Hello! I've got some bad news: It's going to be a while before I do another mix. I've got a tracklist worked out, but no time to mix it together. I've actually nearly completed 3 other mixes since my last released one, but after several plays I became dissatisfied with each of them. I just didn't love the songs on them. I'd been using this thing called the Camelot Wheel, to help with mixing between tracks in harmonically related key signatures. However, this severely limited my pool of available tracks, so I had to compromise more than I'd like. The next mix will have no wheel, but I'll spend a long time making those transitions smooth.
Anyhow! I thought I'd share some of the songs and artists I've been listening to lately. As I discover more and more music, I have to go deeper underground to find new artists. On the plus side, that means these songs will probably be new to you too!
Firstly, there's The Weeknd. He's not underground, and he deserves every bit of fame he gets. With two amazing mixtapes under his belt, I'm itching for his third, to be released sometime in the near future. In my first mix, NBD Mix 1, you may have noticed the track Glass Table Girls. That's The Weeknd, drug- and sex-obsessed, and captivating. His most recent song, Initiation, is on heavy rotation at my apartment. Listen to how he constantly modulates the timbre of his own voice! So unique, and really powerful.
Then there's Joker. His recent debut album The Vision has been almost universally panned by critics for its pop influences, but I'm still a huge fan. Yes it's catchy, but it's got a warmth that dubstep is generally lacking, and some solid grime tracks. I've always been into grime.
Machinedrum is exploding right now in the underground, and with good reason. His releases just get better and better, and his debut album Room(S) is one of the best albums to come out this year. I had his song Loveking in my first mix, a remix of The-Dream's Love King. Right now, I just can't get Now U Know Tha Deal 4 Real out of my head. Beyond the excellent vocal sample, the beat is captivating, and the atmospheric synths tie everything together. Fantastic stuff.
In a similar vein, Salva's debut album, Complex Housing, came out this year, and it really caught me by surprise. Its sound is somewhere in between Lazer Sword and Rustie, both of whom were in my first mix. If you haven't noticed, that's really the kind of music I'm into right now, somewhere between UK Garage, hip-hop, and dubstep. Anyhow, check out the tracks Wake Ups and the My Dry Wet Mess remix of Blue (incorrectly labelled in the link, but the only upload online).
Also I've finally started replaying Flying Lotus' 2010 masterpiece Cosmogramma, and the final song, Galaxy In Janaki, is really stuck in my head.
Beyond that, check out B. Bravo, Mux Mool, EPROM, Kavsrave and MiM0SA. All great artists. Enjoy the links!
No comments:
Post a Comment