Dubbel Dutch Brings The Self Help Riddims

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February 12, 2013
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It’s been a good while since we’ve heard from Brooklyn-resident Dubbel Dutch, but the man is finally back today with some Self Help Riddims. Out now on Mixpak, the five track EP mixes vague dub sounds with a sound palette that only Dubbel Dutch could fully utilize. It sounds like nothing you’ve ever heard before, harp chords bouncing off of distorted bass hits, while futuristic synth notes form the melodic backbone of the EP. While Dubbel Dutch doesn’t release a ton of music, he’s positioned himself at the vanguard of American club music and is forming the sound of tomorrow one riddim at a time. Stream Self Help Riddims below and cop the tracks in the format of your choice here.

On James Blake’s Retrograde Motion

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February 12, 2013
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I fear that humanity and subtlety are dying virtues in music.   Every day, it becomes easier for artists to stack their work with more, as access to and ease of implementation of new sounds is pushed to a new horizon with the creation of every new song or instrument.  In the quest to create the sound of the future, an additive, maximalist process of creation is often unavoidable seductive.  In both vernacular and mindset, “hugeness” has become an uncomfortably universal end.   For many, making a tune that fucks the club up is enough, and even amongst those with higher artistic ends, faced with an existence moving further and further into the “realm” of the internet and social media, the novelty of our new mechanized consciousness is an enticing subject matter, especially for the electronic musician. I’m puzzled and perturbed that, in an age of endless imitation, nobody makes club music with a level of sensuality and soul remotely close to that of Jacques Greene.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy and admire music that addresses the new digital landscape, but I worry that contemporary music neglects any truly inventive exploration of the “old-fashioned” troubadour-fodder of love, uncertainty and pathos. Call me nostalgic, but I’m starting to miss the beating heart and wit of the singer-songwriter.

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Giraffage Has Been Thinking About You

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February 12, 2013
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Coming together with Los Angeles label/distribution outfit, San Francisco’s Giraffage has released the nine track Needs tape, a collection of all original “Sample-Based Pop” that is easily the man born Charlie Yin’s most cohesive and impressive release to date. Needs is largely based in contemporary hip hop and R&B, but runs the gamut of moods, ranging from triumphant dance numbers (“Money”, “Checkmate”) to impressively restrained bedroom choons (“Thinking About You”, “Undress U”). The bedroom tunes are really where Yin shines and represent his ability to morph rather garish elements (like the booming snares that are everywhere) into an integral, yet understated, element of the overall mix. In a fit of good will, Giraffage and Alpha Pup are giving Needs away for free, so stream below and toss it onto the harddrive asap.

Cid Rim Remixes Chvrches’ “Recover”

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February 12, 2013
New Music, Remixes
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I’ve never been the biggest fan of Scottish band Chvrches’ take on “electro pop” (think Crystal Castles, not Arabian Prince), but I’m a sucker for a big remix. When that remix comes from Viennese LuckyMe representative Cid Rim, I’ll fully embrace those darn Scotts and their stylized letters. The opening two minutes of the remix are nothing to rave about, mostly just melodramatic keys and  Chvrches slightly grating vocals, but Cid Rim’s scattered, percussion driven beat comes in after that and is pure magic. Stream below.

Lockah Remixes Koloah’s “Titan”

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February 11, 2013
New Music, Remixes
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Aberdeen-native Lockah’s music has always had a frantic, throwback element to it, reminiscent of late-rave era (when the drugs were waring off) material in its mood if not the actual sonic elements of his hip hop/electronic productions. It makes all too much sense then that Lockah’s latest rework is a straight ode to frenzied, 160 BPM rave madness. Taking on Ukrainian producer Koloah’s “Titan”, Lockah utilizes a classic vocal snippet, synth stabs and some absolutely oppressive (in the best way possible) sub-bass on “Titan” with drug-induced paranoiac results. Stream below and grab Koloah’s Next Mutations EP here.

New Sinjin Hawke – “Prom Night”

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February 11, 2013
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Can we talk about Pelican Fly for a moment? Only eight releases deep, the Belgian DJ Slow-led imprint has released seminal release after seminal release, proving as influential as anyone in the ever-growing, amorphous realm of “club” music. On February 18, the label will release the Feathers compilation, featuring brand new heat from Sinjin Hawke, Cashmere Cat, Mister Tweeks and more. More than just about any other label (Body High and/or Fade To Mind maybe), Pelican Fly has set the tone over the past few years, predicting the grand cohesion of hip hop and dance music a full year before “trap” came into the popular vernacular and constantly churning out releases that sound nothing like anything that came before. Feathers will surely be another huge leap forward for the label, which should be seeing a LuckyMe-esque influx in fans in the not so distant future. Stream Sinjin Hawke’s especially turn’t “Prom Nite” below and look out for the comp on the 18th.

New Lapalux – “BETHR”

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February 11, 2013
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Maybe I’m ignorant, but I didn’t recognize the sample (or clearly derived song name) after listening to Lapalux’s brand new smasher “BETHR”. After scouring the interwebs for a a little while, I was only to come up with “Lapalux samples classic vocals”. Of course, a quick lyric search would lead to me Zimbabwean Rozalla’s “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)”, but something about the fact that many of the biggest blogs in this whole darn blogosphere neglected to mention that fact. It seems like a random event when the general blog group think decides to enlighten their readers on what elements a producer actually utilizes to develop a track. Even one as obvious as this. Anyways, all gripes aside, Lapalux’s debut LP is dropping next month on Brainfeeder (look out for an interview on the horizon!) and “BETHR” (no word on whether or not it will appear on the album) is just sublime. Rozalla’s vocals are played up for maximum emotiveness and Lapalux just does the damn thang. Not much to say about this one, you just have to let it ride out.

Komon & Appleblim Collaborate On “Gas Jam”

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February 11, 2013
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komon appleblimWith an eye to the low end of the sonic spectrum and Komon, Appleblim and Apple Pips Recordings (think Joe, Peverelist, Brackles) have come together for an all Bristol everything party with the Gas Jam/Silencio single. Both artists are in fine form on a-side “Gas Jam” and the result is one of the phonkier tracks you’ll hear all week, mixing the raise ’em up qualities of disco with an emphasis on bass that is the hallmark of Bristolian dance choons. “Silencio” is a self-described “glooped-out Balearic/kosmiche beat” and while that description flies right over my head, the track touches on a ton of old school funk motifs and is melodic as hell. The single drops March 18 on Apple Pips, but until then stream previews of “Gas Jam” and “Silencio” below.

Jerome LOL Edits Tank’s “Emergency”

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February 10, 2013
New Music, Remixes
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jerome2012 was a landmark year for Jerome Potter of LOL Boys fame and 2013 should see the Los Angeles-based magician further perfecting the sound debuted on the Changes EP and the LOL Boys x FADER Mix. Jerome’s latest act of kindness comes in the form of a remix of Tank’s slow ballad “Emergency”. If you’ve been following Jerome’s progression, the tune will sound pretty familiar as it utilizes the pristine piano/live sounding percussion formula that has become a halmark of the Body High co-boss’ repertoire. Tank’s vocals are reduced to a syrupy drawl and drawn out over a delectable bridge. Stream below and download here.

Shigeto Drops Some Beats 4 Dilla

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February 7, 2013
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First of all, happy birthday to the legend, the great J Dilla who’s signature sound inspired a lot of the music we write about here. Today, Ghostly International beatsmith Shigeto released a Soundcloud set that’s “All raw. Unfinished. Made in an hour or so with friends. Inspired my J Dilla’s effortless and relentless output.”

This is a special collection of tracks and one that does justice to J Dilla’s experimentation, workhorse mentality, soulful sound, and tendency to put you in a percussive headlock. On the flip-side, If you take a step back, some of these tracks sound more indebted to the current state of electronic beat music in general than to Dilla’s influence specifically, and that just proves his influence was so great It’s hard to say where you can or can’t hear Jay Dee-isms. The raw acoustic drums, chopped vocal samples, lingering hi-end textures, and big bass-lines definitely take us back. The Joseph Deas collaborations are a personal favorite for drifting off. I hope we see them collaborating more in the future. Stream and download below.