NATHAN WILLIAMS
3 songs is a monthly column devoted to bringing you the freshest tracks from your local music scene. This month we're pushing three producers into your news feed, York Morgan, Oracle Jones & Honor System. If you don't have a sound system with a decent sub woofer, you may want to put on your favorite headphones because these beats are all about that bass.
York Morgan is one of our highlights in this month's 3 Songs column.
York Morgan has been producing beats for more than five years, releasing his seventh EP, "When We Close Our Eyes," in December 2015. It's a perfect title for the eight overwhelmingly relaxing tracks available on this free-for-download album on which York Morgan puts his own twist on witch-house. Popularized by Salem, witch-house has proven to be among the most influential genres of the current decade. Dozens of sub-genres and hundreds of artists have emerged from it, such as Balam Acab, combining slow tempos, moody synths, choppy samples and the occasional dripping-wet bass. This month we're featuring one of the first songs of his we fell in love with, "Dream," but you should also peep his newest EP, "Low House," which just released this Tuesday, March 8th.
Oracle Jones is rather new to the scene, dropping his first EP, "Prophet," in November of 2015, as well as a handful of singles on his Soundcloud since then. If you like Flying Lotus, you'll definitely like his style. Sampling jazz beats and washing them out with heavy bass, layered over drum tracks comprised of a mix of industrial and trap music, Oracle Jones produces chill vibes perfect for a sunny day on the streets or a spur of the moment drunken freestyle with friends. He's worked with a few MC's, most recently producing several tracks of Dallas hip hop artist Dex One's new mixtape, and he recently curated his first sound set at the Voertman's Gallery event in January which was well received by local art patrons, so keep your ear to the ground for more from him.
Last on our list his month is Honor System, a young duo from Dallas, Texas, which takes a step in the electronica direction, or wave-mob (as it's called in the UK), another branch of chill wave mostly being popularized in Europe by producers on Team Sesh, like HNRK, Bones, & Klimeks, as well as in the U.S. by producers in the We Did It Collective, like Shlohmo, Purple, and RL Grime. Using somewhat unpredictable synth patterns and undulating melodies with soothing drum beats and vocals, Honor System maintains a smooth, energetic vibe. We could see them opening for Letherette, jumping on tour with Tora, or just raising the roof at Rubber Gloves (which they did last week with Pale Dian & Wave Swinger).
Check them all out in this playlist.
These three producers are pushing the boundaries with innovated soundscapes and sound bites that can't be ignored, so put down that copy of Kendrick Lamar's new "untitled unmastered," give your local scene a listen, and don't forget to check back next month for another rendition of our 3 songs column.
Nathan Williams is going on his seventh year livin' in Denton. He's 24, an avid moped rider, screen printer, local music enthusiast and runs his own blog, Sad Boys Club. You can follow him on Instagram @Sundayprintshop, another small company he runs and a great place to get your merch made.