Archive for the 'tra.kz artist spotlight' Category

Tra.kz Artist Spotlight: The Beautiful Girls (“Don’t Wait”)


TBG_Don't Wait Cover

“Don’t wait is just a song about going out, finding a girl and dancing with her. Living life and having a good time. With everybody. Together. We don’t think that just because we have a reggae feel in some of our music that we should preach righteousness, sing about smoking ganja, or pretend to be Bob Marley. Enough people do that already. It’s just a pop song.” – The Beautiful Girls

Now that’s a refreshingly honest and unapologetic introduction to what is indeed a catchy poppy song with a reggae feel. It’s called “Don’t Wait.” Have a listen:

The Beautiful Girls hail from Australia and are indeed beautiful, albeit not female. The sound they create is an electric harmony of rock, reggae, pop and folk, which at times sounds a lot like the boys from the softer surfer-singer-songwriter corner (most notably Jack Johnson, to whom lead singer Mat McHugh bears a striking resemblance), and at other times sounds much less soft…

The rootsy carefree sound of “Don’t Wait’ will get you grooving in no time.

Tra.kz Artist Spotlight: Junior Reid (Never Let You Go)

Junior Reid

Hailing from Jamaica’s tough West Kingston Waterhouse district, Junior Reid has been a mainstay of reggae and dance hall music since the 70’s. Junior may be best known as the lead vocalist of Black Uhuru, taking over for Michael Rose in 1985; but in the last few years, he has been infiltrating the hip hop scene. Samples of Junior’s best known hit, “One Blood,” have appeared on the Wu-Tang Clan‘s 2000 album The W, and in The Game’s song “It’s Okay (One Blood).” Junior has also collaborated with Mims to create a remix of his hit “This Is Why I’m Hot.”

Junior’s latest solo album, Living Legend is set to be released October 27th of this year, on Bay Area’s ABB Records. To give you a little taste, he has made his new single, “Never Let You Go,” available through Tra.kz for you to listen to, download and share! After you’ve listened to it, be sure to say hello to Junior on Twitter.

Tra.kz Artist Spotlight: Longwave (”Sideways Sideways Rain”)

longwave

New York born indie rock band, Longwave, was formed in 1999 by guitarist, songwriter and vocalist Steve Schiltz, guitarist Shannon Ferguson, bassist Dave Marchese and drummer Jeremy Greene. While some say their early music was influenced by shoegaze pioneers and post-punk icons, the current Longwave sound is very distinct, perhaps due to their numerous lineup changes over the years. Their most recent release, Secrets are Sinister, debued in November 2008 on Original Signal Recordings (the same label that supports the likes of Ingrid Michaelson and David Ford, whom we interviewed last year).

Longwave is now releasing a new single, “Sideways Sidesways Rain” exclusively on tra.kz! Check it out here.

Tra.kz Artist Spotlight: The Dance Party ("Sasha Don't Sleep")

TDPressPic

Sasha Don’t Sleep” is a track off of The Dance Party’s new tour EP titled “Tiger” coming out this Spring. They’re one of DC’s mega cool indie bands and also becoming a staple in the New York rock scene. Their gigs may be spreading across America but when The Dance Party puts on a show on at home, DC doesn’t sleep. A Dance Party show is a fun & exciting night of outta control rock and roll. You heard me. Check ’em out but be prepared for the addiction.

The Dance Party is a high-energy rock group from Washington, DC. With a sound that combines Dance-Punk, 80’s New Wave, and Powerpop, The Dance Party created a buzz throughout DC and the Mid-Atlantic with their frenetic live performance and hook-laden debut album, “Friction! Friction! Friction!”

The Dance Party recently recorded 10 tracks with Andros Rodriguez at the helm (Justin Timberlake, Cobra Starship, !!!). With a host of shows booked and new songs yet to be released, the band is positioned for rock & roll domination.

The new material demonstrates the band’s strengths – undeniably catchy pop songs executed with an over-the-top delivery, guaranteed to cause the uncontrollable desire to throw caution to the wind and get radical on the dance floor.” – blurb taken from The Dance Party MySpace Music Page.

Controlled Substance Sound Labs Round-Up

controlled_substance_charcoal_biggerIt’s been a great day of new music releases on Twitter and everybody at MixMatchMusic would like to give a big shout out to the folks at Controlled Substance Sound Labs (label umbrella for Stoopid Records and Law Records) for making the tra.kz launch a promotion to remember!

BUT… the music isn’t over yet, as you’ve still got a chance to grab the Controlled Substance tracks and share them with your friends. Check out the complete list of songs that were released today, and download them to your heart’s content.

To download a track, right click on its ‘Download’ link below and click “Save Link As…”

“Behind Closed Doors” by Fishbone
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/f
Download
 
“Too Much (straight board mix)” by Pepper
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/p
Download
 
“Set Me Off” by The Expendables
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/e
Download
 
“Closer to the Sun” by Slightly Stoopid
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/ss
Download
 
“Under the Landslide” by Mat McHugh and The Blackbird
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/m
Download
 
“Feelin’ Alright” by Rebelution
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/r
Download
 
“Love 2 the DJ” by Sabotage Soundsystem
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/s
Download
 
“Season’s Change” by Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad
Stream it here: http://tra.kz/g
Download

To download a track, right click on its ‘Download’ link above and click “Save Link As…”