Every weekend we curate 10 tracks from one instrumental hip-hop producer to try to capture his or her essence. This can be a challenging task, but it may have never been more challenging than this weekend as we feature the music of Manchester-based producer Evan Jones aka Mecca:83. His catalog is vast, and virtually every cut is worthy of a deep listen. What’s more, music from his jazz alias Rise just became available for streaming for the first time.
Read MoreVeteran Aussie Producer Spoonbill Drops Anticipated "Canopy" LP
A veteran instrumentalist and production prodigy, Spoonbill’s releases over the last 14 years feature a number of critically celebrated albums. His musical catalog is a hodgepodge of original instrumentation and eccentric sampling, often resulting in fantastically imaginative combinations of moods and styles. Canopy is the newest addition to the Spoonbill catalog, fusing time-tested design philosophies with fresh, lucid compositions.
Read MoreSkope - Beneath EP
Skope, is a tenured heavyweight in the underground music scene across both ends of the Atlantic.After a relatively quiet three years from Skope, the neuro progeny has teamed up with Slug Wife, a label filled with long-time contemporaries who played their own role in the rise of neuro’s sonic palette.
Read MoreSaltus & Pathwey - Mirage [Single]
The latest single from Street Ritual finds two mystics of underground bass, Saltus & Pathwey, joining forces to cast a powerful sonic spell called “Mirage”. Saltus hails from Boston, MA and co-manages the production powerhouse Rezinate. Pathwey is from Asheville, NC and was recently signed to Street Ritual’s booking agency. Both put their best foot forward on this collaboration and the result is one of the strongest tracks in either’s catalog.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 074 - 1 UP
Laying down stupendous cuts with an almost lackadaisical hand, 1 UP is a relative newcomer with an audacious talent for vibrant Lo-Fi music. With three EPs and dozens of singles under his belt already, his style varies as widely as the hip-hop terrarium allows, capturing a variety of moods separated by hazy lines.
Read MoreKLO, Mickman Offer Glitch-Hop Getdown at Middle East Downstairs
The atmosphere cultivated by Rezinate, Hennessey, The Middle East and all the fans on nights like these helps nurture a wholesome community based around freedom of expression and an appreciation for authentic performances. This Boston-based partnership consistently provides expert-level audio experiences, and with powerhouse glitch-hop act K.L.O headlining the historic venue’s basement, this night would be no different.
Read MoreSaltfeend - Balboa EP
Bringing prime cuts and street-inspired style to the table, Portland based Saltfeend is a multifaceted producer with a knack for all things head-nod. Expanding upon his quickly growing catalog, his newest release is a collection of dusty boom-bap sonatas; the Balboa EP brings a detail-oriented approach to Lo-Fi soundscapes, delivering a refreshing interpretation of mind-swelling hip-hop.
Read MoreTipper - Jettison Mind Hatch
Replete with innumerable tones, textures, patches, samples, and compositional evolution, Jettison Mind Hatch is a further testament to Tipper’s engineering and production knowledge; release to release, he demonstrates the impact and aural charisma achievable through an absolute focus on fidelity, and this album is unquestionably another level of refinement atop his notably lucid catalog.
Read MoreSweeps - Not Just One Thing [Single]
“See hip-hop is not just one thing. As long as it feel good and it hits you in the heart, and you can feel what the person’s saying in that type of way, then that’s hip-hop.” So says Nasir Jones aka Nas, as sampled by Sweeps in the Boston-based producer’s latest single “not just one thing”. Sweeps hits on a special sound in his latest tune, a cerebral take on hip-hop.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 073 - Juan Rios
Hailing from Seville, Spain, producer Juan Rios has been releasing textured lo-fi instrumentals for almost five years. He’s released on over a dozen labels, and collaborated thoroughly with vocalists. Rios comes from a Spanish underground where the influence of 1990’s boom-bap hip-hop is strong. He puts his own unique spin on the traditional boom-bap sound and has rightfully earned a prominent place in the playlists of lo-fi fiends worldwide.
Read MoreWaterchild & Space Cadet - Flabber Ghasted [Premiere]
After the release of Impressions and Premonitions in 2016 and 2017, respectively, the Nashville-based producers Waterchild and Space Cadet cap their collaborative trilogy of mystic downtempo EPs with Illuminations, dropping tomorrow. The multi-dimensional and aqueous single “Flabber Ghasted” premieres today preceding the full EP.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 072 - Emapea
The name of the game for Polish producer Emapea is range and personality. Reminiscent of producers from the golden era of hip hop, Emapea aims to create a unique sound that is not limited to one style. He often uses rap samples, turntable cuts, and fresh boom-bap breaks to add just the right amount of street flavor to the smooth texture and serene atmosphere of the track.
Read MoreTribone - Incantations [Single]
Serving his label Shanti Planti with honor, Tribone rallies the troops with a battle cry in the otherworldy land of psychedelic bass music. A rare outlier in a field so clearly steeped in dub influences, Tribone faces this world with the smirk of someone raised around psytrance. His latest effort “Incantations” is a wild burst of energy to whet the appetite of fans and rock the socks off the dancefloor with strange vibrations. Be prepared to stomp this one out.
Read MoreKodiak Kid - Gangster Cinematic ft. Mad Zach [Single]
Today the second single from the long-awaited Drifting Status EP from Kodiak Kid is here - “Gangster Cinematic” featuring the veteran producer and controllerism adept Mad Zach. This eerie six-minute ballad picks up where the first single “To the Point” left off. From the creeping bass lines to the tense string samples and the spacious mixdown, the sonic themes across both songs are similar, giving the listener a solid indication of what to expect from this EP.
Read MoreBent Audio Hosts Inaugural Party With Richard Devine, IDM Luminaries
If electronic music is a proverbial rabbit hole, the deeper you go, the stranger it gets. The newly minted Bent Audio production company specializes in these depths by nurturing an “infatuation with IDM, sound design, experimental electronic music, and breakcore.” On April 11th, New York City dove down that rabbit hole. Aphex Twin made his first appearance in the Big Apple in over a decade, then Bent Audio hosted their debut event after hours with Richard Devine at Polygon BK.
Read MoreManyColors - Gladys [Single]
Travel to Denver, Colorado to the small basement studio run by upstart label Color Red and you’ll find guitarist Brant Williams and his four-piece ensemble ManyColors recording sparse, low-slung hip-hop grooves direct-to-tape. Their first single “Bangs” used jazz modalities to riff over stuttering beats, and with their second song “Gladys” the group does the same but with more chemistry and confidence.
Read MoreReso - Sandrock EP
With each successive release, Reso reminds discerning listeners why he has earned such a vaunted tenure in the wider world of bass music. Sandrock is filled with pulverizing low-end, naughty rhythmic jaunts, and flexible dance-floor compositions. This release marks the second full year of label Slug Wife’s existence, and there couldn’t be a better set of tracks to commemorate the occasion.
Read MoreLo-Fi Sundays 071 - standingwolf
Cracking open a melodious morning egg for this edition of Lo-Fi Sundays is the California-based beatsmith standingwolf. Replete with all of the traditional hip-hop deliciousness that we’ve grown so fond of, standingwolf demonstrates a knack for a wide array of modalities and musical motifs.
Read MoreLosion - Swarm [Premiere]
Imminent by Losion, the latest release from UK collective Outtalectuals, exists at the intersection of chugging guitars and IDM sound design. Occasionally using the label “neurohop” to describe his sonic experiments, Ludovic Delespierre (Losion) is more notable for his guitar playing and use of crash cymbals than this genre tag might imply, Here is an invitation to dive deep into the most sedate of the five songs from Imminent, “Swarm”.
Read MoreAaron Johnston's J.E.D.I. - Momento [Single]
Combining the virtuosity of musicians from across the total span of genres, Aaron Johnston stands at the helm of the ambitious live project Aaron Johnston’s J.E.D.I. An acronym for “Jazz-Electronic-Dance-Improvised", J.E.D.I. is exactly what it suggests; a high-octane, hybrid-jazz fusion of dance floor mentality and total performance fluidity.
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