John Talabot – 'Destiny' feat. Pional
Spanish producer and Hivern Discs label head John Talabot released his debut album ƒin this week on Permanent Vacation. On the album are two collaborations with the Hivern Discs-released producer Pional (his A Moot Point EP on the label is particularly impressive). The first of these is now available to stream on John Talabot’s soundcloud. It’s [...]
Semtek & Chardonnay / Scott Fraser – 'Tacos For Dinner' / 'Remains The Same'
World Unknown, the brilliant monthly South London party run by Andy Blake (Dissident, Cave Paintings) and Joe Hart (who also runs the equally excellent night out Bodyhammer), started up a record label last year. So far they’ve released four split 12″s of palpitating acid house, mostly from relatively lesser-known producers such as Apiento, Timothy J. [...]
Champion feat. Princess Nyah – 'Crazy'
‘Sensitivity’, DJ Champion’s 2011 collaboration with Ruby Lee Ryder, was one of UK Funky’s best recent vocal tracks, and ‘Frontline’, Princess Nyah’s collaboration with Ill Blu from 2008/2009, is one of the genre’s all-time classics. It makes sense then that the two should team up for the latest release on Champion’s Formula label. You can [...]
Friendly Fires – 'Hurting' (Carl Craig Remix)
In January, Friendly Fires released a remix package of their second album Pala, which included revisions from Tensnake, Benoit & Sergio, and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs amongst others. Also in there was this sunny remix of ‘Hurting’ by Carl Craig, the radio edit of which has just been uploaded to Craig’s Soundcloud. It had previously [...]
Young Fame & 2 Chainz – 'Make it Work'
Update: What do you know, he’s just signed to Def Jam. 2 Chainz (formally Tity Boi) has impressed us a ton recently with his guest appearances on records like Juicy J’s Blue Dream & Lean. Here he pops up on a moonlit cut by Young Fame, the production of which almost reminds us of LHF [...]
MRSK – 'Twirl'
MRSK – ‘Twirl’ Swedish producer Martin Skogehall impressed with last year’s swaggering ‘Black Keith’ 12″ on Rush Hour. His latest effort, out on 12″ vinyl this week, surveys even bolshier broken techno territory. Released on his countrymen Skudge’s Skudge Presents label, ‘Twirl’/’Pinkman’ is one of the first truly killer dancefloor 12″s of 2012 so far. [...]
JD Twitch & Killa P – 'Skeng Teng Sleng Teng'
JD Twitch, one half of Glasgow clubbing legends Optimo, describes this track as being made “purely to amuse myself”. Which is how you should take it too. It’s a bit of unmastered fun, no release date, with JD Twitch trying his hand at Sleng Teng, the first computerized wholly riddim in Jamaican music. It also features vocals [...]
Blondes – Blondes
You’ve heard the FACT mix, you’ve heard the ‘Wine’ single, and you can now stream the self-titled debut album by Brooklyn dance duo Blondes. Stream: Blondes – Blondes [via Drowned in Sound]
Frank Ocean – 'Voodoo'
Yes, he released one of 2011′s best albums in Nostalgia, Ultra. But you know what’s arguably the best thing about Frank Ocean? Even when, as on this new Tumblr cut ‘Voodoo’, he’s on relatively forgettable form (let’s face it: the most memorable thing about this two minute track is the line about someone “having the [...]
Krystal Klear – 'From The Start'
Manchester’s Krystal Klear’s ‘Never Thought You Would Go’ released on Eglo Records last year, was a silk smooth slow jam - “r’n’b for grown folks to step to” as the label put it. He’s got a new record due now on All City Records, ‘We’re Wrong’/’From The Start’. B-side ‘From The Start’ sees him again exploring [...]
Tessela – 'D Jane'
Arguably the breakthrough star of UK dance music in 2011 was Blawan, an artist who quickly gained notoriety for his raucous drum patterns that seem to fly off in a thousand different directions before snapping back into place. Blawan’s last few solo releases though, Peaches and ‘What You Do With What You Have’ were both [...]
Azealia Banks – 'Bambi'
Another day, another new track from Harlem’s more-ubiquitous-by-the-minute Azealia Banks. This one’s titled ‘Bambi’, it’s produced by Paul Epworth (who’s supposed to have a big hand in Banks’ forthcoming major label ventures). If it sounds like something you’d expect to hear in a fashion show, then that’s because it is: it was premiered at a [...]
Mickey Pearce – 'Don't Ask, Don't Get'
Last September, we broke the news that Blunted Robots’ Shortstuff had changed his name to Mickey Pearce full-time (he’d previously been using the alias for edits of Cassie, Wiley, Ms Dynamite and more) and was readying a single for Swamp81. Pearce has now put audio of that single, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Get’ b/w ‘I Am’ [...]
Gang Colours – 'Fancy Restaurant' (Machinedrum remix)
Gang Colours has been making waves in recent months with his sepia brand of isolationist pop music, and will release his debut album The Keychain Collection on February 27. That will be preceded by a new single ‘Fancy Restaurant’, which features remixes by Machinedrum, Ifan Dafydd and Deft. You can stream Machinedrum’s remix, a breakbeat-heavy [...]
Evian Christ – 'MYD'
It’s funny that today’s album review of Lil Jabba’s Swisher should reference Evian Christ, because his/her/their YouTube channel has been soundtracking FACT’s office this week. Despite the fact that Evian Christ’s anonymity – nobody on the Internet seems to know much about him/her/them at this point – will doubtless play a part in people’s interest [...]
Blondes – 'Wine'
It’s interesting that RVNG INTL picked Teengirl Fantasy to remix ‘Wine’, from New York duo (and last week’s FACT mixers) Blondes’ forthcoming album for the label – with it’s subtly growling bassline, deep toms, ascending synths and twilight vocal sampling, it wouldn’t have felt out of place on Teengirl Fantasy’s last album 7AM. You can [...]
Mala – ‘Enter Dimensions’
“Strides forward on biblical kick drums”
Optimum – 'Ghost House'
Up-and-coming Japanese label Diskotopia has already released some sterling material – notably Slackk’s ‘She’s a Vector’ and label boss BD1982′s ‘VHS Nite’ – and this month they’ve stepped things up with the release of a CD compilation, Diskotopia Volume 1. For us, one of the clear highlights is Optimum’s swirling ‘Ghost House’, which you can [...]
Pinch & Photek – 'Acid Reign' (Pinch's Dubplate Mix)
Pinch has been keen to collaborate in the last couple of years; the dubstep veteran and Tectonic label boss has released singles with Roska and Loefah, worked on Distal’s ‘Angry Acid’, and of course teamed up with Shackleton for a full length album simply titled Pinch and Shackleton late last year. This morning, he uploaded [...]