Sunday, June 10, 2012

West Norwood Cassette Library - Collision/Detection v2 [Front & Follow]

I'm somewhat ashamed to have slept on this one until now. Out on Manchester based label Front & Follow, Collision/Detection v2 is technically a four track EP, although two of those tracks are just a several second long intro and outro - leaving two "real" tracks: Collision Bump and What's Going On (Stuff is Happening). The former is a fairly straightforward house track with a deliciously rich bassline, while the latter sits at a faster ~170 BPM and is filled with frantic breaks that reflect the title of the track rather well.

Kahn & Neek - Percy [Bandulu Records]

We can thank Royal T for playing this one on his Rinse FM show and giving the world the first "real" clip of this well hyped banger (well, apart from the infamous "How we roll to Nando's" video). Last we heard, it's due some time this month on Kahn's new label, Bandulu Records. It's a bit of a short clip, but it'll have have to hold us over until the real release.

Friday, June 8, 2012

Mosca - Eva Mendes [Hypercolour]


Absolutely lovely vibes on this one, certainly no disservice to the namesake of this track (and EP). It's undeniable that the big trend in UK bass music is a shift towards the house spectrum of things, and with tunes like this as the result - I don't think anyone is complaining. Mosca delivers his signature bouncy, melodic style on the title track of the EP, and the rest of the tracks follow similarly. Mosca was also nice enough to release dub versions of the tracks that have vocals, something both DJ and listener will surely appreciate.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Mala - Cuba Electronic / Calle F [Brownswood]

At last, concrete details on Mala's eagerly awaited Cuban inspired album have surfaced. The album, featuring 14 tracks (according to a post by Joe Nice), is due for release in September on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings. As somewhat of a sampler, the only two confirmed tracks so far, Cuba Electronic (also known as Cuba Electronica) and Calle F, are being released on a 12" on August 6th. Cuba Electronic has been one of my all time favorite tracks ever since I witnessed Joe Nice drop an unfinished version several months ago. The second drop is just brutal on a system. There's no way to describe it. I don't think I've ever gone as crazy to a tune as I did to that one...

Calle F provides some beautiful contrast, swapping out the feral drum beat and throbbing bassline for something more relaxed. Jazzy piano chords, smooth brass, and swinging, syncopated drums paint a picture of a beautiful, sunny day in a tropical paradise. All with a healthy dose of the usual sub-bass that one expects from a dubstep tune. As Mala said about the project, "It’s Havana meets South London, you know?"

Trusta - Feels So / Hypnotic [SWAMP81]

If you somehow haven't gotten to know this tune (and the flip...) in the last year or so... here it is. Coming from the same man behind the classic dubstep wobblers such as Uprise and Lickshot, Trusta is the new alias of Finnish producer Tes La Rok. First surfacing more than a year ago, Feels So is accompanied by an equally massive flipside, Hypnotic, which I can't help but feel draws some parallels to A1 Bassline's Shock Headed. Forthcoming on Loefah's infamous Swamp81, copies of SWAMP021 have already been shipped and are eagerly awaited by those of us who have been begging for this tune for the past year...

Koda - Anachronism


I don't even know what to say about this one... Skittery, glitchy percussion punctuates the phrases of the dreamy, Boards of Canada-esque synth that loops on in the background, all while haunting, melancholic vocals utter what sounds like some sort of retrospective warning. A shame it isn't longer, but then again, the length feels right in a weird way. One of the freshest tunes I've heard in a minute...

Nicki Minaj - Stupid Hoe (Ben Aqua #jukewerk Remix)

Came across this one the other day... All I can say is watch out for Ben Aqua, this one is huge. Hard to find a juke track out there that's this well produced, in my opinion. If you're digging this track you'll love his other stuff so be sure to check him out on Soundcloud. Free download is available here.