depths of his mind. His first EP 'Illusive Adventure' came as the product of a drug trip on magical mushrooms and now his second release 'Weightless' EP draws on his experiences whilst flying and feeling weightless within extremely lucid dreams.
Whether or not you are a fan of mind altering psychedelic drugs and dreams that blur the lines of fiction and reality, the depth of experience and passion that has gone into 'Weightless' is undoubtable.
While the majority of the tracks certainly hold and 'experimental' edge to them, they remain nonetheless accesible to casual listener, with the structure and overall tone of the tracks resembling the audio equivalent of something in between The Beatles and Gorillaz. 
As the EP progresses, it takes the listener on a journey, inspired not just by lucid dreams but musical samples harking back toward previous decades of musical meditation upon the unconscious mind. Whether it's Jimmy Hendrix's 'Crosstown Traffic' (To Be Weightless) or The Beatles 'Come Together' (Got To Be Free), Oby Nine certainly pays homage to those that have come before him in his quest to understand the depths of his mind as well as the narcotics that can help him get there.
Moreover, as the EP progresses, so in turn do the more recent stylistic and musical influences start to drift closer to the surface. The EP quickly moves beyond the simple 80s style synths of 'Got To Be Free' towards the low frequency focus and dubstep rhythms of 'Float On', and beyond to 2step garage vibes of 'On Sound Waves'. Altogether the seamless progression of Oby Nine's varied tracks doesn't just serve to open the EP in terms of accessibility to fans of different genres, but also to enhance the 'journeying' aspect of the EP. The listener moves along with the music, with the over arching downtempo quality of the EP encouraging the listener to relax, close their eyes and journey inward into their sub-conscious, entering Oby Nine's audio soundscape and ultimately joining in his shared vision of a lucid dream experience.
At the end of the day then, the audio experience offered by Oby Nine, is a highly rewarding one, though requiring a bit of effort and submission on the part of the listener. However, since the album is available for FREE, there's really nothing to lose.
Check out the player below and decide for yourself and in the meantime, head on over to Soundcloud to show Oby Nine some love and check out his other EP 'Illusive Adventure'.

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The Rubbish Zoo - The Rubbish Zoo EP

Before they got in touch with us here at The HotBox, we'd never heard of The Rubbish Zoo, so we really weren't sure what to expect from their self titled EP. After a good few listens we're happy to report that these LA indie wonders offer the weirdest and most wonderful indie/pop that we've heard in a long time.

Laid back guitar lead melodies, synth moments - they're all there and in good form, just as you'd expect from any indie pop band. However, on a second listen you'll start to pick up some some less 'out of the box' features. Whether it's the funky vibes and cheeky lyrics of 'Look Alive', or the off kilter rhythms and toned out melodies of desperation in 'Bring Me Back'.......While they may be a little too 'pop' for some indie purists, there's definitely a lot more than meets the eye (or should it be ear?) here, making them a band well worth checking out
Try the EP in the player below then head on over to Bandcamp to pick up the EP for a modest $4.

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Deadmau5 - Rlyehs Lament

The tracks, that Joel aka Deadmau5 has been putting out lately via his Soundcloud have been, for the most part, relatively experimental...at least so it would seem.
Although it's hard to determine the particular direction he's taking with what he calls 'Cthulhustep', we're really enjoying this depart from the 'the norm' and into the complex, and moody soundscapes of 'Rlyehs Lament'.
Listen and download for FREE below

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TheHntedHntingtheHnter - Three Colours

Experimental music is always a bit hit and miss, but even so it still warrants exposure for those fleeting few who will love it. Such can be said for TheHntedHntingtheHnter aka Sun of Melbourne, Australia and his track 'Three Colours'.
TheHntedHntingtheHnter describes his musical style as 'inspired variously by Outer Space, one Girl and The Beach Boys..........tripped, original pop, driven by a Motown rhythm, Chattering guitars, and effected Vocals' a description that rings true with 'Three Colours' clashing percussion and somewhat falsetto vocals. It's almost as if The Knife met Beach House...and then didn't quite master their tracks properly.
'Three Colours' succeeds in creating an expansive soundscape, although it's difficult to say whether it's an enjoyable one or not...but perhaps that the point.
Nevertheless TheHntedHntingtheHnter is clearly talented and well worth checking out...especially since 'Three Colours' and all his other tracks are available for FREE
Three Colours by TheHntedHntingtheHnter

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Tropics - Mouves (Pedestrian Remix)

It's always nice to stumble across an artist like Pedestrian, a UK producer that making seriously intelligent music, music that's hard to genre pigeon hole, tight productions that demand your focus and attention to piece apart and absorb their multiple layers. Pedestrian himself appears to acknowledge this; listing genre descriptions such as 'You Decide' and defining mixes like 'Dance Music For Home Listening Vol. 2.'
Unfortunately I can't tell you much more about Pedestrian, other than he's currently on tour around the UK and well worth keeping an eye out for.
Check out the remixes and the hip-hop track 'Dopamine' below, of which the remixes are available for FREE and far superior (imo) to their original counterparts, then spend the rest of your day checking out the rest of his soundcloud, trust me it's well worth it.
Tropics - Mouves (Pedestrian Remix) FREE DOWNLOAD by Pedestrian
Emeli Sande - Daddy (Pedestrian Remix) FREE DOWNLOAD by Pedestrian
Dopamine feat. Juliette Sanders - Soul Heroin (Prod. Pedestrian) by Pedestrian

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Fort Fairfield - Patience (With Cosima Lamberth)

Up until today i'd never heard of Fort Fairfield, that is until I checked the inbox to find a message from Swedish brothers Tom and John Lück. As it turns out Fort Fairfield have been around for some time, as an experimental/ambient duo making what they called “shoegaze electronic.”
Having already released two albums entitled; 'The Dead Sea Scrolls' and 'The Essential Thing Resists Telling', the guys are now moving in a slightly different direction.....towards a more mature, directed sound, which they are calling "straight pop songs with more heart than brains."
It's difficult really to describe these guys in a paragraph, their track 'Patience' gives indications that Fort Fairfield might be Sweden's answer to Radiohead minus Tom Yorke...but perhaps that's an unfair comparison....The Knife on a much calmer day? Who knows, pigeonholing music like this is difficult for all the right reasons.
Give it a listen and see what you make of it.......right now they're currently "in cabin in Lönneberga," putting the finishing touches on this track and others from their upcoming album.....and there's something undeniably awesome about that.
Fort Fairfield - Patience (With Cosima Lamberth) by fortfairfield

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Bear In Heaven - The Reflection of You

There's no shortage of indie bands coming out of Brooklyn right now, but the trio Bear In Heaven are doing something a little different. With an 80s style clash of synths providing the main melody and dreamy lyrics on top you'd be forgiven for thinking they're just like MGMT or Real Estate..but they're not. Those lyrics are deep and heartfelt, and those synths are meticulous in their arrangement, they don't want you dancing, they want to reminiscing..this is no pop music, it's much more experimental than that.

“There’s nothing but a numbness between us,” it says, “but hey, just dance with me. Maybe we’ll feel something.”

Check the track out below and see for yourself, and watch out for their full length album 'I Love You, It’s Cool', due in April. 

Bear In Heaven - The Reflection of You by Bear in Heaven

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Album: Doctor Jeep - Aztec EP

Throwbacks to old UK R&B and Garage tunes is hardly what you'd expect from a producer based in Boston, but that's what you'll find with Doctor Jeep of  The Banana DJ Collective. His 'Aztec' EP brings back tonnes of old and faded audio memories of UKG riddims and dancefloor vibes. Not to say that this has all been done before, by no means. Rather Doctor Jeep turns these old genres on their heads, giving them a seriously dark, yet ravey edge to them. It's experimental, but accessibly familiar at the same time..Check the FREE download below and see for yourself. Also grab his FREE rework of T2's 'Heartbroken below, he takes cheesy garage/pop and makes something a bit deeper.

Doctor Jeep - Broken Heart D/L
broken heart (free dl via XLR8R) by doctor jeep
[FREE DOWNLOAD] Aztec by Doctor Jeep by end fence

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