We're dustin' this one off from a couple months back. Here's the long-lost 10th installment of the Bassfaced Podcast series by our very own DJ Coop. Keep it close while we get back on track with our monthly podcasts from Cooper and look out for our new Cloudcast series featuring guest DJ mixes from around the globe launching soon.
100% vinyl. standard.
Forsaken - Last Saloon Swagger (Ft. Joker & Ben Blackmoore) (SouL Jazz)
MRK1 - Magnetic Device (Contagious)
Matty G - Street Knowledge (Dub Police)
Unknown - Unknown (White)
Kromestar - Cool Off (Dubsteppers Recordings)
Cotti - Lost & Found (Studio Rockers)
Geiom - No More Tears (Berkane Sol)
Unknown - Royale Sound (Ramadanman Remix) (12'' Howie)
Ramadanman - Revenue (Untold Remix) (2nd Drop)
Mickey Pierce - Innami (Blunted Robots)
Brackles & Shortstuff - LHC (Planet Mu)
Gemmy - Word Perfect (Depraved Motive)
Brackles - Lizards (Apple Pips)
Gemmy - BK 2 The Future (Punch Drunk)
James Blake - Air & Lack Thereof (Hemlock)
Silkie - Hooby (Deep Medi) > Jahdan - General (Accapella) (Lion Dub)
At this point, there's really almost nothing that hasn't already been said about Hyperdub during it's 5 year tenure. The Hyperdub logo and brand is synonymous with quality music that DJs and music fans can always trust. The label has a specific quality of sound that resonates just as much in the hearts of the people of London as it does in Japan, the U.S., and Worldwide.
After his highly acclaimed remix of Darkstar's 'Aidy's Girl Is A Computer' in 2009, they recently tapped 18 year old young gun and Detroit native Kyle Hall as the first American producer to drop an original 12" on the label. Kyle has been making big waves with his EP releases on his own Wild Oats imprint as well as sharing the stage with Detroit Techno legends such as Carl Craig, Juan Atkins, and Stacey Pullen many of which have been producing music since before he was born. The release leads of with 'Kaychunk' which sounds like a distinctly American take on the UKFunky movement, pulling sounds and textures from the forefathers of US Techno and crossbreeding them with that patented Hyperdub sound. The flip 'You Know What I Feel' is a beautiful hybrid of 2step and RnB with shuffling drum patterns and a soulful synthline full of emotion, while underlying sounds of thunder and rainfall brew in the background.
'Kaychunk / You Know What I Feel' releases in all the usual outlets on March 15th in 12" vinyl and mp3 format.
Their next release comes from the mind and soul of Ikonika, one of the most exciting producers in music today. Her first Hyperdub release 'Please' / 'Simulacrum' in early 2008 was one of the highlights of the year and since then she has released more stunning tunes on the label as well as tracks on Warp and Planet Mu. I remember how I felt and where I was when I heard 'Please' for the first time and immediately welled up with those same feelings of eyes-closed amazement hearing 'Idiot', the first single off of her forthcoming LP. The sound is still defiantly Ikonika's but even more polished and concise than I've ever heard her music before. It's hard to not initially get a vision of Link running through a pixelated dungeon in the original Legend of Zelda and there is a very comforting quality about those familiar sounds that transport you back to your youth. The tune is anything but juvenile though, with complex Cari-flavored rhythm and 8-bit synth harmonics and melody that make your knees buckle. Check out her recent podcast for Made in Glitch below and look out for her full length album 'Contact, Love, Want, Have' dropping on Hyperdub soon.
The flipside of the 12" is a remix of 'Idiot' courtesy of Altered Natives which turns the tune on it's head into dubby, minimal tribal house while still retaining sound effects and bleeps from the original. Altered Natives hit it big with 'Rass Out' in mid-2009 which got big support from Laurent Garnier among others. Be sure to head over to FACT magazine and grab his recent mix for them HERE before it's too late.
'Idiot' / 'Idiot' (Altered Natives remix) releases on Hyperdub April 12th
The Deep Teknologi camp leads off 2010 with a three track EP from T. Williams. DeepTek have been gaining a lot of attention of late with their must-have mixes on Soundcloud as well as being heralded by Fact Magazine as one of their 10 producers to watch this year. With tunes getting support from the likes of Ikonika, Brackles, Martin Kemp, Blackdown, MA1 among others; Deep Teknologi are setting phasers to stun and ready to decimate dancefloors all over the map in the oh-ten. To preview the EP tracks, head over to the T.Williams Myspace.
The EP starts off guns blazing right out of the start gate with 'Anthem' one of the most infectious dancefloor killers to come this year. Combining the darker elements and sounds of techno and house with hypnotizing percussive flute lines and an unapologetic crushing bassline, the tune is an immediate win.
'Afric' is minimal funky house music at it's best. It's tribal beat takes influences from all over the map with elements of African kuduro and kwaito fused with sounds from the UK underground. This one has been getting championed by Hyperdub associates CoolyG and Scratcha/DVA and is a tune that's sure to shake off those Winter cobwebs and send dancefloors into an all out frenzy this Summer.
'Flooring' caps of the EP with a spaced out groove and complex textural layering that will keep bodies on the dancefloor moving while still keeping the inquisitive minded beard strokers in the back engaged. A cool and collected tune with a patient build-up into a vicious drop 4 minutes deep.
We caught up with S.E.F. from Deep Teknologi to talk about the upcoming release and what else is in store for 2010 out of the label:
BF: What's happening S.E.F? Thanks for taking the time out. So how did you and T. Williams meet and where does the Deep Teknologi story begin? SEF: T. Williams and myself met years back when I was working in Uptown Records, Soho. We just hit it off from the start and have been good friends ever since. Deep Teknologi came about a year ago after we became disillusioned with the way the music scene in London was becoming so we decided we would try and do something about it. The Garage / Grime era had declined badly and a lot of DJs moved on to Soulful House. At the start it was great, it had that Old Skool Garage feel to it. Loads of great songs, great parties etc. But then the younger generation put their own spin on it and it there seemed to be a production line of poor music being made in our opinion. Plenty of nursery rhyme mc tracks over so - called “Funky” beats. We were not interested in it one bit and wanted to bring a harder edge back, with tracks like Anthem and Afrik as well as the tracks we play in our DJ sets from other producers. It seems to have worked so far.
BF: When did the tunes from the EP come together and how did you eventually land with Local Action?
SEF: The three tracks on the T. Williams EP have been around for a while and in my opinion were really tracks that got us noticed. Our first release was straight up House, which is cool but I’d be lying if I said it was cutting edge. There are thousands of amazing House tracks out there so it is extremely difficult to stand out from the crowd unless you know the right people. Afrik and Anthem seemed to have struck a chord with new skool dubstep / house listeners and Local Action stepped in just as we were about to release them ourselves. There will also be another EP coming out on Local Action from us in the near future which should turn some heads.
BF: What else do you guys have in store for 2010?
SEF: Well to start off with we are launching our bi-monthly night L O G I K at the Russian Bar, Shoreditch, on the 12th of March. Beyond that we have releases both on our own imprint Deep Teknologi Records and Local Action. We are also in discussion with a few other labels to put some stuff out with them. We also have plans for a compilation release later on the year.
BF: I definitely owe it to Brackles for enlightening me to your label after listening to a recent Rinse show of his. Being from the States, internet radio streams as well as forums have been a huge part of discovering and keeping up with new music. Between your weekly Ustream sessions and Soundcould page and with networking tools like Twitter; the worldwide music community is more connected than ever. How do you think this helps you as a producer and DJ and what are, if any, the negatives of this? SEF: Big shout to Brackles for letting you know! Without a doubt had it not been for the new age way of promoting yourself / music we probably wouldn’t be doing this interview because you wouldn’t have heard of us yet across the pond! It’s a great way to promote yourself due to the fact that people from anywhere in the world can connect with you and your music immediately.
However the best thing about all of the sites / tools mentioned is also the worst. They can easily be abused by those who are less interested in the quality of their music, and more in the amount they have to say about themselves. We try to refrain from talking too much about ourselves, as our motto goes “The Music Speaks For Itself”.
BF: First tune you ever heard when you just dropped everything and devoted a solid day to listening to it on repeat with your jaw on the floor?
SEF: Down on Me – Wookie
Producers like Wookie don't come along often, you can listen to almost any of his tracks from that era and they will still sound new today. A very rare quality in a producer and music generally. BF: That Wookie track is phenomenal. Totally agree on that timeless element you spoke on, those tunes are still gonna sound fresh even another 10 years from now. Any American labels and producers you're feeling at the moment? SEF: The whole DirtyBird movement is amazing. Really feeling almost every release on there. Claude Von Stroke is a genius. BF: Incredibly well rounded label. Lastly and perhaps most important question...what is your #1 go-to Food spot that you could not live without? SEF: There’s an Indian place in Shepherd’s Bush (West London) that we go to A LOT! It’s not the classiest establishment but I defy anyone to find me better tasting food and service for the price anywhere in Europe! BF: S.E.F. thanks for taking the time and all the best to you and yours.
Be sure to give S.E.F.'s most recent DeepTek mix a listen above and show some love on the Soundcloud page. Keep it close to Bassfaced for an exclusive DeepTeknologi mix comin soon.
Jack Beats kick off the inaugural Friday Flashback with the peak time slot in the Fractal Forest on the final night of Shambhala back in August 2009. The stage sits in a stump of an old tree in the middle of a forest with platforms and structures to wile out on 360 degrees around the stage. Jack Beats in a live setting puts you in a fierce undertow of sub-bass; making it hard to breath with immense pressure from an infinite amount of basslines pummeling you red tide style. I've heard people say drowning is a peaceful way to go... This set in the Fractal Forest was also home to the best quote I overheard at the Festival, "If Canada were psychedelics, i'd be traveling all Provinces." Apologies for the sound, although I do think it came out alright considering the walls of sound PK Sound brought to the table. Much thanks to all those involved and Big Up yourself Rich-e-Rich that place is fun.
Jack Beats Essential Mix 2/19/2010
1. Dead Can Dance – Dawn Of The Iconclast (Jack Beats Intro Edit)
2. Passion Pit – Little Secrets (Jack Beats Remix)
3. Lee Mortimer & Laidback Luke – Blau! (LA Riots Remix)
4. Jack Beats – Labyrinth
5. Pase Rock – Nights (Nadastrom Remix)
6. L-Vis 1990 – United Groove (MJ Cole Remix)
7. D1 – Pitcher (128 Mix)
8. Kissy Sell Out – This Kiss (Jack Beats Remix)
9. Black Box – Ride On Time (Zombie Disco Squad Remix – Jack Beats Edit)
10. Sound of Stereo – Button (Beataucue Remix)
11. Does It Offend You, Yeah? – Epic Last Song (Jack Beats Remix)
12. Foamo – Jookie
13. Tiga – What You Need (A-Trak Remix)
14. Zombie Nation – Seas of Grease (Harvard Bass Remix)
15. Diplo & Blaqstarr – Get Off (Jack Beats Remix)
16. Noob & Brodinski – Peanuts Club (BeatauCue Remix)
17. M.A.N.D.Y & Booka Shade – Donut (Boy 8-Bit Remix)
18. Mvsvem – French Jeans (Style Of Eye Remix)
19. Boys Noize & Erol Alkan – Waves (Chilli Gonzales remix)
20. The Black Ghosts – I Want Nothin’ (Jack Beats Remix Accapella)
21. Felix Da Housecat – Kickdrum
22. SonicC – Unicorns On Acid
23. La Roux – I’m Not Your Toy (Jack Beats Remix)
24. Jack Beats & MC Dynamite – What (Boy 8-Bit Remix)
25. Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars (Siriusmo Remix)
26. Claude VonStroke – Vocal Chords
27. Popof – Serenity w/ Fingers Inc – My House Acapella (Jack Had a Groove)
28. Breakage – Justified ft. Erin
29. 16-Bit – Jump
30. Joker – Tron
31. Calvin Harris – You Used To Hold Me (Nero Remix)
32. Subscape – Hardcore Members
33. Doctor P – Sweet Shop
34. Benga – Little Bits
35. Donaeo – Riot Music (Skreamix)
36. Jack Beats – U.F.O (K-Hole Bass Riddim)
37. Lady Sovereign – Got You Dancing (Jack Beats Remix)
38. Unknown Artist – BG (Crookers DJ Tool Mix)
39. Florence + The Machine – Drumming Song (Jack Beats Remix)
40. AC Slater – Jack Got Jacked (Jack Beats Remix)
41. DJ Zinc – Gimme A Camera ft. Angela Hunter
42. Hockey – Song Away (Jack Beats ‘Anger Management’ Unreleased Dub)
43. DJ Zinc – Super Sharp Shooter (Jack Beats Remix)
44. The Count & Sinden – Panther
45. TC – Deep (Jack Beats ‘2008 Unreleased’ Remix)
46. L-Vis 1990 – The Bird
47. Project Bassline – Drop The Pressure (Jack Beats Remix)
48. Diplo & Laidback Luke vs. Proxy – Hey vs. Raven (Will Bailey Bootleg)
49. Faithless – Never Going Home (Herve Remix)
50. Fake Blood – Mars (Jack Beats Remix)
51. Jack Beats – Get Down VIP
North America they wash ashore next week and you can catch them here:
Mar 11 2010- Edmonton- Starlite Room W/Fake Blood, Boy 8 Bit & AC Slater
Mar 12 2010- Vancouver- Celebrities W/AC Slater
Mar 13 2010- L.A- HARD 13 W/Fake Blood & Boy 8 Bit
Mar 15 2010- Toronto- The Social
Mar 17 2010- Denver- Gothic Theatre W/Craze & 12th Planet
Mar 18 2010- San Diego- Voyeur
Mar 19 2010- El Paso- The Vault
Mar 20 2010- Austin- SXSW AM Only Showcase @ Beauty Bar
Mar 20 2010- Austin- SXSW Mad Decent & Iheartcomix Party W/Diplo etc
Mar 24 2010- Miami- WMC - Bang! Bang! @ White Room W/Craze, Shy Fx and loads more
Mar 25 2010- Miami- WMC - HARD @ Fountainbleu - massive line up!!!!
Mar 26 2010- Miami- WMC - AM Only Showcase @ Karu & Y
Mar 26 2010- Miami- WMC- Annie Mac Presents @ The White Room W/Annie, Mehdi and more...
Mar 26 2010- Miami- WMC MixMag @ ParkWest
NYC! Grab a Dutch and roll down to The Cove tonight in Williamsburg to catch blunted robot Martin Kemp spinning at this months Turrbotax party alongside Cool Places Soundsystem, Cunei4m, and the residents. Grab Cunei4m's mix for the crew HERE featuring tunes from Brackles & Shortstuff, Girl Unit, Ikonika, Hyetal and the man of the hour Martin Kemp.
FREE Asahi beer from 10-11pm and 1-2am, as if you needed another reason to be there.
Here's some other mixes to digest while we count down the hours:
Friday night it's the premiere Future Blank party, another free for all in Brooklyn! Catch Jubilee, rudeboys Hirshi & Phlegm, and Turrbotax DJs Mayster & Contakt live at Tandem. If you caught Jubilee at last month's Turrbotax or have ever seen her lay it down at Flashing Lights, you know she brings the ruckus. NO COVER...NO EXCUSES!
Lock in to Hirshi & Phlegm's Grime Machine radio show on WNYU early Wednesday mornings from 1am-3am at http://www.wnyu.org
For all our PacNW readers, we got your back too! Tonight is the 6yr Anniversary of (the actual) Free.bass weekly party held at Trinity Nightclub in Seattle. Having hosted the likes of Mix Master Mike, Rusko, Plump DJs, Krafty Kuts, & more in the past year alone; this event is not to be missed. 3 Rooms of Sound!
This month they're bringing in Craze & 12th Planet. Should be a live one!
Grab Craze's recent mix for the Mishka heads right HURR
The legendary Warp Records label turned to San Francisco for their most recent 12" release featuring California scene staples Eprom & Eskmo.
After his stunning collaborative release with Profisee in late 2009 on Cloak & Dagger and his spaced-out garage flavored 'Never' out on Surefire Sound earlier this year, Eprom continues his momentum with his latest tune on Warp entitled 'Hendt'. We've always loved Eprom for his glitchy, bubblin' West Coast lazer bass sound, lending a very unique and defiantly American perspective to the often darker and more gutteral sounds of the UK. 'Hendt' is a tune fit for Elroy Jetson and his crew, knocking back purple drink while joyriding through the cosmos with the windows down and system blaring. It's a track that's sure to please ravers, dubsteppers, backpackers, and just about anyone with a pulse with it's crunked up bassline and brain tickling synth work. Keep your ears out for more bitcrushing tunes from Eprom who's showing no signs of slowing down in 2010 with his 'Humanoid' EP forthcoming on Dutch label RWINA at the end of the month as well as perhaps our favorite tune of his to date, 'Shoplifter', forthcoming on Bad Acid music in April.
The second track on the 12" comes from fellow SF producer and DJ, Eskmo, the dubstep monicker of musician Brendan Angelides aka Welder. 'Land and Bones' features eerie, soaring vocals from Swan and bone-crunching claps as it's backbone. A haunting tune with a surging sub bassline, staggering synths, and ethereal vocals weaving their way into and out of the mix.
Preview and purchase the tunes in Digital or Vinyl format through Warp's Bleep store HERE
shown above: Eprom & Juakali
shown above: Eskmo
Both of these producers came through to NYC on February 19th for the album release party and absolutely smashed it inside a ram packed Club Love, each playing demolishing live sets and showcasing their own distinctive and differing styles of crackling beats and basslines.
Atlanta based producer, and part-owner of EMBASSY RECORDINGS Distal’ has found himself rapidly building an internationally familiar brand in 2010.
Combining time travel with dance music, Distal breaks down the more ambiguous sounds from the past and fuses them with thoughts and equations of the future. Never afraid to take risks along the way, he has created a very specific and friendly sound for himself, bridging the gap between techno, breakbeat hardcore, house, funk, gangster rap, and even pop culture.
This enthusiasm has already gained the attention of many well-respected pioneers working in Dubstep and Techno today. Most recently his first two releases under EMBASSY RECORDINGS have graced the track listings of Appleblim, 2562, Joe Nice, Moldy, Ramadanman, BenUFO, Julio Bashmore, Breakage, and Moldy. The list of recognition is set to grow in March 2010 with three releases due out (Rogue Dubs, Car Crash Set, and Embassy).
We had a moment to catch up with Distal and see what's good on his end:
BF: Yo, what's been up Distal? New Promo mix is no joke.
D: Just working hard 24/7 man. Even feels like I'm working in my sleep!
BF: You recently launched a new imprint Embassy Recordings. Was this something you had been wanting to do for a while and how did it ultimately materialize?
D: Embassy Recordings (www.embassyrecordings.com) is run by myself and label mate "MITE". We have wanted to start a label since before I can even remember. Childhood dreams. We just wanted to make sure the timing, aesthetic, branding and content was correct. When the skillet got hot, we jumped. After 'Attempt at Yellow', and 'Chocolate Circuit' started making waves in big name track-listings we knew we had our first release under the belt. We landed a digital deal with St. Holdings and the rest will hopefully go down in the books.
BF: What else can we expect from the label in 2010?
D: The first release is set to drop next week on all major sites (Beatport, Juno, Addictech etc.). The second release will release on April 12th. It's going to be my track 'Serengeti' for the A side and the flip will be a nice techno jam, 'Villa de Straylight' by Mite. We have a lot of big things planned for this year. Embassy will be a playground of eclectic sounds. Mite and myself both value music of all moods, and we're going to bringing the overall vibe of the label up and down with only the theme being 'quality'. We called the label Embassy because we wanted to make sure it was a safe haven for artists to express themselves however they wanted.
BF: 'Serengeti' [EMB002] is probably one of my favorite tunes at the moment, gotta take the time and big you up for that one, really an outstanding track. Joe Nice dropped that badboy at DubWar last month and it went off. With your tunes getting played out by trans-Atlantic DJs such as 2562, Appleblim, and Julio Bashmore just to name a few; how do you think the internet and social networking tools like Twitter have affected you as a producer and DJ?
D: It's funny growing up Electronic music wasn't as reliant on the internet, but nowadays it's the forefront. It has its pros and cons. With all these internet tools you can reach such a larger audience than you ever could have before. You also get to communicate more freely with every aspect of the scene ( press, label owners, promoters ), and at a faster rate. No more mailing off mixtapes in a box with postage to the UK! And lastly you get to work faster, you can send parts back and forth and have a remix overnight; In the long run it speeds up the evolution of things. We're going to all be ROBOTS soon!
On the flip technology has a major downfall in all of this, clutter. It has come down to 'how well you can push your music', and not 'how good it is'. I see lot's of people branding their names in my brain that I'd rather not have branded. But its a forced society, we can't choose what we hear sometimes. There is A LOT more clutter to sift through to get to the good stuff. Some artists get lost in the clutter that need to be in the forefront.
BF: Atlanta isn't necessarily one of the first cities that you associate with dubstep, how did the scene initially come together and how have you seen it evolve since it's inception?
D: Atlanta Dubstep (www.atlantadubstep.com) is doing BIG things. The whole scene down here has really embraced the sound, ALL of the sound. Our first show was 2562 last year, it was packed out... things just fell in place! We've had everyone on the spectrum here from 16bit to Ramdanman, and we just celebrated our one year with UNTOLD! The key I really believe is the fact that we have A LOT of people in our group from all different scenes pushing the sound. We all travel in different circles.
We had one of the best cities in the nation for DnB a few years ago via Mayhem and his night TRANSIT. And we currently have a very blessed Minimal and House scene as well. When dnb started to slow down the hardcore dnb fans were looking around for something to cling to, and the house heads were looking for something that was different. A lot of that comes together at our shows. I really believe sociologically speaking electronic music is going backwards, we're going back to the early 90's where everything was played together and the genre lines were a lot more blurred.
Oh and not to mention we have the biggest and best SoundSystem in the state! You FEEL the music at our shows.
BF: The ATL Dubstep crew have brought in some huge talent in the past year and haven't been afraid to bring in acts that defy the standard 140bpm half-step wobbler formula. How have these nights gone over and what's been your favorite event so far?
D: We try and make the venue and area fit the aesthetic of the music we bring. The harder we go, the more grimey of a spot we get etc. It has seemed to work so far. We pull a little extra from the target crowd, but still keep a steady mixture. Like I was saying before we're all from different musical backgrounds and we all have our own tastes, which in the long run is a BIG positive. My favorite dj set so far has to be 2562 our first show! He got some people moving in that crowd that I haven't seen move in a long time. His sound is so specific. A close second is Appleblim. Talk about a selector... wow playing all across the board. I have nothing but mad respect for that guy.
We have Babylon System this month and my buddies Inferno and Shortsck of Heat Promotions are bringing ROSKA, ROSKA, ROSKA that same week. So much positive talent coming to our city. I'm glad to be a part of it all.
BF: Big up yourself, Distal. Thanks for taking the time and for continuing to push the limits in 2010! Before we let you go, what are the top ten producers you're listening to at the moment?
D: My current TOP TEN artists NEW AND OLD I'm listening for:
Philadelphia DJ Sonkin has been tearing up dancefloors all up and down the East Coast with a mix of signature Philly streetbass and the sounds of urban bass music from around the globe. His latest mix 'Fun in The Sun' blends together gully and grimey anthems from bass strongholds Philly, Bristol, London, Glasgow and more. As a member of Dev79 and Starkey's Seclusiasis crew, this mix delivers on their goal to "make you want to bang your head and fuck your significant other." For those without, a less than significant other will probably still do the trick. The Seclusiasis gang also includes top billin' producers Kotchy, Ghost, and Raffertie, as well as BD1982 who's debut album is set to drop on the label sometime later this month.
Keep it close to Sonkin's MySpace for up to date tour info and go out and support him when he lands in Brooklyn March 13th at Southpaw as well as Club 24 in DC on the 14th.
Don't forget to cop Sonkin's latest release, a spaced-out collab with Rx entitled 'Compton, Saturn' out now as part of the Bass Wars compilation on Abstract Logic Recordings.
The Heavy - How You Like Me Now? (Joker Remix)
Starkey - Pleasure Points
Zeno ft Burial - Loving You
Kid Simple - Dummy
Thomas - Leek
SDUK - Clunge
DZ -Shake That Ass
Taz Buckfaster - 20 Red
Tempa T - Next Hype
SiYoung - Contra
Starkey - Capsule
Mindelixir - Zombinator
Numan - Skull Crusher
Terror Danjah - Hyperphonix
Zeno - Laser Wolf 2012 VIP
Von D - Bonda Love
Gemmy - Dolla Digital
Breakage ft David Rodigan and Newham Generals - Hard
Skream - Minimalistix
Moves!!! - All Skate
Kenneth Bager - I Can't Wait (Jayou Remix)
DNAE Beats - Razur Kut
