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New Big Boi – “In The A” Feat. T.I. And Ludacris

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November 27, 2012
New Music
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With Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors quickly approaching (Dec 11), Sir Luscious’ hype machine is revving its engine. A few weeks ago, we received “Lines”, a track squarely aimed at a younger, blog reading audience that knows who Phantogram is. Despite the somewhat canned nature of the song, Fat Sax and Rocky are entertaining as hell, stoking the already blazing fire surrounding the album release. As long as the rest of the album is devoid of the sort of A&R made collaborations/youtube view getters, I’m completely sold. The latest track to surface features two of the biggest Atlanta rappers from the past 15 years, although it probably would have been far more newsworthy around the middle of the last decade.

With T.I. and Ludacris on board, it’s clear that the album isn’t simply an attempt to woo the kidz, because, well, how many hip hop fans under 18 actually listen to T.I. or Ludacris? I don’t think I’m alone in not being to take TIP or Luda all that seriously in 2012 and Luda’s statement that it’s “a marathon not a sprint” is indicative of their age/place in life. Would he have ever said something like that in his foul mouthed heyday? They’ve made enough bands, T.I. has spent too much time in prison and they’re tired. They seem tired. They sound tired. Their lyrical content is tired. Fat Sax is still buckin’ like Buckingham Palace though, brand new like Brand Nubian. Not all of the great have fallen and Big Boi sounds like a young 20 something when juxtaposed with his fellow 30 somethings. Stream below and lookout for the album on December 11.

Happa Remixes Vondelpark’s “Dracula”

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November 27, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Who would have thought that such massive sounds come from such an innocent source? Just look at the above photo of Happa. Not trying to belittle him by centering on his age, but fuck, dude is 15 and churning out some of the most stomp-worthy techno (if you can even call it that) we’ve heard all year. This is one those posts that, if you don’t have a strong pair of headphones or speakers, you should probably skip over. When the vocals cut away… just tear your hair out. This is what every horror movie should sound like, the kickdrum playing the part of the man with a knife behind every curtain. Stream below.

Introducing Ice Burgandy, West Coast Brick Squad Rep

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November 27, 2012
New Music
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Meet Ice Burgandy, West Coast Brick Squad member and Inglewood-native. He may or may not have been involved in a Debo-like incident with The Game last year and is probably not someone you want to fuck with. You might remember him from his verse on “Homies” off of Wacka Flocka’s apogeic Flockaveli. Last month, Burgandy dropped not one, but two brand new mixtapes on Brick Squad day, the aptly titled Rhythm & Burgandy and Burberry Burgandy. The tapes feature a menagerie of 1017 regulars including YG Hootie, Sony and Flocka himself and see Burgandy exhibiting his LA-centric take on the familiar Brick Squad model to new levels. If you’re looking for your standard turn’t Brick Squad fare, Burgandy’s got you, but Rhythm & Burgandy and Burberry Burgandy also offer a slower, more pensive angle that evokes endless freeways more than dank traphouses. For example, take “All Good”, an achy gangster love anthem that is indecipherable as a Brick Squad track with the exception of the ever present tags. The track is distinctly un-Southern in that nothing is ever all good in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, etc.. You can grab the two tapes here and here (if you can brave DatPiff). As always, Squad up!

Tuff Sherm, Shrapnel Maestro

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November 27, 2012
New Music
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Despite being Eugene Hector’s most straightforward, dancefloor-oriented alias, Tuff Sherm is about as esoteric as they come, traversing between funky bassline house and Actress-esque sparse techno expansions. Shrapnel Maestro is Hector’s first full length as Tuff Sherm and marks a departure from earlier, more synth-heavy releases. There isn’t much of a coherent thread throughout the LP, but that’s all the better as the LP draws sounds from Berlin, Bristol, Chicago and another dimension inhabited by technobots that scientists haven’t discovered yet. Like much of Hector’s past work as both Dro Carey and Tuff Sherm, the LP is rough around the edges and guttural sounding, but as tracks like “Monarch Engineer” denote, also captivatingly danceable. Stream the LP below and grab it for a measly two dollars. Look for a Dro Carey/Tuff Sherm exclusive in our pages very soon.

JETS (Jimmy Edgar & Machinedrum) Explore Clubland In Latest FACT Mix

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November 26, 2012
Mixes, New Music, Remixes
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The partnership between Jimmy Edgar and Machinedrum makes too much sense. The two came up in similar fashions, crafting their own individual takes on electro and club music and now reside in Berlin. Despite the superpower implications of their JETS project, the buildup to their self-titled EP felt somewhat restrained, as if excitement was implied instead of exuded. The Jets EP is an impressive release in every sense of the word, borrowing dance from tropes from across the bass music sphere with the result being four tightly wound balls of energy. What the EP lacks though is a certain flair for the dramatic that is readily apparent in both Edgar and Stewart’s solo work. As technically proficient as the EP is, it lacks a certain rawness that can transform a release from just another EP into something that will be played out years down the road.

Regardless of the EP’s relative shortcomings, the partnership between Edgar and Stewart is sure to bear more succulent fruit, the first sign of which comes in the form of their contribution to FACT Mag’s mix series. Rife with exclusives, the mix is a 75+ minute marathon through a club wasteland, littered with the defiled carcasses of dozens of sub-genres. There is unreleased JETS material, as well as unreleased solo jawns from Edgar and Stewart. There is a break for old timey radio ads. There is a Machinedrum remix of Triple Six Mafia’s “Who Run It” (!!!) an Edgar remix of Body Language’s “Lose My Head”. If you’re looking for an introduction to the ambiguities of club and/or bass music, look no further than this mix. I just got excited about JETS all over again. Stream and download below.

New Tokimonsta – “Sore”

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November 26, 2012
New Music
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As de facto matriarch of the beat scene, Tokimonsta has a lot of bass weight to support on those shoulders of hers. Of course, the South Gate native handles the responsibility with aplomb, constantly expanding her production resume and fine-tuning her DJ skills. Toki has been relatively quiet over the past few months, but yesterday we received “Sore”, a self-described “orchestral epic-ish beat” that ranges in tone from low rider gangster music to sci fi cinema. Hopefully this means Toki is getting back on her grind and releasing a new tape soon. If you give her a shout on Soundcloud, she might let loose a download of “Sore”, so yeah, give her a shout. She deserves it. Stream below.

Nicolas Jaar Collaborates With Teddy Roosevelt On “The Ego”

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November 25, 2012
New Music
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In which Nicolas Jaar conjures the revenant of Teddy Roosevelt to school y’all on the finer points of the universe. “The Ego” is actually one of Jaar’s more open-aired tracks, but when matched with the odd vocals, some taken from a recent Obama interview with Rolling Stone, it’s downright unsettling. I can’t imagine what Nico Jaar’s ideal Thanksgiving would look like, but I’m sure it would sound something like this. Stream and download below.

New Fat Trel – “Make It Clap” (Prod. Lee Bannon)

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November 25, 2012
New Music
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So our favorite DMV badman Fat Trel made a song about his favorite strip club. Apparently he’s not alone either, because the Stadium Club has over 20,000 twitter followers. With Lee Bannon behind the boards, Trel takes the “Bands A Make Her Dance” approach on “Make It Clap” in both subject matter and sonic qualities. This new brand of strip club music is based on a sort of attack and release philosophy, wherein your ratchet rapper of choice says gully, demeaning shit over time-stretched production (not actually time-stretched, but in a hip hop sense). It’s all about building and relieving stress, and while the MC isn’t necessarily expendable, any no fucks given Southern rapper can fit the archetype. That being said, Trel is no slouch on “Make It Clap”,  running through regional references as fast as he’s losing bands. So yeah, shouts out to Fat Trel. Shouts out to Lee Bannon. But most of all, shouts out to the Stadium Club. Stream and download below.

 

Hype Williams En Galicia

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November 25, 2012
New Music
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On Thursday, Inga Copeland and Dean Blunt (sometimes known as Hype Williams) performed at Berlin’s legendary Berghain. A friend who attended the show reported that Copeland and Blunt’s set was short, but almost entirely made up of unheard material, the most awe inspiring (in his opinion) is what we now know as “Galice”. The song is something of an anomaly in the Hype Williams canon in that it is more club oriented than most of their output, but also features clairvoyant vocals that are somewhat reminiscent of Air’s early output. “Galice” drags you along behind it as much as it playfully tugs at your shirt. Gunshots and sirens give it a reticent air, but Copeland’s vocals are strikingly heartfelt. Apparently, “Galice” is off of a tour album called London 2012, which will surely be making the internet rounds soon. Stream below and grab the track for free here (warning: it’s a big file).

Sounds From The Astral Plane (R.I.P. Austin Peralta)

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November 25, 2012
Live, Mixes, New Music, Remixes
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I can’t pretend to have known Austin Peralta or to be profound enough to properly eulogize him, but what I can do is recognize the enormous outpouring of love for a young man and transcendent musician who has tragically passed away. It’s easy to portray false love/appreciation through a computer screen, but I truly believe in the genuine nature of the hundreds of tributes that have popped up across the web. I remember seeing Austin at Low End Theory earlier this year and remarking on the ingenuity of his (quite literally) mind melting solos, but leaving halfway through the set nonetheless. Whether it was a lack of patience or just pure laziness, I can’t remember, but Austin’s passing has enlarged a feeling of deep personal regret. On a larger scale, Austin’s passing, like his music, is a remark on the ephemeral nature of life itself. So please, listen to this recording from Austin’s release party in Eagle Rock last year and recognize the incandescence that was Austin Peralta.

Hit the jump for the rest of the sounds…

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