Category Archives: Music

Future Grooves: Dubbel Dutch

Posted on September 2, 2010 | Leave a comment

Austin is known for being a hipster hideaway deep in the heart of Texas, due in large part to the growing dominance of SXSW. And while it’s not known as a hotbed of electronic music, producer Dubbel Dutch is creating buzz from the capital of the Lone Star State.

Dubbel Dutch is Marc Glasser, a 24-year old New York native. Over two criminally underrated EPs for Palms Out Records and a handful of remixes, he is establishing himself as a vibrant voice in the underground dance scene. His tracks blend elements from current trends (dubstep, UK funky and tropical) with nods to old favorites (house and hardcore).

Like the Camo UFOs, Dubbel Dutch definitely has a jungle fascination, as evidenced by the title track on his Throwback EP. The title hits the nail on the head: an addictive breakbeat, Casio synths and echoing female vocal loops give the track a 90s feel, even if the soca beat and bouncy bassline are pure 2010.

The rest of the EP does not disappoint, going even further down the rabbit hole into deep house and cutting-edge funky sounds. Once again, the title of “Deep Underground” is plenty descriptive.

Earlier single “On the One” plays in similar sonic territory, while “Infinite Decimal” is more inline with the low-end acrobatics of the Trouble & Bass crew. The vocal sample is chipped up and percussive, while the buildups beg for hands-in-the-air grooving.

Thankfully, we’re not the only ones paying attention to Dubbel Dutch. He’s put together mixes for XLR8R and URB (the latter is below), mixing tracks from other like-minded producers and giving a sense of what’s to come in the future. It’s clear that when March rolls around, SXSWers should be on the lookout for a local with his finger on the EDM pulse.

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The Verge: Big Troubles

Posted on September 2, 2010 | Leave a comment

As the saying goes, “everything old is new again.” This partially explains the glut of indie bands whose sounds are indebted to both the the fuzzy post-punk of the Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine and the alternative sensibilities of the Pixies and Nirvana. For some reason, the Jersey suburbs of Bergen County have proven to be a particularly fertile ground for this type of music, giving us Vivian Girls, Real Estate and Ducktails. The most exciting new band to emerge out of this scene is Big Troubles.

Big Troubles make catchy noise pop that is not as dreary as their foreboding name and album title would suggest. Worry, released yesterday on Olde English Spelling Bee Records, is a hook-infested, fuzzed out collection of 14 songs that are heavy on nostalgia for 80s and 90s indie rock.

Throughout Worry, Ian Drennan and Alex Craig present songs that play bigger than the duo’s bedroom recordings should allow (the membership of the band doubles live). Waves of feedback and fuzz, artful guitar arpeggios, and basic surf rock rhythm tracks go hand-in-hand with reverbed vocal lines. “Freudian Slip” sounds like a Smashing Pumpkins B-side melted onto a JAMC tape, while “Drastic and Difficult” is just that: eardrum piercing squeals that barely give way to verse and chorus. The opening crunch of “Modern Intimacy” opens up into a wavy Beach Boys guitar line.

Both the song and video for “Bite Yr Tongue” find the band in their comfort zone. A soaring guitar riff repeats throughout a verse-chorus-verse composition, before turning into sonic chaos that is somehow still pleasant. For the synesthesic among us, the video looks how the song sounds: dissonant but playful.

Whatever the state of irony in 2010 underground culture, the band’s decision to start an Angelfire webpage (“The #1 site for teens… Best viewed in Netscape 2.0,” the scrolling text reads) is hilarious and telling. Underneath music that is superficially harsh and unforgiving, there is a flippant, youthful attitude. It’ll serve Big Troubles well as they try to give some shine to a well-worn stone.

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Mixtape Review: RAtheMC – Heart of a Champion

Posted on August 31, 2010 | Leave a comment


Next to Phil Ade, RAtheMC is the brightest rising star in the DMV hip-hop scene. She rocked the stage at last October’s All Killer No Filler and her Twitter-themed mixtape Trending Topic was one of the best local releases in 2009. Since then, she’s been steady grinding, prepping Heart of a Champion, backed by AB the Producer.

Heart of a Champion showcases the same talent and range as Trending Topic. Ra’s flow continues to sharpen, and in the Age of Drake, her self-sung hooks are a well-executed necessity. Tracks by AB the Producer are clean soundscapes for Ra to perform over, never repetitive in tone or style. Throughout the tape, samples pay tribute to Ra’s forebears: Sade’s “Love is Stronger than Pride” on “Pretend” and Lauryn Hill’s “The Sweetest Thing” on “Intoxicated.”

Ra references DMV leaders Wale, Tabi Bonney and XO; the latter appears on the sweeping “So Gone So Long.” Throughout the tape, on songs like “One Shot” and “Heart of a Champion,” Ra proves she is focused on one thing: following in their footsteps – and going farther. After Ms. Hill’s bewildering performance at this weekend’s Rock the Bells, it’s clear that the crown is ready to be passed. So why not to RAtheMC?

COP/DON’T COP THIS MIXTAPE

RAtheMC – Heart of a Champion Tracklist

01. Pretend
02. The Grind
03. Intoxicated
04. One Shot
05. Dreams
06. One Life
07. Change
08. Pricey (ft. Ihsan Bilal)
09. Lights
10. Smile
11. Heart of a Champion
12. Good Friends (ft. AB the Pro)
13. Gone So Long (ft. XO)

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Mixtape Monday: Dubstep edition

Posted on August 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

From the Dubstep Dossier to Future Grooves, TGRI Online is committed to bringing you the newest, cutting-edge sounds in bass-heavy music. Still, we sometimes take for granted the fact that the world at large isn’t as familiar with Rusko, Skream and the like as we are – even if they will be soon.


Seemingly with that in mind, DJ D Painter’s latest podcast – recorded live from Jamaica – is titled “Dubstep for Dummies.” Rather than a history of dubstep, the podcast is perfect for the uninitiated: dubstep of the moment, including remixes of “Forever” and “Womanizer” and a few recent essentials (“Innocence,” Sub Focus’ take on “Hold On”). Quick and to the point, “Dubstep for Dummies” is the perfect gift for that bass-less somone in your life.

D. Painter Podcast 04 track list:

01. Ctrl Z & Freestylers ft. Navigator – Ruffneck 09 (Excision & Datsik Remix)
02. Drake & Eminem – Forever (Nero Remix)
03. TC – Where’s My Money (Caspa Remix)
04. Jakes – Warface 2010
05. Benga ft. Eve – Me N My (Up In The Club)
06. Crookers ft. Kelis – No Security (Rustie Remix)
07. Diplo ft. Lil Jon – U Don’t Like Me
08. Liquid Stranger – Mission AD
09. 12th Planet ft. Juakall – Reasons (Doctor P Remix)
10. Ladybox – Cookies Fly (12th Planet & Flinch Remix)
11. Britney Spears – Womanizer (Borgore Remix)
12. Nero – Innocence
13. Rusko ft. Amber Coffman – Hold On (Sub Focus Remix)

While D. Painter drops the 101, Jess Jubilee’s recent mix for Dubspot is a masters class in dubstep, UK funky and future grooves. The Nightshifter/Flashing Lights basshead mixes in can’t-miss tracks by Ramadanman, Kingdom and Ikonika, along with a brilliant transition from LOL Boy’s “123” to Brick Bandit Tim Dolla’s “Number Advisory.” It’s like a twisted Sesame Street lesson.

Dubspot podcast episode 9 – Jubilee track list:

01. Kyla – Daydreaming (Lil Silva Remix)
02. Dj Shaun – D – ALien Spaceship
03. Mujava – Source of Drums
04. Bambounou – Nappy Head
05. Distal – Apple Bottom
06. Ramadanman – Work Them
07. Canblaster – Clockwork
08. DJ Donna SummerxGucci Mane – Fighter (Jimmy 2 Times Aw Man Blend)
09. R1 Ryders – Hydraulic
10. DJ Bigga – Boeke Anthem
11. Untold – Anaconda (Guarachero Refix)
12. Roska – Squark (Guarachero Refix)
13. LOL Boys – 123
14. Tim Dolla – Number Advisory
15. Blondes – Spanish FLy (Brenmar Remix)
16. Kingdom – Fogs
17. Baobinga – Ride It (Untold Remix)
18. Ikonika – Aqueous Cream
19. Jubilee interview

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Future Grooves: DJ Nate

Posted on August 27, 2010 | Leave a comment


Chicago is an epicenter of electronic dance music. It’s the birthplace of house music, and like Baltimore, Philadelphia and Miami, it has its own brand of club music as well, the result of filtering house through hip-hop and other underground influences. Chicago house mutated into the stripped down style known as juke house (typified by Cajmere’s “Percolator”). In the same way, juke is giving way to footwork: music built for frenetic dance moves that are exactly what they sound like.

The fastest rising footwork DJ is wunderkind DJ Nate. The 20 year old Nathan Clark has been making footwork beats since before he could get into the clubs that play them. His stylistic trademarks are off-kilter drum beats and repetitive, pitch-shifted vocal samples, often with conflicting rhythms. A polarizing style, footwork rejects traditional dance music conventions like four-on-the-floor beats. For the uninitiated, it may sound dissonant and seem un-danceable.

Luckily, the folks at groundbreaking record label Planet Mu saw something in the young Chicagoan. Planet Mu released DJ Nate’s Hatas Our Motivation and will be dropping a compilation of Nate’s footwork tracks entitled Da Trak Genious (named after his (intentionally?) misspelled moniker) in September. Recognizing the confrontational nature of his music, the title of his EP is instructive. “Hatas our motivation” isn’t just a sample: it’s a mantra and a motto.

Throughout the EP, DJ Nate crafts beats that are exciting and new. The tracks sound like they will cause irregular heartbeats and seizures: elements collide into each other haphazardly, but when they sync up, it’s pure bliss. Looped R&B and hip hop samples practically become percussion instruments and lend a hypnotic nature to the music, especially on tracks like “We Can Work This Out” and “Ima Burn Him.”

The strongest track is the finale, “See Into My Eyes,” which brilliantly samples the goth pop of Evanescence’s “Bring Me to Life.” Twisted and pitchshifted, a bizarro Amy Lee mournfully asks “How can you see into my eyes?” over increasingly chaotic drum fills. (The track can be heard at the beginning of this juke battle video).

Between DJs like Willy Joy, Rob Threezy, and now DJ Nate, Chicago is guaranteed to be central to dance music for years to come.

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The Verge: Givers

Posted on August 25, 2010 | Leave a comment


Givers is an impossibly upbeat five-piece from Lafeyette, Louisiana, the Cajun capital of the world. One thing they’ve absorbed from their home base is the value of a melting pot. On their impressive self-titled EP, the band blends Afro-beat, psychedelic folk, and indie rock sensibilities into an adventurous, contagious sound.

From the first swells of “Up Up Up,” Givers oozes fun. Percussionist Tif Lamson exchanges scratchy Ida Maria-like vocals with guitarist Taylor Guarisco over the bouncy drums of Kirby Campbell. Bassist Josh Leblanc, keyboardist William Henderson and Guarisco have a developed give-and-take, alternating between straight-forward rock outs and multi-rhythmic jams. “Up Up Up” has the feel of a Vampire Weekend song – but these kids seem to be having a lot more fun.

“Ceiling of Plankton” starts with a smirking riff but is deceptively mournful. “When you notice all your stars are in line to find me / I’ll be there waiting right behind / and when you notice that your heart is bleeding / mine is bleeding, too,” croons Guarisco, over Lamson’s glockenspiel. The chorus doubles back with a synth-pop feel that is sweeter than frosting from the can. Owing a little more to their Deep South roots, “Saw You First” is more twang than upstroke. This would be hoedown material if it weren’t for the bubbling synths and shout-out-loud chorus.

If these live videos and their SXSW hype proves anything, it’s that this is a band you need to see live. The energy of these songs cannot be contained on disc or MP3; it’s just begging for a sweaty and smiling crowd. They are slated to join Ra Ra Riot on tour, dancing through DC in November at the 9:30 Club. In the meantime, enjoy Givers as the band prepares a debut album, due out this fall.

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EP Review: Steve Starks – Git Em

Posted on August 24, 2010 | Leave a comment


Some album covers prove the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words.” The cover art of the Git Em EP by DC DJ/producer extraordinaire Steve Starks is one such picture. Evocative of the blood-soaked cover of Andrew WK’s I Get Wet, the photo says more than any review ever could, but I’ll give it a try anyway.

Steve Starks – Git Em EP by T and A Records

Released today on T&A Records, Git Em is Steve Starks’ second effort for the label, following the TRO/Lydia EP with collaborator Nacey. It contains a couple originals and a host of remixes by like-minded knob twisters. We’ve written at length about the title track, but it bears repeating: this is a brutal track. Building from a nearly minimal beat into crashing waves of snares and bass, “Git Em” is a mutated ghettotech assault.

The remixes of “Git Em” provide new flavors while keeping the core of the original. Portuguese duo Zombies for Money give it a twisted tribal feel, as if the track came from the darkest depths of a tropical jungle. Dillon Francis adds a four on the floor electro beat, while Munchi dabbles in kuduro. Each remix is a strong tribute to the evolving sounds of EDM.

Starks’ “Witness” is a similar audio attack, flipping Eddie Amador’s “Rise” into a late night tech house banger. The airy synths and preacher vocals of the bridge give you a chance to catch your breath, but the track is soon back to obliterate your remaining senses. T&A label head DJ Ayres amps up the house influences on his spaced out remix of the track.

Steve Starks – and the rest of the Nouveau Riche crew – continues to push the DC music scene forward. On the Git Em EP, he provides another couple of anthems for the subterranean bassheads that reside at U Hall, while sharing the spotlight with similarly-minded producers on the rise.
Four out of five stars. Buy it today on Turntable Lab, Juno or Beatport.

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TGRIOnline x DJ Melo present… Culipandeo: Volumen Tres

Posted on August 23, 2010 | Leave a comment


Sadly, the Summer of Moombahton is coming to an end. Labor Day is just around the corner, the weather is almost bearable, and the kiddies are heading back to school. Luckily, there is still time to enjoy your favorite twisted tropical tunes. Continuing the TGRI-exclusive series of moombahton mixes is Culipandeo Volumen Tres, brought to you by Phoenix’s DJ Melo.

DJ Melo, with a background of spinning reggaeton, house and Latin music, has the perfect pedigree for moombahton. Melo’s moombahton edits have been showing up all over the place and for good reason. His mix features tracks by friends-of-the-site Munchi, David Heartbreak, and Cam Jus (including Cam’s brand new joint “Even the Gringos”). Melo seamlessly mixes moombahton with more traditional reggaeton into a non-stop party mix for fans of either style.

The Summer of Moombahton may be ending, but the genre keeps moving forward thanks to innovative musicians like DJ Melo. Don’t sleep on this mix.

Tracklist for Culipandeo Volumen Tres:

  1. Dactyl Dactyl – Enter The Ninja
  2. Herve – Dibby DJ (Doc Adam)
  3. Jadiel – Fashion Girl (DJ Santarosa)
  4. Contents Hot – Boombahton
  5. DJ Mingo – El Kulikitra
  6. Gtronic – Sucker Punch (Prince Klassen Nihonmahton Edit)
  7. DJ Naldo – Playero 2010
  8. Munchi – Metele Bellaco
  9. Jon Kwest – Nice Dreams
  10. Kissed With A Noise ft Young Buck – Get Bucked (Skeet Skeet’s Moombuckton Remix)
  11. DJ Manik – Noise (Geo Geo)
  12. Cam Jus – Even The Gringos
  13. Ying Yang Twins – Saltshaker (David Heartbreak)
  14. Hatiras – The New Jam (DJ Melo)
  15. Pickster & Melo – Mas Poderoso (DJ Tranzo Remix)
  16. DJ Santarosa – Choloton Ride With Us
  17. Jon Kwest vs Don Omar – Get Loose Salio El Sol (Melo Blend)
  18. Speedy – Sientelo (DJ Melo)
  19. Kid Kaio – Hey (David Heartbreak)
  20. Munchi – Pepe Volvio
  21. Munchi – Fizzdom
  22. SLVRSNKS – And Rock (Tripett)
  23. Taio Cruz – Dynamite (Groovematic)
  24. DJ Apt One vs Samir – Samir’s Island
  25. Marcus Rice & Carli – Bira Weed Sax (Heartbreak & Melo)
  26. Pickster & Melo – Mas Poderoso (Jon Kwest Remix)

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Future Grooves: Kavsrave

Posted on August 19, 2010 | Leave a comment


All across the UK, groundbreaking DJs and producers are moving dance music forward. And while dubstep and UK funky in London and Bristol get most of the headlines, the sounds of Glasgow are not far behind. Home to artists like Hudson Mohawke and Rustie, Glasgow is the nexus of a style called wonky or aquacrunk. Numbers, a long-running Glasgow dance party, recently became a record label, merging imprints Wireblock, Dress 2 Sweat and Stuff Records.

Numbers signee Kavsrave may not be from Glasgow (he’s from Croydon, like Skream), but his sound certainly owes much to the Scottish scene. Kavsrave (aka Jamie Kavanagh) grew up making music and throwing parties with contemporaries Julio Bashmore and A1 Bassline. His debut “Quotes EP” showcases an exciting new sound, with the downtempo grooves of R&B, the midrange synths of wonky, and the wobbly bass of dubstep. Think a smoother Joker.

“PClart” is the Kavsrave track that you may have heard; the Luvstep guys played it at the Mad Decent Block Party. “PClart” weaves hypnotic female vocal samples with morphing synths and a stuttering (but danceable) beat. “Tightly Closed” and “Baggage Handler” follow the same formula, to great success.

For a taste of Kavsrave sound, check out the podcast he did for Numbers to mark the release of his EP. Blasting off with the classic bass groove of Ginuwine’s “Pony,” Kavsrave mixes his originals with hip-hop (Lil Wayne and Ludacris) and contemporary sounds (Hudson Mohawke and Terror Danjah).

Kavsrave also received the ultimate UK co-sign, spinning on Mary Anne Hobbs’ experimental radio show. The mix is brief, but at this point, any material from Kavsrave is welcome.

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