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It's confusing, why an artist/group like Black Devil Disco Club would go to such lengths to cover his/her/their true identity, and then further stir the blog soup with label text comparing the group's tunes to the art of Salvador Dali. It's confusing...
expand review because, while that stuff can be fun, BDDC's music is so good that it doesn't really need hyping. This third (and supposedly final) album from the maybe contemporary / maybe 70s artist contains just six songs, but those six supremely well-executed Italo, electro and disco hybrid jams definitely deliver. There are just so many things to dig in each track: those robot backup vocals in the sinister "Open The Night(1)," the subtle percussion and squelching keys on "Free For The Girls(2)," the overall haunted house vibe of "For Hoped(3)." And the uptempo opener "With Honey Cream(4)" is one of the top tunes this dude/group (see? this is tiring) has come with yet. Here's hoping this isn't really the end. Recommended. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Now on vinyl! Trouble and Bass Recordings has teamed up with Palms Out Sounds to deliver massive weapons of dancefloor destruction with this latest release from Math Head. The versatile Brooklyn producer never ceases to amaze me with his ever-evolving productions that...
expand review go above and beyond your typical dance track. Just take a listen to the title joint, "Turn The Music Up(1)" if you're not familiar. Skillfully combining retro house aesthetics, rave breaks, wailing diva vocal samples, and a killer bass line as you'd expect from T&B - this one is sure to get hands in the air and kids actin' wild. The AC Slater remix(2) takes the intensity up even higher with an epic rave breakdown early on, crazy chop action and yet another murderous bassline. That's not all though, 'cause things get real serious on "Get Hype(3)." The track starts out with a tricky slowed-down triplet rhythm that speeds up and and gains momentum with layers building upon each othe until it hits a massive distorted breakdown that sounds like you just got transported into the mind of a robot gone berserk. And just when the distorted noise and synths hit a peak, the beat and the bass kicks in at full force and it's a wrap. Time to lose your shit! For real doe. Also features the pumping Passions remix of "Do Damage(4)." Too hype brotha. -snackmaster
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Ok, this is definitely some Michna or Sabo territory, but I'll do my best to fill in. Cut It Up Def was a straight-up bass/electro label out of Florida during the late 80's - early 90's. Being from Cali, the only time...
expand review I've ever come across one of their records was at the vinyl waste dump (aka the Thing in Greenpoint) last year, but the 12" was salty as hell (otherwise I woulda copped). Basically if you love 2 Live Crew, Rodney-O, Luke Skyywalker, Egg Foo Young, scratching over 125BPM electro beats, or even that Bangers & Cash shit - get with this pronto! This UNMIXED comp will expand your love for miami bass with 15 authentic ass-shakin' tracks from artists you prolly never heard of. Check the sickness - Splack Pack's "Shake That Ass Bitch!(1)," "Too Much Bass(2)" by Cha-Os, "Shake The Joint(3)" by Breezy Beat MC, primitive Apache chop up styles on "Feel The Bass(4)" by Dynamix II, and "DJ Wars pt.2(5)" and "Partytime 91(6)" from Jock-D with the ill scratching that could rival Magic Mike. All tracks are hype, crazy, loud and rude - just how you like it. And yes, this is recommended. -snackmaster
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Multifaceted EP from Dabrye (aka James T. Cotton, aka Tadd Mullinix) to tide us over 'til his new full length later in '08. "Get Dirty(1)" features the unmistakable flow of AG (of Show &...) over a squelchy horror movie beat, originally recorded...
expand review during the Two/Three sessions. Speaking of Two/Three, Flying Lotus' remix of that album's "Game Over(2)" shows that the Cali-bred Lotus can make a mean Detroit-style clapper to suit the Dilla and Phat Kat rhymes of the original, and Kode 9's spooky grime take on "Air(3)" sounds extra weird with the time-stretched Doom verses (best to hit the instrumental on that one). B-side holds instrumentals for all three tracks. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Limited edition 180g pressing from 2001. "Get A Move On(1)" might have been used in a car commercial a couple years ago, but there's no denying the full version. Jazz meets beats with the force of a funneled tornado... snappier than a...
expand review Grey's Papaya hot dog. Flip features another Scruff smash "Ug(2)" and its beats version. -the mgmnt
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Mr. Scruff never ceases to deliver feelgood music. His songs always have an innate playfulness, the polar opposite of snobbery and disease. This double-sided single features the embodiment of those ideas on the Quantic collab "Donkey Ride(1)", while on the flip(2), Scruff...
expand review gets a bit darker with bass burps and broken-beats. -Chris Lemon-Red
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"Oh no, he didn't." "Dude is taking it there." "Oh my Gaaawd." "That's fucking awesome!" "That sucks." Whatever you wanna say, Rev. McFly's first single on Flamin' Hotz as Ninja Sonik definitely knows how to get people buzzin'. The EP is a...
expand review mixture of electro/rave/Bmore coming straight from NY. The scene for this shit is some real durt-ass parties (used to see dude floating around the earliest Trouble & Bass sessions) where all the hipsters, rock heads, and freaks jam out to hard pumping tracks all night. Just click "Tight Pants(1)" to get an idea. The dude loves his dirty rocking club beats and to yell out Lil Jon inspired phrases like "Whaat n*gga!!!" and "I'm a tight pants wearin' ass n*gga!" Like I said, real dirt talk. The raps by Telli Gramz make it complete. Also check out the drier original version(2) and the electro/rave sound of "Elsewhere's Silence Of The Jamz Remix(3)." The shit is straight cray! There's also the "King Of The Internet" jam, called "Internet Bitch(4) - Pharoah's 4X4 On The Floor Mix." It’s got samples for all you net-kings over a jazzy old skool house sound. Also, check the surprise ending with the Bmore version of ODB's "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" called "Bastardmore - Ninjasonik Refix." If nothing else works, at least you have a surefire banger you can rely on. -C'mish
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Oh yes, wait a minute Mister Postman! This is the Bmore reissue yall been waiting for. DJ Technics, the veritable master of Bmore oldies tracks, drops 6 of his most in-demand cuts on one dookie piece of black crack. No use for...
expand review further hype on this one, check the tracklisting. Highly recommended. -the mgmnt
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ZZK -- the new label from forward-thinking Buenos Aires club Zizek -- comes with its first vinyl release. It's a smattering of the best cuts from their recent "Cumbia Digital" comp, which featured some of the most unique nu-cumbia coming out of...
expand review Argentina and beyond. Whether your like your cumbia sped up(1) or slowed down(2), with vocals(3) or even a little "piano triste(4)," there's a joint for you on here. 6 tracks total. -Chris Lemon-Red
quick audio picks: 1234
The 7th release on Sabo's Sol*Selectas imprint features up-and-coming producers S.O.S. straight outta Vienna, Austria. They bring the heat with a pair of funky Latin-inspired joints, while the Lab's own famous international playboy mans the flipside with two remixes of the hiphop...
expand review classic "Easy Star" by P.R.T. "Gipsy's Hotel(1)" is the joint here, an instantly recognizable Flamenco cover of the Eagles' "Hotel California" which S.O.S. extend and re-edit with an added dash of reggaeton flavor. Their dubby midtempo burner "Colegiala(2)" is an easy pick for the warm weather too. Meanwhile, Sabo's "Easy Star" remixes come in two varieties: uptempo(3), with plenty of broken beats, deep bass and heavy drums, and Afro(4), which comes with more of a ragga feel. Don't hurt em Sabo! Limited pressing, 500 copies. Recommended. -el generico
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Reissued with original picture sleeve! Trademark Madlib jazz loops dominate this second single off Quas' Unseen LP, featuring "Microphone Mathematics(1), Discipline 99, Low Class Conspiracy." Instrumentals for all three. -the mgmnt
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Reissue of Peanut Butter Wolf's classic break record from 1994. Reminds us how excellent of a producer the Wolf is, taking us back with the jazz infused sound of the early-nineties. The record is similar in many ways to the Greybreaks album...
expand review that has been one of our best sellers since we opened. The 11 instrumentals could stand alone with their controlled intros and subtleties. -the mgmnt
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That first Beat Konductor double 7" was one of my favorite Stones Throw releases, with minimal black labels and tracks that ended just when you started vibing to em (controlled pleasure). Cool to see a whole LP of Madlib's beat sketches in...
expand review the mode of Special Herbs. To his credit, Lib takes the beats further than the straight loopiness of Doom's series, and similar to Doom, there's enough mysterious samples to peak the most jaded beathead (plus enough strange synth sounds to baffle studio dudes). Highlights include Madlib revisiting Kraftwerk and JB favorites on "Open(1)" and "The Payback(2);" the jump-up sounds of "Sir Bang(3)" and "Painted Pictures(4)," and the spacey leftfield direction of "Eternal Broadcaster(5)" and "Offbeat(6)." 16 beats in all. Recommended -the mgmnt
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It's been a minute since we've heard from PPP, but Waajeed and Saadiq are finally back with a fresh new sound for their latest 12". "On A Cloud(1)" is the lead single off their upcoming "Abundance" album that catches Waajeed and Saadiq...
expand review with new vocalist Karma Stewart on a retro-modern Motown sound that is just dripping with Detroit soul. The production is so infectious and authentic with its catchy horns and driving drums behind Karma's powerful vocal chords, it just stirs up your soul making it hard to sit still while listening to it. On the flip, "Angel(2)" does the same kinda thing (makes you wanna get up out your seat), but on an uptempo, high-energy rock and soul tip. Coultrain takes the vocals this time and he's well suited for the job, while the backing band busts the dynamic cosmic rock style with honors. These are both major jumps in sound from their "Triple P" days, but I'm not complaining - can't wait to hear the full album! Also features the Trackademicks remix(3) of "On A Cloud" that blends the soulful vocals with a more club friendly electro-soul bump. -snackmaster
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Flying Lotus is the real deal. I recently caught his live set in at Sonar in Spain and the dude definitely lives up to the hype - killing the sea of people with a heavy dose of LA bumps mixed with on-the-fly...
expand review production and the illest live finger pad drumming these eyes have ever seen. Most of the other laptop performances were pretty boring to watch, but Lotus was like a monster up there, rocking the crowd like a pro with tons of energy and a huge smile. This EP features a couple tracks off his highly-praised Los Angeles full-length ("Roberta Flack(1)" and "Sleepy Dinosaur(2)") as well as four new ones ("Rickshaw(3)," "My Chippy(4)," "Paper Crane Gang(5)," and "Interference(6)") that are exclusive to this release. You know the formula - heavy slumping drum sequences (a la Dilla) lay the foundation under lush free flowing synths, eclectic jazzy samples, and random bleeps & bloops to form the Flying Lotus style that sounds so good. Limited to 2000 copies. Recommended. -snackmaster
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The third volume in Goodgroove's midtempo breaks series. A-side features Basement Freaks & Quasamodo teaming up on "Move Sucker(1)" with All Good Funk Alliance coming in for the remix version(2). On the flip Featurecast teams up with Aldo Vanucci for the warm...
expand review weather shit on "Make You Feel Good(3)," then he goes solo on the Sly homage "Funky White Brother(4)." -the mgmnt
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