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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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Preview: Locked Groove – Rooted EP
“No one had a bad dream, it was all very good”. So ends the title track on the “Rooted” EP from newcomer Locked Groove, with eleven words that sum up the dark yet uplifting theme threaded through the latest release on Hotflush Recordings. After a magnificent year that saw stellar releases from Sigha, George Fitzgerald, Joy O […]
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Five Mixes Are Better Than One Pt. VII: Radio Edition
It occurred to me while sitting in my parents’ kitchen that there are probably more people out there like me – home for the holidays, tractors & tumbleweeds rolling by, away from our supercool fantastic lives full of friends and parties and music and, uh, civilization. Some of you might live in those remote kinds […]
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Interview: Youngsta
It’s hard not to be an ardent devotee of Daniel Lockhart, better known under his long-standing moniker Youngsta, and his infallible output and unmatched talent as a DJ in all senses of the profession. The copiously anticipated prophecy of a Rinse mix CD saw its fulfillment earlier this year in May and simulated a self-proclaimed […]
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Recommended: Knowing Looks – Listen to My 45 / Ghost Baby
Late last month we featured an extensive interview with Bob Bhamra, founder of the consistently impressive and increasingly canonized West Norwood Cassette Library imprint (check it out here if you haven’t already). Among other news, he announced an upcoming release from Canadian producer Knowing Looks (also known as Jason Hopfner), whose first release for WNCL […]
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Recommended: Onur Engin Edits Vol. 6
Something possibly a little different to show you on this fine Sunday, from Turkish producer Onur Engin. We’re not exactly sure if we’ve ever had the pleasure of featuring a producer from Istanbul before on TRUANTS, but if we have we can safely say they are not in the majority. For those of you who […]
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Schoolboy Q
Most people are familiar with Schoolboy Q from his absolutely ridiculous verse on A$AP Rocky’s “Brand New Guy” but like most (if not all) of the TDE/Black Hippy crew, Q has been around for a minute and definitely falls into the hugely underrated category. Instead of getting into his album from earlier this year, “Setbacks”, […]
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Download: Serani – No Games (Brackles Remix)
Another cheeky cut from the world of dancehall remixes, Brackles‘ Serani edit gets a 320 release ahead of the Rinse Boxing Day party. With the same appreciation for an excellent vocal as MA1’s brilliant Suges bootleg, Brackles speeds up Serani’s romantic yearnings and lets them bounce over a persuasively cheeky bassline and some hectic drum […]
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