New Pariah – “Signal Loss”

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May 16, 2012
New Music
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Admittedly, I wasn’t a huge fan of “Rift” the first track previewed off of Pariah’s first release on R&S Records since 2010. It’s rumbling, breathy beat didn’t hit me like past Pariah releases have and I had trouble rinsing it more than a few times. A very solid track in its own right, but it missed the emotive quality of his past releases. Whereas “Rift” was clearly made for the dark clubs of the London underground, “Signal Loss” situates itself in the bedroom. Airy vocals dot a beautiful chord pattern as percussion shuffles below. There is no release date for RS1207 unfortunately. Stream “Signal Loss” below.

The xx Debut New Material in London

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May 16, 2012
Live, New Music, Videos
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You probably don’t know this about us yet, but we’re big The xx stans. I mean big. So when we caught this recording of them performing a new track at Chats Palace in London, we knew it was our obligation to share it with all of you. The band has played several London shows over the past few weeks, their first in over two years, and by all accounts, the results have been extraordinary. The band has said that the new album, still unnamed, has a more club oriented feel than The xx, possibly an extension of Jamie XX’s recent work. I honestly haven’t been this excited for a new album in years. Even this god awful quality video gets me a little bit wet. I wish I had more information regarding a release date, but all we can do is tentatively wait. Find The xx’s summer tour dates over at Paste.

New Joker and the Rustie Effect

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May 15, 2012
New Music
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Ever since Rustie’s seminal Glass Swords hit last year, the maximalist label has been thrown on anything and everything. Simon Reynold’s wrote an entire article on it Pitchfork. You can imagine how that went. Most recently, it’s been attached to Lone’s Galaxy Garden. There are no clearly defined characteristics of this newly dubbed maximalist revolution. Glass Swords was filled with cheesy 80’s synths and video game samples. Galaxy Garden harkens back to 90’s Rave and early Trance. Stateside, artists like Flosstradamus, Baauer and Ryan Hemsworth have revitalized the early work of Timbaland and Mannie Fresh to create what people are calling Trap. It all seems a little nostalgic, yet vitally new at the same time. Centered in Britain, but certainly extending into the rest of Europe and the United States. Some say it’s a response to oppressive minimal techno and deep house, but those genres never made it to pop listeners ears.

My two cents is that it’s a reaction to the all-encompassing nature of the internet. In this day and age, music travels at hyperspeed. Styles and production techniques fly back and forth across the oceans and highly localized scenes quickly become international. Back to the point of this post, the A-Side of Joker’s new single, “Skitta”, falls perfectly within this maximalist range. Here, Joker applies Trance to his standard Dubstep framework to create something far more engaging than anything on The Vision. The track rises into crescendos with reckless abandon without absolving any melody or complexity. A disclaimer: many probably consider this brostep. Another disclaimer: I don’t give a shit. Stream “Skitta” below and cop the single over at Boomkat.

More Sónar São Paulo Live Sets From Rustie, Four Tet, DOOM and More

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May 15, 2012
Festivals, Live, New Music, Videos
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After further investigation, the live FlyLo video I posted earlier is not the only set from Sónar São Paulo. In all my excitement, I overlooked sets from Rustie, Four Tet, James Pants, Cut Chemist, Skream, Chromeo and the ultimate supervillain… DOOM. Now, I haven’t gotten around to the DOOM video because I’m still bitter he sent an impostor to a show in Seattle a few years ago, but I’ll get over my hurt feelings eventually and press the play button. I highly recommend the Rustie video, but please just listen to the audio. The camera work is painfully abrasive. What I gathered from these videos? No one has more fun on stage than FlyLo. The dude just has an aura of unstoppable charisma surrounding him. He can’t be beat. Find all of the videos at the Sónar Youtube page and our favorites after the jump. If we’re lucky, we’ll get similar videos of James Blake, Hudson Mohawke, Justice and Modeselektor from Sónar.

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Flying Lotus Graces Sónar São Paulo With New Tracks Off Of Until The Quiet Comes

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May 15, 2012
Festivals, Live, New Music, Videos
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If you’ve been sleeping all morning (like I was), you might have missed the above video of Flying Lotus performing a few new tracks off of Until The Quiet Comes, dropping “like October or some shit”. The video is taken from Sónar São Paulo and is not just any normal festival rip. Trust me, I’ve spent hours on hours attempting to track down reasonable quality footage from his Coachella Weekend One performance (which left me speechless) to no avail. This is another story. Just under half and hour of 720P, multiple camera angle footage and clear as hell audio. Not worth a rip, as FlyLo says himself, but there’s no chance I’ll be closing this tab anytime soon. If you’ve seen FlyLo live, this will bring back some flashbacks, although it’s a drastically different set than he’s been performing recently. That DJ Quik and Kurupt. That MCA. That Aphex Twin. That Radiohead. Not to mention the mind-bending new originals. Lawdy Lawdy. If you haven’t seen him in person…. well sheeeeiiit (©Clay Davis). Gotta get on your greezy. He’s got a couple of dates in the US and a bunch in Europe. Find them all here. In the meantime, bask in the glory that is this video.

Grenier (DJG) and Salva Collaborate On Single For Frite Nite

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May 15, 2012
2012, New Music
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Over the past few weeks, several track I was blown away by at the Groundislava/Salva/Tomas Barfod/Shlohmo show at the Echoplex have surfaced in some format or another. First, it was Girl Unit’s “Ensemble (Club Mix)”. Next up, RL Grime let loose “Trap On Acid”. Well, I’m a little late on this one, but if you saw me incoherently stomping my feet when Salva played it out, you’d want to hear it immediately. If you don’t know, Salva is the head of Frite Nite and Grenier, under the DJG moniker, has been making some of the best Dubstep and Drum & Bass this side of the Atlantic since 2006. “Wake The Dead” is the A-Side of the FTNT014 and the out and out banger while B-Side “Forest Floor” is far deeper. “Wake The Dead” features brash claps and synth stabs, occasionally interrupted by some classic soulful Garage vocals. Both artists signature styles are readily apparent, and the track transitions effortlessly between half-step and two-step, bringing London, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco together. “Forest Floor” brings Grenier’s Jungle roots to mind with a tribal beat spurring warm synth washes accentuated by chopped R&B vocals. Whereas “Wake The Dead” aims straight for a driving club atmosphere, “Forest Floor” brings the listener to the same atmosphere before they even realize it. Overall, a short, but promising debut collaboration from the two California residents. Stream the tracks below and head over to Frite Nite to cop FTN014.

New Stavrogin – “Slip Collision”

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May 14, 2012
2012, New Music
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Back in June, we interviewed British up-and-comer Stavrogin aka Theo Darton-Moore. The 20 year old producer’s tunes have been on slow burn ever since. Theo and his mates are also some of the premier taste makers in blog world, selecting rare cuts on their website Stray Landings. 2011’s Halves and Reflections EP’s were some of the most successful efforts at blending the structures of Garage, Dubstep and House into a cohesive, cinematic product. “Slip Collision” is a slow burner in every sense of the word. Judiciously placed crackling snares bring the track along as echoing vocals occasionally erupt out of the depths of the percussion. Even in the crowded London scene, this guy continues to make a name for himself. Stream below.

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.