Kingdom Prepares Compilation Of Unreleased Songs For Fade To Mind

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December 6, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Yesterday, Fade To Mind boss Kingdom announced plans to release a compilation of unreleased dubs and remixes called VIP EDITION. The tape will be released on 12/12/12, but you can stream two cuts from it below, including a Ciara remix and a redo of “Fukin Jaker”, a track he briefly posted back in July. While short, both “Goodies” and “Fukin Jaker” offer insight into Kingdom’s influences and raw creative process, the former drawing from the lo-fi end of R&B and the latter borrowing heavily from New York’s vogue house stylings. Both songs cut off rather abruptly so expect to hear full versions come the 12th. Stream below.

Jackmaster Sums Up The Year With Mastermix 2012

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December 5, 2012
Mixes
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In a recent interview with Resident Advisor, Jackmaster referenced a Seth Troxler set he attended in Ibiza and its impact on his own DJ style: “I remembered that you don’t need to play a new track every two minutes. You can let stuff ride out and it can be just as effective as playing quickly.” While I don’t expect Jackmaster to completely change up his rapid fire sets, everyone would benefit from hearing more than two minutes of the absolutely massive exclusives he usually spins. Take his auspiciously named Mastermix 2012 for example, a captivating two hour journey that sums up the year better than just about anyone else could. From the opening salva of John Talabot’s “So Will Be Now” to SCNTST’s unreleased “Basement Structure”, the mix is brimming with brilliance from throughout the past 12 months. Fans of the Glasgow native’s faster-paced mixing will leave satiated as will those who want to hear Joy Orbison’s Donnell Jones remix play out. Stream below and download here in exchange for your internet digits.

Doctor Jeep Remixes Chaos In The CBD’s “Pale Moonlight”

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December 4, 2012
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Photo by Elliot Holbrow

Boston’s Doctor Jeep first grabbed our attention via “Dem Hoes”, his ghetto house meets smooth jazz collaboration with Astro Nautico boss Obey City. Simply put, the track made repeating the phrase “do you love them hoes?” somewhat acceptable (emphasis on somewhat) in public. We haven’t heard from the good Doctor in quite a while, but this remix of Chaos In The CBD’s “Pale Moonlight” has him coming back with a vengeance. Jeep flips the mellow, piano-driven original into an aggressive garage number mounted on on a tumultuous bassline. Instead of being the focal point of the song, the original’s poppy vocals become another instrument in a procession of shuffling percussion, the increasingly funky bassline and what sounds like some sort of warped brass instrument. Stream below  and look out for Chaos In The CBD’s Never Ending EP on December 17 via Youngunz.

New Nosaj Thing – “Snap”

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December 4, 2012
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Nosaj-Thing-2

Nosaj Thing is arguably the second most well-known producer (Flying Lotus first of course) to work within the general confines of Los Angeles’ “beat scene”. As a result, the man born Jason Chung has spent the past few years touring the world and selling out large-scale shows across Americaland. It also means that his music is covered by large magazines and other media outlets, a largely positive trend that will hopefully lead to the wide-spread proliferation of his complex, moody sound. “Snap” is our second taste of Chung’s sophomore album Home, due on January 22 via Innovative Leisure (!). Unlike “Eclipse/Blue”, which is driven by dreamy vocals from Kazu Makino, a quick tempo and a blunt kickdrum, “Snap” is more akin to Chung’s past work in hip hop production. The percussion is sharp and understated, providing a rubric for ghostly synths to weave their exploratory magic. After witnessing the incandescent visuals that accompanied “Eclipse/Blue”, one can only imagine the optical magnificence in store for “Snap”. Stream and download below.

Album Review: Captain Murphy’s ‘Duality’

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December 4, 2012
Album Reviews
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Captain Murphy - Duality

Over the past week, you’ve probably heard that Captain Murphy is a character/aesthetic developed and executed by the one and only Steven Ellison, known by most as Flying Lotus. Since arriving over the summer with a spat of acerbic, pitch-shifted tracks, Murphy’s identity had been obsessed over, driving more than a few people over the proverbial edge. Now that we all know that Murphy = FlyLo and FlyLo = Murphy, which really isn’t that surprising anyways, the body of work, both visual and audio, released over the past few weeks can be discussed in a tempered fashion.

Duality cannot be viewed as solely an album or mixtape. It is an aesthetic, built out of Adult Swim cartoons, video games, long nights at Low End Theory and bong hits. The 17 track project, or continuous video if you prefer,is brilliantly produced, yet disjointed. As a collective audio/visual project, it is one of the most enveloping releases you’ll encounter all year. Captain Murphy is introduced as rapper, lover, cult leader and supervillain. On the production side of things, FlyLo brought in heavy-hitters Just Blaze, Madlib and TNGHT, as well as Brainfeeder compatriots Jeremiah Jae, Teebs and Samiyam. Earl Sweatshirt, Azizi Gibson and Jae again assist Murphy with delectable bars. It’s a star-studded affair that FlyLo conducts blissfully, verses and beats flowing together into one psychedilia-tinged river.

Flying Lotus’ rapping debut comes as a mixed bag of offhand movie and video game references (Final Fantasy anyone?), standard Rick Ross braggadocio and a surprising amount of juvenile rape and phallus talk. On “Mighty Morphin Foreskin,” the word “niggerdick” is uttered, forcing me to believe Tyler, The Creator influenced Duality in one way or another. Despite its relative shortcomings, Ellison’s heavily pitch-shifted introduction to rap is impressive in its breadth, introducing a fully fleshed-out super villain character. More than just your average megalomaniac, Ellison’s Murphy character is a tortured soul, trapped within his own insane, ritualistic and hedonistic mind.

FlyLo also throws in enough head-scratchers like “learn how to do the dougie with the devil in the moonlight” to keep even the most jaded rap fans invested. That being said, the pitch shifting is jarring at times, taking away from the sublimity of much of the production. Similarly, the constant dick and rape talk is unnecessary, and despite being part of the Captain Murphy character (I guess), is detrimental to the album as a whole.

I knew that there was something fishy when the original list of producers (which included Clams Casino at the time) involved in Duality was released. Could a brand new rapper really pull in such a star-studded list of beatsmiths? Would Madlib really work with some Adult Swim channeling chump? Probably not, but would all of the aforementioned producers jump at the chance to work with Flying Lotus? Absolutely. With FlyLo tying everything together with some skillfully executed cult leader skits and beat transitions, the tape reads like a DMT infused night at Low End Theory.

Heavy on psych-rock with a sprinkle of boom bap and plenty of bruising bass, the TNGHT (Hudson Mohawke and Lunice for those living under a rock) produced “Shake Weight” is the one sonic outlier on the tape. Just Blaze and Jae’s “The Ritual” and FlyLo’s “Between Friends” are the two highlights, seeing both producers at their most innovative. My one criticism of the production is of Blaze and Jae for not cutting off that brilliant guitar loop at the beginning of “The Ritual”. If you’re unimpressed by Ellison’s rappity rapping abilities, download the Duality instrumentals and note how cohesive it sounds. Then thank Ellison. Actually we should all thank Ellison.

Now it’s time where you leave your friends and family behind and join the cult of Captain Murphy. It’s these sorts of events, and Duality really has been treated as an event, that make being a hip hop fan so damn fun. Scratch that. Make being a music fan so damn fun. If you can’t appreciate a dozen or so supremely talented individuals getting together to craft a distinctly weird tape with no chance of gaining radio play or profit, then you shouldn’t be reading this. We’re with the Captain, are you?

Maru’s ‘Porta Alpina’ EP And The Pointlessness Of Dubbing Artists “Retro”

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December 4, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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maru - porta alpina

Since founding their own label/group Transmission Collective earlier this year, Maru, Wolf Cub and Kahwe have been rolling out brilliant production after brilliant production and establishing themselves as a formidable force in the UK’s increasingly retro-leaning house scene. With groups like Disclosure and Bicep storming the charts, one has to ask if there is any point in referring to this type of house music as “90’s” or “retro” anymore? As a response to the garish, blow your load, synth-heavy shit on the radio, this more organic sound has become prevalent in the “underground,” otherwise known as anything not played on the radio. I don’t have a problem with noting that these artists are influenced by the past, but at this point, it seems a little bit demeaning to confine them into such a rigid structure. Rant over.

Anyways, the label’s first release, the Lex EP, was released in October and featured all three crew members collaborating. Porta Alpina is the label’s second release and comes as a Maru solo production, although it also features Wolf Cub and Kahwe remixes so take that with a grain of salt. “Porta” is centered around an low-hung vocal sample from Floetry’s “Say Yes”. Everything about the track, from the vocals to the euphorically warm synth washes, exudes a tactful sexiness, disguising a particularly propulsive kick drum. “Alpina” is built on a laid-back garage rhythm and deep organs and while it doesn’t reach the peak-iness of “Porta” it functions especially well as a slower paced B-Side. Kahwe and Wolf Cub’s remixes aren’t anything to write home about, allowing Maru to really take center stage. Expect to hear “Porta” is sets from some big names and stream below.

Lone Remixes Nathan Fake’s “Paean”

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December 4, 2012
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lone

With the release of the critically acclaimed Galaxy Garden LP in April, Lone not only raised his profile in a popularity sense, but gained a certain confidence that might have been lacking in his previous releases. Instead of dabbling in sample-based, Boards of Canada-indebted middle ground as he had in the past, the Nottingham-native took his euphoric productions straight to the dancefloor, crafting an impressive homage to early rave music. The various remixes and one-offs Lone has released since April have seen him experimenting with new styles and sounds, including heavier, more vocal oriented work. The results have been a somewhat mixed bag, but his willingness to expand and experiment is a sign of good things to come. Take his most recent effort, an official rework of Nathan Fake’s “Paeaan”. With a steady kick that would have been anathema to Lone just a few years ago, the track feels like an exploratory probe into a technicolor alternate universe. Euphoria is replaced by child-like wonder on “Paean” as Lone gently guides the ship into new territories. Stream below and grab Fake’s Paean EP here.

Dro Carey Guest Mix For The Astral Plane

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December 3, 2012
Mixes
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DroCarey

When we first asked Eugene Hector if he would be willing to contribute to our Guest Mix series, we were fully aware that the possibilities for what we might receive from the Sydney-native. A straight-up hip hop mix full of Brick Squad Monopoly and Max B tracks wouldn’t have surprised us, but neither would a true school juke mix, or anything in between for that matter. Following the release of his first LP as Tuff Sherm though, it’s only right that Hector laid down a mixture of obscure British/German techno and tracks from his recent Shrapnel Maestro LP. For those who haven’t been following the many sobriquets Hector has adopted over the past few years, Tuff Sherm is his most dancefloor-oriented project, working mainly in the techno and house realms. Despite a fairly dark vibe overall, Hector juxtaposes dense atmospherics with more upbeat warm vibes repeatedly for an enveloping experience that grows on you every time you listen. Stream/Download below, hit the jump for the full tracklist and grab Shrapnel Maestro here.

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New Pepperboy x Blue Sky Black Death – “Love My Life”

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December 3, 2012
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pepperboy

As you’ll probably hear quite a few times in the coming weeks, Little Rock MC Pepperboy is not your average rapper. He’s in his mid-30’s, defiantly positive and far more interesting in shouting out the hospital that saved his life after a shooting incident than exhorting the gangstas life. There’s an excellent feature in the Arkansas Times that tells his story far more thoroughly than i ever could. “Love My Life” is the first preview from his joint album with our favorite spacemen Blue Sky Black Death, dropping December 12, and sounds like a little like Squadda B of Main Attrakionz with a Texas drawl. The relentless positivity is clearly reminiscent of Lil B, but in a far more grounded sense, as if Pepperboy is happy to enjoy every second of his life on this planet. The above artwork is courtesy of the always wonderful Meaghan Garvey. Stream and download below.

New xxyyxx – “Never Again”

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December 3, 2012
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xxyyxx

Orlando-based producer Marcel Everett aka xxyyxx has repeatedly stated in interviews that he doesn’t make music for anyone but himself, a somewhat unrealistic artistic endeavor in today’s music landscape, but an admirable outlook nonetheless. “Never Again” is our first taste of Everett’s upcoming album on Relief In Abstract and, while only 1:25 long, represents a new, heavily side-chained sound. Somewhat reminiscent of the lucid, crashing percussion in Amon Tobin’s ISAM production, “Never Again” abandons the pop-sensibility found throughout Everett’s self-titled debut LP, opting for a more abrasive sound. Like xxyyxx, “Never Again” is centered around a meticulously twisted R&B vocal, a viscerally human light shining through the cavalcade of percussive noises. Stream below and look out for more details on the album in the coming weeks.