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Earlier today, I posted a photo of Outkast from back in the “Player’s Ball” days on our Facebook page. Big Boi is wearing a Braves hat and jersey, which is pretty standard garb for Sir Luscious, but Three Stacks is virtually unrecognizable. He’s not wearing mink, silk or denim. He doesn’t look like he just arrived from 19th century London. He looks like, you know, a Southern dude in the 90’s. It’s almost disconcerting. Anyways, I’m bringing this all up because A.Dd+’s “Suitcases” sounds like the picture makes me feel. Paris Pershun and Slim Gravey weave intricate rhymes over PicnicTyme’s phonky production. The rhymes are intricate enough to woo the stuffy backpackers, but the reason why it reminds me of young Outkast is that Paris and Slim appear to enjoy rapping together. Remember when Big Boi and Andre liked rapping together? I don’t because I was a young child, but I’ve spent most of my adult life constructing false nostalgia about it. Anyways, A.Dd+ have quietly and unobtrusively developed into one of the premier acts in Texas’ subdued rap scene over the past few years. Oh and the cover art for their upcoming tape, Divehiflylo, is beyond unbelievable. Stream and download “Suitcases” below and look out for Divehiflylo in the near future.

Most Steve Aoki associates aren’t really ok in our book, but Them Jeans might just be the exception. The LA-resident has assisted in throwing some of the most raucous parties in the City of Angels over the past few years and has steadily improved as a producer in his own right. His latest rework sees him reworking SALM’s electro mediocrity into an exceptionally smooth piece of violin-driven house music. This isn’t the most revelatory music or anything, but it’s exceptionally good for what it is: a remix of a  mediocre electro song. So yeah, stream below if you so choose.

Cashmere Cat’s Mirror Maru is just about impossible to pin down, running the gamut of in the moment sounds. Druid Cloak’s sound isn’t all that much more grounded, although it is reminiscent of something we’ve heard before, perhaps it’s the druid in all of us. Anyways, the Symbols rep took on Cashmere Cat’s “Paws” (which is currently running rampant in the soundcloudiverse) and flipped it into something that would not be out of place in a movie commercial. Actually, my first thought was that WWII movie that used a Skrillex song in the trailer. That was godawful of course, but this Druid Cat combination has a similar cinematic, larger than life quality about it that would fit perfectly in the fantasy and sci fi films he’s inspired by. As he’s known to do, Mr. Cloak is giving away his remix of “Paws” in exchange for a facebook like.

To a certain extent, LA rapper Sahtyre follows the ASAP Rocky blueprint to success. He’s young and brash. His lyrics revolve around his crew, extensive drug talk and vague location indicators. His production is weird, but still digestible on a somewhat mainstream level. Despite being from LA, Sahtyre is not an “LA Rapper” in the traditional sense. He’s too rough around the edges and devoid of car culture. No, Sahtyre is a different animal. He’s worked with Hellfyre Club members Open Mike Eagle and Nocando, which sheds some light, but he’s not nearly as intellectual as the aforementioned MC’s. “LSD (The Anthem)” was my introduction to Sahtyre and gives some insight into his drug-addled mental state, which is sort of derivative of the region-less hip hop the interwebz have fantasized about for the past few months. Highly recommend downloading this one, at least to get a taste of a hip hopper who really defies categorization.

As part of Turbo 137, Tiga and Lando Kal have given Duke Dumont’s anthemic “The Giver” the remix treatment. Labelhead Tiga takes the most direct route to the finish line, turning Dumont’s original into a straight-forward stomper, replete with one of the funkier basslines you’ll hear in techno this year. Kal’s take is driven by an acid bassline, and like his recent single on Icee Hot, is busy as hell. Both remixes add new dimensions to Dumont’s throwback original, but I prefer Kal’s more roundabout take. Stream below.

It’s a LuckyMe party on the Jesse Boykins III & MeLo’s latest single. Last week, we caught Jacques Greene taking on “The Perfect Blues” and today, Ninja Tune uploaded the accompanying Machinedrum and Ango remixes. Below is Machinedrum’s take, a stuttering effort that sees the Berlin-resident at his most hectic. The remix starts innocently enough, matching Boykins’ vocals with syncopated percussion and  bright, clinky synths. That is until Machinedrum’s sweeping synths and juke structure enter the picture and chaos breaks out. The fact that Machinedrum can balance hectic attempts like this with liqueur smooth tracks like “Whatnot” consistently amazes me. Stream below and grab the full single here.

Both in his solo work and as part of Lazer Sword, Lando Kal has streamlined his sonic aesthetic over the past few years. In the past, his output was quite hit or miss and revolved around eccentric hip hop explosives. The results were often fun, but there were just too many clunkers to really take Kal and Lazer Sword all that seriously. Of course, not all artists strive to be taken seriously as “artists” (and I don’t know his intentions), but there was a lackadaisical nature that surrounded his/their work. It’s not a coincidence that Kal recently moved to Berlin, a city known for dark, stripped down, concrete sounds, and most of all, Berghain type A techno. Although Kal doesn’t make true to form techno, the move to more straightforward house music has occurred simultaneous with the change of location.  The “Let You in the Sky/Help Myself” single, out now on Icee Hot, is Kal’s most developed, “serious” release to date and features two of the more polished tech house tracks you’ll listen to all year. “Let You In The Sky” is as glossy as it is funky, Kal reveling in the complexity of the arrangements. “Help Myself” is more difficult to digest and at times throws too many elements at the listeners, but offers an impressively broad vision. You can cop the single, which also features remixes from Grown Folk and Anthony Shakir, over at Boomkat.

At only 15 years old, Happa has garnered a remarkable amount of attention for his originals and remixes, getting play from the likes of Four Tet and Mary Anne Hobbes. A few weeks ago, he released the Beat Of The Drum single, a low end heavy offering that has been well-reviewed by, well, everyone. I was hesitant to listen to the single for one reason or another, but finally got around to it last night and god damn does this kid have some production chops. Much of the talk around Happa has regarded his potential, but he is in the here and now, churning out huge bass jawns. Alternating between techno and garage rhythms (which features remixes from Throwing Snow and Apes and Seb Wildwood ), Happa shows an impressive understanding of the ebb and flow of tension, allowing his tracks to grab you by the scruff of the neck and basically have their way with you. The single is out now on Church and you can stream it now now courtesy of FACT Mag.

Monolithium has never been one to stick with one sound for too long and his latest project sees the Victoria, BC resident at his genre-hopping best. Due on December 10 via Error Broadcast, the Bounce 4 Life EP features a set of hip hop indebted tunes that borrow from just about every corner of contemporary electronic music. Earlier today, XLR8R debuted the EP’s title track, which borrows equally from Jacques Greene-esque house and classic Chicago juke. Stream previews from the EP, which features a collaboration with PrisonGarde and a remix from Ryan Hemsworth, here and stream/download “Bounce 4 Life” below.

Is “Drop” admissible as evidence?

Few rappers maintain their pre-penitentiary levels of success after their bids, but Gunplay is looking to be one of the few. For now, the Triple C’s man is on house arrest, awaiting trial for assault and armed robbery, but that isn’t going to stop him from releasing his official solo LP, the aptly titled Medellin. “Drop” is the first single from the album and includes lines like “broad day, off safety in ya hallway”, which probably won’t help him in court. Legal matters aside, “Drop” sees Gunplay at his most irreverent,  spitting a barrage of sharp non-sequiters in his near-trademark snarl yell. Beat Billionaire provides a serviceable Luger approximation, but you have to wonder why Rozay isn’t letting loose on the production budget. Anyways, Medellin is (hopefully) out sometime early next year. Stream below.