Preview of Upcoming Dilla Produced Yasiin Bey (Mos Def) Track

By
March 7, 2012
New Music
Leave a comment
[vimeo http://vimeo.com/38084710]

Well this is a pleasant surprise. It’s not often that brand new Dilla beats come out, and especially not with one of the most well respected MC’s in the game lacing it. A video just emerged with Mos De.. or cough.. Yasiin Bey lacing a never heard before Dilla instrumental. As much trouble as I have calling him Yasiin Bey this track is hot and if it ever comes out, could be one of his best tracks in recent memory. I haven’t been a huge fan of Yasiin’s recent material, but god damn those horns are nice. The track is called “Sunshine Screwface.”

Mixmag Features Machinedrum In “Mix of the Week” Series

By
March 7, 2012
Mixes
Leave a comment

Travis Stewart never ceases to amaze me. The man known to most as Machinedrum just doesn’t stop. We’ve already written about Stewart several times, so I’ll let you do some independent research into what we think of him. This time, he’s back with an hour long mix for Mixmag’s “Mix of the Week” series. Jumping between genre’s and musical styling’s as effortlessly as he does in his various projects (Sepalcure, Dream Continuum, etc.), this mix is impeccable. I’ve already spent the majority of my morning scouring the web for several of the tracks. Stream and download below.

Intro To Austin Beat Scene + Exploded Drawing SXSW Compilation

By
March 7, 2012
Festivals, Live, Mixes, New Music
2 Comments


The Los Angeles beat music scene has a resonant notoriety surrounding it throughout the world. Anyone “in the know” has at least heard of the Flying Lotus’s, Daedelus’s and Gaslamp Kiler’s of the world and Low End Theory has become a household name as well. The scene churns out talented new artists from a multitude of different backgrounds like hotcakes. These artists are represented on labels like Brainfeeder, Alpha Pup and more and routinely play shows in Los Angeles and up and down the West Coast. The scene’s sound has permeated other genres and is only growing in popularity. It is no surprise then that similar scenes, centered around a regular or semi-regular gathering of heads, have began to pop up across the country over the last five years or so. One of the most engrossing of those scenes happens to be in Austin, Texas, the setting for next week’s South By Southwest festival. Hopefully in the near future, we will provide a longer feature on the Austin beat scene, but for now, this will serve as an introduction.

Austin has not one, but two Low End Theory-styled events. The first, Applied Pressure, is a monthly event held at the Barcelona club in the heart of Austin’s live music district. Applied Pressure has four resident DJ’s, Hobo D, Kid Slyce, Boombaptist and 4th Wall. Like Low End, guests are routinely featured, ranging from Jonwayne to Eprom. Look out for more on Applied Pressure on The Astal Plane  in the near future.

The second Low End-styled night in Austin is called Exploded Drawing and they do things a little differently. Unlike Applied Drawing and Low End, DJ sets are not allowed at Exploded Drawing meaning artists play only their own music. Six “beat makers, sound collectors, and electronic composers” perform a 20 minute set every night at the semi-monthly event. Exploded Drawing stresses creativity and attempts to stimulate creativity through a multimedia experience at every show. As an introduction to Exploded Drawing, host Butcher Bear has offered up a 17-track compilation in anticipation of SXSW. The compilation features tunes from artists who routinely play at both Applied Pressure and Exploded Drawing as well as Astal Plane favorite Corduroi. The compilation is a great introduction into the Austin beat scene and all of the artists involved. Mad Zach’s “Plundering Shmaster” is my personal favorite. Stream and download the compilation below.

New Remix: Drake – “Succesful” (Groundislava Remix)

By
March 7, 2012
New Music
Leave a comment

Photo by Barney Patterson

Back in high school, I was a pretty big Drake fan. I spent many a bus ride home bumping So Far Gone. To me, the mixtape was a better executed 808’s and Heartbreak with an indie sensibility and better beat selection. Some of the softer songs occasionally got on my nerves, but the truth is that it was a damn good and by far my favorite Drake release to this day. “Uptown” banged no matter how trite its Billy Joel sample was. “Houstatlantavegas” was House of Balloons before House of Balloons. Inexplicably though, this was at the height of my hip hop head elitism, my favorite track on the tape though was “Succesful.” I absolutely despised Trey Songz at the time and my 05′-’07 Wayne obsession had long been over, but the track had some unknown appeal to me. Maybe it was the haunting beat? Yeah that was probably it. So Far Gone era Drake was an interesting animal. There were hints of the obnoxiously whisper-in-your-ear open-heart style that he champions today, but most of Drake’s versus centered around youthful braggadocio that would fit in better on a Rick Ross tape than on Take Care. Anyways, I couldn’t explain my love for the tape then and I can’t now.

This roundabout story brings us to the actual point of this post. You probably know that we love the Wedidit Collective. Shlohmo and Jonwayne are basically Astral Plane VIP’s at this point and RL Grime, eLan and Earnest Blount are supremely talented artists. One Wedidit member we’ve somehow ignored to this point is Groundislava. Our ignorance/negligence basically borders on criminality at this point. Well the buck stops here. Groundislava aka Jasper Peterson, you’re our man. We’ll start off with your latest feat, a re-imagining of “Successful” (see how I brought it all together, eh?).

Stripping the original of its dark, steady beat, Peterson adds in a stumbling drum machine, soft synth pads, and a shit ton of reverb. It sounds Trey Songz is singing through a sock in his mouth. I enjoy that image. Drake sounds muffled as well, but his vocals sound more like he’s down and around the corner of a hallway. The remix maintains the original’s pop-sensibility, but only barely. The track excels where the original failed. Instead of focusing on Drake’s sometimes childish verses, Wayne’s infantile verse, or Songz’s obnoxious vocals, the track puts the focus on the arrangement of the vocals and hands the reigns over to Groundislava to do his magic. If you managed to read through this entire overwrought post, then congratulations. Hopefully, you just listened to the track and got the gist of what I was saying in 1/100 of the time. Stream the remix below.

EP Review: Miguel – Art Dealer Chic Vol. 1

By
March 6, 2012
Album Reviews, New Music
2 Comments

miguel art dealer chic

Miguel entered my consciousness circa 2006 after listening to Blu and Exile’s seminal Below The Heavens. Credited as Miguel Jontel, the singer played a prominent role in the album’s most radio friendly cut, “First Things First,” as well as playing a drastically different role on the ultra-soulful “Cold Rain.” Since 2006, Miguel has dropped a solo album, All I Want Is You, appeared on several Blu cuts (Johnson and Jonson, A Whole Lot Of Soul Partner Vol.1) and released a solo mixtape. Not the most prodigious output over seven years, but enough to keep loyal fans aching for more. I can’t personally say that I’ve been the biggest fan of Miguel’s solo output, but then again, I was an R&B hater until recently.  At least he didn’t follow the Pitbull/Flo Rida path into oblivion.

My opinion quickly changed this morning after listening to his latest effort, Art Dealer Chic Vol. 1. The EP is a loud announcement that Miguel is back and ready to take over the scene. Move over Frank Ocean. Move over The Weeknd. D’Angelo, stop the comeback train. This man is doing his thang. “Gravity” is in the future-R&B style recently popularized by The Weeknd, but originated by D’Angelo. With a beat that would sound excellent on its own, Miguel spins a “shooting star” metaphor with only “gravity” keeping him down. A little bit silly? Probably. Corny? Definitely. Whatever, he sounds great over it and beat is undeniably infectious.

“Adorn” is a more low-key banger, but is just as captivating as “Gravity.” With a deep synth growling in the background and an uplifting harmony, the song is tough to stop listening to. With some Flocka esque “woop!”‘s thrown in for good measure, this is easily one of the best R&B tracks I’ve heard in quite some time (maybe since House of Ballons). My only complaint is that the track only clocks in at 2:19.


The third (and unfortunately, final) track, “That I Do (FTRMX)” is a remix of a track off of 2008’s  Mischief: The Mixtape. Not as much of a standout as the first two tracks, the remix is definitely an improvement of the 2008 version, but the crescendoing synths and Miguel’s vocals verging on sickeningly over-earnest, it’s lacking something the first two tracks do. Anyways, he’s just doing what he do. Art Dealer Chic Vol. 1 is a loud announcement that Miguel is back and ready to take over the scene. Three songs is far too short to really satiate the listener, but then again it’s just an EP and we can all hope for an album sometime this year. At least some more work with Blu and Exile. They work magic together. Download Art Dealer Chic Vol. 1 below.

Download: Miguel – Art Dealer Chic Vol. 1

Album Review: Union – Analogtronics

By
March 6, 2012
2012, Album Reviews, New Music
Leave a comment

Back from a long hiatus as a result of midterms, I present you with Unions album, Analogtronics. Union is a production duo of artists named OJ and Gold based in Paris. Throughout this album we see their tendency to use synths and keyboards to create very calming electro soul. For a sampler of the dynamic beats to come, check out “Blue Wave.”

The beats throughout this album reminds me of some of Dam Funk’s work  with his stress on the keyboard and heavy synths. The laid back productio pairs perfectly with the dope list of featured MC’s and vocalists. Union enlisted the help of Talib Kweli, Sly Johnson, MF Doom, Moka Only, Rachel Claudio, Elzhi, Big Pooh, Janic, Roc Marciano, Guilty Simpson, and Mani Hoffman. It’s a stellar lineup to say the least. The single off the album is “Time Leak” with Talib Kweli and Sly Johnson. Kweli’s raw talent is showcased and Sly Johnson provides soulful background vocals.

It’s a new experience to hear Kweli on this type of beat and on he goes off on the track. Along with Kweli’s single, we get a new track from the legendary MF Doom as well.  This is one of the better songs that Doom has released recently and deserves to be checked out by his fans. Like with Kweli on “Time Leak,” the production on “Coco Mango” matches Dooms flow and lyricism perfectly.

Another standout track is “Fallin” with Big Pooh and Janic providing vocals. It’s been awhile since I have listened to Big Pooh since the end of Little Brother in 2010.  It certainly is comforting to see that the talented MC is still making music.

All in all I highly recommend this album to any hip-hop head, beat junkie, and/or Dam Funk fan.  I find that this album reaches out to a broad demographic of listeners because of the solid production. Besides the solid features on the album, the eight instrumentals showcase their production talent. It’s definitely an album to discover and enjoy during the hectic frenzy of midterms.

Portals Music Compiles Excellent Mixtape In Anticipation of SXSW Showcase

By
March 5, 2012
Festivals, Mixes, New Music
Leave a comment

There are dozens of incredible Showcases across Austin, TX during the week of South By Southwest. It feels like every label, collective, crew, blog, magazine, etc. etc. has there own showcase populated by some of the most talented names across the musical spectrum. If I was going to SXSW (one can dream), I would be the PORTALSXSW party. Located a few miles away from the chaos of 6th Street, the showcase is taking place in a wooded area and features two stages and over 20 artists. The lineup is electronic-centered, but is really all over the map. The two names that initially stood out to me were Astral Plane favorites Corduroi and Galapagos, but after looking into several other artists, the lineup looked even more enticing. Lucky for you, Portals has gone ahead and compiled tunes from all of the artists involved in the third installment of their Portals mixtape series. “Chant” by Men in Burka, “Put Your Love” by Young Pharaohs and “Shark Attack” by Triptides are the highlights, but the tape is excellent across the board. Big ups to the peeps over at Portal for this one. Stream and download the mixtape below and be sure to check out the PORTALSXSW party if you’re at the festival.

New Aloe Blacc Video – “You Make Me Smile”

By
March 5, 2012
New Music
Leave a comment

Ayee. You know when a song just perfectly encapsulates your mood?Just try and keep the fat grin off your face. You know it’s creeping up. Just try. The sight Aloe playing with his daughter across sun-drenched Southern California is too perfect. This is the type of music that makes you wonder why there is war, violence and poverty in the world. Thank the sun gods for this and have a great Monday.

Rustie Re-Work – “Surph” Feat. Nightwave

By
March 5, 2012
New Music
1 Comment

Maximalism became all the rage in 2011. Watch The Throne ruefully took hip hop to exciting new highs and devastating lows. A$AP Rocky succesfully amalgamated previous disparate regional styles. Odd Future was so in your face and all over the map stylistically that no one really knew how to respond, resulting in a devolution into meaningless think pieces, highlighted by psychoanalytic bullshit. In mainstream electronic music, dubstep and progressive house reigned supreme stateside. Skrillex-style dubstep became prevalent as the low-end sounds that originated in London almost a decade ago began to depreciate. Gushing piano crescendo’s and over-the-top vocal performances dominated the house world, as the Swedish House Mafias, Aviciis and Calvin Harrises of the world became the new pop stars.

All of this brings us to two diminutive Glasgow-based producers who reside on the legendary Warp Records roster. Hudson Mohawke and Rustie of the LuckyMe collective encapsulated the overarching maximalist sentiment of our time and translated into two sensory overload releases. Mohawke’s Satin Panthers EP set the bar high early in the year while Rustie’s Glass Swords took home the grand prize, ending up on many, if not most, “Best Of” lists. Both producers have been on the map for several years, noted in their spots on the Warp roster, but both have also been fairly inconsistent and un-focused at this point in their careers. Satin Panthers and Glass Swords ended any complaints about the two.

This all brings us to today’s announcement regarding the first single release from Glass Swords. Album standout, “Surph,” has been given the single treatment and will be released on Warp on April 9.  Furthermore, the track has been given the re-work treatment with new vocals from Slovenian singer Nightwave. While the track already featured Nightwave’s heavily distorted vocals, they have been re-recorded and are far more prominently featured than on the album-version. Whether you like the album version, or the single version more, it is undeniable that the track has an inherent pop value that is not as easy to recognize within the context of Glass Swords. Give the re-worked “Surph” a listen above and check out the album version here for comparison.

Da Phonk: DāM FunK – “Just A ‘D-F’ thang”

By
March 5, 2012
New Music
Leave a comment

Photo from facebook

Damn DāM, you crazy for this one. Dropped on his Soundcloud yesterday, “Just A ‘D-F’ thang” combines all of the aspects of D-F’s music we know and love. Warm synths, funky keys and perfectly placed percussion are all prevalent on this low-key banger. Furthermore, the song doesn’t involve any samples or sequencing and is a 100% Dâm-Funk production. Stream “Just A ‘D-F’ thang” below and let this joint ride out.