Cashmere Cat Remixes Feadz & Kito’s “Wettex”

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November 28, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Before analyzing this new Cashmere Cat fuego, I’m going to indulge in some self-promotion right quick (it tenuously applies to the song, don’t worry). I recently took my talents to South Beach, otherwise known as TRUANTS and will be shopping my pedantic thoughts in those parts from here on out. I will still be doin’ the damn thang in these waters, but now you’ll find me at TRUANTS at the same damn time.  If you’re looking to follow my cultural musings and/or posts from both sites, get at me on Tumblr. You’re probably asking yourself why your reading this and in what possible way it could relate to a Cashmere Cat’s remix of Feadz & Kito’s “Wettex”? Well not much actually, but it’s a triumphant, feel good song and I’m feeling triumphant so bare with me. The Pelican Fly rep’s take on “Wettex” isn’t as subtle as anything on Mirror Maru, but for unabated good times drenched in chintzy 80’s euphoria, it can’t be beat. So yeah follow me here/Truants/Slopped & Wetted and stream below.

New Juelz Santana – “Bodies”

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November 28, 2012
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How much do y’all miss Dipset? I can’t hear you. How much do y’all miss Dipset?! I’m aching for some Come Home With Me era Killa Cam right now and was even considering putting on that Jim Jones mixtape from earlier this year. “Bodies” is off of God Will’n, Rockstar Santana’s upcoming mixtape. It features Def Jam signed Chicago MC Lil’ Reese and honestly isn’t very good. The beat sounds something like a Zaytoven production which is a plus, but the subject matter is pretty much just “we’re on the tape and fake gangsters are coming at us”. And really, does any really believe Juelz is stll at the top? Regardless, I’m eagerly awaiting God Will’n and will probably play it out far more than I should. Nostalgia is a bitch sometimes. Stream below and download here.

Nadus Remixes Star Slinger’s “Ladies In The Back”

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November 28, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Put this one under strip club music along with most of Pluto3D and Blue Dream And Lean. For the uninitiated, Nadus is a key member of the notorious Brick Bandits crew, which is a loose collective of club-oriented producers stretching from Jersey to Chicago. DJ Sliink and DJ Kiff are also members and the crew is pretty much the go-to place to find up-to-date Jersey/Philly club shit. Taking a step back from his usual 130 BPM exhibitions of twerk-inducing madness, Nadus speeds up Star Slinger’s sexy-as-fuq Teki Latex assisted “Ladies In The Back” only slightly, sprucing up the percussion with some lighthearted snares. The calls to “shake that” are the real highlight here as Nadus makes sure you know exactly what his goal is. Why beat around the bush when serious business is involved? The remix is part of the “Ladies In The Back” single, out now on Slinger’s Jet Jam imprint.

New Ab-Soul – “Absolute Assassin”

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November 27, 2012
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Soul Assassins Radio have been kicking around the hip hop scene for a while now, bringing listeners the best of “underground” hip hop. I put parentheses around underground because in the age of the internet, the underground in a classical sense doesn’t really exist anymore. Until the past few years though, the underground had a particular sound, punctuated by the blunted backpacker crowd and East Coast street rappers. Recently, Ab-Soul stopped by the station to spit a “freestyle” over some buttery production from the questionably named Worldwardrew. The abstract asshole is at his most grounded on “Absolute Assassin”, rapping within himself although he still manages to reference new world order and throw in the double-take worthy “so clean me and Jesus could share a bath”. Stream below and download here.

Anenon Remixes Gold & Soil’s “Where Or When”

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November 27, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Keeping in the family, Non Projects boss Anenon recently remixed Gold And Soil’s “Where Or When” from their self-titled debut album. Anenon maintains Ana Caravelle’s angelic vocals and the beatific harp playing of the original, adding layers of rich percussion and adding to the earthy nature of the original. Like the original, Anenon’s remix is understated and rich with emotion, looping Anna Caravelle singing “I still remember” with further soaring vocals in the background. Stream and download below.

New Big Boi – “In The A” Feat. T.I. And Ludacris

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November 27, 2012
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With Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors quickly approaching (Dec 11), Sir Luscious’ hype machine is revving its engine. A few weeks ago, we received “Lines”, a track squarely aimed at a younger, blog reading audience that knows who Phantogram is. Despite the somewhat canned nature of the song, Fat Sax and Rocky are entertaining as hell, stoking the already blazing fire surrounding the album release. As long as the rest of the album is devoid of the sort of A&R made collaborations/youtube view getters, I’m completely sold. The latest track to surface features two of the biggest Atlanta rappers from the past 15 years, although it probably would have been far more newsworthy around the middle of the last decade.

With T.I. and Ludacris on board, it’s clear that the album isn’t simply an attempt to woo the kidz, because, well, how many hip hop fans under 18 actually listen to T.I. or Ludacris? I don’t think I’m alone in not being to take TIP or Luda all that seriously in 2012 and Luda’s statement that it’s “a marathon not a sprint” is indicative of their age/place in life. Would he have ever said something like that in his foul mouthed heyday? They’ve made enough bands, T.I. has spent too much time in prison and they’re tired. They seem tired. They sound tired. Their lyrical content is tired. Fat Sax is still buckin’ like Buckingham Palace though, brand new like Brand Nubian. Not all of the great have fallen and Big Boi sounds like a young 20 something when juxtaposed with his fellow 30 somethings. Stream below and lookout for the album on December 11.

Happa Remixes Vondelpark’s “Dracula”

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November 27, 2012
New Music, Remixes
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Who would have thought that such massive sounds come from such an innocent source? Just look at the above photo of Happa. Not trying to belittle him by centering on his age, but fuck, dude is 15 and churning out some of the most stomp-worthy techno (if you can even call it that) we’ve heard all year. This is one those posts that, if you don’t have a strong pair of headphones or speakers, you should probably skip over. When the vocals cut away… just tear your hair out. This is what every horror movie should sound like, the kickdrum playing the part of the man with a knife behind every curtain. Stream below.

Introducing Ice Burgandy, West Coast Brick Squad Rep

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November 27, 2012
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Meet Ice Burgandy, West Coast Brick Squad member and Inglewood-native. He may or may not have been involved in a Debo-like incident with The Game last year and is probably not someone you want to fuck with. You might remember him from his verse on “Homies” off of Wacka Flocka’s apogeic Flockaveli. Last month, Burgandy dropped not one, but two brand new mixtapes on Brick Squad day, the aptly titled Rhythm & Burgandy and Burberry Burgandy. The tapes feature a menagerie of 1017 regulars including YG Hootie, Sony and Flocka himself and see Burgandy exhibiting his LA-centric take on the familiar Brick Squad model to new levels. If you’re looking for your standard turn’t Brick Squad fare, Burgandy’s got you, but Rhythm & Burgandy and Burberry Burgandy also offer a slower, more pensive angle that evokes endless freeways more than dank traphouses. For example, take “All Good”, an achy gangster love anthem that is indecipherable as a Brick Squad track with the exception of the ever present tags. The track is distinctly un-Southern in that nothing is ever all good in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, etc.. You can grab the two tapes here and here (if you can brave DatPiff). As always, Squad up!

Tuff Sherm, Shrapnel Maestro

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November 27, 2012
New Music
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Despite being Eugene Hector’s most straightforward, dancefloor-oriented alias, Tuff Sherm is about as esoteric as they come, traversing between funky bassline house and Actress-esque sparse techno expansions. Shrapnel Maestro is Hector’s first full length as Tuff Sherm and marks a departure from earlier, more synth-heavy releases. There isn’t much of a coherent thread throughout the LP, but that’s all the better as the LP draws sounds from Berlin, Bristol, Chicago and another dimension inhabited by technobots that scientists haven’t discovered yet. Like much of Hector’s past work as both Dro Carey and Tuff Sherm, the LP is rough around the edges and guttural sounding, but as tracks like “Monarch Engineer” denote, also captivatingly danceable. Stream the LP below and grab it for a measly two dollars. Look for a Dro Carey/Tuff Sherm exclusive in our pages very soon.

JETS (Jimmy Edgar & Machinedrum) Explore Clubland In Latest FACT Mix

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November 26, 2012
Mixes, New Music, Remixes
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The partnership between Jimmy Edgar and Machinedrum makes too much sense. The two came up in similar fashions, crafting their own individual takes on electro and club music and now reside in Berlin. Despite the superpower implications of their JETS project, the buildup to their self-titled EP felt somewhat restrained, as if excitement was implied instead of exuded. The Jets EP is an impressive release in every sense of the word, borrowing dance from tropes from across the bass music sphere with the result being four tightly wound balls of energy. What the EP lacks though is a certain flair for the dramatic that is readily apparent in both Edgar and Stewart’s solo work. As technically proficient as the EP is, it lacks a certain rawness that can transform a release from just another EP into something that will be played out years down the road.

Regardless of the EP’s relative shortcomings, the partnership between Edgar and Stewart is sure to bear more succulent fruit, the first sign of which comes in the form of their contribution to FACT Mag’s mix series. Rife with exclusives, the mix is a 75+ minute marathon through a club wasteland, littered with the defiled carcasses of dozens of sub-genres. There is unreleased JETS material, as well as unreleased solo jawns from Edgar and Stewart. There is a break for old timey radio ads. There is a Machinedrum remix of Triple Six Mafia’s “Who Run It” (!!!) an Edgar remix of Body Language’s “Lose My Head”. If you’re looking for an introduction to the ambiguities of club and/or bass music, look no further than this mix. I just got excited about JETS all over again. Stream and download below.