August's Rhythm 'n' Roots Mix goes back up to 130 BPM to bring all sorts of house, bongo-tech, ghettohall, dancequake, squarebass music for your ears. Many of the tunes were dug out of the big internet blogging crate and the others can be paid for (!!)
Posts have become a little sparse because I am in the middle of the countryside and working on lots and lots of music and not listening to enough! However, a couple of things caught my eye this weekend.
The wonderful FACT mix series reaches number 75, quite impressive really and celebrates with a mix by the man TRG. The mix shows TRG's UK funky house influences as with a fair few cross-over 2-step/dubstep producers these days. Tunes from the likes of US house mainstay Karizma and UK's Roska alongside a bunch of TRG's new tunes (Hitek House) and the TRG remix of L-Vis 1990's Untitled Groove. Grab it here: FACT 75
To celebrate Rinse FM's 15th birthday, the label is giving away a selection of tracks from some of it's contributors and hosts which happen to include some of the best producers around (Skream, Geenus, Skepta, Plastician.)
The 31st of July is the big date and, of course, they are holding a birthday bash down at Matter in London town, as expected, the lineup is stellar:
DJ’s - Skream v Benga / Ms Dynamite / Boy Better feat. Skepta + JME + Frisco + Maximum / Kode9 / Magnetic Man (Live Set) / Geeneus / Crazy Cousinz / Marcus Nasty / N–Type v Youngsta / Zinc / Slimzee / Newham Generals / Caspa / Spyro v Silencer v Vectra / Alexander Nut / Katy B / Circle / Chef v Plastician / Scratcha
Head over to Rinse FM and get the tunes, includes VIPs, unreleased stuff: general goldmine. While you are there get into the radio shows and podcasts for some real future music. So far:
17th Geenus - Yellowtail (VIP Mix)
20th Zinc ft. Aloe Blacc - All Your Base
21st Plastician ft JME, Skepta and Tinchy - Still Tippin'
The previous post's post is has now been fufilled and the monstrous collection of Villa Diamante mash-ups are up and available for donwload from heeeere (or click the pic): Diamante Style.
"Un disco triple de mashups que recorre en mas de 40 tracks un impensable viaje musical donde las referencias culturales se ven alteradas, los géneros se mezclan para dar lugar a lo inaudito."
Diego Bulacio aka. Villa Diamante from Villa Diamante (a barrio of Lanus, Bs As) is set to release Empacho Digital on the 24th of June via ZZK Records. It is a mega compilation of more than 40 mash-ups and mixes available for free download from the 24th: Diamante Style and ZZK.
Disc one pairs some of ZZK's most known artists with anyone and everyone, e.g. Chancha Via Circuito vs Nelly and Intoxicados made cumbia! Disc two is a dubstep crossover inspired by Daleduro, one of the few dubstep producers/DJs in Bs As, and unites big tunes from big name dubstep producers with latin american artists. (Benga's anthemic Night meets Juana Molina?!) The third and final disc is a tribute to Rock Nacional Argentino in a way you have never heard before. Bound to offend Rock Nacional purists and down the line hip-hop heads alike for it's wonderfuly unimagineable pairings: (Abuelos de la Nada vs O.D.B. Charly Garcia vs Busta Rhymes!?)
This really is an "anything goes" affair, original in it's concept and execution. Empacho Digital is a statement on the mash-up culture, as Diego says on his site, the disc has "the intention of reflecting the excess of information that the internet era has brought about, it is no longer a privilege but rather a nuisance. We are in the age of hyper-communication and the possibility of having everything at the touch of a button."
Here is a little interview (in Spanish) with Villa Diamante, though it was filmed a while back you can see where he is coming from:
This post is inspired by the release (MP3, CD came earlier) this month of Tectonic Plates Volume II, the second compilation of Tectonic's vinyl releases. Run by DJ and producer Pinch, the Bristol based label is one of the most important and interesting dubstep imprints around and this release proves why.
The first disc comes with the tunes and includes names like RSD, Martyn, 2562, Skream and of course Pinch himself (worth it just for the RSD and Martyn tunes!) The second CD is a gold mine mix done by Pinch which includes many hard to find/deep tunes from Pevrelist's Blues, Answer Me by Mala and the word Dubplate repeated a lot (special!) It is really spot-on, the mixes are smooth-as and the selection is second to none. Full release info can be found here. An interview with Mr Pinch can be found on Sonic Router.
Suddenly finding myself with a bunch of, what I think to be, really great tunes, I decided to make a short mix in which the music takes priority. I have learnt from learning to mix (CDs Vinyl) that things don't need to be fancy and complicated, I also have a lot of respect for DJs putting vinyl mixes together like the aforementioned. This mix (MP3s) lets the music speak for itself and the music chosen does just that. It has a 2-step, tech-step, moving groove vibe and it flows.
Since it's emergence nearly a decade ago the term dubstep has always been open to interpretation, indeed that was one of the enticing things about the sound. Many have tried to define the style, stating that dubstep uses the snare on the third beat, heavy bass weight, wobble, standard quote from film etc etc. Indeed many dubstep tunes fit this description to a glove, however, it has become an umbrella term for a host of artists making tunes around 140BPM. There are the Ruskos, Cokis and Caspas making near chainsaw dub, aggressive tunes filled with drops and ready for the rewind (An amusing take on these guys by Mr Simon Reynolds in the Guardian in which he called Caspa "The Guy Ritchie of Dubstep" Forum bait,) the synthy madness of Zombie and the Purple Trinity (Joker, Guido, Gemmy), the tech-influenced 2562, TRG, Headhunter, Pevrelist, the dub influenced Mala, RSD, Mungo's Hi Fi, the many arriving from the D'n'B scene, not to mention the countless artists working somewhere in between (where do you put Hyperdub Records?!).
The emergence of the sound and it's structure comes from the dark 2-step garage which emerged at the start of the decade, associated with Ghost Records and artists such as EL-B, Horsepower Productions and Steve Gurley. For an introduction check out the Roots of Dubstep CD on Tempa or United Vibes History of Dubstep Mix. Equally, another, far superior Reynolds' article which appeared in The Wire back in the day is great read charting the progression of UK garage, 2-step etc.
Loefah, of DMZ fame, recently set up Swamp 81 Records (named after the Met police's stop and seach operation which caused the 1981 Brixton Riots), an outlet for the dark, rolling 2-step garage sound in the context today's dubstep scene. The excellent Blackdown blog has an interview with Loefah and Kryptic Minds, who are heading the first Swamp 81 releases. It sums up Loefah's thinking behind setting up the label and his reflections on the scenes progression. Listening to a preview mix (DL here) of the new Kryptic Minds stuff is dark. It is futuristic, murky 2-step, full of atmousphere, clicks and rhytmic urgency. As Reynold's ends his article, written in 1999: "two-step sounds like it has a whole world of places left to go." He was right.
Kryptic Minds Studio Mix - DL here Kryptic Minds - Untitled - Osiris Music uk Dub Kryptic Minds - The Weeping - Disfigured Dubz Dub Kryptic Minds - Untitled - Osiris Music uk Dub Kryptic Minds - Untitled - Osiris Music uk Dub Leon Switch - Latin Dub - Osiris Music uk Dub Kryptic Minds - Wondering Why - Osiris Music uk Dub Kryptic Minds - Untitled - Osiris Music uk Dub Kryptic Minds - Unititled - Osiris Music uk Dub Leon Switch - Untitled - Osiris Music uk Dub Kryptic Minds - Three Views Of A Secret - Swamp 81 Dub Kryptic Minds - Mercury Rising - Dub Kryptic Minds - Bad Man - Dub Kryptic Minds - Rubberman - Dub Leon Switch - Untitled - Dub Kryptic Minds - Dissolved - Swamp 81 Dub Kryptic Minds - One Of Us - Swamp 81 Kryptic Minds - Organic - Swamp 81 Dub Kryptic Minds - Follow Me - Dub
Another little recomendation from Bs As: Miss Bolivia! An MC thorwing shapes n words to some dancehall, hop-hip tropical, IDM argentine beats. Funk-key. You can download her EP/demo Vibracion legally from the wonderfully comprehensive archive.org
Catch her out live over the next month (the 29th of May is with aforementioned Kumbia Queers!):
In other news, Net-Lab is based in Brighton, I am not sure exactly what it is or how I found it but it looks great, here is the spiel:
Net-Lab:
Encourages legal free distribution and redistribution of music, via a Creative Commons license
Supports growth of small, independent artists Worldwide, particularly those creating leftfield electronica
Strengthens personal development and exploration of sound, particularly into the avant garde
Presents up-to-date information and reviews on live events and new releases from the worlds of Electronica, Indie, Rock, Dubstep, Electro, UK Grime and more
I am IN. Check out the releases for good shit, even an EP from BA's own dubstep man Daleduro. Also little chunks of info kind of blogish. Right on.
This blog was set up in Argentina after discovering a world of music and the wonders the internet can offer. It is run by myself, part time student, music lover and hispanophile.
Please get in touch if you anything to say or would like music which appears here to be removed: rjperkins1@gmail.com
