Brighton duo IYES follow up the impressive showings of “Glow”, “Daddy” and “Lighthouse” with the hypnotic “Toys”. Hitting it out of the park, yet again, this track showcases their particular production and songwriting talent. The subtle guitar licks, the repetitive drum beat, and Melis’ vocals layer, make for yet another standout track. By Brian Litwin
IYES 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.5
Little to no information is out and available about new Aussie duo Klo consisting of cousins Simon Lam and Chole Kaul, “Make Me Wonder” is silky smooth; built around a minimalist beat and on point production choices the track has been on a constant repeat for a day or so now. Reviewed by Brian Litwin
Klo 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.8
“Oh do our neighbors up north know how to to party. Grimm, a Toronto native and maestro of the DnB scene has paired up with fellow DJ/producer Rainer to create a new project. Their first offering is the is chilled house flip of PartyNextDoor’s “Persian Rugs”. With some more remixes and EP on the way, we will patiently for the next track from the duo. Reviewed by Brian Litwin
Rainer + Grimm 
: (Soundcloud)
Rating: 8.7
We interviewed Kyogi a handful of months ago and he has been pretty quiet up until recently. Putting a nice spin on London based Arkon Fly, the now 16 y/o wiz does this funky track justice. The single originally got a bit of love from BBC Radio 1 and Zane Lowe and now this remix should help its trajectory. Looking forward to more from both. Reviewed by Brian Litwin
Kyogi (Facebook)
Rating 8.3857
It took a minute, but we have recovered. After battling through the post-SXSW plague (aka an annual gnarly cold), curing our hangovers with some proper hydration via resqwater, and yes…actually getting some sleep, we’re back with our annual report from SX. And so it is; straight from the front lines of ATX, here’s a Top 10 report of SXSW Music 2014 highlights from our troops on the ground.
Mike
Jungle
Wolf Alice
Rare Monk
SOHN
KINS
Zella Day
MISUN
SIVU
GEMS
Moses Sumney
Troy
SXSW 2014. I traversed the Doritos #BoldStage, made memories at SXSubway, got social media-relevant at the Tumblr House and sought precious refuge from the apocalyptic World War Z-esque 6th St. throngs; that and I saw some pretty cool bands and artists. From Moses Sumney’s Central Presbyterian stunning vocal sermon to Sango’s star-level beat-making to Soundgarden’s sludgy rooftop stab at Superunkown; the musical component of SX is still at least maintaining a high level. Here’s few of my favorites from the festival.
Moses Sumney
Arthur Beatrice
Sango
Jungle
Angel Olsen
Soundgarden
Sam Smith
Misun
Banks
Kaytranada
Brian Litwin
SXSW 2014 was a big one, making headlines all over the world for puke, corporations and tragedies. For me, SXSW was similar to “Starred” playlist on Spotify; mostly all different genres, all with buzz and a sense of uniqueness. It was a pleasure working with Team B3SCI on their incredible shows and an honor to spend that time with friends in such an incredible city. Here are my 10 highlights of SXSW 2014:
The Preatures
Bipolar Sunshine
Wave Racer
Eagulls
100s
Young and Sick
Cashmere Cat
Kelela
SKATERS
Beat Culture
*Just to sneak one last one in there – the Ray Ban X Boiler Room set was unreal…”
Bruce Rave
Another successful SXSW (South By Sponsorship Week) is behind us. One trend is that there seemed to be fewer rapidly-growing, up and coming buzz bands in that middle level between the big names and the many newbies. Congrats to our Mike and Troy for dropping the first Jungle EP on their B3SCI label, and for Jungle being one of the week’s most talked about bands. I mostly skipped great bands bands I’ve seen, and there weren’t many surprises this year besides the incredibly enthusiastic Gary Numan.
The Strypes
Temples
Gary Numan
Jungle
Moses Sumney
The Crookes
Chloe Howl
Misun
Kid Karate
The Griswolds
Wow, what a tune by the Cork-based Eoin French aka Talos. “Tethered Bones” has the skeleton of an absolute hit with its incredible production, uncommonly smooth melody and haunting guitar and synths. I am truly blinded by the beauty of this track. Think he can make a quick trip to Austin next week? By Brian Litwin
Talos 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 9.0
Another record breaker was in store for the Red Bull Sound Select series this past Thursday, and this time it was at the much more ‘space’ accommodating Echoplex. Rumor had it, kids were lined up along Glendale Blvd. before 10AM to get in. The at capacity crowd didn’t much care that it was pouring rain when we left the venue after FIDLAR’s set. Actually, most people welcomed it. What occurred inside the venue was sticky hot madness, and could potentially have been illegal at times.
First up was Cherry Glazerr. The local three piece “dreamy garage rock” outfit put on a clinic of new wave of Silver-Lake garage rock. The Burger Records backed band, with recent release ‘Haxel Princess’ are on the rise. With lows and highs of the set, the crowd seemed to find a reason to get amped, and rushed moments came as energy spewed from the speakers to the dance floor.
Next was the London 4 piece Cheatahs. Although a majority of the club was packed, near stage there maintained some breathing room. People were really digging the Witchita Records band, but weren’t as enthusiastic for their new self-titled record, just released. Solid set, but the majority of people were there for what was to come next..
What can I say about FIDLAR? Either you have seen them or you haven’t but no doubt have heard about their live set. They shredded through their 2013 debut self-titled off Indie faves Mom + Pop Records. What sets FIDLAR apart from a lot of acts is just how amazingly tight and controlled their set is, while administering chaos. They did play a couple of new songs, one being called “Bad Medicine”. All of the new stuff is in line with their last album, but with a bit more refined sound. The pit was massive, the crowd was rowdy and the air was stagnant with sweat and angst, all of which created for a great rainy Thursday night of live music.
Review by Brian Litwin
Photos by Erik Voake/Red Bull Content Pool
FIDLAR 
(Facebook)
SF producer whiz kid Giraffage puts a nice flip on the much hyped Stockholm native Mapei’. Throwing some signature synths and 808 hits over the soulful vocalizing of “Don’t Wait”, Giraffage makes another incredible remix. Favorite part of the remix has to be that breakdown at 2:00. Straight head-nod inducing. By Brian Litwin
Giraffage (Facebook)
Rating 8.5
The new single from Brooklyn by way of Chicago spaceman Moon Boots is a slight step away from his bouncy, tropical disco feel. More raw and full of emotion “Don’t Ask Why” features the vocal talent of Crystal Fighters’ Kyiki, who shines on this track. This latest offering from the French Express solider is his closest thing to a pop song yet. By Brian Litwin
Moon Boots 
(Facebook)
Rating 8.3
New York meets New York. Neon Gold trio Wet has been putting the internet on blast, with their smooth, refined sound. They recently tapped NY- based producer Branchez (who has also been putting the internet on blast) to remix their single “Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl”. Somehow, young-gun Branchez puts even more feels into this mix. Chopping up the borderline haunting/beautiful vocals and building a behemoth of a flip, this track makes for a near perfect mix. Reviewed By Brian Litwin
Branchez 
(Soundcloud)
Rating 8.0
Songwriters have the most infinite canvas to create art. Within that vast amount of space, most artists tend to pack as much sound as they can within 3 minutes or so. With his space, Oscar Key Sung from Melbourne has etched out a perfectly shaped R&B jam in “Holograms.” From the incredibly round and full bass hits, to the unbelievably smooth synth lines and vocal melodies, this track is an absolute thing of beauty. Even sneaking faint birds singing to each other in between the valleys of bass hits at 00:58, OKS could do no wrong. Reviewed by Brian Litwin
Oscar Key Sung (Soundcloud)
Rating 8.3
New and from our friends across the pond, Jungle has release their first XL Records single and it reminds us of why we fell in love with this London duo in the first place. “Busy Earnin'” drips of soul and groove from the very first notes struck via horn section. It fits immediately in their self carved formula of short, sweet, and exploding with electronic soul — and of course extremely catchy. Reviewed by Brian Litwin
Jungle (Facebook)
Rating 8.4
