After giving Yeezus’ “Send It Up” the club treatment last month, the Brick Bandits reppin’ and Philadelphia-based Nadus has contributed his impressive abilities to Travi$ Scott’s WondaGurl produced, and A$AP Ferg featuring “Uptown”. The original has been lighting up traps and trunks for for a minute now after it was originally released as part of Scott’s Owl Pharaohs tape, but it seems like Scott is on the verge of a major leap that will likely see his back catalogue exposed to far more attention. The track’s menacing, chord progression and creative use of a number of flows (from both Scott and Ferg) make it a perfect subject for Nadus’ rhythmic use of vocals as the synth work is virtually kept intact and used as a hypnotic base for a menagerie of vocal stabs. Word on the street is that Nadus will be releasing an EP through Belgian label Pelican Fly in the near future so if you’re not familiar with his expansive remix catalogue then get clickin’.

Sinjin Hawke Remixes DJ Funk’s “Three Fine Hoes”

By Gabe Meier

August 19, 2013

New Music, Remixes

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Last week, Sinjin Hawke let loose a remix of DJ Assault and Socalled’s ghetto house number “Sleepover” and today, we’ve received another Hawke remix of DJ Funk’s “Three Fine Hoes” in what appears to be an attempt to delve into the unfairly maligned sub-genre. In typical fashion, both remixes are bombastic as hell and built around some crisp, huge sounding horn stabs. I remember the latter having an especially large impact on the dancefloor at the Witness 3.0 event at 1015 Folsom in San Francisco, but both are sure to have an especially long run in DJ sets the world over due both to their enormous capacity for genre busting goodness and their always wonderful freeness. Stream Hawke’s Funk remix below and catch the Assault & Socalled jawn after the jump.

New Monto – “Choirboys”

By Gabe Meier

August 9, 2013

New Music

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Irish producer Monto has been churning out a delectable blend of Low End Theory-derived beat work and R&B machinations for the better part of the past two years and appears to be coming into his own as a producer. The young Irishman released the excellent Best Boy EP last August and has posted a series of impressive remixes and bootlegs for the likes of Ciara, Mr. Carmack and someone named Kanye West. “Choirboys” is an ever-progressing track that transitions from pitched down choral work/organ manipulation to thrusting mid range synths. It’s not exactly dance music, but follows in the head nod continuum inhabited by Lapalux, Devonwho and others. “Choirboys” is up for free download, so get ready for some serious feels.

Stream Live Grime Set From Bok Bok, Featuring Kelela

By Gabe Meier

August 9, 2013

New Music

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A female grime MC you say? She’s singing you say? I wouldn’t have believed it even six months ago, but in the year of the Yeezus it is meant to be. Bok Bok recently uploaded a 40 minute grime set recorded from a club set and lo and behold, Fade To Mind signed songstress and frequent Kingdom collaborator Kelela lays down vocals across the majority of the mix! Grime is obviously not generally produced with the intention of a female vocalist riding across the squarewaves and incandescent bass hits, but that idea is being challenged more and more these days. First we had Nguzunguzu’s rework of Samename’s “Make It Hot” featuring vocals from Ashanti and more recently, Kelela and Kingdom’s “Bank Head” from the Vertical XL EP, both tracks utilizing distinctly pop/feminine vocals on traditionally rougher grime production. Of course, there are moments when the Bok Bok/Kelela set falls a little flat (the portion at around 29:00 is pretty damn clunky), but the fact of the matter is that this a truly genre breaking moment for electronic music. If grime’s hard-nosed, eskibeat factions continue to collaborate with talented R&B singers, the results will be dramatic and widespread. As seen in this mix and the aforementioned tracks, the production/instrumental work doesn’t have to change, but an open minded spirit must be embraced. Maybe I’m exaggerating the importance of work like this, but I see grime’s sphere of influence expanding greatly in the coming months.

New Jon Hopkins – “Breathe This Air” (Feat. Purity Ring)

By Gabe Meier

August 9, 2013

New Music

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In the midst of our recent break, London-based cross-genre pioneer Jon Hopkins caused quite a stir with his 5th studio album Immunity (out now on Domino), a brilliant mixture of slumper techno and melodic classical reference points. The album hit on a number of levels and the word on the street is that Hopkins’ live show brings the LP to another level. Hopkins is embarking on a small North American tour later this month, including several shows with Purity Ring. We’re not usually big fans of the latter’s middling work, but we can give props where they are due and the below re-imagining of Immunity standout “Breathe This Air” is pure brilliance. Hopkins’ work normally exists on a purely instrumental plane, but Megan James’ minimal crooning reinvents the song as a crossover number, constantly transitioning between shuffling techno and piano-led chorus’. The song will appear on a limited run 12″ to be given away on a first come first serve basis at the two act’s headlining show at Los Angeles’ Fonda Theatre later this month.

Download Gunplay & Isaiah Toothtaker Remix EP

By Gabe Meier

August 9, 2013

New Music, Remixes

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A few months ago, we featured an interesting Blue Sky Black Death remix of a to-be-released song by Gunplay and Isaiah Toothtaker called “Frownin'”. The combination of Miami’s Gunplay and Arizona’s Toothtaker seemed left field at first, but both MC’s flow together impressively and the song is a cauldron of reckless abandon, vivid street realism and cutthroat punchlines. Yesterday, a full Frownin’ EP (mixtape?) was released featuring both the original measure and a bevy of remixes from producers as varied as Low End Theory regular Free The Robots and mashup bloggers The Hood Internet. It’s a mixed bag quality-wise, but their are quite a few interesting takes on the originals, the most engrossing coming from Robert Vaughn aka PrisonGarde’s (formerly retired?) Sixtoo alias. This isn’t a tape you’re going to want to listen to front to back, but the tape takes an interesting approach and the artwork is brilliant. Stream and download below.

New Visionist – “The Call” (Feat. Fatima Al Qadiri)

By Gabe Meier

August 7, 2013

New Music

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2013 has been quite the year for collaborations and it doesn’t look like the harmonious spirit will quell anytime soon. Last week, we got Future Brown, the supergroup of J-Cush, Nguzunguzu and Fatima Al Qadiri, and now the latter has joined up with space age grime technician Visionist for a new slumper. “The Call” will appear on Visionist’s upcoming I’m Fine EP for Lit City and highlights the two trendy-as-fuck producers via some brilliantly turned down percussion and frighteningly beatific choral work. It’s easy to get lost in the hype surrounding these two grime luminaries, but they come through more often than not and are imprinting their clean, spacious sound on the masses for better or worse.

New DJ Earl – “SomeBodyySayYeahhh”

By Gabe Meier

August 7, 2013

New Music

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In 2013, it finally looks like Chicago’s footwork pioneers are being given their due. Of course, footwork has been established as a global phenomenon for three or four years now, but the focus has always been on appropriation/mis-appropriation or on a handful of artists who have managed to transcend the scene’s insular facade. Teklife and its accompanying label/party Lit City Trax are seemingly on the tip everyone’s tongue these days and the crew is one of the hottest commodities in contemporary dance music. DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, and more recently and much belatedly, RP Boo often receive the majority of praise, but young DJ Earl is getting his much deserved due as well. With the exception of Spinn, there isn’t anyone who manages to weave perplexingly dreamy melodies into footwork’s dissonant rubric as well as Earl. On “SomeBodyySayYeahhh”, Earl works a noodling 8 bit melody into a jungle of muted toms, hi hats and snares, giving the song a certain ear worm quality without surrendering any of the confounding sonic effects that pervade so much of the Teklife catalogue. It’s Teklife or no life after all.

Fort Romeau Remixes Gold Panda’s “Community”

By Gabe Meier

August 6, 2013

New Music

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In the past 12 months, Fort Romeau has elevated himself into the upper echelon of the house music world in a seemingly effortless rise to prominence. Through a series of tactful remixes (Holy Other, Parris Mitchell, New Jackson) and two wholly impressive 12″ (SW9, “Jetee”/”Desire”), the London-based producer has managed to distinguish himself from the faux revivalist masses, although what makes his sound so damn effective is difficult to articulate. Obviously, he’s technically proficient and possesses a great sense of melody, but there’s something else that makes him such a joy to listen to that I can’t quite put my finger on. What I would guess is that Fort Romeau fully understands the context, both historical and modern, that his music exists in. In this he avoids being derivative while also striving for something more progressive and didactic. I could be wrong, but regardless, Romeau is, and will continue to be, one of the most brilliantly effective producers in the dance music nexus.

New Future Brown – “Wanna Party” (Feat. Tink)

By Gabe Meier

August 5, 2013

New Music

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The latest supergroup to emerge from the American dance avant-garde, Future Brown sees Daniel and Asma of Nguzunguzu, Fatima Al Qadiri and J-Cush focusing their vast collective skill sets on one extraordinary project. The first track to emerge from the crew, “Wanna Party”, features Chicago MC Tink at peak performance, as well as additional production work from MikeQ. Despite the large number of people involved with “Wanna Party”, Al Qadiri’s sonic aesthetic appears at the forefront, all foreboding keys and sparse, grime indebted percussion. It’s an exciting premise to imagine exactly how Nguzunguzu’s hip hop/club sensibilities and J-Cush’s footwork past will play into forthcoming Future Brown releases.