Download: Donky Pitch’s ‘We Didn’t Think We’d Make It This Far’ Compilation

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July 23, 2013
New Music, Remixes
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Last month, Dummy Mag’s Adam Harper wrote an extensive piece outlining what he calls the “neon” sound of the UK, demonstrated by labels like LuckyMe, Keysound and Numbers and characterized by bright synth work, loads of syncopation and a generally progressive spirit. Harper also touches on Bristol-based label Donky Pitch, which plays house for a globally focused cadre of talented producers, ranging from London’s ARP 101 to Seattle’s based kingpin Keyboard Kid. This month, the label reached the rather momentous 10 release landmark and are celebrating with a free compilation cleverly titled We Didn’t Think We’d Make It This Far Vol. 1. If you’re a Donky Pitch fanboy (like ourselves), you’ll recognize a good deal of already released material (10 tracks in all) that has come to epitomize the DP sound. There are also eight unreleased songs available including Ghost Mutt’s hyper rework of that one Kendrick Lamar song with the awful video filmed in a field “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe”. If Donky Pitch is a new entity for your ear holes, We Didn’t Think We’d Make It This Far Vol. 1 is a perfect introduction and if you’re already in the know’s know, well, show some damn support anyways.

New DJ Earl – “Ain’t No Coming Down”

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July 19, 2013
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Earlier today, I was listening to the new Migos tape (again) and it struck me that I enjoy it for almost the exact same reason that I enjoy the footwork coming out of the Teklife camp as of late. They both rely on vocal cadence and timbre, intense repetition, expertly crafted beat work and forceful emotion (the unrestrained anger on “I Don’t Like”, the triumphant nature of “Versace”). In a way, Migos, Chief Keef and Rick Ross have more in common with RP Boo, DJ Rashad and DJ Earl than they with Mac Miller, Earl Sweatshirt and Chance The Rapper (although the latter does perform some truly amazing vocal tricks). Take DJ Earl’s update on DJ Roc’s “Ain’t No Coming Down” for example. Earl takes a few simple, seemingly innocuous Juicy J lines and lays them over a ruthlessly syncopated beat that makes Jordan Houston’s original seem pallid in comparison. In its stripped down simplicity, “Ain’t No Coming Down” is far more affecting than the original.

New Flava D – “All They Do Is Hate”

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July 19, 2013
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With an ever growing stable of remarkably talented producers, Elijah & Skilliam’s Butterz label has been on the tip of the grime listening public’s proverbial tongue for the better part of a year now. Melding the bassline sounds of the North with the more traditional, both instrumental and vocal-oriented, grime sounds of London, Butterz has catapulted themselves from local fixture to international brand in under 12 months. While this rise can be mostly attributed to a team effort, we often look to Flava D as one of the main propulsive forces behind Butterz. With a sound that is at once raucous and sweet, the South London native’s “Hold On” is already one of the year’s biggest tunes and it doesn’t look like she’s stopping there. “All They Do Is Hate” is a more traditional bassline number, working Flava D’s signature vocal manipulations into rollicking sub bass. In short, it’s a brief, effective number that epitomizes everything we love about Butterz.

Kyle Hall Remixes Cromie & Sage Caswell’s “Vines”

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July 18, 2013
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A lot has been said/written about Detroit house prodigy Kyle Hall in the past few weeks, what with the release of his debut The Boat Party LP. At only 21 years old, Hall’s music manages to imbibe tropes from the two lynchpins of American dance, Detroit and Chicago, as well as production techniques from across the globe. In short, if you haven’t listened to The Boat Party yet, you’re doing a respective disservice to both your mind and your dancing shoes. Hall’s latest track comes in the form of a remix of Los Angeles-based producer/DJ combo Cromie & Sage Caswell’s “Vine” (out now on brand new Brooklyn-based label Peach). It is both futuristic and retro, sounds fiercely analogue, but also has moments that any listener will struggle to fit into any existing sonic lexicon. The original (listen after the jump) is also an impressive number and sees two of Los Angeles’ premier DJs wisely extending their skills into the production realm.

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New Spooky Single, “New Slaves” Remix

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July 18, 2013
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Riding on the back of a FACT mix and two (!) (one and two) “Party Packages” for Truants, East London grime don Spooky is on a real roll as of late. Always known as one of the very best grime DJs (often playing four or more sets a week on London’s long-running Deja Vu FM), Spooky has rightfully been getting more and more acclaim for the production side of his artistic acumen. On August 12, he will release “Baby”, a rollicking bassline jam, on Unknown To The Unknown. The release will feature a stacked remix lineup, ranging from Matrixxman’s buttery house to Flava D’s stringent garage manipulations. Spooky also carried out what we were all vaguely imagining, utilizing the four bar melody and bass hits of Kanye West’s “New Slaves” to create an unparalleled grime bootleg. Stream below and throw one up for the don.

New Jeremih – “Ex-To-See”

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July 18, 2013
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It doesn’t take much to get us excited about a new Jeremih album, but with the latest news that Cashmere Cat will be involved (with video evidence) and now “Ex-To-See”, our enthusiasm is boiling over. Even that mediocre Game-assisted jawn couldn’t dissuade our swooning ways. Thumpy Johnson is slated to be released by the end of the calendar year (fingers crossed) and is slated to have one Sean Combs playing the roll of executive producer. It will also surely host a slew of delectable features along the lines of Natasha Moseley and Ludacris. “Ex-To-See” is a song about drugs, exes and the club. It’s classic Jeremih fodder, complete with noodling melodies, assuaging synth washes and some not quite recognizable vocal manipulation. It’s also up for a free download at the moment. Not one to be missed.

New Key Nyata – “The Shadowed Diamond” (Prod. Key Nyata)

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July 18, 2013
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Based on Spaceghostpurrp’s uneven social media commentary, I’m unsure if Raider Klan is still an entity. It could have been dissolved months ago, its creative letter use discarded and its variegated elements thrown to the wind. It could be operating, waiting to strike and further impose its outlaw rhetoric on the hip hop listening public. Or maybe Spaceghostpurrp, Amber London and Yung Simmie are locked away in an underground lair plotting the demise of A$AP Mob. Regardless, in between Simmie’s Shut Up & Vibe Vol. 1 (formerly Basement Musik) and  London’s Tru 2 Tha Phonk the (former) Klan has been putting numbers on the board with striking regularity. Seattle’s own (former) Klan representative, Key Nyata, has also been creating a respectable niche for himself via his dark, viscous rhymes and DJ U-Neek in the digital era production. “The Shadowed Diamond” was previewed months ago, but today we received the full version in all of its glory. In the past Nyata’s flow has been obfuscated under the many layers of his dense beat work, but “The Shadowed Diamond” highlights both his referential lyrical matter and production acumen flawlessly. The song will be the title track of Nyata’s next album.

Zodiac Remixes Glass Animals’ “Black Mambo”

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July 18, 2013
New Music, Remixes
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zodiacToronto-based producer Zodiac (aka Jeremy Rose) has been relatively quiet since the release of his self-titled EP on Jacques Greene’s Vase-Forever label and the whole Abel Tesfaye fiasco. With the exception of a remix for Arclight and a feature in RBMA’s #Hashtag video series, the lightning rod producer has been almost entirely absent from the music listening public’s general consciousness. Woe is us, the silence is suffocating. With remarkable timing though, Rose emerged today with a remix for Glass Animals, our favorite British psychedelic R&B act and one of the most underrated acts on either side of the Atlantic. In typical fashion, the remix shows remarkable restraint, relying on reverberating synth pads and the deep, stultified sonics that have become Rose’s greatest signifiers. Oh and you should really listen to Glass Animals if they haven’t already entered your library. Stream Zodiac’s remix below and pre-order the 12″ here (out July 29 on Wolf Tone).

Relaunch! (Obey City – “Fallin”)

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July 18, 2013
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All it took was a simple email. Earlier this morning, a representative from LuckyMe shot on email to The Astral Plane team asking us to take down an “embarrassing” press photo of Obey City that we had posted last March. In the quest to find the image in our media archives, I got sidetracked and, to make a long story short, became remarkably nostalgic. See, I’ve been working a full time job and, unfortunately, the blog has fallen by the wayside. It was just one of those occasions where priorities had to be shifted and The Astral Plane fell into disrepair. Don’t think that our lovely readers (the few that are left at least) and the artists we cover have been forgotten though. It’s with pleasure that our team is looking to relaunch and get back on the proverbial (blogging) horse. It made all too much sense that LuckyMe/Obey City gave us this initial propulsion as the Glasgow label and Brooklyn producer have been a constant on these pages since our inception last January. Obey City will release his LuckyMe debut, the Champagne Sounds EP, on August 6 with another beverage influenced EP (Merlot Sounds) coming soon after. You might recognize “Fallin” from Rustie’s (still) seminal Essential Mix from last year.  Expect to see a lot more of this and that on The Astral Plane in the coming days, weeks and months. As always, we love you!

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New Nacho Picasso – “Fuck Rio”

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May 23, 2013
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Fuck groupies, am I right? Black narcissus aka Nacho Picasso hits out at Rio on “Fuck Rio” (who would have thunk it?), who may or may not be real. And by hit out, I mean spit some of the most quotable diss diss parables we’ve heard in quite some time. These lines wouldn’t sound quite right if they weren’t spit via Nacho’s lethargic, badman flow.