Airport

Soda - Boody & Le1f - Liquid (2012, Boysnoize Records) Video...

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 12:45:52 +1000

Soda - Boody & Le1f - Liquid (2012, Boysnoize Records)

Video directed by Sam Jones

Retrograde - James Blake - Retrograde (2013, Polydor) After a...

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:29:00 +1000

Retrograde - James Blake - Retrograde (2013, Polydor)

After a stretch of radio silence from the usually prolific James Blake, the singer-songwriter (who of course almost single-handedly made post-dubstep a thing a couple of years ago) is delivering his sophomore album Overgrown early this April.

The album has very big shoes to fill, following on from his much loved 2011 eponymous debut. But if this haunting lead single Retrograde is anything to go by, everything will be just fine.

Released today, the single is accompanied by a fittingly enigmatic video, directed by previous Blake collaborator Martin De Thurah.

Paris Dub 1 (feat. Paris Brightledge) - Paranoid London - Paris...

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:55:00 +1000

Paris Dub 1 (feat. Paris Brightledge) - Paranoid London - Paris Dub 1 (2012, Paranoid London Records)

No-one really knows too much about Paranoid London, but when that 303 bass-line kicks in, you’ll stop wondering about that, and just get lost in this fantastic acid house track.

White Noise (feat. Aluna George) - Disclosure - White Noise...

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:17:00 +1000

White Noise (feat. Aluna George) - Disclosure - White Noise (2013, PMR)

With the release date of their debut album getting closer and closer, Disclosure yet again whet our appetites with their first single of 2013, collaborating with fellow British up-and-comer Aluna George. Given their shared trajectories into the limelight it was only a matter of time before the two collaborated, but thankfully the results more than live up to the hype.

White Noise sees Disclosure cement the sound that has been getting them so noticed over their last few releases — a blend of timely UK bass and timeless house music, all crafted with notable attention to detail and an ear for melody — and Aluna George’s sassy vocals fit with the duo’s production like a glove. Get set to hear this catchy bass line quite often these next few months.

Flutes (A JD Twitch Optimo Remix) - Hot Chip - In Our Heads...

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:40:00 +1000

Flutes (A JD Twitch Optimo Remix) - Hot Chip - In Our Heads (Extended Edition) (2012, Domino)

Sasha’s remix of Hot Chip’s Flutes is easily the most talked about re-working of the track. However, Optimo’s JD Twitch also created an excellent remix of it, which has been lurking around in the middle of In Our Heads’ Extended Edition disc all this time (it definitely slipped past me at first). JD subtly extracts the track’s most danceable elements while cutting the more indie pop aspects, resulting in a smooth, impelling dance floor filler, which will mercilessly drill the track’s looped vocal riff into your head for days.

Housecall - Boston Bun - Housecall (2012, Ed Banger) Bangin’...

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:53:01 +1000

Housecall - Boston Bun - Housecall (2012, Ed Banger)

Bangin’ electro house from Ed Banger newbie Boston Bun, Housecall combines snicker-inducing vocal samples, and a seriously deep, rolling bass line, tasked with the sole purpose of destroying dance floors.

Just bought everything you've posted for the last five pages in itunes. Thanks as ever K, love jules

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:40:19 +1000

No worries!

Check out what I voted for in triple j’s Hottest...

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 16:53:18 +1000

Check out what I voted for in triple j’s Hottest 100 2012.

Rollup (Baauer Remix) - Flosstradamus - Fool’s Gold...

Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +1000

Rollup (Baauer Remix) - Flosstradamus - Fool’s Gold Clubhouse Vol. 2 (2012, Fool’s Gold)

Tiny Tortures - Flying Lotus - Until the Quiet Comes (2012,...

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:21:43 +1000

Tiny Tortures - Flying Lotus - Until the Quiet Comes (2012, Brainfeeder)

Video directed by David Lewandowski, starring Elijah Wood

Related: Flying Lotus is Captain Murphy

Plush - Tiga - Non Stop (2012, Different) Montreal-based DJ and...

Fri, 23 Nov 2012 18:13:30 +1000

Plush - Tiga - Non Stop (2012, Different)

Montreal-based DJ and producer Tiga originally came into fame as one of the leading figures in the electro renaissance of the 2000s. However, the last few years saw him doing a bit of stylistic soul-searching— he was getting tired of electro, but was unsure what to replace it with. Thankfully, over the past few months he has become more and more involved in a new wave of techno, as espoused by predominantly UK producers such as Blawan, Duke Dumont and Bok Bok. He dropped the New Jack Techno compilation on his label Turbo in June, which not only signified a new direction for the label, but also for his own DJ sets and productions, and the trend towards techno continues on his fantastic latest mix album Non Stop, and its accompanying single Plush.

With Plush, Tiga has returned to doing what he does best — deftly toeing the line between pop and underground dance music — while this time incorporating a strong new techno influence. Produced by Matthew Dear, it’s a brilliantly enjoyable and danceable blend of techno and electro, balanced out by Tiga’s distinctive pop vocals, constantly hovering somewhere between sultry and satire.

U My Fantasy - XXXChange - Fool’s Gold Clubhouse Vol. 1...

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 08:50:00 +1000

U My Fantasy - XXXChange - Fool’s Gold Clubhouse Vol. 1 (2012, Fool’s Gold)

Spank Rock producer XXXChange provides a delightfully screwed piece of indie dance, U My Fantasy, released via the first compilation from A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold Records.

Sunset - The xx - Coexist (2012, Young Turks)

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 08:43:00 +1000

Sunset - The xx - Coexist (2012, Young Turks)

Suicide Mission (Feat. Baths) (Ryan Hemsworth Remix) -...

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 11:32:00 +1000

Suicide Mission (Feat. Baths) (Ryan Hemsworth Remix) - Groundislava (2012)

A couple of months ago, barely anyone had heard of Ryan Hemsworth. But the Canadian producer has blown up over the last few weeks, on the strength of remixes for the likes of Frank Ocean and Grimes. What separates his works from the vast number of mediocre takes on these artists is a colourful warmth, obtained with a talented use of samples and a keen ear for melody. His latest work on Groundislava’s Suicide Mission is no abberation— Hemsworth takes the LA beatsmith’s original, and turns it into a colourful, jubilant clash of twitchy percussion and affable synth melodies, with ethereal vocals floating over the top, courtesy of Baths.

Weigh Me Down - Lorn - Ask The Dust (2012, Ninja Tune) Video...

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 10:54:00 +1000

Weigh Me Down - Lorn - Ask The Dust (2012, Ninja Tune)

Video directed, produced and animated by Max Friedrich.

Taken from Ask The Dust, Lorn’s debut LP on Ninja Tune, Weigh Me Down is a mash of oppressive beats and swirling textures. It’s a fantastic track to be sure, but the music video that accompanies it is on another level. Illustrating the journey of a bull through an apocalyptic 8-bit world, it’s as hard to pin down as the music it accompanies, and even more captivating. There’s also a good chance you’ll be considering vegetarianism by the end.

Faded (Preview) - Jacques Greene - VSE07 (2012, Vase) Although...

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 20:10:01 +1000

Faded (Preview) - Jacques Greene - VSE07 (2012, Vase)

Although it was only started a few months ago, Jacques Greene’s new label Vase has hit the ground running, touting the long awaited release of Koreless’s Lost In Tokyo, as well as fine works from Arclight and Jacques Greene himself, and a record from The Weeknd producer Zodiac in the pipes.

Keeping up the momentum, Greene has just announced a new compilation EP, VSE07, which will include tracks from Samoyed, Arclight, Zodiac, Ango, as well as featuring the Canadian producer himself. You can preview Greene’s contribution Faded up above, via his official YouTube channel.

Impulse (Feat. Daedelus) - The Gaslamp Killer - Breakthrough...

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 19:08:00 +1000

Impulse (Feat. Daedelus) - The Gaslamp Killer - Breakthrough (2012, Brainfeeder)

The man with the craziest hair in electronic music today, The Gaslamp Killer has been ripping up DJ sets for years, extolling the dancier cuts to originate from LA’s beat scene. He’ll be dropping his debut artist album Breakthrough later this month on the Flying Lotus owned Brainfeeder records, and as such has made the album’s lead single available as a free download. Featuring fellow Californian Daedelus, Impulse sports a deliciously distorted blend of off-kilter percussion and agitated synths, underpinned by an ominous saw-tooth bassline.

Latch (Feat. Sam Smith) - Disclosure (2012, PMR) British...

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 11:07:00 +1000

Latch (Feat. Sam Smith) - Disclosure (2012, PMR)

British production duo Disclosure are one of this year’s great success stories, and with the recent announcement of a debut LP in the works for next year, it looks like their star is set to keep rising. The brothers from Surrey just uploaded said album’s lead single Latch to their SoundCloud, and yet again displaying excellent taste in collaborators, invite newcomer Sam Smith to lay down powerful, emotive vocals over the duo’s trademark blend of club-friendly house and iPod friendly pop-bass.

Latch is due out November 8 on PMR.

Fetch - Les Sins - Fetch / Taken (2012, Jiaolong) The man behind...

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 08:43:16 +1000

Fetch - Les Sins - Fetch / Taken (2012, Jiaolong)

The man behind Toro Y Moi, Chaz Bundick, has created a new outlet for dancier music in Les Sins, and will be releasing a single under the name on Caribou’s label Jiaolong in the next couple of days. Check out the deliciously funky Fetch above, or head on over to his SoundCloud to hear the single’s flip-side Taken.

Thinkin Bout You - Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE (2012, Def...

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 10:48:16 +1000

Thinkin Bout You - Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE (2012, Def Jam)

The past couple of years have been very kind to R&B music. Thanks to the likes of How To Dress Well and The Weeknd, R&B is experiencing a spike in popularity not seen since the ‘90s. Frank Ocean’s first mixtape nostalgia, ULTRA also came out last year, and was a big part in this R&B resurgence too. But where nostalgia, ULTRA was an important part of that rising wave, channel ORANGE is something more— it’s the pinnacle of the wave so far.

However, the first thing you’ll read about this album anywhere is not about the album itself. Rather, it will likely concern a small blog post Frank Ocean wrote a few weeks ago, talking about the first time he fell in love. This wouldn’t normally be worthy of topping every review written about the album, but what’s notable here is that it described him falling in love with another man. With that short blog post, he was one of the first big names in urban music to voluntarily and honestly talk about experiencing same-sex attraction, and furthermore was overwhelmingly lauded and embraced for it. So it’s an important note to be sure, but what is a shame is that all the talk is at danger of drowning out channel ORANGE itself. And it’s an album worth worth talking about.

R&B can easily bring to mind an elevator ride in a dusty, out-dated department store. How To Dress Well and The Weekend both moved R&B into the 21st century by incorporating a strong dubstep and bass music influence into their music. However, Ocean takes a different route. It’s definitely not dated, but his music sticks a lot closer to old-school R&B. Every now and then one of his piano lines will echo Stevie Wonder, or a guitar fill will mirror Prince.

No, what makes Frank Ocean’s music so fresh and vital are his lyrics. One minute they’re grippingly honest and candid, but then things will suddenly get much more opaque and intriguing. It’s this back and forth between honesty and shyness, boisterous club bangers and mellow tear jerkers, that makes channel ORANGE a must listen. Even if, like me, you originally find yourself slightly turned off by just how true Ocean sticks to his R&B roots, this is a captivating album that you can’t help but come back to, again and again.