Boy 8-Bit Returns with Madrigal EP

Today’s post inspiration comes from the paradox I face at work every day, where I crave music that keeps lyrics to a minimum, doesn’t give me a punch in the ear with any wild basslines or surprise drops, but still carries a solid beat that I can groove to in the 9 to 5. Lately, the easy choice has been South London producer Boy 8-Bit.

For those unfamiliar to the name, his music might remind some of longtime friend and mentor Theo Keating, more commonly known as Fake Blood, but his influences reach much deeper than within the UK. French electro, New York hip hop, German minimal, Italian horror film scores, and even 80s video game sound effects shine through in his eclectic style.

I’ve often been undecided on the Boy’s evolution as an artist. I was disappointed with 2010’s Yard Birds EP and productions here and there before that. There seemed to be something missing. But perhaps the musician’s magic is not what you add in but what you leave out – the minimal sounds of his Donut remix are simply beautiful. Either way, #TheBoyIsBack with a massive EP entitled Madrigal.

The title track is an instant hit, dropping a dark, harmonic bastard child of new age electro and 17th century Baroque. The EP was released at the end of June and already all four tracks on the record are getting serious love from the blogworld, show Boy 8-Bit some love by grabbing it from Beatport.

Look out for more Boy 8 Bit this year. He’ll be a regular on the support crew of major tours, festivals, and club shows. As great as it is to have my music at work, I’ll be looking forward to these tunes in a heavier atmosphere – where they were meant to be played after all.

CHECK OUT BOY 8-BIT’S WEBSITE

Madrigal – Boy 8-Bit

Fire Extinguisher – Boy 8-Bit

Phase IV - Boy 8-Bit

Tropical Heat - Boy 8-Bit

The Cricket Scores - Boy 8-Bit

The Suspense Is Killing Me - Boy 8-Bit

Donut (Boy 8-Bit Remix) – M.A.N.D.Y. vs Booka Shade

Skream & Benga lead dub’s charge

It’s rare in this day and age to see #livingpioneers of any particular genre of music. Many of the geniuses behind rock and roll, hip hop, funk, and even pop music have passed on for various reasons, leaving an influence that isn’t quick to be forgotten. But as the spooky sounds of dubstep keep converting more listeners, we see the start of music movement while watching two of their masters shape it. As dubstep grows, Skream & Benga, continue to produce, create, and evolve.

The stories may differ depending on who is telling them, but it’s generally accepted that dubstep started in Croydon-based Apple Records, where Skream and Benga, among other godfathers of the genre, produced purposely darker dance music. As local media outlets, targeted club nights, and UK youth looking for something different boosted dub’s exposure, the genre added in flavours of UK garage and hypnotic vocals to break through to a wider audience.

Skream and Benga, though, have not abandoned their roots. Skream is rumoured to have over 8,000 mostly unreleased recordings, they both still cut dubplates every week, and it’s clear to see the wobbly basslines live through in even their current productions.

They’ve also pioneered the first ever dubstep supergroup in Magnetic Man with long time friend Artwork to produce radio-friendly but bass-heavy (and in some cases, HEAVY) jams, an electrifying live show, and arguably the most interesting Radio 1 Essential Mix I’ve ever heard.

Check out the download pack, I’ve thrown in some old, some new from both Skream and Benga, as well as some of Magnetic Man’s finest work. From the single that started it all in Midnight Request Line, to the track that brought dubstep to North America in Skream’s In For The Kill Remix, to the pounding Karma Crazy, to powerful drum ‘n bass in I Love You So and Listenin…, this bundle has it all.

SKREAM ON BEATPORT | BENGA ON BEATPORT | MAGNETIC MAN ON BEATPORT

Midnight Request Line – Skream

In For The Kill (Skream’s Let’s Get Ravey Mix) – La Roux

Listenin’ To The Records On My Wall – Skream

Boat Party – Skream

I Love You So (Skream Remix) – Cassius

Crunked Up – Benga

Ho – Benga ft. Youngman

Karma Crazy – Magnetic Man

Perfect Stranger – Magnetic Man ft. Katy B

Afrojack is unstoppable.

It seems every week the producer/DJ puts out a new cool-as-fuck banger, each with a similar pattern: a long, bouncy buildup, a calm before the storm break, add in a few symphony pieces and maybe a vocal sample, and get ready for the juiciest drop of Dutch House you’ve ever heard.

This formula has paid off with respect from a wide range of music critics. The hardest of which, the DJ Mag Top 100 rankings, introduced him at #19 in 2010, the highest debut ever for a first-timer. Meanwhile, as a Hype Machine favourite, bedroom DJs from across the blogworld salivate at the chance to mash up his monster instrumentals with catchy vocals.

Add in a summer of festival hopping, a residency in Las Vegas, and production credits on some of pop music’s biggest stars (see: Beyonce), and it’s easy to see the Dutch producer’s dominance. Afrojack is, in the words of one of his latest creations, #DoingItRight.

Check out a monster pack of Afrojack essentials. First up, the original mixes, with collabo’s from Sidney Samson, David Guetta, and R3hab to name a few.

SHOW AFROJACK SOME LOVE ON BEATPORT

Doing It Right – Afrojack

Pop On Acid – Afrojack

Replica – Afrojack

Quacky – Afrojack & Sidney Samson

Louder Than Words – Afrojack & David Guetta

Take Over Control – Afrojack ft. Eva Simmons

Prutataaa – Afrojack & R3hab

Next up: Check out some gems from mashup kings Mighty Mi, DEFEP, and DOSVEC, all featuring Afrojack on the instrumentals. Enjoy!

La La La (Afrojack vs. LMFAO) – DJ Mighty Mi

Rolling It Right (Afrojack vs. Adele) – DEFEP        ***DANCEFLOORS LOOK OUT***

Run The World (Afrojack vs. Beyonce) – DOSVEC

With today as the official start to summer, I’m pretty eager to see what ends up becoming this year’s anthem. Last year’s winners included the hypnotic summer edit of Swoon, the fist-pumping One, and the insanely addictive disco masterpiece Barbra Streisand.

We’ve barely scratched the surface of the season and already we’ve got a mixed bag of familiar faces all contending for this year’s trophy. From chilled out two-steps to the heaviest of house, here’s a short list of my favourite dance tunes so far this summer.

Starting off is Canadian Chilly Gonzales’ You Can Dance, a groovy piano number to start up the party

You Can Dance – Chilly Gonzales

Had to throw in a bit of chillstep for those hungover sundays dockside. Rusko’s remix keeps a mellow bass to compliment Sunday Girl’s vocals

Stop Hey (Rusko Remix) – Sunday Girl

Duck Sauce’s entry this year should be officially released later this summer, but just like with Barbra last year, artists just can’t wait and are jumping the gun by remixing the disco sample themselves.

Goody Two Shoes (Viceroy Edit) – Duck Sauce

Foster The People’s Pumped Up Kicks is already dominating radio across the country. Gigamesh adds in a four to the floor to make this a dancefloor killer

Pumped Up Kicks (Gigamesh Remix) – Foster The People

There’s no question DJ Kue will be a busy man this summer, injecting Top 40 radio hits with his signature sound. Until then check out his funky remix of a Drake & Nicki Minaj smash

Moment 4 Life (DJ Kue Remix) – Nicki Minaj ft. Drake

Earlier this year Deadmau5 debuted Raise Your Weapon, a 10 minute fuse of progressive and dubstep. Add in 17-year old French electro producer Madeon, and hit play as the summer sun sets

Raise Your Weapon (Madeon Extended Remix) – Deadmau5

Not sure if this one will be as big as Hello, but Martin Solveig returns with a follow up dosage of radio friendly dance-pop on this one

Ready 2 Go – Martin Solveig ft. Kele

You can’t help but dance on this next one. Finally Avicii dropped the 320 kbps version with a Pretty Lights vocal sample right before the season started

Levels (ID) – Avicii

Calvin Harris returns after Awooga to offer up a playful hook on Bounce. Add in Kelis’ vocals and you’ve got an instant dancefloor classic.

Bounce (Extended Mix) – Calvin Harris ft. Kelis

Finally, SHM follows up their mammoth summer last year with what already could be 2011’s anthem. This is the kind of song that when you hear it years later will take you back to the memories of 2011.

Save The World Tonight – Swedish House Mafia

Mustard Pimp might just be the hardest working group in electronic music. They have pulled off some of the bigger #jawdroppers seen in the last few years.

They first lured listeners in with Hercules, the 12-part mix series inspired by the labours of the Greek hero. Next, they doubled up the dosage with the Jack Bauer Mixtape, unleashing a 24-hour epic (yes you read that right), with a different genre in each hour. And it doesn’t stop there. Most recently, they’ve released the 8th edition of the Catastrophe Mixtape Series.

The Mustard Pimp sound is unmistakable. It is truly chaotic in every production. Yet somehow the Dim Mak twosome is able to create rhythm out of the noisiest beats. Gold starts off with a build fit for a spaghetti western, then drops with the darkest of synths. Tracks like Oh La La Satan, Cherry, and the remix to Fresh Prince of Bel Air (YES) show off the happy-go-lucky bounce that’s reminiscent of Italian electro.

Further down the track bundle, the Kylesa remix meshes together metal, screamo, and 8-bit to make a sounds of a melting computer. Their latest single, Money Shot, hands the reins to Jimmy Urine for an electro-rock hybrid. Check it all out below!

Mustard Pimp on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud | Purchase Mustard Pimp music on BEATPORT

CAUTION: ALL TRACKS ARE SUPER HEAVY!

Gold! – Mustard Pimp

Oh La La Satan – Mustard Pimp

Cherry – Mustard Pimp

Fresh Prince of Bel Air (Mustard Pimp Remix) – Will Smith

Heads Off (Mustard Pimp Remix) – Dirty Disco Youth

Scapegoat (Mustard Pimp Remix) – Kylesa

Money Shot – Mustard Pimp

Alright blog hiatus over. Time to throw down some serious tuneage for the loyal fans. This edition comes straight from Toronto from a duo that is starting to gain the respect they deserve on the international scene.

Zeds Dead, consisting of members DC and Hooks, is a reference to a line in the classic Pulp Fiction. And these guys don’t mess around – they are quickly becoming the new #RudeBoys of dubstep. After years of battling in the trenches of the local Bassmentality crowds, they’ve been rewarded with a worldwide tour, and most recently, a minimix on BBC Radio 1. You know you’ve really made it when you get featured on MuchMusic! (I don’t even think one of those 15 year olds knew what they were getting into…)

Check out the track lineup of a few originals, remixes, and edits from other Hubvibes favourite artists. Standouts include White Satin, which drops an ancient vocal sample on top of a dirty two-step drum beat, and Rude Boy, which goes even further off the edge of heavy with a verse by MC Cobra. Enjoy!

1975 – Zeds Dead

White Satin – Zeds Dead

Volcano (Zeds Dead Remix) – Dragonette

Rude Boy ft. Omar Linx (Kissy Sell Out & MC Cobra Remix) – Zeds Dead

Here Comes The Boom – Zeds Dead

Eyes on Fire (Zeds Dead Remix) – Blue Foundation

BONUS VIDEO – I have no idea who made this. But it is amazing.

1975 Zeds Dead

What’s up blogworld, sorry for the delay in posting, it’s been a busy week here at Hubvibes with releases on Beatport and JUNO Music.

I actually had something completely different to post today but after listening to Kissy Sell Out’s album, Wild Romance, I had to throw up a few tracks from this release. Described as “one of the most exciting, charismatic and entertaining DJs of the decade” by Mixmag in 2009, Kissy has seen continued success in his BBC Radio 1 DJ duties and is now picking up steam, truly mastering the #CrossoverEffect that DJs fail to break through when they try their luck at production.

Kissy Sell Out’s 12-track sophmore album features arrangements similar to that of an electronic orchestra. Distorted cellos and synthesized clarinets are common on tracks like Little Angel, while MC Cobra’s island rhythm on Turn It On beefs up a a funky trombone bassline. With Kissy as the conductor, the energy stays high through buzzing drum n bass and speed garage. While his radio show continues to roll, Kissy Sell Out’s evolution as a producer is a welcome treat for the start of the summer.

Check out a few tracks from Wild Romance, and buy the album here.

Little Angel – Kissy Sell Out

Redrinkulous – Kissy Sell Out

Turn It On (ft. MC Cobra) – Kissy Sell Out

Something Extraordinary – Kissy Sell Out

Gotta be honest, I’ve been waiting to post about Joker since I first started writing this blog. There is a crew of solo, single-named UK producers that are as relevant today in the dubstep scene as they were when they pioneered the sound. See: Skream, Benga, Rusko, Caspa, Emalkay, Nero, TC. But one Bristol native sticks out from the pack: the man known as JOKER.

Named the 2009 “king of bass music” by XLR8R magazine, Joker is a true #DubSoldier, exposing dubstep to new audiences while keeping true to its roots. Verses with some of the best of Britain’s grime scene layered over halfstep drops give Joker a signature sound in a genre where at times, too much noise can dilute the musical talent.

His latest release, The Vision, featuring the hypnotic vocalist Jessie Ware, is set to explode as the first single off his long-awaited album. Be sure to also check out his consistently dope remix work, tackling Gorillaz, Devlin, Professor Green, and my personal favourite, his remix of The Heavy. Finally, his lyricless single Tron gets a dark twist with the VIP mix to round up the sample pack.

[GRAB 'THE VISION' ON JUNO DOWNLOAD]

The Vision (Breathe In) – Joker ft. Jessie Ware

Let It Go (ft. Labrinth) (Joker Remix) – Devlin

Doncamatic (Joker Remix) – Gorillaz

Just Good To Be Green (Joker Remix) – Professor Green ft. Lily Allen

How You Like Me Now (Joker Remix) – The Heavy

Tron – Joker [Kapsize]

Tron (VIP Mix) – Joker [Kapsize]

There are a number of artists who may boast the title of re-inventing the remix. Girl Talk, the former duo TRV$DJAM, and a variety of hip-hop superstars might try to share the title of bringing back the #remixtorelevance.

But the remix is so often looked at as a simple rearrangement of existing musical elements. Shifting the drums around, throwing in a beatmasher during the chorus, and an extra heavy bass drop and somehow you’ve got yourself an original.

The Remix Artist Collective, comprised of Andre Allen Anjos (Portland, OR / Portugal), Andrew Maury (NYC), and Karl King (Portland, OR). Together they form the eclectic group that has given familiar indie rock hits a new twist.

You might call them the classical composers of electronic dance music. Instead of simple rearrangement to hit a new sound, they infuse a healthy dose of synths, 808 drum samples, and melodic hooks to truly build up the warmth of each track. Each one is truly a musical gem, every unique beat and note is in there for a reason.

And they are so busy at work, not even the blogosphere can keep up. With single tracks and full album releases flooding the internet, it is hard to miss their upbeat sound. Check out their tracks below, especially the Houdini remix, to be the anthem of sunny afternoons and baby-making all summer long.

[RAC Website, Facebook, Soundcloud]

Houdini (RAC Mix) – Foster The People

Second Chance (RAC Mix) – Peter Bjorn & John

Home (RAC Mix) – Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Alligator (RAC Mix) – Tegan & Sara

…And check out RAC’s latest full-length release, Vol. 2, available for download via Soundcloud

RAC VOL 2 by RAC

This chapter comes from one of Hubvibes’ own rising stars. Combining addictive beats from electro house, progressive, and techno, Scott James has been able to develop his own sound of pounding bass, deep drums, and chaotic top lines.

Check out some of Scott’s original work below. The collaboration with Alex Diaz on Vitamin teases out a booming drop with playful back-and-forth synths, while Dirty Jacket builds up with anthemic chords. To top that, Scott’s latest monthly mix tribute to Offset’s Crowd Control Anniversary might be his best yet, dropping an hour’s worth of some of the hottest tech house tunes.

And Mr. James is no stranger to the starlight. As a regular stage-mate of some of house music’s biggest names (see: Benny Benassi, Mark Knight, Morgan Page), Scott is beginning to take over the Montreal scene. Next stop, the rest of the world.

[CHECK OUT SCOTT'S PERSONAL WEBSITE]

[CHECK OUT SCOTT'S SOUNDCLOUD PAGE]

Scott James & Alex Diaz – Vitamin

Scott James – Dirty Jacket

Scott James – Lucky Stars

Scott James – MAY 2011 MIXTAPE – Offset’s Crowd Control One Year Anniversary