Well damn, newcomer Twenty9 tore a hole in the ramp remix continuum with this one. Cosmonostro, the French label that’s been throwing out consistent heat just put out this one over their Soundcloud, and it’s a stomper. His second remix in a month, the classically trained beatsmith took a non-classic approach to “Don’t Forget Us”, giving it an upbeat, more club ready feel. Oh, and free download. Bless.
When we first heard Mssingno’s momentous “XE2” last October, the R. Kelly vocal sample was like nothing we’d heard before, immediately identifiable, yet impossible to place. “A dog on the prowl when I’m walking through the mall” isn’t necessarily the most recognizable line in “I’m A Flirt”, but it functions perfectly when disassociated and re-appropriated by the London-dwelling Mssingno. It takes on a slinky, sidewinding quality that reinforces the grand nature of “XE2” and carries the track through several percussion-less minutes. The song came to define a year of instrumental grime, portraying the protean proclivities of the “genre” and highlighting many a peak-time set.
With a good deal of reverence, Los Angeles/Wisconsin-based producer Riley Lake has given “XE2” his own treatment and allowed us to debut the track. Utilizing vocals from R. Kelly’s original to beef up the harmonies and a fair share of eski clicks, Lake’s edit allows for both karaoke singalongs and gun finger waving. The edit belongs in a dystopian club and reminds of the hectic, world-colliding nature of much of Donky Pitch and Tuff Wax’s recent output. If grime is going to continue on its current path, colliding with Southern hip hop, old school electro, R&B and more, then we’re going to want producers like Mssingno and Riley Lake to take the lead. Stream and download Lake’s “XE2” edit below.
MikeQ’s Qween Beat outfit has been an influential East Coast force since its inception in 2005, but despite its reputation as a ballroom/vogue icon, the label only has a handful of official releases to its name. Along with Beek and Divoli S’Vere, Jay R Neutron is one of the key cogs in the Qween Beat machine, installing his Baltimore sensibilities into the traditional ballroom sound. Earlier today, Jay R let loose “The Bey Mix”, a nearly hour long mix comprised of ecstatic Beyonce edits. As if one or two think break laden, “ha” sampling Beyonce edits wasn’t enough, Jay R went full marathon on us, chopping up the full album into a complexly constructed club dominatrix. No download at this point, but this listener wouldn’t mind a few of these edits seeing the light of day as individual units.
After a groundbreaking 2013 that saw the release of the critically acclaimed and wildly popular Kilt 2 and Million Dollar Afro (in conjunction with Problem) tapes, Iamsu! is primed to take his place on the Bay Area rap mantle. Spitting in a quiet, slinky flow over YG & Drake’s (DJ Mustard-produced) “Who Do You Love”, Su sounds as confident as ever, bragging about a label contract and exorbitantly priced footwear. He sounds as confident as ever and if a major label album is in the cards, then he might just bring the whole gang to the party.
The holidays are the one time of year when I appreciate the fact that my Facebook and Twitter feeds are flooded with promotional posts. That’s because the holidays are the time for giving, specifically the time when producers dump all of their bootlegs/edits/unfinished tracks on the unsuspecting masses. The quality is generally a mixed bag, but we’ve received a deluge of heat in the past few days that deserves its fair due. On the raps front, Lil B, King Louie, Fredo Santana, Lil Silk and Fabolous have let loose new tapes over the past week or so. All deserve your attention, although save Lil B’s 05 Fuck Em and maybe spend a little more time with Silk and Louie.
The good folks at Mixpak were also kind enough to hand out a bundle of free tracks from their roster and beyond. The Holiday Bundle evokes the grime, dancehall and soca-based riddim culture that Dre Skull has so carefully curated over the past few years. Sudanim, Murlo and Koyote all bring their best to the table.
You’ve likely seen these already as well, but big hitters Flying Lotus, Zed Bias, Ryan Hemsworth Clams Casino all gave bundles of tracks away in the past few days. Casino’s third Instrumental Mixtape is probably the most cohesive attempt of the bunch, but FlyLo’s assorted beats, remixes and bootlegs offer some intriguing insight into the producer and his cohort’s recording processes. The Hemsworth collection is largely edits he’s designed for live play and the “Post-Rock Tears” version of Future’s “Honest” is a real beauty. Two step legend Zed Bias handed over 200 MB of live recording, remixes and production work under both his ZB sobriquet and his Maddslinky nom de plume.
Strict Face has been hinting at the third edition of his Birthday Riddims series for quite some time and was kind enough to drop it off for us loyal denizens over the weekend. Comprised equally of sharp, metallic drum workouts and beautiful synth landscapes, the Adelaide-native has capped off 2013 in perfect style, presenting everything we love about the project while simultaneously presenting new, more robust sounds. Take “Dem Traps”, a percussive attack that matches the cold futurism of eski with the percussive splendor of roughneck techno. Stream and download below and be sure to hit the jump to peep a Miss Modular remix of “Creep Zone II”.
There are few producers (if any) I’d rather have remixing Sampha than Jacques Greene and his contribution to LuckyMe’s yearly advent calendar doesn’t disappoint. Taking a rather basic approach right off the bat, Greene instills a steady four-on-the-floor beat to the melancholic original, a formula that has been proven to work by Bodhi already. In the edit, Greene’s take amounts to a simple edit, instilling some dancefloor fervor in the beatific original and giving it that little bit of JG flavor we know and love. Head to the LuckyMe website to download Greene’s edit as well new joints from DJ Paypal, Cid Rim, Obey City, The Blessings and more.
A few week, the Wedidit horde presented us with Shlohmo’s cavernous remix of Purple’s “The Club”, a track that surely fit the LA outfit’s aesthetic, but left us a little cold. With the song came the promise of remixes from Jim-E Stack and IVVO, which have finally reached daylight along with a free download of the entire three song package. Whereas Shlohmo decided to submerge the already dangerously dense original into a reverb-filled hell hole, New York-resident Jim-E Stack opted to re-contextualize the emotions emanating from “Feel Alone”, transforming it into the sonic equivalent of driving a car on the beach at night. It’s still darkly melodic, but there’s hint of a confusing tropical vibe and a propinquity for propulsion that elicits auto travel. Or maybe I’m full of shit. Regardless, it’s a brilliant flip that evens mutates into a breakbeat-laden jungle monstrosity in the last twenty seconds. Stream Jim-E Stack’s “Feel Alone” remix below and download the full package here.
When we first heard Jon Hopkins’ “Collider”, the nine minute opus left us in a bewildered, transfixed state, scrambling to spin the record back, while simultaneously unwilling to forego what was coming next on the LP. “Collider” is probably the best symbol of Immunity‘s inherent worth, a crunchy, slumped techno journey that really only comes into its own three minutes in. The melodies are large, yet seem to sit just bellow the rhythm, vocals set even deeper in the cavernous mix. Despite his idiosyncratic take on techno, Hopkins has actually been the target for quite a bit of remix work (Nosaj Thing, Luke Abbott) and an extended version of Immunity was released yesterday on Domino Records that includes both previously released and unreleased works. When we envisioned Pangaea’s remix of “Collider”, it was cacophonous and runaway truck wild, but the final result is actually somewhat reserved, reigning in a good amount of the click and crunch of the original into something a little more fit for club play. As well as appearing on the extended LP, Pangaea’s remix will also be placed (along with remixes from Objekt and Karenn) on the “Collider” single, which will be released in digital/12″ on February 24.
Remember rap in 2003? Sinjin Hawke certainly does. Specifically, Just Blaze production circa 2003. Sinjin has been strutting his production acumen across a dizzying array of styles this year, whether they be bombastic takes on ghetto house classics, wildly textured club machinations or space-age grime/Memphis amalgamations. For his latest feat, the Barcelona-based producer has been enlisted by Mixpak Records to remix label boss Dre Skull’s “First Time”, the advantageous dancehall slumper released earlier this calendar year. In the finest form of his career, Sinjin took original and put it through the grinder, transforming the sunny original into the best Just Blaze approximation we’ve heard in years. Considering his prodigious use of brass, it should come as no surprise that Sinjin can pull this off, but it still managed to catch this listener off guard. The remix is up for free download (along with a Curses remix) so stream below and grab the package here.
The Astral Plane 