We’re getting closer. This Song Is Sick tipped me off to the next level of hip hop & bass fusion. We’ve been making baby steps towards fusing the two exceptionally different genres since the late 90’s. While some of the attempts have been awful (I’m looking at you Tiesto & Three Six Mafia, don’t think we’ve forgotten), this is one of the better offerings I’ve heard this year. Omar Linx isn’t too fast, smart, and Pro Logic & Zeds Dead producing this allows for a powerful Future Hip Hop sound. The lyrical work keeps pace with the bass without ever getting too hard, too gangsta or crazy for the beat, and a good time is had by all.
5 UK Drum & Bass Tracks That Need To Be In Your Life.
I got bored and decided to piece together a little pack of Drum & Bass tunes that you may not have heard before. If you haven’t, you’re definitely in for a treat, because these liquid, melodic & deep dnb anthems are exactly what you need to get you through the week.
First up, Etherwood reworking a Jakwob piece. Both UK producers & maestros, the smooth, almost Eastern vibe pushes into your awareness slowly. Debuted first on Annie Mac, this silky ethereal vibe
Fred V & Grafix do stellar work out of Hospital Records, but this remix of my favorite Netsky track from 2014 is an absolute gem. Running Low ft. Beath Ditto is a crucial track for any of the distressed party people we all know, with Fred V & Grafix bringing a symphonic feel to the original that I bet even Netsky didn’t see coming.
If you’ve not heard this before, or the words “Strife II” don’t ring a bell, stop what you’re doing and listen to this. Right now. It’s got some of the most powerful composition & production I’ve ever heard from a producer. This kid needs a label to discover him and it needs to happen yesterday. This track is a frisson-inducing tear jerker that would reduce dancefloors to quivering piles of feels. I would pay good money to see this live and I hope it happens
This was on my October 2014 Soundcloud playlist and if you missed it, change that. The heaviness is powerful, but it keeps the energy up surprisingly well.
Keeno is the crown prince of Hospital Records, and with tracks like this, it’s easy to see why. The effortlessness that seeps into every aspect of his production is readily apparent in this track. It’s got the vocal pop that it needs to hopefully even get some radio play in places that actually play drum & bass on the radio. This American is going to go sulk now.
Midnight Music: Virtual Riot – We’re Not Alone (Cybin Quest Remix) [Synth Bass]
Remix contests are one of the best things that have come out of broadband & global DJ culture. Every time, some ridiculous unknown producer comes out of the invisible internet to put a previously incomprehensible spin on a tune. Virtual Riot does some amazing work, that’s hard to top, but it looks like it’s happened. I know that sometimes it’s hard to listen to a lot of more potent synthy stuff, because a lot of the time, even though the sound that was created “sounds” cool, it’s not used well, and the track is boring. This is definitively not the case with Cybin Quest. This DC native dropped a potent remix of We’re Not Alone last month that I’m just now able to give the attention it properly deserves. This is new sounds people, from an angle people were getting bored of. Everyone can drop bonkers Datsik/Exision/Baystep sounds, but very few can use them correctly. Listen, and enjoy. This kid’s got my attention, and he should probably have yours.
I Literally Can’t With Literally I Can’t, The New Lil Jon Video. Is Frat EDM A Genre Yet?
When it comes to criticism of the dance music community, a lot of it is off base, and I don’t agree with the vast majority of it. However, LMFAO alum Redfoo, Lil Jon & Enertia McFly got some DJs (Play-N-Skillz) and created a tight 4 minute explanation of everything that is wrong with EDM/Party culture. The track fuses misogynist lyrics with a butt-ton of questionable consent & substance use practices, and that’s the most politically kind way I can describe it. It’s as if someone dropped the girls from #Selfie into a Steve Aoki show outside of the VIP. Except worse, because it’s at STFU, a “frat” where people are breakdancing with beer bongs and there’s inflatable pool wrestling going on. While I understand large swaths of the country think that this is essentially the apex of party, can we not?
At what point does propagating a culture of binge drinking, combined with drug use, become complicit? I’m not saying these people are responsible for any stupid decisions, but I get really tired of watching people idolize crunk, then be confused as to why they’re so fucked up they did something stupid that has big boy consequences. Do I think this kind of party exists at colleges all across the country? Yes. Is that their right? Surely. Are there probably thousands of consent violations and bad drug experiences because of it? You know, I hope not, but I can’t be confident about that.
Midnight Music: Hundred’s New Music Video Of An ALLE FARBEN Tune Is Amazing.
This video seems to be one of the first true heirs to the triumph that was The Chemical Brothers music video for Star Guitar (linked below). I think this is on a train in China, but for the life of me I couldn’t tell you with any certainty (10 points to anyone who can comment ID’ing the area). The twee, indie vocals are put on top of a fun ambient midtempo melody. This helps frame the insane visuals that were captured by whoever has an insanely cool daily commute. This is a fun tune I wouldn’t have checked out otherwise so make sure to hit the video & their Soundcloud. (via Stoney Roads)
The Truth Hurts.
Interesting discussion over at Stoney Roads on mainstream vs. “underground EDM. Feel free to read it, I just really like the image. Ask someone whose music taste you respect the last time they listened to big room electro or brostep of their own volition. When was the last time someone truly put on Animals not trying to either make a point, or make a joke? Times are changing. The only places a lot of those sounds are going to find homes are niche markets and Michael Bay movies in a couple of years. The underground will keep sounding progressively different, as the mainstream pop/edm train starts to work its way through genres.
Anyone want to guess what comes after deep/progressive house shakes out over the next few seasons? Trance? Breakbeat? Minimal Techno? MauStep?
Puddles Pity Party Sings About The Corporate Side Of Life For Kabbage.
The more Puddles does, the more I love him. This new video has Puddles reminding us of the hell that is the universe of corporate office work. I would love to know if Puddles worked an office job and left in a spectacular fashion. The words bite hard, as all good art truly should.
You’ll be popping pharmaceuticals & eating lunch in your cubicle
If we keep on the corporate side of life.
This is one of the few examples of sponsored art I’ve ever seen that I honestly support. It was done to create awareness about Kabbage, a funding aggregator for small business. This allows small/agile business to use an Etsy or PayPal account to get funding, based on how much they’re killing it. Ebay stars, your time has come. I frankly like this snarky art paired with a legit service that people who liked the song would use. Plenty of people are trying to hustle out of the corporate world for all of the reasons Puddles discusses. And more power to them. Rock on y’all.
Midnight Music: Svenson & Gielen – Twisted (Jorn van Deynhoven Remake) [Trance]
Twisted by Svenson & Gielen was one of THE Trance anthems of the 2001. Yes, people were listening to Trance in 2001. Jorn van Deynhoven pushed out this tremendous remake that made its way onto ASOT 688 last week. The track is a piece of trance history, given a significant boost on the low end for the new era. If you want to know what big room sounded like before Martin Garrix was in kindergarten, this is it. There’s a good 4 minutes reminding everyone what the classic trance vibe felt like, but with the Armin-developed huge bass sound that anthem/festival trance heads have come to expect. If you don’t know who Jorn Van Deynhoven is, get this musc into your face. It’s some of the best trance out there, and his career is exploding. Get with this before you can’t afford tickets to his shows.
Freak Kitchen’s New Music Video For “Freak of the Week” Is Epic.
In case you thought metal was dead, someone finally did the thing we’ve been waiting for since our Anime Music Video periods in college (Don’t play, you know what I’m talking about). This song is totally the triumphant metal some of us know and love. However it’s presented using some of the best animation I’ve ever seen for a music video. This smacks of Metalocalypse but in almost a Japanese anime kind of way. There’s a legendary feel that I really want to see as a cartoon. The singing, guitar work & power chords are all exactly what they need to be to make this song a success. The Freak of the Week idea is a great way to break into the genre and make a splash with a single. Hopefully these guys get some attention and you’re as entertained by this as I am.
Attend: Verboten Brunch Has Dopeshoes & whiteowjaguar, Don’t Sleep On This.
As Verboten continues to kill it Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights, one of the big secrets about the spot is their surprisingly great brunch. In case you find yourself in the area after a hectic Friday night, or if you’re going to be up for a race, yoga or some other random non-hedonist purpose, check it out. Talon & Claw is a new production group & DJ collective based out of BK, doing some interesting work in art & design in addition to phat beats of course. If you missed their Wednesday night jam called Outre, check the latest mix from it and be jealz of people who don’t need to be “with it” come Thursday morning.
Dopeshoes is one of my favorite DJs that you haven’t heard enough about. I showcased her on Hometown Fire a while back, but she’s kept grinding away being awesome. Her addition to the Verboten day party means they know, as well as I do, how well her signature deep, sexy, sophisticated sound will do at Verboten. It’s seriously a match made in tasteful bass heaven.
Cooper James is the newest addition to the Talon & Claw collective, and for good reason it seems. His recent podcast for T&C showcases a tight, almost fidget’y style which will go far as the pendulum swings all the way back from Big Room.
Should be a fun, delicious time. Don’t get drunk off the mimosas, get drunk off the bass.
Terry Gotham 