DJ Donna Summer - Raw [Video]

DJ Donna Summer - Raw from Nightshifters on Vimeo.
Here's the video for DJ Donna Summer's new single 'Raw' out early next month on Nightshifters. This is definitely one for the wee small hours when you're so slaughtered the rooms spinning faster than the records and the only thing keeping you standing is the reverberations from the bass.

So look out for this bad mother, and stay tuned over the next couple of months for Donna's opening mix in the Kick Out The Jam mixtape series AND an interview with the man himself!

Third Efterkleng LP out tomorrow!

Danish fourpiece Efterklang are releasing their third LP, 'Magic Chairs', tomorrow on 4AD. To whet your appetites they've posted the entire album on their MySpace page for you to stream.

The album is one in a long line of ethereal-sounding lo-fi bands to drift over from the depths of Scandanavia. I know that sentence doesn't exactly fill you with excitement but I'm genuinely excited about this band; they're not just another run-of-the-mill nu-folk group with no soul and no songs. Efterklang's music displays a definite acknowledgement of what has gone before: post-rock, folk, lo-fi and brings it together in a really tight, well-considered album.

Video by Kristian Leth.

So often a band or singer comes out with one slightly catchy song that just sounds like a carbon copy of a carbon copy of Björk. Not Efterklang. Their album works as an entirety rather than one single and 9 b-sides, an increasing rarity these days.

Essentially, this is pop music but it's so fantastically produced and performed that it seems reductive and kind of insulting to describe it that way. 'Modern Drift' is definitely going to be a really huge tune; coupling beautiful lyrics, soaring string melodies and arpeggiated synths. Basically, if you can imagine Elbow (at their symphonic best) with a bit of a post-rock flavour to them you're only halfway to realising just how amazing this band is.

Winter North Atlantic @ The Cumberland Arms - 22/02/10

Winter North Atlantic are playing a gig tomorrow night at The Cumberland Arms. At £4 in it's an absolute steal and if you like your music warm and snuggly then head on down. The line up includes WNA, Keser and Dextro.

I'm told all three bands will bring their own particular brand of acoustic instrumentation coupled with layered electronics and a lot of technical jiggery-pokery. All in all if you like Mogwai and Boards Of Canada, you'll have a really shwicked time.

Judging from the Facebook page for the event it'll be like the glory days of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, which is nice.

New Duran Duran Duran mix!

While I work on a couple of things I just wanted to post this bouncing bomb of a mix from Duran Duran Duran for all y'all. It's the second most recent free release on the Cock Rock Disco label and contains "ass shaking lazer booty that causes snakes to crash planes and wizards to learn kung fu", apparently.

Be warned.

Go here to download it.

New Drop The Lime tune!

Drop The Lime has fired out a new tune as part of the new 'Heavy Bass Champions Of The World' series before he gets down to all his remix and production duties. This first volume is a club-friendly bassfest full of the usual wobbly basslines and whatnot.


You can grab the little rascal at Beatport, Amazon, iTunes and Turntable Lab.

You should also subscribe to the 'Smashcast' on iTunes for a series of podcasts from the Trouble & Bass team. The second episode sees Kanji Kinetic take to the mp3 decks of steel.

Below 100 Hz: Matta - The Lost

Ad Noiseam are getting 2010 off to a flying start with the launch of their 'Below 100 Hz' series, which has already featured releases from Broken Note, Mathhead, Mothboy and Funckarma. The first edition features a UK duo, Matta making their debut effort.

"Ad Noiseam starts 2010 with the bass in the red: the first release for this year on the label, the debut record by the young and very promising british duo Matta will come out in the first week of March, ready to shatter some subwoofers and knock clubgoers off their feet."

The three track release will be out on vinyl and digital on March 8th. Stay tuned for Hecq and Karsten Pflum.

Head on over to the Ad Noiseam site to buy the little rascal and read a bit more about Matta. And as a little teaser, download the following tune...

Download: Matta - Inquisition Part III

Starkey - Craters [Video]

Happy Valentine's Day, you lonely bastards!

Download: Robin Thicke - Sex Therapy (LOL Boys Trop'n Screw Remix)

New Udachi single 'P-Funk Skank'

New York bassmeister Udachi has a new single, 'P-Funk Skank', which came out a few days ago on Party Like Us Records with remixes from Costello, B.Rich, Ricorb and Nadastrom. It's his first since last year's 'Jellyroll' and only his second original release as Udachi. As expected, the PLUR crew were beside themselves with glee:

"Party Like Us Records is back! Coming off the heels of his collaboration with Jubilee (Paypur/Smoke Rings EP) on the Nightshifters label, Udachi finally delivers his long awaited first original production since the underground favorite "Jellyroll" that came out on Trouble & Bass last summer. "P-Funk Skank" is a full on uplifting peak time party track with hands in the air brass horns and twisted bass driving the tune."

Here's a little teaser of the video as well:


You can grab the little rascal at Beatport so the poor bugger can eat. While you set about doing that, why don't you indulge in some free stuff so kindly offered up by Mr. Udachi himself?

Download: Udachi - P-Funk Skank (Original) :: Udachi - P-Funk Skank (Nadastrom Remix)

Hot diggedy! It's Dub Boy!

Our good pals at Bass Music Blog have posted a dishy little mix by Bristol's latest export, Dub Boy that he made for the Dutch bassline peeps Bomb Diggy. It contains lots of bass-oriented sexuality in the form of dubstep, funky, bassline and dancehall. It's a very summery affair and is sure to help you forget it's February for at least an hour.

01. Baobinga & ID – Ride It
02. Busy Signal – Step Out (Mosca’s Step It On The Frontline Remix)
03. Sticky – Jumeriah Riddim
04. Bunji Garlin – Fire Now (Mr Leub’s Jumeriah Riddim Remix)
05. Contagno – Smash
06. Flippa Mafia – Tight Tight (Old Mattrass Riddim)
07. Pamputtae – Sidung Pon Di Buddy (Old Mattrass Riddim)
08. Mr G – Wining So (Old Mattrass Riddim)
09. Mr G – Old Mattrass Version
10. NB Funky vs. Natasja – Bonfire Riddim Box (Steak House Remix)
11. Jera – Jungle Dub
12. Stush – We Nah Run (Sirens Riddim)
13. Sean Paul – Temperature (Heatwave Remix – Sirens Riddim)
14. Maxwell D – Drunken Master (Crackish Riddim)
15. Lil Silva – Different
16. Vybz Kartel – Tek Buddy (DJ Shredda Remix – Different Riddim)
17. Vybz Kartel – Ramping Shop (DJ Shredda Remix – Different Riddim) feat. Spice
18. Maxwell D – Blackberry Hype (Different Riddim)
19. Dub Boy & Atki2 – Tigerflower (Grevious Angel Remix)
20. Major Lazer – Jump Up (Laza Beam Remix)
21. Poirier – Coco Drunk
22. Busy Signal – Da Style Deh (Heatwave Remix – Dutty Trumpet Riddim)
23. Benga & Coki – Night (Geeneus Remix)
24. Shabba Ranks – Love U No More (Sublusive Remix)
25. Monkey Steak – Haarlem Drift
26. Demarco – Love A Come Down feat. Michael Montano

Download: Dub Boy - Tropical Bass Mix

New Rusko single is anything but new

According to the Mad Decent blog, Rusko's "new" single Woo Boost is out at the end of this month. Yep, you read that right. They STILL haven't released that tune yet. There's building up hype and then there's building up hype before completely forgetting what you were doing, doing something else for a while and then resuming the task half-heartedly a year later.

I'm sorry, but is that not the worst idea ever? Not only has that track been out so long and played so many times that everyone hates it, but it's also been bootlegged so many times that everyone already has it. In fact, they bootlegged it, played it to death and deleted it all before the year was out.

So why this is being released at all is a mystery. The b-sides and remixes will have to be pretty fucking special to raise its value above that of the empty sleeve. In their defence, I suspect what happened was it got lost in the switch from Sub Soldiers to Mad Decent, but still. I mean, surely you'd just forget about it since no one's actually going to buy it.

Hostage Essential Mix for Annie Mac + free new tune 'Skin Out'

Big news about the next couple of months at KOTJ: I'll be interviewing Starkey, DJ Donna Summer and Kid606; but sooner than that, the first volume of the Kick Out The Jam mix series will be hitting you square in the knackers in around a month's time with a contribution from none other than Donna Summer himself, Jason Forrest.

In the mean time, Hostage has recorded a session for Annie Mac's Essential Mix live at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh. This is what the good chaps at Nightshifters had to say about things:

"Wow, 2010 looks to be an IN-SANE year for us here @ Nightshfters! There's a lot of awesome stuff happening for us (don't worry- we'll let you know when the time is right) but for now- what's that?- Hostage scores a live Essential Mix in Edinburgh with Annie Mac just last week! The crowd goes wild!! We ripped it from the BBC so you could have more than 7 days to check it out! haha!" - Jason Forrest

Right click + save as below to get his Essential mix and a brand-spanking new tune, 'Skin Out'. The tracklisting is in the folder with the rather snazzy artwork.

Download: Hostage - Skin Out :: Hostage - BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix

Debut Kingdom single out today!

Kingdom's long awaited debut single 'Mind Reader' has finally been released on Fool's Gold after months of teasing remixes. It features Shyvonne on vocals and has a banging b-side in the shape of 'You'.

Remixes come from Bok Bok, L-Vis 1990 and Todd Edwards. Head on over to Beatport, iTunes or Turntable Lab to buy the little rascal or a bird will lay eggs in your stomach.

Download: L-Vis 1990 - United Groove (Kingdom Remix)

3 free tunes from The Plastician

The Plastician's just uploaded 3 new-ish mp3s to his Soundcloud page for you to download all to yourself. The first's a remix of the worst thing to happen to dubstep, 'Snoop Dogg Millionaire', the second a remix of one of the two redeeming songs on Chew Lips' album 'Unicorn', 'Salt Air'. The final tune is a Plastician original, 'Working Title'.

His remix of 'Snoop Dogg Millionaire' is actually much better than the original but I still completely disagree with Snoop Dogg doing dubstep. The 'Salt Air' remix is of course brilliant, but it's 'Working Title' that stands out.

It's a grimey little number with cheeky little sirens dotted around and a darkness that harks back to old school drum & bass (not Old Skool) and German techno like The Panacea.

Most importantly, though he's looking for guest vocalists to upload their efforts to http://bln.kr/plasticianrmx. I suggest some soulful vocals...

Or ragga.

Starkey @ Deviate - 05/03/10

Starkey will be bringing some street bass justice to Newcastle at the beginning of March as part of the Deviate club nights at World Headquarters.

"Straight off a plane from the USA Starkey will be bringing his own unique STREET BASS sound to Deviate @ WHQ. A true legend in his own right, Starkey was the only USA artist to be featured on Mary Anne Hobb's now legendary Dubstep Wars radio show where he astounded everyone with his furious mix of all things bass."

Tickets are £7 advance or you can pay on the door if you're as disorganised as me. The Deviate nights always prove to be a lot of fun and there's always a really inclusive crowd there - although the handbags and high heels have started to creep in a little...

Four Tet - There Is Love In You

Four Tet's fifth album was always going to struggle to follow 2005's 'Everything Ecstatic'. In the end, it looks as though he's produced a surprisingly solid release. Whether it consistently meets those demands is not always so easy to argue.

Hebden first began his music-making journey in 1997 with the post-rock/electronica band Fridge. Around 2001 the group informally parted ways, allowing Adam Ilhan and Sam Jeffers to attend college while Hebden focused on his own solo material. With his fourth album, 'Everything Ecstatic', everything exploded for him as his music began appearing in adverts and even Quantum Of Solice - not that anyone actually saw that film.

And he has the Radiohead seal of approval, having remixed 'Scatterbrain' from 'Hail To The Thief' ad supporting them on their 2003 European tour. Since then, his collaboration with Burial opened dubstep fans up to the possibilities of life after bass, whilst earning him an infinite number of cool points.

Tracks like 'Love Cry' blend the percussion-based melodies of his earlier work with the dark, techy melodies of 'Everything Ecstatic' to create a truly introspective release that flirts with everything from folk to techno to italo without becoming derivative. What's impressive is this blending of sounds and styles never detract from his own signature glitchy sound. His music is so removed from what is going on in the mainstream that it retains relevance and uniqueness across the years.

Unfortunately, Hebden only touches on the brilliance that went before, struggling to balance technical prowess with palatable melodies. Some tracks like 'Plastic People' manage it perfectly, but others get swallowed up by the skippy, glitches he puts in for almost no reason at all. Despite that, however, it is still a solid album and much better than 'Dialogue'. If you're expecting an improvement on 'Everything Ecstatic', then keep looking. Otherwise, tuck in and try to listen to this on its own merits, rather than in relation to its predecessor.

Stand out tracks: Love Cry, Plastic People, This Unfolds
Download: Four Tet - Love Cry (Joy Orbison Remix)

Title: There Is Love In You (wig254)
Artist: Four Tet
Out now on Domino

Second Starkey single from 'Ear Drums & Black Holes'

If there's one artist who continues to surprise me and exceed my expectations it's Starkey. His new single 'Stars' (out March 8th on Planet Mu), featuring Anneka on vocals is taken from the forthcoming album 'Ear Drums & Black Holes' (out April 19th) and builds on the brilliance of his debut.

The title track 'Stars' is a very laidback, almost housey affair with an ethereal tint. Slugabed's remix, however, really adds something the original lacks, bringing out the bassy noisiness and launching it in to more club-friendly territory. Clearly, Kieran "Four Tet" Hebden is an influence on Geissinger as the fluttering synths and gentle melodies mark a more introverted departure from the snare-heavy grime of olde.

That's not to say Starkey has abandoned heavy bass music, the b-side 'Starting Gates' sees him create what can only be described as "drillstep". The grimey, arpeggiated synths made famous on his first LP risk getting lost in the rest of the layers at times but this arguably only adds to the bass-heavy thump of it.

This is a date you should really mark in your diary because it might just be better than 'Ephemeral Exhibits'. And with any luck it'll mark the demise of that godawful subgenre "ravestep".

While you wait, tuck into this preview he posted on his Soundcloud page: