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Lord RAJA – Rubies EP

A collection of tracks from East Coast beatmusic producer Lord RAJA, which have been assembled into a new, free EP titled Rubies. Loads of subdued grooves, atmosphere, and wonky textures on this thing. Enjoy!

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Lapalux – “Moveoutofmyway” ft. ShadowBox

Lapalux drops what I’m assuming is a spare track from his recent full-length effort, Nostalchic. It’s an interesting track that works in multiple phases. Structurally, it definitely throws a few twists and turns at the listener, which is maybe why it didn’t make it onto the LP. Who knows? Either way, Lapalux delivers heavenly vocals set against weird, warped, wonky-style beats and synths. Enjoy!

Check a review for Nostalchic here:

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Meet 食品まつり, a.k.a. foodman

foodman is an electronic music producer I’ve been following on SoundCloud for months now. His account is one of many that I’ve run across whose owner doesn’t really have an album or much industry status, yet, he prolifically pumps out material that’s refreshing and oddly creative.

Though foodman’s tracks are usually short, they make up for it with intricately confusing details that never cease, really. Nearly every song on this dude’s soundcloud is a challenge to dissect–especially since most of them come from a juke and footwork background, which are already detail-dense genres.

Here’s a selection of foodman tracks I enjoy:

Check this footwork compilation Foodman was featured on that I dug last year.

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RocketNumberNine – “Rotunda”

RocketNumberNine is pulling together an interesting blend of drone noise music with a bit of dance instrumental.

It’s really all about the build and the collapse and repeating it in unexpected ways on “Rotunda”. It’s completely circular and often repeats itself just a rotunda should. What is special about the track is just how they combine regularly unappealing noises into danceable grooves, or spurts of grooves that are gone before you can even react to them.

This song and others are due for release on RocketNumberNine’s next full-length album, MeYouWeYou. Look for it on May 21st via Smalltown Supersound.

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Danny Brown – “Kush Coma”

Danny Brown drops a new, Skywlkr-produced track titled “Kush Coma,” and it features some bright synths, trap rhythms, and some pretty strange chorus vocals. It’s a pretty nutty beat, but Danny says pretty cutthroat and straightforward with a speedy flow that spits lyrics about his inebriated surreality. I hope that’s a word…

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HANZ – “Dead Weight X”

Experimental beatmusic producer HANZ drops a new single titled “Dead Weight X.” Spanning just over 14 minutes, it’s easily this dude’s most ambitious musical moment yet. I really dig how he combines elements of noise, melody, and head-bobbing hip hop grooves for a pretty interesting sonic experience. Enjoy!

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Bonobo – “Heaven For The Sinner” ft. Erykah Badu

Bonobo drops another track from the forthcoming The North Borders, and this new cut features some soulful vocals from the none other than Erykah Badu. Listen to the track “Cirrus” here, and look for Borders on Ninja Tune at the start of April.

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Lapalux – “BETHR”

Though Lapalux’s latest track isn’t exactly lengthy, it’s got a lot of beauty on display between its Angel One sample and glistening synths. I love how the track gets really thick and layered with this synths toward the end, too. Enjoy!

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Karriem Riggins – “Chopped Worm”

Detroit hip hop producer and J Dilla associate Karriem Riggins has a new track out that’s in tribute to the recently deceased Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner, who was once the frontman for the legendary Ohio Players.

Not only is Riggins creating an incredibly funky sendoff for the band’s former singer, but he’s uncovering a bit of hip hop history here by chopping up one of the group’s most sampled songs, “Funky Worm.” The track’s squealing keyboard leads have turned up in numerous hip hop releases from the West Coast. From N.W.A. to Kendrick Lamar, “Funky Worm” isn’t going out of style any time soon.

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Simon Bird – Sport

Beatmaker, music experimentalist, and Swans cover artist Simon Bird has a new album he dropped back in December titled Sport. The dude’s tracks are incredibly long for what basically feels like oddball beats and instrumentals; however, he justifies the 10-minute lengths with plenty of progression, strange sounds, and winding song structures. He’s not afraid to blend genres either, dabbling in a bit of hip hop, noise, and ambient music across the seven tracks in this release.