Rob Sonic Sabotage Gigante

Another smart-ass triple-threat (rapping, producing, not sucking) from Def Jux, another slam-dunk for independent-minded hip-hop. Rob Sonic’s troubled-teen back-story puts him in good company with that label’s standouts like Aesop Rock and Cage, but his sneering, shotgun delivery hits harder, especially on the knockout “Brand New Vandals” and “Ready Aim Shoot.” And like the incredible El-P, Rob Sonic’s War-on-Terrorized lyricism is much needed, especially on tracks like “A Cold Cold War (I Loathed the 80s)” and “Rock the Convoy.” If we had more hip-hop heads like him, the cultural crossover wouldn’t suck so much ass. It would suck brains, right through the ears.

Jahcoozi feat. M.Sayyid “Hitech (Rustie Remix)”

Berlin-based trio Jahcoozi has always breathed excitement into the nu-dub genre, and “Hitech” is no exception. Now, Glasgow’s youngest electro-superhero Rustie serves up a glitchy remix full of intricate electronic instrumentation.

Jahcoozi feat. M.Sayyid – Hitech (Rustie Remix)

The Presets Prep New Single

It’s been a while since Australia-based duo The Presets released a new album (over two years in fact!), but with a short Australian tour with Daft Punk and member Kim Moyes releasing his “Wet N Wild” EP under the K.I.M. moniker, it looks like the duo is back in business. Further proof: the forthcoming single “My People.” Available to stream via the band’s MySpace page, the new track lives up to the Preset’s self-proclaimed “Industrial/Psychedelic/Techno” categorization, with brutal synth lines, KMFDM-esque breaks, and well, super poppy vocals.

Even given the band’s electro past–as indicated on 2005’s Beams–and its affiliation with blog posterboys Digitalism, Riot In Belgium, and the like, “My People” is far heavier than anything done by these peers. Released through Modular on December 18, this long-awaited 12” may bring back black clothes into the club. Check the Modular site for pre-order dates and, who knows, maybe even a new full-length?

The Quantic Soul Orchestra Tropidelico

As Quantic, Brit DJ and producer Will Holland has already made his love of funk and soul clear. But with the Quantic Soul Orchestra that love comes through clearer still. The group, an all-live, no-sample project, has a big-band sound, with bright, brassy horns layered over conga-filled percussion breaks. Funk is the driving force, but there’s hip-hop (guest J-Live’s flow over “She Said What?”), soul (Noelle Scaggs singing over “Lead Us to the End”), and plenty of Latin touches (like the cumbia rhythm of “San Sebastian Strut”) as well. Most of the cuts here are instrumental, with an emphasis on grooves that cut to the bone. What’s not to love?

Coughee Brothaz Waitin’ Our Turn

There’s a name for all the scoundrels and scalawags who turn up on Devin the Dude’s tales of debauchery: the Coughee Brothaz. “Coughee,” of course, is Devin-speak for that green sticky stuff, and Waitin’ Our Turn has all sorts of fun (see “Coughee in My Cup”) with the play on words. Predictably, the whole thing doesn’t play much differently than any of Devin’s recent solo albums and that’s sort of the point. When they’re not having fun with faux Cockney accents (“Rise and Shine”), Brothaz like Tony Mac, Manchild, and Juggmugg are talking strictly pussy, pot, and penis jokes (the rest of the album). What, you were expecting something else?

Photek Form & Function 2

Nine years after drum & bass producer Rupert Parkes’ first compilation of unreleased tracks follows its sequel, which caves to internet trainspotters by making the dubs of late-’90s jungle edits “One Nation” and “Saturated Hip Hop” available. Good thing, because along with the DJ Die & Clipse remix of the classic Full Cycle track “Thunder,” and Robert Owens’ elegantly vocalized “Things,” they’re the best of a can’t-help-but-seem-dated decade overview. The militaristic aggression on “Deadly Technology” is too heavy-handed for all but the fanatical, and “Industry of Noise” sounds like a cross between Pendulum and Nine Inch Nails. But there’s one bone for those still pissed that ’97 couldn’t last ’til infinity: TeeBee’s remix of “Ni Ten Ichi Ryu.”

Justice feat. Spank Rock and Mos Def “D.A.N.C.E.”

“D.A.N.C.E.” may be one of the most overplayed tracks of the year, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring this remix to our MP3 section. Benny Blanco chops and staggers Justice‘s original beats, while Spank Rock and Mos Def add their own lyrics to that ever-preset kids chorus, which you will undoubtedly be singing in your sleep for yet-another six months.

D.A.N.C.E. (Benny Blanco Remix Feat. Mos Def and Spank Rock)

Benny Blanco, Spank Rock, Mos Def and Remix Justice

We’ve heard “D.A.N.C.E.” by Justice more times in the last year than we’d like to recollect, but when we got word that Benny Blanco was remixing the track for RCRD LBL (a network of labels and blogs offering free, legal music as a means of promoting artists), we grabbed the nearest Technicolor t-shirt and headed back out to the dancefloor. Seriously, who would pass up the chance to hear Mos Def and Spank Rock singing “Do the D.A.N.C.E.” along with that kids chorus, then adding their own raps to Blanco’s chopped up beats. Now if only they’d release a video of this.

Download This Track

Lee Curtiss To Play Spectral Sound Residency

Who doesn’t want a little techno for the holidays? Ann Arbor-based imprint Spectral Sound will close out the year with the sixth installment of its Death Is Nothing to Fear event series, and Michigan native Lee Curtiss–whose live sets have been putting some much-needed kick back into minimal techno club nights of late–will join the tour as part of his trek through North America. Though not yet a household name, Curtiss has been making music since the late ’90s, pulling from both deep house and the manic, quirky techno Spectral is often associated with. There are good reasons he has been receiving attention from some of the genre’s top names. Go and see for yourself at one of these dates.

11/24 Minnesota, MN: First Avenue
11/29 New York, NY: Cielo
11/30 Miami, FL: The Yard
12/01 San Francisco, CA: End Up
12/07 Detroit, MI: Northern Lights
12/15 Cleveland, OH: Touch Supper Club
12/20 Chicago, IL: Sonoteque
12/22 Houston, TX: Club 1415
12/28 Los Angeles, CA: Compression
12/31 Brooklyn, NY: Galapagos
01/19 Montreal, QC: Igloofest
01/26 Juarez, MEX: Hardpop

Page 3048 of 3781
1 … 3,046 3,047 3,048 3,049 3,050 … 3,781