With Dubstep dying a slow and painful death - to the point you almost feel sorry for it - I'm now looking to new places to find that bass that makes you tingle.
My search has taken me back full circle to where I first satisfied my love of bass music...the world of Rap and Hip-Hop. The influences of bass-heavy electronic music have begun to sneak into modern Hip-Hop, as can be seen in a lot of Jay Z and Kanye's 'Watch The Throne' Album. Producers like Hit-Boy, Lunice and HudMo are gaining huge popularity in the production of Hip-Hop for major artists - whilst still producing their own individual pieces.
This more electronic and heavy-hitting form of Hip-Hop has been classified as 'Trap-Music' but I disagree with this obsession concerning genre in the music world. The artists themselves refer to it as Rap music - so that is what it is.
Regardless of its name I love it, and in the face of my previous music posts I present to you my Hip-Hop / 'Trap-Music' playlist. Just to add a bit more oomph to the chill that is Deep House.
P.S - check out Baauer's stuff on youtube if you like it - he's got a lot more but this is the only DL link i could find (same goes for Lunice)
P.P.S - end of July sees TNGHT (AKA Lunice X HudMo) release a record, if you like any of their individual stuff the tunes they have upcoming are sure to blow you away.
A$AP Rocky & Swizz Beatz - Street Knock
A$AP Rocky - Goldie
Baauer - Harlem Shake
Figgy - Talk That Talk
Gucci Mane - Party Animal (HudMo Remix)
Birdman - BBoyz
Zeds Dead & Omar LinX - No Prayer (Keys N Krates Remix)
And Finally....... A couple of videos.
Proof of the respect HudMo is gaining in the USA
Not really in keeping with the rest of the post but man I WISH I was in OddFuture they have too much fun making good tunes.
No one ever seems to listen to a song and say, 'yeah that'll be my winter tune' - good music is always associated with fun in the sun. Sadly in Britain the sun doesn't seem to exist anymore but we can still have some great summer tunes.
This list is exclusively House orientated and is pretty much a follow on from my previous playlist as I continue to poach from Bristol. On top of this, however, I found a new technique of simply going to Beatport and listening through their Top 100 and noting down all the songs I liked. Their popularity pretty much ensures that if you type in the title of the song followed by the word 'zippy' a download file will appear. This is so much better than converting from YouTube with most of the file sizes being around 13-14Mb so you know its decent quality.
So without further hesitation here is my newest House playlist:
Amine Edge & Dance - Going to Heaven with the Goodie-Goodies
Daniel Dexter - Work Your Body (Audiojack Remix)
Daniel Dexter - Today
Danke - We Play Life (Andrey Loud Remix)
Finnebassen - Touching Me
Flashmob - Need in Me
George Fitzgerald - Child
Goldroom - Fifteen (Oxford Remix)
Joris Delacroix - Air France
Kindness - Gee Up (Erol Alkan's Extended Rework)
Nice7 - Time to Get Physical
Nice7 - Back to 90
Phunk Investigation and Schumacher - Critical
Robosonic - Worst Love
Tom Demac - Dirty Honey
Waze and Odyssey - Ah Baby
Ill give links to a few of my favourites so you can get an idea of the kind of music on here and if you think they're up your street search the rest, download and enjoy!
Daniel Dexter is a revelation to me and a bit of sexy sax never goes amiss.
Super popular on Beatport so you know its good.
This one simply because of the wicked sample used that everyone should recognise.
Now bear with me because what I am about to
propose may shock a few of you, but - regardless of my position as a Portsmouth
supporter - I propose that Michael Appleton’s job is far more exciting than may
initially seem the case. There are, of course, several caveats to this
statement; like the looming specter of liquidation but as the saying goes,
“every cloud…” And so, ‘IF’ - and some may argue that this is a big ‘IF’ -
Portsmouth are able to find a new owner before the money runs out, then Michael
Appleton will find himself in a fairly unique position.
A recent statement came out of the club
suggesting that of the current squad, which was relegated from the Championship,
probably only 4 will remain for the tour of League 1. This is understandable
considering some shocking statistics based on wage bills in 2010. Whilst
Portsmouth went into administration and were relegated to the Championship,
Tottenham propelled themselves into the Champions League. Despite this, ESPN
report that out of the 200 top sports teams in the world Portsmouth had the 72nd
highest wage bill compared to Tottenham who ranked at 110th. Overall
the average Portsmouth player was earning a full $10,000 more each week (sorry
about the currency, ESPN is American after all). In light of these ridiculous
numbers, and with so many relics of this regime still remaining at the club, it
is unsurprising that the aim of cutting the wage bill is at the top of
Portsmouth’s agenda. This means that the close season will see approximately 18
players exit Fratton Park and 18 new arrivals.
Is my argument now becoming clearer?
Appleton has the opportunity to build his own squad from scratch, there is no
need to deal with the inherited players of the previous manager, and there is
no need to fit your tactics around the players available to you. Instead there
will be an opportunity to have a vision of what style of football he wants to
play and to build the squad he feels can achieve this vision.
Michael Appleton’s potential, with regards
to building a League 1 team, is excellent. His loan signings, which have
already been put on display at the end of this campaign, are inspired. His
grounding in youth football at West Brom, along with connections to high
profile clubs, make the prospect of young exciting talents - yet unable to
break into the First XI of their parent clubs - arriving at Fratton Park a
growing possibility. Marry this to the fact that Portsmouth will be the big
name in League 1 next season and it will be a very likely promotion candidate.
If Appleton is successfully able to convey that the club’s time in League 1 is
only a short one, then all those players looking, and hoping, to cut their
teeth in the Championship will surely see Portsmouth as an attractive offer.
There is no doubting Portsmouth are still
in a terrible position but one only needs to look at the build of Michael
Appleton to understand that this is a man that enjoys hard graft. He is also a
man with a vision - not just for the First XI but also for the whole
infrastructure of the club. Trevor Birch’s ‘hands off’ warning to all possible
suitors of the young manager suggests that everyone at the club sees Appleton
as the man to take the club forward. So not only does Appleton have the
opportunity to build but he is also in the uncommon position of a manager with
the full confidence of the club’s executives in his decision-making.
With the opportunity to build the club up
from scratch and with the full confidence of the clubs management this is an
exciting time. Of course the pay cheque Appleton receives every month will not
be substantial and the quality of player under his tutelage will not be
extraordinary but this is about a project. There will be no glitz or glamour
but if Appleton is able to bring Portsmouth from its deepest depths back to
where it belongs, and on a system by which the club lives within its means,
then it will be a fantastic success and one he will be able to look upon with
enormous pride.
This plaque was recently found outside Fratton Park as fans looked to mourn the woeful situation. Hopefully, however, given this opportunity, Mr. Appleton can go about restoring some pride.
I recently got added to a Facebook group by one of my friends at the University of Bristol in which he and his friends share music they enjoy listening to. Its highly competitive as each attempts to find a song no one has heard before. As yet I have been too timid to post my own music but it has introduced me to some brilliant new songs.
You dont need to know much about the music scenes of individual British cities to realise that Bristol is at the forefront. In truth its actually really interesting to watch how long what is perceived as 'cool' takes to reach Edinburgh from Bristol.
The latest genre that fills this Facebook group but is only beginning to surface in Edinburgh is a mixture of Deep and Funky House music: here is a list of some of the ones Ive lifted so far!
Klangkarussell - Sonnentanz
Lee M. Kelsall - On the Road (Matt Fear Remix)
Gregor Salto ft. Florian T - Mundocaso
Storm Queen - Look Right Through (MK Don't Talk To Me Dub)
NTFO - Policron (Audiojack Remix)
Alex Q - Last Song
Laura Jones - Love in Me (Maceo Plex Remix)
Jessie Ware - 110%
Disclosure - Boiling ft. Sinead Harnett
Disclosure - Tenderly
Ifan Dafydd - Treehouse
Bondax ft. Bobbie Gordon - Just Smile For Me
Bondax - Just Us
Mosca - Jager
Rodriguez Jr - Orinoco (Joris Delacroix Remix)
DJ Duke - Can You Feel It (Carnival Mix)
Claptone - Good To You
Doctor Dru - The Voice Of Dru
Last night Chelsea buried some demons as
they defeated Barcelona at Stamford Bridge. The statistis were brutal in their
assertion of Barca’s dominance and the theatrics of the likes of Drogba rolling
on the floor, wasting time, often bordered on the farcical.
Nevertheless Chelsea earned a victory that
resulted in my local pub awarding free pints to all its patrons in a marketing
scheme gone wrong – so confident were they that Chelsea couldn’t win.
So how has this happened? How have a team
that under Andre Villas-Boas could not guarantee a result in any competition
forced such a turn around. Chelsea against all probability, given some of there
performances, are still in the running for the FA Cup, the Champions League and
a place in England’s elite top four.
Was the spark the loss of AVB, the rise of
Di Matteo or the reclaiming of player power?
Under AVB Chelsea looked half the team they
used to be, players like Lampard and Drogba were subdued and there seemed no
desire to play. Questions were immediately leveled at AVB’s inexperience and
his obvious comparison to Mourinho did him no favours either.
In my opinion AVB never had the dressing
room. Although players like Mata and Ramires openly praised the effect AVB had
on their career the old Chelsea backbone were never so glowing in their
assertions. At one point it was suggested that AVB forced the team to celebrate
with him on the sidelines and in watching this it was clear that there were
those who were more and those who were less keen to show the solidarity between
team and staff.
Despite constant claims that there is no
system of player power at Chelsea it seems to be mentioned far too often for it
not to be true in some way. There is no smoke without fire. The hardcore of Mourinho’s
title winning teams run that football club, in my opinion, even down to the
training regime.
How then has Di Matteo been able to wrestle
this untamable beast into a prime team again? My thoughts behind it are, quite
simply, that he hasn’t done anything.
AVB came in and was seemingly given the
promise of a long-term plan or some kind of job security that made him believe,
in the long term, that he didn’t have to rely on the old campaigners. It was
this misplaced confidence in his position as the spearhead of a new dynasty
that seemed to inspire the example he made of dropping Lampard. By all accounts
his decisions went so spectacularly wrong that these assurances of time were
reversed and he was sacked.
In came Di Matteo, the assistant, the second
man. From this position of subservience does he really have the power or personality
to complete what AVB attempted and create his own regime? Alternatively, does
he learn from what he saw as the reason behind AVB’s downfall?
In my opinion it has been the latter, this
is not disrespectful to Di Matteo, if anything it is the highest praise for his
man management skills. Although nominally in charge it seems he has simply
handed the reigns to those players who restricted AVB’s success. Under Di
Matteo the likes of Drogba and Lampard seem to be flourishing, once more
playing with a real desire that could drive them on to a brilliant season.
The Champions League from the beginning of
Abramovich’s reign has been the ultimate goal and if Di Matteo some how manages
to bring the trophy to Stamford Bridge it would seem there is no option but to
offer him the job. In fact, given the change in form, even without silverware
Di Matteo makes an excellent case for himself.
But, and there always is a but, if I am
correct and rather than creating his own regime he is simply giving the power
to the players ,then it is a system with a limited life span. These players can
not go on forever and Chelsea, probably more than any other big team, needs an
over haul of its squad if it is to ensure longevity in its successes; so with Abramovich
poised to open up the cheque book, is Di Matteo the man to be put in charge of
the next Chelsea dynasty?
He has seemingly wrestled the old guard
from its apathy with unexpected success but does that make him the man for the
job. Just because he has been able to massage the egos of an ageing Chelsea
dressing room does that mean he is the man to establish a new Chelsea order
that will ensure there presence around the top of world football in years to
come?
To me he isn’t but with Abramovich at the
helm anything can happen, whether it makes sense or not.
Kanu has been an excellent servant to the
sport worldwide with a career spanning over 500 first class games and 87 International
caps. His demi-god status in his native Nigeria is almost matched by the warmth
and respect he is revered with throughout Britain having earned it throughout
his long career.
Kanu arrived at Portsmouth already in the
twilight of his career, as part of a ploy in keeping with the philosophy of the
then manager Harry Redknapp. Until he was blessed with the funds of a big club
like Spurs, Harry was known as a wily wheeler-dealer, though calling him that
to his face was always risky. The purchase of Kanu was exactly what Harry was
about, taking an ageing yet brilliantly talented footballer and eeking every
last ounce of class from him.
Kanu has been with Portsmouth through the
highs and the lows and it was his scrambled goal that secured Portsmouth’s FA
cup victory, taking them into their first European campaign. Since then Kanu
has been awarded contract extension after contract extension, but many have
viewed this more as a thank you for previous services than an acknowledgement
that he still has a major role to play.
Today under Michael Appleton there is no
footballing role for Kanu at the club. His constant back trouble and lack of
match fitness mean he has not even played as part of the new regime. I watched
him in his last appearance for Portsmouth and I can see why Appleton has his
doubts. On the ball Kanu still had the class, vision and control that earned
his reputation, but his legs and possibly even desire, were shot to pieces. It
led me to wish we were playing the opposition on a half size pitch, at
5-a-side, or even 15 minute halves, that way King would have won the game
single handedly I am sure.
No one really knows Kanu’s age, on paper he
is 35 but even after the FA cup victory in 2008 Redknapp joked he was more like
50 than 30. The fact it is common
practice for African to label themselves as younger than they really are means
that Kanu really could be that old. In any way the fast and brutal pace of the
English league has finally got too much for the old campaigner and I really
hope the financial plight of the club doesn’t overshadow the end of a shining
light for Portsmouth FC.
The current financial position of
Portsmouth FC means that relics of the club’s recent golden era have long since
moved and with bids to further slash the wage bill, targetting the likes of Tal Ben Haim, it is
most likely that Kanu’s remaining year on his contract will either be cut short
or, if rumours are to be believed, a lucrative deal to the Middle East may be
brokered as a final payday for a great career.
The risk is that if his contract is
terminated or he is shipped off for a quick paycheck this will never allow the
fans to show their appreciation. One only has to look at the reception Benjani received
on his return to Fratton Park to see the warmth Portsmouth supporters have for
their players.
True, there will be opportunities for
testimonials and ‘Legends’ matches to celebrate his career and, given that
these provide prime opportunities to raise funds, I am sure they will be thought
about long and hard but, quite simply, they do not provide the same atmosphere.
With 2 matches left of the season and
relegation almost a certainty there is an opportunity to give his one last run
out, one last opportunity for the fans to show their appreciation and I hope it
is something Appleton is sensitive to. The King deserves to be remembered at
this club as a footballer and not a financial burden that had to be cut for the
good of the club.
Fratton Park and the funds of Portsmouth FC
probably aren’t the best settings for the unveiling of statues at this moment
in time but in memory of the FA cup victory and in memory of a fantastic footballer
that clearly loves the club would it be obscene to suggest this as an idea for
the future? No matter what the decision I want to use this as an opportunity to
say thank you for all you have done. Long live the King.
Rusko was one of
the major forces bringing Dubstep to public knowledge when I first started
really getting into the genre around 2008-9. His classic tunes Cockney Thug and in particular Africa featured heavily in my playlists
of the time.
Obviously as a
newcomer to the genre the heavy basslines were entirely new to me, and
something that really blew my mind. The simplistic nature of the bass alone was
not the thing that made me into a fan instantly but the quality of the
productions as well. Over the past few years and as I have listened to more and
more of his material you can clearly tell he is a very talented producer and
someone at the heart of the Dubstep movement.
His ability to
create UK Garage like his single Love is
Real illustrates his connection to the roots of Dubstep, whilst his song You’re On My Mind Baby, containing the
same funky 80s vibe similar to the likes of 2000f & JKamata, means his
versatility must also be acknowledged and respected.
In recent times
I have grown more and more skeptical about Rusko’s motivations. His move to
America has obviously been highly successful and lucrative, coinciding with the
meteoric rise of Skrillex. In American commercial circles I would suggest he is
viewed as the premier UK Dubstep DJ, compared to in Britain where I would suggest
this mantle is given to Skream and Benga.
Obviously massive
congratulations should go to Rusko for making himself such a huge success
across the Atlantic but with the American interpretation of Dubstep being in
many ways different to the British version I was fearful his drive for stardom
would bastardize his music. I feared that he would lose his style to the mish-mash
of robotic noises in a bid to fill the vast American arenas.
Rusko has
vocalized his reservations about the sub genre Brostep and criticized those who
feel Dubstep is simply a one-dimensional entity surrounding extreme bass and
messy productions; this alone should possibly have prepared me for his latest
release. Despite this when Rusko announced the release of his album Songs my heart bled for fear of an album
that might see him become no more than Skrillex 2.0.
Thankfully I was
proved entirely wrong.
I saw Rusko
perform at the Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh at the beginning of his UK tour and he
did drop some songs with simple screeching bass and no tune but through out I
was glued to the from of the stage, arms in the air, enjoying every minute of
it.
Mixed in with
the Brostep, which undeniably lifts the crowd to an exciting frenzy, there were
tunes that held the more familiar Reggae infused Dubstep, the Garage influence and
even hints of House music. The show Rusko put on was full throttle enjoyment
from start to finish and his over enthusiasm even led him to burst his own lip.
I left the venue, ears ringing and euphoric, completely sold on Rusko as the DJ
but I still remained skeptical about Rusko the producer.
A couple of
weeks ago I downloaded the album and once again all my doubts were proved
wrong.
The album is
fantastic. Of course there are simple commercial Dubstep songs on there but he
would be a fool not to, Rusko is not a hipster, he wants to sell records, fill
out arenas and headline festivals and to do that he has to create popular
songs. His song Skanker is seemingly
the headliner, the infectious beat is married with an unexpected reggae feel to
it and is already becoming a Youtube sensation as the theme tune to which Rusko’s
fans show their appreciation.
Other songs,
however, once again show the versatility and skill I felt he may have lost or
sacrificed in the USA. Love No More and
Mek More Green have an undeniable Reggae
influence that I think has been lost a lot in recent Dubstep as the Dub is
replaced with more electronic and even Metal influences.
The loss of influence
for Dub in this genre has also been mirrored in the loss in influence of UK
Garage and his tracks Pressure and Whistle Crew do so much to promote these
sounds that, to my mind, should be far more popular.
Finally his track Thunder is, in my opinion, a masterstroke and although in some ways
in touch with the Dubstep genre it acts more as a symbol of Rusko’s talent. It
is bang on trend with the rise of House and Electronic in popular music and its
vocals along with the anthemic nature of its bassline create a truly great song.
Just as his
Edinburgh performance completely sold me on Rusko the DJ this album in its
entirety - and in individual pieces of brilliance - has sold me equally on Rusko
the producer.
