DJ Snake - Together [free download in 320!]
I never thought I’d be listening to hardstyle in a non-ironic fashion in 2013, until I heard this mind blowing jam “Together” that my good friend Noel shared with me today. “Together” pays homage to the good ol’ days of that uplifting, “we-are-pirates” sort of rising synth combined with that sharp kick drum, resulting in a whole bunch of people from the Netherlands and Melbourne battling it out on the floor to see who has the superior shuffle.
According to his Soundcloud, DJ Snake is “Born & Raised in Motherfuckin’ Paris,” and I absolutely love that he reps his Parisian roots hard. This track is absolutely flooring to me. Hardstyle meets trap in a manner that is très fantastique. I have to admit, trap generally does not scratch the right itch for me, but this track is absolutely on point for everything that I do enjoy about the genre.
The first drop is masterful, with the requisite repeating “bounce” vocal / lasers and a bassline that would light up any dancefloor. The song once again tilts its head in the direction of that classic hardstyle sound and build, but the second drop is pretty unexpected and absolutely godly. The heady arabian sounding bass along with the repeated “work” vocal is guaranteed to get people slithering.
The best part? He’s giving the track away for free via his Soundcloud in 320kbps quality. Class act. Throw this track on repeat, because if you’re like me you were probably wishing that “Together” had another few minutes on it. Werk.
The Chemical Brothers - Swoon (Lindstrom & Prins Thomas Remix)
I’ve been on quite the disco kick lately, and this late-2010 remix of The Chemical Brothers epic track “Swoon” has me on a psychedelic disco adventure. The Norwegian Lindstrom and Prins Thomas take this heady track on a ride on the Scandinavian space-age-disco train, a la Todd Terje, with synths that are pretty much out of this world. I would love to hear this jam with my feet in the sand somewhere. Can’t wait for summer.
Tensnake - Need Your Lovin (Tiger and Woods Remix)
Happy Friday! From the German house connoisseur who brought you “Coma Cat” comes “Need Your Lovin,” with a psychedelic and loopy remix by the enigmatic Italian duo Tiger and Woods. I remember seeing Tensnake at A Club Called Rhonda last year in March, and this heady track definitely got the dancefloor groovin’. Hope these warm, disco- infused beats put some beat in your step today.
Roman Flügel - Thank You Jack
Been groovin’ all morning to this super heady track by Frankfurt based German DJ Roman Flügel, off his Cookie Dust EP. This song is absolutely beautiful. A swirl of ambient melodies converge upon a g-funk inspired, glitchy trip-hop beat. The intro reminds me a bit of the ambiance of Sasha’s Airdrawndagger album, and when beat drops I am elevated to a state of bliss. This track is masterfully crafted, and I highly recommend you check out his stellar EP.
Four Tet - 0181 (album) [download]
Kieran Hebdan, better known as Four Tet just released a free album today, “0181” that is a mix of trippy, dreamy, and jazzy electronic beats. This album was compiled in 2012 but includes sounds created between 1997-2001. The jazzy little bit at [19:30] is currently tickling my eardrums, and reminds me a lot of Bonobo’s Black Sands. Enjoy!
Sufjan Stevens - Futile Devices (Shigeto Remix) [download]
Shigeto does it again. Beatmaker-extraordinaire Zachary Saginaw takes Sufjan Steven’s mellow and reflective “Future Devices” and adds a chilled out beat to it that you could nod your head or step to. I was listening to Damian Lazarus’s most recent Lazpod (26) and he plays the original version of this track, which is awesome in it’s own right and very similar minus the beats. While Shigeto’s remix may not seem groundbreaking or complex, I feel like the track’s beauty lies in its simplicity. Enjoy the free download. And float away.
Thievery Corporation - Satyam Shivam Sundaram (Feat. Gunjan)
“To summarize Satyam Shivam Sundaram means that the path of truthfulness (Satyam) is always conscious based (Shivam) and leads to inner happiness (Sundaram).
Or to acquire inner happiness one should follow the path of truthfulness and conscious based decisions.” Satyam Shivam Sundaram
Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite Thievery Corporation tracks. If you haven’t heard the album which this song is from, The Cosmic Game (2005), I highly recommend you check it out. ”Satyam Shivam Sundaram” is heady and hypnotic; the use of the sitar and the echoing vocals teleports the listener to another cosmic dimension. Rob Garza and Eric Hilton make up the duo, and they put on a helluva live show with all their supporting artists… If you ever get a chance to see them live, or even for a DJ set, you should see them immediately! I was lucky to catch them at the Greek Theater in Berkeley a while back, and their show is honestly one of the coolest live sets around.
Julio Bashmore - Husk
Massive deep house tune that Julio Bashmore closed his set (encore!) with in San Francisco last weekend. People all hopped up on stage and got down hard to “Husk.” Thanks a ton to Jeremy for the track ID. Close your eyes. Let the music take you away. And STOMP!
Rokia Traore - Laidu
Its been quite some time since I’ve posted any music, but now that I’m back from France/Europe, I will be posting regularly again! Malian singer Rokia Traore does some amazing things with her voice on this track. This song is absolutely beautiful. Scope it.
Mount Kimbie - Before I Move Off (Live from the Daytrotter Session) [download]
A must have for all big fans of the eccentric and experimental UK duo Mount Kimbie. This version of “Before I Move Off” is one of my favorites, I absolutely love how they tweak the song live compared to the album version. I can still remember feeling ecstatic at Coachella ‘11 when the bass thundered throughout the Oasis dome. This stuff is heaven for my ears. If you haven’t seen them live, I highly recommend you see them when they are in town. If they aren’t in your area, at least listen to their Live at Deaf Institute, Manchester set.
Tomas Barfod - Came to Party
Some really brilliant disco stomping, deep house beats for your late evenings. Tomas Barfod’s album, Salton Sea is a flurry of different electronic styles, indie and experimental with bits of electro, disco, techno, and house all mixed together. I highly recommend you check out the album. I’ll be sharing more of it later.
While you’re at it, check out Salva’s remix of the tune here.
Tomas Barfod - Came to Party (Salva Remix)
Antwerp - Erin [download]
Big ups to The 405 for opening my ears up to this London based electronic music producer. A very warm sounding and heady track for my morning, and a free download at that. Listen and melt into the sound.
Mount Kimbie - Field (Daytrotter Session Live at SXSW) [download]
This version of “Field” by Mount Kimbie from SXSW is my second favorite, behind the one they played for Red Bull Music Academy. The difference between this heady, experimental track and the one from their album is the heady dark intro and the explosion of bass at [3:54]. I cannot say enough good things about the Canadian duo live. I saw them at Coachella 2011 and they were without a doubt the best act I saw the entire weekend. And… they’re coming to SF in November! If you haven’t seen these guys before, this is a strong recommendation to catch them when they’re in your hood. limzen certified.
North American Tour - * with Squarepusher
10.27 - Theater of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA* (Tickets)
10.29 - Fillmore - Silver Spring, MD* (Tickets)
10.31 - Royale - Boston, MA* (Tickets)
11.1 - Terminal 5 - New York, NY* (Tickets)
11.2 - Danforth - Toronto, ON* (Tickets)
11.3 - Metro - Chicago, IL* (Tickets)
11.8 - Los Globos - LA, CA (Tickets)
11.9 - 103 Harriet - San Fran, CA (Tickets)
11.10 - TBA - Seattle, WA (Tickets)
Koreless - Lost in Tokyo
Just gave Jamie XX’s Essential Mix a listen for the…millionth time haha, and I just had to post this chilled out postdubstep jam by Koreless. This song is super spacey and light, and it makes me feel as if I am either floating or underwater…
Also, I remember Jacques Greene dropping this jam during his set over at Monarch about a month ago. He also has a superb remix of the track:
Koreless - Lost in Tokyo (Jacques Greene Remix)
Beats Antique - Skeleton Key [download]
Feeling tribal. These guys definitely put on one HELLUVA heady show live, I saw them at Sea of Dreams last year and they were quite mind-bending/eye opening (Third Eye, that is!). Dig into these tribal, ethnic, bass heavy blissed-out beats!
