Empresarios “Cumbia (Nickodemus Remix)”

After dropping the Sabor Tropical album earlier this year, DC outfit Empresarios has been getting into the remix game, enlisting a slew of producers to rework the group’s material for a series of remix EPs. Next week, the Sabor Tropical Remixed EP 2 will drop digitally—vinyl copies are set to follow a couple weeks later—and is set to include unique takes on Empresarios’ music from the likes of Zeb, Omegaman, XLR8R fave DJ Sabo, and others, along with this remix from NYC spinner Nickodemus (pictured above). The original “Cumbia” was a fairly straightforward and laid-back piece of, well, cumbia, but Nickodemus has punched up the percussion, looped the piano melody, and nudged the track toward the dancefloor. While moombahton continues to grab all the tropical bass headlines as of late, Nickodemus’ remix shows that’s there’s still room for mid-tempo, Latin-flavored cuts with a more subtle bounce in their step.

Cumbia (Nickodemus Remix)

Roska, Hyetal, Guido, xxxy, Ginz, Untold, and More to Guest on New Baobinga LP

UK bass obsessive Baobinga (pictured above) has quite an impressive project ready to drop next week, a 16-track album comprised of all collaborative tracks with some of the finest dubstep/bass/UK funky producers around. The LP is called Joint Ventures, and features the Bristol artist pairing his talents with the likes of Ginz, Guido, Hyetal, Untold, Roska, Gemmy, xxxy, and Randomer, among others. Many of the album’s tracks are pulled from previous Build Recordings 12″s, though others have never been properly released. Baobinga’s record will be available next Friday via the aforementioned imprint, and will stand as the label’s first full-length release. You can check out Joint Ventures‘ artwork and tracklist, and stream some of its tunes, below.

1. Ginz & Baobinga – Heartburst Riddim
2. Baobinga & I.D. – Wang It
3. Baobinga & Hyetal – Anything For Now

4. Rider Shafique – Gun Talk
5. Guido & Baobinga – Bumba
6. Baobinga & Geiom – Hard Hands
7. Baobinga & I.D – Tongue Riddim (Roska Remix [Binga’s Refix])
8. Baobinga & xxxy – Barbakan
9. Baobinga – Make Me Feel
10. Gemmy & Baobinga – Rockfall
11. Baobinga & Kowton – Proper
12. Guido & Baobinga – Ballin’
13. Baobinga & Mensah – N.S.G

14. Baobinga – Ride It (Untold Remix)

15. Jack Sparrow & Baobinga – TransPennine Express
16. Baobinga & Randomer – Crom2 (Digital Exclusive)

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Grab a New Mix From Dabrye

Those fans of the so-called “beat scene” will no doubt consider Ann Arbor producer Dabrye (a.k.a. Tadd Mullinix)—the first guy to ever have a release on the city’s renowned Ghostly International label—one of its forebears. This week, Pulse Radio honored the man by lacing listeners with an exclusive interview and podcast, which you can read and listen to here, respectively. Check out the tracklist below if your interest still needs piquing. (via Pulse Radio)

Dabrye Podcast

1. Mandre – l’oasis
2. Cloud One – Doin’ It All Night Long
3. Mass Production – Slow Bump
4. Michal Urbaniak Group – Inactin (excerpt)
5. Roy Ayers – DC City
6. Tyron Davis – A Little Bit of Loving (goes a long way)
7. Esther Byrde & Solid Gold Orchestra – Touch Me Tease Me
8. Dynasty – Adventures in Music
9. Blomdahl – Suite From Aniara (excerpt)
10. Busta Rhymes – Woo Hah (jay dee remix)
11. Marc Rosen – The Connection
12. Kan Kick – Chickenhead Reality
13. Rhythm Heritage – Three Days of the Condor
14. Mike Vickers – The Man in the White Suit
+ Jakki “O” – For Club DJs Only
15. The Roots – Da Lesson 1 (instrumental)
16. Georgia Anne Muldrow – Hello
17. Gene McDaniels – Dream of You and Me
18. Count Bass D – Bullets Hit Brains / Doxology
19. Dabrye – Temper
20. Weather Report – River People (excerpt)
21. Manzel – Midnight Theme
22. Arthur Blythe – Uptown Strut
23. Thomas Clausen – Bio Rhythm #3
+ Andres Lewin-Richter – Study No.1
24. Jeff Lorber – Water Fall
25. Kleeer – Tonight
26. Visitors – Joyo Can You Hear Part 1

Read a Brand-New Interview With Akufen

Marc Leclair (a.k.a. Akufen), the minimal techno/micro-house producer and DJ probably most associated with Montreal’s early ’00s flurry of activity, recently gave this interview to Resident Advisor, in which he discusses, among many things, his Horror Inc guise and his dearth of production in the last couple years. Definitely a worthwhile read, especially for those anticipating his upcoming MUTEK performance in June. (via Resident Advisor)

Korg Kaoss Pad Quad

An offshoot of Korg’s popular Kaoss Pad line, the Quad ($299) allows for four simultaneous effects. Simply press an effect’s button to turn it on or off, and let your fingers dance on the XY touchpad to modulate it. The pad controls multiple effects in real time; if you need to specifically hone a single effect when several are on, you hit the Freeze button to lock any effect at its current setting. On the whole, the effects are of good quality, and Auto BPM and Tap functions let you get them in sync with the beat. It’s not quite as robust as the KP3, with its lack of MIDI sync and portability, due to the unit’s small battery power. That said, the colorful LED touchpad provides a pretty fantastic personal light show, and the general ease of use is the best yet in the KP line—you won’t need to consult the manual to get up to speed.

Sigha “HF029A1”

The increasingly prolific UK producer known as Sigha will soon be able to say he’s released two EPs on two labels in under a month. After dropping The Politics of Dying on May 23 via his own Our Circula Sound imprint, the artist will release a four-track record on Paul “Scuba” Rose’s Hotflush Recordings, the aptly titled Sigha EP. “HF029A1” is the first of those mechanically titled original tunes, all of which feature a brand of bass-informed techno that is equally cold and precise. Maybe cold isn’t the right word—the churning rhythms and rumbling electronics of Sigha’s production are strangely warm and full-bodied, but there’s no denying it all sounds like some kind of well-oiled machine twisting and turning its gears in order to make you dance. You can check out the artwork and tracklists for both of Sigha’s new releases after the jump.

A1. The Politics Of Dying
A2. Over The Edge (Shifted Remix)
A3. The Politics Of Dying (James Ruskin Remix)

01. HF029A1
02. HF029A2
03. HF029B1
04. HF029B

HF029A1

HF029A1

Casual Fridays: Unisex footwear, rave t-shirts, and crystal earrings to keep it open-minded.

Our resident stylist Andrew Porter waxes casual on men’s and women’s must-haves.

Espadrilles
If you read this column with any regularity, you may have noticed that I have a real love of the Balearic Islands. Chilling with Paul Oakenfold at a roofless Amnesia circa 1985—Alfredo Fiorillo on the decks, obviously—sounds pretty ideal to me. Sadly, I’m writing this from my windowless office in industrial Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A man can dream. In honor of Spain, I decided to shout out the espadrille this week. These are sort of the ultimate summer-footwear move. Wearing them makes me feel like a real tropical fat cat. There’s an old Spanish company called Alberola that has been making them for years. They are a little difficult to find stateside, but you can get them through the Japanese site Rakuten for a really reasonable price. Unless the science of time travel really jumps off this summer, chances are you’re not going to make it here, but with a pair of espadrilles, your feet just might feel a little more Balearic.

The Smiley Face Shirt… Gone Digital
In 1988, acid house hit the UK, and with it came the smiley-face t-shirt. As the story goes, the UK press initially endorsed the movement, and the Sun even offered smiley-face t-shirts to readers. However, after an ecstasy-related death, the press quickly changed its tune and demonized the movement. The Sun withdrew its t-shirt offer and replaced it with “Say No To Drugs” pins featuring a frowny face (according to Simon Reynolds’ Generation Ecstasy). So this begs the question, is it time to bring back the smiley-face shirt? Here’s my answer: If you’re willing to wear the smiley-face unironically, in the spirit of 1988, then by all means—go for it. Alas, it’s a hard look to pull off. For those who want a more modern take on this old classic (like, all two of you out there) then check out these Smiley Face QR Code t-shirts. Dorky? Yes. But let’s just take our masks off and admit that QR codes look really far out. Let’s get digital and confuse our grandparents.

Australian Cube Crystal Earrings
The other night I ran into my friend Patrick. I assume we probably talked about something Britney Spears-related, but I don’t really remember, as his crazy rainbow-prism earring was getting the majority of my attention. Anyways, I took a picture of said earring and after extensive internet trolling, I believe these to be them. They look great in person—literally eye-catching, and crystal clear with a splash of rainbow brilliance. I believe these are listed as women’s earrings, but I’m gonna go ahead and call them unisex—time to break free from the shackles of gender constructs. Check out the other studs on this site as well—lots of great new-age-post-rave earrings.

Drifter “Please Stay”

23-year-old Helsinki producer Drifter isn’t exactly a newbie when it comes to crafting his style of slow, gloomy beat music, but his first-ever EP under that moniker won’t be available until next week. This lovely tune comes from that self-titled debut, and exhibits the artist’s penchant for wavering melodies, micro-sampled rhythmic patterns, and deeply soulful vocal samples, all of which are left with lots of breathing room to operate. We know those aren’t exactly ‘original’ ideas, but the way Drifter applies them on “Please Stay” sounds both familiar and fresh—like Mount Kimbie and Shlohmo covering an old Portishead tune. You can grab the rest of the Drifter EP (pictured above) for free when it drops May 30 on Bandcamp.

Please Stay

Please Stay

Video: Omar & Zed Bias “Dancing”

If you’ve been paying attention, chances are you’ve heard snippets and praise for “Dancing,” the second collaboration between Zed Bias (a.k.a. XLR8Rpodcast veteran Madslinky) and Omar. Taking full advantage of their diverse backgrounds, the two scored high marks with last year’s epically soulful garage joint “Special.” Back again but this time taking on the more complicated rhythms of UK funky, “Dancing” is a certifiable summer banger that melds nostalgic Inner City-like stabs and strings with a tight soca-snare drum pattern. Riffing off the vibe, the video is a house party dance-off shot in a jerky time-lapse style. The single comes out June 27, but in the meantime you can check out the video above and check after the jump for the tracklisting and album art.

1. Dancing
2. Dancing (Radio Edit)
3. Its So… (Zed Bias Remix)

The Heatwave Preps a Massive Party With Wiley, General Levy, and More

It’s putting it mildly to say that there’s a lot going on in London these days. Like any hyperactive metropolis, it can sometimes be a challenge to plan your night out so as to not miss out. That being the case, might we suggest that Londoners make a point to check out Showtime, an absolutely massive stage show put on by DJ and production outfit The Heatwave. (You may remember the crew’s excellent contribution to XLR8R‘s podcast series from back in 2009.) The stacked Showtime lineup includes artists like Wiley (pictured above), General Levy, Glamma Kid, Lady Leshurr, Skibadee, and lots of others, blurring the lines between jungle, grime, dancehall, and bashment to reveal the wider influence of Jamaican culture. The party is happening on June 15 at Cargo. The Heatwave’s website has all the details and presale information, and we’ve posted the flyer below.

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