Tag Archives: trap

From The Trenches: Mohawk The Educator

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(I have been waiting to do this interview for years now. Mohawk is a luminary in the NYC underground scene, my boss at New York DanceSafe , a spectacular dancer & a generally all around stupendous person. She’s throwing a party that you need to go to, and I’ll be giving two tickets away, so you have no excuse. But before you do, kick back and enjoy this long-form conversation with someone who is fielding a tactical force to keep your sorry butt alive if you’re partying in the Tri-State area.)

Mohawk, Harm Reduction Coordinator Extraordinaire.

1. How is the party coming along? Any new surprises to announce, or should we just show up and find out? The party is pretty much ready to go and we’re in our last week of ramped up promotion. I wouldn’t say there are true “surprises”, however I’m sure many people are hearing about the party through different sources, so beyond the musical talent we’ll have on board, the additional performers, vendors, and workshops might come as a surprise to many. We’ve been making announcements a few times a week, highlighting some of what’s to come. We don’t expect everyone to keep up with these announcements, but we definitely want to showcase all that we have in store. It’s getting pretty late in the game and we still have people wanting to take part in the festivities. Don’t bank on this type of event happening again–we host events with specific objectives and move forward from there. It’s a “launch party” of sorts, so come find out for yourself and see what it’s all about!

2. You’ve been doing harm reduction for a long time, have you seen any changes in the work/scene that you’d see as positive? Any worrying trends you are trying to sound the alarm about? I’d like to preface this answer first: I really only have visibility of what’s happening in NYC. In doing this work with a nationally represented organization, a lot of people assume that we all see the same things or face the same problems. This is not necessarily the case, so I’ve chosen to take the New York chapter in different directions based on what we learn each year. The good news is, people overall are becoming more “hip” to testing. People want kits! The worrying thing about this is that, people forget that drug use comes with risks beyond just the potential of ingesting the “wrong” drugs by accident. An obvious worrisome trend is how much do we need to fear fentanyl popping up in drugs, especially non-opioids? This is one with a lot of hysteria around it right now. It takes a lot of work to keep the most accurate information in circulation and weed out the sensationalism and myths.

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DJ Suede, Grey, Gospel & Veganism: How To Get People Talking

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Grey - Vegan Thanksgiving (Editorial by Terry Gotham)

For everyone still thinking the Mannequin Challenge was the new hot thing, I’ve got an amazing story to tell you about the U NAME IT phenomenon that’s been the highlight of my November by far. If you don’t listen to Hip Hop you might have missed this one, so sit back, relax, and learn how two artists took the raw grist of the internet and turned it into magic, one after the other.

Way back in 2010, a gospel singer named Shirley Caesar uploaded a performance of her singing a gospel tune named Hold My Mule. The epic performance, clocking in well over nine minutes, describes a tale of an honest priest tilling his fields and praising the Lord. When a bunch of idolater & materialist Reverends come from the city in their fancy cars, telling him that he’ll be thrown out of the Church they all preach at for his meager and overenthusiastic ways, Shirley utters these words (~5:55 for those interested), that will forever go down in meme history:

“I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes, lamb, rams, hogs, dogs, chicken, turkeys, rabbits — you name it!”

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Monday Music: WNWD, Autograf, Solstis, Lido & Wolfgang Lohr

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8t5YJApril’s grinding along, if you’re flagging, rely on me. Got 5 soulful tunes for your Monday. By the time these are done, it’ll be time for lunch and you’ll deserve a break, so let’s get into it.

V continues to be one of the most important people to follow at Fresh New Tracks. WNWD coming out of Miami, taking me by total surprise. Higher has a number of electronic elements, but it’s quite different than what I expect out of South Beach. Low-key R&B for the win up in this. The vocal work hits all of the marks needed for the bass & production really shine. Great work & they earned the follow with this track, most assuredly.

Autograf has been a sleeper favorite of mine for years now. Really happy they’ve broken out of Soundcloud purgatory and arrived on the festival circuit, hitting Coachella & Euphoria Festival this month alone. This kind of moody bass might be a little chilled out for a Monday morning, but the guitar work makes up for it. It’s got a vintage Ratatat feel to it, which is a high compliment if anyone remembers their early work. Great work, can’t wait to hear basics chatting up this new Autograph band after their set in Indio at the end of the month.

Coming at you with some new (to me) talent out of Honolulu & Chicago, Solstis. Three minutes forty moves by quickly, straddling the line between Chip, Trap and Future, but never getting too big for its britches. The chorus shimmers and the underlying bass is one of the more soothing I’ve heard in a minute. It’s got an almost West Coast vibe, but it feels like it came from the dorm rooms at a tech school in Cali, if that makes sense.

Lido has hit his stride and we are all better for it. This video is a perfect indication that he’s embracing his rising star position & digging in. The signature viscous rhythm & bass vibe that we love him for is here, with lovely vocals and a surprisingly good video. This has anthem all over it, but not in a big room way. If we can get Future Bass & Chilltrap to the mainstage this year, I’ll be a very happy man.

Rounding out the tunes today is an edit by one German electroswing DJ, of an original tune by another German electroswing DJ. I had no idea the stuff ran so deep in Germany, but this is jolly dope. The hustle is warm, the piano on-point, and the progression really lends itself to some infectious booty shaking. It’s hard to resist this one, and it’s good for all ages. The German vocals are oddly relaxing, while the pacing doesn’t let up. Drop this into a wedding reception & watch people of all ages jump up and down. Great work Wolfgang, keep it up!

Monday Music: The Code, New Phynix, Dream Beach, Soy Sauce, Feki & ROIS!

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Snow Spring - Terry Gotham - Peehs

Photo by Peehs: http://peehs.deviantart.com/art/snow-spring-112436421

Monday Monday (so good to me)! Another balmy week is before us Gothamites! To celebrate, here’s your usual 5pack of dope tunes & a bonus EP slapped on the end! One oldie from Dream Beach, but mostly new hotness. Let’s dig in!

Kicking things off is a peppy, moody How Deep Is Your Love future remix. Calvin Harris usually doesn’t leave a lot of room to improve on his signature sound, but the way the track almost waves in the breeze works perfectly. The Future Trap vibe can be over done, but no bed squeak noises, quality production and a couple of satisfying drops make it great for an office chair dance party. Great work by The Code, can’t wait to see what they do next.

I’d not heard of New Phynix, but this original got my attention. It’s a great example of where Progressive is going now that the Big Room trend has been dead & buried. This is very much still a mainstage/anthem track, but the abrasive electro sounds from 2 years ago are all gone. Instead, we’ve got a driving bassline & rounded synth stabs, making for an impeccable “get hype” tune.

Switching gears entirely, Dream Beach has been killing it for a while. It’s hard to describe the sounds he creates, but it definitely needs way more attention. His occasionally melancholy, occasionally euphoric, always dope vision has made for a bunch of great releases. Faintly Jersey Club, faintly future dreamwave, the track is everything I want from a 90’s hip hop remix. The mix completely re-envisions the song & brings us a triumphant new look at the classic Biggie track.

Not everyone may remember “Suga Suga” but, if you do, you remember how it was on every dance floor for months back in 2003. Soy Sauce brings us all the way back with this syrupy dope remix of the original. Winking future elements, soft chill vibes & his own excellent vocal work. If you’re a fan of his vocal stylings, check out Imad Royal while his beatwork will be featured on Soy Sauce. Delightfully relaxed and sexy, it might deserve a spot on your Valentine’s Day playlist.

Feki, the young star from of down under, brings his A-game once again for a sweet reworking of Anna of The North‘s soulful tune “The Dreamer.” It’s got an almost Lana Del Rey/London Grammar vibe to it, which is high praise to someone I’m not sure anyone outside of AUS/NZ knows of yet. The Future vibe is in full effect, and the fusion between organic & synthetic couldn’t work better if we handed it to Flume himself.

Bonus!

I usually only do 5 tunes a week, but I had to make an exception for this EP from ROIS. A duo out of LA so far below the radar they don’t have 100 Soundcloud followers yet, so you know it’s a juicy find. It’s a light, forward thinking take R&B that we’re not hearing much these days. While most are pushing towards the Jersey Club sexiness, Vincent Coleman & Nick Hughston make a strong case for your attention using a more vintage style. Is Future Soul a thing yet?

Midweek Music: DZZ, Mobil, Win & Woo, The Kairi Collective & Priscilla Sharp

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summer New week, more music! One classic, couple newbies, all quality & no bullshit. Wide variety this week, so let’s get into it!  DZZ came out of nowhere on this one. With a premiere on Nest HQ this week, DZZ is going places. This tune is at once chippy, future and melancholy. The production values are off the charts on this & the drippingly synthetic vocals are stupendous. This is my sleeper hit for the week, so get into the whole EP here.

Collectives are so hot right now. The Kairi Collective dropped this release and I couldn’t be happier that they did. This chilled vibe is unmistakeable. The glitchy, dubsteppy sounds work perfectly with the classical violin, piano and shifting chords. Really looking forward to where Pensees, Quok & Jan Amit are going with this as this effort is tremendous.

 I’m so glad Tropical has turned into an element of music production, instead of a genre of music. Just like dubstep before it, people are realizing that steel drums & sexy sax do not a song make. You still need a hook and possibly some catchy lyrics. Win & Woo have a great little ditty here, and have a soaring mainstage career in front of them as long as they do the work.

This one takes a minute to get going, but you want to give it the time it deserves. Like a girl who knows what she wants, this track takes its time and really explores a sound that’s both future & 90’s vintage. I don’t know how to describe this, except maybe if Cyndi Lauper did some K & then took some allergy meds. And I mean that in the best possible way. It’s like if The Eurythmics had a Macbook to produce on. Trust me, you want to hear this. Priscilla Sharp knows what she’s doing so don’t disappoint her.

Classic trance vibe right here, and it’s from 2013. This really doesn’t need any further introduction besides it being euphoric trance that needs to be played on high volume. Mobil does amazing work here, so show it some love. And if someone can clue me into where I can get more full-length mixes of this style of trance, hit up the comments.

Midweek Music: White Boys, MitiS, GRMM, Lookas, KSHMR & Vaski

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These Irish guys said they’d let me know when their new single was out and they came through. This is a funky, indie flavored track that really makes me want to go to the party this was filmed at. Excellent effort by White Boys, and I can’t wait to see where they go with this sound. Here’s to hoping they invite me to the next party. I’ll show up. Even if it’s in Dublin. That kind of scene is totally worth a hop across the pond for.

GRMM is an Australian stunner on Hegemon records. This future tune took me by surprise. It almost shimmers as it smooths along the avenue. Travolta Cool is such a clever title for a relaxed track like this. Now I’ll be following this dude around the internet like the weird, creepy sonic stalker I am.

MitiS is a force of nature. I don’t care if you’ve followed him for years like I have, or if this is the first time you’ve heard one of his tunes. His signature fusion of electro, progressive, trance & chillout make him an act to remember. I interviewed him way back when. Who knows if he even remembers now that he’s a big star. If you don’t know why, put Forever into your face.

This Song Is Sick debuted a stupendous chillstep track this weekend. KSHMR & Vaski collab with Francisca Hall for a lovely, edgy dubstep track that keeps it taut. This one is some new hotness that should be getting a lot of attention this week already.

 Lookas keeps things real, and I’m so glad to hear some originals from this guy after a string of dope remixes. This kind of anthem trap that gives you hope for the future and doesn’t remind me of white guys with dreadlocks at all. When it could be performed live with a drum line you know it’s dope.

Midnight Music: UV boi ft. Fionn Richards & Brasstracks فوق بنفسجي – LUV [Aussie Bass]

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UV Boi ft Brasstracks & Fionn Richards - LUV

UV boi ft. Fionn Richards & Brasstracks فوق بنفسجي – LUV

I’mobsessed with how future this track is. There’s so much to like about UV boi, and it’s on display here (By the way, the Arabic says ultraviolet.). From the perfect collaboration to the perfect future trap sounds, to the cell phone typing on the beat the whole time, this is the new hotness. The Brasstracks adding their emerging horn jams to the windswept vocals by Fionn Richards and UV boi takes it from there. He takes it and runs with it. There’s a neo-spiritual feel to this, while it also identifies as footwork and future bass. This is why I love the stuff coming out of Down Under. It’s so free from corporate dumb-assery, it takes so many more risks. C’mon, can you imagine anyone but The Chainsmokers adding texting sounds to a track? And then adding them to a future jazz track? I don’t think so. UV Boi makes it happen and we’re all better for it.

Midnight Music: Jack Ü ft. AlunaGeorge – To Ü (Lodent Remix) [Anthem Trap]

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Jack U - To U (Lodent Remix)The massive Jack U album continues to spawn dope remixes! This time, we’ve got Lodent knocking it out of the park. A rising bass producer from Chicago kills it on this. The glittering anthem vibe meshes with merciless trap beats. A heavy but almost euphoric mix down allows the original track featuring AlunaGeorge a chance to soar, showcasing this Lodent fella. Quite good work actually, especially for someone new on the scene. I usually can’t stand heavy trap because of the total lack of melody & major chords. Lodent must’ve heard me complaining and proves you can make trap that’s both heavy on chords and doesn’t skimp on the bass. It’s a small gift, especially with the festival season coming, so I hope it works its way into a set or two I hear by the time the summer is out. 

Treehouse Of Horror Homer Simpson Trap. You’re Welcome.

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In one of the better decisions ever made in the history of Trap music, Bombs Away, an Melbourne Bounce group decided to sample Homer Simpson. That’s right, an Australian bounce act took some of the best quotes from that Simpsons Halloween where they remade The Shining and turned it into a preview/tease. Thanks to Laughing Squid, I’m now of the opinion that this track now needs to come out. I’m sorry. It really, really does. The sample capture is perfect, the use is perfect and the synthetic beat created from Homer’s scream is how you say, Perfect. The last time I heard a competent Simpsons dance remix, it was 2003 and it was psytrance. (Yes, of course I linked it below, and it comes in around 4min, 21sec in)

Midnight Music: SoySauce ft. Joni Fatora – Broken Record [Space Bass]

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SoySauce ~ Broken Record (ft. Joni Fatora)My girl Michelle out at EDMTunes not only tips me off to some of the best tracks, but is consistently in my Top 5 for descriptions of tracks online. Like, check it:

SoySauce delivers an unexpectedly classy track with ‘Broken Records’, heightening a rapport from food court fried rice to high-class sashimi platter.

I mean, honestly, how good is that? She’s totally accurate. This kind of thumping chilltrap could’ve been totally phoned in, warmed over and made you hungry for something real in under 30min from listening to it. However, an original use of some squelchy chords, competent pad work & legit vocals by Joni Fatora gives the track a surprising flavor. This is on the Cashmere Cat & Chet Faker end of the pool, but that side of the pool has hotter people and the ones diving in are doing sweet flips & shit. Letting that metaphor die, the track is quite good, especially in the relatively early stages of the genre they’re working in. The soft sounds mesh with the irregular beat structure in a way that’s inviting, not erratic. And as anyone who has been fucked up at a trap party can tell you, moments of regularity & warmth are precious. Go ahead, pour some SoySauce on your  evening. (via Michelle Chu of EDMTunes)