Recommended: Lianne La Havas – Forget (Shlohmo Remix)
Lianne La Havas was an unexpected addition to the singer-songwriter panorama last year, but nonetheless a welcome one, with her gratifying balance of silken delicacy and uninhibited edge. This remix from Shlohmo is also a very welcome surprise, with the LA producer bridging the gap between himself and La Havas by focusing on what the […]
Read more
Preview: Ifan Dafydd – Treehouse / To Me
One of the inherent difficulties with music writing in the post-everything landscape is that artist comparisons have become one of the most reliable ways to describe producers’ sounds. This is pretty sticky territory – comparisons certainly make it easier to pin down elements of a song that don’t translate well into words, but on the […]
Read more
Chronicles: Introducing Perrion
If you ain’t H.O.M.E., you’re homeless. The internet has supplied us with a constant stream of new artists for years. It has given burgeoning MCs a place near side of estabilished acts as a most significant advancement within music, the lines between eminence and priority being blurred and especially over the last three years, a lot of […]
Read more
Download: Rain Dog – See Hear EP
We all love free music, but isn’t it great when that music is brilliant enough to make you want to spend your bitterly-earned cash money on it? Scottish producer and DJ DFRNT‘s Cut Records started out this time last year with the admirable objective of releasing high quality music without insisting on pecuniary compensation. Even […]
Read more
Recommended: Loftmind. – INTP
Bridging the gap between hip hop, ambient music, and the all-encompassing bass music, Leeds based duo, Loftmind, seem to be carving their own sound in a world of recycled and re-hashed R&B vocals. The pair’s newest ep, INTP, has an almost live feel to it, comparable to Mount Kimbie; every addition builds off the other, […]
Read more
Recommended: Dekmantel Anniversary Series Part 1
Dekmantel, the Amsterdam-based events company, record label and artist agency, is celebrating its first five years with a series of releases from its roster of family and friends. With tracks from acts who’ve released on the label and played at the group’s parties, it promises to be an intriguing collection of house and techno goodies. […]
Read more
Vault Review: J Period Presents.. The [Abstract] Best
In the history of Hip Hop there is one artist in particular who has quietly shaped an entire generation of MCs and producers, and that’s Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, better known as The Abstract himself Q-Tip. From Los Angeles born Brooklyn residing mixtape king J. Period comes “The Abstract Best”, self-released in 2009 as a ninety minute […]
Read more
Review: Faws – Antonym EP
Sometimes mystery is a good thing. Irish producer Faws has appeared online with little fanfare, even less background information, and a gorgeous five-track EP that sets the benchmark high for other new acts this year. The Antonym EP landed with little fanfare on Christmas Eve, but it is just starting to pick up momentum right […]
Read more
Stream: Kowton – Looking At You
Kowton joins a host of producers who are reiterating – and the point does need hammering home – that despite the contagion of brostep and family, there’s still place for imagination on the dancefloor. There was a time when you could layer a crudely chopped R’n’B sample onto a bland bed of bass and expect […]
Read more
Happy New Year from Truants
The last year was a good one for us: a lovely crew, two compilations (feel free to spend your Christmas money on a little donation to Save Darfur to download our last one here), the opportunity to do features on the artists we love, six events in five different cities and although some wiseacres beg […]
Read more
Various: Tropical Riddims
Strains of Afro-Caribbean music have always been present on the UK dancefloor from the reggae and dub inflections of DMZ to the incendiary British dancehall scene, vigorously backed by enthusiasts such as The Heatwave. But in the past couple of years the ‘Afro-’ in Afro-Caribbean is rightfully laying claim to some of the attention from […]
Read more
Recommended: Gucci Mane & V-Nasty – Baytl
You’re probably thinking, “What the hell is V-Nasty doing on a Gucci Mane album?” and that’s a totally acceptable first impression. This collaboration is so left field on a scale that I’m not totally sure of its existence. Whose people approached who? Was this some sort of ridiculous industry money exchange? Or did these artists […]
Read more