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Author Archives: Gabe Meier

New Natasha Kmeto – “Dirty Mind Melt”

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January 8, 2013
New Music
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natashaPhoto by Carly Birkey

Dropping Gems queen bee Natasha Kmeto appears to be listening to a lot of early-aughts Yeezy production. With a new DG EP, Dirty Mind Melt, dropping February 19, Kmeto has let loose the chipmunk vocal championing title track for mass consumption. “Dirty Mind Melt” takes a step back from the cerebral vocal arrangements on Kmeto’s debut The Ache EP, opting for The Blueprint-esque pitch shifting and skittering hip hop percussion. While airier than much of The Ache, the track matches heavenly orchestral sections with futuristic effects like the best of her debut LP. Unlike most string section driven beat work, “Dirty Mind Melt” doesn’t fall into the obnoxiously heavy handed category due to Kmeto’s commendable restraint and an expertly informed grasp on layering. Stream below and be on the look out for Dirty Mind Melt next month.

KVN Gates Loves Sosa

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January 8, 2013
New Music
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Kevin Gates is the biggest Louisiana rapper since Lil Boosie and prior to that, Lil Wayne. 2012’s Make Em Believe tape was one of 2012’s best and Gates has a certifiable radio hit in “Satellite”. Nonetheless, few outside of Louisiana have even heard of the Baton Rouge MC. Eschewing much of an internet presence, Gates has garnered a huge local fanbase that is something of an anomaly in 2013’s amorphous hip hop landscape. I’d expect Gates to gain some national recognition in the coming months, but even if he doesn’t, don’t expect his shelf life to expire anytime soon. There are a lot of awful “Love Sosa” freestyles out there, but Gates’ strained struggle rap is perfect for Young Chop’s minimalist production. As always, Gates is hyper-regional in his references and gives nothing but love for his hometown. The Luca Brasi Story coming soon…

Harry Fraud Could Have Been A Doctor

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January 8, 2013
New Music, Remixes
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harry fraudAs a member of French Montana’s Coke Boys (which includes the Moroccan rapper’s 9 year old son, affectionately known as Lil Poopy), questionably monikered Queens MC Chinx Drugz has access to a good deal of production work many similarly gifted MCs can only dream of. I mean, Chinx isn’t the worst dude in the world, but let’s just say Harry Fraud makes “I’m A Coke Boy”. With Montana sloppily fanutin’ all over the hook and underwhelming (to say the least) verses from Diddy and Rick Ross, “I’m a Coke Boy” needed Fraud to come through and come through he does. Without a doubt one of 2012’s most impressive performers, Fraud has become the New York producer du jour in recent months and has worked with everyone from Heems to Sean Price. Once you get past the novelty of hearing a few mediocre Detlef Schrempf euphemisms, Fraud’s reconstructed strings and piano backing becomes the only real point to listening to  “I’m A Coke Boy” all the way through. Luckily, Fraud let loose the instrumental yesterday opening up the possibility that someone with less dirty money will attach themselves for a verse. Stream/download the remix below and hit the jump for instrumental version.

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Doc Daneeka Remixes BeGun’s “San Francisco”

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January 8, 2013
New Music, Remixes
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Like many other Brits of the same ilk, Swansea-born producer Mial Watkins, stagename Doc Daneeka (think Catch-22), has recently taken up residence in Berlin and incorporated several of the techno stronghold’s dark sonic signifiers into his music. Lazily classified within the general bass music sphere, Watkins’ music equally emphasizes soulful vocal samples and rich, intricately constructed low end arrangements. After working with Benjamin Damage on 2012’s highly underrated They!Live LP (out now on 50Weapons), Daneeka is primed to have his biggest year to date as both solo artist and curatorial mastermind. You see, along with producing some of the most thought provoking and amorphous low end-focused music around, Daneeka also runs the very much up-and-coming Ten Thousand Yen imprint, also primed for a huge 2013. For his/their first feast of the new year, Daneeka has reworked the unsearchable BeGun’s “San Francisco” into something that resembles the cross-section of Bristol and Chicago. The oppressively deep low end is juxtaposed with retro-sounding organ stabs and a halting garage rhythm. Like most of Daneeka’s output, the remix is nearly impossible to pin down and is clearly suited for a large system. Apparently it has been killing it in live sets so expect a release on Ten Thousand Yen sooner rather than later. Stream below.

New DJ Haus – “Thug Houz Anthem!”

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January 7, 2013
New Music
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dj-haus-uttu

DJ Haus has never been one to demand the spotlight. In an often crowded internet music landscape, the Hot City member and Unknown to the Unknown bossman has flown relatively under the radar while imparting superior sound design and quality throwback tunes on the masses. 2012 saw savvy releases from 5kinandbone5, Sinden and Palace on U2U and a dramatic step forward for Haus’ rave indebted sound. The early 1990’s rave era is still more of a tenuous fantasy in my mind than a concrete sound so I’m gonna have to take Haus’ word when he says that he attempts to imbibe it in his music, but I can say that “Thug Houz Anthem!” has a certain prickly, on-edge feel about it. Certainly in the banger category, the Bone Thugs sampling jawn is full of scratchy acid sounds and a busy percussion pattern. It would probably be fun to listen to at one of those mythological raves I’ve watched documentaries about. The track is part of Thug Houz Anthems Vol. 1, U2U’s upcoming compilation, which will probably be released sooner rather than later. Stream and download below and hit the jump for the accompanying druggy iTunes commercial-esque video.

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Julio Bashmore 60 Minute Boiler Room LA Mix

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January 7, 2013
Live, Mixes
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julio bashmore

Maybe it’s just my choppy internet, but the Julio Bashmore Boiler Room LA stream came in particularly choppy, giving the whole affair a GIF-like atmosphere in my computer machine. Dancers grooved then repeated. Julio’s headnods took on an alien quality and the set gained a whole new dimension of unintentional comedy. I hope you all saw the 60 minute set in the glamorous form I did, but even if you downloaded and listened in your car, Julio’s foray across acid, funk and classic Chicago was probably equally enjoyable. The majority of the set induced visions of Bashmore’s Prince-channeling Velour side-project, including the purple one’s own “Erotic City”, but also hit darker, tech-ier points like Kowton’s “And What” and opener Funkineven’s “Dracula”. Of course he played “Au Seve”, but he also uncomfortably sang the melody at one point! That part was terrible actually. Anyways, for a more in depth take on the Bashmore live experience, check out dildo’s recap of a night at  A Club Called Rhonda. Stream/download below and hit the jump if you want to enjoy the pixelated GIF-y madness in Youtube form.

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Boddika Is A Very Interesting Person

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January 3, 2013
New Music, Remixes
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boddikaTo say everyone and their mother’s dog has been waiting for Boddika’s “Mercy VIP” on pins and needles is something of an understatement. After floating around the internet for eight months, Boddika’s revamped take on his Joy Orbison collaboration has finally reached daylight in an acceptable form. You’ve probably heard the track at this point, so I’ll keep it short and sweet, but just know that this one falls in the outright banger section of techno so, like, if you’ve been wondering why there are bodies under your garage then this is probably for you. All overplayed references aside, look out for the “Mercy VIP” on the Think & Change compilation via Nonplus Records.

Things That Happen At Day With Milo & Riley Lake

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January 3, 2013
New Music
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It’s easy to say that Milo’s take on hip hop is not for everybody. It lacks the bravado, (traditional) punchlines and self-congratulatory tone of the majority of the rappity rap realm. The references are somewhat academic and the tone is self-deprecating. Some might call Milo an arthouse rapper, but placing him in the Digable Planets/Brand Nubian lineage would be a mistake. The deadpan flow and highly referential nature might bring up Das Racist comparisons, but Milo’s lyrical arrangements aren’t as populist stream-of-consciousness as the deceased Brooklyn trio. Milo is also probably smarter than you, a point that is emphasized throughout his recently released double EP Things That Happen At Day/Things That Happen At Night (out now on Hellfyre Club). The Riley Lake-helmed former is the focus of this post, partially because it’s my favorite of the two and partially because there is entirely too much to take in and comment on across the span of both projects. Before listening to the EP, I highly recommend reading Milo’s “addendum” on duality, Schopenhauer and his father:

this record is about (false) dichotomies and the transcendence of them through genuine expression, and the exploration of things that make me, personally, uncomfortable. it’s about olde-tyme notions of heroism, quests and being in the search of. it is about action for the sake of action without regards to consequence. it is about verbs and not nouns.

Milo is both an astute media critic and a philosophy student and Things That Happen At Day is as dense a work as you’ll come across in contemporary music. It’s easy to get lost in the Hegel talk or whatnot, but like most self-aware lyricists, Milo is mostly just attempting to find a justifiable truth in his personal relationships. He admits that much on EP standout “folk-metaphysics”, a track rife with an immensely relatable insecurity. What’s more relatable after all? The illusions of exorbitant wealth and grandeur in more radio ready rap or the existential worry that you might not matter after all? Milo’s rap might not be for everybody, but it should be. Expect to hear much more about this Riley Lake guy tomorrow as we’ve got some big things (think LOL Boys x Fader mix, but better) in line, but just know that the production on Things That Happen At Day is like no other hip hop release you’ll hear all year. Kombucha bottle percussion, Wallflowers covers and jazz guitar are the new norm so, like, get with the program. I can’t do this EP proper justice in a condensed writeup unfortunately, but just give Things That Happen At Day a listen. And then another one, because while Milo isn’t quite as incomprehensible as Hegel, this shit is packed with meaning. I certainly haven’t begun to grasp the majority of it yet. Stream below and show some love to two immensely talented artists. Also catch Things That Happen At Night after the jump.

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New Ryan Hemsworth – “BasedWorld”

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January 2, 2013
New Music
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ryan-hemsworthI don’t need to tell you that Ryan Hemsworth was one of 2012’s most apogeic performers. The rest of blog world has that covered I think. Not to toot our own horn or anything, but we did interview Ryan back in April. Just sayin’. Anyways, “BasedWorld”, right. Sounding as triumphant as he ever has, Hemsworth’s “BasedWorld” falls somewhere between video game proportions super hero music and an “I’m God” approximation. There a few points last year that Hemsworth’s glut of remixes began to sound a little verbose and mechanical, but “BasedWorld” certainly bucks that, proving that despite a propinquity for remixes, his best work comes in the form of originals. Stream below and download here.

Update: Commenter ei8htzer0 pointed out that sample in “BasedWorld” is M83’s “Moon Child”.

New Velour – “Speedway”

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January 2, 2013
New Music
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velour

I would be lying if I said I didn’t love the populist direction Julio Bashmore has taken his sound over the past 12 months. Not every release has to further the critical conversation and Bashmore has pretty clearly opted for straight-up fun times over any sort of challenging project. For his latest trick, the Bristolian has linked up with Hyetal to once again form Velour, the neonic duo that debuted on Night Slugs back in 2010. The Prince is strong in “Speedway” and while not as initially intruiging as say “Booty Slammer”, the song is certainly a grower and has a way of weaseling its way into your ear canal. Fuck NASCAR tho. Stream below.