Dan Black Interview: The Sample Master Returns with an Epic New Record

Dan Black is the world's current sampling genius.  Originally the singer and guitarist for the group The Servant, Black broke off on his own and released his first hit "HYPNTZ" in 2008, which sampled Rihanna's Umbrella and The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.  While the original lyrics were that of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize", Black changed the lyrics when he released his album Un in 2009 and the track became "Symphonies".  Despite losing the unique gangster rap lyrics, "Symphonies" went on to be globally popular and was licensed everywhere, sometimes with the added rapping of Kid Cudi.  In 2010, Black released his mixtape Weird Science, which, again, sampled various classic pop songs and had Black singing other's lyrics with new melodies.  It was this mixtape that inspired Bag Raiders to call Dan Black for guest vocals on their track "Sunlight".

Since Weird Science, things have been quiet from the Black camp as he works on his newest record.  I tracked the singer/keyboardist/producer down via the net for his first interview in over a year where we chatted about sampling, his new record, and his favorite plugins.

Alphabeat's New Single "Vacation" is Here!

After a couple of quiet years, today marks the international release of Alphabeat's new single "Vacation".  Like their earlier work, "Vacation" features upbeat melodies and catchy vocal lines, but with a new perfect 1980s vintage feel.  While 2009's The Spell (The Beat Is... in some countries) seemed to focus more on early 90s dance roots, the new single pulls back to an earlier time when riding your DeLorean to the beach felt more right than anything else.

Be sure to pass this around to your friends and throw it on your car mix because this next record is going to be huge.  Alphabeat's two previous albums are a testament to classic pop music being made outside the US and UK; their hits "Fascination" and "DJ" have spawned classic remixes from international fans like Frankmusik and Madeon.  As a fan of this band, I can't be any more excited about the direction this single goes and I can't wait for the rest of the new record coming this summer.  Let's make this summer the summer of Alphabeat.

Kids At Midnight - Let You Slide EP

I was away last week, but got a few emails with some great tracks while I was away and wanted to do some of them justice.  One was the Let You Slide EP courtesy of Kids At Midnight, one of Vulture Music's artists.  The title track, "Let You Slide", features an awesome chip-tune like intro and a great Robyn-like vocal line.  The song features a great warm buildup as well.

Also included on the EP is the track "No No Yeah Yeah" and its XM remix.  "No No Yeah Yeah" is that classic analogue-y synth jam that you'd expect from Vulture.  This is a perfect track to put on to chill out to after a night out.  Like "Let You Slide", it also has a great chip-tune lead off.  The XM remix is considerably more lounge with a funky bassline.

Don't forget to pick up the EP from iTunes.

Is 2012 the start of the Analog Synthesizer Renaissance?

This has been on my mind for a few weeks, and I've wanted to post on it.  With all the recent announcements of newer and cheaper analog synths like the Waldorf Pulse 2, Moog Minitaur, and Arturia MiniBrute, analog synths are once again widely available and musicians have a diverse selection.  Korg also notably released a Facebook mini-survey asking what users liked most about the Monotribe (Korg, if it isn't obvious, it's the fact that it's cheap, great sounding analog equipment!)  This definitely hints that more is planned from the analog realm for them.  Before this year, there wasn't quite as great of a selection.  Not to discredit the Dave Smith Mopho and Moog Little Phatty, but those synths pretty much gave two options: a cheap, few knob module, or an expensive (albeit more affordable than, say, a Voyager) proper mono keyboard, at least until the Mopho Keyboard was released.  While these are both outstanding pieces of hardware, the lack of variety was a bit of a downer considering every music company had a signature analog synth 20 years ago.  Anyone new to the synth world would have to put down quite a bundle to properly learn analog synthesis, or take a gamble on a retro keyboard from a shady eBayer that may not last.

Korg Monotron Delay Review

Just about a week ago, I got my hands on one of the two newest members of the Monotron family, the Korg Monotron Delay.  This little beast is an analog synth and filter with a Space Echo style delay.  I don't think the delay is analog, but it isn't clearly stated anywhere-- only as an "analog style" delay.  It seems Korg doesn't want to admit that this isn't an all-analog affair, but that doesn't make this little module any less fun.

Korg Monotribe Review

Click here for an a closer look at the Monotribe's front panel.

A couple months ago I got my hands on the Korg Monotribe, one of the newer members of the Monotron collection.  I figured it would be worth reviewing since it's recently had its software updated.  The Monotribe is basically a rethought version of the Monotron, the single-oscillator analog module, with more features added, including a sequencer for the synth and the added analog drum sounds.  The three drum sounds included are a bass drum, a snare, and a closed hi-hat.  The synth is a single oscillator with selectable waveform (square, saw, and triangle) with the classic Korg MS-20 low pass filter with resonance.  The synth is played by ribbon keyboard, which can be locked into key across an octave, played continuously across an octave, or set to wide mode, which can encompass the entire frequency spectrum of the synth on the ribbon.

New Music/ Submissions

Here's some recent fresh tunage for you all.  Up first is Starsmith, who's got a recent rocking St. Lucia Remix.  We have a couple of recent newcomers called the The Name and Darren Borg, who will satisfy your synthy desires.  An awesome remix by VDI, formerly Frankmusik, of Simon Curtis, which gets out that inner chip-tune 80s child.  Another great remix by RAC, and finally, a beautiful piano improvisation by Shook.