NRK, a trio hailing from São Paulo(Brazil), have released their first EP "Radical" as free download on their homepage.
It comprises 5 sick smash hits for the dancefloor which are proof enough of their talent.
The EP progresses in mostly upbeat fashion and is jammed with interesting ideas and arrangements. The band uses a lot of live instruments and combines them with some sugar coated dance beats to create some stunning original tracks.
Their music is influenced by local dance hero Edu K. and James Murphy's DFA sound.

They'll properly release the EP on June 12th.

Download:

• NRK - Radical EP
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/gonrk
  

Ponies In The Surf is a brother-sister duo from the city of Somerville in Massachusetts.
What Camille and Alexander McGregor are doing right now really stands out of the crowd of the other Indie-Pop releases.
Their style is truly unique, they stir together folk and pop elements with a hint of latin spice and a whole lot of intimacy, warmth and style.
The songs are dreamy and timeless-sounding. The writing is sharp and smart.

Their debut "See you happy" is out on June 9th on Darla Records.

If you live somewhere near Somerville, Massachusetts don't miss the release party tomorrow (28. June) at PA's Lounge!

Download

• Ponies In The Surf - Ventricle
  

• Darla Records: darla.com
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/poniesinthesurf
  

Los Mono from Santiago, Chile originally came together to do a soundtrack for a cartoon tv show. It was Vicente Sanfuentes a.k.a. Original Hamster that put together this dream team composed of the best of the best that Chile has to offer. Namely the group consists of Vicente himself, Sebastian Silva, Cristian Moraga, Gonzalo Gonzales and Nea Ducci.
They soon realized that they were destined for bigger things, gave up the project for the tv show and kept on doing it for themselves.
They'd already written ten songs for that show, and so they decided to release them as their debut album.
What came out is "Somos Los Que Estamos", a nice blend of funk and hip hop with some danceable beats. The technical and musical quality of this record is undisputable. It's just high energy music and it's hard not to get into it!

You'll not find any of their songs in my playlist because Imeem currently doesn't allow me to upload their tracks. I hope to resolve this soon but meanwhile enjoy their awesome video for the single "Promesas":


Download:

• Los Mono - Promesas
  

• iTunes (US)
• iTunes (EU)
  
• Sonic 360 Records
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/losmono

The Confusions from Sundsvall/Sweden consist of Mikael Andersson-Knut (vocals, guitar), Zarah Edström (keys, vocals), Mattias Löfström (drums), Henrik Svensson (guitar), Magnus Thorsell (bass) and Fredrik Hast (guitar).
In 2002 the band garnered some well deserved critical attention outside of Scandinavia with their stunning single "The Pilot".
Now they're back with their 5th studio album "The story behind the story".
With its catchy song hooks, the quirky guitar riffs and the simple but thoughtful lyrics the album is a delight from start to finish.

The album is available now on Massproduktion Records.

Download:

• The Confusions - The Pilot
• More songs, b-sides and live recordings can be found on: The Confusions Media Page
  

• iTunes (Europe)
• iTunes (US)
• Massproduktion Webshop (Sweden)
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/theconfusions
  
• Homepage: theconfusions.com

Does it offend you, yeah? are James Rushant (Bass), Dan Coop (Keys), Morgan Quaintance (Guitar) and Rob Bloomfield (Drums) from the UK.
Don't let the long band-name scare you away because this is really high class guitar-driven Indie-Electro!
James and Dan, were already producing and DJing when they eventually decided to make some tracks together. They stuck their first song "Battle Royale" on their MySpace and as it was really well received they did a track every week until they started getting noticed by record labels.
They have been picked up by Virgin Records and fired out a brand new live show including the two new members - Morgan and Rob.
Their debut album "You have no idea what you're getting yourself into" is a filthy electro punk fracases reminiscent of Justice, Daft Punk, and The Prodigy.

Download:

• DIOY - Let's make out
• DIOY - We are Rockstars

• iTunes (US)
• iTunes (Europe)
  

• MySpace: myspace.com/doesitoffendyou
• Homepage: doesitoffendyou.com
• MySpaceTV: video for "Epic last song"
  

Let me introduce you to the newest phenomenon in the nu-Rock-Rave-Electro-Dance scene.
Superpose are Paula Felitto (Vocals) and Isaac Varzim (Computers, Guitar, Keys) from the beautiful island of Floripa in the south of Brazil.
They deliver a slice of tough pounding beats with some simple lines of melody at the core. Abrasive synths and memorable guitar riffs blend wonderfully into one another.
The Portuguese vocals are okay though I can't get crazy about them either.
The production is very solid and the song structures are well developed and thought out.

Last week they released a new track, called "Calvin Klein".

Download:

• Superpose - Calvin Klein

• Superpose - Sorry

• Superpose - Say Yeah

• Superpose - Beautiful

• MySpace: myspace.com/superpose

The Help Movement is a duo from a small village in Kent, UK. It simply consists of a certain Dan Lyons and his mate Terrie Stereo.
They began to work together in late 2007 and at that time there are only some demo songs available but as far as I can see they're pretty dope!
Dan has a remarkable voice and nice songwriting skills, especially for such a young guy. Terrie in turn is responsible for the neat production and the unique sound of the recordings.

If you're lookin' for some refreshing new music - look no further because this versatile and exciting new band is the freshest sounding act I heard in a while.
They're on the road to success and should face no big problems in breaking into the British indie music scene.

Download:

• The Help Movement - Elvis

• MySpace: myspace.com/thehelpmovement

Big Space a.k.a. Space Vein has been making beats and rapping for the past 10 years. He's originally from Lesotho but has now made his home in Johannesburg where he met his partner in crime Spoek Mathambo.
Together they formed the Slush Puppy Kids, an offspring of dirty grime funk.
The two new tracks "Beep Beep" and "Slushed Out" are banging! They mix up grimey basslines and filthy dubstep drums with some ill rhymes.
Spank Rocks über-hip booty bass beats acted as a model for this new crew from Johannesburg but the Slush Puppy Kids sound is tailor-made for people who are already out for some new exciting shit.

Download both songs and more legally and for free on Big Space's My Space page.

The Mixtape "Slushed Out Vol. 2" is on it's way and will soon be available on their My Space.

Heavy guitar riffs, African rhythms and eerie vocals - this is the sound of BLK JKS (pronounced Black Jacks) from Johannesburg, South Africa.
The current line-up of Linda Buthelezi (Vocals), Mpumi Mcata (Guitar), Molefi Makananise (Bass) and Tshepang Ramoba (Drums) has been playing together for just over a year.
Their music is a unique blend of traditional South African music, Jazz, Funk and psychedelic alternative Rock. The lyrics bear witness to the bands consciousness of South Africa's reality. Their songs are about traffic incidents, criminality and starvation.

In a recent interview with the local online magazine jhblive.com they stated

"It's a challenge for people to listen to our music, not that all the other musicians who make music that is easier to listen to aren't good, its just that we are different, and therefore challenging to the formulated opinions that are already out there."

One of these prejudices they gainsay is that a lot of people are making a big deal out of the fact that they are black and play rock-based music. In South Africa there is still that stigma that rock is for white people only.
Bassist Makanise says:

"We're done with this thing of black, white, black, white especially in music. We really want to show the world that South Africa means what it says when it talks about unity."

The band is currently in NYC to record their first EP "Mistery" at Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios.
The EP drops on June 15th and the debut album "After Robots" will follow later this year.

Download the BLK JKS already classic "UmZabalazo" legally and for free here.

My Space them or visit their blog.

Tokyo Pinsalocks bestow with fresh electro pop from the hip Tokyo underground scene.
The all-girl trio consists of Hisayo (Bass), Naoko (Vocals and Synths) and Reiko (Drums), all three are incredibly talented and extremely creative.
The group offers a tight sound comprising vibrant synths, heavenly rythms and Naoko's dreamlike vocals.
The music is crisp, varied and danceable. Their songs invoke a sense of well being and draw the listener into Tokyo's sunshine-inflected psychedelic pop underground.

"Planet Rita" is the bands third mini-album. It was released recently only in Japan through Kimono Records. But you can buy it digitally here on JapanFiles.com

My Space them or check out their official (Japanese) Homepage.

See them live:

Free The Robots from Santa Ana, California is the brainchild of Chris Alfaro a producer who pays homage to the past with a drive for the future.
He blends elements of Jazz, Electronic, Hip Hop, Trip Hop, Soul and Psychedelia to create a sort of future jazz.
Alfaro spends hours of his time in record stores crawling through a vast number of old Jazz records in search of the ideal sample. When he finds one, he rushes back to his studio to do his thing. The recipe might not be new, but the results are quite tasty.
Free The Robots was started as a side project by Alfaro in 2003 while also playing with different bands, producing MC’s, and DJing full time. Having worked with so many different styles of music, Alfaro commingles them all to create beautiful Hip Hop instrumentals in the legacy of RJD2 and Kid Koala.

Check him out on My Space.

Download legally and for free:

• Clocks and Daggers here (courtesy of BBQChickenRobot)
  

Yesterday NIN released their new album "The Slip" and as a thank you to their fans for the continued support, they are giving it away 100% free!
The music is available in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE. All downloads include a PDF with artwork and credits.

Download it from their homepage here.

For those of you interested in physical products, fear not. They plan to make a version of this release available on CD and vinyl in July.

Excerpt from their website:

"We encourage you to remix it, share it with your friends, post it on your blog, play it on your podcast, give it to strangers, etc."

Wow, now that's impressive!
After the "Pay what you want" campaign last year, this further move into a world of free music is exemplary. In my opinion every band should try first to reach the biggest audience possible by giving away it's music for free and then monetize on the popularity by touring, merchandising, ad placements, movie scores, etc.
There are plenty of ways for the musician to raise cash - you only have to be creative enough to know how to.

Trent you're truly a pioneer!

The Morning Benders are California's latest Indie Pop Rock sensation. The band consists of frontman Chris Chu (Vocals, Guitars, Keys), Joe Ferrell (Guitars, Keys), Julian Harmon (Drums, percussion) and David Perales (Bass) from Berkley, California.
The quartet brings back the glory of 60s songwriting, with catchy melodies, lots of delayed harmonies, some blaring guitar parts and a tumbling rhythm. Most of the lyrics are about the ups and downs of young romance. They're all masterfully written and never appear tacky or contrived.

Their debut album "Talking Through Tin Cans" is released digitally today on +1 Records. Pre order it here.

My Space them or visit their official homepage.

Download legally and for free the songs:

• Boarded Doors here.

• Fancy Free here.

• Loose Change here.

I got a mail from Chew Fu pointing me at his new hot as hell mixtape "My palms is out" which I really urge you to download legally and for free here.
Chew Fu is a supa dupa remixer from Brooklyn, NYC. He remixed tracks for numerous top artists including 50 cent, Beastie Boys, P. Diddy, Snoop Dog and T.I.
He's so hood and so good. His trademark is having the ability to take a Hip Hop track and tailor it for the dance floor.
He really kicks ass on this mixtape, which is full of wicked new tracks he made, and if it doesn't make you dance I don't know what will.

The mix includes the single "Shake you thang" from Doug E Fresh & Chew Fu himself.

Have a look at his My Space.

Caramello is a British born unsigned artist you should seriously be lookin' at.
He somehow managed to get genius producer Tommy Henriksen from LA to collaborate on his debut track "Danger". Tommy claims on his website that "every band he worked with, either has got a record deal or a reality check in the music industry".
"Danger" is an electro-influenced Hip Hop track featuring a big beat, distorted bassline, melodic synth grooves (which in my opinion sound a little bit cheesy) and heavily vocoded vocals.
I'm eager to hear what he's coming up with in the future.

Visit his My Space to download the accapella to his track "Danger" - there is a remix contest goin' on!

This artist is incredibly productive in producing highly regarded records.
The Latin-infused sounds of multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee have been featured in a vast number of TV series, movie soundtracks, commercials and even video games.
2007 has seen the the release of three albums under his moniker "Ping Pong Orchestra".
The new album "Miles of Styles" from this astonishing beat guru is truly the best of his work so far. It drops May 6th on Ubiquity Records.
This new album is the soundtrack to places Lee has been, and would like to visit, and was made using instruments he's picked-up along the way.
"Miles of Styles" is inspired by the multi-cultural mix of people in his hometown of London, the awe inspiring metropolis that is New York City, and by the mysterious uber-stylish vibe of Tokyo. Not to mention Jamaica, Finland, Greece, China, France and beyond..
Shawn Lee wants to take you on a journey, even if you're just riding the bus home after work.

Visit his My Space , official Homepage.

To buy his music directly on "Ubiquity Records" click here.
Alternatively you can purchase his albums on emusic.

See this video to discover the mystery behind the tiger mask:



See the video to "Throwin' shadows at the wall":

Dutch wizz kid ESTAW has landed in New York City and rocks the boat.
There has already been a lot of buzz around his extraordinary remixes last year and now his debut EP "Break It Down", featuring vocalists J-Cast & A-Clay and remix masters Herve, Detboi & Chew Fu, is released on Brooklyn Zoo MBC.
He delivers top-notch, electro-influenced house music that is ready to heat up any dance floor but his love for Hip Hop and R&B still shines through the whole record. The nearest style I can think of is Armand Van Helden's older stuff like "Funk Phenomena".
Now that the New Rave hype is over, Estaw could takeover and call his stuff Urban Rave...

"Break It Down" was released on April 28th as digital download on iTunes & Beatport.

Download legally and for free the song "Break it down" here.

Checkout his Homepage , My Space for more freebies.

See him live: