I've always loved Droon since he was making nasty, harsh as hell breakcore/mashups. I mean, anyone who's heard Cripplefight knows this is one hugely entertaining producer.
Sadly, with the demise of breakcore a lot of these sort of productions fell out of favour as DJs started making cleaner, more pronounced house and bass music. Most DJs either jumped ship and started on electro or they simply sank into obscurity. Sadly, Droon kinda falls into both categories.
To celebrate our first birthday we asked two of our favourite DJs, BD1982 and Jubilee, to put together a mix each so we could release them both instead of the usual once-a-month deal. We put Brian's mix out two weeks ago and now it's Jess's turn.
On top of all that, she is also one half of Bassanovva with Grahmzilla. The two have an EP out on Sinden's Grizzly imprint. Check that out here and browse the beatport chart she put together to listen to some of the tracks featured in her mix.
Tracklist:
01. R1 Ryders - Pop Shit Off 02. C.R.S.T. - Dance (Mosca Remix) 03. Magnum - Juracan (Randomer Remix) 04. Octa Push - Monkey Island 05. Brenmar - You Make Me Say (Ikonika & Optimum Remix) 06. LV & Okmalumkoolkat - Boomslang 07. Brenmar - Back Beating 08. Seiji - Weedkiller 09. Roska & Untold - Myth 10. Breach - Fatherless (Doc Daneeka MRR SNRZZ Remix) 11. Kingdom - Remember feat. Tiombe Lockhart 12. Contakt - The Otherness 13. Untold - Stereo Freeze 14. Kutz - Hypno
Parisian mean machine Mikix The Cat has a new EP out on Trouble & Bass. The new EP 'Girls Keep On Wondering' promises the same tech-house brilliance we've seen in the past.
To coincide with its release he's put together a mix of Chicago House-inspired favourites of his, as well as a selection of MTC tracks from his new EP. With such a high quality back catalogue, it's no surprise the internets have been ablaze with blog-based love for Señor The Cat.
Grab the Smashcast here and then fork out your pennies for the privilege of owning a copy here.
The latest release on Southern Fried from Malente is now available for your listening pleasure. The whole release is worth getting just for the opening track 'Ja Ja Ja', which features Spieltrieb and the classic Tarzan holler sample.
Stream the whole release below and then click the beatport link to buy it.
The fifth edition of our (sort of) monthly podcast comes from Chicago's very own Willy Joy. With elements of electro, house, UK funky, pop, techno and heavy bass all coming to the fore, this is a well put together mix capable of getting just about everyone doing the running man.
His newest release with Rob Threezy on Trouble & Bass comes as part of their Heavy Bass Champions Of The World series. With his releases getting support from the likes of Diplo, Drop The Lime, Brodinski & Boy 8-Bit, this mix shows exactly why he has friends in high places.
Check out his Heavy Bass Champions Of The World X EP with Rob Threezy here and look out for a forthcoming release on Plant Music.
01. Alan 1 - Concertmate (Bobermann Remix) 02. Lauren Pritchard - Not The Drinking (Riva Starr Remix) 03. Robyn - With Every Heartbeat (Nacey Bootleg) 04. Heavyfeet - Here We Go Again 05. Foamo - Here Comes 06. Jazzbit - Sing Sing (Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup Dub) 07. Bart Bmore, Nom De Strip & Little Bastard - Bollymore 08. Bird Peterson - Dropsy 09. Homework - I Got One (You're It) 10. Willy Joy - A Woman Like Me (Hot Version) 11. Scissor Sisters - Any Which Way (Carte Blanche Remix) 12. Katy B - Louder 13. Ethix - Breaking Bad (Nick Catchdubs & Proper Villains Remix) 14. Human Life - Wherever We Are (Grum Remix) 15. RCMP - USA Groove (Burnso Remix)
Canadian boy wonder A-Trak (Kanye West's former tour DJ) has returned with a new tune 'Ray Ban Vision' with Kanye's new protégé CyHi Da Prynce. The track is to be released on the Fool's Gold Vol. 1, the debut compilation on Fool's Gold, on October 25.
While A-Trak's focus lays mainly within the field of electro/bass/house these days, he does have more than his fair share of hip-hop credentials, having won the DMC championships at the tender age of 15. The duo will be performing at the Fool's Gold third anniversary party which will be a part of Pitchfork's Offline Festival at Brooklyn Bowl, October 23.
It seems the current onslaught of rain and the recent departure of Mary Anne Hobbs from Radio 1 are not the only grim elements in our collective conscious. Yes, three certainly is the magic number as far as misery is concerned as news reaches us of the death of the genuinely legendary Aaron-Carl (nee Aaron-Carl Ragland).
After a well-publicised struggle with cancer Ragland passed away, despite posts on his Facebook and Twitter remaining positive to the last regarding his diagnosis and treatment. A quick scan of the internet reveals a mass of producers, journalists, DJs and fans alike mourning this loss on a personal level.
In a career spanning two decades, Aaron honed and advanced the Detroit house sound in a way that no other DJ could. While the Belleville Three (Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May) developed the sound in its infancy, it was Aaron-Carl who nurtured the scene and essentially bank-rolled labels such as Mahogani, Ovum, Underground Resistance/Soul City and his own Wallshaker Music imprint.
"Aaron knew how to move a crowd with an unprecedented warmth and love."
Mumdance is set to release his first solo effort on the mighty Mad Decent, simply titled 'Mum Decent'. The EP is out this Monday in the UK and Europe and Tuesday in the US and the rest of the world.
The video for the lead single 'Forget Me Now' features Esser and is to premier on Pitchfork the day of the US release. You can preview the EP at Mad Decent.
Check out the bonus track 'Battle' featuring Esser below:
Mustard Pimp have released a brand-spanking new EP called 'Rock Paper Scissors'. Including the Cherry/Kiwi Remix EP, this is their fourth on Dim Mak and sixth overall.
And for your listening pleasure, you can stream all three tracks or you can download the first track 'Rock' featuring the talents of Hot Pink Delorean in shining 320! Rock Paper Scissors EP by Mustard Pimp
New York ravager of parties Udachi has a new EP out on Palms Out Sounds featuring the knob-twiddling wizardry of his old Staten Island pal iBeat. The EP is called 'Swagger' and came out yesterday with remixes from Baobinga, AC Slater, Tactic, Deathface (of Guns N' Bombs fame) & Andreas Bygdell.
Throwing elements of tropical, new york heavy bass, kuduro and good old fashioned rave into the mixing pot, with a storming 808-filled bounce from Baobinga. But as ever when he's on the remix rosta, it's AC Slater's heavy bass remix which is sure to become a classic in the clubs.
While you wait for your copy to download, why not stream the EP below or listen to Udachi's delightful Swagger Promo mixtape? Don't expect to be welcome here if you don't. Oh, and the Baobinga remix is there for you to download as well, you ungrateful oiks.
Udachi - Swagger Promo Mixtape 01. Udachi & Mike Cash – Circadian Riddim [Unsigned] 02. Dre Skull & Juiceboxxx – Hype-a-pella [Vicious Pop] 03. Toddla T ft Wayne Marshall – Sky Surfing (Douster remix) [Ninja Tune] 04. Kry Wolf – Stand Up (Vocal Mix) [Forthcoming Party Like Us Records] 05. Lorenzo Vektor – Turn it Up (Canblaster Remix) [Silverback Records] 06. Savage Skulls ft Timbuktu – Bumps [Dubsided] 07. Udachi ft iBeat – Swagger [Palms Out] 08. Bart B More & Harvard Bass – Listen to This [Sound Pellegrino] 10. Congorock ft Mr. Lexx – Babylon [Fools Gold] 10. Nadastrom – Save Us (John Roman Nigerian Dub) [Discobelle] 11. Zombies for Money – Sururumba (Caribe Mix) [Trouble and Bass] 12. Jamal & Commodore 069 – Favela Bounce [Hot N Heavy Recordings] 13. Kastle – Better off Alone (Udachi Remix) [Seclusiasis] 14. Tony Rocky Horror – Champion Sound [Hot N Heavy Recordings] 15. Doug Surreal – Riverman Skank [Badman Press] 16. Udachi & Jubilee – Smoke-a-pella [Nightshifters] 17. FC Kahuna – Hayling (ILS Remix) [SKiNT] 18. Udachi ft iBeat – Swagger (Baobinga Remix) [Palms Out] 19. Flinch – Midnight Hustle (AC & Dell VIP) [Party Like Us Records] 20. Udachi ft iBeat – Swagger (Deathface Remix) [Palms Out]
On August 23 The Count & Sinden will be releasing a new LP on Domino. As such, the first single 'After Dark' (which features the Mystery Jets) has already been released.
The LP boasts a broad range of styles: from House to Bassline to Funky to Baltimore as well as the vocal talents of B'more star Rye Rye and Londoners Katy B and Bashy.
You can stream the whole thing at FACT magazine for 10 days from today and in the mean time you can download 'After Dark' below.
News of the new Tron movie, or rather its soundtrack, has spilled all over the internet like a burst Um Bongo and as such mp3s are magically available for your aural pleasure. Sexy.
The soundtrack is being made by Daft Punk for those buggers at Disney for the sequel to the 1982 film where a guy gets kidnapped into a computer and has to do loads of challenges to get out and is helped by some trusty anti-virus software or something. Frankly I'm staggered it was ever made, but that was the 80s and they did things differently back then.
In fairness the music is amazing and these two tracks both feature prominently in the trailers. I can't honestly say if I'll actually go to see the film but I'm a big Daft Punk fan and I'm still enjoying the soundtrack.
Literally, all I know about this chap is he's from Gainesville and his name may or may not be Dick. It's most likely David.
The first track, a remix of 'Superfuzz' by St. Beethoven, is currently featured in the top 15 of Soundcloud's hot list. The second track is an awesome funky mash-up of two songs I have never ever heard but now love more than anything, with one sampling 'Incense & Peppermints' by Strawberry Alarm Clock to devastating effect.
Sounding very much like 'Baba O'Riley' during an aneurysm, 'Escape Velocity' sees The Chemical Brothers attempting grandeur but in the end it turns out to be just a really long song. As did the rest of the album, it bored the arse off me and was so bland and repetitive I found it almost impossible to pay attention to.
'Swoon' also sounds like it's borrowed from somewhere I can't quite place and that made for a really irritating listen. And for some reason all the vocals sound like Snow Patrol, which is awful. Just awful.
The tracks themselves are OK but nothing really stands out and you've forgotten it as soon as you've heard it. 'Snow' is alright, sort of a grower but takes far too long to get going and isn't really that great once you get there.
If you could somehow pass it through a filter that would remove the vocals and then on some of the tracks every single sound (I couldn't even finish the last track), you might end up with a decent electro or house record. Since The Chems decided not to do this it is not a decent electro or house record in the slightest and they are off my Christmas card list.
Stand out tracks: Horsepower
Title: Further (6325302) Artist: The Chemical Brothers Out now on EMI
Following on from last year's Trollsta EP, the long-awaited second EP from Texan producer Dubbel Dutch has finally hit shops. It's attracted a lot of attention in recent months from DJs and bloggers alike. It's a three track EP, with the title track 'Throwback' garnering the most interest. Incorporating elements of Funky and garage with bassline and house, Dubbel Dutch takes UK music and adds his own unique twist. 'Throwback' stands out with a heavy B'more drum beat and glitchy vocals setting it apart from the majority of the releases at the moment.
The second track 'Deep Underground' starts off as a traditional Funky track before bringing elements of electro and some ravey synths to beef things up. The final track, 'Fool In You' is a dubstep affair with a slight lean towards the junglism a la Burial.
Our good chums at Valeo Productions are shouting their lungs about the new Poirier release. I've only heard a couple of tracks (you can tuck into those little beauties below) but it's really promising and could well be my favourite release of the year.
He's always been a favourite of mine, riding the different styles without committing to any particular one, excelling in each. His new album promises to make Funky look embarrassing and I really can't wait, which makes a change - it's been a long time since I've been excited about music. And by the looks of things the Ninja Tune and Valeo chaps are pretty giddy about it too:
After 3 EPs showcasing the different sides of his new musical project, Poirier is releasing his concept album with an additional bonus disc on Ninja Tune for a total of 28 tracks with vocals by Burro Banton, YT, Face-T, MC Zulu, Warrior Queen and remixes by Sticky, Douster, Wildlife!, Uproot Andy and more. Running High is already available in Japan and Poirier's home country Canada, but it's about to come out in Europe and in the US (release & tour dates below). This album is a unique blend of electronic and Caribbean music that will satisfy the heads and the dancers (think soca-dancehall meets 90's techno and bass). A brand new video translates the leftfield party vibe of the Montreal-based DJ/producer.
Running High Release Dates In Stores in Japan & Canada April 24th : Europe May 2nd: USA Poiriersound.com
Just as 2006 belonged to electro, 2007 and 2008 to dubstep, and 2009 to bassline, so too will 2010 belong to UK Funky. So what better way to kick off the year in funky (even though it's March, for fuck's sake) than to review DJ Donna Summer's first release on Nightshifters in 2 years?
I wouldn't say I'm a convert yet, but the possibilities within the genre have been opened up to me. Tracks like 'Wood' remind me of the old glitchy records that tigerbeat6 used to put out back in the day. The percussion-oriented tracks seem to allow for more irregular time signatures, which is encouraging, but the RnB element that never seems to die still exists in funky. Which is gay.
You can always rely on Donna Summer to do something exciting with a genre or style of music. Hopefully, the jungle element will come to the fore and BPMs will go up again. He's bagged a good bunch of producers for remix duties as well: Noise Floor Crew and Hostage deliver as expected, and Bok Bok delivers what some are describing as his best tune yet, but Sonido Del Principe are the surprising little gem with a Cumbia-inspired take on Funky.
I've always loved Droon since he was making nasty, harsh as hell breakcore/mashups. I mean, anyone who's heard Cripplefight knows this is one hugely entertaining producer.
