grindin

Besides working hard on his newly started Congaloid label, Italian born but London residing producer/dj Stefano Ritteri AKA Solo is busy putting together blissful remixes such as this one of forthcoming single “Unhappy Ending” from Canadian singstress Jenna Andrews.

It might be a slow burner but it’s an excellent slow burner with soulful vocals, a chugging bassline and church bells tolling in the background that has us grooving out here at Discobelle HQ.

Late last week Vampire Weekend’s Chris Baio put out his third solo EP, this one coming through Berlin based imprint Greco-Roman Ltd. Get a listen to the Summer-friendly “Tanto” below and scroll the rest of his Sunburn EP over on iTunes. If you like what you hear, perhaps you might want to check out a Baio DJ set, well…

Baio on tour: May 3 – San Francisco @ Popscene May 12 – Toronto @ Hoxton May 25 – New York @ Le Bain (The Starland) May 31 – Austin @ The Belmont June 3 – Houston @ Roak June 15 – London @ Lovebox June 15 – London @ XOYO August 3 – Los Angeles @ HARD Summer

Baio – Tanto (feat. Matias Aguayo) (buy)

 

Nothing adds flavor to an outfit like a well-constructed timepiece. Let’s be honest, rocking bare wrists isn’t cool. It’s been a fashion faux pas for ages. The right timepiece not only dresses up a pair of Jays, Jeans and a Tee but it’s dope enough to keep you standing out while you’re at the office with the cookie cutters.

As I perused my mental Rolodex of fly watchmakers I realized that I had to mention Uniform Wares. They’re an amazing brand out of London that is firmly rooted in classic British design and contemporary styling. They’re watches come in an array of color ways and offer a sleek minimalistic design.

Their brand doesn’t scream “look at me” but, with a sense of quite confidence, whispers “I know you see me”. Currently ranging from £120.00 to £390.00 your bound to find something to suit your tastes.

I’m interested to see what they offer in the weeks to come. I know they’re soon to release the new 302 series which has been a year in development.

Check out their website for more. 

 

Aaron Frank has been hustlin, hustlin.

With American dubstep mutating into ever-undesirable forms, it’s satisfying to see the artists on Oakland’s West In Dust label adding their own flare to the recent revivals in house and UK bass. Most of these artists have been making silky, uptempo electronic jams since well before the dubstep craze landed on American soil and their efforts are significantly more complex and evolved than the typical 15-year old working off a freshly pirated copy of Fruit Loops. And though they may not have gotten the attention of fellow boutique labels like FoF Music, West In Dust recently released an impressive free compilation and their schedule of upcoming releases should see them on the same playing field soon.

West In Dust 2012 spotlights 14 new tracks that run the gamut from ambient-inspired, Tim Hecker-style tracks to more upbeat, club-centric material a la Salva and B. Bravo. The common thread linking everything together is each artist’s well-defined style, particularly that of the more seasoned talent like Placeholder, Yalls and Xavier Leon. Label founders Glenn Jackson, who moonlights as a writer for XLR8R, and Dave Reep, known under the moniker Elephant and Castle, both make impressive contributions as well, but Placeholder’s “Pot Pan” will likely be remembered as the most staggering of the lot.

Sampling D’Angelo’s “Left and Right,” the vocals on “Pot Pan” are stretched, contorted and layered over a funky, neck-breaking rhythm comprised of heavy bass and gentle, hazy synths. Put simply, it’s Placeholder killing James Blake on his own shit. The East Coast producer will release a new EP on West In Dust later this year. Also set for an upcoming release on the label is 20-year old producer Medla, who combines the field sampling wizardry of Mount Kimbie with a heavy-hitting uptempo drum pattern on “Ruhl.” Most of the inspirations on the compilation originate from the UK underground, but artists like Placeholder and Medla are pushing forward on their own terms to some pretty incredible results.

West In Dust 2012 features artists from such far-flung locales as London and Australia, but the majority are US-based, mainly in California. Looking at it from a distance though, the compilation serves as an odd testament to the power of the internet in recent years. If up-and-coming producers from Atlanta and Chicago can bond over influences with producers in Sydney and London, it’s stands to reason that they should also find common ground when it comes to the atrociousness of Skrillex and David Guetta.

Download: ZIP: V/A – West is Dust 2012 Compilation (Left-Click)

 

Body Work release number three, LPZ ’1983 EP’ is in the shops now, a 3 tracker of body shocking proportions that has been getting all sorts of people from XLR8R to DJ Mag excited and now comes complete with a suitably retro video, directed by Ely Dagher of Beaver & Beaver.

Paraguay’s finest have also been busy piecing together two new DJ mixes for your pleasure, a choice selection of upfront house, garage and disco for Clash Magazine and a wonderful mix of electro boogie all from 1983 for Dazed & Confused.

Check this ill piece on the upcoming 2012 BKc Summer Collection!

Named “Behind The Seam, The BKc Satin Series”, in it you see photos on the process in which it takes to make the Maroon Satin Varsity Jacket. I’m thinking Tuxedos next?

As I looked through and noticed the portrayal of craftsmanship and the metallic look of the Satin, I thought..blacksmith. A blacksmith takes his/her work seriously and focuses on the final product not worrying about the amount of time it takes to get it right and I know the folks at BKc create with that same intensity.

The 2012 BKc Summer Collection is set to launch next Saturday on the 26th at the Brooklyn Circus NYC and the following week for the fam on the West, June 2nd.

Feel free to browse the site a little do some shopping, you might even see a familiar face.

 

I think it’s safe to assume that Choas In The CBD‘s new Dusty Sundays EP (via Amadeus Records) will be on heavy rotation in the coming Summer months. It’s a four track release with three originals and an incredible remix from none other than Jack Dixon; all of which fall under my favorite genre: Deep House. Stream the promo mix below and show your support by picking up a copy on Beatport.

Chaos In The CBD, Dusty Sundays EP Promo Mix (buy)

Reggie Watts is a man who wears many hats, that is if they could fit over his giant afro.  The singer/songwriter/musician/comic who TV Guide described as the “love child of Zach Galifianakis and Jack Black” has created a hilarious and innovative live show that perfectly straddles the fence between weird and brilliant.  Did I mention that his show is almost entirely improvised? The son of a United States Air Force officer, Watts lived in Germany and Spain before relocating to Great Falls, Montana where piano, violin and drama classes would be the beginning of a career in the arts.  Watts would move to Seattle after graduation and go on to play in several Seattle area bands before fronting the soul, rock and hip hop band Maktub.  It was during this time that Watts started experimenting with looping machines and started improvising entire songs during his sets.

Watts’ solo career took off with the viral videos “What About Blowjobs?” and (my personal favorite) “Fuck Shit Stack” which led to an opening spot on the Conan O’Brien’s “Prohibited from Being Funny on Television” tour.  The Couch Sessions caught up with Reggie Watts to discuss his second Comedy Central special, his recently launched spring tour and how Skrillex ruined dubstep.

The Couch Sessions:  Comedy skits, stand-up and music:  you don’t fit into one particular “box”.  How would you describe a Reggie Watts show?

Reggie Watts:  I would call it a multimedia, comedic performance.

The Couch Sessions: How did you develop your stage show?

Reggie Watts:  It just kinda became what it is over time.  Yeah, it’s just kinda been stuff that I would do in my basement or my bedroom as a little kid.  (It’s) the same stuff I’m doing now so it was kinda already pre-developed.

http://soundcloud.com/reggiewatts/thus-far-alternate

The Couch Sessions:  Did you go to an arts high school?

Reggie Watts:  It was a public high school but they had a drama program, a speech and debate and drama program.

The Couch Sessions: What were some of your early influences, what inspired your act stage show to what it is today?

Reggie Watts: …definitely Monty Python, The Muppets, Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks movies, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, George Carlin.  Stand-up was really big back in the 80’s, like it kinda had a renaissance then.  Paula Poundstone, Bobcat Goldthwait, Judy Tenuta, all those people, Billy Crystal, they all had an effect on my upbringing for sure.

The Couch Sessions:  The majority of your show is improvised.  Has any of your equipment ever malfunctioned during a show?

Reggie Watts:  Yeah, definitely.  Sometimes a sampler button doesn’t work, so I can’t stop the recording when I need to so it won’t loop right or something.  Usually if that happens, I just kinda improvise with whatever it is; I try to solve the problem and try to keep it entertaining while I’m solving the problem.  If it stops working I still have another sampler so I can still do the show, even if all the samplers stopped working I probably can still do something with the show.

The Couch Sessions: Do you think the audience knows or do you just have this down to a science?

Reggie Watts:  Well, some people might know, like musicians or people who work with gear might know.  Some people might not know because I always screw with things and make them feel like it’s broken or it’s not working anyways so it kinda ends up covering for something actually not working.

The Couch Sessions:  Could you explain what a “Fuck Shit Stack” is?

Reggie Watts:  [Laughs] I don’t know what it is…

The Couch Sessions:  Before you answer that I have to tell you that “Fuck Shit Stack” was my theme song. My best friend and I would quote it constantly.

Reggie Watts:  [Laughs] That’s awesome!  Yeah, I really don’t know what it is, I was just thinking of a dumb chorus to the rest of the song you know?  I was doing a song once in a while for shows; it just ended up being that was just the chorus, “Fuck Shit Stack”.  I never really imagined what it is; I just got the words out and then let everyone else imagine what it is.

The Couch Sessions:  Your second comedy special, Reggie Watts A Live in Central Park, recently premiered on Comedy Central.  What was it like filming that?

Reggie Watts:  It was fairly easy, in that it was a gig that was already scheduled to happen.  So I thought, Central Park is kinda an iconic place, so why not do the special there.  So the director, Duncan (Skiles), got his crew together and set it up to cover it.  Then, I told him I wanted to do video sketches, you know, we had some big ideas but we kind of waited to the last minute so Duncan made an outline for some sketches that took place all over Central Park.  We just kind of went for it, made it happen.

The Couch Sessions:  Would you consider this performance the highlight of your career so far?

Reggie Watts: Gosh, I guess I would, I mean it’s definitely one of the highlights for sure, yeah for sure.  It’s a trippy thing, when you play so many gigs, you don’t have a lot of time to look back on it.  I remember other shows for other reasons, but that show was definitely dope.

The Couch Sessions:  Did Skrillex really ruin dubstep?

Reggie Watts:  [Laughs] I mean, it was kind of a joke, but I mean, kind of.  It was a bunch of people really, like all things, you know house or techno, and there are always people who are going to capitalize on it.  It’s kind of a natural thing, I don’t blame anybody or I don’t blame any art form for that happening.  But definitely, Skrillex was all over the place, he’s like the face of it, whether he wanted to be or not.  I was kind of joking but it’s also partially true [Laughs].

The Couch Sessions:  Your latest comedy special just came out on cd/dvd, you just started your spring tour, what do you have coming up next?

Reggie Watts: I have the Comedy Bang Bang on IFC, that’s coming on June 8.  After that just a lot of festivals and things of that nature.  No projects planned, I’m going to be definitely working on some music projects but nothing definitive yet.

Thus Far (Alternate) by reggiewatts

 

For more information on Reggie Watts, visit his website, Facebook, and Twitter

Reggie Watts – Live at the 9:30 Club / Monday, May 21, 2012 / WDC

 

 

Baio (aka Chris Baio, bassist for Vampire Weekend) has just released his debut solo EP on Greco-Roman, three tracks of sun kissed tropical, balearic, psychedelic loveliness. I’ve had it on repeat for a couple of weeks now and now you can buy/check it out on Soundcloud.

GREC023 – Baio ‘Sunburn EP’ by Greco-Roman

Catch Chris DJ’ing this Friday (May 25) at Le Bain in New York and in London June 15 at XOYO.

Producers of the James Bond series has released its first trailer of their new movie “Skyfall”.  Set to release in the U.S. on November 9 2012, “Skyfall”  stars Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem. Let’s hope it’s a lot better than “Quantum of Solace” (in my humblest hopes and opinion). And by the looks of the trailer, I’m thoroughly amped! Check out the trailer below.

Here’s a new track straight off K.R.I.T.’s debut album Live From The Underground which drops June 5th. I’m really loving the energy this track has and the Mississippi native is riding a wave of momentum of his previous projects to bring us what I believe will be a bonafide, classic album. Checkout Big K.R.I.T.’s “Yeah Dats Me” below and make sure to check out the album when it drops June 5th. Peace.

Want to party hard next Saturday the 26th of May when Diplo will be over for the murderation of Nokia Factory in Helsinki? It will be a smashing night and as usual with all events at Nokia factory, you can't buy tickets to get in, it's with invitation only. But don't worry swordsman, we got 3 avec tickets to give away. Just hit us on the comment field and be quick. We'll do the warm-up for Dip alongside the Clap Dance Djs, see you there! What was the competition question somebody asked? There's no competition, just hit want/need in comments field and we'll be in touch.

Discobelle exclusive, video for Swedish producer/dj Mayka and her new tribalinfused single “Lie” that dropped today on Uniform Beat.

BONUS: The vocal edit of previous single “Bonanza” which appears as a bonus track on “Lie”:

Son Raw would like to invite the producers of the following tunes to send him promotional copies.

Dubplates. Originally a term referring to the actual physical acetates of unreleased material cut by Jamaican sound system DJs seeking an edge over their competitors, the meaning of the word had shifted in the digital era to mean unreleased music in any format. They provide the shock of the new when seeing a big name DJ and the awe that comes with the feeling of never knowing if you’ll ever hear a piece of music again but they can also be frustrating – you may never hear that piece of music again! Of course that track you’ve been waiting for MIGHT get released in 3, 6 maybe 9 months but by then it’ll have been rinsed so hard on radio and in the dance that you may not even want it anymore, you’ll be too busy fiending for the next dub. With that in mind, here are three scorching riddims burning up the Grime scene right now that can’t be found in stores. Coming to a rave near you!

1. Splurt Diablo – J3

An explosively accelerated version of Wu-Tang’s classic Protect Your Neck beat, Splurt’s J3 has been floating around the Internet for a minute now with no official release in sight, which is a shame because it’s the kind of tune that’ll get an instant reaction among Hip-Hop heads furiously trying to place that Underdog sample. Hopefully Wiley’s recent vocal as part of his “Step” series will encourage a label to pick this one up and give it a proper home because it’s just too massive to stay in the hands of the chosen few. Download: Wiley – Step 2 (over J3)

2. Darq E. Freaker – Ironside (Kill Bill)

This one isn’t even on Youtube. Another beneficiary of Wiley’s recent freestyle series, Ironside jacks a hair-raising synth sample from Kill Bill and turns it into a massive beat that splits the difference between trap-ready hi hat science and dance floor propulsion. I imagine clearance might be a bitch when it comes to this one so hopefully it sees the light of day in one form or another because it’s an instant winner and a far more clever use of the Kill Bill soundtrack than the million and one beats that have jacked Nancy Sinatra’s “Bang Bang” over the past decade. Download: Darq E Freaker – Ironside (Kill Bill) (Clip) Download: Wiley Step 7 (over Ironside)

D.O.K – Old Skool Vibes

Finally, this beat is so elusive that I had to rip it from an Elijah & Skilliam Rinse set and even then, all I managed to get was this one minute clip. Perhaps best known for his collaborations with Terror Danjah and his left-field releases on Hyperdub, D.O.K is one of those underrated Grime producers that truly deserves some extra shine. Old Skool Vibes flips an ecstatic diva sample into a wordless orgy of melisma before re-enforcing things with pounding sub bass stabs and nimble percussion. It’s a virtuoso performance and one that needs a full release. Et tu Kode9? Download: D.O.K – Old Skool Vibes (clip)

 

                                         

Remember Babe, Terror? he began making his music for something to soundtrack long late night walks around Sao Paulo…he uses only his own voice and lo-fi recording equipment to create a planet of sound that’s like a voyeuristic view from inside his head as he explores the city. In 2010 Phantasy released two Babe, Terror’s EPs – ‘Summertime Our League’ (with remixes from Appleblim & Arkist and Four Tet) & ‘Havai’ EP (with remixes from Memory Tapes & Duke Dumont).

Liked it? well, there’s some good news…

I’d like to introduce to you the guy behind our next release on Phantasy. His name is Claudio, but makes music under the name Babe, Terror. He is making some of the strangest, most mesmerising and challenging music right now. It’s a bit like My Bloody Valentine and Four Tet re-imagined thru the ears of a boy from Brazil, well, that’s just a small part of it. Please go to his page and take a listen to his music…oh, and if you thought the Lemonade CDr vinyl was mindblowing, wait for PH 17 ‘Knights’ EP by Babe, Terror. Erol Alkan x

Over the past two weeks Claudio has picked & posted up some tracks on his Facebook page – here they are in case you missed them;

VON ZAMLA-HARUJANTA Love these crazy voices and the no-drums intro     LOTUS-ZERO Spring-like Swedish psych-gem for an Autumnal sunny Saturday     INNER CITY-GOOD LOVE (LUCIANO REMIX) A great track to start a set with or drop late night – Luciano at his best. I love to loop it at around 6 minutes and bring in another song.     NORTHSIDE SOUND-LINES OF RHYMES My idea of perfect sampling.     IAN CARR’S NUCLEUS-MYSTERIES Song of the day     NERVOUS GENDER-CARDINAL NEWMAN True obscurity in obscurity     BLAKULLA-IDOLEN One of the finest from the mysterious Blåkulla     DUAS-GUILHERME ARANTES & MOTO PERPETUO Maybe the best Brazilian composer x2′     Make sure you’re following Babe, Terror on Facebook // Twitter // Soundcloud // Tumblr

UK producer Jam City with a superb new mix for Night Slugs, in anticipation of his upcoming debut album “Classical Curves” which is due to be released May 28th.

“The Classical Genesis Mix demonstrates the type of collision that Jam City has achieved so ingeniously on his debut LP: Frenzied, sweat-drenched machine muzik that belongs just as much on the warehouse floor as it does the silky, twilight world its creator resides in. It’s part mission statement, part tribute, part documentary. Glide with it.”

Jam City – Classical Genesis Mix (direct link)

UK house group K-Klass with some of their hits made before they slowly slipped back out of the spotlight.

We all met at the Hacienda in 1988. We had met before, though. Me and Carl had done some gigs in Chester supporting 808 State. Andy and Carl were already pretty established, but we had no gear at the time – it was basically an SH-101 and a little Tandy mixer. We took about five tracks to Eastern Bloc in Manchester, just to see what they thought. We didn’t have a name for the band or anything, and the tracks were just numbers, but they were really keen, and we put it out on a white label. We were playing a lot of live shows at the time, and used to take along boxloads of stuff to sell, and it went down really well. – Paul Roberts.

MP3: K Klass – Rhythm Is A Mystery MP3: K Klass – Let Me Show You

The Carry Nation – This Bitch Is Alive ft. Viva Ruiz (Gavin Russom Remix)

out now on Batty Bass Records. Get it from Beatport.