Rinse RATKING’s Take On King Krule’s “Octopus”

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October 21, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Enjoy the next few weeks of RATKING before XL re-releases Wiki93 and the shitstorm of hyperbolic think-pieces and comparisons rains down upon us. They’ve already been called a “young OF” and really, what could be more off-base? The fact that Wiki93 is being remastered (much needed) and released on a label as respected as XL is kind of a mindfuck considering how raw these dudes are, but power to them. The hype machine revved its engine last week as the official RATKING remix of (similarly hyped) British crooner/producer King Krule’s “Octopus” hit the interwebz. Adding a simple drum pattern and some typical New York gulliness  to the saccharin original, the boys get all retrospective, spitting about the “rusty rumble in the drums” and “peddling dimes”. At this point, RATKING are pretty one-dimensional and re-releases and hype machine collaborations aren’t going to change that. The remix will be released on Rinse Records (which does get me a little wet). Stream below.

New Roc Marciano – “Momma’s Song”

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October 21, 2012
New Music
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What would throwing rice on the block look like?

Drinking St. Ives out the vase, bang a young Josephine Baker, coins on steroids. The truth is that Roc Marciano would rather watch paint dry than fuck with the weak MCs nipping at his heals. Marciano evokes more vivid imagery in just over two minutes than most artists will over an entire album.”Momma’s Song” is self-produced and features a mean Hamilton Bohannon sample. Like I said a few weeks ago, another day another brilliant Marciano track that will not appear on Reloaded (still tagged with a November 13 release date via Decon. Enjoy below.

New Local Natives – “Breakers”

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October 20, 2012
New Music
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Yes, the photo above is painful

This isn’t really my forte, but it’s raining out and sometimes you just need to indulge in some guitar music. Local Natives are pretty much the quintessential Silver Lake band with just enough enough fringy behavior and technical ability to belie their association with the post-Vampire Weekend “afropop” masses. Now I don’t even want to start on the dumbfuckery that is the label afropop so just going to move on. Local Natives aren’t the most innovative band in the world, but what they do, they do really really well. The harmonies are pitch-perfect and they can actually, you know, play guitar pretty decently. “Breakers” is the lead single off of Hummingbird ( outJanuary 29 on Frenchkiss), the group’s follow up to 2009’s excellent Gorilla Manor. If the track is any indication, the album will will see Local Natives expanding into bolder and broader territory. Stream below.

DJ Sliink Remixes 2 Chainz’ “Birthday Song”

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October 20, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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DJ Sliink usually tags his songs as either “Trap”, “Jersey Club” or “Sliink” on his Soundcloud. The first two are pretty self-explanitory, but the Jersey native’s best work comes under the “Sliink” label, a mixture of the previous two that infuses verbose trap stylings (minus the moombahton synth stabs) with subtle club rhythms. Sliink is a master vocal manipulator and on his take on 2 Chainz’ “Birthday Song”, he uses that girl’s (you know what I’m talking about) vocals as an individual instrument to maximum effect. It’s Saturday night where I am, so I have no conscious posting about a song that centers on a “big booty” sample. Stream and download below.

D33J Remixes Brandy’s “Vacant Feelings”

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October 20, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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If you even remotely follow North American beat/club music (and I use those terms in the broadest sense), you’ve probably noticed a steady stream of artists from the Wedidit Collective blowing like volcanoes over the past year. First, Shlohmo grabbed the Pitchforkians hearts via Bad Vibes, then RL Grime and Salva took over frat row in the aftermath of “Mercy”. Most recently, Ryan Hemsworth and Groundislava have garnered affection from across the blogoverse. If I had to guess who was next up in line, it would have to be recent LA transplant Djavan Santos aka D33J. Recently signed to Anticon, D33J has been on fire in the remix game recently, taking on everyone from Astral Plane favorite Kid Smpl to Sigur Ros. His latest rework exploit comes in the form of Brandy’s “Vacant Feelings”, and only  reinforces Santos as one of the most emotionally exploitative producers in the game right now. Stream below and download here.

Jackmaster Soundtracks Your Girlfriend’s Next House Party

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October 20, 2012
Mixes
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Jackmaster is one sixth of the legendary Numbers crew, Rinse.FM regular and something of a relic in 2012. In this day and age, the concept of the DJ as separate from producer, as purveyor of what is cool and fresh is outdated. Guys like Jackmaster, Annie Mac, Ben UFO and Oneman are most likely the last of their kind. Radio shows are increasingly being helmed by the likes of Skream & Benga, Diplo, etc. and respectable DJ skills are on a precipitous decline on a mainstream level. I’ve never been lucky enough to see Jackmaster perform live (and I do consider what he does performance), I have been a religious listener of his Rinse.FM show and highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. Yesterday saw the release of Volume #3 of his Tweak-A-Holic series, replete with “vibey” 80’s hits. The mix gets going with Toto’s “Georgy Porgy” and moves on and on from there. Stream the mix below and head here to download it in exchange for your email.

New xxyyxx – “Lay Down”

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October 19, 2012
New Music
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A whole lot of fuss has been made over Orlando teenager Marcel Everett aka xxyyxx over the past year, the large majority of it entirely warranted. The beat prodigy has continually impressed and has an impressive ability to manipulate samples in an innovative fashion. If I had to criticize Everett on one point, it would a lack of complexity in his percussion. 2011’s self-titled debut was, by and large, a success, but the album gets monotonous at times, mainly because of the standard Ableton drum packs (not saying that’s what he used). The water droplet noises and skittering hi-hats in “Lay Down” on the other hand, mark a huge step forward for Everett and an increased attention to detail. The track’s downloads have run out, but you can stream below and hopefully a link will emerge in the next few days.

S-Type Remixes Pusha T’s “What Dreams Are Made Of”

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October 19, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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A few months ago, I wrote a little retrospective on British produces remixing (mostly) Southern hip hop and it looks like I might need to write an addendum soon. Glasgow native S-Type let loose the brilliantly bombastic Billboard EP earlier this week on LuckyMe and he’s already back for more, remixing Pusha T’s “What Dreams Are Made Of”. Like Billboard, this remix is all huge synths and cracking 808s, only furthering S-Type’s position as the don of triumphant, walking out of a burning building, “Down goes Frazier” beats. The track was supposed to be on a joint Decon/LuckyMe venture that would have matched Hudson Mohawke, Rustie, Lunice and more remixing various Pusha T songs, but the project never materialized. Stream and download below.

 

New Julio Bashmore – “Husk”

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October 19, 2012
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So Broadwalk Records is Julio Bashmore’s record label and the outlet for song of the year candidate “Au Seve”. In the five months since the Bristol native launched Broadwalk, the label has only released three singles, but when those singles are from Bashmore himself and Zed Bias alter ego Maddslinky, I can’t really be mad. Quality over quantity right? So you might be asking yourself why should I listen to listen to an 8 minute house song now? Haven’t those been irrelevant for like two decades? Regardless of the whole garage house resurgence talk, few listeners have the patience to listen to an eight minute song. To be honest with you, I usually don’t have the patience to listen to an 8 minute song. Unless it’s by Kendrick Lamar. “Husk” just has that hip swangin’ quality that Mr. Bashmore has all but mastered at this point and 8 minutes never sounded so good. And it’s Friday so fuck it. Stream below.

Stream Ryan Hemsworth’s FACT Mix, Jeremih Remix

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October 19, 2012
Mixes, New Music, Remixes
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You can call him Bill Russell! Or Ryan… Mr. Hemsworth does share some qualities with the all time great Celtic, namely a statesmanlike record of consistency and timely performances. Not one to skimp on a mix, Hemsworth brings 60+ minutes of tunes from Green Ova, MMG and Baauer to FACT Mag. It’s probably his most self-centered mix and it might just be my favorite. More Hemsworth is certainly not a bad thing. And that “Fuck You All The Time” remix. Fuxwidit. Stream the mix and the Jeremih remix below.

Hit the jump for the full tracklist…

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