Monthly Archives: June 2010

Hecq – Sura

When breakcore producers started to put out dubstep records I can’t deny I wasn’t wary of the results. So when I heard people like Hecq and Matta coming from Ad Noiseam my fears were totally put to rest.

Incorporating a lot of the rave samples of old and new, Hecq bridges the gap between dub and breaks. Expect jarring time signatures, crushing metal rhythms and possibly the heaviest bassline of the year.

It’s records like this that make me wish I could DJ. When I listened to ‘Sura’ it was like listening to that first Bong-Ra or Enduser track when I was 16 thinking: “What in the blue fuck is this?” – and I mean that in the best possible way. No, really.

The b-side ‘Tiamat’ starts off with an epic soundscape reminscient of those really dark industrial records that Cabaret Voltaire and Throbbing Gristle used to put out in the late 70s and early 80s. You should only listen to this record through the best speaker system money can buy so you can really feel the bass oscillate and swirl 360 degrees round your head and the snares crash into the bass of your skull.

Stand out tracks: Sura
Download: Hecq – Tiamat

Title: Sura (adn128)
Artist: Hecq
Out now on Ad Noiseam.

Mixcloud Cloudcast of the day – DJ Premier

Mixcloud‘s Cloudcasts are undoubtedly only as good as the DJs that produce them but their casts of the day are usually pretty consistant in quality. Today is the turn of DJ Premier, someone who has amassed a colossal amount of cool points.

Having produced pretty much all of Gang Starr’s tracks as well as tracks for KRS-One, Mos Def, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Nas, M.O.P. and many others, DJ Premier is one of the most respected hip-hop DJs of the 90s.

This mix doesn’t stray far from his trademark abrasive scratching, clashing loops and perfect beat-matching that remind of you New York like few others. I’m not sure about some of the tunes he chooses but then I’ve always been fussy about my hip-hop.

http://www.mixcloud.com/media/swf/player/mixcloudLoader.swf?v=20
So head over to Mixcloud to download or stream it and keep up with Hip-Hop Nation for their spot on radio show.

Baltik Bass

This is literally one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard and I’m praying it takes off because nothing would make me happier than hearing this in a packed club full of kids too cool to dance. Boom Shakalaka are a DJ/producer collective from Helsinki who combine Baltic/Nordic/Scandinavian folk music with house/funky/electro beats and come up with something that’s not as ridiculous as it sounds.

“Having musically been a few times around the world, the Boom Shakalaka team from Finland, has also become more aware of their own musical heritage. The finnish, scandinavian, nordic and baltic region has a rich folk music tradition with nice bouncy accordeon rhythms and beautiful fiddle harmonies. To make this material more suitable for the club, the BSL DJs started making remixes of finnish folk music, which they got some great feedback from. One thing lead to another and finally they realised they have a new genre on their hands, which got the name Baltik Bass, drawing from the musical traditions of the countries around the Baltic Sea. Here is a first official promotional track, from the upcoming Maasto Records release Boom Shakalaka presents: Baltik Bass vol. 1. Enjoy!”

Download: DJ Emil vs. Kiharakolmio – Riddim And Culture

"I don’t see it as allowing an illegal drug party"

I wasn’t going to post this video until I realised where it was: the North East! I couldn’t believe this was on the Birthday Party Berlin blog, but then again our good chum Jason Forrest knows his stuff!

Benga – Baltimore Clap [Video]

The Chemical Brothers – Further

Sounding very much like ‘Baba O’Riley’ during an aneurysm, ‘Escape Velocity’ sees The Chemical Brothers attempting grandeur but in the end it turns out to be just a really long song. As did the rest of the album, it bored the arse off me and was so bland and repetitive I found it almost impossible to pay attention to.

‘Swoon’ also sounds like it’s borrowed from somewhere I can’t quite place and that made for a really irritating listen. And for some reason all the vocals sound like Snow Patrol, which is awful. Just awful.

The tracks themselves are OK but nothing really stands out and you’ve forgotten it as soon as you’ve heard it. ‘Snow’ is alright, sort of a grower but takes far too long to get going and isn’t really that great once you get there.

If you could somehow pass it through a filter that would remove the vocals and then on some of the tracks every single sound (I couldn’t even finish the last track), you might end up with a decent electro or house record. Since The Chems decided not to do this it is not a decent electro or house record in the slightest and they are off my Christmas card list.

Stand out tracks: Horsepower

Title: Further (6325302)
Artist: The Chemical Brothers
Out now on EMI

Phila.sophical – The DJ Revolution

http://www.youtube.com/v/CI9oGQr9HkM&hl=en_GB&fs=1&From Jazzy Jeff through to Josh Wink, Philadelphia has always been a melting pot of creativity and ingenuity within the hip-hop community. As ?uestlove of The Roots points out, New York hip-hop cast such a shadow over the rest of the east coast that Philly DJs had their work cut out from the start and had to be “three times as good” just to make an impression, thus any DJs who did last the distance were exceptionally talented.

Put together by Butch Mayo of Emuwna Filmz and a few other characters, the documentary explores the experiences and exploits of a lot of big names in Philadelphia and also laments the passing of those legendary early years when experimentation was rife – long before the days when Bono and The Edge discussed Josh Wink or rock bands featured DJs more often than hip-hop groups. It also features DJs from around the US citing the unique Philly sound as a huge influence as well as a particularly poignant interview with the late DJ AM who tragically passed away last year.

Three years in the making, there is very little info about the release date but hopefully this teaser should tide you over until then. If not, you can just do as I have and watch it repeatedly until your eyes bleed. It’s literally the most fun you can have giving your brain an embolism.

First Devo LP in 20 years!

The re-awakened Devo have announced they will be releasing their ninth studio LP and first since 1990′s ‘Smooth Noodle Maps’, entitled ‘Something For Everybody’. The LP is based around the idea that humanity, instead of evolving, is actually regressing – a vision they had 38 years ago in Ohio.

Today they have decided to embrace the homogeneity of the 21st century and embarked on a series of focus group meetings with the modern world designed to satirize their use in market research and radio broadcasting.

One of the singles from the LP ‘Fresh’ led the focus groups to conclude that “‘Fresh’ alleviates aches and pains” and “3 out of 5 people would hold ‘Fresh’ with their feet for more than 3 minutes.” It’s also a really good song. Best buy it then, really.

You can get a copy at Club Devo, Amazon and a number of other places.

New Drop The Lime EP!

Trouble & Bass head honcho Drop The Lime has a new EP out June 22nd on his own label and The Fader has premiered a remix of the title track ‘Sex Sax’.

You can get your grubby little mits on it just down there.

Download: Drop The Lime – Sex Sax (Bart B More Remix)

New 77 Klash EP out soon

MC for Major Lazer 77 Klash has a new EP produced by Drop The Lime and AC Slater out on Trouble & Bass this week called ‘Shadow Of Death’. A video for the title track is on its way.

“77 Klash is a Brooklyn based artist, raised in NYC, Jamaica and even spent some time on the west coast and this EP really showcases Klash’s spectrum; from angsty mob stomping aggression like on Shadow of Death, to the socio-politcal activist mentality on Dangerous Nights to the sunshine inspired love song No Turning Back. Klash is all about it on this EP, even going hard on the epic Supra 1 Remix of Little Jinder’s Polyhedron instrumental.”

In the mean time you can stream the whole EP on his Soundcloud page or download the title track below before you buy!

Download: 77 Klash – Shadow Of Death