The madness that is Sheffield’s OFF ME NUT RECORDS has gone viral. Be sure to check out their forthcoming releases from label loonies The Squire of Gothos, Dankle, The Moova, Fidel Cashflow, Chocolate Boy and other musical mental patients.
Over a year in the making, Nightshifters is proud to release a massive new EP by New York City’s own Proper Villains! “Big Top” is about as big as you can go, complete with swervey bass, air horns galore, ghetto claps and even some of that most coveted of rave resources – the piano breakdown! Yes, this is perfect for the festival season and if this don’t get those filthy ravers going, then nothing will.
The title track, “Big Top”, is a rolling bass-house masterpiece with massive undulating bass under horn stabs and wait -is that Ozzy? “Music Takes Me Up” keeps the rave going with an uplifting synth-line that lifts the roof right off the club. But it’s the track “Rave Juice” that will surly give you flashbacks of them old-school piano vibes all the way. We round out the release with “Sick Like” a hot as hell heaving rumbler that fits perfectly between old-school and new, UK and Detroit, house, dubstep, and jungle. Oh hell yeah, it’s that-kind of beast.
And to compliment the original tracks are a suite of remixes from producers around the world that push “Music Takes Me Up” in totally different directions – just like we like it. The collective known as C.R.S.T. from Wales strips the original down and gives it an eerie tech vibe – very deep. Representing Chicago and Ghetto Division comes MaddJazz with his marching snares and UKF flavors with a touch of Bmore. Edu K from Brazil has been heating up the scene lately and here he delivers a sort of double-time minimal joint with piano stabs and scads of swing. And last but most assuredly not least is the epic remix by Philly’s Emynd, a complete flip of the original with a classic Philly soul backbeat and horns-a-plenty.
Buy the FULL EP at the following digital distributors:
Juno Download:
iTunes
Beatport
http://soundcloud.com/proper-villains
http://www.nightshifterslabel.com
The fact that Columbus’s HOT MESS are not biggest dance act in the world right now is mind-blowing. Much like another Kellz favorite, The Squire of Gothos, HOT MESS‘s production remains on par, and often topping, all of the big names in dance music, and yet when I say “Have you heard of Hot Mess?” people think I am talking about Lindsay Lohan or something just as absurd.
Well that’s about to change.
I am making it a personal crusade to get the word out about HOT MESS. Much like how Conan O’Brien successfully campaigned to have DIRTY DANCING re-released over ten years ago, I want Hot Mess to be synonymous with Crookers, Fake Blood, Benga, Rusko and yes, even the Beatles. So in an effort to launch this “GLOBAL MESS” campaign, here’s a post of EVERYTHING I have found by HOT MESS over the past six or seven months.
DJs – go rinse the shit outta these tunes cause they are ALL at 320kpbs.
Promoters – contact Brandon&MJ at HouseHold and book Hot Mess in your city. Thanks to the House Hold family, Hot Mess are going to be at WMC this year. This might be the first step to their global explosion (I hope).
World – LET’S MAKE THIS HAPPEN. The “GLOBAL MESS” campaign is ON!!!
Dip - HOT MESS
Go to the HOT MESS blog to grab their mixes & keep up on everything messy
The Murkle Man returns, showing a very different side to his musical character than that displayed on “Party Animal.” Produced by Rapid (best known for his work with Tinchy Stryder) this bass-heavy, grimey, electronic production is the perfect platform for Jammer to strike back at the itty-bitty, wannabe grime stars who spend their time online giving the metaphorical middle finger to anyone more successful than them. That this is achieved with a fair amount of humour and the use of the occasional outlandish put down (“I’m a Lambo/You’re just a Z3”) is testament to a recording artist who keeps on striving to make better music rather than looking for an excuse to – metaphorically or otherwise – shank someone.
Remixes come from West Coast beatmaster Lorn (part of Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder crew) and Brighton-based d&b duo, The Prototypes. Lorn takes the original and turns it into hard, dustep-influenced hip hop. The Protoypes, meanwhile, first slow down Jammer’s vox and then speed them up for an arena-crumbling drum ‘n’ bass workout.
Jahmek Power aka Jammer is one of the true pioneers of the grime scene. A builder of bridges and peacemaker rather than a loose cannon, Jammer is one of the few people in London who can count both Dizzee Rascal and Wiley amongst his friends and who has worked with Jay Sean, Kano, Tinchy, Chipmunk, Boy Better Know and just about everyone else, underground and overground. And if none of them have a bad word to say about him, that’s because, at heart, Jammer believes more in music than he does in ego.
“Better Than” should be enough to remind people that, contrary to current trends, you don’t have to rap about selling drugs and killing folk to be real. All you have to do is let your character shine through.
Jammer - Better Than (Lorn Remix) Jammer - Better Than (The Prototypes Remix)Jammer – Better Than – Single out on Big Dada (15th March)
New video for “Better Than”
The album “Jahmanji” will be out on 14th June.
Check out this BRILLIANT video for cockrockin’ shifter, DJ DONNA SUMMER‘s new track, “Raw”, off his forthcoming Nightshifters E.P. of the same name.
The 10-track RAW E.P. features a series of DJDS originals and remixes from BOK BOK , NOISE FLOOR CREW, Sonido Del Principe , and HOSTAGE. Until the E.P. drops, peel back your lids to the “Raw” video.
Dj Donna Summer – Raw from Nightshifters on Vimeo.
There are the rare moments in one’s musical hunt when one accidentally stumbles upon an artist whose sound completely blows their mind. Months ago, I happened upon Bristol producer, GIZMODE, whose “GASSTEP” totally caught me off guard. The track combined elements of breakcore, dubstep, gabber, and early industrial to create an exciting new sound. Since then, GIZMODE has continued to progress – most recently with “Fallout”. Keep an eye out for this producer – and expect BIG TINGS!!!!
fallout by gizmode
sincethecrackstep by gizmode
canyousmellgasstep by gizmode
Check out more at his MYSPACE
Now that Dubstep has been embraced on dance floors in the far reaches of the globe, the fledgling genre has reached that inevitable stage when it branches out into sub-genres. From the thrashing mid-bass grind of Brostep, to the upbeat electro-party pop of Ravestep, to the meditative minimalism of the Deepstep sound, Dubstep is maturing into her teen years. As Mark N-Type succinctly put it – the genre “has balanced and evened out”.
Raining In the Streets - DFRNTAlthough there is merit with each of the emerging sub-genres, I am most intrigued by the yet-to-be-classified left field minimalism of James Blake, Joy Orbison, and Untold. This is why I was so excited to stumble upon the sound of cutting edge Scottish producer, DFRNT. I was even more surprised to learn that DFRNT is also writes the fantastic Sitting Ovation blog. Upon hearing DFRNT’s mix for Mary Anne Hobbs’ Breezeblock show on November 12, 2009, I sat in awe, listening to the depth of his production. And music is only the tip of the iceberg in DFRNT’s basin of brilliance.
Mammoth - DFRNTDFRNT also runs the Echodub Label and Collective, and is the editor of Modus Magazine. At a mere 26 years old, DFRNT exhibits talents well beyond his years – and has not gone unnoticed. He has seen support from seen support
from many of the world’s top Dubstep producers and DJs, from heavier hitters like N-Type, Baobinga and
Headhunter, to deeper selectors such as Synkro, Scuba and even “dub-techno don”, Quantec. With his debut, Metafiction, DFRNT dove head first into the abyss of Dubstep’s deepest levels; with massive remixes from Scuba, Ital Tek, Quantec, Synkro, Indigo and DJ Madd.
I am proud to share with you DFRT’s Guest Mix for Radio Magnetic, the promo mix for Metafiction (see below), as well as a handful of FREE tracks!! DFRNT will be in the U.S. from March until (hopefully) May of this year; U.S. promoters interested in booking a DFRNT performance, send your request here. Be sure to check out his Myspace for tour dates.
Metafiction Promo Mix - DFRNTValley of Shadow (DFRNT Remix) - Origin Unknown
Hip Hop (DFRNT Remix) - Dead Prez
Frequency (DFRNT Remix) - Altern 8
Our good friends B. Rich & DZ, along with the massive up & comers J.Rabbit & HavocNdeeD, conspired together to give away this HUGE E.P. of B.Rich’s now classic, “We Ball Harder”. Although all of these versions on this E.P. are damn near perfect, DZ’s “Spy Harder” version, for me at least, shines a little brighter simply because it reminds me of being a kid at the arcade pumping quarter after quarter into the game Spy Hunter. God I loved that game! So thanks to DZ for bringing me back to 1986.
Be sure to check out the upcoming Party Like Us releases!!
WE BALL HARDER E.P. (right click / save as)
Simon Green aka Bonobo returns with one of the key cuts from his forthcoming album, “Black Sands”. Drawing as much on the rhythms of two-step as the lush soundscapes for which he’s best known, “Eyesdown” also features a remarkable vocal from Andreya Triana and enough fuzzed-out sub-bass for a binful of dubsteppers. Classic and contemporary, melancholy and exhilarating all at once, “Eyesdown” sounds like the kind of record Massive Attack could be making if they were starting out now.
Eyes Down (Warrior One Remix) - BonoboRemix duties are taken care of by Floating Points and Warrior One, Appleblim & Komonazmu. The single – “Eyesdown” – will be out 03/08/10 on Ninja Tune, and the album – “Black Sands” – will be out on 03/29/10.
Pre-order here
I love Brainfeeder. And wouldn’t you know it – Brainfeeder goes global!
The Brainfeeder record label was started by Flying Lotus in 2008 drawing on LA’s underground beat scene, the early releases have established a new sound at the intersection of hip hop and electronica. Now they are going international, putting in place a distribution deal which means their records will be available to more than just a few aficionados.
Flying Lotus had a very simple reason for starting Brainfeeder. “When I first started out, I was lucky enough to have great people take me under their wing and point me in the right direction. I’ll never forget it, and I try to do my best to do the same for people I believe in. I know that what my peers and I are doing is really important, and I feel the music we’ve created is something that speaks to a new generation, so it’s our responsibility to nurture and guide this movement we started.”
With a roster incorporating buzz names such as Lorn, Samiyam and The Gaslamp Killer and with the next release for the label being a mini-album from Daedelus, the movement is taking shape. “Daedelus was one of the first people I met in the LA scene, he hardly knew me or my sound at all and invited me into his home and shared stories and music with me when I was trying to find my way out here. He’s been such a great and inspiring friend ever since. I feel like with this album we’re close to coming full circle.”
Following that up will be albums from Lorn (“a dark and brooding electronic record that I really think will surprise people”), a label compilation, plus “Sam[iyam] is saying he’s close to finished. And I know GLK is working on his album, he’s sounding super excited to be able to get some time in the studio, if he can ever stop DJing.”
And if there wasn’t enough – we are SO HAPPY to bring you a track from the NEW Daedelus E.P on Brainfeeder – “From the Righteous Fist of Harmony”!!
On Order of The Golden Dawn - Daedelus
*(Daedelus will be releasing his next Ninja Tune album entitled ‘Bespoke’ in late 2010 or early 2011.)
MAGICAL PROPERTIES TOUR
DAEDELUS along with NOSAJ THING and JOGGER, are currently on the “Magical Properties Tour” across North America:
Feb 4th – Space 120 – Palm Springs, California
Feb 5 – Echoplex – Los Angeles, California
Feb 6 – Mighty – San Francisco, California
Feb 7 – Jambalaya – Arcata, California
Feb 8 – Rotture – Portland, Oregon
Feb 9 – Fortune Sound Club – Vancouver, British Columbia
Feb 10 – Neumos – Seattle, Washington
Feb 12 – Hodi’s Half Note – Fort Collins, Colorado
Feb 13 – Gothic Theater – Englewood, Colorado
Feb 14 – Mad Planet – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Feb 15 – Majestic Theater – Madison, Wisconsin
Feb 16 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, Illinois
Feb 17 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, Ohio
Feb 18 – Wrong Bar – Toronto, Ontario
Feb 19 – Le Belmont – Montreal, Quebec
Feb 20 – Le Poisson Rouge – New York, New York
Feb 22 – Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Feb 23 – Bourbon Street – Baltimore, Maryland
Feb 24 – Xscape Lounge – Richmond, Virginia
Feb 25 – 90 Proof- knoxville, TN
Feb 26 – Club 828 – Asheville, North Carolina
Feb 27 – New Earth Music Hall – Athens, GA