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To improve the mood of your Monday, Kry Wolf posted up their latest track called ‘Concrete’, to be released later in the year on Sounds of Sumo . The South UK duo / Food Music heads have been putting out solid music, so have a listen below, and keep your head up for what they have to offer in the always near future.
KO
Shadow Child and Kry Wolf ‘s label, Food Music , is at it again, this time with a long awaited delivery from Birmingham’s Hannah Wants and her go-to collaborator, Chris Lorenzo . “Dappy” was brought to our attention during the Dirtybird Records Christmas takeover of Pete Tong ‘s BBC Radio 1 show in early December. This release has gained huge support from the likes of Justin Martin & Claude Vonstroke , as well as T. Williams . These are tender, yet husky bites of British bass house with an aftertaste not far from the characteristic blend of ash, dust, and copper left in one’s mouth after a proper day of festival go-ing.
In light of Dappy’s release, Hannah & Chris have also served up an appetizer on the house. Download via the SoundCloud stream below.
Rader
It’s mid-February now, and we’ve closed another chapter of the Igloofest chronicle.
Almost an extension of the holiday season, the beloved festival serves as a unique mechanism to escape the all too consuming weight of the Montreal Winter. Now that it’s over, thousands of party-goers – upwards of 76,000 to be accurate – must rely on their own devices to persevere towards the effortless joviality of Spring.
As always, the celebration exceeded our expectations, leaving only slight and likely superfluous qualms for us to meditate until they are once again wiped from our conscious with the opening revelry of Igloofest 2014.
Until then, let us relive its grandeur.
One element of the festival that never ceases to strike an impression on me is the crowd.
Yes, on some occasions the pulsating mass aggravated several of the die-hard music appreciators and gentle personalities I’ve spoken with since, but more often was I all together impressed by the spirit of the crowd and their commitment to this 21st century nocturne.
I’m not sure if I’ve ever witnessed a more consistently dancing group of people. The audience is not solely comprised of dance music fanatics either; older individuals and a great many who may not even relate to music of an electronic variety make up a considerable portion, if not a majority of the crowd as well.
I believe that this rare phenomenon can be attributed in part to the physical need to keep moving – considering that this was the coldest Igloofest to date – but also to the entirely non judgmental, come-one-come-all atmosphere provided by the event’s organizers. Either way, a sense of unity was often inevitable.
Another thing I must applaud was the host of talented visual artists performing in unison to those on stage. Their work was most often dazzling and at times even breath taking.
Some artist’s that impressed us in particular, Baillat Cardell & fils , Gridspace , and Diagraf , not only provided appropriate and mesmerizing accompaniment to their respective DJ’s but shone in their own respect, on occasion even over-shadowing the musician with creations that garnered audible mass exaltation.
Now, to give credit to the enormous talent that graced the 1′s and 2′s at this year’s festival; with this calibre of expertise, I can hardly begin to highlight every instance of musical fervour, but of course, there were some performances that were unforgettable, inspiring even.
[Mistress Barbara]
The most memorable set for us was surely Misstress Barabara ‘s ravenous opening ceremony.
Her definitive exhibition of rolling, hard-hitting yet upbeat techno, a style I can’t say I was previously compelled by, knocked our photographer and myself off of our feet, not that we could feel them anyway.
It made me wish for the first time that I went raving in 2005.
[Kaytranada]
Home town hero, Kaytranada , put forth a captivating mix of generational classics, and a slew of tunes, assumedly out of his growing catalogue of self-produced beats, that maintained many of the nuances of the trap template, but with smoother, funkier bass lines and grooves that distinguished them from the overwhelmingly popular genre.
His entourage, one of the liveliest groups of gentlemen this side of the 49th parallel, was also a compelling attribute.
[Nina Kraviz]
As expected, Nina Kraviz enchanted us.
Yes, we may very well have fallen victim to her playfully seductive stage presence, but I’m certain that it was her hypnotic brand of house music and the decidedly and ever so delicately off-beat manner in which she chose to mix said music that truly won our hearts that evening.
Regardless, Ben Klock is indeed one lucky individual.
[Joy Orbison]
The final weekend was a triumph in and of itself, with a line-up that in my opinion rivaled even the combined glory of the previous three.
Thursday night, Ben UFO represented the Hessle Audio mentality, along with affirming the root of his own success as a ‘DJ that only DJs,’ by playing out cold, industrially percussive and bass-heavy records in flawless succession.
Joe Goddard livened up the crowd with melodically centered house tunes, before descending once again into more deep and rumbling grooves.
The following night we were treated to yet another staple of the ‘DJs that only DJ,’ club, but in comparison to Ben UFO , Oneman was far more effective in accommodating the entire audience with his eclectic and keenly blended mix of disco, hip-hop, garage, dubstep, and house.
Following him was the legend, Joy Orbison ; I don’t mean to sound over-zealous but it feels like something of an honour every time I have the opportunity to catch his set. This being his first ever time in Canada, he lived up to every expectation and blew us away with his signature style of pounding, twanging, and immanently groovy UK bass music.
[Joe Goddard]
Apart from the aforesaid heroes, there were many that made the honourable mentioned list.
Wolf + Lamb , KiNK , Pan-Pot , Lunice of TNGHT , Taal Mala , and Tommy Four Seven all put forth sets that deserve notation in their own right. I recommend taking the opportunity to catch every one of these outfits if the occasion so presents itself.
What might we change about Igloofest if given the opportunity to do so? Not much.
Perhaps we’d narrow the volume gap between opener and headliner; I shouldn’t be able to maintain an unstrained conversation at the front of a Ben UFO set, indoors or out of doors.
Though the organization of nights by genre is for the most part very good, it wouldn’t have hurt to employ some minute, strategic shuffling of performers; Schlachthofbronx , for instance, would have certainly suited another night, a night that was not so centred on the very not-German tradition of hip-hop.
Another thing: there were a handful of local artists we were surprised to not find on the bill. The much buzzed production duo, Grown Folk , solo effort, KwikFiks , and Clown and Sunset ‘s Valentin Stip would have all made fantastic additions to the sonic experience. It was also a surprise not seeing the inclusion of local visual authority and personality, Skunch , on the VJ roster. And what about the Dirty Bird backed Prince Club ? Or even the St. Laurent staple, Deejay Ledisko ? Prison Garde ? Seb Diamond ? I suppose the list could go on and on, but a few dollars could be saved whilst upping the musical anti in 2014. Igloofest organizers, take note.
We might also opt for some warmer weather, but then again, it wouldn’t be the Igloofest we know and love with out the numb toes and slushy Sapporo tall boys, now would it?
[Oneman and Joy Orbison (back)]
Take a look at this visual reminiscence we put together if you’re still looking for a more vivid picture.
In conclusion, we’d like to thank the Igloofest team for allowing us to be apart of such a unique enterprise.
Nothing short of a drastic rise in global temperature will keep this festival from excelling far into the future.
See you at Piknik .
words: Samuel Rutledge
images: Kane Ocean
support: Adam Rutledge
other images: Vivien Guamand, Léa Lacroix
Last week, Hannah Alicia Smith aka Hannah Wants brought forth this resonant specimen of fluttering bass-house, in all it’s British glory. My introduction to this house heroine came through the inclusion of her collaboration with Chris Lorenzo, “ Dappy “, on the Dirtybird Records Christmas BBC Radio 1 takeover this past December. Today she released a beautifully chunky edit of The Weeknd ‘s “ Wicked Games ” which will be posted here shortly.
Bless,
Rader & Upside Down T
Our muse, Shadow Child , remixes Lianne La Havas in this addictive blend of pop, soul and vault house. ‘ Elusive ‘ is off of Lianne’s debut album Is Your Love Big Enough? which dropped in July of 2012 on Warner Bros. Records ‘.
With love,
Rader & upside-down T
Last month, tucked in a backstage nook of Vancouver’s Caprice Night Club , with distractingly gorgeous go-go dancers preparing for their next number, Daniel Pearce AKA Eats Everything and I exchanged words only moments after his impactful opening set for the legend, Pete Tong . We touched on his familial relationship with the Dirtybird crew, the state of his faction of dance music, and the experimental tendencies of his youth.
Low-Life: Who do you trust to give you honest feedback on your tracks?
Eats Everything: I trust Justin Martin , and Barclay Crenshaw ( AKA Claude VonStroke ), because if they think it’s shit then they’ll tell me, and if they think it’s good, then they’ll tell me; but they won’t beat around the bush. If it’s good it’s good, if it isn’t it isn’t.
LL: In an interview with weareblahblahblah.com earlier this year, you talk about how you change up your sets depending on the setting. You said that at Glade Festival [which is held in a field], the attendee’s “dancing outside vibe” is what enables you to play both more obvious big records, as well as more underground ones.
Can you please delve further into the affect that a gig’s setting has on the set you play, as well as the affect that different working environments can have on the music you produce (your new studio vs. on the road)?
EE: Club environments, gig environments, it’s all about how educated the crowd are. Like tonight, the crowd seemed pretty educated. I don’t know how many people knew who I was, but it seemed like quite a lot, and so I played what I wanted to play tonight, whereas I played in Vegas last, and I didn’t play what I wanted to play, and I still cleared the dancefloor. Then you play somewhere like Glade Festival, and that is the most educated crowd out there, and they just fuckin’… all they want to hear is the newest shit goin’, that’s all they wanna know.
And so with production, I can’t work on the road. I don’t like working with the headphones. So I’ll put ideas down, but nothin’ more than that. I just need to be in the studio, I just can’t work with headphones.
I bought a Jambox, you know one of those big Jamboxes?
LL: Yeah, the big Jambox. My dad bought one because he needed to lose a couple years in a day.
EE: (Laughs) they sound shit, they can’t handle any… I was thinking I’d get the big one, but the thing is, some tracks I play out on it, it can’t even handle the kickdrum, like the hertz level is too low, and you just can’t even hear the kickdrum, it’s fuckin’ shit!
LL: On the topic of Glade Festival, you were asked during a pre-hype interview (the one where you got a make-over) about the current state of your faction of dance music, and about the dance music scene in general. You responded:
“Factions of dance music are getting meteorically worse, but it’s each to their own at the end of the day, but on the whole I would say that the dance music I’m into is as good as it’s ever been.”
“The future for underground dance music will be helped by the fact that you have these Paris Hilton s, these celebrities, that are starting to DJ (and popularize electronic music). They will take away the masses and let the underground flourish as it is, and let the scene grow and evolve.
These answers particularly hit home for me. I was wondering if you could elaborate on this, slash perhaps touch on the boarders that separate the underground from the mainstream, and those artists such as Disclosure , who even you praise for their ability to ride those fine (or not so fine) lines all the way to total popularity?
EE: Well, it’s weird, because when I said that… how long ago was that, six months ago?
LL: You were actually a fortune teller-
EE: Well aha yeah, because now look at Disclosure, and all these people… it’s amazing how quickly it moves. That was what, June I said that? They’re amazing, and they’re lovely lovely guys, and they’re not selling out.
They’re called Guy and Howard yeah.. and they’re twenty and eighteen, and Guy wants to be a pop-star – he always wanted to be a pop-star, and fair play to him. But they make incredible, very very credible pop music. They’re amazing… really talented. So to elaborate on that… obviously, it’s completely changed since what, in six months, it’s like it couldn’t have changed more.
Because of certain people, [BBC] Radio 1 in England (and throughout the rest of the world) has so much power, and as soon as Chris Moyles left the breakfast show and Nick Grimshaw was put in, literally all the hierarchies moved. So Chris Moyles left, loads of producers left, and then all the younger more cool producers like Becci Abbott who produces Pete [Tong] and Annie [Mac], and then Nick Grimshaw gets the breakfast show, and in the day time, they’re playing Teed , fuckin’… Disclosure, Hot Natured , Jamie Jones , they’re playing it because they love it, and they’re like “this is what you want to be listening to.”
At the end of the day, they’re playing cool music, and they’re trying to get people into it… because electronic music’s fucking horrendous.
LL: This time last year, you were asked by spoonfed.co.uk , if you could throw the perfect party (money no object), who is playing, and where is the party?
You answered,
“I would go back in time to when Dimitri From Paris recorded the first Night At The Playboy Mansion . That has got to be the perfect party mix given the time and setting.”
Such an amazing answer. If you had the same chance today, who and where would you choose?
EE: Same. Exact same. Have you ever listened to that?
LL: Hell yes I have.
EE: Dimitri From Paris, Night At The Playboy Mansion… just imagine, he recorded that live there, so imagine… imagine being there.
LL: Do you have a physical copy of that?
EE: Yeah, I’ve got a vinyl and CD copy. And the vinyl, it’s got the full-length version of The Originals – Down to Love Town , the full ten and a half minute Dim’s edit, and it’s fukkin’ mint. It’s so good. Just imagine bein’ there, like… swanky as fuck, loads of girls everywhere, it would be amazing.
LL: What is the most over-asked interview question?
EE: Do you eat everything?
LL: You get asked about food all day…
EE: It’s my own fault for choosing this stupid fucking name.. But creative journalism… like this is good. Creative journalism goes a long way.
LL: Your most recent Dirtybird release, “ Vertigo ”, is aptly titled to a condition that seemingly has become a large reality in your more recent life [7-8 years]. Can you explain the affect that this inner ear problem can have on your life as a touring DJ? Also if you could say a few words to those of us who suffer from attention deficit disorders, and how you’ve managed to still be productive and maintain your momentum from day to day?
EE: People assume Vertigo is a fear of heights, but it’s not. It’s actually gotten a lot better. Like, I’m still dizzy all the time, but… this tour I haven’t had vertigo at all.
LL: How’s flying?
EE: Flying’s fine. It’s when I get off the plane normally, that’s the problem. It’s the pressure, and readjusting, and it normally takes me ages. But I think as I get used to touring more, my ears are just getting used to it, so it’s good.
LL: Does it have any affect on your hearing?
EE: I wear earplugs everywhere; in the cinema, in the studio, because my hearing’s fucked. Like if I were in here [backstage] for twenty minutes, when I would leave, my ears would just be ringing uncontrollably.
LL: If the Hunger Games were to actually happen, and Dirtybird had to put forth their top contender, who would it be?
EE: Barclay [Claude VonStroke]. Definitely. He can just go for… I don’t know how he does it. It’s mental. He doesn’t take drugs, and he stays up for three days.
LL: (Laughs) hell yeah…
EE: And everyone else is just like, we’ve been smashing in everything under the sun, and then we’re all like “home time”, forty-eight hours later, and he’s like “you’re all fuckin’ pussies man… you all fucked off.”
LL: In one or two of your interviews, you’ve been asked “what’s your inspiration for this song?”, and you’ve actually answered: “Claude VonStroke”.
EE: Well, he’s not the inspiration… he’s the fuckin’ anti-christ. Says “no” to SO much stuff, that he just makes you write better music. But it’s not really.. I wouldn’t say he’s inspiring, he’s infuriating.
LL: In your sit-down with GBC Mag this summer, you were asked what’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten. And your retort was a very low-life one, that our readers would appreciate.
“A cactus. How can I put this… it was in my home town when I was about 15 and I’d done some acid and I ate a few teabags, some coffee, then a cactus. It was not good; I don’t recommend eating cooking or preparing cactus is any way. It was a really furry one as well…”
EE: It was a really furry one as well! It was fucking horrendous. It was one of those things where you’d just done acid, and you were like… I don’t know if you do acid or if you’ve done it, but when you do acid… things… seem like a good idea. And you’re like – ‘cause the tea was alright, and the coffee was okay, but the fucking cactus. It was one of the full on furry ones, and it was just in my tongue for hours like… in the bathroom mirror, because I was on acid it looked like my tongue was covered in it…
LL: (Laughs)Oh my god… You were then asked if it was anything like a cucumber? First of all, any comments on that hilarious question – “was it anything like a cucumber”?
EE: It was… it couldn’t be anything further from a cucumber. A cucumber is 85% water, with no spikes. A Cactus is made of spikes.
LL: Well, you ended up answering them: “No it was like a fucking spiky… horrible tasting cactus and I got loads of spikes in my tongue, it was horrendous!”
What I want to ask you, is if you’re still at the point in your life, where eating a tea bag here and there is still a possibility, or have you grown out of these experimental ways?
EE: (Laughs) no, depending on how you look at it, I’ve fortunately or unfortunately grown out of it. I’m too old… I’m 33 now. I’m too old to be eating cacti. It’s gone past the point. I still do stupid shit, but no more eating a cactus.
LL: Lastly, Oscar speech time. AKA Shoutouts-
EE: Uhmmm, I’d like to thank Justin Martin, for being… a fuckin’ balding idiot, I’d like to thank Claude VonStroke for being a bearded idiot, I’d like to thank my management for being really good – and a pair of twats, I’d like to thank my wife for being a wonderful, beautiful person, I’d like to thank Pete Tong for being fuckin’ so supportive, and taking me on this tour and just basically making my career what it is. If I didn’t have Pete Tong I wouldn’t be sitting here talking with you yeah? In fact, Pete Tong should be first on that list because he’s a fucking legend. And then I’d like to thank you for the interview.
LL: Man.. unbelievable. We look forward to being in your continent soon. Thank you for your time Dan.
Connect with Eats Everything:
Facebook: facebook.com/eatseverythingmusic
Twitter: twitter.com/eats_everything
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/eatseverything
Web: dirtybirdrecords.com
Rader
The Pets Recordings family brings you a taste from their upcoming compilation Pets Will Carry You Home Too . Daniel Pearce aka Eats Everything brings us this gloriously disheveled tweedy makeover of Catz ‘n Dogz ‘ ”Mass Confusion”. The collection is scheduled to be released digitally on February 4th 2013 and physically on the 18th of March.
Keep your eyes peeled for our Eats Everything interview, which will be up on Monday for your viewing pleasure.
Bless,
Rader
We are a day late on delivering this, but we had to wait up until the 31st to pull this thing together – just in case we needed to make any last minute additions (and also because we are habitually disorganized and tardy).
After a haphazard electronic congress amongst the various selectas’ in our slightly dysfunctional family, we put together a collage of the music that moved us in MMXII.
We didn’t attempt to rank these releases–nor to affix to each of them a rating–because it is our view that this sort of enterprise is not meaningful. We assure you that we have vetted all of it. Finding high-grade jams below should be straight-forward–like shooting fish in a barrel. We invite you to trust us and to peruse with an open mind and curiosity.
With love–
Held – Holy Other [Triangle]
Au Seve – Julio Bashmore [Broadwalk]
Jasmine – Jai Paul [XL]
Prism – Jacques Green [3024]
Look Out – Homeboy Sandman [Stones Throw]
[Jacques Greene]
Control (feat. Ria Ritchie) (Joe Goddard Remix) – Disclosure [Greco-Roman]
Nova – Burial + Four Tet [Text]
Revolution – Mala [Brownswood]
Flutes – Hot Chip [Domino]
Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe – Kendrick Lamar [Top Dawg]
[Joe Goddard]
Crystal Caverns 1991 – Lone [R&S]
Higher Ground – TNGHT [Warp]
Species Out Of Control – Simian Mobile Disco [Wichita]
The Hope – Scuba [Hotflush]
So Will Be Now (feat. Pional) – John Talabot [Permanent Vacation]
[John Talabot]
Ye Ye – Daphni [Merge]
Bad Religion – Frank Ocean [Def Jam]
Dream To Me – Flying Lotus [Warp]
Always – Maths Time Joy [Live For The Funk]
Elegante – Squarehead [5ANDSEVEN]
[Flying Lotus]
Whatnot – Machinedrum [Innovative Leisure]
Please Forgive My Heart – Bobby Womack [XL]
Inspector Norse – Todd Terje [Olsen/Smalltown Supersound]
Lion (Jamie xx Remix) – Four Tet [Text]
Yoro Diallo (Lone Remix) – Egyptian Hip Hop [R&S]
[Four Tet]
The Perfect Blues (Jacques Greene Remix) – Jesse Boykins III, Melo-X [Ninja Tune]
$tripper – Bicep [Chemical]
Nissim (feat. Amir Yaghmai) – The Gaslamp Killer [Ninja Tune]
Shades – Dark Sky [50 Weapons]
Forgotton Notes – Hackman [Ramp]
[The Gaslamp Killer]
November Skies (feat. Nina Kinert) – Tomas Barfod [Friends of Friends]
The Narcississt (feat. Inga Copeland) – Dean Blunt [Hippos In Tanks]
Thrown – Kiasmos [Erased Tapes]
wen uuu – Shlohmo [Friends of Friends]
Truant – Burial [Hyperdub]
[Tomas Barfod]
Her Fantasy – Matthew Dear [Ghostly International]
Grey – Atem [Blenheim & Celtic]
What’s In Your Head – Disclosure [Greco-Roman]
Running (Disclosure Remix) – Jessie Ware [PMR]
Confidence Boost (Harmonimix Remix) – Trim [R&S]
[Matthew Dear]
All Inside – Bondax [Super]
Fuck You All The Time – Jeremih [Def Jam]
Small Talk (Four Tet Remix) – Ultraista [I Am Fortified]
Rained The Whole Time (Nicolas Jaar Remix) – Shlohmo [Friends of Friends]
The Ego – Nicolas Jaar [Clown & Sunset]
[Nicolas Jaar]
Sleepless – Andy Stott [Modern Love]
For Sake – Aeroc [Ghostly International]
Make It Good – The White Lamp [Brownswood]
Boiling (feat. Sinead Harnett) – Disclosure [Greco-Roman]
Nothing So Great – Evy Jane [Self-Released]
[Disclosure]
Default – Atoms For Peace [XL]
Blue Skies Red Soil – NeferTT [Hotflush]
Gold Soul Theory – The Underachievers [Brainfeeder]
New For You – Andrés [La Vida]
Chum – Earl Sweatshirt [Self-Released]
[The Underachievers]
Compuphonic – Maddslinky [Broadwalk]
23 (feat. Tymer) – Shadowchild [Food]
Get Free (feat. Amber of Dirty Projectors) – Major Lazer [Mad Decent]
Child – George Fitzgerald [Aus Music]
What I Might Do (Club Edit) – Ben Pearce [MTA]
[George Fitzgerald]
Kindred – Burial [Hyperdub]
Chained – The xx [Young Turks]
Leaf (A$AP Rocky feat. Main Attrakionz) – Clams Casino [Self-Released]
Timeaway – Darkstar [Warp]
Night Light (Joe Goddard Remix) – Jessie Ware [Universal]
[Darkstar]
So Many Details – Toro Y Moi [Carpark]
Born To Die (Gucci Vump Remix) – Lana Del Rey [Interscope]
Goin In (Boy 8-Bit Remix) – Zinc [Rinse]
Signal Loss – Pariah [R&S]
Jupiters – Four Tet [Text]
[Toro Y Moi]
Tissues & Fivers – Gang Colours [Brownswood]
Swims – Boddika & Joy Orbison [Swamp 81]
Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage? – Blawan [Hinge Finger]
Lost In Tokyo – Koreless [Vase]
Argonaut – Floating Points [Eglo]
[Blawan]
Video Games (Joy Orbison Remix) – Lana Del Rey [Interscope]
Blessed (feat. Kendrick Lamar) – Schoolboy Q [Top Dawg]
Sleepless (feat. Jezzabell Doran) (Shlohmo Remix) – Flume [Future Classic]
Jagged Edge – Eats Everything [Pets]
Crispy Duck – Dense and Pika [Hotflush]
[Eats Everything]
Forget (Shlohmo Remix) – Lianne La Havas [Self-Released]
Huron River Drive (Evenings Remix) – Shigeto [Ghostly International]
Terrorist Threats (feat. Danny Brown & Jhene Aiko) – Ab-Soul [TDE]
Lotus Bootleg – Jonwayne [Self-Released]
Avalanche – Just Friends [Clown & Sunset]
[Shlohmo]
& It Was U – How To Dress Well [Weird World]
Why Don’t You – Synkro [Apollo]
Ellipsis – Joy Orbison [Hinge Finger]
Flo Jam – Dusky [Dogmatik]
Meu – Jets [Leisure System]
[Joy Orbison]
Oblivion – Grimes [4AD]
The Black God – SpaceGhostPurp [4AD]
Femme Fatale – Justin Jay [Dirtybird]
Fools Good – Troy Junner [Mindset]
It’s True – Wih’lo [Self-Released]
[Grimes]
No To Love (George Fitzgerald Remix) – Jessie Ware [PMR]
Move Love – Robert Glasper [Blue Note]
Gotham Mix 1 – A.CHAL [Self-Released]
Mirror Maru – Cashmere Cat [Pelican Fly]
What You Need – Flume [Future Classic]
[Robert Glasper]
Over the last week or so, the Dirtybird camp has been steadily slipping out individual additions to the second volume of Ghettos and Gardens remixes. Now available for purchase exclusively via Beatport , the gravity of this release is difficult to understate. The list of contributors is but only just shy of unprecedented quality. Dirtybird boss, Claude VonStroke , along side merry men, Eats Everything , Leroy Peppers , Tanner Ross , Shadow Child , Pezzner , Kill Frenzy , LOPAZZ , and Willis Haltom put forth editions that vary from Tech and Deep House to Drum and Bass. All of which, though, provide that driving yet tongue-in-cheek energy we’ve come to expect from what is arguably North America’s leading Dance music imprint.
[Claude and Justin @ Dirtybird Picnic]
Peruse the below previews to determine which, if not all, are worthy of your dollar.
Luckily, some individual appendages of the record have been released in full for your enjoyment.
sam.i.am
Dirtybird Records continues to showcase its stacked roster with this hour of unabashed funk from 19 year old prodigy Justin Jay . Jam-packed with cuts varying from Justin Martin’s retouches of recent label signee French Fries ; Eats Everything ‘s Trubble ; Julio Bashmore side project Velour ‘s The Scent of Romance , and of course a few original tracks from the man behind the controls.
While the mix forgoes halloween classics like The Monster Mash , the beats here are definitely spooky enough to fuel your ghoulish weekend’s festivities.
-St.Patty
[Valentino Cazani, a.k.a. French Fries]
Parisian producer Valentino Cazani, more commonly known as French Fries , has set the Space Alarm / Smoke Wine EP to release through Dirtybird on November 13th. His professed love for ‘ghetto music’ clearly shines through the preview of these two new tracks. Stream the appetizer below-
See Previously: French Fries | Interview
Atom
[Justin Martin]
San Fransisco based producer/DJ Justin Martin is due to release a 13-track album, titled ‘Ghettos and Gardens’ via Dirtybird , on May 22nd.
In anticipation of the release, Dirtybird let out four singles from the album — the title track, ‘Ghettos and Garden’s,’ and ‘Hood Rich,’ were bequeathed earlier this season — ‘Don’t Go’, and ‘Ruff Stuff,’ more recently so.
The production of these numbers is some of the cleanest I have heard in a minute. Upon being introduced to ‘Ruff Stuff’, I sat at home and listened to it six times in a row.
“Don’t Go” is Justin’s most emotional work since “The Sad Piano”. Ten years after his stunning debut, his ear for gorgeous melodies is stronger than ever. A timeless organ intertwines with an increasingly urgent harp, eventually lifted beyond the heavens by the song’s ethereal vocals.”
(via dirtybirdrecords.com )
Purchase || Here
KO
This February past, I had the chance to catch up with Valentino Cazani, the bass-music chameleon, French Fries , at Montreal’s internationally renowned Igloofest . In an effortlessly cool accent, he discusses what would come to be his triumphant Yo Vogue EP , his passionate relationship with “Ghetto” music, and his big sister’s super cool petit ami.
With out further ado, I welcome French Fries -
LL: What were you looking forward to in playing Montreal this evening?
FF: Euuh, well, I knew it was crazy (laughs) ‘cuz I heard about the festival. I just knew it was crazy and it was really cold.
LL: Evidently.
FF: Ya, I was really looking forward to ‘dis gig.
LL: What are you working on now; what are you hoping to produce in 2012?
FF: I have a next EP forthcoming on Dirtybird with a remix from Claude Von Stroke and a Leroy Peppers . And then we’re producing my sister’s album with Bambounou . Its kind of like R&B-Rap. So we have an EP coming, ‘den a mixtape, ‘den an album.
LL: Keepin’ busy.
FF: Yeah yeah.
LL: Where do you find yourself drawing influences from to make these records?
FF: Which one?
LL: All of them.
FF: Euuh, Ghetto music really (laughs).
LL: Yeah?
FF: Yeah, Ghetto music from the UK, from Paris and America.
LL: Can you name names?
FF: Names? Sure: Pearson Sound , all the Dirtybird crew, that new Detroit – Chicago house scene, the UK scene obviously, and this big French move in Paris right now, like Sound Pelligrino , Young Gunz , Clek Clek Boom , which is my label, Brodinski as well.
LL: You mention the French movement going on right now; How do you think it defines itself in comparison to the American and UK movements. What makes the French movement unique?
FF: Everyone has his culture, right? I think the UK is bass-music, Garage, and that kind of stuff. America is really Ghetto, like Baltimore, Jersey, ‘dis kind of stuff. And Paris, I think is more a House scene. And we just try to mix everything with the house culture we have. So we try to mix the UK scene with our thing, and the Ghetto scene as well.
LL: I’d like to know about how you started in this industry; what first piece of hardware you bought? What were you listening to back then?
FF: Well basically, my father is sound engineer so I just grew up in a studio. I’ve just been playing when I was a kid, making rap-beats when I was like 10.
LL: 10?
FF: Yeah, it was shit though (laughs). But you know, I’ve just been playing. And I just started DJ-ing when I was fourteen.
LL: And you’re how old now?
FF: I am twenty. So I’ve been six years. And cuz ‘dese guy, euh, Ministre X ; Tchiky Al Dente , use to date my sister six years ago, and he’s a dj. And I was like: “Eugh, DJ. That looks so cool!” I was like “Can you teach me scratch and stuff?” And I just went to his club, Favela Chique , and, uh, he teach me how to play. I stay there for basically two years – had a residency. And, uh, I just began to make House music.
LL: And you were listening to the House music of, well, 2004, I guess, when you had this residency.
FF: Actually, I was listening to, uh, Ghetto music (laughs harder). Again, I was listening to Chicago house, Baltimore club music, and uh, Baile funk , the Ghetto music of Brazil – from Rio. He’s from Brazil, Ministre X , and I’m from South America, Uruguay.
LL: Thank you for your time, Valentino.
FF: Thank you, Low-Life.
“I wanna see you vogue, bitch.”
French Fries’ Yo Vogue EP -
And here’s a riveting mix that features Doc Daneeka and the man himself, put out only yesterday.
sam.i.am
