November 28 - Very electronic but still eclectic

Songs played (* by Canadian artists):

• Chvrches - Clearest Blue
• Crystal Castles* - Leni
• Grimes* - laughing and not being normal
• Grimes* - Kill v. Maim
• Floating Points - Peroration Six
• Oneohtrix Point Never - Sticky Drama
• Unalaska* - Skeleton
• Arca - Front Load
• Peaches feat. Kim Gordon* - Close Up
• Le1f - Koi
• Steph Copeland* - Brick
• Eli Muro* - Pursuit

This Jumbalaya episode has a lot of bleeps and bloops and glitchy sounds...yet still sounding musically palatable I think? (Or at least for me it does...that's my specialty picks-wise. :P )

This year is shaping up to be one of the best in music! I'm very much enjoying the newest from Chvrches and Grimes, and Le1f's release is quite the grower as well. I've showcased tracks from each of them.

I also throw back a little bit to 2007, right around the time Crystal Castles were just starting out, with a cool glitchy SoundCloud-only track, 'Leni'. You can download it for free on their SoundCloud page!

Crystal Castles got a new vocalist fairly recently, who just had her first live show a few days ago. Hopefully this means a new release is on the way!

I also enjoy my occasional instrumentals, as you can tell from my previous episodes. Works by music reviewer-approved artists Floating Points, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Arca make appearances on this episode.

Also, I did not know Zach Gray of the Zolas actually had another band! The Zolas make serious indie pop earworms so I was happy to learn that Zach Gray was also part of Unalaska, a new (and apparently fictional) indie electronic duo. Their self-titled EP is out on Vancouver-based label Light Organ Records (which is also the Zolas' home label).

Make sure to tune in 6-8pm Monday November 30 as I join Chris Spangenberg for some hip-hop and downtempo spinning! Also tune in next week for more exciting new indie electro...hoping to play a new one from Washington, DC-based GEMS. You'll find out when you tune in ;)

Audio links!

http://cjsf.ca/vanilla_archives/2015_November_28_19_00.mp3

http://cjsf.ca/vanilla_archives/2015_November_28_19_30.mp3

November 21 - 2nd Anniversay Jumbalaya!!

Songs played (*Cancon):

• Madeon feat. Passion Pit - Pay No Mind
• Hudson Mohawke - Scud Books
• Gang Signs* - SW
• Humans* - Watusi
• Boha* - Aired Out
• Son Lux - This Time
• Empress Of - Water Water
• Chvrches - Never Ending Circles
• Until the Ribbon Breaks feat. Run the Jewels - Revolution Indifference
• Purity Ring* - Begin Again
• Snowday* - The Seventh String

It's been another year of hosting the Jumbalaya show on air. Can you believe it?? To celebrate I've picked tracks from my favourite full-length albums (and one compilation) since my last Jumbalaya anniversary...also when I started this blog!

Most of my tracks this time fall in the 'indie electronic' genre, which is a potential direction for my own show. There are some artists that have charted on the Billboard specialty charts (especially Dance/Electronic), but I'd like to think it's because the albums are so great everyone's buying them...I hope!

I've got some more exciting picks for you next week...except it'll be more of the newer material, and potentially weirder. You'll hear it! ;)

Audio links (I keep on forgetting to do this):
http://www.cjsf.ca/vanilla_archives/2015_November_21_19_00.mp3
http://www.cjsf.ca/vanilla_archives/2015_November_21_19_30.mp3

November 14 - Darkest Jumbalaya I've done

Songs Played (* Cancon):

• Boots feat. Deradoorian - Aquaria
• FKA twigs - Mothercreep
• Empress of - Need Myself
• Grimes feat. Aristophanes* - Scream
• Health - Men Today
• Gang Signs* - Heist
• Jade Statues* - She Don't Evn Smoke
• River Tiber* - Waves
• Shaunic* - Mo $
• Majical Cloudz* - Downtown
• Snowday* - Evoke

Maybe it's the gloomy weather we have here in the Lower Mainland, but I've been tempted to play the dark stuff recently on my Jumbalaya shows. Or maybe it's just that my music tastes have changed and I'm craving more of the dark electronic-influenced stuff. Who knows. Either way, Boots (Jordy Asher), an electronic producer who's added a nice dark touch to works he's done with Beyonce, Run the Jewels, and FKA twigs, kicks off the dark Jumbalaya with the title track from his newest album Aquaria. This track is hard to categorize...as in, no single genre would describe this track. It's a collaboration with former Dirty Projectors bassist Angel Deradoorian.

Angel Deradoorian, or Deradoorian, also has a new solo album out called The Expanding Flower Planet. It's a very cool alternative/art rock album so if you're into that it's definitely worth a listen.

FKA twigs follows with a track co-produced by Boots, the frightening 'Mothercreep'. Following that is another electronic producer-artist Empress Of, with the driving 'Need Myself'.

A new track from Grimes follows. It's her first 'producer track' where she is just doing the background work of putting together the beats while Taiwanese rapper Aristophanes delivers some ferocious rap in Mandarin. It's off of her new album Art Angels, released last week. I quite enjoy the new album! It's a very interesting listen, though I can't really give an opinion on the entire album since I haven't listened to the album in order, just a shuffled playlist on Spotify. Still, really strong songwriting and production on the new songs, I'm impressed!

Health wraps up the chaotic first half of the Jumbalaya, and Gang Signs keeps the beats going but allows for a smoother transition to the calmer yet still very sombre second half.

Gang Signs' Matea Sarenac (Wobangs) and Jade Statues are part of a new Vancouver artist collective called Cyber Spa. Their compilation release party will be on November 18 at the Astoria Pub!

Thoughts go out to the participants of the Red Bull Music Academy still in Paris. The event has been suspended until November 19 due to the tragic shooting that occured just yesterday. Our thoughts also go out to the victims and family and friends of those affected by the shootings. Luckily both River Tiber and Jade Statues had wrapped up the set before the wave of violence struck.

After that, more sombre and downtempo stuff from Canadian artists Shaunic, Majical Cloudz, and Snowday.

Next week though! I think I'll do something a lot more upbeat. Commemorate my 2nd year on-air (yet still doing a Jumbalaya). ;)

November 7 - Hybridity Music, some dark electronica, and a preview for Melodies in Mind

Songs Played (ALL Canadian Content this time!):

• Snowday - Ceremony
• Snowday - Detour
• Cafe Lanai - Le Stud
• Cafe Lanai - Girl Music
• Humans - Ennio
• Humans - Watusi
• Gang Signs - LA on Monday
• Gang Signs - Silver
• Isaac Vallentin - Fake Harp
• The Mozzy Lane Band - Lucky Ones

We finally got some EPs from local indie electronic label Hybridity Music! They include releases by Snowday and Cafe Lanai, both of which are some seriously chill electronically-influenced tracks.

Since Hybridity's best-known artist Humans has a show on November 13 I've showcased two of my favourite tracks from their album Noontide for this show. Who knew Vancouver's got a really thriving electronic music scene? Lots of praise for labels like Hybridity and East Van Digital, as well as the Chapel Sound Collective which one of my listeners emailed to ask about!

Humans member Peter Ricq's other project, Gang Signs, follows with two awesomely dark new wave-influenced tracks from their album Geist. I really enjoy his approach to recording albums with consecutive tracks playing into one another on both the Humans and Gang Signs projects.

Isaac Vallentin gives us a smooth transition to the more folkier side of things from the mostly electronic set before I showcase local country band, the Mozzy Lane Band. I'll be helping co-host Melodies in Mind this coming Tuesday and they'll be one of our live guests. If you like the more folkier/acoustic side of things tune in 8-10pm!

And also, this setlist is 100% Canadian! Isn't that awesome? xD

Next week I'm hoping to showcase some awesome new tracks by producers Boots and Grimes, as well as showcase some more rad tunes from the CJSF playlist. It's that time of year when the best releases come out...it's a wonderful time to be :D

October 31 - The Darkened Dancefloor

Songs played (* Cancon):

• R10t* - Death Pony Express
• Gang Signs* - Stay Awake
• OOFJ - You're Always Good
• FKA twigs - I'm Your Doll
• Hermitude feat. Chloe Kaul - Hazy Love
• Rufus du Sol - Like an Animal
• Bronswick* - Nuit Numéro Un
• Steph Copeland* - The Man in the Back
• Dan Friel - Rattler
• Heroshe* - Nightstep
• Akanak* - Catch

By now listeners should be able to tell I have a preference for darker electronically-oriented music so this feels like just another regular Jumbalaya for me.

I'm not particularly good at choosing music for special occasions such as Halloween or Radio Day, since I suck at picking up on lyrics to be able to tell what the songs are about. So I generally tend to settle on the 'mood' the music evokes.

Rufus du Sol is included in this episode with their bright house-influenced track 'Like an Animal' as part of promotion for their concert that's coming up on November 5! The Sydney, Australia-based electronic trio is currently writing and promoting their follow-up to the dancefloor-ready debut Atlas, an album entitled Bloom. They'll be at the Venue Nightclub on Thursday so make sure to check them out!

Another trio that has a show on the same day is Gang Signs. They'll be performing with Heroshe (included in the playlist, part of the Chapel Sound collective) and Mesa Luna at Fortune Sound Club. So many shows! I also heard the Zolas will also be performing in their wonderful hometown of Vancouver but the show is sold out.

Next week I hope to showcase some artists from one of my favourite local labels, so make sure to tune in to hear what I think is good here in Vancouver :)

October 24 - Kinda cinematic and slightly less electronic

Songs played (* Cancon):

• Vampire Weekend - Unbelievers
• Hudson Mohawke - Kettles
• Hudson Mohawke - Scud Books
• Chvrches - Never Ending Circles
• Son Lux - Now I Want
• Rob Teehan* - The Wolf
• Peter Paul Fraser* - Moonlight Cocktail
• Steph Copeland* - Nadia
• OOFJ - Wolves
• Metric* - Cascades
• Intervene* - You and I
• Intervene* - Lost

I know, I know, Vampire Weekend is huge but hey Ezra Koenig DOES look like Justin Trudeau...let's just hope the new Prime Minister of Canada makes us 'Believers' in the new government instead of what the Vampire Weekend song title suggests! :P

Hudson Mohawke then presents us with his orchestral-influenced tracks, 'Kettles' and 'Scud Books'. The latter retains some of his trap influences, while the former is a standard orchestral piece.

I really love Chvrches' newest album, Every Open Eye!! It's pop but very interestingly produced, simultaneously sounding 80s-esque and pretty modern at the same time. 'Never Ending Circles' is one of my favourite tracks from the album.
Son Lux follows with his avant-pop track 'Now I Want'. The minimal instrumentation on this track sets the mood for what is to come next...two fairly mellow classical-influenced tracks by Rob Teehan and Peter Paul Fraser.

I enjoy the occasional acoustically-oriented instrumentals. Sometimes I prefer listening to instrumentals - be it acoustic, electronic, or a combination of both - than vocally-oriented songs. Maybe it's because I tend to pick up on melody and rhythm often than the lyrical message?

I would like to thank Paul Fraser for sending us his CD! It must be really cool to be able to listen to his music on the radio as he's recorded it.

Steph Copeland and OOFJ, two other film composers, follow with some dark alternative electropop. The way I like a lot of my music ;) Metric's 'Cascades' follow in a similar vein.

Intervene finishes up the set with two ambient trap tracks, setting the mood for the ambient music show Ascension.

Next week...I'm hoping for some more dark stuff. It's Halloween!

October 17 - All the electropop, dark and bright

Songs played (* Cancon):

• Fine Mist* - Stop or Start (live @ CiTR)
• Humans* - All My (Live @ CJSW)
• Gang Signs* - Tonight
• River Tiber* - Lost
• Son Lux - You Don't Know Me
• Son Lux - This Time
• Isaac Vallentin* - Selena
• New Order feat. Elly Jackson - Tutti Frutti
• !!! - Freedom '15
• Chvrches - Leave a Trace

It's great to be back in the on-air studio at CJSF!

Started things off with two live community radio performances, one by (currently inactive) Vancouver electropop band Fine Mist fronted by Jay Arner (Energy Slime) at CiTR, another by Vancouverite Humans with a live set at Calgary's CJSW studio.

We follow the Humans track with a song from member Peter Ricq's other band, Gang Signs. Showcased here is 'Tonight', with a really interesting music video with two really cool actors who I got to meet at Gang Signs' album release party! I even got to meet the trio themselves...so starstruck! Following that is an even darker electronic track by River Tiber from Toronto.

Son Lux gets two songs played on air since I'm really enjoying their newest album Bones. It's very industrial-influenced avant-pop - such interesting sounds. Think a male version of current FKA twigs. :P

Isaac Vallentin follows next with a similar sound, really cool abstract-format track Selena.

We then move onto a dancier, brighter sound with some New Order, !!! (pronounced 'chk chk chk'), and Chvrches. I actually heard of !!! through my uncle back in 2009! He's also introduced me to multitrack recording back in 2006 through the use of a DAW which I don't think is that commonly used, Sony Acid. I was going to record my own material soon as I got my hands on a copy in 2009, but then my computer broke and my new laptop didn't support it...boo.