In any creative field, there is really no way to stick around for long without some level or self-reinvention. Interestingly, NYC electronic musician J.Views (previously known as J.Viewz) found a way to make this process less about "self" and more about others: his new full length ‘401 Days’ was in part created by his fans, who participated in its step-by-step compositional process through commenting, adding sounds and images of their own over the course of 401 Days. The record release will be tomorrow Thursday May 19 at Rough Trade, with special guest Nashville’s Wild Cub, who was featured in single ‘Into the Light," – video streaming below.

Check out this interview with J.Views about the creative process and gear behind ‘401 Days.’

Sixties garage and seventies power-pop are ubiquitous these days, in particular in the NYC scene. Jersey City’s Low Doses (who made the list of our best emerging Revival Pop/Rock NYC Artists of 2015) play them straightforward, deviating little; they rely on catchy hooks, hand-claps, and lines like “If I could, you know I would stop thinking about you” to subvert the modern cynic and be idiosyncratic. It works. The band has two shows at the Monty Hall scheduled on July 16th. – Dave Cromwell

In the spring of 2015 we got really into Nigerian, NYC based electronic-soul chanteuse Oyinda‘s debut EP ‘Before the Fall‘ (single ‘What Still Remains" in particular). After a few months spent under the radar, Oyinda re-emerged in early 2016 with a string of shows and two new tracks that, again, marry her soulful vocals with moody, edgy electronic arrangements. Our favorite one is ‘Never Enough’ (streamiing below), a complex, dark and tense downtempo featuring antithetical elements like experimental programming and call and response vocals. More recent single ‘Flatline‘ – as suggested by the title – is a more linear R’n’B ballad. Both songs will be included in Oyinda’s upcoming EP ‘Restless Minds,’ out on June 10th.

Featuring the mellow vocals of former Savoir Adore lead singer Deidre Muro, the virtuoso electronic programming of French Horn Rebellion’s David Perlick-Molinari (her husband and MGMT collaborator), and the atmospheric guitar work of Derek Muro (her brother),  Violet Sands can certainly be described as an uber-talented family group! The first single ‘No Matter What‘ from debut EP ‘Strange Attractor’ sounded like a musical experiment aimed at demonstrating that quirky arrangements and intense vocals can coexist, and that cut and paste music can have a heart. Their newest single ‘Airy Canary’ is a more linear and airy electronic mid-tempo that nods to the sophistipop of the ’80s. You can see the trio live at Palisades on May 20th.

Check out this Delicious Audio Q&A with Violet Sands about their creative process.

New York industrial metal outfit Hogwasche‘s excellent debut MBM has established them as the new heavy hitters in the EBM (Electronic Body Music) world. The band only had their first show in February of this year, and has already gotten to play shows with the wildly popular EBM and industrial act Youth Code. Hogwasche doesn’t just rely on electronic beats; guitarist and bassist Nix’s work adds to the band’s interestingly layered sound. They blend the EBM and metal genres by alternating between clean and screamed vocals. Hogwasche will be playing at Saint Vitus on May 23rd in support of Weedeater. Check out their opening single ‘Escape a Curse’ below!

TEEN‘s 2016 album, entitled Love Yes, can be described as a playful aural kaleidoscope that follows in the footsteps of imaginative, brainy, NYC based pop bands like The Talking Heads and They Might Be Giants. Check out the playful video for single ‘Free Time’ below. The four ladies just announced a June tour in support of (awesome) DC avant-pop duo Wye Oak – locals will want to mark June 21st on their calendar, the day the two bands will perform at Brooklyn’s Warsaw.

With all those crazy sounds going on in TEEN’s music, we couldn’t refrain from asking band founder and main singer, guitarist and songwriter a question about her guitar pedals – check out what she answered on our littlle Delicious Audio feature.

At first listen, music snobs will grope toward an easy classification of Afrobeat for Brooklyn collective IGBO (who made it into our Best of NYC Emerging Artists list earlier this year). However, upon continued listening, new and unexpected levels continue to emerge from 60s psychedelia to 70s funk. Just as their first EP appears to deconstruct an African Ethnic group’s name into a spectrum of trippy colors, their music is a chilly chill stroll through a mescaline tinged dance party. There is definitely a little Fela in IGBO’s trunk, but their flag flaps to its own beat. Check out their recent video for single ‘Gimmie Gimmie’ – the band is currently working on new music. – BrokeMC

Motion Studies’ Facebook page perfectly describes their music as “weird disco”. The musical project of Tyler McCauley is an electric dance band that incorporates post-punk elements. Their single “In Our Days” is a wildly catchy and explosive track that has the potential to tempt any (famously static) New Yorker into dancing along to the beat. Motion Studies will be playing at the House of Yes in Brooklyn on June 21st in support of Body Language. Check out their other great single “Distractions” below. – John Honan

Ohal is the brainchild of Brooklyn singer/producer Ohal Grietzer, who specializes in etheral, often abstract electronic music reminiscent of some of those esoteric sounding 4AD records of the late ’80s (from This Mortal Coil to Dead Can Dance). Of the three tracks available for streaming, we are partial to ‘All Mine’ (streamiing below), the more structured of the bunch, and also the only one featuring vocals. This being said, the vaguely Laurie Andersonesque  single ‘Wintertime‘ is the one that has gained the favor of the internet fans. Ohal will be performing live at Baby’s All Right on May 15th.

We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best electronic songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!

Graveyard Lovers, a Brooklyn based three-piece that’s been around since 2010, blends the tension of post punk with the melodicism and distorted guitar aesthetics of grunge. Last week they started a May residency at Pianos, after releasing two new singles: ‘Partner‘ and ‘Told a Lie’ (streaming below). The former is a love song that strays from the band’s normally aggressive sound, while the latter offers classic ’90s loud/quite/loud production, striking a balance between the Flaming Lips’ visionary pop and Nirvana’s dynamic melodicism. Both tracks will be part of the band’s upcoming album ‘Past The Forest Of The Fruitless Thoughts,’ scheduled to be released in June. This will be their fourth release since the 2011 self titled debut – you can see them at Pianos tonight (May 12th). – Amanda McCall

We blogged about Tiny Deaths in this very blog earlier this year, they just released this video for single ‘The Gardener,’ check it out!