Monday Music: Trademark, Elephante, A-Trak, cln & Jaya Prime!

FGxq4It’s another scorcher here in the city, so I decided to go with it and pour it on. Trademark brings the sun, Elephante smooths along massively, Jaya Prime bristles perfectly, A-Trak lays down the vintage funk and cln pours scintillating indie feels. San Dimas High School Football Rules!


Trademark is a rare treat now that we’ve passed the era of Pop Mashup. As sad as that is, a couple of acts out there keep the fires burning. Trademark throws together Ariana Grande, ZAYN, 3LAU & Kap Slap to great effect. This mashup is exactly what a summer anthem should be. I will continue to hope for the day when Dance Pop & House beats rule the air waves once again.

A massive tune, Elephante continues to prove that his rags-to-riches story is well deserved. The bass dovetails with the soft percussive pad work as Nevve‘s silky vocals stroll along. This has an August Sunset vibe to it, but when you’re about to write it off, the bass drop knocks it out of the park. Sultry while peppy, with just a touch of melancholy.

Bob Moses remixed by A-Trak. No, seriously, what other reason do you need. A-Trak brings the French house feel to the classic by Bob Moses. There’s a strong smell of Daft Punk pushed through the ever present funk filter of the Champion of Fool’s Gold himself. It’s a triumph and it probably flew under everyone’s radar. Here, just to make sure you didn’t miss it too.

cln is a low-key star from down under that I’ve been tracking for a little over a year. His North American tour is eagerly, eagerly anticipated, as is Mist. The fusion of chip, indie and vintage melancholy works perfectly and makes for a staggeringly potent wave of feels. Great work from the Brisbane native, so happy you’re coming to this side of the planet to drop this kind of vibe on Brooklyn.
I told you I’d be shoving the rest of Jaya Prime‘s discography into your face & I’m a man of my word. This inky, morbid chillstep featuring Peter Weyland from Prometheus is exactly what your goth party scene needs. The murky, staccato beat plays off of the exceptionally well used sample to create an atmosphere second to none. Jaya Prime always sticks the dismount, so put it into your face and save it for a day you need to walk with purpose through a crowd in the rain.

Monday Music: A-Trak, Jaya Prime, Panda Eyes, Kuren & DJ Fucking Shadow

Doggie GogglesYou gearing up for summer? Let’s push the envelope with 3 new tunes, some 2014 quality & another one of my favorites from Jaya Prime. You best get comfy with Mr. Prime, because I’m probably going to force feed you highlights from his entire discography by the time Labor Day rolls around.


My boy Rishty is fast becoming another “must follow on Twitter.” Debuting on Zane Lowe’s World Record on Apple Music, this is going to permeate your aural landscape over the summer. Lush, uptempo & masterfully mixed by Brooklyn’s own A-Trak, there’s very little to dislike here. While hipsters may decry the simplistic progression, sometimes a summer beat is just a summer beat. Enjoy it! (Via This Song Is Sick)

Jaya Prime remains my favorite producer, so whenever I spiral into one of his earworms, y’all gonna hear about it. When you’re feeling happy and the NIN/GitS mashup isn’t appropriate, but you’re not exactly bubbling, his Massive Attack x Portishead mashup is exactly what the doctor ordered. He takes two of the biggest trip hop hits ever released and smashes them together, resulting in a tune overwhelming with feels. Scintillating production values, perfect awareness of the source material & a total lack of ego in the mix. What else could you ask for?

This one pushed itself into my head over the weekend. It was the soundtrack to some random YouTube video I watched, but I needed to pause that & find the original track immediately once it broke. It’s some of the hardest chip-electro that I’ve heard in quite a while. I’m a huge fan of what Panda Eyes is doing in the electro space. If you’re trying to DJ at ComicCon afterparties, SciFi conventions and anime raves, this is what your set needs to sound like. Intersperse some Sonic, Final Fantasy & Smash Brothers remixes and you’ll have the little nerds flying around the dance floor.


I mentioned Kuren back in February and now you can see why I’ve kept my eye on him, even though his tunes get taken down occasionally. This collab between him & Ben Alessi is where the indietronica & indie pop field is heading. You’re gonna hear a lot of stuff that sounds like this over the next year or two, but very few of the producers will be able to create such a gorgeous soundscape. Kuren is a head and shoulders above his competition, so I hope he makes it out of the AU/NZ bubble to bless some Western festivals with his dopeness!

DJ Fucking Shadow. While that’s the only thing I should have to say, some of my youngling readers may not know who that is. One of the luminaries that first reminded the world that DJs actually DJ, he’s back, with the first new hotness since 2011. With the tracks dribbling out slowly as we build to the release, I’ve got 2 for you. The first is an M83 styled introduction to the album, while Nobody Speak features Run The Jewels, the preeminent modern hip hop duo. There’s not much to say other than listen, enjoy & get excited for the June release & accompanying mixes.

Monday Music: Adam Tell, Jaya Prime, Kove, Kaskade & Pantyraid!

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First non-tease warm weekday in NYC brings some bigger, happier, uptempo tunes for you. Carpe that fucking diem y’all!

Can’t say I’ve heard of Adam Tell, but this got recommended, and I’m so glad it was. Strong male vocals & oddly well-produced electro underpinnings give this an almost bohemian vibe. It’s plucky, chippy, almost indie. This fresh sound is what I’m hoping 2016 keeps pushing out, as fusion of genres like this is rare, and needs to happen way more often.

This is an older track, but I have been listening to it on repeat all week. Fusing the Ghost In The Shell theme with Nine Inch Nails, it’s massive, confrontational, heavy & dark. Motivating, while never pulling into abrasive territory. If you ever had a boss battle, or a training montage in Neo-Tokyo, this is the soundtrack to it. It’s one of my all-time favorites, produced by the fallen angel, Jaya Prime. While he no longer mixes/produces after an injury to his ear, his taste remains impeccable & he’s started producing visual art now that his audible art career is over. He releases a playlist of the best tracks of the quarter on his Soundcloud page, and you can bet your ass that’s gonna be my listening for the day.

Regular readers will know my love for Kove goes hard, and this is a great example of why. The D&B turned House sensation, this kaleidoscopic summer tune is deep, with a vintage feel, that wouldn’t feel out of place at Movement. It’s something to wear black to out of doors. Perfect for warehouse parties in Brooklyn and Sunday loft events. Enjoy the shimmering mid-tune build three minutes in, it’s one of the better ones I’ve heard this year.

Martyparty & Ooah don’t come together very often, but I’ve gotta make sure you know when they do. Pantyraid is an old school project showcasing the sexier side of the West Coast bass vibe that The Glitch Mob evolved from. This breezy, meandering bright tune has Bobby Saint hitting all the right notes in the half-R&B, half-bass track. Great tune for letting the coffee sink in. Ooah has always had a personal touch on social media, so definitely give him some love. Another tune from the upcoming pantyraid EP is up as well, and you can pre-order it here.

This is what you’ve been waiting for folks. Kaskade + deadmau5, and it may be so new deadmau5 didn’t even know it was coming out. This track is proof that the two of them could just tour by themselves and instantly sell out any venue in the world. The scintillating production chops we’ve come to expect from the both of them compliment Skylar Grey’s perfect vocals. Atmospheric, progressive, and apparently still a work in progress. If this ever sees festival play, people are going to lose their minds.

Mix Of The Weekend: Dreamstep by Jaya Prime

This week, we’re moving into the bassy space, with a gorgeous mix from years ago by Jaya Prime. Just in case you’ve never gotten into this, you need to put it into your face. Dotted with samples from Inception, the mix is ethereal, heavy & at times pounding when it comes to the blend of dubstep, future garage & metal. Any mix that has Burial, Sarah McLachlan remixes & Bassnectar is one you need to hear. Get into the heavy and enjoy.

Playlist Of The Weekend: Best Music 2k14 Q1 by Jaya Prime

I’ve been listening to Jaya Prime for years, and if you don’t believe me, go listen to his Dreamstep mix. He’s thrown together an hour of tracks you won’t find anywhere else, and after listening to it, you’ll be mad about that. Inventive, cutting-edge production from Dirtwire, Nick Leon, FUME, Phutureprimitive, JacM, Bluereso, K.Sabroso & more. Seriously. This list isn’t for you weekend warriors, but if you want to hear where some of the sounds you’re hearing at clubs or festivals are going, check this out. And give Jaya Prime all the love, as this guy eats big room for breakfast.