Tag Archives: soundcloud

5 UK Drum & Bass Tracks That Need To Be In Your Life.

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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]

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Virtual Riot - We're Not Alone (Cybin Quest Remix)

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.

Midnight Music: Svenson & Gielen – Twisted (Jorn van Deynhoven Remake) [Trance]

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Svenson & Gielen - Twisted (Jorn van Deynhoven Remake)

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.

Midnight Music: Vauns – Sidelines EP [Dark Drum & Bass/Chillstep]

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This Sidelines EP is one of the more high quality offerings I’ve heard from the darker ends of the chillstep universe as of late. Circles by Vaun is a smooth, vintage feeling track that makes excellent use of noir trumpet. I didn’t think noir trumpet was a genre, but after this, I may need to reconsider. That moody, retro trumpet seeps into the lush, almost steamy tune, that would be at home in any darkened lounge around 3 AM. Into The Night features seductive vocals by Animai, accompanied by UK bass & step’y beats that I’d definitely prefer to the remaining bastions of Michael Baystep at parties. Kismet solidifies Vaun’s position as maestro of dark, alluring, yet mysterious bass that I really want playing during the scene transitions in the eventual movie that’s going to be made about Gotham underground nightlife. There’s a potent focus to the sounds, without any sense of rushedness or aggressive bro bullshit. One Touch rounds out his solo offerings on the EP & does so in hushed, Burial-like tones, that we’re all better for hearing. The more artists doing this kind of quiet, garage’y bass, the better I think

Knowledge finds Vaun accompanied by Ill Chill, and as expected, the collab adds a layer of spoken word flow to the relaxed, irregular bass. I can’t wait for chillstep to ally with spoken word & hip hop to unseat trip hop as the genre of choice for rhymes that doesn’t involve gold chains & gun violence. The finale is where the EP gets its title, with Sarah Zad adding some ethereal humanity to the broken bass that Vaun lays down. Her stellar voice is a perfect match for the production choices Vaun adds into the mix, especially 90sec in. This tune screams for dance videos & pop/lock demonstrations. So, b-boys & liquid dancers, get on this. Your YouTube page will thank me.

Midnight Music: BANKS – Drowning (Stwo Remix) [Moody Vocal Indie Gold]

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Stwo Remix Banks Drowning

“You’re so bold when you’re watching me moan.”

This smooth, sexy, chilled out reworking of Drowning by BANKS showcases exactly what about Stwo, coming out of Paris, excites me so. There’s a morose, but sly & alluring sound coming from this track, and Lorde fans will enjoy the content & backend on this one as well. It’s something that pop could very well absorb. This kind of indie sound, mixing soulful vocals and the future bass sound I drool over is still under-represented in the industry currently, especially because it’s not so good at driving mainstage traffic. However, this kind of mood music is perfect for lounges, movie soundtracks and other environments less conducive to raging. I don’t mean to be glib, because as the EDM bubble finally oversaturates, people are going to want music for doing things other than fist pumping. Cuddle beats for the win, as it were.

Attend: Vitamin B’s 6 Year Spectacular ft. Tony Quattro, Wavewhore & Gustolabs!

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I am so proud of these people. Vitamin B has survived & prospered in NYC against all odds. Even though they throw parties in the House borough of a House city, on a House coast of a House country, they’ve been holding down the Breaks universe here in Gotham for what is an eternity in the NYC club scene. This institution has continued to showcase the finest talent they could get, with a following that grows every month. When I started this blog, Vitamin B was one of the first parties I covered, and I am so pleased they’ve weathered the venue closures, explosion of EDM around them and the general fuckery of NYC nightlife with grace & awesome nights. If you don’t know what you’re doing this weekend, now you do.

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Midnight Music: Katy Perry – California Gurls (Matt DiMona Remix) [Tropical House]

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Since it was officially 40ish degrees this weekend here in NYC, here’s some tropical house from Matt DiMona to remind you of the 3 month complain-fest your friends had over the summer about the heat. The heavily-modified vocal work is surprisingly effective, especially when Snoop Dogg is made to sound like a kidnapper in an action flick. This is one of the better attempts at convincing me to pay attention to Katy Perry, as the sun-drenched vibes radiating from this mix are undeniable. DiMona does some good work, it’s a Free Download, and hat tip to David Rishty who tipped me off to the track. (via EDMTunes)

Midnight Music: TastyTreat – Up Late ft. Father Dude [Future Bass/Chill Trap]

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TastyTreat - Up late ft. Father Dude
This Hebinomichi compilation must be crazy, if this is what it sounds like. This stellar duo from Cali, TastyTreat collabs with Father Dude (a Gothamite) to push out a shimmering future bass track, steeped in chill trap elements. The playful chord progressions, stuttering bass and soulful call out vocals do a great job of solidifying the non-rave ground that some of the newer funky/indie tunes have been trying to capture. This is a new world and we’ve got R&B vocals hanging out with trap beats, running into some fun little irregular low end. Stuff people never thought of pushing together even a few years ago (hipsters I know, your favorite group was doing this in a basement in 2009, I know), and it’s slowly showing up in a selection of places around the globe. Can’t wait to see how this vibe injects itself into the Western Hemisphere festival scene, especially outside of Mad Decent parties. (via Stoney Roads)

Midnight Music: Xanwow – Sonsopkoms (Original Mix) [Driving Progressive]

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Xanwow

The creator of this track is 14 years old. Fourteen. I want that to sink in. I want you to think back to what you were doing in 7th grade. Were you releasing retail-grade progressive? Cause I sure as hell wasn’t. I think I had a vague understanding of hip hop and Green Day at that point. Now the kids are creating anthem tracks that I would listen to at essentially any party. This kid has dropped a 6min opus with some severely pleasing vibes. He takes his time, already pushing the length of tunes back into a great place. If you remember tracks longer than 6 minutes, you know what I’m talking about. Let’s get some ears on this kid’s stuff because his sound deserves as wide of a base as possible. If we could get the fame Martin Garrix has for this one, I’d be a happy man. (via Fresh New Tracks)

Midnight Music: Young & Sick – Heartache Fetish (Ta-ku Rework) [Chill Indie Bass]

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If this is the first time you’ve ever heard Taku, I’m actually jealous of you. There’s so much amazing moody gorgeousness by Ta-ku that I wish I could fall in love with again, I’d love to be you. This guy has strong Flume vibes and his social media personality is delightful and authentic. 2min in, there’s a punchy backbeat that pushes out a cinematic feel I wish more artists would play with. Young & Sick got a tremendous remix here from Ta-ku and I hope they know what they’re sitting on (Check the original below). Ta-ku’s Songs To Break Up to is a gem and I can’t wait to hear more from this guy.