KUU on Diplo & Friends

A new source of optimism arose in the beginning of this month. With little fanfare, KUU first appeared on the scene July 6th with the release of "Twisted Melons Mix Vol. 1." One week later they followed it with a remix of Madonna's "Ray Of Light." Their first proper introduction came a mere three days later as the new grouping of Riton, Shungudzo and Alex Metric (left to right above) released their debut original "How Could I Ever."

For more than a decade Riton and Metric have been making their mark through both solo and collaborative projects and have become staples of the scene, each garnering a Grammy along the way. Now working together with Shungudzo, KUU has the makings of a supergroup and with an appearance on this weekend's Diplo & Friends, we're getting a taste of what they've got in store. The hour long session has more than a handful of new KUU exclusives (originals and otherwise), classics from Happy Mondays, Rocker's Revenge, and Le Knight Club alongside a couple more recent releases.

An obvious fit for Ibiza, as it's where their name comes (KU Club which has since become Privilege Ibiza), KUU have captured the easy-going, warm and eclectic nature of the island, both in their productions and the mix itself. While that might preclude us from predicting just what KUU could do in the future, we can only imagine that it'll be house driven and, considering the quality of its producers, dutifully done. Highly accessible and utterly intoxicating, "How Could I Ever" is a brilliant start, and the other originals in the mix, "Riding In Your Car" and "Voices," seem equally exciting and inspired. Follow KUU at the bottom, find their Diplo & Friends mix via BBC Sounds here or stream via Mixcloud below.FOLLOW KUU: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Four Fire Mixes

While I tend to spend most of my time digging through individual tracks, this past weekend afforded me the time enjoy some more mountainous mixes. So I've decided to share four of my favourites, two downright banger for banger blitzkriegs and two more tempered groove and dance oriented odysseys. Find them below in order of length from shortest to longest, with brief description attached.

An obvious contrast to Benzi's Girl Trapz series. All bangers all the time, plus the usual onslaught of edits and exclusives. Reworked from the original Diplo & Friends broadcast for even more fire. Free download and full tracklist provided.

Another epic mix of electro bangers, this time courtesy dope dudes 8-Bit Tits. Includes forthcoming fire from themselves and an electrifying list of the best belters from the last year plus. Also up for free download, with tracklist available upon request.

Turbo's top man Tiga takes us for a ride with his first set of the year. Live from Melbourne's Piknic Electronik, this two hour extravaganza runs through some of his classic like "Bugatti" and "Mind Dimension" as well as a handful of new cuts, including the forthcoming Tiga/Kölsch collab.

Almost at throwback level, considering it looks back at 2017's "choice edits and reworks," many of which take on disco classics. This is the sixth year in a row Greg Wilson had made such a list and I don't think I'm wrong to say that, with disco seemingly on the upswing, it's the best 20 yet. Also includes a blog post from the man himself delving further into the year that was.

Falcons - Diplo And Friends Mix

Let's cut right to the chase, I fuck with Falcons heavy. His style is strong, yet diverse, and his latest mix for EM Award winning radio show Diplo and Friends is the perfect example of the breadth of his beats and mixing mastery. There's tons of trap, big bass bangers, and some touchy feely groove grinders. And, being a man of so many talents and by no means a newcomer, he's got his hands on a multitude of mashups and onslaught of edits from his friends. Mr. Carmack makes multiple appearances, as well as Juelz and Graves, plus he's pushed the tempo with well over 30 tracks in the hour long mix.

Highlights for me include the always alluring Jesse Slayter mix of Hoodboi and Lido's "Palm Reader" which is magically mixed into Falcons' own "Want Your Body" before bodying us with Jarreau Vandal's "Redbone" flip. The fire hits "Fulltime" courtesy Juelz, ahead of "Aerosol Can" as refixed by Carmack, before becoming Falcons' "All Over Again" (presumably a forthcoming track). The Tony Quattro/Tropkillaz combination is quite the treat too. And then there's the always enjoyable Lazerpiff "Lose My Breath," paired with Carmack's King Kendrick "DNA" flip which then leads into TWO, Graves IDs. The whole thing will leave you saying "Woo" as he ends with his own remix of Rihanna and Travis Scott. Choose your streaming option below or download free here, and follow Falcons for more fire.
UPDATE: Falcons has posted the official tracklist here, indeed showing off several unreleased tracks.

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Electronic Music Awards (Predictions)

Two weeks ago I dug into the inaugural Electronic Music Awards, their new categories and the subsequent nominations. Read that article here. Today I'll be making my predictions, see noms below.

When I make predictions like this I usually make multiple picks: who I think will win, who I think should win, and make my own write-in winner. I'll be doing the same today, with a brief explanation as to why I believe my picks hold merit. I'll also be making them in reverse order, just for fun. Enjoy!

STFU on Diplo and Friends

I've been supporting Zak and Alex (aka STFU) both on this blog and on Bump In The Hump, and while a play on my radio show is something, it does not compare to getting a guest mix on Diplo and Friends. The dynamic duo have just uploaded their April mix to their soundcloud for streaming anytime. It's no wonder Get Right Records (who STFU's "Find That Girl" was released under) reposted and led me to the mix, because STFU is delivering some of the most twerk worthy music available at the moment. Of course Get Right Records is headed by Benzi, who is half of TWRK, and if you're like me, you've been waiting for another one of their incredible, exclusive-laden mixes, STFU have filled that void.

According to 1001 Tracklists, they've filled their hour slot with a mind-blowing 54 tracks. This shows off not just their incredible taste, with tracks ranging from Boombox Cartel to Bruno Mars, but to jam all that action in that span shows serious skill in mixing. While we could be satisfied to stare in awe of the above, the best part of this mix is the insight into all of the productions Zak and Alex currently have in their collection. An astounding 31/54 tracks are credited to STFU. Whether it's one of their killer crafted mashups, exclusive remixes, forthcoming originals or even their cover of "Closer," there's no doubt this is their coming out party.

Soon enough you won't be able to go to any club or listen to any mix without having STFU slap you in the face. I for one know I'll be coming back to this mix with frequency, at least until more of their originals are released, but even after to bask in their brilliant and blazing fast mixing skills.

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Bump In The Hump Sneak Peek: Angelz - Devils Remixes

The quality content coming from Quebec continues to fill Bump In The Hump. One of that province's most promising producers, Angelz is quite simply blowing up. He's been identified by boss-men Tchami, with releases on Confession, and Diplo with a Diplo & Friends mix, April 30th. His most recent enterprise is an expansive 8 track remix EP. "Devils" is remixed by the likes of LO'99, Noise Frenzy, and label mate Volac, as well as another I'll be playing tonight. Stream the remixes below & buy here. Along with Angelz, tonight's episode of Bump In The Hump is built up of some of the most moody, wonkiest, and bassiest tracks in its six season history. Among numerous artist debuts from across the country, you'll hear Internet Daughter & Eytan Tobin's latest collaboration, which was crafted during their still ongoing tour of Asia. There's also new Neon Steve, CYMN and Autoerotique. You can stream the hour of new Canadian music that is Bump In The Hump, live 6 PM EDT on Radio Humber here.

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Grandtheft on Diplo & Friends (Jan 29, 2017)

At the end of January Grandtheft graced Diplo and Friends for another guest mix, just over a year since he made his last appearance on, arguably one of the best mixshows in the world (a set I also covered here). A lot has happened since last year, but we can still count on Grandtheft to deliver a dope mix with a bunch of new and forthcoming records as well as his trademark edits.Just in the first 10 minutes we're treated to a slew of genres and styles, all mixed together not just in a fluid manner, but almost so as to tell a story. From the rap intro of "Pull Up Hop Out" and "Gang With Me" to house with "Prophecy," "Rude Boy," and "Devotion" mixed with the vocals of "House Work," Grandtheft shows off his mixing chops beautifully. But for me the way he goes from his collab with Sleepy Tom to the instant singalong of Mr. Fuzz's "Bel Air" is what really gets me. And that's only the first 10 minutes.

Things then get more clubbed out as he hits up Jersey, before heading back to the 6ix with "Fake Love" followed by his "Heroes x Feel It" edit and Shaun Frank flip of "Easy Go." And while this is a really nice touchy feely section. it quickly devolves into too turnt trap with back to back Slumberjack, followed by Ekali and KRANE then his gritty "Waiting x Keep It 100" smash edit.

As if that weren't enough, we get a glimpse of his remix of "Let You Get Away" (hopefully forthcoming) returning the favour for Shaun Frank. Then it's more of the dudes Keys N Krates and their KRANE collab, followed by two more fire edits. Like really, who doesn't love the vocals to "In For The Kill." But still we're not even close to being done.

One of the things that makes Grandtheft so great is his ear for new talent and willingness to support it. His last Diplo & Friends mix introduced me to Dom Dias, who has become one of the most played artists on Bump In The Hump and made one of the most musically sound sets for My Mixtape. This time I notice Grandtheft has gone to the west coast to feature Juelz and while he's not new to me, I still feel he's incredibly underrated. His "Whine & Kotch" is fire and works perfectly with Grandtheft's set, but it's only one of many dope releases under his belt.

Of course the way the mix is rounded up further shows off Grantheft's expertise. He goes back to back with two of my favourite tracks of 2016 Jackal's "Ice" and San Holo's "Light" before letting us down gently with Francis and The Lights "Friends." Of course having Kanye doesn't hurt, but it is the combination of Benny Blanco and Cashmere Cat that really seals it for me. This kind is the kind of quality I've come to expect from Grandtheft, and truly I've never been let down. Both live and pre-recorded the man is something to behold. Enjoy the stream above and check out the tracklist here.

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Benzi - Girl Trapz 10

Benzi's prolific Girl Trapz series has reached a massive milestone, airing the 10th installment on Diplo & Friends earlier in November. Now the extended version is online for streaming and free download. It doesn't take very long for this 40 track mix to get you fired up, kicking things into high gear with one of Benzi's trademark edits, reworking RL Grime, Skrillex and What So Not's massive collab "Waiting" geniously for Girl Trapz. All told, there are four such edits to go along with other exclusive and unreleased tracks from the likes of Vincent, STFU, Doobious, Slumberjack, and TWRK partner, eSenTRIK. This is all in line with a typical Benzi mix, his connections are seemingly endless; producers clamour to get the Benzi stamp of approval. There are very few DJs that can boast the level of tastemaking and flawless mix quality that has made Benzi one of the most trusted names in the game. His ear is always on point, correctly identifying the next big thing before it breaks into mainstream consciousness. Grab the free download and find out which track grabs you, via the tracklist below.

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Valentines Day: Love According To DJs

Usually one doesn't need any excuse to release new music but, when an excuse like Valentines Day comes around a massive amount of new music seems to explode forth. This year is no different, we've received the ninth installment of Hudson Mohawke's yearly Slow Jam series. two new tracks from Geek Boy & Mord Fustang, a scratch routine from Mr Switch, a re-release from mix-master, Skratch Bastid's Valentines Day Mix for The Strombo Show, and finally Esentrik's mix for Diplo & Friends.

Hudson Mohawke is well regarded as one of the best and most well rounded artists the world of music has to offer. Whether its his original productions, his productions for Kanye West or his work with Lunice as TNGHT, HudMo is a force to be reckoned with. When given the chance to pickup one of his curated sets, you'd be stupid not to jump on it. This year he plays our heartstrings with an all UK version of his now infamous Valentines Slow Jams series, also available for free download. This isn't the first Geek Boy track on Enlightenment For Your Ears (see his cover with MYLK, here), so perhaps you're already familiar with his incredibly beautiful soaring style. This version of Lily-Jo is exactly that. Swirling, it lifts you up and embraces you in its loving arms, spinning you round in in euphoric passion. Pick it up from iTunes or add it to your Spotify playlist, and feel the love. Mord Fustang's style has changed over the years, yet the overcoming warm synths have stuck with him throughout his career. Those very synths play an extremely important role in the heavenly original, "I Will Always Miss You." He seems to achieve the title's objective, injecting an overwhelming feeling of longing, leaving you feeling empty and unfulfilled.

Valentine's DJ
St Valentine's Day can be a battleground of mixed emotions - whatever your relationship status, and whether you are enamoured with the idea of a day dedicated to l'amour or not.. it can be a very divisive occasion.And I thought, what better way to sum up the mixed feelings on the subject than with a DJ scratch routine?!Tracks: James Brown - Sunny (Featurecast Remix) / Kelis - Caught Out There
Posted by Mr Switch - World DJ Champion on Friday, 13 February 2015

In less than 40 seconds, Mr Switch succeeds in encapsulating the feelings many of us are overcome with when in love. Since love isn't always this perfect euphoric feeling, it is a process, a back and forth, and perhaps Pat Benatar was right, love is a battlefield. Maybe just a candle lit one. Much like Mr Switch, Skratch Bastid excels at illustrating the interplay and movement inherent in love. His massive library gets a rinse in this twenty minute masterpiece, as Skratch shows of his story telling and mixing prowess. Good luck listening to this without getting down - highly hypnotic.
Diplo & Friends is quickly becoming one of the most consumed radio show/podcasts around. Last year it was Ryan Hemsworth and his Secret Songs hour that took our hearts hostage on Valentines day, but this year it's Esentrik who takes that role. From opening with STFU's "We All Fall Down" to Alison Wonderland's "What Do You Mean" and his own "Love You Down" the hits are endless. But that's not all the tricks up his sleeve, he also delivers classic N'Sync, and a double dose of Janet Jackson. Hot off last night's debut, be prepared to melt upon hearing Esentrik's hot hot heat.

In case that weren't enough, I highly recommend listening to Chet Porter's latest, "tbh ily," here.

Chet Porter - tbh ily

Chet Porter is so giving, that even on his birthday, he's presented is with the musical gift of "tbh ily." The offering comes today from Moving Castle, and is available on Soundcloud, Spotify and iTunes.It was about this time last year when the world was first graced with the shimmering aura of tbh ily, when it appeared in Ryan Hemsworth's Valentines Day mix for Diplo & Friends. Its effect, in that mix is so impactful, that its beauty has stayed with me ever since. Without a doubt tbh ily is the track that solidified Chet Porter as one of my favourite producers. Everything Chet releases is delightfully and stunningly beautiful, but the dazzling serenity reaches a new peak with tbh ily's utterly effervescent strings, plucking the chords of our hearts.

The percussion leads the way, at times dotingly tying us up in its careful web. Other times, it's consciously tuned to unwind us from that very web and spread our wings, open to the world. The love exudes from the warm and blissfully bouncing strides, around the 1 minute and 2:45 marks, carrying us though the joyride of tbh ily. Perhaps the crowning achievement of this, and many of Chet's other productions, is the unfathomable beauty he achieves with the seemingly glitchy and tripping feelings around the 40 second and 2:13 marks. It's the silence before the squeezed-toothpaste bottle of toothpaste pops, that sets everything straight, regaining it's stride it hits a Utopian high.  I can't help but be overtaking with the image of a pure and innocent love story, that Chet has so expertly embodied; it need not a music video, it could never be as perfect as the effect tbh ily inevitably injects. It is a celebration that you cannot avoid, nor would you ever want to.

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Bump In The Hump Sneak Peek: Thugli - Sic Em

Tonight on Bump In The Hump, I'm glad to premiere Thugli's latest track "Sic Em." Just over a month ago, the Toronto duo of Pat Drastik and Tom Wrecks opened for NGHTMRE at The Hoxton, and it was this very track that they closed out their set with. Still unknown to that point, "Sic Em" was then premiered during their Quest Mix for Annie Nightingale on BBC Radio One twelve days later. Known for mixing with vinyl, the duo always deliver with their mixes, such as their Inflight mix which serves as a great introduction to the duo, but they've also delivered other quality mixes for BBC before (hear their Diplo & Friends mix from 2014). Their latest, Quest Mix, is yet another example of their amazing abilities, and wide swath of connections, showcasing fellow Canadians Keys N Krates, Grandtheft, Sleepy Tom, as well as dropping the forthcoming Autoerotique, Hunter Siegel collab "OTF" (On The Floor, live video here). Ironically, it was exactly two weeks ago as I was preparing Bump In The Hump, that their video appeared on Much, seemingly before it's official Feb 2nd, premiere. Now I'm using that same video to tease you, ahead of another all new episode of Bump In The Hump on Radio Humber. Catch the live feed from 11-midnite EST here, 96.9 FM if you're in Toronto, or check back to Enlightenment For Your Ears for the mixcloud upload later tonight.

THUGLI - Sic Em (Official Music Video)
THUGLI - Sic Em (Official Music Video)iTunes: https://itun.es/ca/SoPqab Spotify: https://spoti.fi/1WU4WmlSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/thugli/sicemhttp://thugli.com/[ Produced with the financial assistance of MuchFACT, a division of Bell Media Inc. www.muchfact.ca ]
Posted by Thugli on Friday, 5 February 2016

Benzi - Get Right Radio 2015

When Benzi tweeted the following, back in the beginning of December, I've been both obsessed with nightcore and on hype overload waiting for his last mixtape of the year to drop. Originally supposed to see it's release on December 30th, the roadblock that is soundcloud stopped that plan from unfolding.

newsflash 💥 GET RIGHT RADIO 2015 is gonna be 60min of Nightcore. starting off with last song on TWRK VOL7. https://t.co/pXB6Dq68JN @fanxfic

— BENZI (@benzi) December 11, 2015

Here we are not quite a week after its intended release and Benzi has successfully flexed his significant clout with labels and has finally got the mix clear of flags and live for the world to appreciate.
There's no doubt that Benzi is one of the most triumphant and prolific DJs and true master of the mixtape when you consider the ridiculous amount of work the guy does. Both his Girl Trapz and Get Right Radio series have achieved worldwide acclaim. There's no producer who wouldn't benefit from having their music showcased in the finely crafted and produced mixes. But that's not all that make Benzi such a force in the world of electronic music, and verily, music in general. He's half of well known duo TWRK, with eSenTRIK, who have found massive success with both their original and remix productions but their epic and incomparable TWRK mix series, originally airing on Diplo & Friends. Finally, and perhaps Benzi's largest contribution to world of music comes from his seemingly infinite connections in the industry compiling perhaps the greatest DJ catalog, his Live DJ Service. With the number of exclusives and unreleased content in his latest, 58 track, contribution to the world, Benzi has once again proved his production prowess and DJ dominance. Go ahead and Get Right with some of the best of musics from 2015 and hopefully some of those exclusives see releases in 2016. Tracklist below.

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The Best Musical Moment of 2015

Being the last day of 2015, it gives me great pleasure to share my favourite musical moment of the year, one that has followed me through the busiest and craziest years I've experienced. The clip below is from Ryan Hemsworth's valentine day mix for Diplo & Friends. In 7 and half minutes Hemsworth plays at least 10 different tracks, mixed so perfectly it sends the feels up my spine every time I hear them.

Cut right out of his hour long mix, this snippet encapsulates the mix as a whole and does a superb job of establishing the ethos of one of Canada's most treasured commodities, the genius, Ryan Hemsworth. The serene, rising beauty of noclip's "Samantha" sets the mood for the breathtaking ride that Hemsworth has in store. His eclectic style is first established with the incoming Rae Sremmurd "Unlock The Swag" vocals combined with the more powerful and driving Cosmo's Midnight "Trapperkeeper." The back and forth/coming and going nature of his mixing creates a brilliant and dynamic fluidity that you cannot help but be overcome by.

Even his fades (with filtering) is done to perfection as he eases us into each new element; upon each dropping in, each element feels familiar as though it is where it were meant to be. The anthemic yet personal and conversational tone and nature of GFOTY's "Believe" perfectly illustrates the hilariously successful contrast of kawaii music with gangster rapping through the mix. My favourite section come from the end of "Believe" into Henrik The Artist's "Naked" combined with Cash Out's "Hold Up." It has been my default ringtone since early spring, and I can't imagine changing it anytime soon. It was my first exposure to Henrik who has quickly become one of my favourite artists.

Hemsworth's superior mixing rolls right through into INODI's "I Want U," at which point more Sauce Twinz "2 Legited 2 Quited," is seamlessly added to Murlo's "Beatless Selene." The atmospheric feels abound as Hemsworth works his musical magic over us, before ending his sample heavy mix transitioning into Dream Beach's "Missing Peace." When writing these blog posts I sometimes grow tired of listening to the same piece over and over again but I it's nearly as amazing this time nearly a year after original hearing it, and listening to it dozens of times throughout 2015.

The whole hour long mix is my favourite of the year and most certainly my go to option when I need something to get lost in for an hour; it is my musical safe-space. I hope it speaks to you in the same way it did for me, especially as a child of the late 80s/early 90s with its video game inspired sounds and throwback feels. Perhaps you'd be interested in hearing his "Just Rap Mix" that he dropped prior to his tour with Tommy Kruise. Otherwise just keep your ears open for more from Hemsworth, who just seems to have his hand in everything, including his Secret Songs 'label' where you can pick up each release for free, including Henrik The Artist's "Naked." Go forth and share the magic that is Ryan Hemsworth music.
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New Grandtheft Mix For Diplo & Friends

Last night while in line waiting to get into The Hoxton to see Cyril Hahn, I was scrolling through twitter and saw this weird tweet. Playing IDs (or unnamed work in progress tracks) isn't necessarily odd, but this one struck me, mostly because of the youtube video it's linked to, being an only 42 second clip.

♬ KEYS N KRATES - ID #bbc #1xtra #nowplaying @keysnkrates https://t.co/hwebYwrTA8 https://t.co/LnGzy2h2nk

— BBC 1Xtra On Air (@bbc1XtraOnAir) December 6, 2015

But then I realized it wasn't from just any old BBC show, it was from Grandtheft's mix for Diplo & Friends. I'm a big fan of the show, both because of the wide range of upcoming talents that deliver monster mixes but also the incredible number of brand new and unreleased content those talents drop. Grandtheft's mixes are never to be slept on as he always comes through with brilliance, this one certainly does that, but more excitingly there is a crazy number of new and unreleased tracks from Keys N Krates, Autoerotique and Hunter Siegel, and of course a significant number of exclusives from Grandtheft himself. Because the internet is the best, you can stream the mix below, or download it here.

Grandtheft - Diplo and Friends - 06-Dec-2015 by Edmninja on Mixcloud