Episode 7 - January 30 2016 - More eclectic electro & big news!

Songs played (* Canadian Content):

• Flume feat. Vince Staples & Kučka - Smoke & Retribution
• Speaker Face feat. Rachel Sermanni* - Vertical
• You Say Party* - Underside
• Mu* - Vampire
• Metric* - For Kicks
• Big Grams - Run For Your Life
• Lowell* - I Love You Money
• Ratatat - Pricks of Brightness
• Eli Muro* - Pursuit
• The Librarian* - Booksy Riddim
• The Zolas* - Get Dark

Yes, this show will be extended to one-and-a-half hour!! 7pm to 8:30pm starting February 6. Get excited. :D

Also the show after this will be Love Certified (Sat 8:30pm-9:30pm), hosted by Jayda Jay, a love, sex, and relationships show...I guess I didn't tell what the new show is about in the podcast, my apologies.

The 30-minute poetry slam show Shout! Clap! Slam! will be after Love Certified (9:30pm-10pm), and the ambient electronic show Ascension will be broadcast from 10pm-12 midnight.

And about the Bass Coast Festival I mentioned in the podcast...it's an electronic music and arts festival that takes place in Merritt, which is a city in the Interiors of British Columbia. Not very 'coastal', mind you, but photos from the festival does give an image of people swimming and chilling in the sun by a body of water, so dress for sunshine if you'd like to check it out!

This year's Bass Coast Festival runs July 8-11. Andrea Graham (aka the Librarian) is one of the main organizers and curators. The lineup is oriented towards underground musicians, mostly bass-oriented electronic artists, so if you want to check out quality underground electronic music in a beautiful outdoor setting make sure to check the festival out!

Episode 6 - January 23 2016 - A jumble of synthy tunes

Songs played (* Canadian Content):

• Chvrches - Gun (Groundislava Remix)
• Grimes* - Kill v. Maim
• Mozart's Sister* - Salty Tear
• Foxtrott* - Driven
• Young Galaxy* - The Night Wants Us to be Free
• Rococode* - Panic Attack
• Pender Street Steppers* - Bubble World
• Aphex Twin - minipops 67 [sourcefield mix]
• AFX - serge fenix Rendered 2
• Unalaska* - Skeleton

This commentary comes in a bit late, but this time I believe it was timely, especially since this Province article touched on two of the tunes I played this episode! Synthesizers are making a triumphant return in both the mainstream and underground music scene and I'm excited, especially as a new electropop fan.

The Chvrches remix that kicked off the set was produced by Groundislava, Shigeto's opening act at his show at the Imperial on January 22! The Shigeto show was absolutely fantastic. I'm currently in the process of writing up a review for it.

Four artists with a connection to Quebec follow! Though no longer based in Quebec, Claire Boucher's Grimes project started in Montreal, befriending fellow artists such as Mozart's Sister in the process. All four have a very distinct sound that's pop-oriented but experimental-sounding at the same time.

Rococode follows with a somewhat Mother Mother-like sound! In a way the Panic Attack EP is a cross between the hit-laden Eureka and synth-heavy Very Good Bad Thing. I love it though. xD

And we have our first vinyl appearance! Currently we just have the Pender Street Stepper's EP on vinyl only. It's a 12-inch that I believe is to be played at 45rpm...but on the vinyl it said (translated from memory, from French) "33rpm or 45rpm, it's your choice." It's a nice loungey house-influenced track with a lot of bubbly sounds, hence the track name "Bubble World". Did these Vancouverites name it after the bubble tea place? Who knows.

Richard D. James' two tracks follow. Aphex Twin is the most commonly known name this fine Irishman goes by...and has significantly influenced electronic music as we know it today through his intricate beat-making and innovative production. He goes under multiple names, the other being AFX (what he actually was known as before Aphex Twin!).

The set comes to a close with Unalaska, a Vancouver-based experimental electronic duo consisting of Edo van Breemen of Brasstronauts and Zachary Gray of the Zolas!

Episode 5 - January 16 2016 - Synthpop, radio compilations, and ambient soundscapes

Songs Played (* Canadian):

• Chairlift - Ch-Ching
• Fine Mist* - Stop or Start (CiTR live version)
• Young Braised* - Vision (CiTR live version)
• Tigerwing* - Two Lovers (CJSW live version)
• Loscil* - In Threes (CJSW live version)
• Caribou* - Can't Do Without You
• ttwwrrss* - System Overload
• Shigeto - Do My Thing
• Shigeto - Need Nobody
• Boards of Canada - Reach for the Dead
• Mark de Monoloq* - MK320

I'm absolutely loving the newly released Chairlift songs off their upcoming album Moth! The album will be out January 22 so I've shared a track from there to get a taste of what to expect from this fine alt-electro-pop duo.

Since we have a couple of compilations from our sister stations in Vancouver, Calgary, and Hamilton, with the former two being compilations of live performances, I've showcased two tracks from each of them. The live performances are pretty impressive, and the CiTR one in particular gives listeners a little peek into the history of the station in the old student union building (aka SUB) where the station was formerly situated.

For the CFMU (Hamilton) compilation, they're actually a compilation of tracks from artists with a connection to the city of Hamilton, Ontario, where McMaster University (CFMU's home base) is located. ttwwrrss is a Hamilton native, while Caribou is from Dundas, Ontario.

Shigeto is coming to Vancouver on January 22! He'll be performing at the Imperial at 10pm so if you like his cool ambient bassy instrumentals check him out then :)

After Boards of Canada, an experimental electronic artist who David Bowie was influenced by in making his final album Blackstar, we cap off the set with a very dramatic piano-driven track from CJSF's very own Mark de Monoloq, host of the EDM show.

Episode 4 - January 9 2016 - The multi-genre playlist

Songs played (* Canadian):

• Bloc Party - The Love Within
• New Order feat. Elly Jackson - Plastic
• Spoek Mathambo - Control (cover of "She's Lost Control" by Joy Division)
• Kongos - Hey I Don't Know
• BadBadNotGood* - Here and Now
• A Tribe Called Red* - Suplex
• Willa* - Dreamers
• Chvrches - Bow Down
• Shout Out Out Out Out* - Nobody Calls Me Unless They Want Something
• Anohni - 4 Degrees
• Lunice* - Burnt

I've gotten back into some alternative rock earlier that week, so the playlist reflects it a bit. Looking forward to the Bloc Party and Kongos releases! Also, she's more chamber-pop-oriented but Anohni's new material sounds very epic. Her upcoming album features collaborations from Oneohtrix Point Never and Hudson Mohawke. How cool is that??

I've also got some jazzy BadBadNotGood. Looking forward to their 4th - their previous release, III, was one of my favourite releases of 2014.

Apologies for the mistake on Spoek Mathambo's Joy Division Cover...the correct song title is included in the tracklist above.

Also, about the Final Fantasy VI joke...Well, Rob/DJ Cloud General (from the ambient electro show Ascension) did play a Final Fantasy VI soundtrack-sampling tune so I thought I'd pick something that also reminded me of that fantastic Super Nintendo game: a Tribe Called Red track named after one of Sabin's Blitz techniques!

Episode 3 - January 2 2016 - Tracks from late 2015 & new tracks for 2016 releases

Songs played (* Canadian Content):

• Crystal Castles* - Deicide
• Mu* - Debauchery
• Kytami* - The Jackal
• Sabota & Grenier* - Two Hands
• Fantastic Modern* - Adventure
• We are the City* - Heavy as a Brick
• Run the Jewels feat. Boots - Early
• Radio Radio* - Tonight's the Night
• Kele - Closer
• Animal Collective - FloriDada
• Rüfüs du Sol - You Were Right
• Kelela - A Message

Happy new year!! To kick off the new year I broadcast a mix of new and old tracks to let you know what to look forward to in the coming year as well as what you may have missed from the previous year.

Toronto duo Crystal Castles is currently working on a new release with new vocalist Edith Frances. They don't seem to have a word out on the record title or release date yet, just two new tracks which are tagged as 'demos' on SoundCloud.

Discorder Magazine's September 2015 featured artist Francesca Belcourt has reunited as Mu with Brittney Rand and they've got their new EP II on their way! Following a track from that EP is a new track from Victoria-based drum-and-bass influenced violinist Kytami, off her upcoming album Violinistextremist.

3 2015 releases follow, the first two which were shared on Vancouver label Hybridity Music's Facebook page. Sabota and Grenier's track is more bassy, while the Fantastic Modern track is spacey synthpop.

The third 2015 release that follows is by We are the City from their 2015 album Above Club. They performed downtown at the massive New Year's Eve celebration! It was a show to remember, with interesting experimental electronic sounds incorporated in an alternative rock style performance.

Run the Jewels is working on their third album!!! I'm super excited. RTJ2 still remains one of my all-time favourite albums.

Following the RTJ track is a new and fully Anglophone track from Nova Scotia's Radio Radio. Looks like they're trying to get more accessibility by doing an Anglophone release than sticking to their chiac (Acadian French dialect that's influenced by English) rhymes...the track is still fun, but I kinda miss their chiac rap.

Since I quite like Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke's solo track 'Closer', I've showcased this track instead of a new Bloc Party track...but I think I'll showcase 'The Love Within' sometime later since I quite enjoy it (even though many BP fans think otherwise).

Animal Collective follows with a very fun experimental pop track 'FloriDada'.

Rüfüs du Sol brings us some nice alternative house with 'You Were Right' off of their upcoming album Bloom after, and Kelela finishes off the set with the Arca-produced futuristic R&B track 'A Message'.