Tag Archives: drum & bass

Tracks of the Month: February 2013

Posted on by

Coming at you again with another 25 tracks that dropped in the last month, I think you’re going to like the collection I’ve put together here. A bit more trance heavy than last month, which is always a plus for the trance people out there, some really deep dubby stuff, a few chilled out tunes,  a track off that sick Arkasia EP I raved about a week ago, a track by Flexstyle that can only be described as Trance-Hop and a few choice tunes from MixMag, who has been killing it lately when it comes to their Soundcloud stream.

Also at the end is my favorite mix of the month, the magnificent Luvstep IV done by Flufftronix & Dirty South Joe. It’s one of my most favorite mixes of the year, and if you don’t know it, get at it 😀

Get at them and post up your favorites in the comments!

Mix of the Week: Rudimental’s Live DJ set on Annie Mac (BBC Radio 1 24.2.13)

Posted on by

This week, I am delighted to bring you this amazing new mix that Annie Mac delivered up to us this Sunday past. If you don’t know who Rudimental is, you should peep the November Earworm of the Month & some of the better D&B shout outs coming out of the UK (If you don’t know who Annie Mac is, you should…buy headphones for the first time. I’m not sure how you can listen to EDM and not have an awareness of Annie Mac & her importance to the world-wide dance scene.). Rudimental showed up and dropped this 26min mix for BBC Radio 1 and it’s just a delightful little bite of what we can be expecting from quality artists this summer.

The mix is only 9 tracks long, and only features 3 Rudimental tracks. This is a perfect example of what the US has never experienced when it comes to the proliferation of EDM culture and really has only gotten experienced by Americans at good after-parties and the unicorn of all sets.  This being the early-career live-mix by the talent, as opposed to some pre-generated track-list that never get recorded and just exist to blow the minds of people who heard them. The stoop-side freestyles of MCA & the Beasties, early underground shit that Eminem dropped, sets that the two guys that went on to become Daft Punk did before they turned into robots, these are just a few examples of “if you weren’t there, you missed it” shows. This is one of those sets that, if/when Rudimental blows up, you’ll be able to point to a moment and go “wow, they used to be new at this.” It feels so real. It’s not a studio mix, but that’s what’s fun. There’s an intoxicated “this is a party” feel to it. In addition to the surprising Harlem Shake drop. I wasn’t aware it was a dance floor standard, but it works quite well, and I’m starting to understand why there are approximately 451,000 Harlem Shake youtube videos.

The mix moves along pretty well with a breakdown for bassy/grindy goodness at a few points, but then we get a special treat. A live studio performance of I know is going to be a massive track “Waiting All Night” ft. Ella Eyre . I’ve not heard a live studio performance of a track since the last time I paid for one. A fantastic way to both get a new track out there, and reward Radio 1 listeners by providing them with something they’ll probably never hear again. The single is below, the mix is above. Listen to both and understand the difference between live & mastered 😀

EP of the Week: [R]evolution by Arkasia

Posted on by

I am so glad Arkasia has released something new so I can continue to gush all over the place about how much I love everything he does. This dude’s combination of amazing vocal sample choice, stupendous bass rhythms & epic progressions are not to be trifled with. And yes, I do mean epic. Listen to anything he’s done (especially the two tracks below) and you’ll see why his tunes need to be in the World of Warcraft Live-Action movie.

Continue reading →

EP of the Week – Anybody Out There by Stan SB

Posted on by

This week, I’ve got this tight little EP that I am kind of excited about. I am a big fan of non-EDM genres pulling in beats and other elements from trance, drum & bass, techno, dubstep, etc, but I get very sad when I hear good beats being wasted on bad pop. This kid got dropped on me by MrSuicideSheep, and I dashed for the EP. I wasn’t really sure if the single was just a random track or the sound. Boy was I in for a treat.

Continue reading →

Earworm of the Month – “Not Giving In” ft. John Newman & Alex Clare

Posted on by

What can I say about this tune? That it’s been my theme song for the last month?  That it’s one of the best drum & bass-infused tracks I’ve heard in a long time? Or that the video communicates not only the knowledge of the roots of Drum & Bass (namely Hip Hop), but also speaks to an even deeper understanding of why hip hop was created, as a way for urban youth to rise up out of the streets through dedication of mind and body.

“Not Giving In” features a 10 year old breakdancing prodigy from Manilla, where the video is shot. This guy, whoever he is, is going to have a long and sick-ass career busting moves, getting paid to run around LA and generally being a ridiculous b-boy. The video traces the story of him and his older brother, who wanders into the world of gangs, drugs and violence on the streets of the Filipino capital city. I usually don’t have a lot of faith that music videos and the songs they’re shot to go with have anything to do with each other, especially these days. And when it is done, it’s portrayed as some epic “story-song” narrative that’s disrupting the music world by existing.

Continue reading →