Airport Bass Mix 26/12/2011

My first proper return to the decks after a hectic few months with Uni and work. As such, I’m a little rusty on the mixing in places, but the songs are all awesome so it’s okay.

I think as a mix it features heavily three artists I’ve been really into this year: Jamie xx, Thom Yorke and Disclosure; but it’s really just meant to cover a range of ‘bass’/’post-dubstep’/garage music or whatever you want to call it, from the housey bass at the start, to a much more dubstep influenced finish.

1. Bloom (Jamie xx Rework, Pt. 3) - Radiohead
2. Fiber Optic (Jon Convex’s Love Transmission Remix) - Echo Park
3. Work It Out (Disclosure Booty Call Edit) - Q-Tip
4. Stifle - Pearson Sound
5. Wildfire (Objekt Remix) - SBTRKT
6. Ur Soul And Mine - Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx
7. Blue You - Disclosure
8. Carbonated - Mount Kimbie
9. Video Games (Jamie Woon Remix) - Lana Del Rey
10. Shutter Light Girl (FaltyDL Play Remix) - Kuedo
11. Godzilla - Zomby
12. NY Is Killing Me - Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx
13. Pencil Pimp - Sepalcure
14. This (Feat. Thom Yorke) - Modeselektor

Yes List: Disclosure - Exclusive Mixtape (13 December 2011)

One of my favourite new artists to emerge this year, Disclosure are a Surrey based production duo who specialise in a distinctly effervescent brand of UK bass. The pair recently completed this hour-long mix for the record label Moda, as well as announcing a new single by the name of Tenderly, which you can hear as the second track in this excellent mix.

Shutter Light Girl (FaltyDL Play Remix) - Kuedo (2011, internet-only release)

From his fantastic recent release Severant, Kuedo’s Shutter Light Girl is originally a short vignette, forming a segue between two of the meatiest tracks on the album, Flight Path and Vectoral. All wisps of melody and vapourous synths, the track barely reaches one minute mark.

But here, New York producer FaltyDL takes these wisps, and weaves them into a full-length track. Along the way he completely transposes the mood of the piece, from that of a murky, futuristic track that would be more than at home in the Blade Runner soundtrack, to a toe-tapping, dance-floor ready piece of bass music, much more at home in the real world.

Because of this mood change I was a little sceptical of the remix the first time I listened to it, but every time I’ve listened to it since, it has just grown on me. It really is a skilful, excellently realised reworking of a (beautiful) short piece that many would have otherwise just passed over as a relatively unimportant segue.

Listen to it above, or you can download the track here courtesy of XLR8R.

Bloom (Jamie xx Rework Part 3) - Radiohead - TKOL RMX 8 (2011, Ticker Tape)

Although there were some fantastic remixes on Radiohead’s TKOL RMX 1234567, there was also a surprising number of duds considering the names involved. One of the biggest disappointments for me was Jamie xx’s curiously directionless remix of Bloom. It went something like this: a bit over two minutes of a spaced-out introduction, slowly and surely leading up to the point where the beat is surely about to drop— and then the track just ends. It always felt like there was meant to be a lot more.

It would appear my musical instincts were right, as Radiohead have just announced the digital-only release of an eighth set of remixes, ones that weren’t finished in time for the vinyl series or the CD compilation. And here Jamie does not disappoint, with a track pushing eight minutes and titled Bloom (Jamie xx Re-work Part 3). Where part two is, who knows. Maybe we will soon be able to place all three together to form a Bloom remix trifecta. But this one is quite rockin’ by itself. Check it out on SoundCloud above, and while you’re at it you can also check out Anstam’s Separator (RMX II) and Nathan Fake’s Harshdub RMX of Morning Mr Magpie below.

Pencil Pimp - Sepalcure - Sepalcure (2011, Hotflush)

Video directed by Thor Erling Brenne, 2011.

Excitement is building for the release of Sepalcure’s debut LP, due out late this month on the legendary home of more experimental UK bass, Hotflush. In the meantime, check out the decidedly arthousey, but strikingly beautiful music video for the album’s lead single Pencil Pimp.

Just Inside - Kode9 - Unclassified (2011, [adult swim])

Apologies for the recent stagnation of posts, I had a big recital to prepare for at uni. But now that’s over, I can go back to spamming your feed with awesome music.

Adult Swim recently released a free compilation of bass music, and if you haven’t downloaded it you should do so immediately. I’ve had it on high rotation ever since it came out, there are some top-notch selections to be sampled. Just check out this great track by veteran British beat-smith, and owner of the legendary Hyperdub record label, Kode9.

Sais - Floating Points - Shadows (Eglo Records, 2011)

Video created live in realtime by Will Hurt

Libra - James Blake - upcoming EP (2011, R&S)

It’s been a massive year for good ol’ J Blizzy. First up was his self-titled debut LP, released to widespread acclaim, but also generating some more polarized opinions, especially in regards to its stylistic step away from the heavy dubstep influence apparent in his earlier EPs. But a couple of months later he dropped Order and Pan on Hemlock, a sharp turn back towards dubstep, albeit with some very minimalist, stripped back production. Then, just earlier this month, he released his Enough Thunder EP on Atlas, his most polarizing release yet, and definitely the least dubsteppy (at least on the surface).

But obviously that wasn’t enough, Blake is now set to hit a label trifecta this year— R&S just announced that a new James Blake EP is due out through them by December. Haters and general ‘meh’sayers of his Enough Thunder can rejoice, as this likely indicates that this release will be be infused with a lot more dubstep, along the lines of his earlier EP releases on R&S, CMYK and Klavierwerke. You can check out a rip of Libra, one of the upcoming tracks off the EP here.

Paradise Circus - Massive Attack vs Burial - Four Walls / Paradise Circus (2011, Inhale Gold / The Vinyl Factory)

Here’s the other Burial reworking of Massive Attack, from the upcoming Four Walls / Paradise Circus release. And if anything, this is my pick of the two, but they are both amazing tracks. It’s like someone just realised that now we have the internet, remixes don’t have to be remix CD friendly, five minute long dancefloor orientated tracks anymore.