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New Strict Face – “Forever In Dreams”

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November 13, 2013
New Music
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Slackk’s monthly mixes have been a source for fresh, exciting grime since their inception and one of the most exciting artists we’ve discovered is Australia’s own Strict Face. Like many of his contemporaries, Strict Face’s sound is spacious and all-encompassing, but instead of the dark, heaving sound palette many other grime producers utilize, he deploys bright, uplifting melodies. “Forever In Dreams”, his latest sketch, is a meandering journey through breathy synth melodies paced over an orchestral backing. There are occasional whooshing percussive noises, but the song is almost completely devoid of drums. It’s warm and lush, but also slightly disorienting and dreamlike. From the mouth of Strict Face himself:

A disillusioned gangster dreams of the heavens for the final time before embarking on his final voyage through life.

Couldn’t sum it up better.

New Rexx Life Raj – “Mexican Mafia” (Feat. Dave Steezy)

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November 13, 2013
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The Bay Area has always known how to get down, turning out some of the most exciting, innovative party acts in hip hop history. That fact has also lead to a whole vein (largely perpetuated by New Yorkers) of criticism relating to the Bay’s relative lack of seriousness or “value”. The truth is that the Bay has done more for hip hop with regards to flow, slang and breaking down unspoken barriers than just about any other region and has a long, rich history of turning out diverse acts. Which brings us to Rexx Life Raj. Hailing from Berkeley, Rexx is one of the many nimble MCs to come out of the East Bay in recent years and joins the likes of Sage The Gemini and Iamsu! in representing the sunnier side of the Bay. Just take a peek at the Dave Steezy assisted “Mexican Mafia”. The sound is reminiscent of the slumper style utilized by AP-9, Celly Cel and others, but opts for exuberant wordplay over low slung danger. Rexx has a mixtape dropping on Friday so be sure to check back in this space soon.

New Gucci Mane – “Pablo” (Feat. E-40 & Trinidad James)

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November 13, 2013
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Hot 107.9 Birthday Bash 14

It’s been quite some time since Gucci Mane has been at his sociopathic best and the past 12 months haven’t treated big Guwop especially well… Nonetheless, Mr. Davis can still wax poetic about the most minute details of the drug trade and depraved violence better than just about anyone else. If you can get past the lackluster chorus on “Pablo”, then you’ll get one of the better cold, methodical Gucci verses we’ve heard in months (or even years). In the end, E-40 is just the cherry on top and even the Lenox munchkin comes in to passably carry the baton home. Maybe I’m reaching, but Gucci still has a roll in 2013 hip hop and maybe even a decent album left. Apparently, “Pablo” is a few months old and the Trinidad verse in the only new addition, but we’ll take it.

New Ghost Mutt – “3310”

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November 12, 2013
New Music
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Ghost Mutt is an enigma in our books, often brilliant, but seemingly without the ability to put forth a cohesive release. The Sasquatch and Sweat Mode EPs both had their highlights, but neither performs especially well as an individual document. On November 18, the Brighton-based producer will attempt to prove us wrong with his second EP on Donky Pitch, titled Rumble Pak. Sonic kin of producers like Jimmy Edgar and Lockah (who’s also released on Donky Pitch), Ghost Mutt takes a manic, maximalist approach to funk, hip hop and Joker’s purple realm of dubstep, melding the three into an intensely fun experience. Take “3010”, our first taste of Rumble Pak. It’s a commanding, synth-oriented track that has too many elements to count. There’s that chord progression reminiscent of Lex Luger, pounding, off-kilter kick drums, bright synth washes and a number of female vocal samples. There are bed spring, kiss and male soul samples. It’s a beautiful, captivating mess reminiscent of Rustie’s best work. Stream “3310” below and look out for the EP on the 18th.

New Jerome LOL – “Always” (Feat. Sarah Z)

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November 12, 2013
New Music
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Leeor Brown’s Friends of Friends imprint has been one of our favorite musical institutions since our founding at the beginning of 2012 and their continued partnership with Jerome Potter aka Jerome LOL has made us endlessly happy over the past 23 months. In February of next year, Jerome will release the Deleted/Fool EP through FoF Music, an affair that will surely feature his signature live sounding percussion and beatific harmonies, as well as two female vocalists. While two and a half months is a long time to wait for the EP, Jerome and FoF have gifted us with “Always”, the melancholic opening track from Delete/Fool. Stream below and start scratching off the days until February 4, 2014.

New Dubbel Dutch – “Deepa (Vocal Blend)”

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November 12, 2013
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If ridiculously catchy Caribbean melodies, expansive, always changing rhythmic structures and female patois vocals are your thing, then Dubbel Dutch is your man. Having imprinted his name on the American club scene years ago, Dubbel Dutch’s third EP on Dre Skull’s Mixpak imprint, titled Cloud Club, sees the Brooklyn-based producer fully realizing the sound he laid out on the Self Help Riddim and Hymn EPs. There’s a little something for everyone here, whether it’s a challenging take on soca, dancehall or a Caribbean bend on Jersey club. The vocal mix of “Deepa” is arguably the EP’s standout, matching lung compressing sub bass with entrancing patois vocals and a reverb heavy melody that will be stuck in your head for days. Like all Dubbel Dutch songs, “Deepa” is wonderfully paced and subtle,  yet replete with relatable pop tropes. The Cloud Club EP is out now on Mixpak. Hit the jump to stream it in its entirety.

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Ryan Hemsworth & Starlito Collaborate On “Can’t Get Over You”

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November 11, 2013
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Yours Truly’s “Songs From Scratch” collaboration series is seemingly flawless, bringing together artists from different spheres into a single room to flex their respective skill sets. The latest effort isn’t necessarily the most out there as the two artists have collaborated in the past, but the quality is definitely up to par. Sir Hemsworth and Nashville’s finest put on a feel fest on “Can’t Get Over You” and mumble through the video portion. The music and heartfelt and a more substantive collaboration between these two is surely not out of the picture. Check out the video below and be sure to cop ‘Lito and Don Trip’s excellent Step Brothers 2 tape.

Shlohmo Remixes Haerts’ “Wings”

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November 11, 2013
New Music, Remixes
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If you were lucky enough to catch Shlohmo on his recent, (relatively) unpublicized West Coast mini-tour, then you were treated to an hour of mostly unreleased remix work that looks to be some of the Wedidit representative’s best and most elegiac work to date. Remixes of Electric Guest’s “Bate”, Laura Mvula’s “She” and Samo Sound Boy’s “Your Love” have already made there way onto the web and this weekend brought about a similarly entrancing re-contextualization of Haerts’ bubbling cut “Wings”. If you’re still criticizing Shlohmo for using a similar sound palette on the majority of his remixes then you either “don’t get it” or can’t “feel it”. The man born Henry Laufer has managed to turn relative nostalgia (TLC and Aaliyah remixes for the millennial generation), an on-point and comprehensive audial/visual aesthetic and a nearly unmatched hustle into a massive, ever-growing fan base. Yeah we’re unabashed Henry stans in these parts, but why shouldn’t we be? Stream/download below and hit the jump for a taste of the “Your Love” remix.

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New Jam City – “Bells”

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November 6, 2013
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As one of the kingpins of the Night Slugs empire, Jam City has been given a lot of leeway in the past to experiment and to postulate on a number of different sounds and concepts. His debut album, Classical Curves, was a dense and often difficult to digest, but after multiple listens, a largely rewarding listening experience. For his most recent Night Slugs release, Club Constructions Vol. 6, Jam City dispensed of much of his conceptual arsenal and instead turned in five straightforward-as-hell drum tracks that just might be the most impressive of the series. It’s some of the best club music of the year and has endless playback qualities, not an easily attained combination. “Bells” is a track that (somehow) didn’t make the cut for Vol. 6. Like the other five tracks, “Bells” is a stripped down drum track, accented by charm-like synthesized bells. It’s also currently up for free download so listen below and head here to snag the track.

New Spark Master Tape – “Picture On My Coffin” (Prod. Paper Platoon)

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November 6, 2013
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And if they hate me when they see my face/you’ll forgive me for the time I spent up on the grind/feel like every day

Spark Master Tape is all pastiche, an internet-era Houston disciple with an ear for schmaltzy samples, a penchant for misogyny and violence, and a willfully obscured personality. For the uninitiated, he’s an easily ignored product of a section of hip hop that should have never been given the due it’s been given. What differentiates SMT and his “Paper Platoon” from the Sprite slurping masses though is its try hard functionality and the fact that the rapping, well, actually deserves respect. SMT effortlessly switches between half and double-time flows over some of the most irregular beats and song structures in hip hop. Whoever is behind SMT’s music, it’s readily apparent that they care, something that can’t be said about the many Yung Leans creeping out of the internet woodwork. “Picture In My Coffin” is the first track off of SMT’s third project and is produced by Paper Platoon.