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: Jay

A big whassup from Brazil my peoples! I’ve been traveling for a little over a month now (well, if you don’t count the year I was living in La Paz as “traveling”) and have a major itching to share some dope new music with all of you. Expect a bunch of posts coming up, which could possibly include any of the following:

• The new Holy Fuck
• The new Tobacco
• Wu-Tang Clan vs. The Beatles (It’s good!  Really!)
• The new RJD2

See I always stock up on new music before a long trip, especially if I’m traveling by myself.  I’m never alone if my fav artists are keeping me company (^-^)v  I’m at the point now where I’ve giving this new batch of music a good listening to, and there’s one album I keep coming back to, over and over: Lazerproof.  I just can’t get enough.
Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Matt

The debut album from Dutch Drum n Bass trio NOISIA (VISION flipped vertically, if you can picture that) is a curious beast. Though known primarily for their slew of DnB 12″s, they branch out quite a bit into Electrohouse, Downtempo, and Dubstep on their long player. This type of spread is generally common among acts crafting an album for home listening, however what makes Split the Atom an interesting experience is that while the styles vary greatly, they didn’t adjust their toolset much (or at all), really.

The end result is an enjoyable listen, but also an interesting experiment in genre definition. Is it all Drum n Bass but at wildly varying tempos? Can we still call slow tracks Downtempo if they have dirty, crushing basslines? Is this visionary or lazy?

Soul Purge (feat Foreign Beggars)

Square Feet

Alpha Centauri

PLAY ALL

Would You Like To Know Moar?
Noisia on Myspace

Posted by: Matt

Stateside Dubstep envelope-pusher Starkey just recently dropped his second full length album titled Ear Drums and Black Holes and it’s a doozy.

Released on Planet Mu records (helmed by Mike Paradinas aka Mu-Ziq for those of you who were around for the golden age of Drill N Bass), Eardrums… is a pretty rare beast in the Dubstep world where normally we have to choose between beefcake macho posturing (Brostep) and flowery nerd-baiting IDM masquerading as club music. While Starkey’s previous record fell easily into that second camp, this time out he’s managed to pull off the major coup of doing both at the same time. Muscular bass and memorable hooks play so well here that while it sounds great in headphones, you’ll probably find yourself getting down on the bus or at your desk or anywhere else. And in the club…watch out.

It’s not quite all roses however, as the academic flourishes might not sit well with those who like their beats 100% PARTY committed. Someone close to this writer likened Starkey’s sound to “stoned cats throwing up on a Game Boy”. While meant as a criticism, it sounds pretty perfect to me.

OK Luv

Club Games

11th Hour

Check out Starkey on the web:
Myspace

Posted by: Cor

OMGTGIMFF. Time to celebrate with another booty bouncin’ set from the Stanton Warriors. This one comes to us from the beaches of Miami, recorded live at the Winter Music Conference last May. It’s a bit on the short side, but all you Stanton fans will be glad to hear it’s jam-packed with all the beats and obligatory ass-shakin’ directives you’ve come to expect from a SW set. ‘Nuff said. Go enjoy your weekend.

Stanton Warriors - Miami Beach Party Session Live @ WMC 2010
(right-click to download)