Sub Swara “Steam”

There is no question Brooklyn duo Sub Swara has been at the forefront of US dubstep for the past three years. Since 2007, Sub Swara founders Dhruva, Haj, and Sunder have played host to Mary Anne Hobbs, Poirer, and The Bug at their monthly club night, solidifying them first as tastemakers. Dhruva and newcomer Sharma now make up the production chapter of what is Sub Swara, having released their first album, Coup d’Yah, to critical acclaim in 2008. The Sub Swara sound is never easily pinned down—the duo has done a wide swath of unofficial and official remix work for everyone from Mos Def to Balkan Beat Box, but dubstep is certainly in the foreground. That said, Sub Swara’s second full-length Triggers, out November 9 on Low Motion Records, will showcase the duo’s increasing interest in live instrumentation and collaboration—album guests include Dead Prez, Lyrics Born, Kendra Foster of Parliament Funkadelic, and even session horns from the Antibalas Afrobeat crew. “Steam” is taken from the album, and it’s a thundering piece of percussive energy that brings to mind UK funky’s drum love and kuduro’s relentlessness, all before the track does an unexpected, albeit brief about-face into dubstep’s familiar shuffle.

SubSwara_Steam

Listen to Warpaint’s Debut Album a Week Before it’s Released

Los Angeles’ darlings of dreamy post-punk, the lovely Warpaint quartet (who helped make this Q&A with Ariel Pink the interesting read it is), are a week from releasing their debut album on Rough Trade, but thanks to the magic of the internet, you can listen to The Fool in its entirety now. Below, you’ll find the nine-song record and all of its cavernous, delicate, and moving sounds, which includes the lead single we offered for free download last month, “Undertow”. We suggest you take some time to really delve into the subtleties of this record; Warpaint’s debut LP has a whole lot of good music to offer. You can buy The Fool in physical and digital formats on October 26.

Matthew Dear “Innh Dahh”

As editors, critics, and fans look at their stack of 2010 releases, there is no question that many of them have placed Matthew Dear‘s chilling and endearing Black City high in the overwhelming heap. Dear recently kicked off a lengthy set of tour dates (see here for dates), so he’s unleashed this digital bonus track “Innh Dahh.” The track serves as an appropriate afterword to the density of Black City with its short, intimate vocal loops providing comfort to Dear’s submerged voice. While the song is squarely of the album’s somber mood, it seems to drift and float away in beatless ambience, nostalgic for Black City‘s imagined spaces yet comfortable to be left at the fringes of the action.

matthewdear-innhdahh

Shigeto “Unrelentless Drag (Mike Slott Remix)”

We’re still weeks from the release of Brooklyn beatmaker Shigeto‘s debut album for Ghostly, Full Circle, yet pieces relating to that LP continue to make their way into our ear holes. Following the download we recently offered of Circle track “Relentless Drag” comes this remix of the production by LuckyMe tunesmith and fellow NY resident Mike Slott (pictured above). The auspicious artist re-dubbed the song “Unrelentless Drag,” and inserted his own lazy hip-hop rhythms and upright bass grooves into the plinking, ethereal soundscapes that encapsulate Shigeto’s original. Slott’s remix sounds like Shigeto’s tune performed by a ramshackle jazz combo in some rainforest shanty on the astral plane. That is to say, it’s really pretty, and we like it. (via FACT)

Unrelentless Drag (Mike Slott Remix)

Unrelentless Drag (Mike Slott Remix)

Unrelentless Drag (Mike Slott Remix)

Watch the Pretty Amazing New Flying Lotus Video

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Did you guys ever play that weird Japanese videogame Katamari Damacy? It’s this sort of puzzle/action game that takes place in a hyper-stylized, cartoonish version of Earth. You play as a tiny little alien prince that travels around the world, rolling up the blocky, pixelated mishmash that litters the many environs of our planet until it becomes this crazy, massive ball of tea cups, bikes, cows, cars, houses, stadiums, monuments, and whatever other inexplicable stuff. Anyway, that game is a lot of fun, and this new video for Flying Lotus’ Pattern + Grid World cut “Kill Your Co-Workers” reminds us of the cutesy graphics and playful nonchalance of it, though with a hilariously sinister touch. Directed by the insanely talented people at Beeple, this beautifully rendered music video starts out seeming like a happy-go-lucky parade in some cartoon town with people walking down the street holding signs that say stuff like “RAINBOWS ARE YUMMY!” and “FUN IS SWEET!” Then, out of nowhere, some dude named Rhon harshes everyone’s mellow when he tells his friend Steve, “Dude, yer robots r crap 4ever!!” Steve isn’t too stoked on this, and things get pretty grim for those in attendance.

DJ Dom Readies Debut EP for PTN

Coming November 16 on Ramp Recordings‘ fresh new imprint Pattern (PTN) is the debut EP from nascent London house producer DJ Dom. This one is the first in a series of upcoming releases, and Dom is also readying a 12″ for friends and label honchos Brackles and Shortstuff, whose Blunted Robots label has been creating space in the catalog of future-minded UK bass music over the last two years. He’s described as a deep house producer in his press release, but there is no doubt Dom’s association with the UK underground will melt and mutate that description into something wholly new and lacking definition. Check the tracklist below.

Tracklist:

1. Boss Mode
2. Computer Love
3. Plastic People
4. Untitled

Watch Jay Haze’s Video for “I Wait For You”

Minimal tech-house veteran Jay Haze (also the man behind Fuckpony, Sub Version, and The Architect) delivers another of the dark tracks he’s come to be known for with “I Wait For You.” Off his recent EP of the same name, the track is steady and soulful, weaving a variety of themes, synth lines, and vocal threads (thanks to guest vocalist Laila Tov) over the consistently driving eight and a half minutes. The video for “I Wait For You” is a beautifully shot black-and-white affair, following the story of two young Peruvian kids as they weave through traffic, get stared down by patrolling officers, and eventually hitch a ride out to the ocean to catch some waves. Sure, they’re not the best surfers, but hey, it looks like a lot of fun. “I Wait For You” is available as a 12″ single whose b-side features Ricardo Villalobos on the track “The Darkest Disko” and is the first single from Jay’s upcoming album, Love = Evolution.

Rapper Michael “Eyedea” Larsen Dies at 28

Minnesota-bred rapper, well-regarded freestyle battler, and turntablist Michael Larsen—who wrote and rhymed under the moniker Eyedea, often with his partner-in-crime DJ Abilities, and also made music in the bands Face Candy and Carbon Carousel—was found dead by his mother on Sunday, October 17. Larsen was known best in the hip-hop community for his albums released via the Rhymesayers and Epitaph labels, the most recent record being 2009’s By the Throat. The cause of Larsen’s death has not yet been released, his mother adding via Facebook, “At this time, we kindly request your respect and our privacy as we process this devastating loss.” You can help Larsen’s family cope with their loss and pay for the funeral costs by donating to this PayPal account. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the friends and family of Eyedea.

Listen to the New Peverelist & Hyetal Single on Punch Drunk

Tom Ford (a.k.a. Peverelist) and his Punch Drunk label have been solidly representing Bristol’s dubstep scene since 2006, but even with an established name and fanbase, he continues to push things forward. “The Hum” b/w “rrrr” single comes out today, and it finds Ford working in tandem with relative newcomer Hyetal. The young producer has previously collaborated with Blunted Robots don Shortstuff, and his solo track “Phoenix” was certainly a big tune earlier this year. “The Hum” and “rrrr” find Hyetal’s love of blippy video-game synths left intact, but Peverelist’s veteran knack for thick, sweaty percussion is also on display. Both tracks are streaming below.

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Listen to Red Bull’s Culture Clash with Goldie’s Metalheadz, Skream, Benga, and More

Red Bull Music Academy has given us an exclusive stream of their recent Culture Clash contest at London’s Roundhouse between Goldie and his Metalheadz crew, Soul Jazz Soundsystem with Oxman, Skream, Benga, Joker, and more. Take some extremely bass-heavy tracks, some reggae/dub classics, and throw in rewinds, some colorful MCing, and some good ol’ competitive spirit and you pretty much get the idea. Spoiler alert! The crowd spoke and Channel One took the prize at the end of the night. If you feel brave enough to yell out a few “Boohs” and “Eeermenows,” then by all means take a listen to the stream from Red Bull Music Academy Radio and judge for yourself who should have been the champion of the Entertainment Round of Culture Clash.

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