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Remixes

Portugal. The Man Gets The RZA Remix Treatment

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April 10, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Over this past weekend, I witnessed Wu-Tang Clan (minus Method and GZA) perform at Murs’ Paid Dues festival in sunny Southern California. Despite a quizzical set time (4 PM) for the headliners, the performance was easily one of the day’s best as RZA, Ghostface, Raekwon and company tore through hit after hit. RZA opened the festivities, bringing out each member of the Wu one by one before entering into a resoundingly fresh take on “Bring Da Ruckus.” It struck me as a little odd to see Robert Diggs on stage with the Wu (I haven’t seen them since back in ’07) as he has strayed from his Staten Island brethren in recent years, entering the film world and collaborating with several non-hip hop artists. Last year, he gave his take on Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros frontman Alexander’s “Truth,” which despite some poor mixing, was a decidedly cohesive performance. Since 2005, he has been a member of Achozen, a “space hip hop” group along with members of System of a Down and Killarmy. These creative forays away from the Killa Beez have been met with varied critical responses, but no one can blame the man for trying to break out of his comfort zone.

Today brings us another unforeseen collaboration, this time a remix with Portland psych rockers, Portugal. The Man. After a request from the band, RZA took on “All Your Light” from 2011’s In The Mountain In The Cloud, kicking some dirt on the original and infusing a little vintage broken beat. Unfortunately we don’t get a new verse from the Grandmaster, but what can you do? Stream and download the track below courtesy of The FADER.

DJ Sliink Brings Jersey Club to the Mainstream

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April 9, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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If you don’t live somewhere between Newark and Baltimore, you’re probably not all that familiar with the heavily local style of Club music that dominates teenage parties in the region. Baltimore Club originated in the 90’s and takes cues from ghetto tech, booty house and Washington D.C. style go-go music. More recently, the Club phenomena has extended up the coast and a specific brand of New Jersey club has emerged, centered around dance halls in Newark. Jersey Club tracks are usually situated around 134 BPM, although they can be slightly faster or slower, and tend to include complex chopped vocals, often from pop/hip hop songs. In recent months, 21 year-old producer, DJ Sliink, has taken the scene by storm with a sound that takes Club and infuses trap beats, moombahton and vogue house into the mix. While the Jersey Club scene is quite internalized, Sliink has broken the mold and has brought the Club model to the rest of the country. Case in point, his remix of the Diplo produced Usher track “Climax.” Shuffling drum patterns, and deep sub bass give the original a dance floor feel, all while maintaining Usher’s sexy smooth vocals. You thought the original got stuck in your head? This is a whole different animal. Sliink collaborated with Sinjin Hawke on Lights EP standout “Gas Pump” a few months ago showing he has the versatility to make more than just Club cuts, but who would want him to stop when he’s making bangers like this?

Rustie Murders Pete Tongs’ Essential Mix

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April 7, 2012
Mixes, Remixes
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Last night, a short, pale man wandered into a radio station in London and proceeded to lay down one of the best mixes of the year. His name happens to be Rustie and the radio station happens to be BBC Radio One. The radio show, Pete Tong’s Essential Mix, happens to be one of the most influential mix series’ in the world. The track selection? Nothing too special. A little unreleased Obey City. A little unreleased Jackson and his Computer Band. A little unreleased Hudson Mohawke. A lot of unreleased Rustie, including a VIP of “City Star” and the demo version of “All Nite.” Maybe that TNGHT joint that Rustie previewed at the Boiler Room a couple months back. Like I said, nothing too special. Download the mix here and keep holding your breath until that TNGHT shit drops. Full track list after the jump.

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RL Grime Remixes Shlohmo’s “The Way U Do”

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April 6, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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There is not another collective out there whose artists complement each other as well as We Did It. Whether it’s Shlohmo remixing Salva, D33J remixing Shlohmo, or in this case, RL Grime remixing Shlohmo, the chemistry between the artists is highly visible. Airhead and D33J have already taken a crack at “The Way U Do,” but this is easily my favorite take. The repetitive synth stabs give the track a nice entrancing feel as it weave in and out of heavy distortion. Even better, the track is up for free download. Look out for RL Grime’s Grapes EP on 4/20.

Dntel Remixes Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross

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April 4, 2012
2012, Remixes
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Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross is the misleading moniker of just one person; Dexter Tortoriello, a 24-year-old producer from Chicago. Tortoriello put out a six-track release, Blow EP, on April 12th of last year via Mad Decent. The EP includes a combination of live instrumentals and flourishing synths and samples, melded with Tortoriello’s own lofty vocals.

A little backstory: after posting Blow online in 2010, Tortoriello was contacted by Diplo, who was interested in bringing Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross to Mad Decent. In March 2011, Tortoriello spoke with The Chicago Reader, resulting in this article, which gives some insight into his background. Surprisingly enough, it doesn’t seem like his inspiration for Dawn Golden came from similarly electronic or “chillwave” artists, but from other genres entirely.

“When I was gearing up for the Dawn Golden recording, I listened to a lot of death metal,” he says. “Neurosis was one of my favorite bands of all time. Their whole doom, sludge-metal stuff is super inspiring to me, and the way they use their drums is a lot like—I mean in a very different way—how I would like to use my drums. Like really pounding and sort of persistent, driving drums.” (Via.)

Blow EP, though, doesn’t strike the listener as overtly abrasive. Instead, its rippling drums and wavy melodies make it true ear candy.

Today, however, we bring you producer Dntel‘s rework of Dawn Golden’s track, “Blacks,” from the Blow EP. Dntel, best known for his solo work on Sub Pop as well as The Postal Service‘s “Such Great Heights,” takes Dawn Golden’s easy, head-nodding downtempo track and adds an addictive wobbly synth and a muffled, staggering beat, managing to preserve the original’s airy vocals and wandering tone. Stream the remix and the original below; both are well worth your time.

Dntel Remix:

 

Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross’ Original:

Balam Acab Takes On Lushlife’s “Still I Hear The Word Progress”

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April 2, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Balam Acab is 20 year old Pennsylvania native Alex Koone. It’s strange that this is his first appearance on The Astral Plane, but hopefully you’ll let it slide. Koone makes haunting, downtempo tracks with enough reverb and distortion to make you feel sick to your stomach (in the best way possible). There’s plenty of dub influence in Koone’s music, as well as a good amount of almost indecipherable boom bap. Think of him as the baroque Shlohmo.

Lushlife is also from Pennsylvania. The MC/producer released on last years most underrated releases, the No More Golden Days tape. Lushlife’s upcoming album, Plateau Vision, will be released on April 17 and feaures Styles P, Heems (of Das Racist) and Cities Aviv. Several songs have been released from the album. You can find them at Lushlife’s Bandcamp.

Balam Acab’s remix of Lushlife’s “Still I Hear The Word Progress,” which features Styles P, combines the best aspects of both artists work. Lushlife and Styles’ vocals are heavily distorted into a screwed drawl here, infused with organic drips and drops and powerful hi-hats. Relieving the original of its overwrought chorus, Balam reduces it into a series of “hey, hey hey” chants, transforming the track into a dark, introspective mess that is only cleared up by the two MC’s disturbing vocals. Stream and download the track below and look out for Plateau Vision later this month.

Stream/Download: Lushlife – “Still I Hear The Word Progress” feat. Styles P (Balam Acab Remix)

Sounds From The Astral Plane (Week Seven)

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April 1, 2012
New Music, Remixes, Uncategorizable
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I would tell an April Fools joke here, but I’m just not that funny. Instead, we got a nice six pack of tunes  for what might amount to be the most versatile Sounds From The Astral Plane yet. Don’t have much time for words today, but all these are well worth a listen. That Supreme Cuts joint has been on repeat all week.

Stream/Download: Spank Rock feat. Santigold – “Car Song” (Shabazz Palaces Remix)

Stream: Insightful – “Bagel Mold”

Stream: Thundercat – “Daylight” (Ras G ASP Edit)

Stream/Download: Sigur Ros – “Ekki Mukk” (D33J Remix)

Download: Supreme Cuts – “Lessons In Darkness (Apology)” (Via XLR8R)

Stream/Download: Cities Aviv – “Normal Immortal”

John Talabot Remixes TEED’s “Tapes & Money”

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March 29, 2012
2012, New Music, Remixes
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Back in Week 3 of Sounds From The Astral Plane, we brought you a three-minute preview of Oxford electro DJ Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs‘ feel-good single, “Tapes & Money.” The original track is not set to be released until Monday, but mysterious Spanish house producer John Talabot seems to have gotten his hands on it. The result is a trance-like, dreamy, and perfectly repetitive track that trades the original song’s heavier bass for more complex rhythms. Check it out here:

 

Via.

Rustie Remixes Surkin’s “Lose Yourself”

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March 29, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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There is something about Rustie’s music that is so easily digestible. Amid all of the clatter of Glass Swords was a warm pop-sensibility and a downright addictive quality. “Surph” or “All Nite” will never show up on Top 40 radio of course, but they have turned into the pop music of the bass music world. To do that without compromising any of his artistic value is quite a feat. “Lose Yourself” is another poppy jam, taking Surkin’s electro-house original and turning it into a hip hop banger. The vocals are a little irritating and I wish he did a little more with them, but with those hi-hats who can really complain. The remix is off of Surkin’s USA remix album that will also feature L-Vis 1990 and Bok Bok.