Music, the sweetest thing. Here’s a list of recent favourites I’ve been bumping in the iPod and on the computer (I don’t got a car!). It also kinda serves as an end of year list too, in case I don’t get round to doing one.
Pinch ‘Underwater Dancehall’ - quite possibly one of the albums of the year for me. It just gets better and better with every listen. The vocal tracks are superb. It has echoes of previous Bristol classics like Massive Attack, but it’s entirely its own thing.
Stones Throw ‘Now Again:Re Sounds’ - been a while since I bumped something like this. Re-edits and remixes of classic tracks unearthed by the Stones Throw historians. Some great moments with Percee P on there who proves that he is still one of the best.
Oh No ‘Dr. No’s Oxperiment’ - Madlib’s little brother does good and comes up with an incredibly funky collection of short beats and loops taking their cue from Turkish music. Another grower.
Big Dada ‘Ten Years Deep’ - a compilation that shows one of the UK’s most forward thinking labels at his best. Includes many classics and unreleased, which never got old. It’s also got a wicked DVD docu and all the videos ever made. Standard.
Prefuse 73 ‘Preparations’ - new LP from Scott Heren’s Prefuse alias. More of the same as before, crunchy beats, ground and edited, and some really standout moments including the lead single ‘Class of 73 Bells’ which is irresistible.
Flying Lotus ‘Reset’ - new EP on Warp from the man whose name is on everyone’s lips. It’s fuckin brilliant too. I wasn’t much of a fan of Fly Lo at the beginning I must admit but his sound has grown on me, and for anyone who likes things eclectic, different and most definitely funky it’s a must. Future beats. On the same tip hunt down the 4h show he did on Dublab radio recently, alongside Gas Lamp Killer and Ras G, as well as the just released Kode 9 & Flying Lotus Rinse Fm podcast, available here (peep the blog and podcast section).
Carlo ‘vol 888′ - this little gem of a mix is available on the excellent Rhythm Incursions podcast (see the left column, for direct links). It’s wicked, a mix of original tracks sampled by the likes of Signify, Kid Koala, Sixtoo and more. One for the trainspotters but also those who like seriously good music.
Various Artists ‘Signal Path’ - new compilation from my man DDay One’s label, featuring unknown talent from round the world. Some great instrumental hip hop that covers all styles and moods.
Hotflush ‘Time and Space’ - another compilation, this time from Hotflush, one of the standard dubstep labels. This one stands out for the great variety in styles and sounds as well, with so many stand out cuts and next to no throw away ones.
Peverelist, Martyn, Shackleton - this guys are all amazing in their own rights, and at the moment they’re all putting out some seriously interesting and exciting music. Peverelist’s Punch Drunk label is a must check for lovers of electronic music, his latest release ‘Roll With The Punches’ is beautiful. Shackleton recently did a mix for Mary Ann Hobbs’ Radio 1 show, and it’s also a must, showcasing new tracks from new Skull Disco releases. Martyn is a Dutch based producer, who does dnb as well, and he’s also been putting out some incredible stuff. Basically if you like dubstep that actually sounds unique and not out of a template than I can only recommend these guys, google them for new releases, mixes etc… there’s plenty online.
Quarta 330 ‘9 Samurai remix b/w Sunset Dub’ - Hyperdub keeps on pushing the edgier side of things, with every new release taking you by surprise pretty much. This time it’s Quarta 330, Tokyo based chiptune producer (aka someone who makes beats using gameboys and other 8bit processors), who gets to officially release his remix of Kode 9’s ‘9 Samurai’ backed. Both this remix and the flip are wicked, proof that 8bit can definitely rattle your lower ends but also that there’s some serious funk hidden in those little chips.
The Bug ‘Poison Dart’ - Along with ‘Skeng’ and ‘Jah War’, The Bug has managed to release three of the catchiest dancefloor anthems this year, each unique and each powerful enough to rip a hole in anyone’s ribcage. This time vocals come courtesy of Warrior Queen, and the remixes are well worth the detour too with personal fav DJ Baku’s megamix and the Flowdan refix on the same riddim. The Bug’s showed some serious dancefloor appeal with each single, keeping things simple by focusing on a trinity of beats, bass and vocals that is quite simply fantastic. Next year’s albums are looking to be well worth the wait.
There’s more but I’m running out of time and I got to go to work so I might update this in a few days. Enjoy!
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