Beta Frontiers

Beta Frontiers es un rising artist de Toronto que va a sacar su EP debut con Daps Records el próximo abril. No sé qué onda pero ya desde hace tiempo Toronto ha estado produciendo música de calidad; tal vez sea algo en el agua o en el café. No nos vayamos tan lejos, solo recuerden todo el hype producido por The Weeknd durante el año pasado.

El único track disponible del EP es “Hondo” que incluye en las voces a Becky Ninkovic de la difunta banda You Say Party. Esto es lo más chill del año. - Negative Youth

Last week, we learned via Real Boys' Stephen O'Shea that his You Say Party bandmate and wife Becky Ninkovic would be guesting on a new EP from electro-pop outfit Beta Frontiers, and the Toronto-based act have now confirmed on their end that the collaboration will appear on their debut EP, ....

A press release from Hogtown imprint Daps Records (Odonis Odonis, Hooded Fang) explains that it will issue the five-song set as a digital download on April 17. Described in a one-sheet as "ranging the gamut from minimal to pop to banger," the collection will allegedly show off the troupe's "groove-laden, 303-inflected compositions."

The EP will also be presented as a series of short films directed by Dean Tzenos of Odonis Odonis and Cameron Tomsett. For now, you can catch the video for the icy, Ninkovic-assisted "Hondo" down below. - Exclaim!

We all know that Void Zones once contained unspoken digital dangers, before they were all repopulated in The Great Analogue Cleansing of 1997. Beta Frontiers’ “Oceana” video uses old documentary footage of those long-forgotten wastelands to remind us of why we should be thankful that our lives are no longer spent in thrall to a computer.

The government’s experiments with hi-fi stereo systems in the early 80s are well documented. Although they’re now used to blast information out of kinda-sorta-maybe terrorists, just a few decades ago they were used to sonically supercharge vehicles capable of exploring the vast neon tundras of New New Detroit. Blaring the latest in funky electro clatter, the vehicles would navigate the sparkling ghost tunnels at top speeds of 55MPH, capable of escaping DigiWraiths and other hostile denizens of the former metropolis. A $6 billion dollar project, it was eventually abandoned when Ms. Pac-Man was invented which caused everyone to forget about the entire thing. - CHARTattack

Toronto’s abuzz with the Toronto International Film Festival, that special time of year when the city gets flooded with great movies, celebs, and irritating people who try way too hard to look at both of them. To celebrate, Daps Records’ in-house electro wizard Beta Frontiers has released a “TIFF Mix,” a veritable cybernetic encyclopedia of over forty five minutes of electronic music, enough to turn your dick into an Atari. - CHARTattack

Toronto electro-pop act Beta Frontiers earned our attention earlier this year by releasing their curiously named EP ..., which includes a collaboration with You Say Party singer Becky Ninkovic. Now, the Scion Sessions have made another track from the EP available.

"Tak" blends 8-bit-sounding electronics with clubby beats, catchy synths and hip-hop vocals. An announcements calls this song the "ideal introduction to the band's groove-laden, 303-inflected compositions, a thumping cycle of plodding beats, heavy bottom end, synths acting as glue, and steadfast vocal loop."

Beta Frontiers will perform a free show at the Hoxton in Toronto tomorrow (August 2) as part of Scion Sessions Week. RSVP here to get in. The show also features Doldrums, Nosaj Thing, and more. - Exclaim!

In conjunction with this year's Pop Montreal, Scion Sessions has joined forces with Canadian labels Daps Records and Hand Drawn Dracula for a special split 12-inch. Now, we get to share two of the gems with you.

The first contribution is a previously unreleased track from Odonis Odonis, "Wipeout Beat." Self-described as "the Cramps meet Com Truise," it's definitely packed with trashy guitars and electronic beats, continuing on with what the band describe as their "weirdo outlook on genres."

Up next is "Hondo" from Beta Frontiers. The track, which features a guest appearance from You Say Party frontwoman Becky Ninkovic, appeared on the group's .... release earlier this year, and with some funked-out bass and a minimal beat, it's a welcome introduction to the project that only benefits from Ninkovic's vocals.

Download and/or stream both tracks below.

The full Scion Sessions 12-inch will be available on September 20 for attendees to the Pop Montreal show at CFC Bar. You can get more info about the project, show and how to get tickets here. - Exclaim!

One of our favourite Toronto producers, Beta Frontiers, has made an exclusive mix just for Drake! Inspired by the Toronto International Film Festival + packed with unreleased tracks, we definitely give it two thumbs up. Listen + share before enjoying his show Underground on September 12th. - The Drake

Toronto’s Beta Frontiers hook up Phédre’s ultra-catchy single “Aphrodite” with an electro rework. - Gorilla vs. Bear

[VIDEO] - Gorilla vs. Bear

Andrew Olivares‘ retro-futuristic new clip for Beta Frontiers‘ “Oceana,” taken from their new self-titled EP. Catch Beta Frontiers tonight in Brooklyn at Glasslands. - Gorilla vs. Bear

Toronto’s Beta Frontiers re-work Fear of Men’s excellent single “Green Sea” for the dancefloor, dropping the moving backwards guitar solo but channeling all of the dreamy, wistful longing of the original into a bouncy electro anthem. Catch Fear of Men this weekend at London’s appropriately titled Rad Fest, as part of a ridiculous bill that also features Veronica Falls, Trash Talk, DIIV, Maria Minerva, Jacuzzi Boys + a lot more. - Gorilla vs. Bear

When you think of Monte Carlo, Monaco you may think of old James Bond movies or Grace Kelly but probably not experimental indie groups. Yet that is where Phédre are from, apparently. So says the press release at least, but actually it's members of Doldrums and Hooded Fang. Toronto has often been called the Monte Carlo of Canada, don't you know. The trio released their self-titled debut last month via Daps Records and it's a gauzy mix of '80s synthpop and gothy post punk (and some '60s pop too) as filtered through some old VHS collection.

Phédre make their U.S. debut at NYC club Mercury Lounge this Saturday (6/9) and tickets are still available. Phédre will also play NXNE in Toronto next week and then will be back in North America in the fall, opening some of the dates on Ariel Pink's fall tour (not Webster Hall). All Phédre tour dates are listed below.

In addition to their own material, Phedre do some remix work as well and you can check out their take on Beta Frontiers' "Hondo" at the bottom of this post. You can also stream their album below. - BrooklynVegan

Before taking the stage at the Hoxton in Toronto during a free Scion Sessions Week show, Beta Frontiers talk about the experience of being a part of the free music series, along with their relationship with classic analog gear.

[VIDEO] - AUX

It’s not surprising that the term chillwave was coined by the minds behind the parody-blog Hipster Runoff. Much like no one will admit to being a hipster, very few artists seem to actually want to be called chillwave, which makes a certain amount of sense. It’s a ridiculous word.

Toronto’s Beta Frontiers, for example, make no mention of the nebulous non-genre on their Bandcamp page. As a result, we’re not going to use the term to describe the band’s brand of lo-fi electronic music. Regardless of how you classify them, their latest EP, titled simply …EP, is a remarkably fun chunk of ear candy. With five songs of largely instrumental music consisting of hummable, fuzzy synth riffs; insistent, dance floor friendly drums; and some unexpected samples, …EP owes at least as much to Giorgio Moroder and The Avalanches as it does to Toro Y Moi.

The album gets off to a strong start with “Tak,” a song that samples both ’90s underground hip-hop—the vocals come from the title track off of Black Moon’s 1999 album War Zone—as well as video game sounds. While Torontonian indietronica and East Coast gangsta may sound like odd bedfellows, Beta Frontiers make it work, turning Black Moon MC Buckshot’s menacing verse into a catchy chorus. From there, the album gets considerable more uptempo. Songs like “Girl Bits” and “Oceana” have definite house influences, while “Defcon” verges into outright “banger” territory. The album’s highlight, however, is actually its slowest song, as well as the only one with proper vocals. “Hondo,” which you can listen to above, is simultaneously haunting and infectious. It’s the perfect pop song, covered with a spooky, dark veneer.

Beta Frontiers are already starting to attract some blog buzz, having received love from such online tastemakers as Gorilla vs. Bear, Negative Youth, and Brooklyn Vegan, and recently remixed Major Lazer’s latest single, “Get Free.” Given that sort of momentum, they’ll probably be headlining the Sound Academy by Christmas. - Torontoist

Here’s the problem with writing on new artists: sometimes, the material just isn’t there. In the case of the Toronto-based electronic-act Beta Frontiers, this conundrum is compounded by the fact that the artist seems to be playing hard to get. The photos scattered throughout their Bandcamp profile feature a male figure whose face is perpetually covered. The other elements of these shots reveal an intriguing mix of influences, ranging from urban decay, to retro Tokyo, and finally to arcade games of decades past. The only clear picture one can draw is from the music itself—and what a picture it is.

Running throughout the tracks is a violence: barely contained, yet nevertheless, channelled into a frenzied mix of primal-techno majesty. Songs are made with swift, steady strokes. Relentless bass lines and hard, driving beats underscore synths that explode like laser lightshows. Notes often sound on the verge of being ripped apart at the seams. Irresistible hooks are looped in cascading cycles of ecstasy.

To date, Beta Frontiers have just one EP to their name; although the repertoire is accented by remixes of Fear of Men’s “Green Sea” and Major Lazer’s “Get Free”—both upgrades, in this writer’s view. Signed to Toronto indie label Daps Records alongside acts such as Phèdre, the attention received by Beta Frontiers has thus far been largely local. But with sizzling, neon-tinged tracks that practically scream to be heard, it’s unlikely that Beta Frontiers will be going away anytime soon.

Performing Thursday, Sept. 20th as part of a Daps Records showcase, beginning at 9:00p.m., CFC (6388 Saint-Hubert.) - McGill Tribune