Have you ever just heard the beginning of a song and automatically knew that it was going to be great. Well that is what happened here.  Touurs EP Stay got me at the first 15 seconds.  This EP is chalked full of hazy dreamscapes and sounds to elope your mind to another time in life. His first track "Tough Lately" is one of these tracks but it's not the only track that will have you lost in thought. From start to finish this 4 track EP had me enjoying every second of it. This album is just what the doctor ordered, but don't be fulled. Touurs also has been working on different styles and collaborations that are more on the shoegaze/chillwave vibe. You can check out all his new tracks on Soundcloud. You can also visit his Bandcamp site to support this artist music.

I  also had a chance to ask him a few questions about his style and equipment and himself. So continue reading on and find out what this artist has to say about his musical style.

TCL: Tell me about your influences when it comes to making your music?

Touurs: There's a lot of great artist that I pull inspiration from but just to name a few - Flume, Mr. Carmack, Stwo, Cyril Hahn.

TCL: What kind of equipment are you currently using and if you had to choose, which one is your favorite?

Touurs: I use a APC 40 for performing and a MPK 25 for producing. Although I love both, the APC 40 is my favorite. We've been through too much together to say otherwise.

TCL: Who are some of your favorite artist right now?

Touurs: Louis Futon, Yarin Lidor and Henry Krinkle. Super talented people.

TCL: Who would you really like to collaborate with on a song if you could?

Touurs: Ryan Hemsworth.

TCL: What is next on your plate? Full length album?

Touurs: Hopefully I'll have an album out in 2014, if I feel ready. Right now I've been talking to a few people about collaborating so we'll how that goes.

When traveling like I'm doing now, you don't want to relay on a laptop or smartphone speaker.  You want some power to it and to also hear the clarity of music in your speakers. So how about the Soundmatters Dash7 Speaker ($250). One of the slimmest, lightest high fidelity Bluetooth speakers available, this little unit measures three-quarters of an inch high and weighs less than half a pound, while still packing plenty of sound. It has Bluetooth connectivity for wireless listening, or an auxiliary input if you don't mind being connected. With 12 hours of Bluetooth battery life, and as much as 20 hours if you use the auxiliary cord, you won't have to worry about it dying on you. Available in range of colors, this speaker also includes an international charging kit, cables, and a carrying case.

If the watches are not doing it for you in the mobile sector then how about a ring? The Smarty Ring ($275) free you from searching for you phone all the time, just to find no new notifications. The average person reaches for their phone 150 times a day. This decrease it by 60%. Its Bluetooth 4.0 technology lets you always control your phone remotely and get real time updates.  It is compatible with iOS and Andriod and comes with it's own app to control your features.  Check out the video below for more information.

- Real time updates from your phone -- not just phone calls, and texts, but all social media!
- Program which alerts you receive (Facebook, Twitter, Skype, etc).
- Control your phone without ever touching it (silence calls, play music, etc).
- Simple plug and play setup.
- Suitable for day & night use.
- Not only will it control your phone but it has a clock, countdown, alarms, and more!
- Waterproof.
- 24 hour run time.
- 3 year battery life.
- Unisex.
- Comes in multiple colors.
- And more!

To continue on the whole oak barrels being made into audio equipment how about this limited edition turntable. In marking their 40th anniversary, Linn teamed up with Highland Park, makers of fine single malt scotch whiskey to exclusively create the Sondek LP12 Turntable($40,000). Linn took their highest performance turntables and encased them in a remarkable whisky wood plinth, made from the actual solid oak barrels that matured Highland Park whiskey. If that sounds exclusive, it is, there are only 40 of these that were made. But at least they are throwing in a 40-year-old bottle of Highland Park, valued at nearly $1,500, to with your turntable. So if your a scotch connoisseur and also an audiophile then this is for you my friend.

Source: uncrate.com

You could be rocking the "Beats" by Dr Dre like all the other cool kids but they never contained Irish Whiskey. Grado Headphones ($395) are limited edition handcrafted headphones, made from recycled white oak barrels from Bushmills Whiskey of Ireland. They come with a vented back design, a custom brown leather headband, and hopefully the sweet smell of oaky booze whenever you put them on. Get a more detail description from Gizmodo.

I have a thing for birds, but not one to own one though. I would have to say that I'm really enjoying these oil paintings by Portland-based artist Meghan Howland, who likes to depict people caught in swarms of birds, flowers or fabric.  It's not quite clear if the people are safe or in a dangerous situation, an ambiguity that leaves each piece open for interpretation. Howland is represented by Bowerstock Gallery where you can see much more of her work.



Source: thisiscolossal

Welcome to Playlist-56. In this installment let's start off December with some upbeat yet nostalgic style music to get you in the holiday spirit of decorating, shopping and chilling indoors.  New music by Tycho, Broods and Star Slinger.

Click Play and have at it! If you want to check out any of the other Playlist then click on Archived Playlist in this post or on the right hand side of this blog or in the menu.


Cover art by Damion Schweizer

Tracklist