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New Vado – “What Lies Beneath” Prod. araabMUZIK

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May 14, 2012
2012, New Music
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It’s been difficult keeping up Dipset’s output this month as Cam’ron’s #UNLostFiles series has released a track every weekday. We’ll have the full mixtape/series when  This one was too hard to pass to up though. For many, araabMUZIK (is it just me or does he change the way his name is stylized every other week?) is the MPC wizard known for smashing Skrillex and Flux Pavilion tracks to pieces and resurrecting them in festival tents. Others know him as a panty dropping trance-hop wizard. Contrary to popular belief, the diminutive Harlem resident is actually a hip hop producer and has run with Dipset for years. More recently, araab has associated himself with the A$AP Mob, contributing to the upcoming album. I have one question for you though: have you heard “Salute”? It’s the track that arguably brought araab into the hip hop consciousness. It also explains why his signature screams and effects are a little bit stale. “What Lies Beneath” isn’t nearly as menacing, or hardbody as “Salute”. It would also be difficult for Vado to match the lyrical prowess of Jim, Cam and Juelz. Even a 2010 Jim. Despite this, the Slime Flu mixtapes certified Vado as a more than capable Dipset capo. Compared to araab’s more recent output, “What Lies Beneath” is understated as hell. It probably won’t please his newer fans either and certainly not the dilated music festival crowds he’s garnered over the past six months. IT DOES prove that he can still make gully shit behind the boards though. Usually, that’s enough for me. Download “What Lies Beneath” here and stream below.

New Azealia Banks – “Jumanji” Prod. Hudson Mohawke & Nick Hook

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May 14, 2012
2012, New Music
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Continuing the trend of talented MC’s working with even more talented producers, we bring you the latest effort from Harlem spitter Azealia Banks. Banks has been spending a little (a lot) too much time fighting with Lil’ Kim’s fans on Twitter over the past few weeks, but we’ll excuse that if she can continue turning out bangers like this. She’s shown a penchant for working with talented producers (she likes them LuckyMe cats) and “Jumanji” plays along with the script she’s written over the past year. She’s brash, vile and obnoxious. She’s still fascinated by the female anatomy. She can still ride a wonky beat better than any other MC on the planet right now. As for the beat, it initially comes off as some silly circus shit, but on further listen, I see it as more an extension of HudMo’s recent remix of Battles and the wonky new TNGHT track. After making a tuba sound harder than Lex Luger’s drum rolls ever could, the traditional boundaries of hip hop beat making disappeared for the Glaswegian. I’m not too familiar with the Brighton-based Hook, but after some quick research (a Youtube search), it appears that the man makes some decent 128 BPM tunes. Azealia has already worked with Lunice, Machinedrum, and now HudMo, so who’s next in the LuckyMe camp to hit the studio with that Uptown Bitch. Rustie? Please be Rustie. Azealia on some “City Star” shit would far too grimy. Stream “Jumanji” below and hopefully Azealia really is buckling down in the studio and we’ll get 1991 or a full length by Fall.

New Supreme Cuts – “Gully” Feat. Haleek Maul

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May 14, 2012
2012, New Music
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Diamond Rings, Shiny Things

Chicago has been the center for innovation in American electronic music for the better part of three decades at this point. From the origins of house in the early 80’s to the emergence of juke in the 90’s, the Windy City has more often than not been the hub of the newest dance craze. More recently though, the city has been known for its hip hop megastars. Whether you prefer Yeezy, The Cool Kids, or more recently, Chief Keef (oof), the city has consistently churned out notable MC’s over the past decade. Over the past year, Chicago production duo Supreme Cuts (Austin Kjeultes and Mike Perry) have managed to bring the old and the new together. The duo broke out with the Trouble EP late last year on Small Plates and have been making headlines ever since. Comparisons to Mount Kimbie and Clams Casino have been abundant and Austin and Mike have noted influences ranging from the local noise scene to post-rock mavens Godspeed You! Black Emperor to UK Garage vocals. When it comes down to it though, Supreme Cuts make hip hop beats (Mike cites 90% of their influence comes comes from the genre). That much is apparent while listening to their latest effort, “Gully”, featuring Brooklyn by way of Barbados MC Haleek Maul (only 15 years old!). Cascading drum patterns allow faint, haunting vocals to weave in and out of the track, creating the perfect canvass for Maul to spill his guts in impressive fashion for such a green artist. Think RVIDXR KLVN meets Lee Bannon (a great idea by the way). This set of artists is not one to sleep on and we can only hope this collaboration is not the end of their relationship. The track is off of both Haleek’s upcoming Oxyconteen EP and the Supreme Cuts debut full length, Whispers in the Dark, set for a June 12 release. The duo also has a mixtape slated for a summer release. Stream and download “Gully” via Mishka below.

Update: “Gully” is off of Oxyconteen, due June 14, and an upcoming Supreme Cuts/Haleek Maul mixtape called Chrome Lips via Mishka.

The Earthy Riddims of Blocktreat

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May 7, 2012
New Music
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One of the major qualms critics of electronic music have is that it lacks the emotion that “real” music (usually guitar music) conveys. Luckily, I don’t need to address these silly, misguided critics, because their are people like Brandon Hoffman on this planet. Hoffman aka Blocktreat is a Vancouver, BC based beatsmith who recently released one of the most organically emotive albums you will ever hear. Traditionals is a series of tracks composed of chopped up samples of Hoffman’s friends jamming out “casual bluegrass.” It would be easy to fall into the cut and paste sample pastiche that so often accompanies projects like these, but Hoffman’s arrangements are impeccably exact at certain points and wonderfully scattered at others. Traditionals sounds like Shlohmo at times, but way weirder. I hate to throw out the experimental title, but the album really stretches the boundaries of computer music. So before you get into another argument over whether DJ’s are musicians, or Aphex Twin is more than grating bleeps and bloops, pop on Traditionals. At least give it a try. It’s free. In exchange for an email. Simple as that. Stream and download below.

Samo Soundboy Introduces Body High to The FADER

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May 1, 2012
Mixes, New Music
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Over the past several months, the Los Angeles based Body High record label has grown into one of the foremost forces in American electronic music. The roster is highlighted by DJ Sliink, Todd Edwards and DJ Dodger Stadium (Jerome Potter of LOL Boys and Samo Soundboy), and trends towards Club music, but you would be remiss to label it a Club label. We’ve witnessed Sliink’s impressive ability to synch standard Jersey Club with multitudes of other dance sub-genres and his label mates have a similar dexterity in their productions. Elements of acid house are prevalent in numerous DJ Dodger Stadium tracks while Myrryrs often utilizes the beloved cracking percussion of Southern hip hop. Last week, label head Samo Soundboy featured in The FADER’s mix series and did an excellent job of introducing the Body High roster over the mix’s 40 minute run time. Samo rolls out plenty of exclusives including a Jim-E Stack track off of a future Body High release. The mix wraps up with a well-placed screwed and chopped take on Miguel’s “Adorn,” one of the frontrunners for R&B track of the year. Stream the mix below and download it right over here (left click).

Shabazz Palaces Remix Lushlife

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April 30, 2012
2012, New Music, Remixes
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Shabazz Palaces have added a little (or a lot) of their crazy magic to a track off Philadelphia rapper and producer Lushlife’s recent Plateau Vision release. The track, “Hale-Bopp Was The Bedouins,” features Das Racist’s Heems along with Fly Guy Dai and Thadillac. Shabazz Palaces’ own Palaceer throws down a verse in the remixed version as well. Check out the remix (and the original below) right here:

Tuesday Born Brings The Sounds Of Accra To The Streets Of London

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April 27, 2012
New Music
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It’s difficult to amalgamate sounds as disparate as those heard in London and Accra, Ghana into a cohesive result. It is far more difficult to make it sound organic and natural, as opposed to contrived and co-opting. London-based producer Gabriel Benn aka Tuesday Born has been able to do exactly that. As one half of The Busy Twist, Benn has been creating upbeat dance tunes the duo call “African Music Bass Tunes.” Tuesday Born, is a more subdued and more satisfying take than The Busy Twist. Rhythm is paramount on the Mockingbird EP, Benn’s debut, released yesterday. The tracks were created using Benn’s vocals, a keyboard and a laptop. The sound is difficult to distinguish, yet easy to consume. It would be limiting to call this a dance release, because it can function in so many other realms. The EP costs only one pound, more than a fair price for such a complete release.

Open Mike Eagle Makes Broke Nerd Theme Music

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April 26, 2012
New Music
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Open Mike Eagle just gave his fans a nice stopgap as we wait for his next EP, set for a June release. The Rent Party Extension EP is a nice 5-track effort from the HellFyre Club member with a mix of previously heard material and unreleased cuts. From Mike’s mouth:

Rent Party Revolution is a song I wrote about and for all the folks I know with hyperactive minds that live in a world that isnt designed to inspire their potential. Its my story of growing up a “smart kid” and being led to believe that that was all I’d ever need to achieve all the things i thought i wanted in life. This EP is an extension of that theme. Its for all the broke nerds out there. i got together with some of my favorite freethinkers (hot sugar, milo, eagle nebula, and more) to make some grown, broke nerd theme musics. lets all get together and over analyze something.

Broke nerd theme music indeed. Download the tape over at Okayplayer and be on the lookout for the LP in June. Find the tracklist after the jump.

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New Track from Dntel and Baths

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April 26, 2012
2012, New Music
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Jimmy Tamborello, also known as Dntel, is best known for the part he played in The Postal Service back in the day. However, he’s still cranking out music under his Dntel moniker, and he has a new album called Aimlessness due out on June 5th via Pampa Records. Today we bring you a brand new track off the upcoming album. This one is called “Still,” and it features the lovable Baths, who contributes his signature choppy vocal glitches in a far more subtle way than we’ve seen before. The track is somewhat wistful and contemplative, with muted kicks and fuzzy side-chaining, and the whole thing is a little dissonant in a very pleasing way. Stream “Still” below, and then catch Dntel’s “Bright Night,” another single off Aimlessness, just below that.

The Evolution Of Clams Casino On Benji B’s Exploring Future Beats

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April 26, 2012
Mixes, New Music
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Last July, Clams Casino was featured in FACT Mag’s mix series. The mix was released around the time that Clams’ buzz was growing to a deafening level, following the release of the Rainforest EP. Despite the overwhelming love for his original productions, Clams’ mixing skills were obviously lacking and the mix came off as terse and uninspired. A lot has changed. Last night, the New Jersey producer hit up Benji B’s Exploring Future Beats Show on BBC Radio One (we love our future beats) and proceeded to play a spattering of “VERY rare instrumentals” and UK bass cuts. The inclusion of tracks from across the pond like Jai Paul’s “Jasmine”, Girl Unit’s “Ensemble” (off of the upcoming Club Rez EP), and Hudson Mohawke’s remix of Battles’ “Rolls Boyce” shows not just improved track selection, but a newfound level of respect. Like many have said in the past, Clams is more than a hip hop producer. The mix also includes some love for LA via Mono/Poly’s “Los Angeles”, a new Omar-S track, a little Spaceghostpurrp, a little Evian Christ, and once again, plenty of “RARE” beats. The mix is titled “The Evolution of Clams Casino,” a name that couldn’t be more apt. Stream the mix over at BBC and download here. Find the full tracklist after the jump

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