We’ve had our eye on Atlanta trapstep/soulstep crew WATCH THE DUCK since they dropped the single “Poppin’ Off” last fall. The video gives you a real feel for their blend of muscular musicality and raw showmanship.
Given the astonishing array of massive musical talents that Atlanta has produced in the recent past — OutKast, Cee-Lo and Goodie Mob, Danger Mouse, Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Waka Flocka Flama and, of course, Crunkmeister-in-chief Lil Jon — we’re inclined to lend an ear to just about anything beatwise that comes out the ATL. And Watch The Duck (better known to their mothers as Eddie Smith III, Jesse Rankins and Jonathan Wells) have definitely got the skillz to pay the billz. All three members play live instruments as well as DJing. If you want to get familiar with their soulful take on bass music, the Rub-A-Dub mixtape is the place to start:
You’ve also gotta love the touch of P-Funk flamboyance they bring to their act. Watch ‘em rock the tube socks in the new video for “Lost In It (Anatidaephobia Part 2)”
Besides which: dudes have a duck mascot, man. How hardcore is that?
Eddie, on the origin of the band’s name: “Everybody sees the duck traveling smoothly on top of the water. But nobody sees it kicking hard as hell under it, struggling to stay afloat. We would always say ‘Watch The Duck’ whenever we were in certain industry scenarios, when everyone’s your friend and is trying to be of importance. We say it to each other to kind of lighten each other’s mood.”
Download Watch The Duck’s “Girlfriend??” single for free:
Dunno about you, but this weekend feels like Christmas to me. The dance music season is in full swing, and Canada is playing host to the best parties in the world! Can you feel it?
This is our weekend. There’s Bassmentality — sorry a Super Bassmentality happening in Ottawa, along with the Escapade fest. As for Toronto … well, you may have heard about a little something called the Digital Dreams festival. Homie! Iz going down. I said, can you feel it?
In this spirit of celebration, I’ve put together an extra-special “Sweets” — not so difficult, when you consider that this has been one of the better weeks of 2012 in terms of new music. Special praise for The Knocks, Zeds Dead and, of course, Dillon Francis. CAN YOU FEEL IT?
THE SWEETS
I love Ryan Enzed. If ever there was producer who deserved to be famous worldwide — as in right this minute — it’s this guy.
Dillon Francis tweeted, while making this track, that it was creepy and awesome at the same time. Been waiting a while for a fresh Dillon track with quality — and man, is it good to have him back!
So this week I focused on the UEFA EURO 2012, a tournament many say is harder to win than the World Cup. A good chance to take a look at some of the powerhouse nations in the EDM game and see just how many A-list artists they’ve got on the roster.
With all that said, though, it bears pointing out that North American is making a pretty convincing bid for EDM supremacy, too. This week, in fact, we have one of the year’s biggest fests taking place down in Vegas. Electric Daisy Carnival is finally here — and this year’s looks to be one for the ages. The set lists are incredible, and too numerous to list here, so I’ll just pass on the images I’ve been drooling over for the past two months. If can’t make it, don’t worry — I’ll have you covered next week with info all the best sets.
Until then, some sweets to turn your weekend into a Vegas vacation. Let’s get to it!
SWEETS
From one side of the country to the other: Felix Cartal lends his touch to Autoerotique‘s “Roll the Drums.” An absolute banger.
Disclosure‘s “Control” gets absolutely glorified in the hands of producer Joe Goddard. From the 2:50 mark onward this track gets out of haaaaaaaaaaaaaaand! My personal favourite of the week.
Brodinski teams up once again with Louisahhh! and the outcome is the same. Funky, creative and swagged out, this track begs the question: when do we get the Borsahhh! album?
A little tardy with this one, but whenever you come across a new Pleasurekraft track you wait until the full version is released. We were teased with a preview a few weeks back, but it didn’t do the tune justice. It’s truly out of this world — particularly once it hits the four minute mark. (PS, Pleasurekraft are in Toronto tomorrrrrrrrrow night at SPACE IBIZA at Sound Academy. BE THERE!!!!!!!!!)
Speaking of previews, Tits & Clits have given us a glimpse of their latest track — and this one can’t wait. It’s a remix of Demon Superior‘s “Creepy Little Doll.” Something about T&C in the studio: they know how to pick just the right chord for every part of a remix. This will be a definite download when the full track becomes available; until then, this two-minute snippet should hold you.
If you like the idea of mixing swing music with electro, and if you like Parov Stellar, then you’re going to looooooooooooooveSound Nomaden, who has taken over my iPod.
Mau5trap is well represented this week with the latest from Moguai: a remix of a track he released back in February. He must of heard something in the past four months that he wanted to incorporate, because this version is miles away from the original. Both are good — but this one’s better.
One of my favourite acts, T.E.E.D., remixed by none other than Miguel Campbell. Huge!
New music from the man who repped the Oranje in this weeks bpm:tv Euro Cup of EDM! Nicky Romero teams up with ZROQ to bring you a track that’s certain to be a festival anthem all summer long.
Just in time for the NHL post-season, I’ve compiled my latest hard-hitting mix. Who needs holograms when you’ve got a mix of Jackbeats, OVERWERK, Brodinski, Gesaffelstein, Eptic and Kill The Noise. Accompanied by my cuts and add-ons, you know this is a definite download.
For EDM junkies, March is kind of a wet dream. All of our favorite artists seem to be leaking new tracks that you can expect to hear during their sets at Ultra Music Festival and throughout the Winter Music Conference. Every day seems to offer up enough new material to fill a “Sweets of the Week” post. From Deadmau5 to Dillon Francis to an entire mixtape from Skrillex‘s OWSLA label, it’s like being a sugar fiend with a fresh bag of Gummi Worms.
I won’t go into detail about all of these tracks; we’ll save that for Friday. But I do want to highlight one specific track — ’cause Boys Noize and Erol Alkan are at it again! The twin kings of techno are back on their combination game, and haven’t lost a step. Based on the preview, their two new tracks, “Roland Rat” and “Brain Storm,” may actually be even better than “Lemonade” or “Avalanche,” if that’s possible. These two acts have some sort of telepathic connection, and it works so so well. Another treat from the mad geniuses at BNR.
Where do I start? This week we saw an absolute amazing mix from Tits & Clits, brand new videos from T.E.E.D and Flux Pavilion, and a brand new track from my favourite producer, Fake Blood. It’s going to be hard to squeeze them all into one sitting, but I really do recommend that you cop each and every one, because this week’s sounds are going to be echoing through summer. Gotta love the beginning of March: everyone’s getting right and ready for the big festival at the end of the month. So for your listening pleasure: a heavy supply of bass, strings, and lots and lots of funk. Strap in and sit up, ’cause we’re about to pummel your brain into a coma.
SWEETS
First out the gate: whenever Fake Blood chooses a track to remix, you know it’s going to be something special. The fact that he chose a rap song makes it even more special for someone like me who grew up listening to hip-hop. His take on Sway‘s “Level Up” is exactly what we’ve come to expect from him: happy/dark/happy/grimy = amazing. Cop it.
This is a big track right here. My first chance to hear Butch Clancy was his awesome remix of a Beatles classic — and he’s outdone even that here. A top-notch effort on this remix of Amy Kuney‘s “Sway.” No words can describe. Get it going!
Ryan Enzed is a producer I’ve been keeping my eye on for the past year. Be sure to check his YouTube channel, where he offers great tips and pointers for all types of producers. His remix of the new Deadmau5 cut is so funky and so catchy that it could well be the breakthrough he deserves. Plus it’s free!
Toronto’s Crystal Castles have become a household name in the worlds of indie and EDM — not just hipster darlings but artists who earn the respect of their peers. With this remix you get a complete different take on their sound: Darker, deeper and just plain villainous — but the passion still comes through. The original, of course, is breathtaking. Enjoy both.
Sticking with the dark tip, I got a hot new joint from Hey Today! This time out, he remixes Black Strobe‘s “Italian Fireflies,” turning it into a call to arms for crooks everywhere. This is what the Joker and Riddler rock out to on their way to work.
Clockwork has been in and out of the headlines in terms of his production skills for a while. With the emergence of his new EP (set to drop on March 13) we can expect to be hearing a lot more of him very soon. This is one of those EPs that could have Miami on lockdown every time the tunes drop. Check out the Dillon Francis remix of “Hulk.” Ravey baby!
A slow and beautiful chillstep track that will put your party in a nice, calm zone. Just in time to roll that black and mild, ya dig? MitiS has some killer hits, so check out his page.
I try to stay away from mixes. In all honesty, I want to keep the sweets short and sw … well, you get the idea. But this is just too good. Take your pen out and jot down the tracks featured in this mix, which the boys from Hungary have been gracious enough to list. There are some serious gems in here.
Got a brand new cut from ZHU, but this time the workaholic has included visuals. The Katy Perry cover hits the spot perfectly, and definitely warrants the time and effort it took to make the video. Plus Josh Milan‘s voice meshes effortlessly with ZHU’s classic production. Where does this man find the time?
Bieber?!?! WTF?!?! Your eyes aren’t fooling you. What can I say? My only bias is for good music, and this song is catchy. Hoppy and poppy, you will hear this 100 times before you die, guaranteed. Probably more.
Last, a brand new video from my favourite dinosaur. TEED has really come in his own since I first wrote about him in April of last year. How time flies. Enjoy this!
Hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s sweets. Go ahead, rot ya teeth….xx
Dunno about you, but to me some Wednesdays feel about 48 hours long. While Wednesdays has been known as a good day to party, it still feels miles away from the weekend. Days like these are in dire need of good music. The type of music you can zone into. The type of music you don’t need to look down at your iPod every five minutes for a new track. These are the days for mixtapes, and we have been blessed with a good one today.
A week ago, three friends gave us an early Halloween gift. The Glitch Mob released the More Voltage mixtape, which delivers megawatts of strength unmatched in the glitch/fidget world. Boreta, Ooah, and Ed are HUGE right now. Now, we can all sit here and say that their recent success is all about the LA scene LA that they come from or their tireless tour schedule — fair enough. But let’s be honest: their name rocketed up in popularity after their Spotlight on bpm:tv. ‘Cos that’s just what we do here — we’re in the artist promotion business. We can make you a star! Just give us more cowbell!
So yeah, I’m being sarcastic. But it’s been majorly to see these guys blow up in such a short time. The best thing about the three is the way they always seem to challenge each other. Whether in the studio or on stage, there’s an absence of complacency that I really wish more artists would emulate.
I also have a little bonus. There is history with The Glitch Mob. It wasn’t always just three of them. There used to be more. Matthew Kratz was one of them — and he was a major contributor. He’s just released his new album, Anthems Of The Hero, under the name Kraddy, and it deserves some recognition too. To be honest, it’s pretty sick. Enjoy:
