New Music: Killer Mike and EL-P aka Run the Jewels- Blockbuster Night Pt. 1

After releasing the amazing Run the Jewels album last year, Killer Mike and El-P have teamed up once again for the upcoming album Run The Jewels Pt. 2. Listen above to the first single "Blockbuster Night Pt. 1" in which the two MCs make it clear that they're back, and they're strictly down to business.

Listen: Stream the New Rustie Album "Green Language" Now

Glasgow producer Rustie returns for his follow up to 2011's phenomenal Glass Swords with his brand new album "Green Language". The album features artists such as Danny Brown, Gorgeous Children, and Redinho.

Listen to the full album via Pandora here

I'll be posting my review of the album very soon.

Album Review: Porter Robinson- Worlds

So in the recent EDM uprising of the past few years, a notable name has been 22 year old producer/DJ Porter Robinson, who gained popularity for his electro house hits such as "Language". But fast-forward two years later, and the EDM style which Porter was a part of is now something that people associate with molly-induced deaths and cheesy mainstream hits with a lack of originality. So what is someone who wants to be considered a legitimate artist to do when their genre goes down under? you find genres which never became "uncool", and you take some notes from the artists within those genres and figure out how these sounds managed to stay fresh. In Porter's case, he ditched the dying sound he used to be a part of, and gravitated towards sounding like the indie-electronic acts of recent years such as M83, Chvrches, Purity Ring, and Passion Pit. When I heard the first single off this album "Sea of Voices", the M83 influence was undeniable, and as a big fan of Anthony Gonzales I had quite a bit of excitement for this album, but unfortunately Robinson doesn't manage to make this album as exciting or attention grabbing as the acts I mentioned above.

First off, I must say that despite the dull moments of this album, I do give props to Mr. Robinson for creating such a rich production. In a world where he could have made a ton of money off of an album of EDM club bangers, it was a bit of a bold move for him to move to the M83-influenced direction. There are lots of good ideas and layered, detailed productions with rich synths, but the chords oftentimes are just not that interesting, and a lot of the songs tend to go on for too long. I guess for someone who has never listened to the artists who influenced Porter on this album, it would sound very fresh and original, but for those who have, this album often feels full of recycled ideas. Maybe I might be going a little harsh on him, because after all it is a step in the right direction from where he could have gone with this album. Some of the moments where he really shines on here include the 80's sounding "Flicker", "Hear the Bells" (which takes a lot from M83), and "Sea of Voices" (which also sounds like M83, hah). I know it's not professional of me to bring up the same point on how Porter sounds a lot like other artists on here, but the similarities are too obvious to ignore. There are some good ideas on here and some very grand, detailed production, but Porter's lack of originality and personal style take away from how good this album actually could be. If he can define his style some more, I hope to hear some better works from Mr. Robinson in the future.

Album Rating: 7.2/10
Listen to the full album here or download it here

Porter Robinson- "Sea of Voices"

New Music:Diversa- Brazil

Stumbled upon a brand new gem from mysterious producer Diversa called "Brazil", and this experimental deep-house song will certainly get that brain dancing with some highly altered vocal samples and sub bass deep enough to rattle your bones

Listen on soundcloud here

Just In: Aphex Twin Announces New Album "Syro"

After a mysterious blimp (as seen above) was spotted floating above London with Aphex Twin's symbol on it. The man himself who has been out of the limelight for a while now has tweeted a link to a deep web page containing the track list for his upcoming first album since 2001. The album is called Syro and contains 12 tracks on it. Stay tuned in, I dont think this is the last of the mysterious clues that RDJ has up his sleeve.

New Music: Captain Murphy (aka Flying Lotus)- Cosplay

If Steven Ellison aka Flying Lotus hasn't been making enough buzz lately over his upcoming album You're Dead, he  has released a new single under his rap moniker Captain Murphy called "Cosplay".

Listen to the song here, and also check out Adult Swims video about the birth of Captain Murphy below

Watch/Listen: Flying Lotus Releases Preview for Upcoming Album You're Dead

Over the past few days, Flying Lotus has been teasing fans about his highly anticipated upcoming album You're Dead. After revealing the tracklist song by song (with kickass artwork), he has now released a short two minute animated video with samples from the album, along with the offical album cover (as seen above).

The samples give away a clear jazz influence on here, and guests include Herbie Hancock, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat, Angel Deradoorian, and Niki Randa. As a long time Flying Lotus fan I just gotta say... I cannot WAIT for this to come out, October 7th better hurry up.

Watch the album teaser on vimeo here

Tracklist:

01 Theme
02 Tesla [ft. Herbie Hancock]
03 Cold Dead
04 Fkn Dead
05 Never Catch Me [ft. Kendrick Lamar]
06 Dead Man's Tetris [ft. Snoop Dogg and Captain Murphy]
07 Turkey Dog Coma
08 Stirring
09 Coronus, the Terminator
10 Siren Song [ft. Angel Deradoorian]
11 Turtles
12 Ready Err Not
13 Eyes Above
14 Moment of Hesitation [ft. Herbie Hancock]
15 Descent Into Madness [ft. Thundercat]
16 The Boys Who Died in Their Sleep [ft. Captain Murphy]
17 Obligatory Cadence
18 Your Potential / The Beyond [ft. Niki Randa]
19 The Protest

New Music: Listen to the new DJ Shadow EP in full

90's turntables and sampling legend DJ Shadow has returned with a brand new EP with some amazing production and quite a change in style from his previous work. The EP contains three songs, the gitchy, future bass-influenced "Ghost Town", "Mob", a slowed down G-funk head-nodder, and the Machinedrum remix of "Six Days"

Stream the EP in full here

New Music: Diplo and Skrillex team up as Jack U

BBC.com recently put up a recorded mix from Diplo live in Las Vegas. In the mix he has a brand new song from his collaboration with Skrillex called Jack U.
Listen here at 29:50

Listen: Daft Punk Finally Release "Human After All" Remix Album

Eight years after Daft Punk released their Japanese-exclusive Human After All remix album, they have finally released it for the rest of the world.
Listen to the album on spotify Here

New Music: XXYYXX- Unknown

Beatmeister XXYYXX aka Marcel Everett returns with this new track "Unknown" featuring vocalist Vanessa Elisha. Here Everett brings his magic to a more accessible form while also keeping his signature hazy 808 style.  Keep an eye on this kid as his new EP should be out soon.
Listen here: https://soundcloud.com/xxyyxx/unknown

Album Review: Caribou- Our Love

At Four Tets recent DJ set at the Hudson Project festival, he played Caribou (aka Dan Snaith)'s "Can't Do Without You", the first single from his highly anticipated album Our Love. I had heard the track since it  was released a few weeks earlier, but after hearing it live, I understood  and felt it so much more strongly than before.  It was now clear to me that Caribou is on top of his game, and I was all aboard the hype train for Our Love, which wasn't set to come out until October, but unfortunately has leaked two months early (sorry Dan). Now, when I talk about "feeling" the music, in this case I mean it way more than some bro in a club pumping his sweaty fist in the air saying "I'm totally feeling it man". Snaith pulls off something that is rare in electronic music, here he has managed to create an album of detailed, well-produced, dancey music with such strong emotion that you can feel it deep down. Where does this emotion come from? just look at the second word of the title; it's Love. Seeing as how the main emotion in most electronic music is "Let's Fucking Dance", it may be a bold choice to make an album centered around love, but Caribou does it in such a way that one can want to dance along to it while also thinking about a past relationship in which the music reminds them of.

The album begins with the single "Can't Do Without You" which welcomes you in with lots of warmth as this house-influenced track slowly builds into what one might expect to "drop" into a trance style EDM beat, but thank god it never does. Instead, he doses it in nostalgic synths and filters which carry the listener into absolute bliss for a minute until the wall of sound cuts out to Snaiths haunting last few lines of the song. A perfect opener which leaves the listener engaged and highly anticipating the rest of the album. "Silver" comes next with a trip-hop type beat and vocals which remind me of something that would have been a radio hit in the late 80's and early 90's. The last two minutes of this song especially shine with beautiful melodies and synths. "All I Ever Need" brings a heavy UK club influence and deeeep bass as Snaith sings "I can't take it when you treat me wrong" with a Michael Jackson-like attitude. The album's title track "Our Love" is definitely a highlight, this is where he truly brings the feels out with nothing but the repeated line (you guessed it) "Our Love". The first half of  it is tame and emotional, featuring light synths and distorted vocals, but in the second half the track takes a 360 degree turn into a deep-house garage dancefest very reminiscent of 90's rave music. This is dance music executed extremely well, take notes producers. These first four tracks are no doubt the strongest on the album, but it still manages to carry its weight for the rest of its length. The only one track that sticks out as a sore thumb to me is "Second Chance" which features a female vocalist singing generic lyrics, much unlike the usual style of Caribou. "Julia Brightly" is a nice little tune with a definite influence from UK legends Four Tet and Burial, I just wish it were longer, it has a lot of potential. "Mars" is the closest thing to a club "banger" on here, I can definitely see it being played out on a Friday night, but for some reason I feel like I have heard this song before. The beat is super intense, and the flutes are a nice touch on top. "Back Home" is another incredibly emotional song, and a nice slowed down break from the craziness of the song before it. "Your Love Will Set You Free" is a perfect ender to this love-themed album, and it's probably the closest sounding track to his last album Swim.

There is no doubt that Snaith poured his soul out into this album, and the new direction that he took suits him quite well. But those who are fans of his older, more instrumental music might have to readjust to his change into more club influenced music. But if you are willing to listen to this album with open ears, it is a very rewarding listen which accomplishes the goal of displaying raw emotion through a collage of mostly digital sounds.

Album Rating: 9.1/10
Listen to the single "Can't Do Without You" Here

Watch: Wu-Tang Clan performs new track "Ron O'Neal" on The Daily Show

Last night, the Wu-tang clan reunited in full force for a special  tv appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and performed a new track called "Ron O'Neal" off of their upcoming album A Better Tomorrow. After that they also performed their classic hit "Triumph" off of 1997's Wu-Tang Forever. "Ron O'Neal" is now available for download on Itunes, and A Better Tomorrow should be out by the end of 2014.

What do you guys think? has Wu-Tang fallen off or are they back stronger than ever? Are you excited for A Better Tomorrow or is it going to be skippable? Feedback is much appreciated.

Watch: Disco Biscuits ft. Mickey Hart & Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead live at GOTV 2014 (Video + Download)

This past weekend, drummers Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead joined the Philadelphia Jam band (and founders of Camp Bisco) The Disco Biscuits for a special set at the Bridgeport, Connecticut festival Gathering of the Vibes. I wanted to go to this festival real badly but it just didn't seem financially wise for me to do so.. Anyways, the set is awesome, Deadheads give it a listen, I promise the Disco Biscuits aren't that bad and who doesn't love some good old jamming rock n roll?

Download the full set here

Local Hype: The Range- Jamie Live at Pitchfork Festival (video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFHHze5B08g#t=124
Watch here as Providences own James Hinton aka The Range play his song "Jamie" in front of a giant crowd at the recent Pitchfork music festival in Chicago

Video: MUST WATCH amazing techno street bucket drummer

Watch as this sidewalk drummer rips through multiple classic 90's techno songs on nothing but a couple of buckets. Pure talent at its finest, but why is this guy not on a stage in front of thousands of people?  the world may never know

New Music: Action Bronson- Easy Rider

Action Bronson has shared a song off his upcoming album Mr. Wonderful produced by Party Supplies. Take a listen here on hotnewhiphop.com http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/action-bronson-easy-rider-radio-rip-new-song.1950643.html

Album Review: Shabazz Palaces- Lese Majesty

In 2011, I fell in love with Black Up, Shabazz Palaces first album on  Sub Pop records. The strange, experimental hip hop sound they produced was unlike anything I had ever heard before. For those with no info on who Shabazz Palaces, the group is comprised of Ishmael Butler, formerly Butterfly of 90's rap group Digable Planets (the group who made the hit "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)"), and instrumentalist Tenda 'Baba' Maraire. If you have never listened to Shabazz Palaces before, just be warned, their music takes patient listening skills in order to fully grasp it. It may take a few listens before you can actually "get" this album, which for some might be something to look forward to. Where Black Up leaned somewhat towards more conventional song structures, the groups brand new album Lese Majesty brings the group to even more abstract new heights.Instead of this album being just a collection of songs, the individual pieces transition into one another to create seven different suites. The opening suite made of the first three tracks on the album proves to be the best one on here. "Dawn in Luxor" works as a very grand opener, complete with ambient pads, shoegaze-type guitar, and a ton of reverb and echo(maybe a bit too much) on Ishmaels voice. "Dawn" then transitions perfectly into "Forerunner Foray" which shines with beautiful synths and dreamy backing vocals. The third track "They Come in Gold"  is probably one of the more accessible tracks on here, within it Ishmael really proves himself as a complex MC, using mysterious lines and an intelligent vocabulary. Hip-hop fans will definitely find this one to be a highlight. The second suite contains four very underdeveloped short songs that kind of pass by as filler material, although "Solemn Swears" has some fun lyrics ("I'm very nice like Jerry Rice") and shimmering synths whichmake it a standout, but it's way too short. The third suite contains "Ishmael" which brings the group to its closest point of using a conventional hip-hop beat with scattering hi-hats, and features a cool outro with some amazing production. "Down in the MCM Snorkel" features Ishmael talking about the past and bringing out his inner ego to shoot down any young MCs who think they can step to him. Track 12 "#CAKE" is one of the more strange songs on here, in it Ishmael emphasizes eating cake...okay? It is one of the more straightforward tracks, but it's still quite strange. "Motion Sickness" is possibly my favorite on here, mostly since I feel it is one of the tracks where the vocals are able to be heard clearly, since the other tracks make it difficult to depict Ishmael due to overpowering sounds and an over-usage of echo and reverb. The album's last two tracks making the final suite are quite enjoyable as well, with "Sonic Mythmap for the Trip Back" being a grand closer, full of sonic sounds and distortion. The production on this album is extremely well done, Shabazz Palaces truly has their own sound which no one else can mimic, but if you want to understand the lyrics, I highly suggest using Rapgenius.com to tag along while most of the lyrics get drowned out in sound. Lese Majesty isn't quite as amazing of an album as Black Up, but Shabazz Palaces once again demonstrates that they operate on a path where no one else can tell them what to do. This is not hip-hop nor is it electronic music, it is music which balances nicely in its own little world.

Album Rating: 8.0/10
Stream the Full Album here: http://www.npr.org/2014/07/20/331345354/first-listen-shabazz-palaces-lese-majesty

Happy Birthday to Jerry Garcia

Today I would like to give a big happy birthday shout out to one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Mr.Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead. Jerry brought improvisational guitar playing to a new level and gave birth to the entire Jam Band scene which thrives at music festivals and clubs to this day. If Jerry were still alive today he would be 72 years old. Jerry, if your spirit is out there listening, thank you for all that you did.