Label: Exponential Records
Release Date: 2011-03-02
Rated: NONE
Genre: Recording
Here’s what you probably know about Saytown’s music culture: we’re home to an excellent hip/trip-hop scene driven by skilled MCs and low-fidelity, hi-concept musical hijinx. What you probably don’t know is that there’s a gaggle of other electronic artists trafficking in IDM, glitch, ambient, downtempo, and house both here and all over the state. But don’t take my word for it; download Exponential Records’ latest volume Texas Compilation, the fourth in a series of Springtime collections that promote Lone Star electronica. Whether presenting an imitator, innovator, or incorporator, TC’s most compelling attribute is its casual delivery. You want to hear Daft Punk dry hump Maroon 5? Check Fresh Millions’ “Hot New Jam from ’73.” Need some bass moog-heavy electro-clash? Butcher Bear’s got a 96-oz. serving in the form of “Upp.” How about some cumbia house? DJ Dus’ “K Le Pasa” has got you covered (and it sounds better in practice than in print). But the most hardcore cut here is Aaron Peña’s “Technocracy,” which blends the spatial synths, busy rhythms, and slow tempos of early ’90s The Orb, with post-millenial chiptune flourishes. There are more prominent players here — particularly Diego Bernal, Ernest Gonzales, and Mexicans with Guns — but this comp belongs to the underdogs. Go to exponential.bandcamp.com and get it for free.
