On Repeat: Old and New Favorites

There are 3 songs that I’ve had on heavy rotation recently. The first is “Balkan Express,” by Gramatik.

Gramatik is a producer primarily of electro-funk who I haven’t talked nearly enough about on this blog (or at all?). A lot of his stuff has a similar vibe (an awesome vibe, I should mention), and then he’ll occasionally come out with a song that seems out of left field. I only recently downloaded his 2010 “Street Bangerz 3” album and discovered this gem. “Balkan Express” clearly draws on his Slovenian roots, and feels like it should be accompanied by the world’s coolest ballet.

Next on my list is “I Can See It In Your Face,” by Pretty Lights, who, unlike Gramatik, maybe I talk about a little too much on this blog (never!).

I heard this song at Voodoo Festival and had no idea what it was called. I didn’t really think too much about it because I spent the weeks after Voodoo excessively listening to “I Know the Truth,” which is my favorite PL song and which he played last at that show. But when my obsession with that song died down, I moved on to this one. Only I had no idea how to locate it. I went through all the Pretty Lights songs that I have, and then went systematically through his website and downloaded any album I didn’t already own. I still hadn’t found it, and all I knew was that it had a really awesome muted trumpet part. I was listening to the final album in the collection and starting to panic that if the song wasn’t on it, I wouldn’t know where else to find it. But alas, I heard those trumpets and started grinning like an idiot – while I was on the elliptical machine.

Finally, I have been devouring as much of newcomer Vibe Street’s music as I can. Vibe Street, AKA Ben Davis, produces a mix of blues, bluegrass and hip hop that he likes to call “grasshop.” “Something From Outer Space” is basically an electro-hip hop version of Buddy Guy’s “What Kinda Woman Is This” and…well, it’s wonderful.

If anything is going to get me seriously into blues, it’s this. Amazing.