Two of our favorite Amsterdam people Full Crate & Mar are steady making lovely jams together, here goes a club-edit version of the previously released tune "Nobody Else". As we are VERY MUCH into club type of music, this track goes straight to our favorite list right now. Free download via XLR8R.
Guys at Moovmnt.coom have hit the next level and started a label. The first release fetures work from Vincent Helbers aka Flowriders. The overalll doesn't differ much from what Nilez & Co. been putting on the blog. Smooth jazz & soulful pieces meet little hints of post-dilla electronics. My closest comparison would be Jazzy Sport from Japan, only difference is that the vocals are english.. CD's available, stream here:
I was on a search for some music, and then I came across this mellow remix that lived up to my, so to say, high expectations. This great Electro/Deep/Nu-Disco duo, Flight Facilities from Australia delivered one of the mellowest tracks I've heard in a while. Take a listen, and have nice weekend :)
Mr. 8040 aka Space Dimension Controller is always spot on. The Galactic Funk oddyssey titled Welcome To Mikrosector-50 will start in March 2013. Prepare yourselves, by listening to the first single You Can't Have My Love you can tell it's gonna be an epic journey.
You can read the whole novellete covering the story behind the music HERE.
Inkswel and Freekwency, both hailing from Australia, teamed up for a split 7'' - hopefully the first of many on Hot Shot Sounds. After a great collabo on the track She Likes Techno in 2011, Reggie B reunites w/ Inkswel to produce a groovy mid-tempo modern funk burner. On the B-Side, Freekwency and Molly D follow suit, Just For Two is the perfect flip-side gem for all modern funk heads out there. Distributed by PPU, vinyl only.
Beautiful piece of deep house/disco produced by Leipzig based M.ono. EP Easydance (ROSE004) is fourth release from Rose Records, where previous three were absolutely magnificent, sold out at each of your favorite record stores. ROSE004 will be soon gone as well, make sure you look for your copy.
Sampha, known from numerous collabos with SBTRKT and whose vocals are all over SBTRKT's self titled album teams up with Korleless for this delicate dance track. Both of them have appeared performing together (Boiler Room) and decided to collaborate under the name of Short Stories. Their debut single includes two tracks, On The Way, which we present. Second track Let It Go has yet to appear online. The single will be released on a 12" vinyl, preorder here.
The first single from the upcoming Mo KoloursTusk Dance EP is out so we're obliged to pass on the info.
Like always it's released by One-Handed Music on a 12'' (which will probably sold out fast), artwork style remains the same as well as the 7 tracks + 1 remix format (this time it's Shafiq Husayn, say what?) and of course that sound - Mo smoothly blends exotic w/ electronic, dub and hip-hop. Promise is the first single...and sounds promising if you ask me. The EP is out on the February 24th.
I love Kleezy. He is making the best boogie, house, future funk and smooth synth RnB tracks on the eastern side of the Atlantic Ocean. He is also a phenomenal DJ who's been pushing heavyweight brand of boogie house for a while now (go and watch his Boiler Room set, you will be blown away). His latest track is a mid-winter R'n'B boogie heat, Teedra's I Don't Know rework. Free download!
Our recap from 2012 is finally here (better late than never). We didn't wan't to pick the obvious choices like TNGHT, Kendrick Lamar, Grimes etc., because you can check Pitchfork, Factmag or Juno for that. We've picked 12 EP's, 13 full lengths and 14 tracks that we listened the most this year. Hope you enjoy, everything you need to listen is after the proper jump:
Here are our 12 favorite EP's of 2012. From Beats to deep house and evermorphing Bass music and polish disco edits. The EP format is more flexible so being fresh and innovative was the key to our selection.
Funkineven/Fatima - Phone Line
Funkineven/Fatima - Phone Line It seems like UK is providing unstoppable supplies of contemporary dance music. Phone Line EP also reflects the whole idea behind Eglo Records. Influenced by 90s' RnB and hip hop, funk, and West Coast Boogie, especially the stellar title track Phone Line.
JETS Jimmy Edgar + Machine Drum. The inaugural release from these two guys is a project which pairs two dance music's most eccentric and distinctive lads in the game. Sin Love With You is the shit.
fLako - Eclousure
Where electronic meets organic, fLako's going to the next level and the new EP is one of the best this year. Exceptional artwork/clear vinyl release.
Sweatson Klank - Elevate Me
Sweatson Klank is a cat. He's been a Los Angeles staple in the Electronic/Hip Hop scene for over a decade. Kinda legend, but not very prolific though. Elevate Me EP was guesting my headphones most often in the past year. Letfield experiments, lush moods and hard hitting beats.
Lapalux - When You're Gone/Some Other Time
It was too hard to pick one ep so we'll just recommend both. Great breakthrough year for Lapalux thanks to hazy, deconstructed r'n'b melodies and a good ear for vocalists.
Daniel Drumz - Sleepless State of Mind
Daniel finally cut ties with 90's hip-hop to produce a forward-thinking dance music music EP with trap, bass and modern funk influences. World class material from Poland and U Know Me.
SLG - Protop EP
Tagged deep house, but Protop doesn't close in a rigid barrier of one music genre, but instead draws upon multiple styles and ideas to deliver one of the finest EPs of the year. Goat Cheese and Blurry are our favs.
Shigeto - Lineage
Jazz, hip-hop, soul and electronic melted into one complex 30 minutes of eearie bliss aided with Shigeto's drum skills. Boutiqe quality, like every release on Ghostly.
Twardowski - A Soundtrack To Growing Up
If you checked dissection #2, you'll know what's up - Modern Boogie at it's best, all analog. Finally something world class of this ilk in Poland, favorite UKM release in 2012. Big Ups!
Yosi Horikawa - Wandering
We've been raving about Yosi all year - he's the master of turning field recordings into something special. Wandering is only 4 tracks but shows great potential. Big imagination and craftsman-
ship, guess it's a stricly japanese quality.
Polish Edits EP - #8 (Ptaki)/ #6 (Maciek Sienkiewicz)
There was a fair share of good edits this year, but looks like we have a soft spot for the polish one's. The Very Polish Cut Outs is a great idea of recycling old polish music. Our favorites from the whole bunch of EP's this year? - Krystyna is a lovely piece of beatdown house and Maciek Sienkiewicz gets the nod for his balearic Song for Mohindar.
Tropics - Pop Up Cinema
I discovered Tropics literally two days before NYE. This EP also turned out to be one of my finest discoveries in 2012. Dreamy pop melodies, textured synth layers and touchingly soft vocals. /k
Here's the list of our 12 favorite (certainly not the best, such lists are quite pointless in our humble opinion) albums from 2012:
Grooveman Spot - Paradox Our favorite Japanese from our favorite Jazzy Sport label. Well, we knew that this album was not going to disappoint...it didn't. As always, DJ Kou-G took it to the next level. Downtempo smooothhhneessss.
Daisuke Tanabe & Kidkanevil - Kidsuke
Hope that the Japan-UK bridge built by Kidkanevil and D.Tanabe lasts for future collaborations. The foundations are there as long it's curated by Project Mooncircle.
V.A. - Niewidzialna Nerka 2012 was a milestone for the Polish beat scene as well as for the rising S1 Warsaw. One of the best things that ever happened on the Polish soil. Beautiful concept of paying homage to the Golden Era of Polish hip hop.
Robert Glasper Experiment - Black Radio Every time I listen to Glasper's "Black Radio" I can hear that the sounds of hip hop, urban soul and R&B are intrinsically linked to this young jazz pianist. No experiment, Black Radio is a real-deal.
Greeen Linez - Things That Fade
A simplistic blue horizon, palm trees peaking from the left, plus retrograde Californian typography. Perfect album cover, perfect content of what's behind the cover.
dÉbruit - From The Horizon
The Ambassadeur of Persian Funk travelled to Africa and returned home w/ a synth-funk-meets-african-dub record with just the right amount of catchy vocal hooks and danceability, Ata!
Union - Analogtronics We felt that this album was simply omitted by the most of '12 recaps. Parisian duo OJ and Gold used a lot of synths and keybords to create very calming electro-soul with an astonishing list of guest appearances on the album, instant classic.
Groundislava - Feel Me
Groundislava isn't your one hit wonder beatmaker from LA. On the sophomore album the melodies are bigger and the soundscapes more complex. And the Suicide Mission video tops it all.
Blu & Exile – Give Me Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them
Even if you were listening to trap in 2012, you just can't say no to good 'ol fashioned hip-hop head-nodding from Blu & Exile. Jazzy.
S3 - Supa Soul Sh*t
Title of the album Supa Soul Shit is not a coincidence. The two gentelmen (Miles Bonny & Brenk Sinatra) created a perfect duo bringing the album a modern soul-meets-hip-hop perfection. Period.
Breakbot - By Your Side
Perfect summer album and a great collage of electro-funk and soulful disco. Some say it's 'same old' nu-disco, but tracks ike By Your Side or Another Dawn don't seem to get older. And Baby I'm Yours got repressed on vinyl so it's another plus.
Discoverer - Tunnels
Personal find of the year. Cinematic, analog driven journey to virtual-space. Lush beats driven in a sci-fi manner. Really interesting if the upcoming Space Dimension Controller LP can top this one.
Captain Murphy - Du∆lity
In case if you wondered about the abscence of Flying Lotus' "Until The Quiet Comes" we quickly elucidate that this is somehow on purpose here. After Captain Murphy revealed himself to be Flying Lotus, many started to call him a genius. Du∆lity made Flying Lotus' 2012 success even more spectacular. That should explain our pick.
