Review: Midland - Bring Joy (Radio Slave Remix)

Now I very very rarely review music on my blog, but i've been meaning to write a piece on this track for a long while, mainly becuase it seems to be the least favourite track off of Midlands brilliant EP on More Music, Bring Joy.

The original track is a lovely hard hitting yet strangely deep piece of housey garage, the real gem being the cleverly sampled female vocals which create a stunning breakdown.

However on the reverse, Radio Slave delivers a rework which he calls the 'Joy & Pain Remix', incorporating his standard dark, grungey techno into a truely haunting piece of music. Playing at just over 12 minutes long, Radio Slave pounds the original into a solid, flat, brooding piece. Occasional hi-hats rattle over the track as the vocals begin to fade in; completely unrecognizable from Midland's original, Radio Slave has twisted and distorted them into a ghoulish wail. Frequintly overlapping, the vocals almost speak to each other as they howl and cry while the droning beat pounds on. Despite this seeming like the track is a wailing, confsuing mess; its strangly minimal, and particularly haunting as the vocals fade in and out. By no means an uplifting tune, the Joy & Pain Remix desivers alot more credit than critics seem to give.

Obey - Urban Essence Podcast Vol. 4

'Volume Four in the Urban Essence mix series comes from 19 year old Joe Stapleton, aka Obey, and it also coincides nicely with our first birthday! Happy birthday to us.

We’ve been following Joe’s monthly Autonomic mixes for a while now and in an age compounded by countless nonsensical mixes, meaninglessly collating the latest tunes, what’s striking about his is the painstaking care taken over their curation and creation. We’re all about patience and diligence with creativity here at Urban Essence, so it seemed appropriate to get Joe on board.

For the mix, Joe’s delivered a hard-hitting melange of machine music, comprising an array of tough warehouse-worthy tracks from the expansive catalogue of dubstep, house and drum&bass’ peripheral sounds. Seamlessly drifting between genres in a sort of ethereal haze, it’s a fairly dark and subliminal offering from Obey, from the eerie introductory sounds of They Live, through to the militant tribalism and housey groove of the second half.'

For the full interview & to the listen to the podcast go to the Urban Essence site here. 

Or, play it on my Soundcloud here.

Tracklist:

01. They Live - 7998 [Exit]
02. Teeth - Shawty [502]
03. Commodo - Surveillance [Deep Medi]
04. Madd - No Tomorrow [Black Box]
05. ??? [N/A]
06. V.I.V.E.K - Soundman [Deep Medi]
07. They Live - Dimark [N/A]
08. Untold - Kingdom [Hessle]
09. Ben Damage & Doc Daneeka - Juggernaut [50 Weapons]
10. Echo Park - Fiber Optic (Jon Convex Love Transmission Remix) [Disfigured]
11. Martyn - Bauplan (L-Vis 1990 & Bok Bok Remix) [Brainfeeder]
12. Midland - Bring Joy [More]
13. dBridge - Scarlett [Convex Industries]
14. Ben Damage & Doc Daneeka - Elipsis Torment [50 Weapons]
15. Instra:Mental - Plok [NonPlus+]
16. They Live - Horizonta [Exit]
17. They Live - Cancel Standard [Exit]

DjRum - RA. 307 (Resident Advisor Podcast)

Incorporating countless genres into the 44 minute journey, and occasionally adding samples from pictures such as 'Jacob's Ladder', Rum's mix plays out exactly as it was intended. A Soundtrack to an Imaginary Film...

01. Chris Watson - The Blue Men Of The Minch

02. Murcof - Una

03. Pangaea - Memories

04. Frozen Border - 3.1

05. Sleeparchive - Papercup

06. DjRUM - Mountains pt.1 (Live)

07. DjRUM - Mountains pt.1 (Pedestrian's Pirate Radio Remix)

08. DjRUM - Mountains pt.2

09. Beatless (ft. Quasimoto & Mablib) - Dominant

10. Herbie Hancock - Goodbye To Childhood

11. Andy Bey - Celestial Blues

12. Untold - Kingdom

13. Chris Watson - River Mara At Dawn. Maasai Mara

14. DjRUM (ft. Shad[]wb[]x) - Lies

15. Perc - Tension

16. Chris Watson - The Blue Men Of The Minch. Moray

17. DjRUM - The Darkest Hour Is Just Before Dawn (Undercoat pt. 2)

18. DjRUM - Honey

19. Richard Skelton - Noon Hill Wood

20. Marcel Dettmann - Shatter Proof

21. Daughter - Landfill

22. Andy Stott - Handle With Care

23. Chris Watson - Oceanus Pacificus (10m)

24. Indigo - Snowfall

25. Chris Watson - Oceanus Pacificus (3m)

26. Vashti Bunyan - Here Before

27. Elephant & Castle - I Will

28. Alix Perez (ft. Sabre) - Hemlines

29. Chris Watson - The Blue Men Of The Minch

30. The Drop - Looking To The Sky (DjRUM Remix)

LINK TO RA SITE (Interview with Rum, Download link at the bottom)

Industrial Decay Network - 19/05/12

April Top Tracks

1. Indigo - Symbol #7.3
2. Hatti Vatti - Palms (ASC Remix)
3. RQ - Black Prism
4. RQ - Greater Geometry
5. RQ - Hounds (Sam KDC's Strung Out Remix)
6. Method One - Symbol #5.1
7. Synkro - Broken Promise
8. Method One - Symbol #5.3
9. Fracture - Get Busy
10. Midland - Bring Joy (Radio Slave's Joy & Pain Remix)

Exit & Convex - Aptitude

Δkkord - Electronic Explorations Mix #183

The mysterious Manchester based producers Δkkord make their debut mix for Elecronic Explorations. Well worthy of a listen

STREAM (Via SoundCloud)

No official tracklist, however...

01. Troy Gunner[?] - ?
02. ?
03. Δkkord - Back & Forth [Δkkord Dub]
04. ?
05. ?
06. ?
07. Δkkord – Renewal [Δkkord Dub]
08. Indigo - ? [Dub]
09. Stickman – The Verge [Dub]
10. ?
11. ?
12. Δkkord - The Drums [Δkkord Dub]

Autonomic Studio Mix January / February

Volume 8 - January & February

DOWNLOAD.
STREAM. (Via SoundCloud)

01. Riya - The Cycle (ft. Skream) [Autonomic]
02. Boddika - Up & Dance [N/A]
03. Dissident - Society Of Silver Skeletons (Headhunter Remix) [Hotshore]
04. GoldFFinch - Point of Entry [877]
05. Pinch & Shackleton - Rooms Within A Room [Honest Jons]
06. Skream - Phatty Drummer [Deep Medi]
07. Instra:Mental - Delta Zone [NonPlus+]
08. Pinch - Blow Out the Candle [Tectonic Dub]
09. Scuba - Before (Deadboy Remix) [Hotflush]
10. ASC - Lunar Industries [Silent Season]
11. They Live - Cancel Standard [Exit]
12. Transportation AAD - Pagoda [Darkestral]
13. ASC - Silver Rain on Venus [Silent Season]
14. Apparat - Black Water [Mute]

Beastie Respond - Organic Guest Mix

Organic Interview
DOWNLOAD/STREAM [Via SoundCloud]

Tracklist:

01. Beastie Respond – No More (Teal Dub)
02. Flatliners & Sublime Porte – Grizzly Hills (Consequence Remix) (Dub)
03. Bulb – The Core (Origami Dub)
04. Flatliners – Kangaroo Dub (Morphy Remix) (Dub)
05. Thing – My Dub (Dub)
06. Data – Phalanx (Blackout Dub)
07. Loxy & Resound – Renaissance (Dub)
08. Beastie Respond – Be Quiet (Teal Dub)
09. Data – Fidelity (Blackout Dub)
10. Fracture & Neptune – Ups & Downs VIP (Organic)
11. Beastie Respond – Syncopy (Teal)

Synkro - Electronic Beats Radio

One of the highlights of the year, Synkro's guest mix for Electronic Beats radio showcases the best of a scene really pushing boundaries. With tracks from Δkkord, GoldFFinch, Stickman, & the man himself. Synkro delivers a stunningly deep, yet strangely dancefloor friendly mix of genres; ranging from ambient, dubstep & future garage to UK bass and house.
Well worthy of a download...

00:00 The XX – Night Time (Synkro Remix) [FreeBee]
05:00 Δkkord – Renewal [Δkkord Dub]
08:57 Stickman – The Verge [Dub]
10:25 Stickman – Outright (Troy Gunner Remix) [Dub]
12:53 GoldFinch – Isboa [Dub]
14:52 Synkro – Smokestack [Dub]
17:49 Until Silence – Out Of Focus [Dub]
20:16 Stickman – Little Mans Shoes [Pushing Red Dub]
22:44 Funk Ethics & Ethereal – Got The Memories [Dub]
25:33 Δkkord – Back & Forth [Δkkord Dub]
27:40 Troy Gunner – Obsessions [Dub]
30:37 Arkist – Appleseed [FreeBee]
33:30 Synkro – Recognition [Dub]
35:06 Synkro – Broken Promise [Apollo Dub]
37:46 Hatti Vatti – You (Indigo Remix) [New Moon Dub]
40:58 Tokyo Prose – Echoes (Synkro Remix) [Samurai Music Dub]
44:33 June Miller & Mindmapper – Tundra [Horizons]
46:35 Melo – Affirmation (Frederic Robinson Remix) [Different]
50:21 Synkro – Progression [Exit Dub]
53:45 James Blake – Wilhelms Scream [Atlas Recordings]

DOWNLOAD [Via SendSpace]
STREAM [Via the Electronic Beats site]

Urban Decay Network - 27/01/12

Industrial Decay Network - 27/01/12

IDNetwork

Pinch - FabricLive. 61

Bristol born producer Pinch gives us his rendering of the dubstep scene in the brand new FabricLive edition. Well, I say dubstep, but Pinch delivers something that could only be described as '140BPM music' (which is now apparently called 'UK Bass music', who knew).

Pinch's mix blurs the line between house, dubstep & UK underground, creating a refreshing FabricLive mix and something abit different from the usual one genre editions. Begining with Distal's brooding electro track 'Venom (Pt.2)', the mix quickly takes a lighter turn with F's 'Slow Down', a spacey, almost tech house themed tune. Knowing Pinch though, things once again take a darker turn with his own remix of Henry & Louis ft. Prince Green's 'Love Like'. One of the stand out tracks, Pinch creates an airy, moody refix; incorporating woodwind like growls over the deep vocals. Quickly mixed in is another one of Pinch's own productions, 'Rooms Within a Room' is a colab between himself and Shackleton and was featured on their self titled album. The percussion on this one is about as sharp as it gets, beginning with a light, clean bongo intro the track builds to a dark, precise, sub filled second drop. Easily one of the best tracks in the mix (and infact the Pinch & Shackleton album) 'Rooms Within a Room' demonstrates that less is certainly more, and I imagine this causing absolute carnage on the dancefloor.

The mix then takes a funkier route, with tracks such as Boddika & Joy Orbison's recently released 'Swims' and Roly Porter's 'Hessra' demonstrating that Pinch really knows how to mix it up. Things can't stay too upbeat for too long however and in comes Pinch and Photek's chunky dubstep anthem 'Acid Reign' (Pinch's Dubplate Version [Which i'm not sure to be honest how different this is to the original]). Sure to please dubstep fans everywhere, Acid Reign is easily one of the heaviest tracks in the mix. After this, the dubstep influence is prominent, Loefah & Pinch's 'Broken' is a track filled with space & Emika's 'Double Edge' is a nice techy, distorted stepper. In rolls Roska's '480BC' however and things step up a notch, first noticed in the mix thanks to its noticeable bongo hits, 'Double Edge' fades out and you can hear the bass fueled power this track has, an absolute roller from Roska.

The latter part of the mix takes a more aggressive, electro turn with Jakes' 'Get Serious' and 'A Case Of The Bleeps' making an appearance. The edition ends with a nice warm minimal house type track from Illum Sphere entitled 'Promise A Secret', and fades out how it began, with Distal's somewhat lighter 'Venom (Pt.1)'.
All in all, an extremely well mixed and well mixed up edition to the FabricLive series. Which, despite it's lighter points, is a dark, moody look at the UK underground music scene, which it now seems is a blur between many bass filled genres.

January Top Tracks

Dubstep Top 10 -

01. Kaiju - Sniper Situation
02. Kaiju - Centipede Style
03. Tunnidge - Universal
04. Roska - 480BC
05. Pinch - Room Within a Room
06. DJ Madd - Life We Choose
07. Consequence - Injunction
08. Synkro - Broken Promise
09. Massive Attack - Paradise Circus (Burial Remix)
10. Burial - Etched Headplate

Drum & Bass/Other Top 5 -

01. Method One - Symbol #5.1
02. Stunna - Run (ft. Place42)
03. Antagonist - Neutralize
04. Beastie Respond - Continuous
05. Method One - Symbol #5.3

Obey - London After Midnight (Mix)

Late hours, headphones in, rain soaked city.

DOWNLOAD/STREAM [Via. SoundCloud]

01. Burial - Untitled [N/A]
02. Burial - In McDonalds [HyperDub]
03. Late - Loosing You [Immerse]
04. Burial - Endorphin [HyperDub]
05. Massive Attack & Burial - Paradise Circus [Inhale Gold]
>>> Arae - Trouble Sleeping [N/A]
06. Volor Flex - Unsound [Dark Clover]
07. Obey - Inland Empire [N/A]
08. Irrelevent - Eventide [???]
09. Jamie Woon - Wayfaring Stranger (Burial Remix) [???]
10. Burial - Etched Headplate [HyperDub]
11. Volor Flex - Lost Memory [Dark Clover]
12. Massive Attack & Burial - Four Walls [Inhale Gold]
13. Volor Flex - Stolen Child [Dark Clover]

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