Pilerats

A few tunes with you might not know that we've been digging.. A lot of acts that you read about on music websites - the hot/upcoming/buzz-worthy articles - come from a press release, with the authors sent a lot of awesome new music and having to sift through for the good stuff. With that in mind we thought we'd go on a little hunt through the online realm to try and find a few acts that haven't broken over the 500-Like mark (because like it or not, the number of FB likes you've accrued can play a role in the amount of online love you'll receive). So we hope 5 UNDER 500 will bring to your attention a few emerging acts, who are under 500 likes on Facebook, and whose sounds we are very much digging.  Deep Space Supergroop - Shitamachi Deep Space Supergroop have been ticking over since early 2013 and their latest cut Shitmachi is by far their best. It's a slow-burning slice of progressive rock with some killer breakdowns and emotion infused lyricism. The track works away slowly at you, lab

Deconstructed dance vanguard Dro Carey steps into wider club circles with a straight-shootin' EP.. Our deconstructed dance hero Dro Carey – otherwise known as Sydney based producer Eugene Ward – has just this week released his new EP, Club Injury Handbook, for Greco-Roman, his first full release since 2013’s Vital Trails EP. Carey’s made a name for himself nationally and internationally for his oddball blend of house and techno; his prior releases on Trilogy Tapes and Opal Tapes are alive with unpredictable but tautly constructed structures and distinctive textures. He most recently teamed up with LA producer Napolian, for a great l’il number, Up Nex, for OneohTrix Point Never’s Software Recordings' awesome MIXWARE free download series, listen to that one here (and have a poke around Napolian’s release Incursio, too - wicked stuff). Dro also produces under the alias Tuff Sherm. This week Dro’s dropping a split 12” vinyl for Templar Sound, the Scope EP, with productions from both his a

Arca makes a f*&ked-up club animal out of Shakira's pop mega-hit.. Before he was one of Kanye West's zeitgest Yeezy producers, before he was manning the boards for FKA Twigs, New York-Venezuelan buzz-producer Arca used to do some mad re-edits of classic R & B jams. I still bump his loopy, pitched-up-vocal take on Aaliyah's Are You Dat Somebody, so I was pretty pleased to see this fun Shakira cover crop up, tailing Arca's recent full length release, Xen.   Arca messes up the pop princess real good, with a bunch of warped samples and glitchy percussion, somehow turning the original Columbian rhythms into a Middle Eastern sounding jam. Arca recently debuted a live show at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, where he performed an hour of original material, singing and dancing against a backdrop of sexual imagery, wearing sequinned, thigh-high boots and a bondage crop top. At the end of the show, he received a standing ovation from none other than audience member Bjork, who he's r

Fascinator' latest video sees Johnny Mackay sing into an onion.. Fascinator - or Lord Fascinator - as he is known to call himself is the performing moniker of Johnny Mackay (Children Collide), and he has released a self-directed music video for his latest single Showin' Off. Showin' Off reflects clear psychedelic elements, not the psych freak-outs like those of Tame Impala but an almost acid-styled feel as if the world itself was being slowly sucked into itself. Indeed the lazy guitar licks and looping piano keys create this continual sense of motion. And Mackay's voice brings to mind Damon Albarn's in his work with the Gorillaz. And the video couldn't be any more fitting to this sense of the world inwardly absorbing itself as we see Mackay singing into an onion. Furthermore, to celebrate his signing to Spinning Top Records Jagwar Ma have done an edit of the track which you can download HERE. Follow Fascinator: FACEBOOK

Youngs have just released their video for their debut single, JOY.. Youngs debut single JOY acts as an example of artists influenced in the post-Flume era because of that backing percussion instrument that is present throughout. But luckily it isn't a piece of derivative drivel but an attempt to forge their own sound. JOY appears as a gradually layered slice of chilled-out electronica that ebbs and flows with the vocals of Youngs. The track itself comes with a nifty little animated video clip, check it out below: Follow Youngs: FACEBOOK

Tempura Night bring the scuzzy garage pop in their debut EP Whine.. Tempura Nights formed out of Go Violets (RIP) and Major Leagues by distilling the pop sensibilities of Go Violets into the more sombre Major Leagues and then throwing in a dash of rough garage to create Tempura Nights. Hailing from Brisbane they are part of the vibrant garage rock / pop scene but unlike the more aggressive WAAX or the garage-pop of The Creases they've delved into punchy garage rock with dark undertones. Indeed, listening through their EP vocally their is a strength to how the words leap out of their mouth that is similar to UK singer Anna Calvi.  Whine, Tempura Nights' debut EP offers a light pop edge like in their opening track, R.I.P. CHIX as they shout, 'The sweetest girls, the sweetest girls, the sweetest girls!' Against a brash drum beat and pummeling guitars. And again in the opening of Child Model with those playful guitars licks but its underbelly adds a depth to that pop sheen. Brainroof empit

After the successful WAM Festival WAM are back with their Song Of The Year Competition.. WAM Festival is one of the most exciting times in the Perth calendar as it brings together the entire WA music community for two days to point out to the east coast that WA actually makes awesome music. Apart from a large number of bands playing it's a forum where a wide-range of topics are discussed including; whether or not Triple J is crucial to helping you make it big, whether you need to get drunk to network, is community radio all that great and more which you can read about HERE. And after all that fun WAM is back with their Song Of The Year competition with their grand prize offering $3000 in cash, alongside the opportunity to record, get your song mastered by William Bowden (recieved a Grammy for his work on Goyte's Somebody I Used To Know), a publishing deal, your CDs pressed, a chance to perform at WAM Festival 2015 and more which you can read about HERE. Past winners include Pilerats' f