shigeto - what we held on to
Peter Kim at Create Digital Music has a really nice piece with Shigeto, which includes a great tip on a free ep, What We Held On To, currently available from Ghostly International.
In the name of delayed gratification, here’s the download itself. Grab this while you can - this is a very solid release over five tracks.
As the presence of the Red Bull Music Academy has risen over the years, so has the stock of artists who’ve participated in the sessions - both students and teachers. The RBMA has become a spot for enlightening, Actor’s Studio-esque interviews with some of the top names in the diverse world of electronic music, while at the same time providing a platform for acts like Flying Lotus and others to launch their careers.
This year sees another yearbook release in the form of a free 2-disc set of work from both newcomers and established names who’ve come through the Academy. Grab the 320k version below.
VARIOUS ASSETS – NOT FOR SALE: RBMA LONDON 2010 (FREE DOWNLOAD)
CD1
01. Flava D – Ragga Sun
02. Robin Hannibal & Jullian Gomes – I Need Your Love
03. J-Wow & Sui Zhen – River Song
04. Marco Passarani & Julian Gomes – Walking Down Tooley Street
05. 00Genesis feat. Oddisee – Jackin4beats Pt. 1
06. Hudson Mohawke, Robin Hannibal & Myele Manzana – Ain’t Nobody Like You
07. Lucrecia Dalt & Makes Pants – Too Much Light
08. Chester Lone Ranger
09. James Pant & Lucrecia Dalt – A Breezy Slide Into Hell
10. Ango feat. Katy B – Fireworks
11. Poirier feat. Hasan Hujariri – Loop 1
12. Space Dimension Controller – Hazeygalacticwonkafunk
13. 00Genesis feat. Tranqill – Jackin4beats Pt. 2
14. Andras Fox, Sui Zhen & James Pants – Touch-N-Talk
15. Osborne, Modeselektor, Ango, Akshin, Ad Bourke & Vlad Caia – Jacbob Has Arrived
16. TOKiMONSTA, Lunice & Swede:art – Alpenglow
17. A Lone Boy, An Oud, A Theremin & A Funky Dread – T M 2
18. Clinic & Sui Zhen – Tell Me Once
19. Bala – London Mantra
CD2
01. Kidkanevil feat. Oddisee – Jackin4beats Pt. 3
02. Kool Clap & Venice – Vitamine
03. Ross McHenry, Biel Nascimbeni,Myele Manzanza, Jakob Schneidewind, Katy B & Infestus – The Song
04. Jackmaster, Mau’lin, Markur & Tony Nwachukwu – UK Hunky
05. Lunice – Strahl
06. Master MP6-60 & Robim Hannibal – Rocking All Night
07. TOKiMONSTA feat. Andreya Triana & Oddisee – Jackin4beats Pt. 4
08. B. Bravo & Robin Hannibal – What’s It Gonna Be
09. Dam Funk – I Need 2 Know
10. Sergej Fresh, Tutu Sweeney, Andras Fox, DJ Klem & Sui Zhen – Told Me
11. Lucrecia Dalt & Hasan Hujairi – Mimbre
12. 00Genesis – Endless Ocean
13. Homeless Inc, Juan Son & Jakobn Schneidewind – Solo
14. 00Genesis feat. Tranqill – Jackin4beats Pt.5
15. Tony Nwachunkwu & Tutu Sweeny – Breathin’
16. Daisuke Tanabe feat. May Roosevelt – Cказка
17. Amenta & J-Wow – Like That
18. Dza feat. AD Bourke – Endless Wishes
19. Flava D – It’s So Hard
20. Biel Nascimbeni & Juan Son – Cucaracha Madness Mix
21. Minus – Calling Number
22. Hasan Hujairi & May Roosevelt – Improvisation No. 136253892
i’m going to give mixcloud a shot to host mixes. here’s a test run:
Information Scientist - June 12 Mix by Informationscientist on Mixcloud
azuni - rotate (rotate ep)
ribn - sin & figs (light black ep)
reference - best night in detroit (aoenian ep)
pawel - curves (alexi delano mix) lines & curves ep)
jacek sienkiewicz - before x (x years later ep)
melchior & pronsato - we make it right (puerto rican girls ep)
oni ayhun - oar004-b (from OAR004)
moodymanc - bitz (extended dub) (gretsch ep)
soul clap - sex in the kitchen (r&b edits)
ed davenport - warmathene (dub mix) (warmathene ep)
dj qu - secret place (for the beneath ep)
chicago skyway - cp-1 (wolfgang hair ep)
As I’ve mentioned in the past, Scion’s involvement with the American electronic and hiphop music scene is a little bit of a dubious one. On one hand, they are a freaking car company. They make cars. Vroom vroom four wheels, etc etc.
On the other hand, for the last year or so, the company has sponsored a wide range of online radio stations hosted by some of the bigger names across many different genres, from UK Garage to hiphop to metal. Additionally, they’ve brought names like Roy Davis Jr, Dj Craze, and Blu Jemz to Kansas City.
While the company has released several compilations intended to promote these shows, they’ve also recently moved into publishing more cohesive releases along the lines of the Dub Police label sampler, a Pelican ep, the Ghostface Killah remix project, or last year’s remix package for Japanese noise-metal trio Boris that featured Nosaj Thing, Optimo, and New Jersey’s long-standing garridge master, Todd Edwards.
The label looks to Edwards for its latest release with the I Might Be ep. The original take on “I Might Be” is pretty much what you’d expect from Todd Edwards at this point - skippy 2-step beats, cut up synths, and an uplifting vocal that is unfortunately just too sugary for its own good. The guy has been doing more or less this same sound to great effect for well over a decade now, and admittedly by now it’s something most listeners are either going to love or hate. There’s no questioning the man’s influence on dance music, especially in the UK.
We might have Scion’s corporate backing to thank for introducing more American listeners to Joy Orbison, who here autotunes the vocals to decent effect, straightens up Edward’s 2-step gallop a fair amount, and makes the whole thing a little more luscious-sounding thanks to a stripped-down approach to the arrangement. The bassline somehow manages to sound both smooth and chunky at the same time, and while this might not be the young producer’s most imaginative work to date, it does show that even his more vanilla offerings are going to be worth taking note of.
The label cash comes through with another winner, this time with the resurging MJ Cole. Cole has a history that stretches back almost as far as Todd Edwards’, and is undoubtedly among the vanguard of the UK Garage/2-Step movement that owed so much of its initial formation to Edwards’ early releases. Because their sounds come from such similar palettes, it’s quite easy to hold both the original and Cole’s mix up to the same light and see the shared genetics - again, the snared third beat (albeit less skippy), chopped up synths, and infectious energy are all present. Cole manages to upstage Edwards here though by using the vocal as a multi-pitched sample layered in over a more atmospheric approach to the synths that more mirrors Joy Orbison’s mix than the original.
The package is rounded out with two more versions. First up is a mix from “dance band” My Dear Disco that is more suited for the dance tent at Wakarusa or some other Birkenstock-sponsored nonsense aimed at the incidental, inconsiderate listener who probably doesn’t care too much about what’s going in their ears. Lastly is a mix from FEADZ, who is yet another artist associated with the Ed Banger crowd that I wish I could have avoided hearing - it’s the sort of thing that defines the lowest common denominator in dance music and sounds like the tripe generally played in the shiny-shirt clubs around town where people still care about things like Winter Music Conference or not being able to count to four. Neither of these mixes works for several reasons, but the most glaring is the attachment to the original vocal.
I’m cautious about encouraging Scion on these things, but so far the signal to noise ratio has been surprisingly decent. It seems that the label only has two speeds - quality and crap - and it would be nice to see a little more of the previous and a whole lot less of the latter. The encouraging aspect is the possibility of the artists the label features, such as Todd Edwards or MJ Cole or be-still-my-beating-heart Joy Orbison, making a sponsored tour stop in Kansas City.
Admittedly, it was an interview with The Village Orchestra regarding this particular release that made me aware of LJ Kruzer. I’ve been a huge TVO fan ever since 2562’s remix of “Afanc” introduced me to his work, so anything he’s involved with is going to get a fair amount of rotation at tSoS Midwest.
I tracked down the original Manhood and Electronics full length, which came out on Uncharted Audio in 2009 and was immediately impressed by Kruzer’s deft and subtle touch at crafting delicate ambient pieces backed up here and there with crisp, clean rhythms. I really appreciated the delicateness of this post-modern lullabye.
After hearing the TVO Dead Weight Dub of “Tam” provided in the FACT article above, I knew it was going to be a different affair on this remix ep. The four-track release starts off with the Dead Weight Mix, opening with quietly buzzing synths on a slowly descending pitch slide until another set of synths drift in like a sunrise on the horizon. The kick drum pulse and melody enter amid a softly floating pad sequence. The piece is not necessarily intended for the main rooms of course, but would not be out of place in the sort of sparsely-filled backroom that tends to cater to the intelligent dancer, and this is the beauty of so much of The Village Orchestra’s work.
Ukonnen’s mix of “Poil” follows TVO’s lead, maintaining much of the headspace of the original. A relatively simple beat structure underlies an airy pad sequence, while bleeps and bloops dance around, waiting on the simplified breakbeat that makes up the backbone of the short track.
“Tam” is visited again, this time by Trademark, who builds an almost easy-listening deeper tech house variation of the original that wouldn’t sound out of place with Tracey Thorn or some similar coo-ing chanteuse over the top. Right at half-way through, the main melody sequence switches things up a bit, building towards the climax of the track. While this would probably draw blank stares from the glowstick crowd, it might be just the thing to get the more mature denizens ready for a techier selection to come while maintaining an organic feel in the present.
Cyan341 contributes a another dancefloor-friendly mix that continues the mindfullness of spatial awareness found elsewhere on the ep. While the tempo is appropriate and the synths chug and the groove grooves, there’s still a sense of ambience to the mix. The later half of the track could find its way into a discerning dj’s set as a decent segue towards a more cerebral slinky tech house selection.
Sad news today that Ripped in Glasgow is going dormant. This jackpot of classics and personable writing will remain up for the foreseeable future - but as always in these situations, get on the virtual crate digging now.
To us Americans, the term “rave” is often associated with pre-teens on drugs, cheap clip-on angel wings, Bad Boy Bill, and ridiculously large pants that must save the janitorial crew at the civic center a fair amount of time by essentially acting as gigantic mops over the course of the evening.
Don’t even get me started on the different definitions of the term “hardcore”, either. Skinhead white dudes screaming in a basement is one thing, but Sully brings the UK connotation on the eighth installment of this long-running series.
Following the likes of Reso, Threnody, Slaughter Mob, and Urban Graffiti label bosses Rogue Star and H.O.D., the Essex-based producer takes proto-jungle breakbeats from their 160bpm+ context and slows them down to a still invigorating 140bpm dubstep tempo. The usual breaks are here, the odd-pitched vocals snippets too.
The A, “Living”, sounds like it could be an early Wax Doctor production played at about -6. There’s heavyweight sound here, and it just keeps coming. This one’s for those of us junglists out there who might have spent one too many nights out til noon. ‘Ardkore yeah but the lower bpm gives us a chance to catch our breath.
“Flash Back” does exactly what it says on the tin - chiming chords with the low-end cut echo around classic breaks while big bass booms and the vocals just go on and on, pitch-warbling as needed. Moving Shadow, Rufige Kru, etc . . .
B2 “Bless” starts off with an eerie Exorcist chord progression before dropping into everyone’s favorite break. Joining the other two in sounding like it would be perfect nestled in that space/time of the earliest Metalheadz releases, it’s atmospheric enough to entertain the zonked and moving enough to keep the hardcore bassbin-grinding in the early light of dawn.
nothing says summer like dub to me. take reggae, run it through a blender of psychedelics, hazy afternoons, and sweaty afterhours clubs, and you’ve got dub.
this one is for everybody, but especially the old school 6am slinkin’ down crowd.
tracklist:
rhythm & sound w/ cornel campbell - king in my empire
pulshar - dub by the river (soultourist re-dub)
pulshar - kms (pablo bolivar space edit)
king tubby - psalms of drums
u-roy and francois kevorkian - rootsman
lee perry w/ dubblestandart & Ari Up - I do voodoo (Rob Smith RMX)
seven - drop
scuba - volt
ramadanman - revenue (untold remix)
millie & andrea - vigilance
brackles & shortstuff - broken harp (geiomix)
RSD - on deck
RSD - accepted
peak - darksuite (soultourist remix)
jus-ed - some new shit 2 dub
marco bernardi - mystery of nazerus (redshape late bite mix)
black jazz consoritum - what’s up with the love
fred everything featuring wayne tennant - mercyless (atjazz floor dub)
iz & diz - what we need (freaks voodoo speakeasy)
john daly - this is a lonely beat
kerry chandler - pong (ben klock’s bones & strings dub)
kez ym - a cup of ocean
liapin - mandin (original reflections)
manuel tur featuring alexander east - will be mine (ian pooley remix)
manuel tur & dplay - mild pitch
martin brodin - deep shit
appleblim & ramadanman - sous le sable
martyn - for lost relatives
pearson sound - indelible
martyn - electric puring
above smoke - save us
linkwood family - miles away intrusion sunset dub
linkwood family - miles away (intrusion sunrise dub)
bvdub - tears for a fallen empire
If you are much of a fan of the new wave of weird underground hiphop - sort of like wonky but with dignity, then Blu Jemz is worth catching tonight at the Czar Bar
Warning, this is a Scion-sponsored show. No, not the Basic Channel act, but the sub-species of Toyota.
Meaning it’s also free, with a not-quite soul-selling RSVP required. Use a fake email address right.
Go here to RSVP.
Locals Nomathematics are hosting, and Pase Rock, Designer Drugs, Da Hardy Boyz, and Franki Chan are all playing as well. Not sure on set times, so here’s to hoping Blu Jemz doesn’t get stuck in the closing spot.
Blu Jemz’ 2008 Beat Machine compilation, which is also sponsored by the car company, is absolutely worth getting. I’ll only feel comfortable about Scion’s sponsorship if I rip them off a little bit more, so I’m going to pass it on to you. Download it here.
Here’s the tracklist - it’s fire.
01 O Spindles - Intro (Dark Room)
02 Dorian Concept - Sandwich Terror
03 Bullion - Keep It Tidy
04 Exile - Extra FUNK
05 Flying Lotus - Heat Wave 2
06 Mike Slott - Boxed In (Inst. Mix)
07 Waajeed - Tetris
08 Jay Scarlett - The Jawn
09 Dr. Who Dat? - Viberian Twilight Part 2
10 Samiyam - Rough Copy
11 Karriem Riggins - “12’s In 8
12 Ge-ology - Diurnal Insomnia
13 Blu Jemz - Almost There
14 Onra - Broken Language
Friend of the site Stefan has put together another top quality mix, and so I’m going to unauthorizedly share it with you.
You’ll have to get the tracklist from him, it’s quite good.
Oh wait, I just got it from him.
Intrusion - A Night To Remember
Molecule - Climax
Fever Ray - When I Grow Up (Scuba High rmx)
Shed - Ithaw
Breakage - Lead Me
Art Bleek - Five In The Morning
David Alvarado - Dreamer
Bar 9 - Submerged
Alix Perez & Sabre - Old Flame
Photek - Lost Blue Heaven
Late - Care
Andy Stott - Dripping
Lukid - Time Doing So Mean
Moodymann - Desire
Needs More Sources - Morning
Soul Patrol - Love Variations Pt 1
(Charlie Dark Reconstruction)
Yagya - Rigning Sex
Add your own art as well.
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