Ninja Tune XX: XLR8R Podcasts from Coldcut, DJ Food, DK and Toddla T

For one reason or another I've missed most of the Ninja Tune XX anniversary celebrations this autumn / weekend, but for those of us that did these two XLR8R podcasts are a pretty good way to celebrate.

 
The first, mixed and compiled by label founder Coldcut and stalwarts DJ Food and MK, is an epic combo of original Ninja classics from Scruff, Food, Hextatic, Amon Tobin, Kid Koala and more recent highpoints from Diplo, Shuttle, Andreya Triana, Daedalus, Toddla T. With plenty of sick remixes from both fresh UK newbloods - Warrior One, Benga, Rustie - and US future hoppers - Gaslamp Killer and Flying Lotus - it shows just how much the label has influenced and kept up with the progress of beats over the decade since their last milestone.

XLR8R Podcast 170: DJ Food & DK vs. Coldcut (click through for DL and tracklist)

The second is one of the best mixtapes I've downloaded this year from 2010 Ninja Tune signing Toddla T, who landed a massive three album deal with them earlier this year. The mix is so varied you never have time to pin it down - full of dancehall fire, but packed with both evocative old rave skool samples and future beats. Reminiscent of NY label Nightshifters (AC Slater, Hostage, Proper Villans) at their best, with flavours of Diplo, Zinc's Crack House, Buraka and Zomby, it's right on the money and shows how Ninja Tune remain so even after 20 years. I can see myself buying a lot of these tunes...

XLR8R Podcast 168: Toddla T (click through for DL and tracklist)

If you like what you hear Ninja Tune have got two double compilations out to celebrate their anniversary, which include many of the cuts from that first mixtape. Going by the Zen Cuts X CDs which still sound as fresh 10 years on, they're going to be well worth the effort. I've certainly got 'em both on my Xmas list.

Sub Swara - The Balance - Coup d'Yah

I first got interested in Sub Swara through the gorgeous Fort Knox Five remix of the track - The Balance. You can hear it on the FNFive - Party Funk mix previously mentioned on this blog here. Listen out for Party Pushers and the remix of the Beatles - Revolution - another pair of favourites from that excellent mix that I play alot at home (tip: great for parties too).



The Balance remix has become a bit of a Ra-anthem for me at the moment with really personally meaningful lyrics and a tune that sticks in my head and keeps me bouncing along:

The Balance - Fort Knox Five Remix can be found on its own on their soundcloud page.

and the original is on theSub Swara debut album Coup d'Yah (June 2008) - follow that link to their website and you can hear the original. Completely different from what I expected but still love both versions.

Chorus Lyrics (sort of): We no born rich, we no dress fine, We R want ting in me own mind, We R link up, We R make tings, We R party hard til we break tings. We R physical, we emotinal, We R live free, We R liberal, We R fight back, We outrageous, We R deadly, We contagious... So what about de balance den den? Its all about the balance balance! Amen!

Killa Sound Boy on their sound cloud page is good too and here's their myspace page.

Here's how they describe themselves:
Sub Swara hails from Brooklyn, New York and plays music with a genre-bending bass weight that parallels the depth and diversity of its hometown. Consisting of Dhruva, Dave (Sharmaji) and Haj, with vocalist Juakali, Sub Swara’s music centers on a wide array of influences, from dub to dancehall to hip hop to punk rock to funk and global sounds. Meticulously crafted for both the dancefloor massive and the headspace, Sub Swara’s music unites tribes by bridging gaps across all lines. The crew blends both electronic production and live instrumentation into its recordings and performances, creating an intense, human touch in its modern, electronic sound.



If you go to the website and give your B-Day and e-mail you can also download a free mix of theirs. It's a really eclectic mix of global sounds, dub and funk - plus alot of other influences that blend nicely together. Here's the track listing:

Super Human Happiness	The Hounds
Sharmaji vs. DJ Rekha/Bikram Singh/Wyclef Jean	Basement Bhangra Anthem (Sharmaji RMX)
Taal Mala	Sess Whey U Waan
Hem	Rich Chroma
Guido feat. Yolanda	Way You Make Me Feel
Mosca	Nike
Foreign Beggars	Get a Bit More (Baobinga RMX)
DJ C feat Zulu	Animal Attraction (Piranha Piranha & Tuffist RMX)
Jahcoozi	Pillowcase (Octa Push RMX)
Distal	Boss of the South
Superisk	Eva Takada (Wascal RMX)
Seiji feat. Bembe Segue	Get it Together
Kush Arora	Humidifer (Jammer Club RMX)
Other Weapons feat. Juakali, Lady K & Dr. Israel	Backflow (Sub Swara RMX)
Ghislain Poirier feat. MC Zulu	Go Ballistic (King Cannibal RMX)
Lady Chan	Sticky Situation (Toddla T RMX)
RSD	Naked Mario Cart pt2
D1	Hold on to Me

Zinc: Crack House (its like normal house but f**ked up)

Seem to have featured a few DJs lately who have been breaking free from the styles that made their name to forge new sounds (Meat Katie, Neil Landstrumm). Another who can't go without mention is DJ Zinc - one of my favourite drum'n'bass DJs from the original Tru Playerz nights of old.

I saw Zinc drop bombs with his fresh new style at breakspoll in February and he's recently put out this mix with the title 'crack house'. The funky grooves of house bind this mix, but it covers a myriad of influences from the dancehall electro of laidback luke n diplo to the tic-tic-tic of progressive techno and the bass bumps of electro house. Zinc's d'n'b roots are still evident in MC skits on some tracks and even a grime number from Dizzy R, not to mention the deep bassline drops.

If you like what you're hearing, he's just released a load of these tunes on the Crack House EP, via his own label, Bingo Beats. Follow this link to the brilliant You Can Call Me Pelski for a full review and low-bit tracks samples.

Download the mix from Zinc's soundcloud page below:

ZincSeptCrackHouseMix by zinc

t/l is;
zinc - pimp my ride
b8b - chapel edit
laidback luke n diplo hey + remix
roska wonderful day special
championsound
jack beats ufo
tea diss
moda - strong love
dizzy vs tom
like to freak
zinc watch dis
cannibal
kylie - he was like
spells
zinc - jekyll n hyde
mange
zero - erol alkan rework
la roux bulletproof zinc remix
convicts
rass out
wot u need rmx
chai
jesse - over my head
vamp remix
kewok
ravenolay
mjcole + serocee - ao
power to conquer

RA podcasts: Modeselektor and Neil Landstrumm

I turn my back on Resident Advisor for a month or so and just when I'm not looking, two stonking, bass heavy podcasts turn up in a row. The first is Berlin based duo Modeselektor, who ignore the usual boundaries to blend electro, techno, dubstep, electronica and hip-hop. I've been particularily enjoying their recent wonky bass heavy tunes, such as the one below, and this mix serves up a deep dish of fresh techno, dubstep and UK funky dubplates.

MODESELEKTOR - ART&CASH OFFICIAL VIDEO from Pfadfinderei on Vimeo.

Modeselektor – Resident Advisor Podcast 173 – (21-09-2009) (Rapidshare link)

Tracklist:

Deadboy - If U Want Me - Numbers
Untold - Just For You (Roska Remix) – Hotflush Recordings
Maurizio - M5 - Maurizio
Zomby - Digital Flora – Brainmath
Untold - I Can't Stop This Feeling – Hessle Audio
Taz Buckfaster - Gold Tooth Grin - Numbers
Mikkel Metal - Kenton (Marcel Dettmann Remix) - Echocord Colour
Headhunter - Prototype (Modeselektor's Broken Handbrake Remix) - Tempa
Venom & Damage - Deeper
Second Phase - Mentasm (R&S Records)
Modeselektor - Outro - Get Physical
Buraka Som Sistema - Skank & Move feat. Kano – Fabric Records
Lil Silva - Different - Lil Silva
Ramadanman - Revenue (Untold Remix) – 2nd Drop Records
Lil Silva - Funky Pulse - DDJs Productions
L-Vis 1990 - United Groove (MJ Cole Remix) - Mad Decent
XxXy - Reflections - Mindset
Headhunter - Sex at the Prom - Tempa
Robert Hood - Museum – M-Plant
Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo - Hotflush Recordings
Mark Pritchard - ? – Ho Hum Records
Gas – Koenigsforst - Mille Plateaux



The second is from Edinburgh's Neil Landstrumm, a man I'm more familar with from dancing to his banging techno sets at parties around the country. Recently though, he's been bringing out more downtempo dubstepy, bleepy, bass heavy releases on the legendary Planet Mu. This podcast is a great example of his wonky new sound, described on his myspace page as:

"Imperial British Bass Psychedelia" and all it's stylish bleepy trimmings. Freshly imported southern-fried krunk, and sweet island dancehall are mixed with the refreshed roots of UK rave, steppers, grime and garage to brew an addictively low frequency elixir

Neil Landstrumm – Resident Advisor Podcast 174 – (28-09-2009)
(Sorry, link down. Will get a fresh one up as soon as I can. Also, if anyone can find a tracklisting, please let me know!)

Neil Landstrumm - £20 To Get Home (Planet Mu) from Konx-om-Pax on Vimeo.

Baobinga drops 7 fresh dub riddims

Manchester breaks bot Baobinbga has just dropped sample of seven new two-step dancehall fused riddims on his myspace: http://www.myspace.com/baobinga

Baobinga's set was one of my highlights of the Breakspoll afterparty this year. You can sample some recent mixes on Trash Menagerie:

A Duo of Baobinga Shorties on Trash Menagerie

Looking forward to his set with ID at Glade this year!

Bassnectar: Bass heavy, omni-tempo maximism

Perhaps the most established US West Coast bass head has yet to grace these pages... but it's time to drop some Bassnectar, with this wicked mix from the Jay Cunning show on Kiss FM. He mashes up dubstep, breaks, jungle, psydub, hip-hop and dancehall to create something truly flavoursome. I've been meaning to post this for ages but Bassnectar himsef has beaten me to it and posted it as a podcast on his own website! Make sure you check out his podcast page for more free remixes and more podcasts...

Bassnectar @ Kiss 100FM Breakbeat Show w Jay Cunning - 10.2.09 (Direct link - right click, save as)

1. Flagrantly Long & Indulgent Live-Mash Intro
2. Bassnectar - Supastylin [SuperCharged]
3. Bassnectar - Art Of Revolution (instrumental) [Amorphous Music]
4. Bassnectar - Kingston Town [bootleg]
5. Product 01- Ready 2 Rage (Bassnectar & Jantsen Remix) [Amorphous]
6. Sleaze Beatz [Amorphous Music]
7. Bassnectar - Heads Up (California Style) [Amorphous Music]
8. Me & You - Last Night (Bassnectar Remix) [Tru Throughts]
9. Noisia & Mayhem - Exodus (Bassnectarz live re-edit)
10. American Beauty Live Amorphous Mash Segue
11. Mr No Hands - Button Down (Groove Diggers VS Bassnectar RMX)
12. Si Begg - Can't Take it (Bassnectar Loves Si Begg Remix)
13. Frank Sin Atcha - Black Magic
14. Bassment Jaxx Speaker Junk Remix Beat Moment
15. Bassnectar - Beasties, Solid Groove & Sinden Masher
16. You've Gotta Fight For Your Rights.

I'm loving the 'Last Night' remix! Thanks to Sugarpill and Breakzlinkz for the headz up...