What can we say about Viette that we haven’t already said? Our favorite White Zinfandel-loving Wisconsinite has been on a tear lately. He literally lit Soundcloud on fire. It happened. I was there. He’s also got a brand spanking new Facebook page so give him a holla. He works hard. Not only has he released two exquisite new bangers in the last days alone, but yesterday, he was featured in 110BPM’s guest mix series. Doin’ big thangs. Check the mix below and hit his Soundcloud for the full scoop.
I’m off three double stacks and I’m looking for that action
As much as it pains my hating heart, Diplo has been doing his damn thing on Radio 1Extra. Hopefully I don’t have to explain how fucking incredible two hours of Hudson Mohawke, Lunice and Four Tet laying down the phreshest hip hop beats and rhymes is so just grab a double cup and pop a squat. Seriously, stop what you’re doing. Who knew that the pitch perfect melding of promethazine and ecstasy culture would come in the form of a pasty Glaswegian and a gregarious Montréalaise. Four Tet impresses, fitting grime, R&B and a righteous Theo Parrish edit into the hip hop spectrum. I don’t think I’ll never get sick of “I’m God”. Stream below.
Stream: TNGHT (Hudson Mohawke and Lunice) and Four Tet on Radio 1Xtra
This guy Viette has been on fire lately. For his latest feat, he’s let loose the Ratchet Blendtape. It’s like Girl Talk if Girl Talk was… you get the point. A more apt comparison is Ryan Hemsworth’s Truancy Mix and this is every bit as good (not a light statement). Whether effortlessly mixing Juicy J into Dark Sky, or laying Mike Jones over Rustie, Viette comes out on top. Check the full track list after the jump and stream and download below.
So earlier, we posted a roundup of mixes from the likes of Baauer, Hudson Mohawke and Nguzunguzu. Well it looks like we spoke/posted too soon. It’s been quite a day for mixes (check out Mixes From The Astral Plane, Vol. 2) and we’ve got three more for your listening pleasure. We’ll make this quick so you get to it.
Dirtybird representative Eats Everything is featured in Resident Adviser Podcast 316 and said the mix was the best he’s ever done. Check it out over at RA. I’m pretty sure everyone besides us was at Sónar 2012 in Barcelona over the weekend, but in case you weren’t, relive Chicago legends DJ Spinn and DJ Rashad play out some classic juke over at Red Bull Music Academy. Houston beatsmith Sines has made quite a name for himself via his own tunes and his recently formed imprint Freshmore. Don’t miss out on his mix for Keep On Repeat.
I’s been an incredibly busy day in The Astal Plane’s “office”. This morning, we let Volume 2 of our Mixes From The Astal Plane series loose on the public and as far as we know it’s bringing the ruckus somewhere uptown. While we believe our mix is indisputably the mix of the day, several other esteemed acts have released mixes of their own for consumption by the general public. Instead of writing three separate posts, I’m going to take the easy way out.
First off, we have LA duo and consonant enthusiasts Nguzunguzu bringing the heat with this month’s FACT mix. The duo of Asma Maroof and Daniel Pineda come through with an expertly curated selection of bass, Jersey club and pop tunes to get your bood flowing. Short, sweet and simple, Nguzunguzu splay 20 tracks over the mix’s 35 minute runtime, opting for effective/pragmatic mixes over thunder and lightning. Head over to FACT to listen/download.
Our second mix is actually a live as opposed to a pre-recorded deal and comes from Warp and LuckyMe representative Hudson Mohawke. Live from Livin’ Proof in East London, HudMo displayed a masterful grasp of American hip hop new and old. Head over to the BBC and skip to 2 hour 9 minutes to catch the Glaswegian’s set.
If I told you that a certain Brooklyn-based producer laced BBC with a VIP edit of breakout hit “Harlem Shake”, you probably wouldn’t be interested right? Well, it’s true. Baauer was on Radio 1Extra’s Diplo and Friends program over the weekend and laced the world with a series of tarp-y tracks. There was some new Ryan Hemsworth, a little Salva/RL Grime, a little ƱZ. Again, you’re probably not interested. Head over to BBC and skip to the second hour to catch Baauer’s antics.
Astral Plane contributer, Producer, and DJ Viette put together this mix full of tunes to thoughtfully get you turn’t up in the Summer of 2012/Summer of Trap. Check the tracklist below, there are some bangers nestled in there.
http://soundcloud.com/viette-2/summer-nights-mix-for-astral
American pop radio = where oversized egos have piss fights about shitty pop festivals. British pop radio = where oversized talents lay down groundbreaking beats/rhymes/vibes on a nightly basis. Case in point, the recent Joe Goddard-helmed Hot Chip stab at Radio One’s Essential Mix. Today’s “indie” landscape is full of boring white people making boring white people music. Sorry for being frank. Hot Chip are one of the few exceptions. On the surface, they are just as pale and overtly ironic as the rest of their bunch, but they differentiate themselves from the crowd via a dominating grasp on the phonk. Yes, these London white boys have as good a grasp on 80’s era funk as anyone dis side of Damon Riddick. The mix spans a number of styles, from disco to funky to house, but the overarching funk is readily apparent. Goddard’s The 2 Bears side project makes a few appearances, most notably via a remix of Wiley’s “Skankin”, as do several Hot Chip originals. On a side note, is it just me or is Pete Tong doing a far better job curating the Essential Mix than he has in years past? Scuba, L-Vis 1990, Rustie, Nico Jaar and Martyn, just to name a few, have already graced the show. I’m thoroughly enjoying the two hour program, week in and week out. Anyways, Hot Chip’s fifth studio album, In Our Heads, is set for a June 11 release on Domino. Find the full tracklist after the jump.
Frenchman Brodinski is known by most for his electro chops and eclectic DJ sets, but what many don’t know is that he’s also one of the foremost purveyors of chopped and screwed jams. The Best Of Everything mixtape featured some of the best in bass and club tunes from the likes of French Fries, Dubbel Dutch and Bok Bok and The Chopped & Screwed Mixtape brings his interests full circle. Always impressive when an artist can adeptly show their chops in a genre that is not even remotely alike to what they usually produce. Long live DJ Screw. R.I.P. Pimp C.. H-Town Down.
Hello loyal readers. We regret the lack of action over the past week, but two thirds of the team has been at George, WA at Sasquatch. We learned a few things over the weekend; slow and steady wins the race; Jack Black shouldn’t be allowed near children; and most importantly, you should all learn to do the Larry David. In all seriousness, Sasquatch is an incredible festival in one of the most breathtaking natural settings one could imagine. Before we get to our coverage of the festival though, we have to catch up. It was an incredible weekend for bass/beat music so I’ll just get right into it.
Everyone and I mean everyone has eagerly been anticipating the release of the TNGHT (Hudson Mohawke x Lunice) EP on July 23, but before we bestow the duo with the crown, another Lunice side project needs to be fairly recognized. Nouveau Palais, made up of three Montreal-born beatsmiths, Lunice, Ango and Prison Garde, entered our airspace yesterday with the Avant Gang EP. Despite being named after a Montreal comfort food eatery, the trio’s music is far from cozy as it coyly bounces from futuristic takes on garage to hip hop to house. As an added bonus the EP features remixes from Canblaster & Sinjin Hawke, Salva, Monolithium and more. Oh yeah, it’s free courtesy of Red Bull Music Academy. Don’t sleep, pick the EP up right here.
Jonwayne has made quite the name for himself as an outspoken internet critic, sparring with fans on his various social networking profiles. He has also made a name for himself by unexpectedly releasing quality material via those same social networking profiles. The verbal diarrhea can get tiring at times, but then he’ll release something like Jonwayne Fucks Disney. Crafting using only an “SP-404 SX, an iPad used to access Youtube videos, and a Zoom H2 to bounce sounds to”, the 8 track beat tape is a testament to the La Habra producer’s dexterity behind the boards. Straying from his usual palette of 8-bit samples, the tape gets weird with a number of Disney samples from Dumbo, Alice In Wonderland and more. This one is not for the faint of heart. Also, a free download. Get it here.
Everyone and their mommas (us included) have had their panties in a bunch over a new school of MC’s made up of the likes of Danny Brown, the Black Hippy crew and A$AP Rocky. Nacho Picasso is another member of what SPIN called the “New Underground”, but has inexplicably received less praise than his compatriots. Exalted is Nacho’s third album of this year in collaboration with Blue Sky Black Death and it might just be their best output yet. It’s blunt music for the party. A hip hop take on The Weeknd in some sense, investigating the emotional gaps between the party and the after party, the dose and the overdose. Nacho’s lyrical output has improved with every album and Exalted is no different. Production-wise, BSBD has never been better, outgrowing their roots in instrumental hip hop long ago and growing into one of the premier forces in hip hop. This one isn’t free, but I can’t imagine you’ll find a better way to spend five dollars. Cop it here.
Haleek Maul, learn the name Internalize it and wait for his rise. The 15 year old Barbados via Brooklyn MC has been making some waves on the internet recently and “88”, produced by Chicago duo The-Drum, further solidifies himself as one of the most exciting MC’s to come out of the woodwork in a long, long time. My words aren’t a proper testament to this track so just give it a spin.
Only because of lack of time, I’ll speed through these last few. New Daedelus Fact Mag mix. Dark Ages EP on Salva’s Frite Nite. Jacques Greene did a mix for oki-ni. Hopefully this makes up for our lack of activity. Check back in a few hours for the first few installments of our Sasquatch coverage.
So Sasquatch is only three days away. Seems like only days ago that we began to cover the festival. In anticipation of the festival, we have joined forces with Portland’s own Rustu to bring you the one and only Sasquatch 2012 Mix. It’s that time of year folks and whether you’re into Apparat or Active Child, this mix is the perfect primer for your weekend. Even if you’re not planning on attending the most perfect of perfect music festivals, passing on this mix would be a (major) mistake. Give Rustu some props over at his Soundcloud and get hyped for the weekend. Stream/download below and find the full tracklist after the jump.
The Astral Plane 