February 2012
3 posts
5 tags
Taprikk Sweezee - Volt (Kidkanevil Remix)
It sure makes me feel old to say this, but I can remember how MTV changed my life. I can recall the pressure I put on my parents to get us cable TV, and then to get me a TV in my own room, all for one single purpose - watching music videos all day long.
Not enough videos are made for music I enjoy these days (and by videos I mean real ones, not just collections of 80’s tv clips). I...
3 tags
Kutmah - Portis
Cali beatgenious in LDN exile Kutmah comes up here with a weird, dark and dirty lil EP named Dusted Back Alley Beats, something that calls for the right time of night to really get in to. “Living in London and misses the fucking sun” says the info at bandcamp, and you can def hear that British greyness sipping into his soul.. In fact, if not for this beat, I just might have...
6 tags
Miqi O. - Untold VI
My french homie monsieur Miqi O., a true beatman, with a tendency to the extremes, has been releasing his Untold beats EPs series for nearly 2 years now, and the time has come to end it all in big fashion.
Enter Untold VI, a full album of remixes by many a beatcrafts, playing around with the originals and putting in their own sound and feel to each beat. Some rather big names from the scene...
January 2012
9 posts
7 tags
Zebra Katz - Ima Read
Zebra katz - Ima Read from Mad Decent on Vimeo.
Now this ain’t what I usually post on this blog, but this song, combined with this badass video has got me obsessed for the last few days, ever since I first saw it.
What the hell is this? Rap about school and reading? There’s a lot of bitch this bitch that involved, but still, it all takes place in a school and there’s talk...
5 tags
heRobust - Late Night / Morning After
heRobust is quickly shaping up to be one of the most interesting beat makers around. With high production values and, more importantly, a deep sick groove and a hectic musical mind, he seems to be nailing it with every single release lately.
Today he drops two(!) new albums on Saturate Records, and even though I’ve only just sampled them (they were out an hour ago I guess) I can full...
5 tags
6 tags
Stavrogin - Halves
Totally slept on this one. Don’t think I heard of it when it came out almost 3 months ago, but I’m actually happy it surfaced only now as it’s such a perfect fit for the winter nights.
Can’t really tell you much about this release. The info on bandcamp says Coutrship Records are a small digital release record label established by four friends based in Seattle, WA,...
7 tags
Gem Drops Two
Its winter. It’s winter and it’s raining. It’s raining and my office is freezing. I wear a scarf about 16 hours a day. I used to dislike winter. I think I’m enjoying it this time around. I think I get it now. And this brings us to the subject of this post.
Almost a year after the first installment, Dropping Gems drop another fine compilation of dreamy, blueish, sugar...
4 tags
Hi-Hat Club Vol. 6 - Haus & Garten
The superb Melting Pot Music beat series Hi-Hat Club is back with a new installation, it’s 6th, this time around featuring one of my favourite beat crafts out there, Dj Adlib. Best thing about Adlib, who’s no stranger to forward thinking, bass driven beats, is that he nevertheless remembers to always hold the structure, to keep it simple, to stay in the groove and not jump the...
4 tags
Lianne La Havas - Forget (Shlohmo remix)
First heard of Lianne La Havas back earlier last year when Put Me On It posted this lovely video of her playing the guitar and singing in a cab being so beautiful and so gifted. The potential was huge, but I need a beat to get me going, that’s just the way it is.
Along comes Shlohmo with this mesmerising remix, ever so gentle, oh so beautiful. Perfect fit for my slight case of the...
4 tags
Disclosure - Flow
I don’t usually blog about forthcoming music that can’t be purchased or downloaded yet. I mean, hype is great and all, but when I get the hots for a track and can’t get my hands on it I only get frustrated, rather than excited for it’s release.
That being said - Damn! Disclosure!
These two young brothers from South West London seem to get me almost every single time...
5 tags
The Range - The Big Dip
Astro Nautico, a label I’ve discovered only recently, deliver this splendid underhyped album by the relatively unkown James Hinton aka The Range, hailing from Rhode Island. Heavily influenced by Footwork, this album is nevertheless far away from a rhythm centered affair, and only builds on these beats and uses them as another component in The Range’s highly emotional music.
...
December 2011
4 posts
2 tags
Machinedrum - U Don't Survive (SBTRKT edit)
Define BIG
4 tags
5 tags
Guilty Simpson - Close Curtains (BoomBaptist...
BIG!
Was tipped about this one quite a while back, and it’s finally here. So excited to see BoomBaptist gradually being acknowledged for his ever improving beat crafting skills, as he so deserves to be.
As usual, Boombaptist serves up a melodical and rounded yet sharp and punchy beat, a flaoty 8-bit tipped remix of Guilty Simpson. Not too sure what else to write here, only saw a tweet...
6 tags
Ye Mighty - Fuse
No they Didn’t!
My oh my. What a tune we got here. Ye mighty step up to drop this wicked cover version of one of the biggest and sickest tunes of last year, probably Hudson Mohawke’s most recognized track - Fuse.
I especially like the fact that though it is a live band cover, this version does still keep more than a few electronic elements, nurturing the original psychedellic...
November 2011
4 posts
3 tags
1000names - Machine City
Svetlana Industries are continuing to establish themselves as one of the more interesting, boundary pushing, forward thinking labels around with this brand new EP they just released for Bulgarian duo 1000names.
Been waiting to hear more of these beats coming from Sofia, seeing that Before Sunrise released early 2011 had been one of my favourite tunes of the year (and was played on the very...
7 tags
ARP.101 - U
ARP.101 has recently delivered a promise that’s long been awaiting it’s day. It’s already been out there for a month and a half, but I still wanted to drop a word about this one.
Eglo records, definitely one of my top labels of 2011, has released this 3 track EP, a sweet pill of floaty funkasized synths and beats, just the way I like them served, ladened with robotic...
8 tags
B. Bravo - Kiss 'n' Tell
You know how when you expect too much of something you are more likely to end up disappointed? Well this is not the case.
B. Bravo has been, in my opinion, the undenied Future Boogie don, ever since I heard that epic Computa Love joint sometime late 2009. Many cats out there are trying to master this space funk vibe, but most of them, as good as they might be, can’t seem to come close...
3 tags
Faith Evans - Love Like This (Behling & Simpson...
A no BS edit by B + S. Doing right by Faith Evans. BIG. Only on vinyl though, and out of stock. Boo.
Their Futureboogie debut EP is one to check out too. Bristol Bass House to the max.
http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/products/BehlingSimpson-BehlingSimpsonEP-FutureBoogie-79427.html
October 2011
3 posts
6 tags
A True Obsession
Two of my favourite dudes in the game just joined forces to let this slow future funk bomb loose. SF Frite Nite label head Salva and the label’s biggest hot shot B. Bravo come together here on a new track off Salva’s upcoming EP Yellobone, both bringing in their best. Salva pon those filthy groove and beats, and B. Bravo with his signature synth and vocoder action. Damn hot this....
4 tags
Give It To Me
I’ve been twitting about making the posts here shorter and more frequent for some time now, and I’m finally ready to give it a try:
This here is the abstract new video for Greymatter’s Give It To Me Slow, out now on Wolf EP9. Already wrote about Greymatter here, and as ever, I am thrilled to hear new stuff coming from him, seeing him going from strength to strength...
5 tags
Banks Holiday
So I was late to the party with posting about Azealia Banks and her 212 video, due to extreme lack of free time I’ve been experiencing (hence the terrible “Postless September”). While I was not posting about it, everyone seemed to have jumped on the ship and Ms. Banks was hyped all over the place, to the point when she twitted this:
Thought i’d just let...
August 2011
4 posts
8 tags
Boombaptist - The Creamixes
I was first Boombaptized sometime last year, when Boombaptist released his Boombaptism beat tape. I ain’t a Christian, but my Boombaptising was a spiritual experience non the less.
Boombaptist (when producing) aka Thesaraus Rex (when rapping) aka Andrew Thaggard (when being human) hailing from Austin, TX, has possibly been my favourite upandcoming beats producer since the very first...
7 tags
Luq Out!
Not really sure how I got round hearing some Luqman beats rolling through the interwebs. Either way, I was feeling some of them, but then his fu’d up off-beat fugees flip hit me up, and the man got my full attention.
It was only then that I realized he was actually from Tel Aviv! See, in a small scene like we got going on here, it’s very rare for someone who’s constantly...
3 tags
Iron & Cream
Whenever I’m playing somewhere on a beats vibe, and feel like the joint is yearning for a delicious beat bomb to drop, I know I can put my trust in Pixelord. The post hip-hop beats this dude, probably the biggest Russian beat head ever, has been producing, are always bigger than life, bass heavy, flashing and bubbling with 8bit goodness, and always memorable. For me he’s been,...
6 tags
Boogie Down
Sometimes going through the never ceasing flow of new beat tapes constantly released worldwide can actually pay off. Parisian AAron Evo delivers here a beat tape jam packed with, well, jams. The boogie is strong with this one, the synths are just as filthy as they should be, while the beat and the bass blast out quality funk grooves. If you happen to like B. Bravo or AD Bourke’s laid...
July 2011
6 posts
3 tags
Letherette EP 2
Letherette, one of the hottest beatscrafts out there just released their second EP on Ho_Tep records and boy it’s a good one. Its six tracks span from the mellow groovy spectrum of the beats on Hold Close and Yeah Yeah Love to the energetic 4x4 of No Point and those future funk spaced out vibes of the opening track Bruse. Well worth your money. Cop it in all funky ass record shops on...
9 tags
Id, Ego, Superego, Finest Ego
After a Japanese, a Russian and the New Zealand/Australian beat compilations, Finest Ego are back at it again, with yet another fine selection of beats, this time putting the spotlight on the UK/Ireland scene.
While these compilations are a very good way to get a good picture of local beat scenes round the world, it’s quite hard to find a different flavour to each location....
2 tags
3 tags
Sensual Production
Always great to find out about some local talents I had no idea about. I’ve known Moscoman from the small Tel Aviv swamp, but only really got to meet him at Teder pop up radio this summer, as he’s been spinning right after my show there. Now, as great a DJ as he is, I was even happier to find out he’s got skillz in the production side too. Not sure how long he’s been...
3 tags
Ain't making it easier
It’s only been a few months since the release of his “You Stand Uncertain” album, one of the most intricate and beautiful albums of this year so far, and Falty DL just won’t let you sit back and absorb the beauty. “Mean Streets: Part One” was dropped a a short while later, with it’s eclectic grooves and diverse sounds, and already we got a brand new...
6 tags
Brownswood Electr*c 2
After last years’ first compilation’s success, Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings released the second offering in the Brownswood Electr*c series late this June, and while I’m still in the process of taking it all in, I can already say it definitely is an interesting and beautiful album that holds within it quite a few jems. The general atmosphere is a bit on the...
June 2011
3 posts
7 tags
Been keeping an ear on KRL since last year,...
3 tags
Amon Tobin's Vision
Amon Tobin’s early albums were one of my first and biggest matured musical passions, some many years ago. Together with Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, Hexstatic and Roni Size, he ignited my musical imagination and lust for complex electronic sampled beats and grooves. Like the rest of those guys, I kind of lost touch with his music in the years that followed (though I think he might be catching...
6 tags
Look - It's the Nineties!
For good or for worse, we all know they’re coming back. Actually, they are almost here now.
There are some things I like about the retro motif of culture, and some I don’t. When it comes to the Nineties, the decade that probably shaped me the most, I’m even more passionate about the things I like, and those I don’t: Bandanas, for instance.
Now, one thing in the that...
May 2011
6 posts
4 tags
MPC Sweatshop
Just last month I wondered out loud on twitter how on earth does Ta-Ku manage to produce so many (great) beats so frequently. One reply I got (by someone I don’t know) suggested he’s got himself a beats sweatshop in the Philipines, with 30 philipino ladies working round the clock in a small room full of MPCs. Funny as that may be, I really cannot find any other explanation. April...
5 tags
THE one
Hold on, Let me catch my breath for a sec.
Jon Phonics hasn’t just popped out of nowhere. He’s been around for a few years now, producing beats and collaborating with many MC’s out of the UK hip-hop scene (perhaps you remember his Half Past Calm series?), but it seems to me like 2011 is when it all fell in to place for him, and his beats hit that very sweet spot.
...
10 tags
If you're going to San Fran
It’s been a while now that I’ve been enjoying the quality sounds coming from Frite Nite records. This young San Francisco based label is home to quite a few artists who are constantly pushing the Beats/Garage/Bass scene’s sounds forward with releases by folks such as label head Salva, Boogie don B. Bravo, Lazer Bass head NastyNasty and Ango (who seems to have a new EP...
5 tags
NDV - Algoriddmic EP
One of the main goals I set for this blog when I launched it not too long ago was, besides writing about great new music, to support the local Tel Aviv and Israeli electronic scene, or at least the stuff I enjoy that’s being released here.
In that field, for the last year or so, Botanika records have been The main source to turn to, releasing nothing but consistent quality from some...
9 tags
Mind Boggling
A bit late to the party, but I feel I gotta post this one. First release by Boglewaltz manages to put together a compilation of beautiful cross genre soul infested gems with LDN written all over them. We got Morgan Zarate going post hop here, Guynamite taking it on a future soul boogie vibe, Kay Suzuki pulling a bit towards the dubbier glitchier synthier sides of it, Soundspecies taking out...
9 tags
Mad-Hop vol.2
Only two months after it’s predecessor was released, Mad-Hop vol. 2 hit the bandcamp shelves two days ago with 21 tasty beats and pieces jam packed inside. Producers from around the world and throughout the post-hop/8bit/whatever spectrum are featured on the compilation and while some of these bea(s)ts go a bit too far for me, those that hit the spot hit it hard and hit it well.
...
April 2011
4 posts
10 tags
All Of The Lights
Some songs were simply made to be remixed. I remember getting excited about Stac’s Turn That Light Out album a few months prior to it’s release last year, but eventually not really being taken by it, even though it sure was a nice album. But those songs deserved more, not to mention Stac with her sweet vocals and great delivery. And so I was very happy when later that year Wah...
4 tags
Great Minds Beat Alike
I like it when two different producers sample the same song. This time it’s also a good chance to write a bit about B. Lewis and Ambassadeurs who I wanted to post about for a while and didn’t quite get to.
B. Lewis is (yet another) super gifted beatmaker from California, and his latest 30 tracks long (!) release Science Within Reason is one sweet ride through electronic shiny...
8 tags
Don't Fake The Funk
Although it’s by far one of my favorite albums lately, I hadn’t written anything about Frite Nite’s label head Salva and his Complex Housing album. But now that Mike Gao’s new LP is out, I think I can try and merge these two into one post.
The beat scene is still very fresh, but it’s no longer so young, it’s borders have basically been set, and it’s...
5 tags
Turkish Delights
Sis Surpriz EP is out, and there’s nothing surprising about it. dEbruit has done it again. This talented Parisian-now-turned-Londoner beat head was by far one of the freshest producers to release music last year, and I’ve been waiting eagerly for his new EP ever since I’ve heard it’s preview mix (listen below) two months ago, and the wait is now over.
Always...
March 2011
8 posts
8 tags
My People
Liking what Greymatter is going through lately. I mean, been enjoying his music for quite some time, but it seems like he’s really stepped it up a notch recently. Late last year saw the release of his immense remix of Glory on Stac’s Turn The Lights Out: The Remixes / Vol. One, and now this one.
Also nice to hear again from Dekata Project, whose 2009 track At Least We Can Dance...
7 tags
Digging Digi
Though he’s been active since 2004, I only first stumbled upon Italian producer Cristiano Crisci AKA Digi G’Alessio’s music in Grillo’s latest Bubblegum Beats mix on Space Invader Radio. Then today I saw Finest Ego’s post about this EP, and was immediately captivated.
Disco Zambra’s beats are a perfect fit to my tastings. Fresh, crispy beats, with a lot of...
7 tags
The Right To Copy
One of the things I most like to find in my inbox is a new beat tape from 100 Akres aka Freshnerd aka Keith Mitchell, and that’s just what happened earlier this evening. One of the most prolific producers I know of, Freshnerd has been releasing these beat tapes on an (almost) one per month steady flow, focusing on a specific artist or album with each tape, flipping the original tracks...
5 tags
Side Brain - On The Second Moon Of Earth
Side Brain, aka Juda Baduda (ace name!), a very talented 25y.o. Israeli beatscraft now residing in L.A., beat capital of the world, released his debut album a bit more than a week ago on Bunny On Acid’s Holy Dubs Recordings.
Took my time with posting about this album, since it isn’t as easily digestible, or categorized to be more precise, like most other beat tapes and albums out...