This is future y’all. Chance The Rapper hooked up with Nosaj Thing to make something moody gorgeous. Is Proto Blues a genre? Chance leads the lilting & blues-infused bass work through with his usual flair for the excellent yet understated. “Smeagol to Gollum” is my favorite line for 2015. This kind of rhyming seems so much more free, almost like the way it sounded like a while ago. This taste of Nosaj’s (or is it Mr. Thing?) new album, dropping May 5, 2015 gives me a lot of hope for the stuff coming out this year. Hopefully he’ll come back to Web Hall & make a crazy night of it. (off Innovative Leisure / Timetable Records)
Category Archives: Midnight Music
Midnight Music: The Prodigy – Wild Frontier (Wilkinson Remix)
The remix game is just heating up when it comes to The Prodigy’s new album. The Day Is My Enemy is going to spawn a gigantic wave of bomb-ass remixes and this first volley is no exception. Wilkinson bursts out of the gate with this massive release on RAM Records. This is one of those tunes that you just kind of want to flip your hood up and get down with your bad self. It brings out some of the heart inside the amazing Wild Frontier track and adds a fresh dollop of big bass d&b on top of it. Get it now that it’s live on Beatport as well. If you’re into spinning D&B, this track is going to be a must-have this summer. Once The Prodigy starts to get into full swing, these kinds of reworkings are going to be worth their weight in gold. He who remixes best, will win. Now if we could only get The Prodigy to play somewhere on this side of the pond in 2015.
Earworm Of The Month: Si Genaro – When The Last Bird Flies – CLSM Remix [Massive Drum & Bass]
This has been on repeat since I found it at the beginning of March. I’m not entirely sure I’ve ever heard a drum & bass track with this kind of lead time & warning-less drop before. CLSM has been in the scene for a minute now, but I couldn’t recognize the original track or the vocalist. This Si Genaro remix is exquisite and deserves to be nominated for the “Best Amen Break Usage” award. Hey Drum & Bass Awards, if that’s not one yet, get on the stick. It doesn’t seem like it’ll be worth giving it the time that it needs to get where it’s going, but trust me on this one. If there’s any song you need to get to the halfway point on, it’s this one. Especially if you got a flat tire, found out your girl is cheating, or your boss asked you to come in this weekend. Drum & Bass Rising.
Midnight Music: Anneliese – Singed Spots [Soulful Indie]
This is a wonderful surprise. Anneliese was sent to me by one of my contacts in VA. I’m really happy he did. Her EP is a great offering from some fresh talent down south & this track is a highlight off the EP. The choices when it comes to the pacing, synth work & a no-nonsense attitude work perfectly. The German native that’s landed in VA seems to have picked up exactly what she needs to. The lyrical work is sophisticated ,but she still has chops where she needs them. Anneliese is already punching above her weight class. Show her some love and tell her Terry sent you.
Music I’d Forgotten About: Metric – Twilight Galaxy (Gladkill Remix)
With Gladkill on a new release tear on Soundcloud, I wanted to bring it back to one of my absolute favorite pieces by the West Coast star. His Twilight Galaxy remix was a large part of my 2011, and I was reminded of it recently, which sent me into a week or two of listening to it on repeat again as well. This is one of those tracks that crawls into your mind and forces you to listen to it on multiple different speaker systems/headphones over the course of your day. This is lovestep in the truest sense of the word and Gladkill does that stuff better than most. Call it a throwback, even though he hasn’t quit since. He just released a new LP of his tracks from 2012-2014, so hit that up if you need more.
Midnight Music: Billie – Give Me The Knife (Keeno Dub Mix)
Keeno keeps coming. This kid has a career that has soared in the last couple of years and I am so happy to watch it happen. He’s one of these impressively talented ones that also puts in crazy amounts of work, drops stuff on the internet to stream, tours & challenges himself musically. This has resulted in his tracks being what can only be described as straight fire. The variations in the way he expresses himself in the D&B space continue to amaze. This iteration includes a bass that almost weeps, while the the fast-slow crawls along. The soulful vocals match & give it a great netting of mid-range while it moves along. Nice way to round out the night, rest easy y’all, you made it past Wednesday. (via UKF Drum & Bass)
Midnight Music: Hostage – Bully [Vintage House]
This is a wonderful surprise. Nite Records got in touch with me about this dope little joint. Hostage busts into my universe with a soulful, almost 90’s house vibe that got my attention immediately. The feel is one you’d expect at a trendy but tiny bar downtown near Ludlow or Delancey. 100 seconds in, you’ve got this seriously classic piano riff that house DJs need to study. The pacing is exactly where it needs to be, so this can & should go into any self-respecting uptempo house DJ’s USB stick ASAP. Seems to be a good transition & one when fashionably dressed people start sauntering across your dance floor. It’s part of their history and is infused in so much of a house dancer’s muscle memory. At least, if you were an East Coast house head that is. Can’t generalize too much. But it’s a great part of this two-piece from Nite Records, so get at both Hostage & the label.
Midnight Music: SAFIA – Counting Sheep [Aussie Dance Pop]
I’m switching things up for tonight’s Midnight Music. This was a group that I’d been following for the last year or so, after their jaw-droppingly good Paranoia, Ghosts & Other Sounds blew me away 11 months ago. This kind of ethereal dance makes me think of Scissor Sisters and a bunch of distinctly non-American bands that keep it uptempo while not slouching on the vocals. That may or may not be Vincent Price midway in the track, but I really want to focus on the ridiculously excellent vocals that were laid down in this century. There’s an outrageousness that is also creepy at the same time that makes me want more. Frankly, next time I can’t sleep, I have a feeling this is going to get put in my face. Give it up for SAFIA ladies & gentlemen. (via Stoney Roads)
Midnight Music: Flite – Dive [Liquid Drum & Bass]
Liquid so good you’ll slap yo mama. When Strife II said Flite was one of his heroes, this is why. This kind of stuff would probably reduce aggravated assault rates if we played it on public transportation. If you’ve got a dope bass system engaged while listening to this, you’d appreciate that it’s as gentle of a stone massage as you can get from the genre. This isn’t done by accident, so appreciate how perfect his choices are. And don’t forget to give it up to Liquicity for giving Flite the stage he deserves.
Midnight Music: Tielman Brothers – Rollin Rock [Indonesian Rockabilly]
For #tbt, we’re going way back. I present to you the classic rockabilly sound of the Tielman Brothers. This is performance like you don’t see anyone on stage really attempt anymore. Granted, they had way fewer sounds to make back then, and you had to make them all sequentially without messing up. Like at 2:55, when the frontman plays his guitar behind his back, while standing on the bass…that is being played at the same time. Drum solos, bass solo while lying down, a whole lot of talent here. These guys are legends, trust me, go ask your parents. So put the oldest of school into your face, then get annoyed when a bunch of low-effort DJs can’t even get into their sets this weekend.
Terry Gotham 