I don’t really have too much to say about this except that the second track from Jeremiah Jae’s pre-emptive Money EP for Brainfeeder is amazing. All this peripheral talk of raps recently most definitely had us looking for something new, different and inspiring. This is most probably it… the weird ass beat and flow marry themselves perfectly.

Oh and if you dont know about JJ, read this: http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1465.
Out to dBone out in LA… or wherever she is now.

Jeremiah Jae’s Money is out now on Brainfeeder.

In rebuttle to FACT’s King’s of the Underground indie rap piece where they listed five overlooked independent rap albums of the late nineties, I wanted to go public and pick my top five albums for opinions sake and present it as the definitive list of great overlooked, seminal geek hop long players. But then you realise when you start to think about it, that such a list is exactly that: just one journalist’s opinion. Despite the glaring hole left by the non inclusion of Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein or Sage Francis’ Personal Journals, there’s the chance that maybe that particular dude hadn’t heard Signify’s Mixed Messages, The Sebutones Psyche Intangible, Count Bass D’s BegBorrowSteal, Bigg Jus’ Poor People’s Day, Aesop Rock’s Labor Days, Qwel’s collaborative albums The Harvest and Dark Days with Maker and Jackson Jones on Galapagos4 or Deep Puddle Dynamics, Greenthink or seemingly anything from the Oakland based Anticon collective.

But then you have to factor in that he’s name checking strictly overlooked albums and that in the introduction there’s writing that hints to an assumption that you’d probably have heard a number of the bigger of those records if you’d been into those works at the time. So his top 5 all come from his personal listening, not a carefully constructed set of statistics that took into account reported record sales and counted myspace plays, hand to hand sales of CDs at shows or the number of coloured inks on their boxy Gildan tour merchandise. Taste is so endlessly subjective. There’ll always be an argument to be had somewhere when you put works in a numerical order of preference but still… there’s a definite kudos for including Mr. Lif and Non Phixion my anonymous FACT scribe.

I actually had the same kind of idea of writing an article that made little bones about the fact that my listening as a 19 year old seems to now be repeating itself. New albums from Company Flow member’s El-P and Bigg Jus have been announced. Doseone’s latest solo album is on promo. Aesop Rock’s leaking carefully selected tracks from his Skelethon album for Rhymesayers and MF Doom seems to be everywhere, announcing collaborative projects – or him shopping old beats – with Masta Ace and performing numerous shows after years of non compliance (if you believe twitter rumour he’s apparently now living in Lewisham). But then I figured, everybody loves Death Grips now anyway and rather than aping on about the past here, I should really save that kind of hindsight for when I get half cut off three pints of organic lager in a pub in Holborn – that’s when the directionless arguments really seem to make sense in my head anyway – and point you in the direction of something new (ish).

Back in January 2011 the Earnest Endeavours label released a free mixtape by Jams F. Kennedy – one of their homies from foreign shores who’d been performing in Brother Reade – called A Heart-Breaking Work Of Swagger A G-ness. It set the kind of raps you would’ve got from those artists I name checked in the introduction of this article to beats by producers like Guido, Dizz1, B.Bravo, Gemmy, Hudson Mohawke and Flying Lotus. The launch party that followed it proved that there was still a fucking vivid audience for live raps over the kind of bass heavy productions we talk up here every day in London and it made someone who’d spent forever listening to a very particular niche of rap music miss those records I’d spent a long time in the university library trying to locate for a decent price on eBay.

Well EE are now set to deliver the physical release by Widows, the duo that Jams F. Kennedy is the rapper in (you’ll find their productions littered amongst the mixtape). There are personal anthems in amongst the six tracks considering that the material is something we’ve lived with for nearly 18 months but at an opportune time like this, when the internet seems tuned in to the work of rappers who always made or rode beats that were considered too skewed for the mainstream it makes sense to speak on it now…

You can preview the whole EP here but because we can, we’re bringing you an exclusive stream of ‘Unsigned Hype’, one of the bubblier tracks on the Widows EP thats dropping on vinyl on the 4th June.

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You can catch Widows live on Thursday 24th May when they play alongside Dabrye at the Earnest Endeavours x Sketchbook x Hit & Run monthly at Basing House…

I’ve written about the work rate, music and personality of Danny Native, aka Altered Natives, a couple of times before on this website (namely here and here if you need better directing) but the most noteworthy thing that’s come up since those articles is simply his consistency and just how well he continues to do what he does. Honestly, I’d be hard pressed to think of another producer who’s as reliable and as adept at making club music that continuously hits that sweet spot between a streetwise, almost surly attitude and intricate percussion. That’s probably why when I was informed by email early on Bank Holiday Monday that Jim-E Stack was unable to make the trip from the US to play at the upcoming Sonic Router Room Three at fabric a week on Friday, Danny’s was the very first name that came to mind.

When writing about the second album in his Tenement Yard series I wrote about his: “insane ability to create and maintain a groove so poignantly that it rarely feels tired or outdated” and having seen him DJ live a couple of times (there was that one time in Austria I can’t really remember though Sports McC ensures me it was great – all I can see in my memory is that basement pub, those shots, the drinks tokens and then that metallic toilet bowl) it’s definitely that heavy, wavey kind of crowd orientated vibe that he goes for when DJing too. I don’t really want to sit here and call him a purist because I’m a little ill-informed as to exactly how he arrived at making the kind of insightful house music he makes, but given the quality of the quantity of music he’s released to date he’s not diluting its essence for anyone.

It’s really hard to put into words exactly what it is about his work as Altered Natives that commands the kind of respect it gets from me. It’s probably because he’s almost brutally honest – as track titles like ‘Wasteman of Love’ suggest. Outside of his music he pulls no punches, consistently speaking his mind and as I’ve said before the world does love a character. Musically though, it’s because he’s a trustworthy funnel. After coming correct with two Tenement Yard albums and rhythms like ‘Rass Out’, ‘Crop Duster’ and ‘The Bitch’ on 3024, he opened the door to a bunch of his mates with his Guild Of Synchronists compilation, an overlooked collection that gave us tracks like Ceramic’s criminally underrated rudeboy bout, ‘The Message’ and Misery Peat’s bubbling ‘The Hyde’. Ultimately though it’s just because Danny is undeniably himself and he’s the person we’re stoked to be able to watch close out the dance a week on Friday because he’ll do it amazingly well and he’ll do it in his own inimitable style.

So to set our initial announcement – you know, where we said it was all four of our guests fabric debut and that all four had done Sonic Router mixes in the past – at least halfway straight we asked Danny to put a little mix together, with us fully expecting to be able to deliver it early next week. What he did though was turnaround a modestly “pretty upfront” mix in a couple of days. As a result SR Mix #130 features a cluster of tracks from the forthcoming Tenement Yard Volume 3 album alongside as yet unreleased remixes and “a couple of my favourites from my back catalogue…”

Sonic Router: So hows life?

Altered Natives: I’ve been infected with the cold virus from Mars. It’s greeeeeeeat. Erm, usual runnings to be honest, im still writing obsessively, upsetting the neighbours, healing the world with love, getting nectar points, eating salads, playing in nice countries, watching crap films, traveling, trolling the internet, watching foxes, dating wronguns…

What are you working on at the mo? Obviously I can see some Tenement Yard Vol. 3 bits in the mix… Is that ready? Can you fill us in on the overall vision for the project?

Been working on a straight to DVD movie script starring Wesley Snipes playing himself but as a covert Black Ops Assassin/Marksman undercover in the disguise of movie actor made famous. It’s called…. Sniper. Actually im just tweekin my remix for TOYC for the new Crazylegs records label, it’s upsetting foetuses. I just completed another EP for the Italian label Bosconi. The next Tenement volume is still being cut down track list wise through various stages of listening, crowd reaction and personal feeling towards the project. One or two of the tracks in this mix may not make the final cut.

The overall future vision? A Dubai tower tenement yard.

Has it changed now that you are on the third volume at all?

Yeah definitely. My musics always been personal but the aim was dancefloor friendly not coffee table chattery. Volume 2 I honestly took personally and put more heart and demons into, some of those tracks just served as exorcism moments for stuff that bothered me enough.

Volume 1 was all sex, drugs and fuck you’s, 3is different. Well, it is to me. Its more a story almost, in 2 acts about the imaginary life of the landlord, keeper of the tenement yards. Its evolved musically, I bring back the dirtiness and the fuck you more in 3. I just hope its received well by everyone anticipating it.

When we last spoke to you it was around the Guild of Synchronists compilation…. which btw still sounds amazing. Are you planning to bring any more people through in that manner on Eye4Eye?

Thank you, it’s a testament to the featured artists who it served as their first release/calling card, so im really proud to have released it. From that project I have 4 of the artists featured with EP’s planned for release soon this year. Release dates and info are still pending but it’ll be very soon.

Any more installments of that particular comp on the horizons?

Another installment of The Guild of Synchronists would be nice, but its on hold to be fair till I can at least get these 4 EP’s finally clear, plus there’s my album in between that. I’ve stumbled across a few producers who I would love to make welcome and feature if I did, but first I need to deal with the guys who my faith is placed with currently.

Can you tell us a little bit about the mix you made for us?

Its just a fraction of what im writing, there’s a few remixes in here including one on the first 2012 Eye4Eye artist EP release by a talented young producer who goes by the alias El Sudor. There’s a remix for my good friends Artificial Intelligence – me and Gambit go way back, we’re good friends in real life and it’s been great watching each others evolution since we were young and full of mad ideas to finally get to our position today, appreciated.This remix is of one of their early d&b releases which I hounded them to let me remix when they made it. It was made in my head years ago. There’s a remix for German Techno label Filligran and the artist Filterwolf, you got Jimmy Edgar remix on the flipside of that, out next month. Plus obviously some Tenement yardage plus a few of my faves from the past Tenements.

Any words of wisdom for our readers?

New producer SR readers, don’t give up if you have real desire and passion for creating music. Love what you do, and respect it always, no one else will if you don’t. Respect your game and always believe in your art. At the end of the day it should evoke something identifiable in everyone. The urge to spontaneously dance, smile, screw up your face, fuck even. Just don’t lose focus, don’t overly watch next producers, no shame in being ignorant of the current ‘preset’. Put your heart into it. People will feel it.

Lady SR readers… erm If the Predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! Police only make 4 of 10 shots when they are in range of 3-9 feet. This is due to stress. The Predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

Gentleman SR readers. don’t take all your first dates all to the same restaurant. The waiter will expose you.

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DOWNLOAD: Altered Natives – Sonic Router Mix #130

Tracklist:

Altered Natives – You Again – Altered Natives [Eye4Eye Recordings]*
Artificial Intelligence – Rise n Shine (Altered Natives Remix)
Altered Natives – Love me Better – Altered Natives [Eye4Eye Recordings]*
El Sudor – DFMA (Altered Natives Remix) [Eye4Eye Recordings]
Altered Natives – Reanimate [Eye4Eye Recordings]*
Filterwolf – Brooklyn via Montmartre (Altered Natives Remix) [Filligran]
Altered Natives – LONDON GODS [Eye4Eye Recordings]*
Gino Latino – Welcome (Altered Natives Unofficial Remix)
Altered Natives – The Landlord [Eye4Eye Recordings]*
Grand High Priest – Mary Mary (Altered Natives Remix) [More About Music]
Altered Natives – Allwhere [Eye4Eye Recordings]*
Altered Natives – OH, My Zipper [Eye4Eye Recordings]
Altered Natives – BHUUUMBAHCLEEEEET [Eye4Eye Recordings]*
Altered Natives – A Thousand Days Of Patience [Eye4Eye Recordings]
Altered Natives – Future Drop [Eye4Eye Recordings]*

* denotes a track taken from the unreleased Tenement Yard Volume 3 forthcoming on Eye4Eye Recordings

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You can catch Altered Natives in FABRICLIVE on Friday 18th May when Sonic Router takes over Room Three. Bring a friend.

Modesty can go a long way, as can being really good at making music; but being precious about a product is something I find really admirable. I don’t really have that strong of a point here other than the fact that it’s something that a lot of label guys I know have been focusing on of late, but I just wanted to open this article with something of a nice sentiment because that’s what this recently premiered stream of Luke Abbot’s ‘Modern Driveway’ made me feel like doing – though that’s probably more down to the way the insistent chord stabs and the pads around them seem to constantly rise, lilting upwards towards a greater hope.

Out through Gold Panda’s Notown imprint on the 28th May this sprawling plump of a thing is the first look into Abbott’s music since his 2010 Holkham Drones album on Border Community. Built from very real, analogue layers, in a lot of ways ‘Modern Driveway’ shares a long gangly footprint with Gold Panda’s own lovingly looped, techno indebted music so it’s not really a surprise that the feedback static is a sticking point throughout or that the track turns emo-uplifting around the 4 minute mark.

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Luke Abbott’s Modern Driveway EP is out through Notown on 28th May.

Back in November we hosted a mix from Two Inch Punch (SR Mix #108) around the release of his Love You Up EP on PMR. As I wrote then his work on that EP is “emotive and personal” and that kind of connection to his music is a trait he’s furrowing even further into as this recent soundcloud teaser of new material ‘Paint It Red (ft. Mikky Ekko)’ proves. Aside from the information he chose to present with the stream (a tracklist and title) the world knows very little about his upcoming 5 tracker, Saturn: The Slow Jams, but what’s certain is that it’s set to be full of the same kind of contemplation and instrumental vocalization that made tracks like ‘Up In Your Mix’ so endlessly playable.

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Two Inch Punch’s Saturn: The Slow Jams is out 22nd June 2012 through PMR.

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You can catch Two Inch Punch next Friday when Sonic Router takes over Room Three at fabric…

In celebration of London night Tempo Clash’s first birthday, we’re giving stream to this exclusive beat from one of the residential force behind the night, Blue Daisy. Blue’s someone we’ve been in regular contact with since his first dalliances on the Black Acre label in 2009 with his lauded 10” record, Space Ex. Since then he’s released an album, The Sunday Gift and travelled the world performing his music.

Blue’s ‘Brain Study 3 – Alien Nation’ is part experiment, part heavy trip hop. There’s possibly about 5 different ideas going on at once, from the opening torrent of bass feedback through the squalling white noise and eventual running man drum track.

You can catch Daisy at the Tempo Clash first birthday at the Rhythm Factory in Whitechapel , London on Friday 25th May. What started twelve months ago with a 250 person show with King Cannibal and Jon Phonics has morphed into a night that’s based around five residents: Kutmah, Blue Daisy, Om Unit, Kidkanevil and Offshore, a topic that we grilled Kidkanevil on back in November of last year.

For the anniversary they’re assembling once again and inviting an auxiliary team of producers and performers to London to help commemorate the occasion that includes a reunited Instra:mental, Sweatson Klank from the States, beat legend Danny Breaks, Japan’s XLII and newcomer Deft. More info available here.

Full lineup:
Kutmah, Blue Daisy, Om Unit, Kidkanevil, Offshore

+ EMN on Visuals

It’s with regret that we announce that Jim-E Stack is now unable to make the trip over from the States to join us at next Friday’s Sonic Router Room Three takeover at fabric, London, but it’s simply an outcome that circumstances have dictated. We’ve managed to replace him with someone who we’re equally as excited to see close out the room, London’s broken house dynamo: Altered Natives.

He’s someone we’ve written about before – as the star of one of our columns for The Quietus and more generally, in praise of his productions – but, as a producer Danny Native has a heavy handed swagger, an affiliation with broken drum lines and a certain roughness that have all contributed to making his discography the rough diamond that it is.

Oh and p.s., if you didn’t know, he’s the guy who made these:

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Altered Natives joins XI, West Norwood Cassette Library, Two Inch Punch & Wattville in Room Three at fabric next Friday.

More info/tickets here.

Innovative, raw and often riotous, Brighton’s Mumdance, aka Jack Adams, is famed for blending grime, funky, garage and electro cuts in a manner that does away with conventional expectations. The same can also be said of Mumdance the producer. With releases on esteemed label giants Mad Decent and Trouble & Bass he’s also tied in with a number on smaller, more genre-specific imprints such as No Hats No Hoods, but all of his releases convey a united message of non-conformance; the kind that he illustrated so well on the Tarathid EP where he collaborated with emcees Trim and Jammer.

As we approach the half way stage of 2012, Adams has been busy setting the tone for his future projects with a new series of podcasts entitled Different Circles that intend to simply chronicle the things he’s been listening to. Although much of his creative work has been saved for the studio ahead of the release of an anticipated debut album Tomas Fraser reached out to him and secured an hour long mix for the SR x Uncle Albert Mixtape series which features a unique peek into some of his recent productions.

Sonic Router: How has 2012 been for you so far?

Mumdance: I’ve been a bit quiet on the releases front because of the album, plus I did a lot of traveling at the start of the year; I went out to Mexico and Brazil and did some writing out there for a Brazillian band. Since then I’ve just been in my room really. I spent all my money on drum machines and synthesizers so I’m just getting my head down and trying to find where I’m going with my music. I’m taking my time, writing lots and concentrating on putting out good stuff essentially.

I have done an EP with LV though and one track from that is out on Hyperdub soon. I’ve actually been doing a few collaborations to keep things rolling – I’ve also been writing with Logos and we’re putting together an EP at the moment. I really like his sound so it’s been enjoyable working with him; we’re writing a grime banger and a couple of other weird ones.

The mix is typically eclectic and samples a real mix of sounds, what was your thinking with regards to putting it together?

Lately with my mixes I’ve been going down the Different Circles route and I tend to start slow and speed up whilst keeping things broad and generally on the right side of weird. I always try to keep people interested and make sure I put out something that’ll transfer to something I’d do in a club too. This mix is generally a taste of what I’m feeling at the moment.

How has your sound been evolving over the past few years? Have your preferences changed at all?

I’m still varying my music and my palette of sounds but maybe not as much as I have done in the past. What I’m trying to do at the moment is write enough so that I can see the direction I want to take – it may seem like it’s a bit all over the place but I’m just looking for a theme. My sound is definitely evolving though; it’s a bit darker but I find it hard to pin point exactly how or why. I just try to keep things interesting for the listener.

What can we expect from the album?

At the moment I’m just writing a lot of instrumentals and currently looking for a vocalist to make their mark – I want to work with one person ideally to give the album it stamp of consistency. Some of it is straight up electronic music and some of its just weird shit because I’m experimenting a lot. There are even bits that sound 90′s jungle and hardcore inspired in terms of samples and the way the sounds interlock. What I have been doing a lot lately too is listening to genre-specific music at the time it started and trying to piece that together in my own way.

I’m looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

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DOWNLOAD: Mumdance – Sonic Router x Uncle Albert Mix

Tracklist:

1. Logos – Atlanta 96 – Keysound
2. Elgato – Luv Zombie – Hessle
3. Beaumont – Never Love Me – Hotflush
4. Guy Andrews – Hands In Mine – Hotflush
5. Mumdance – Springtime – CDR
6. Mumdance & Logos – In Reverse (pt 1) – CDR
7. L’ombre – South Klingon – Luckybeard
8. CJ Bollard – Pesticide – FFRR
9. Mella Dee – CNTRL – Coyote
10. J Sparrow – Afraid Of Me – CDR
11. Young Dot – Bazooka – White
12. Eastwood & Oddz – Coalition – A.R.M.Y Bullet
13. XTC – Functions On The Low – White
14. Low Deep – Jedi – Colourful State
15. Mumdance – Thugged Out Ecstasy Music – CDR
16. Mumdance & LV – Steak Night – CDR
17. Poosie & Cru-l-t – Hear Me Hear Me – Knightforce
18. Dj Vibes – Obsession (Music So Wonderful) – Asylum
19. Hyper On Experience – Lord Of The Null Lines (Foul Play Rmx) – Moving Shadow
20. Commix – Justified (Spectrasoul rmx) – CDR
21. Nasty Habits – Shadowboxing – 31 Records

Yesterday news hit the internet that the Radiophonic Workshop is to be revived with Matthew Herbert at the helm. And that’s exciting. It’s exciting because making music from weird sound sources is interesting to me let alone because Herbert is involved. Like I said around the release of F.C. Judd’s Practical Electronica the workshop is very much something you can get carried away and lost in researching it at 5am on a Saturday morning, plus making melody from a ruler vibrating on the edge of the desk is just cool. I don’t care what anybody says.

It’s a fact that doesn’t seem to have escaped Carling who are aiming to capture ‘the sound of summer’ in a new launch campaign for Zest, a new 2.8% ABV beer with a ‘light citrus flavour’. They’re launching an app that’ll enable people to construct their own two minute tracks made from samples of ‘summer sounds’ where the best three will win V festival tickets. But aside from the call to friendly competition the whole things a bit of an accidental hint at the incorporation of organic elements in electronic musics; something that a lot of our featured mixers do to make their music stand out from the hordes of other producers equipped with the very same plug ins.

To illustrate their point the brewery enlisted DJ Food, DJ Yoda, and, um, Jaguar Skills to create their own tracks which you can watch at: youtube.com/carlingzest.

They’re then throwing the doors open to the competition from May 23rd when they launch their app. Or, as they put it:

“Music fans can also bottle their own summer using the Carling Zest app from late May. Music fans will be able to turn summer sounds into a two minute track and share it with their friends via social media sites. The best three, chosen by DJ Food, Jaguar Skills and DJ Yoda will win a trip to this year’s V Festival. Following the YouTube app launch, mobile and tablet lite versions will also be available.”

With a slew of distinctly club-focused releases across a wide spread of labels, ranging from Well Rounded to his own Embassy Recordings imprint, Michael Rathburn, aka Distal (SR Mix #59), has established himself as one of the most consistent and reliable artists to dabble in low end hustling. In no small part that reliability had been boosted by Rathburn’s persistent juke/footwork influence and some signature samples, dropped in a similar fashion to the sonic stamps of grime producers. Dominator hoovers, southern rap vocal cuts, gunshots and 808 rimshots crop up with such regularity as Wiley’s eski bleeps and a snippet of JME saying ‘serious’ in their respective output. Though his sound palette was also harvested by peers and wannabes alike as dubstep-leaning juke took off towards the end of 2010, Distal had his own unique wonkiness that led his productions to be a highlight of that uprising. When you have a genuine enthusiasm and energy for the music you’re making, it shows and Rathburn has it.

It comes as a little bit of a surprise then that Civilization, his first full-length effort on Tectonic, is stripped somewhat of those more blatant homages to Chicago’s club bangers. Vintage drum machine syncopations still form the backbone of the majority of what’s on offer, but the bodies Rathburn crafts on top drift between the lucid, spacious and dreamlike to the venomous, sinister and bloodthirsty. He sticks predominantly within the half-time area between 120-140bpm; but that’s the only obvious tie to Pinch’s Tectonic narrative thus far, the album clearly whatever Distal feels defines himself as an individual artist; which just so happens to be a bit more colourful than anything Tectonic has housed previously.

Alongside the evocative and noticeably white artwork, titles like ‘The Sun’ betray his more illuminated modus operandi. Said track begins inconspicuously enough with a pulsating bassline, smirking sample and Pearson Sound-esque snare rolls but it explodes into g-funk synths packed full of vitamin D and a woozy, drunken and flanged out call to ‘come see me in the club’. It’s as if peak hour has already passed and we dive straight in to 4am euphoria. Early highlight ‘Preach On Hustle’ sees those aforementioned sun-drenched synth pads seep in gradually over those vocal samples Rathburn has become so deft at cutting that its led me to imagine it’s how he actually speaks in person – ears out for one of the most radical cowbell treatments in recent years around the second drop too.

Though the LP-format has unquestionably given Distal an aperture for making ‘songs’ instead of tracks, it would be unfair to say that the album is without bangers that would stand alone as system-ready 12” weapons. ‘Venom’ is a deadly blend of dark electro arpeggios, short drum break cuts and sinister samples. ‘Rattlesnake’ is dominated by a growling bassline Danny Weed would be proud of while ‘Drop Like This’ sees Rathburn’s ADD mode turned to overdrive in one of the more juked out tracks served here by the ATLien.

If Distal had delivered an album packed with standalone weapons, much like 140 juke peer and pioneer Addison Grove did recently, it probably would have floated fine within the bass community. But on Civilization he’s eased off juking those limbs and gone out on one instead, leading the listener into unchartered territory like the blend of sensual samples and militant drum rolls over a slow and steady 4/4 kick on the exceptional closer ‘She Wears Pearls’. In an era where multiple aliases are rampant, this should be applauded as an eclectic trip that retains a consistent personality throughout.

Words: Joe Moynihan // Out: Now

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