With the release of Vince Staples’ highly anticipated sophomore album, Big Fish Theory, one of the tracks that immediately caught my attention was ‘Yeah Right’ featuring Kučka & Kendrick Lamar.
Produced by Sophie (MØ, Charli XCX) and Australian DJ/Producer Flume, (producer of one of my all time favourite remixes) – ‘Yeah Right’ serves up some industrial, bass-heavy production with Staples’ slick flows and infectious hook looped throughout. Australian singer/producer, Kučka, offers up a stark contrast for the bridge with her sweet vocals, before Kendrick enters and completely dominates his verse.
Staples & Kučka previously collaborated with Flume on his album Skin, however this is the first time Staples and Kendrick have worked together, with Staples recently rating him as the best rapper alive.
The 12-track record delves into a progressive form of electronica & dynamic hip-hop, serving as the follow-up to 2016’s Prima Donna EP, as well as Staples’ recent collaboration with Gorrilaz on ‘Ascension‘. Big Fish Theory is available now via Def Jam and boasts an impressive list of contributors from the likes of Juicy J, Ty Dolla $ign, A$AP Rocky, Rick Ross, Damon Albarn and Justin Vernon, as well as production from GTA, Christian Rich (Earl Sweatshirt) and Zack Sekoff.
Upcoming dates for Vince Staples include Reading & Leeds Festival (Aug 25-27) and O2 Forum London (Aug 30)
24- year-old Australian Producer Flume (Harley Streten), unveiled his latest single ‘Never Be Like You’, ft Canadian singer Kai. The single premiered with Annie Mac as her Hottest Record and is taken from Flume’s forthcoming album, ‘Skin’. (Via Transgressive)
Opening with twinkling chimes, Kai’s dreamy, effortless vocals weave in and out of Flume’s textured soundscape. Flume’s production is so unique and creative, providing such depth to his music; from his signature bass and shiny synth work, to his syncopated rhythms and experimental percussions, all working in perfect harmony.
Speaking with Annie Mac about his collaboration with Kai with, Flume commented:
“We started working on some stuff – bouncing some things back and forth to each other online. Then we met up in NY and did some music there. We weren’t feeling too inspired, so we left, got to know each other, had some drinks and then went back to the studio. That’s when it really started to work out and we cracked it there and then.”
Flume, who delivered arguably one of my favourite remixes ever with Disclosure’s ‘You And Me’, continues to hone and progress his sound with such skill, further heightening the anticipation for this forthcoming album. No release date as of yet, but check out this 4.5 minute album teaser here and listen to ‘Never Be Like You’ below.
Upcoming dates for Flume include London’s Roundhouse (March 16)
Lithuanian producer Marijus Adomaitis (Aka Ten Walls) has unveiled his new single ‘Walking With Elephants’. The single was released via new label Boso and serves the follow up to the ever popular ‘Requiem’ and ‘Gotham’.
The driving force of ‘Walking with Elephants’ is the horn style synths conjuring up that sense of urgency. This is perfectly balanced with a rousing string motif and hypnotic, percussive beats that you wish would never end. A real goosebump track!
Pete Tong recently showcased ‘Walking With Elephants’ as his Essential Tune further solidifying him as one if the most exciting electronic producers around. ‘Walking With Elephants’ is available May 5th and is available to pre order now.
Norwegian house producer Todd Terje, who brought us the infectious ‘Inspector Norse’, ‘Strandbar’ and ‘Lanzarote‘ has unveiled his new single ‘Delorean Dynamite’.
The 7-minute track delivers intricate production from Terje who serves up a disco infused, synth-driven melody and all-around feel-good vibes!
The single is taken from his forthcoming debut album ‘It’s Album Time‘ which is set for release April 7th via his own label Olsen Records. Pre-order now and receive ‘Delorean Dynamite’ as a free download.
The talented Banks is back with her new single ‘Brain‘, which serves as the follow up to tracks such as ‘Waiting Game’, ‘This Is What It Feels Like‘ and ‘Warm Water‘.
The dynamic track opens with Banks’ trademark dark and mysterious vibes that slowly builds to an explosive and euphoric bridge, mixed with distorted and echoed vocals. As always, Banks’ choice of producers are strong, having worked with the likes of Sohn, TEED, Lil Silva and Jamie Woon. For ‘Brain’, Banks enlists the expertise of LA producer Shlohmo, who’s production is both subtle and powerful; perfectly capturing Banks’ dynamic nature.
Having started the year off as no.3 in the BBC Sound of 2014 poll, Banks is currently putting the final touches on her debut record and describes it as a “Constant development of my sound“. Be sure to catch Banks at one of her many upcoming performances including two dates in London’s Koko this March. Plenty of dates also lined up for Shlohmo.
‘Brain’ featured as Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record on Tuesday and is now available to purchase from iTunes.
Evian Christ (AKA Joshua Leary) has unveiled his new single ‘Salt Carousel’.
There’s been plenty of buzz surrounding the young electronic music producer of late, considering his most recent accomplishment involved working on the critically acclaimed ‘Yeezus’ album from Kanye West. His music encompasses a wide variety of styles from Trap, to Hip Hop and Ambient to early Dub Step.
Evian Christ continues to demonstrate his cutting edge talents with his latest single ‘Salt Carousel’. With its dark, atmospheric and edgy tones, the track cuts through you with its looped jagged synth line, distorted vocals and pounding bass.
Katy B has unveiled her latest single ‘Crying For No Reason‘ which serves as the follow up to ‘What Love Is Made Of‘ and ‘5AM‘.
The single featured as a ‘Special Delivery‘ for Annie Mac on Friday as well as Zane Lowe’s ‘Hottest Record‘ on Monday. The emotionally charged ballad opens with simple piano accompaniment before building euphorically to a bittersweet synth-laden track. Speaking with Zane, Katy commented:
“I got the idea from my friend – she was in tears on the phone. She didn’t know why she was crying, then she realised it was all these feeling that she tried to bury for months. She was just sitting at traffic lights and it just burst out. When she said that, I automatically knew how she felt about it. There comes a point where your body and mind can’t take it anymore and you need a release. I wanted to write songs with piano and chord structures rather than getting a beat from a producer. I wanted to start from scratch and this song allowed me to do that.”
Written with Guy Chambers (Robbie Williams/Miles Kane), ‘Crying For No Reason’ speaks to people on a personal level with its poignant lyrics:
“I never faced all the pain I caused/Now the pain is hitting me full force”
Katy B recently performed on the London eye as part of the Red Bull Revolutions in Sound, representing Rinse FM and was joined in the capsule by Skream and Artwork. You can catch Katy B on her forthcoming UK tour in March, with a London Koko gig set for March 26th.
‘Little Red’ is set for release February 3rd and is available to pre-order now.
Drum & Bass DJ and producer DJ Fresh has teamed up with Jay Fay and Ms Dynamite for his latest single ‘Dibby Dibby Sound‘.
Having previously worked with Diplo on the chart topping trap anthem ‘Earthquake‘, DJ Fresh follows this up with yet another massive single, sampling US producer Jay Fay’s original track ‘Dibby Dibby Sound‘.
19 year old producer Jay Fay from St Louis, has been championing Moombahton, Electro House and Trap. Mix that with energetic vocals from legendary garage MC Ms Dynamite and you’re in for an epic bass-heavy record with an infectious bassline that just screams Carnival.
‘Dibby Dibby Sound‘ featured as Zane Lowe’s ‘Hottest Record on Wednesday, where DJ Fresh spoke about his forthcoming album:
“I haven’t made what I consider to be a real album. So I’m going to go on a travelling mission around the world and work with some musicians and actually make an album from start to finish ; Like a musical journey and do something really interesting. I’m holding out for a bit and going to focus on doing singles until I can do something like that”
Upcoming UK dates include Freeze Festival in London on November 30th.
So many great tracks dropped the past month, so here are some of my ‘September Selections‘.
First up is James Blake ft Chance The Rapper with ‘Life Round Here‘. The London based producer & singer/songwriter, has teamed up with rising Chicago based artist ‘Chance The Rapper‘ for a reworked version of ‘Life Round Here‘, taken from his Mercury Prize nominated album ‘Overgrown‘. The track featured as Zane Lowe’s Hottest record where Blake spoke about the collaboration: ‘I really liked his mix-tape (Acid Rap) and saw him at South by Southwest. I just thought his voice would work really well. I never felt the track was finished, even when it went on the album, I always thought there was space for something else’. Blake has certainly found that missing element and the duo deliver a fresh and exciting outlook with Chances’s raw energy and Blakes melodic and atmospheric vocals. Check back soon for their forthcoming video, set to feature ‘Everything from Somalian horses to pirates and Chevy Impalas‘.
A while back I posted about rising New Zealand songstress Lorde (Aka Ella Yellich-O’Connor) and her infectious track ‘Tennis Court’, from her free ‘Love Club‘ EP. Her latest offerings, taken from her debut LP ‘Pure Heroine’, is another exceptional track titled ‘Team , where the 16 year old presents a very mature sound with her upbeat yet bittersweet melodic vocals, that is captivating audiences worldwide. Having recently performed on ‘Later with Jools Holland‘ Lorde is set to embark upon a sold out Australian tour but will first play ‘Vevo’s 2013 Halloween Party’ in Oval Space, London. Lorde also features on the forthcoming ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire‘ Soundtrack with a cover of Tear For Fears 1985 hit song ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World‘.
Is it Gangsta (Yes yes yes) is the first single to be taken from South London rapper Giggs‘ forthcoming album ‘When WIll It Stop‘. Produced by Mark Ronson and Tone P, this is the first new material to surface since his 2010 album ‘Let Em Ave It‘ and delivers a strong return to form from the SN1 frontmnan. Be sure to check out the 9 minute short film video, directed by Reg Traviss, that even had it’s own trailer released. You can also catch Giggs perform at Londons ‘Under The Bridge‘ on October 15th, while ‘Is It Gangsta‘ drops October 6th.
LA singer Banks has unveiled her new single ‘The Is What It Feels Like‘, taken from her recent 4 track ‘London’ EP. Produced by Lil Silva and Jamie Woon, the single serves as the follow up to ‘Before I Ever Met You’ from the ‘Fall Over‘ EP and the recent Teed collaboration ‘Warm Water‘. Banks has such a unique sound and delivers haunting vocals amidst deep sultry beats and eerie electronic production. Currently supporting The Weeknd on tour in the US, Banks will also support The Weekend in London’s O2 on November 26th.
Danny Brown returns with a new single ‘Dip‘ taken from his highly anticipated album ‘Old’. Produced by Skywlkr, ‘Dip‘ samples Freak Nasty’s 1996 single ‘Da‘ as well as references to Jay Z and Kanye’s Paris‘ throughout. The MDMA fueled video, shot during his European tour, showcases Browns rapid rap skills with some trippy animations to match. ‘Old‘ is set for release Oct 8th through A-Trak’s Fools Gold Records and features artists such as A$AP Rocky, Purity Ring and Charlie XCX.
Sia’s new single ‘Elastic Heart‘ ft The Weeknd and Diplo, is set to feature on the forthcoming ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire‘ soundtrack, alongside previously announced artists such as Coldplay, Lorde, Of Monsters and Men and Ellie Goulding. The sombre synt-driven track, which featured as Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record, highlights Sia and Abel Tesfaye’s enthralling and haunting vocals with slick production as always from Diplo.
Having delivered one of the summers biggest anthems ‘Jack‘, Breach (aka Ben Westbeech) has unveiled his follow-up single ‘Everything You Never Had‘ featuring the infectious and soulful vocals from Andreya Triana. Sure to be a dance floor filler with it’s classic house vibes and 90’s rave influences, the Bristolian dj and producer is constantly raising him game with each new release. Be sure to check out the Joe Goddard remix, who once again works his magic on delivering a fresh new remix. ‘Everything You Never Had‘ is set for release October 20th.
Back in May, ‘What Love Is Made Of‘ provided us with the first look from Katy B’s highly anticipated sophomore album and follow up to 2011’s ‘On A Mission‘. Katy has since dropped her latest single ‘5AM‘, which serves as a worthy successor with it’s big room house vibes, infectious hooks and Katy’s smooth garage infused pop vocals. Set for release Oct 28th through Rinse and Columbia, expect her second album sometime in 2014.
‘Blood Runs Wild‘ is the latest release from Brotherly duo Ruen Brothers (Rupert and Henry Stansall). Having already released their retro inspired ‘Aces’ and ‘Walk Like A Man‘ to high praise, ‘Blood Runs Wild‘ follows the same suit with it’s vintage rock n roll vibes, sweeping vocals and upbeat melodies. The duo deliver such a mature and accomplished sound far beyond their years. With big support from Radio 1, Zane Lowe featured the track as his Hottest Record. Be sure to check out Ruen Brothers headline the Q Awards gig on Oct 19th at London’s Jazz Cafe, before supporting Tom Odell on his UK tour. Having signed a major record deal during the summer, ‘Blood Runs Wild‘ is set for release November 4th via Island Records (UK) and Universal/Republic (US).
Danish electro-pop singer Karen Marie Ørsted aka (AKA MØ) has just unveiled her new single ‘XXX 88’.
Produced by heavyweight producer & DJ Diplo, MØ’s electro pop vibes and shimmering synths are infused with some punchy horn melodies, giving it that extra edge and drawing it into darker pop territories similar to Grimes. Ørsted’s hypnotic and seductive layered vocals, mixed with Diplo’s pulsating beats, serves up one exciting collaboration.
XXX 88 follows previous singles such as ‘Maiden’, ‘Glass’, ‘Dear Boy‘ with Avicii and ‘Waste Of Time‘ and is set to feature on MØ’s forthcoming EP.
Be sure to check out MØ’s performance at XOYO on Novemeber 5th, while ‘XXX 88’ is set for release October 20th.
RosieDTrax 