A powerful and encapsulating bass-driven groove courtesy of French Funky/Garage producer of the moment, 123Mrk. Soulful, warped vocals and a pulsating underbelly of synths accompanied by the snap, crackle and pop of vintage vinyl make this track an instant body shaker.
Lupe's new mixtape is here and this time he's spitting verses over Nero, Bassnectar and M83 tracks to name a few. Despite the general disappointment of 'Lasers', Lupe has never been afraid to try new things. Friend Of The People is a step in a new direction for the Chi town giant and a vast improvement from his previous album. Here he lyrically laces Justice's 'Ohio' (from their new album Audio, Video, Disco) telling his own story of the history of rap and all its major figures. The effortlessly cool Justice beat and backing vocals provide the perfect backdrop to Lupe's narration. Whilst the whole album isn't exactly awe-inspiring, several tracks carry weight lyrically and fit together perfectly with the driving electronic beats underneath. Will this inspire other rappers to collaborate with previously unexpected electronic/dubstep/indie artists? Let's hope so...
With dulcet guitars floating over ethereal synths, this song will sooth your soul. Dive is the title track from San Francisco based graphic designer, Scott Hansen's full length debut, and this song is perfect for the ghastly winter commute we all currently endure on a daily basis. For me it conjures up memories of this summer in Biarritz; surfing every day with friends, sweltering sun on my back and sea salt in my hair.
My good friend Audrey used this song in a recent video she made of her life in Paris, check it out below. Her website, Frassy Rags, is currently having a sale on all items so go buy christmas presents for that special someone or treat yourself to some bargain buys.
Another cold and barren night in Paris, let this track warm your bones wherever you are. From my buddy Sam's Welsh Assembly project, his tracks seem to get more formulated and beautiful each time; he manages to fit so much weight and emotion into this fairly lo-fi track with such ease.
Uploaded to his soundcloud over the weekend, SBTRKT has kept this rework simple without removing any of the rich textures and other-worldly synths carefully woven into Frank Ocean's original track. With smooth, rolling sub-bass, oscillating synths (very similar to those in Trials of The Past) and slightly chopped vocals, this song still manages to hit that weak spot and render reflective sadness to the listener.
Three more tracks from Drake's forthcoming sophomore album, Take Care, hit the web last night. However only one caught my attention - the collab with his fellow countryman and protégé, The Weeknd. The track itself is thick and murky. Tesfaye's haunting falsetto rides over delicate keys and spliced hi-hats giving the song a slightly darker and more sinister feel.
This is definitely not a single and won't appeal to everyone; Drake doesn't come in 'till about two minutes and the track itself is more progressive than an instant hit. For me it's like the twisted sibling of So Far Gone openers 'Lust for Life' and 'Houstatlantavegas' which you can check out in this great fan-made mashup video below:
Another fantastic remix from the ever impressive Flume. A lot mellower than his previous work, this merely demonstrates Harley Streten's ability to make any track his own. I'm sure label mates New Navy will be more than happy for him to remix more of their stuff in the future.
