You already know how we do around here; anytime a fly dance remix of a rap song hits the timeline, it's in out bloodstream. There's something about the Jersey club movement and how on-the-pulse it is that has me open. R3ll has seen success outside of this thing of theirs, but it's good to see him reaching back and blessing the people with bangers.
French Montana and Kodak Black crafted one of the most ignorant anthems of 2016 with "Lock Jaw," and it made sense that it got the hyper club rework. R3ll threw everything that you need in a banger of a remix into his take, then gave it to the people for free. Turn up.
While I spent a few years trying to make people see how close the worlds of footwork and jungle were (aka, they literally share the same BPM), it's only in 2016, after DAD's been dead for almost two years, that the conversations about how close these two worlds are. I won't go into the weird convos that have popped up on Facebook and forums about this, but it's dope interesting to see that guys like EQ Why taking the extra step and infusing his love for both genres into one release.
I won't front; I wasn't the biggest fan of Whytoven Vol. 1: Away From Death. Aside from the lead track—the "People Make The World Go Round"-sampling "Trash Man"—it felt like something was missing, to me. With cuts like "Extacy," EQ wore his dnb love on his sleeve, but it felt like a number of tracks I've heard over the last two decades from producers: they can work within the BPM or genre, but they are just missing that added spice or flavor that makes the track something more intriguing. The acid flavor on "Ida B Wells" was lit, but that's more footwork; "Perfect Day" has all of the ingredients, but they don't really connect in a way that makes me excited for more dnb/footwork bits from EQ Why.
If you want some more hypnotic footwork from EQ Why, I'd recommend the Whytoven Vol. 2: Nine Sixteen Eighty-Eight EP that he dropped a few weeks ago. The wicked Kanye sample work on "Sky Is The Limit" is insane, and the lead cut "So Help Me God" is the perfect serene footwork dream. Coast into an enchanced land to that, then grab "Trash Man" for the $free.99.
It's crazy to think that it's been 10 years since Break started his Symmetry Recordings imprint. As a producer, I was a fan of his instantly; he was cut from that No U-Turn cloth, but had a twinge of A-Sides' Eastside in him. It was like heaven to see him rise up via DNAudio with the likes of Silent Witness and Squire, and while Break's called everywhere from Subtitles to Quarantine home, it was the start of his Symmetry Recordings imprint in 2006 that he really came into his own.
While Break's always been about the harder, more technical side of drum & bass, he's been able to properly spread his wings into dubbier tracks, more soulful liquid-esque stylings, and much more, and to celebrate the 10 years since the label kicked off, he dropped a new compilation, 10 Years of Symmetry, that properly highlights just how broad his sound and the label have really been. Featuring collabs with vocalists like Fats and Kyo as well as Total Science and Spectrasoul, this is a beautiful way to celebrate a decade of drum & bass decadence.
It's been a minute since we peeped new material from KOTA The Friend, so it's dope to get a cut that feels perfect for the awkward warm af Sunday in late October. For KOTA, this one is personal; his "Navajo Girl" is about a woman he met while in New Mexico. It's bright, bass-heavy, and beautiful...sounds like the perfect woman to me.
While many might only know of my stateside drum & bass love due to my dubplate digest (RIP) days, or my time spent with Dogs On Acid, it's a bit deeper that. I've known cats like DJ WAlly(b.k.a. Pish Posh) and DJ Seen since the late '90s, mobbing in AOL chatrooms. While I was younger and not hitting the NYC dnb scene, I'd hear about them doing their thing at Konkrete Jungle and Direct Drive, and was on board when they got the keys to Rawkus' Rawkuts drum & bass sister imprint.
As the years have gone on, Seen and CT have taken The Burner Brothers mantle to new heights, with the last year or so garnering releases on established UK imprints like Formation and Technique (as well as curating their own label, Patrol The Skies). It's about time; it took a bit for non-UK acts to get the stamps of approval, and now we have drum & bass legend L Double ramping up the release of Altered States, a forthcoming compilation featuring nothing but drum & bass souljahs born right in the U.S. of A. Featuring the aforementioned Pish Posh, The Burner Brothers, Space Journey, Liminal & Bengal, and more, this release finds L Double doing what he does best: using Flex as a way to, as he says it, showcase "musical talent from around the world to the world."
To get folks ready for the release, the Brothers stepped up for a massive, 53+ minute promo mix. There's no tracklist, but we imagine a number of cuts from Altered States made it. If you like what you hear, be sure to cop Altered States (which includes an exclusive mix from AK1200) when it drops on November 18.
When it comes to Halloween, there are three constants in my life: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Candyman, and for the last five years, RL Grime mixes. With his name being taken from the iconic Goosebumps author RL Stine, it made sense that he'd start knocking out an annual mix every Halloween, many of which feature cameos from Stine as well as some celebs (including Hannibal Buress and, this year, Pharrell).
There's just something perfect about these sets; it's rare that I get to hear new mixes from RL Grime, so these are kind of his time capsules for the year, highlighting bits he loves alongside new music (this mix includes "Waiting," a collab between RL Grime, What So Not, and Skrillex). He just has a dope way of layering sounds together. It's trap-y, it's leftfield, but it's also hip-hop af.
You can download Halloween V via this convenient link, and stream all five mixes down below.
Jewel Runners, welcome back. With RTJ3 on the way soon, they release the first single from the third Run The Jewels project, "Talk To Me." Produced by El-P (with co-producer credits given to Little Shalimar and Wilder Zoby), this one is a serious banger, with some fire scratches from Trackstar the DJ. Mike and El always come correct, and this one is nothing different. One of those cuts you'll need to run back...then run back again. Then pick your melted face from off the ground and run it back once more.
"Talk To Me" is available for free via Adult Swim.
In the mood for a new edition of Scott Melker's "Soul House" mix series? You got it, and if your musical diet was dire need of some '90s hip-hop classics, complete with scratching and doubling up, he's got you covered. Something about the crispy fall air that means more hoodies and more brisk walks with headphones and banging tunes.
If you're in Miami, Scott's throwing down at the 1 Hotel South Beach Rooftop every Thursday. If not, you can stream—and download—this mix right now. Get right.
Earlier this year, Frank Ocean dropped two projects: the visual album Endless and Blonde 24 hours later. While they both had the Internets going ham, I wasn't really tripping. I remember first getting into his music via remixes; his vocals can be dope, but I was never a huge fan of the music around it.
While both albums are ineligible for the 2017 Grammys, I'm cool, because this Cousin Cole edit of Blonde's "Solo" is all I really need. Something about those crispy, Prince-y drums take "Solo" to another place. If the album had drums like this all over, I'd be perfect.
Over the summer, J.Lately toured his Good Panda EP, and on "Trust The Music," he links with Panda producer Space Cadet to give heads an update on his life since he got back from what sounds like a dope experience. He didn't become a millionaire, but it sounds like he made more than he spent, and got high for the free.
Word is he's hitting the road with Locksmith this November; keep it locked to his socials for more details on that 13-date trek. For now, just trust the music.
