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New Music

New Ab-Soul – “SOPA”

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April 25, 2012
New Music
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We’ve noted several times that Ab-Soul is the next Black Hippy to take the spotlight. First it was Kendrick took over with the arrival of Section.80, then Schoolboy took center stage via Habits & Contradictions. No doubt Jay Rock is waiting in the wings. “SOPA” is another swaggering cut in the vein of Schoolboy’s “Nightmare On Figg St.” that maligns rap cliches with an effortless bluster. It always seems like these guys are just fucking around in the studio. Ad libs abound. Vocal cadences change at the drop of a dime. Dialogue between the MC’s is distinct and sarcastic. For the self-described nerd and suburbanite of the group, Ab-Soul goes harder than 99% of MC’s out there, managing to sound menacing within a deep, complex rhyme scheme.

Masta Ace and MF Doom!

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April 24, 2012
2012, New Music
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Been waiting for that epic hip hop collaboration between some of your favorite artists? Well, Masta Ace just dropped this bomb on us by revealing a song off his project with MF DOOM, MA DOOM: Son of Yvonne. I have to say that just seeing these two artists on a track made me excited, but an entire album…dangerously stoked. The album will feature Masta Ace spitting over Dooms flawless production. For a taste of whats to come, check out “Slow Down”.

New Track and Album Announcement from Purity Ring

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April 23, 2012
2012, New Music
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A few weeks back, we featured the genre-bending Toronto duo Purity Ring as our Sasquatch Artist of the Week. I can’t stop listening to these guys, and up until now I’ve had to loop through a few delicious tracks over and over again. Earlier this month, however, the band announced they had signed to 4AD and Last Gang Records, which was promising news for those of us who have been holding our breath for new material. The good news continues today, with an album name, release date, and a kick-ass single off the album. According to Purity Ring’s twitter, the new release will be called Shrines, and we can expect it on July 24th; check out the album art above. Listen below to “Obedear,” the first single off Shrines. It’s a little more low-key than the tracks we’ve heard from Purity Ring thus far, but it doesn’t lack any of the precision or dreamy complexity of their previous songs. The production is spot-on, the vocals are mellow and pensive, and the lyrics are full of Purity Ring’s signature vivid, stream-of-consciousness imagery. You can download the track for free at their website.

Annie Mac Debuts New Bobby Tank Jam

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April 23, 2012
New Music
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A few weeks ago, we introduced self-described maximalist and unicorn enthusiast Bobby Tank, as well as the first two tracks off of the upcoming Afterburner EP on Mofohifi Records. Today, Annie Mac debuted the third and final track off of the EP, titled “Vector Beach.” Like the previous two tracks off of Afterburner, “Vector Beach” functions on a similar level as Rustie tracks like “Surph” and “All Nite”, albeit with far less serotonin-induced madness. I’m curious how Tank’s sound will progress over the coming months as he attempts to distinguish himself from his attributors. Stream and download “Vector Beach” below and find the rest of the EP here. If you’re a fan, cop Afterburner on May 17.

Bok Bok Featured In New Night Slugs Mix Series

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April 23, 2012
Mixes, New Music
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The good folks over at Night Slugs have been unstoppable in the month of April. Kingdom’s US imprint Fade To Mind debuted its LA party to celebrate the first release from Rizzla. Label head L-Vis 1990 featured in the brand new “Club Constructions” series, featuring “tracky material aimed straight for the dancefloor.” L-Vis and Bok Bok have released a number of remixes including an excellent take on Surkin’s “Gold Island.” Today, the label introduced a new mix series, each volume acting as a sort of  “DJ’s manifesto.” Bok Bok is the first featured DJ and predictably trends to the grimier side of the Night Slugs catalogue. The mix is Night Slugs heavy, but who ever said that was a bad thing? Stream and download the mix over at Night Slugs headquarters.

Jim-E Stack Unleashes Remix of DV8’s “C’mon”

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April 23, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Well this is a pleasant surprise. One of 2011’s quickest risers, New Orleans by way of San Francisco producer Jim-E Stack threw up a brand new heater to his Youtube page last night. Stack brought the revitalized garage sounds of London to A$AP Rocky’s seminal “Purple Swag” last year to break into the scene and cemented his place as one of the most promising young producers via the Come Between EP. Stack puts the emphasis on percussion on this one, letting the sinewy vocals float in and out over quiet synth pads. An understated banger if I’ve ever heard one.

DJ Sliink Drops Three Heaters On Soundcloud

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April 23, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Over the weekend, the prodigal son of Jersey Club, the one and only DJ Sliink, by dropping not one, not two, but three new reworks up on his Soundcloud. While the renowned Newark producer has expanded beyond his Club roots, these three tracks harken back to the subgenre in its purest form. Taking on Bone Thugs N Harmony’s “Thuggish Ruggish,” M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” and the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” doesn’t seem like the most forward-thinking venture, but it harkens to the essence of Jersey Club. The staggered chopped vocals and shuffling drum patterns are apparent from the get go and Sliink manages to infuse just enough of his unique flare to make the tracks worthwhile. These tracks aren’t going to revolutionize Club music, but they serve as another notch in the belt of one of the East Coast’s most promising young producers.

Face+heel Wow Boiler Room Audience, Prep New EP

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April 23, 2012
Live, Mixes, New Music
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Delving into the ever changing landscape of bass music can be an imposing task if you don’t know where to start. Hundreds of labels seemingly release thousands of tracks a day, which can honestly get fairly overwhelming. For the uninitiated, Night Slugs or Hessle Audio are both excellent places to start, both maintaining diverse rosters and deep catalogues. You really can’t go wrong with either. Another great place to start is deep in the bowels of London’s Boiler Room. The now legendary event has helped launch the careers of SBTRKT, Om Unit and Lunice, and featured superstars of contemporary electronic music, James Murphy, Jamie XX and Rustie. There just isn’t another weekly event with as much clout and influence out there and it has recently expanded to Berlin and Los Angeles. It is no small feat then that Face+heel, the boy/girl duo out of Cardiff laid down one of the best sets at the East London affair in quite some time.

With a style reminiscent of Mount Kimbie’s darker, more emotive tunes, the Welsh youngsters possess a gripping elegance that is difficult to mark down. The recent Warm Records signees debuted as Face+heel in Summer 2011 and have been unstoppable ever since. The duo’s bass oriented take on deep house and classic garage is not what caught my eye, that’s been done before. Instead, it is the deep, heartfelt sadness evoked by the distant vocals on “No Stars.” It’s the crisp percussion in the second half of the haunting “One Hundred Years Deep.” Both tracks are off of the upcoming No Stars EP on Warm and are just the most recent examples of the duo’s impressive production acumen. Look out for No Stars on May 7 and stream “No Stars” and “One Hundred Years Deep” below. Check out their near flawless live set at the Boiler Room here.

Two New Tracks from Hodgy Beats and Domo Genesis

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April 20, 2012
2012, New Music
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Last month, we reviewed the new album from Odd Future, OF Tape Vol. 2., and discussed how OF members Hodgy Beats and Domo Genesis, who used to ramble somewhat incoherently through clouds of smoke and unfocused bad attitudes, seem to be evolving their respective styles. Thus far, we have seen a certain resistance to production from outside the collective. Last year, in fact, in an interview with Pitchfork, Hodgy explicitly said:

I honestly don’t like working with people outside of Odd Future because I don’t want our sound to change. I want it to evolve, and that happens with people within the camp, not people outside the camp. When you make music, it should be fun. I’m not hating or anything, but I don’t want to be rapping over a Lex Luger beat. Why would I do that? I have my own beats.

This week, though, we saw two new releases from Hodgy and Domo, under their new moniker MellowHigh, and one of the tracks is produced by Lex Luger himself. “Timbs” isn’t particularly lengthy, but it’s enjoyable, and certainly far more focused than previous work from Hodgy and Domo.

Today, we have another new MellowHigh track, “Go,” this time produced by Thelonious Martin. This one’s a little longer and a little spacier, but it definitely exemplifies how well Hodgy and Domo complement each other musically. Maybe we’ll continue to see more material from these two, produced by talent from outside the collective.

Astro Nautico Produce Whopping 40+ Track Compilation

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April 20, 2012
Mixes, New Music, Remixes
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There is always an onslaught of blunted out anthems on April 20th. Some are better than others. For example, that new Curren$y joint is on point. On the other hand, the new Belly/Snoop track manages to fulfill almost every hip hop cliche in under five minutes. Quite a feat. Anyways, the point is that you have to wade through a mountain of shake and clippings to find that perfectly spun grape swisher. Lucky for us, the good folks over at Astro Nautico have made it easy in the form of Volume Two of their Atlantics series. The first Volume came out way back in 2009 and the label/crew has come quite some way since. The self-described “flick-to-the-balls, balls-to-the-wall, whopping, whapping 40+ track (including intro, outro, interludes and bonus tracks) compilation album” has something for everyone. Featuring exclusives from Astral Plane favorites Baauer, Abel and Zackey Force Funk, the compilation ranges from out and out club bangers to experimental ambient tunes. Like I said, there’s something for everyone. It’s also free, and should be, along with a solid helping of Lord Quas, Spitta and K. Dot, the soundtrack to however you partake in today’s festivities.