A rolling, bouncy number from TC here–it’s got it all! Nice jump-up flavor with fun vocals throughout the track (i.e. “Stop looking at those girls and do your job!”) A producer that’s not taking the music or himself too seriously and not afraid to add some jokes into a track. Wicked!
Clipz & Die Thunder
The title says it all! The intro kicks in with bongos layered with looped Tali vocals and violin strings that drop to a heavy, heavy pitched bass which jumps out at you and punches you straight in the face! One of my current favorites for sure! I love bending basses–if you do too, you will not be disappointed.
Loefah Goat Stare
Digital Mystikz has really pulled out the stops this year with their DMZ label and massively popular night of the same name. Sometime collaborator Loefah comes up with a couple of bangers for their sixth 12″, mixing up the bass with the more breaky aspects of dubstep and the usual mad atmospherics that have made these guys so popular.
Distance Fallen
We’re huge Distance fans at Hotflush. He’s a big talent who comes out with some really diverse and experimental stuff. “Fallen” is Distance on a proper dubstep tip-massive bass, half-step drums and an incredibly haunting Moroccan vocal sample. Big tune!
Skream Request Line
“Request Line” is the grime/dubstep crossover tune of the year. Any grime nut that heard Dizzee Rascal riding this on Logan’s show on Kiss 100 must’ve been scratching their head for a few bars, but it‘s caught on in a big way. Proof that you can have melodies without sounding cheap.
Konrad Black & Ghostman Medusa Smile
My favorite tune at the moment. A great follow-up to his single “Draconia” for this man Todd Shillington. Minimal techhouse with male vocals. Sounds similar to his labelmate Mathew Johnson’s style. Massive!
Troy Pierce Horse Nation
Minimal techno at its best. Just basic four-four drums with an excellent arrangement and a tricky snare programming. Perfectly minimized!
Sweetn Candy & Rufus Dunkel All My Eye
Opossum is a quality German label and “All My Eye” is a minimal and groovin’ track. It’s like a DJ tool with plenty of echo effects. The perfect sound after 5 a.m.
Strategy World House
Strategy (Portland’s Paul Dickow) infuses seemingly piebald elements to create two midtempo house workouts similar in vein to Theo Parrish and KDJ. Whereas the aforementioned producers derive influence from disco and soul, Strategy takes his cues from experimental and dub genres. The track to check for is the b-side, “I Have To Do This Thing,” for its squelchy Detroit melody and bounding disco bassline.
Thomas Barfod Neon Strobe
On Barfod’s second release for Get Physical, he bucks deep house inclinations for a four-tracker of crisp acid and Detroit-tinged house music. The entire EP is worth the price of admission, especially “Mind the Others” and “Trancer.” A welcome change in today’s landscape of $13 one-sided singles.
