Hip-Hop isn’t dead, it’s just not the most progressive genre anymore. It may not have slowed down, there are many instances of hip-hop’s progression nowadays, but electronic music is far surpassing it in experimentation and pushing the boundaries of music is (whether ya like it or not).
That said, hip-hop still has their classic sound to fall back on to and Piece of Mind does it just right. “Rap Phenomenon” sounds more like a 90’s style of rap, not relying on hard bass or House music to keep it fresh. And until hip-hop starts busting into the online scene, hopefully with the help of SoundCloud where music is progressing faster than ever, keeping with that old school viibe is fine with me.
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I don’t see enough of my favorite 90’s – early 00’s groups getting mashed, but Fullhaus comes through once again with a solid flowing mix of two. Taking vocals from Wiz Khalifa’s “Rolled Up” & that nostalgic beat from 311’s “Mixed Up,” Fullhaus puts on one clever show. It may be a little difficult for 311 fans to grasp at first, but once you let it start flowing, it’s one smoooooth ride.
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When Sweet Treats Vol. 1 was released a few months ago as a three track sampler, it seemed more like a single for Skrillex’s track “Needed Change” with a couple extras rather than a compilation. I was sure the idea had died and no more freebies would be released, but then Vol. 2 was just released last week.
Free Treats Vol. 2 is dope. The sampler features over 20 artists on 19 tracks, with contributions from The M Machine, Alvin Risk, Bare Noize, Topher Jones, and a quite a few more. [side note: it sounds like Nick Thayer has finally gotten a proper introduction to OWSLA]. There are too many tracks to dissect them all, but this release is well worth your time to listen to. I think its safe to say we can expect big things from OWSLA in the near future.
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Yukimi Nagano’s voice is truly one of kinda. I hear a hell of a lot of good female vocals everyday, but nothing with the mystique like Yukimi’s.
In Vindata’s remix of “Little Man,” Yukimi’s voice is on another electro level with a lot more fuller sound than the original. The intro also reminds me of The Five One’s cover of “Never Been,” but that might just be me.
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A good chorus isn’t just catchy, it sucks you in. Dato’s “Letting Go” isn’t just some new flavored disco making its rounds, it’s gotta chorus that’ll float around your head for dayyys.
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Even more than Earth, Wind & Fire or Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers is my go to guy for all things soulster. So if we get any half decent rework of his, you know I’m gonna be all over it.
LNTG’s rework, now that I think about it, starts off a lot live Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” and slowly works its way into Wither’s classic “Just the Two of Us” vocals. It does take a bit to get into the good stuff, like too many downtempo tracks, but once you’re in, it’s pure suaveness from the man himself – whom I still gotta give most the credit to for this rework, those vocals are on a level like no other.
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While Pance Party hasn’t put out any new material in a while, I think it’s important that you, our beloved readers, take some time to explore their [relatively brief] catalog of unique electro-house goodness. Pance Party’s tracks, characterized by super fat basses, melodic synths, and brain-tingling vocal shots, stand more than a cut above the rest of the increasingly monotonous electro scene.
I wish these guys had stayed together, but if the rumors that The M Machine was born from Pance Party’s ashes are true then I’m more than happy to wait for their LP to drop, whenever that may be […]
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So I guess Francis makes those classic Beastie Boys lines stick out like a charm. The mash needs a few small tweaks on certain voice overs, but damn does it bring the two sounds together also, like a charm. Someone needs to make a mashup album of these two or maybe get them to collab or some shyyt ’cause this makes for some interesting flows.
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Not all that into drum & bass, but when it’s got a melody like this, I’m in. Grifta’s “Kremlin” starts out like any D&B track, but the ride along melody gets better as it goes. It seems to come to a peek @ 1:50 with a melody that’s straight from the movies… I’m just trying to think of what movie it reminds me of. Anyone
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This beat sure as hell doesn’t need Kreayshawn or Gucci Mane, but the original vocals just aren’t powerful enough to do it justice either. Fullhaus does, however, hit the mark by cutting up Kito’s ‘Sweet Talk’ just right, editing the track to progress right up to the end.
Now, we just gotta find proper vocals to highlight it. I’d say possibly keep Kito’s original vocals on there too, if it fits right.
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