Juga-Naut - "Apple Juice"

Been a minute since I've heard new material from this UK MC. Juga-Naut's Stolen Art EP is available now (you can stream and download it below), and he found some of my favorite samples/grooves and kicked bars on them. If you love throwback, funky vibes like I do, this should be right up your alley.

Traxman - "Da Rebel"

One of my favorite footwork producers flips one of my favorite Public Enemy cuts... for free. Traxman is a monster, and put out a dope three-track EP as the fifth volume of the TEK x TAR series, which is available for free. Something about the way he manipulated various bits from the P.E. banger into a serious footwork beast.

Drake - "Legend (Cheeky Charmander Remix)"

My favorite track from Drake's latest gets a fire club rework from one of my favorite Pokemon-inspired producers, Cheeky Charmander. This is taken from a two-track remix EP of cuts from that Drake project. I've not been impressed by much of the refixes—too many people doing "Energy" remixes for some reason—but I get behind this shit.

Ta-ku x Jaden Smith - BEAST MODE

That dude Ta-ku is a problem, and this three-track thing of jawns he did with Jaden Smith is all I neeed right now. That first cut? Amaze.

Pigeons & Planes Presents "Teenage Angst Has Paid Off Well," an Album Full of Nirvana Covers

Kurt Cobain would've been 46-years-old today. I remember being fucked the fuck up when he passed. Weird time to be in middle school. In any case, Pigeons & Planes put together this sick, 17-track compilation of Nirvana covers. Featured acts include JMSN, Kevin Garrett, ZelooperZ, Kwamie Liv, and plenty more acts you either fucks with or should start fucking with. And it's free.

Rich Quick - "No1"

One of my favorite samples gets flipped by STANKFOOT on the latest from Rich Quick, which I see got a dope premiere on Earmilk. I was feeling some type of way this afternoon, and this bit kind of connects with what I had going on in my mental. Stay striving, because there's truly no one but us. If you need the clean version, grab the full package here.

DJ Craze Ran Through 20 Years of Ram Records in Sixty Minutes

Recently, DJ Craze revisited his love for drum & bass with a massive sixty-minute, 56-track mix of strictly Ram Records material. If you've followed Craze's career, you'd know that post-turntablism days, he was heavy in the dnb scene before dipping out because of the fuckery. Word is this set made him revisit some of those feels, and who knows, maybe we'll get more on the dnb tip? For fans of the historic Ram imprint, mixes like these are crucial.

Djemba Djemba Let 13 "Leftover Beats" Loose

While not quite getting the accolades of Drake's latest random mixtape/album drop, Djemba Djemba did throw up thirteen "Leftover Beats" on his SoundCloud page. Some might be calling this "basically an album," but I'd slow down from that talk. This feels more like what it says on the tin: a collection of leftovers that Djemba Two Times felt like unleashing. It's also some meta chill shit to vibe to on a chilly President's Day, whether you're at home or out in the world getting that bread. Some dope collabs with Penthouse Penthouse, CZ, and Mr. Carmack... now if we only had that yung download (or purchase) link.

P. Morris and Sweater Beats Gave Away a Free EP for Valentine's Day

P. Morris and Sweater Beats are two producers I've been fucking with over the last year or so. Dope to see them link up for a two-track free EP for Valentine's Day. Snuggle with your bae to this.

Hudson Mohawke - Slow Jams VIII

HudMo always gets it right.

Bricc Baby Shitro - "6 Drugs"

One of those cuts that's too hypnotic for me to dismiss. Plus it's produced by Sam Tiba. Amaze.

Black Collar Biz - "Blacker The Berry (Freestyle)"

Kendrick Lamar merked the world with "The Blacker The Berry" earlier this week, and now the homey Black Collar Biz comes with a proper loop and a satchel full of HEAT for it. Been a minute since I've heard him attack a beat with menace like this. So cold out there, you needed something as fiery like this.

Darq E Freaker - LONG x OWSLA Mixtape

Darq E Freaker drops a lethal mix for those of you who want some fire electronic madness mixed into your hip-hop and R&B. Not all upfront, either.

B.Traits - Red Bull Studios Mixtape Vol. 2

Digital Soundboy representer, BBC Radio 1 rinser, all-around excellent DJ B.Traits is next up for the Red Bull Studios mixtape series. It's a quick one, but she got some fire from Inkke, Hodge, Anushka, and more.

Fat Jew on Juan Epstein

Thursdays are always heavy for me when it comes to podcasts: the usual includes The Brilliant Idiots, The Read, and Steve Austin (unleashed); today we add the ledge Fat Jew on Juan Epstein to the list: "Rapper, instagram star, beef jerky model, handsome devil. He is all of these things. He has also been my bud for several years. Meet the Fat Jew. He tells us how it all happened, what celebs follow him, which celeb he may have sex with soon, and an amazing Kanye West story. Good morning!"

HXV ft. Debroka & Ricky Remedy - "PLAGUES"

This is a dirty anthem, straight up and down. You might end up breaking everything in your house to this one.

Lee Bannon Goes Ham on His Boiler Room Upfront Mix

While heads first caught up with Lee Bannon for his more hip-hop vibes, he's spent the last few years really cultivating a sound that pulls in influences from all over... someone like me loves the pull that jungle music seems to have on him. He cooked up a thirty-three minute mix for Boiler Room's Upfront series, and let some of his more twisted soundscapes come to light.

S.P.Y - BRSTL Hardcore EP

While the rest of the world seems to like dnb but not big it up, Skrillex still loves it. The latest release on his free label NEST is a four-tracker from Bristol (by way of Brazil) producer S.P.Y. It's a heater, and could very well have been an official release on S.P.Y's regular home, Hospital. BASS!

Kendrick Lamar - “The Blacker The Berry”

Kendrick returns after winning two Grammys with a song that's better than the one he won those Grammys for. The venom and reality in this one slays me.

Brodinski ft. Young Scooter - "François-Xavier"

I included Brodinski's Brava in my recent feature for Pigeons & Planes on a collection of fire LPs for 2015. Living in a post-Yeezus world, this is the kind of cross-genre collaboration that I've been waiting for for damn near a decade. Also included is a remix of Brava's first single "Can't Help Myself," both for free.

!llmind - Happy B-Day J Dilla EP

Jersey's !llmind shows love to one of the best to ever do it. Word is these beats date back to 1999-2001; "[w]hen I started messing with beat making in the late 90’s, he was the one producer I studied. I still study him, to this day. During a time period of about 5 years, I was in “beat-making-boot-camp”, or “5 beats a day for 3 summers” as Kanye would say. I trained my ear and was inspired by Dilla the whole time. This is a collection of 4 beats (out of thousands) that I made during that time period."

JSWISS - " Give It Up (J Dilla Tribute)"

Like we always do around this time, JSWISS gives it up for J Dilla.

Hucci - 404

I don't know what the trap scene is going to become in 2015, but I also don't care. I kind of just need Hucci to pop.

Cashmere Cat & DJ Mustard - "Ice Rink"

I guess it was only a matter of time before DJ Mustard would get his "EDM" on. Earlier this week, he and DJ Snake dropped their unnecessary remix of Zhu's Grammy-nominated "Faded." It's one of those tracks that'll more than likely get a crowd hype, but is such a weird diversion from the original that it's just not even worth the effort. This cut with Cashmere Cat, though? These two linked up for some motherfucking MAGIC on the boards. It's lush, but has a dope bounce to it. PLus it's free, and reportedly the first of a few. We'll see if their next bit can match up, but this one is the right amount of cool.

Boogieman Dela & Skrewtape - "Unfair Warning"

Shooting this in the snow was a great idea. Loving this track, front-to-back.

Spaces - Potential EP

For those of you who may want a little more quirk in your electronic beats. Many may have seen Spaces' given name (John Flynn) on the handwritten notes about Bjork's latest album, Vulnicura. This is the kind of weird, airy shit that you may need to get you through the rest of the work week.

Cipha Sounds on The Combat Jack Show

This is a great return for Ciph, who was on The Combat Jack Show in February of 2014. He opens up about his views on radio, his 40 Day Reset, and so much more: "Fresh off his release from Hot 97, Cipha Sounds makes his 2nd appearance on the Combat Jack Show to share how he lost weight, his continued success as a comedian and exactly wtf happened? Plus, you heard their buzz, or should've, the creator and stars of the Youtube hit series Money and Violence."

Hodgy Beats - Dena Tape 2

It's been about six years since Hodgy Beats became the first Odd Future member to drop a solo project with 2009's The Dena Tape. Back then, I don't think many people knew about OF yet... certainly not Don Cannon? Who knows. I also feel like this one has been hinted at for a bit. Hodgy's only gotten better in these last six years, but still spits as hungry as he's ever been. Not too many features on this one, which suits me fine. Snag The Dena Tape 2 down below.

Juan Epstein (2/03/2015)

Kind of crazy that it took all this time (like seven years?), but Juan Epstein has jumped into the podcast game proper and got a sponsor. They break down the insanity since their previous episode, and so much more.

Orko Eloheim Made a Mixtape of J Dilla Drum & Bass Remixes

While it mostly sounds like Orko Eloheim threw a bunch of hyper jungle breaks underneath Dilla instrumentals, I'm not mad at it at all. I imagine the HUMAN crew of NYC (wherever they are) would get a kick out of this.



(GRANDGOOD)

A-Trak and Craze Played a Two-Hour Hip-Hop Set During HOLY SHIP 2015

With the HOLY SHIP! festival catering to the EDM set, it's not normal to hear many full-on hip-hop sets in that environment. Turntablist champions A-Trak and Craze, who were both a part of the Allies before "EDM" turned into a widely used term, went back-to-back for two hours, dropping nothing but rap on that ass. We're talking Lil Wayne's "Go DJ," old Outkast, Busta Rhymes, NORE, Nas, and so much more. It's fire for your Super Bowl party, trust we.