Posted by: Matt

First, Adam Freeland was after your soul. Then Benny Benassi needed satisfaction. In 2010, England’s Cakeboy steps up to fill the chantable, disaffected robot vocal gap with Swamp Thing.

Surprisingly often the A-side of many singles end up in the shadow of any of many remixes that may follow (or were deliberately solicited to maximize commercial viability). In this case though I think the original version holds ground quite firmly as a sunny electro-breaks jam that doesn’t break any new ground but hits all the right notes and sweet spots you would want/expect from this well-flogged territory. The JFB remix turns the lights down a bit and staggers into Dubstep territory, but don’t let that scare you away. The crunch is all still there along with a few new melodic phrases that add a nice darkness to the track that is missing in the original (hey, it’s about a monster after all!).

Cakeboy - Swamp Thing (Original Mix)

Cakeboy -Swamp Thing (JFB remix)

Buy the full release and more remixes on Beatport

Posted by: Derek

I had the pleasure of meeting LA-based producer Nicholas Bennison when I worked for Looq records back in the day.

Originally from the UK, Nicholas is a killer producer and DJ. He’s a genre chameleon, switching from melodic progressive to trance, tech-trance, and full-on psy, and his sound has gotten the attention of some of the biggest names in the biz, and he’s done original work and remixes for a crap-ton of labels, including legendary Hook Recordings.

He tends to keep it pretty tough and rolling - as reflected in his own sound and also that of his label Propulsion Records.

This set from him from 2004 runs the gamut of sounds, and is chock full of solid tunes. I grabbed it from his website at the time of release back when and it’s been with me ever since! Actually, I remember it from a particular night of it playing in my car while I ferried Jondi and Spesh between gigs on NYE…

It makes killer road music - so burn yourself a copy for the road to Black Rock if you’re going to BM this year — it will definitely keep the journey interesting.

Listen here:

Nicholas Bennison - Energy FM 2004 Mix (right-click to download)

Posted by: Derek

I always thought Norweigians were pleasant, mild mannered folk, but if you listen to the music of production duo Rawthang, they’re fulla some serious fuel too.

This is a DnB release I stubled upon years ago when it was first released on Orgone Records (a sublabel of previously covered DJ Dara’s Breakbeat Science powerhouse), and I haven’t been able to forget it since.

Both cuts are pretty driving, wih some searing production work.
Unity is 100 percent full on ravey, with a nu-Hoover inspired lead and some piano work that could find it’s way into a Happy Hardcore tune…minus the happy!
B-side Netrunner (my fave) is full on cyberpunk - deep wet-as-frack bass stabs, and skittter lines to make you feel like you’re INSIDE THE MACHINE…

Check em out:

Unity

Netrunner

Sadly, Rawthang have almost NO internet presence, but you can find their other releases listed on their discography. Some may have been vinyl-only, as I believe this one is too - so these are rare gems!

Posted by: Cor

Below is a 36-minute piece of ambient music. If you asked me to describe it after hearing for the first time, I’d likely use the words ethereal, watery, haunting… adjectives that bear no resemblance to the ones I’d use to describe the piece’s original source. Give the track a listen, enough to experience its lulls and swells (go ahead and skip around if you don’t have half an hour to spare) and then hit the link to learn what you’re listening to.

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Posted by: Matt

This week brings another dispatch from DJ KidHack from deep within the misty confines of the California Academy of Science’s NightLife event.