by Rasmus on March 17, 2010 in Mixes
Recently, I’ve been spending some time trying to absorb the dubstep/house fusion happening all around me. While I haven’t been very successful yet, I’ve dug enough to get a decent idea of what’s going on. Though it’s a fun journey to be on alone, it’s always nice to see someone sharing my love for genre-crossing.
When I stopped by the It’s All About blog the other day, seeing Jamie Grind’s March mix made me all fuzzy. The guy has basically made a mix of every track I’ve loved in the past months or drooled over in the notoriously dj-charts.
Tracklist +
Jamie Grind – Balloon [Forthcoming Infrasonics]
Mount Kimbie – Maybes (James Blake Remix) [Dub]
Hackman – More Than Ever (Jamie Grind Remix) [Dub]
Mosca – Nike [Night Slugs]
George Fitzgerald – Painted Jezebel [Forthcoming Doldrums]
Jeremih – Birthday Sex (Skips Bootleg) [Dub]
Untold – You Didn’t Win the Holiday [Soul Jazz]
2562 – Dinosaur [Tectonic]
Jamie Grind – If U Want [Forthcoming Infrasonics]
Jamie Grind – Remember Those Days [Dub]
Ill Blu – Blu Magic [Insatiable Music]
So Solid – Since You Went Away (Funky Mix) [MEGA & Co.]
Cosmin TRG – Since Last Night [Tempa]
Paraiah – Crossed Out [Forthcoming R&S]
Burial – Distant Lights [Hyperdub]
Bonobo ft. Andreya Triana – Eyesdown (Floating Points Remix) [Ninja Tune]
xxxy – Flew [Dub]
Jason Herd vs Flashlight – My Girl (Agent X Dirty Bassline Mix) [3 Beat Blue]
Low Deep – Down Like That [Colourful State]
Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo (Andreas Saag’s House Perspective) [Dub]
Scuba – You Got Me [Hotflush]
He was also nice enough to send over his remix of Hackman’s More Than Ever, so when you’ve finished enjoying his solid mixing (love the combination of Birthday Sex and the bleepy synths from Untold), you can extend your Jamie Grind fix a bit.
Hackman – More Than Ever (Jamie Grind Remix)
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Graphic high five via Tomas Skou
by Rasmus on March 16, 2010 in Music
Cottam – 001 Side A
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How hard is it to be an anonymous producer? Well, it’s probably not that hard to be anonymous, but to be anonymous and popular seems to be an accomplishment.
Each week brings forward a new producer who (more or less successfully) hides behind the internet’s anonymity. In some cases, the anonymity is a result of a wish to let the music speak for itself (think Burial) or to create an even stronger non-brand (like Zomby). In Cottam’s case, the reasons may (at least until recently) have been rooted in legal issues. Disco edits are dime-a-dozen these days, but nothing escapes the greedy eyes of record labels.
Since I have no idea about how much trouble Cottam may or may not be in, I may just be letting my mind wander here. Still, I hope the labels recognize the craftmanship behind these releases. Rather than plain “turn the bass up”-edits, Cottam’s edits manipulates timing and tempo to create his own brand of slowly stomping house music. The track above is taken from the A-side of his very first 12″, and even though he started out pretty great, his productions have only become stronger.
Graphic high five via I like this blog
by Rasmus on March 15, 2010 in Music
James Blake – The Bells Sketch
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Few producers these days excite me as much as James Blake does. It’s tough to pinpoint just what makes his music have that special something. I like to think it’s because he makes dubstep that doesn’t sound quite like anything else out their. The drum patterns and swinging hihats give him away, but everything else points in a myriad of directions.
Yet his music sounds whole. You rarely hear anyone experiment this much with samples, effects, synth arrangement, and sound all while keeping an effortless sound. James Blake’s productions are intense, sometimes to the point where the tension becomes almost unbearable. The thing that makes his tracks stand out, however, is his sense of melodies and harmonies.
The contrasts are sharp. On The Bells Sketch manipulated horn lines (or something along those lines) compliment gibberish vocals and a dramatic, high-pitch synth tapestry. Oh, and there’s plenty of bass, too. The sub-frequencies don’t dominate the EP, though, and it’s safe to say that James Blake is the first to make bass music that has more focus on the latter part of that term.
Pick up The Bells Sketch EP from Juno.
Graphic high five via Creative Applications
by Rasmus on March 12, 2010 in Music
Brackles & Shortstuff – Pipey D
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These days, I approach new dubstep releases with zero expectations. I don’t see myself as arrogant or pessimistic. It’s just hard to create any expectations when you know that each release on the team of UK dubstep labels (Hessle Audio, Hemlock, Doldrums, Night Slugs, etc.) will bring something unique to the party.
This post is about the latest release on Blunted Robots where Brackles & Shortstuff share a 12″ with Bok Bok for the second time. The sum of their tracks is best characterized with one word: explosion.
When I first fell in love with dubstep back in the good old wobble days, the vibe was always laid back. That’s not the case anymore. The latest generation of dubsteppers build tension like I’ve never heard it before. The tempo may have decreased slightly since drum ‘n bass’s hectic heydays, but the sense of drama has definitely remained.
On Pipey D Brackles & Shortstuff deliver a hysterical, percussion-oriented jam. Vocals and synths melt together. Some softer keyboard tones join the mix, but stand helpless against the onslaught of heavy kicks and snares. When Untold wished for another year of anarchy, I think this was what he had hoped for. This is spluttering, seizure-inducing, and utterly fantastic.
Don’t sleep on this: Pick up your 12″ from Juno and see if you can handle it.
Graphic high five via today and tomorrow
by Rasmus on March 11, 2010 in Remixes
Floating Points – Love Me Like This (Nonsense Dub)
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I realize I may be repeating my self, but I can’t help doing another Floating Points post. Admittedly, the track you’re playing right now is from last year and can’t be classified as new. I’m officially old and uncool. But a post from the Bicep boys inspired me to play this track once more, and I haven’t regretted that at all.
8 minutes of start-stop soft synth stabs and a classic Floating Points synth line. That’s the recipe for another grooving track from Sam Sheppard. Although his tracks share the same vibe, they’re more like loving siblings than identical twins if that works as a metaphor.
Have I used up my quota of Floating Points posts for now?
Graphic high five via Fecal Face
by Rasmus on March 9, 2010 in Remixes
Pantha du Prince – Stick To My Side (Four Tet Version)
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As I’ve talked about before, I saw Pantha du Prince warm up for Animal collective last year. Huddled behind the decks, covered in a black hoodie, he played a set of his own releases that the indie crowd didn’t fully understand. The setting definitely wasn’t the right for melancholic techno, but when he shows up at Dunkel in a couple of weeks, I bet we’ll get a better opportunity to appreciate his music.
Four Tet seems like the opposite. From the first beat of his remix of Stick To My Side the hi-hats kick off the groove and are immediately followed by a relentless arpeggiator line. Where Panda Bear’s vocals were the favourite part of the original, the role they play on Four Tet’s remix is much less important. Like most of Four Tet’s production, this is strictly about the groove, and as long as that groove is solid, we will all come back for more.
Graphic high five via Lark About
by Rasmus on March 8, 2010 in Remixes
Foals – Spanish Sahara (Mount Kimbie Remix) (download)
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If Foals made electronic music, would it be dubstep?
The obvious answer would be ‘no way’. They would of course continue making teens drool, tweens scream, and everybody else nod their head in admiration. If you look at tracks like Hummer and Balloons that theory sounds very plausible. But when they don’t aim for dancefloor explosions, interesting things happen.
When Mount Kimbie remix Foals’ Spanish Sahara, they turn up the underplayed vibe that the new dubstep movement has promoted. It’s not melancholic per se. Like most of Mount Kimbie’s productions, the recipe of dubstep, 8-bit and a somewhat ambient feel is professionally balanced. Philippakis’ vocals bounce off the kick and reverb-infused snare making them sound even more longing than on the original.
I’m not sure that Mount Kimbie makes dubstep, but if Foals decided to give their more melodic tracks an electronic treatment, this is close to what it would sound like.
Graphic high five via UnitedVisualArtists
by Rasmus on March 7, 2010 in Mixes
It’s a bit strange to post an event promo mix the day after the event went down. Although this mix will not make you head to the BBQ night at Poland’s Osrodek nightclub, you’ll most likely still get a decent musical experience. If you had been to Osrodek yesterday, you would have bumped into Mosca behind the decks.
Like with most of the dubstep mixes that pop up each week, I’m not afraid to admit that I don’t know half the tracks in Mosca’s mix. Listening to these mixes, I get the feeling that I need to get a better grip on the UK garage history (suggestions are welcome). On the other hand, the surprises make for an interesting listening experience.
When Levon Vincent’s Double Jointed Sex Freak (Part 3) comes in or Joy Orbison’s So Derobe closes the set (isn’t he in every post and mix on here at the moment?), I can’t help smiling. That being said, I’m happy that half of these songs are new to me. To me, that showcases the strength of this movement where everybody seems to bring their own blend of garage, drum ‘n bass, house, and techno to the table.
Graphic high five via but does it float
by Rasmus on March 5, 2010 in Music
I’m writing a couple of semi-late reviews of the releases that have rocked my headphones recently. If you haven’t become tired of seeing these releases turned into eloquent prose, read on.
It’s rare that you see electronic music with cover art this beautiful, so I want to dedicate the first part of this review to the wonderful cover for Pangaea’s self-title EP on Hessle Audio. I have no idea who made it or how it was made, but I know that this is going straight up on my wall. That is if I can resist the urge to play it.
As it turns out, that may be a tough challenge. I had a soft spot for Pangaea’s productions already, although I had never been fully convinced. With his recent EP, things make much more sense. Hearing a handful of Kevin McAuley’s productions simply makes sense. If you enjoyed Why, you’ll be more than happy with the rest of the tracks.
Because of You and Neurons both stand out as first class examples of industrial infused dubstep, but it’s Sunset Yellow that steals the show. The track, which was also featured on Scuba’s Sub:Stance cd, takes one of Pangaea’s classic beats and slowly builds towards a climatic peak with chopped up female vocals.
While it’s always tempting to relate the combination of dubstep and hollow female vocals to Burial’s productions, the parallel doesn’t work here. Burial’s vocals hold a girlish charm and carry an underlying innocence. There’s nothing of that here. Instead, we’re faced with female desperation screaming at Pangaea’s gloomy backdrop. Wow.
Pangaea – Sunset Yellow
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Pick up the Pangaea EP from Juno and decorate your walls and/or your turntables
by Rasmus on March 3, 2010 in Mixes
I’m writing a couple of semi-late reviews of the releases that have rocked my headphones recently. If you haven’t become tired of seeing these releases turned into eloquent prose, read on.
When Scuba releases a mix named after his Berghain night, you know you’re in for a treat. For many of us, I would imagine that Berghain represents the holy land (whether that is through geographical or bouncer-related issues). So if you don’t feel like joining the Easyjetset just now, this is as close as it gets.
Sub:stance could easily be labeled as the definitive guide to the dubstep explosion of the last year. With a tracklist that consists of major acts like Untold, Joy Orbison, Mount Kimbie, Pangaea and of course Scuba himself, this mix is an excellent introduction what may be the hottest scene around.
Scuba’s mix doesn’t come off as a simple mixtape, however. His mixing makes sure that grabbing the full mix rather than just scooping up the various tracks is your best option. The breakdown Untold’s No-one Likes a Smart-Arse mixed with Scuba’s double tempo You Got Me provides just enough surprise to make both tracks sound fresh. And the stabs on Ramadanman’s forthcoming Tempest with a little extra drums is an equally neat touch.
I wish I had something to put up to give you a hint of what you’re in for. It’s hard, though, both because many of these tracks haven’t dropped yet and because splitting up this mix would (of course) mean that Scuba’s mixing wouldn’t survive. If you would like a slice of Berghain, your best shot is to head to Juno.
Scuba – Sub:Stance (buy from Juno)
Tracklist +
01. Sigha – Light Swells (In a Distant Space)
02. Airhead – Paper Street
03. Sigha – Early Morning lights
04. Pangaea – Sunset Yellow
05. Joy Orbison – The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow
06. Shortstuff – See Ya
07. Untold – No-one Likes a Smart Arse
08. Scuba – You Got Me
09. Surgeon – Klonk pt 4
10. DFRNT – Headspace (Scuba’s secret mix)
11. AQF – Born and Raised (version)
12. Badawi – Anlan 7
13. Joy Orbison – Hyph Mngo
14. Mount Kimbie – Maybes (James Blake remix)
15. Sigha – Seeing God
16. Ramadanman – Tempest
17. Instra:mental -Voyeur
18. Sigha – Shapes
19. George Fitzgerald – Don’t You
20. Scuba – Minerals
21. Shackleton – It’s Time For Love
22. Mala – Stand Against War
23. Scuba – Last Stand
24. Joker – Psychedelic Runway
Graphic high five via void()
