Stephan Jolk - Afterlife Voyage 019

Italian techno upstart Stephan Jolk stepped into the spotlight yesterday with an hour of unreleased material as part of the 19th edition of the Afterlife Voyage mix series. Much like the Innellea offering I shared here, this mix gives incredible insight into what the artists are cooking up in studio and it is certainly some tasty techno. Epic, spacious and/or spacial, Stephan Jolk's hour is an easy listen from beginning to end - particularly potent as I shoveled my snow-filled driveway. Being that it is all IDs there aren't many obvious tracks or moments to point out because it's as much about the journey as it is tracks themselves - another excellent example of whole being more than the sum of its parts. That said I will direct your attention to two points of interest: a sick, squelchy number starting shortly after the 14 minute mark and what seems to be a uber cool remix of Era "Ameno" arising at about 38:40. Listen to the latest Afterlife Voyage mix below and be on the lookout for forthcoming Stephan Jolk in the future!FOLLOW STEPHAN JOLK: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Blvk Sheep Edit Pack Vol. 1

Usually one receives gifts for their birthday, but Blvk Sheep just flipped the script by giving away a 13 track edit pack. Mixed below into 10+ minutes of madness, there's more typical mashups like "Era" vs "Jefe" and "Humble" vs "Damn," as well as some straight up banging edits with unmistakable tracks like "Heads Will Roll," "Down With The Sickness" and "Internet Friends," but best of all it includes a "v v v rare remix" of Boombox Cartel's "Whisper." These are all club weapons that are sure to set the dance-floor aflame, so celebrate the way Blvk Sheep wants and turn up with the free download here.FOLLOW BLVK SHEEP: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Blvk Sheep & Far & Few - Pop

When trap first cropped up as an 'EDM' genre in the early 2010s, I was still doing my undergraduate degree in Philosophy and just starting out with my radio shows. I believe I called 2012 the year of the trap takeover, but little did I know it would still be one of the most banging and fresh genres all these years later. We can thank the likes of RL Grime, Flosstradamus and others for its uprising and evolution, especially in regards to the former's "Era" which further combined sounds and styles. Today one of my favourite duos in the trap sphere, Far & Few, have followed the trends of hybridization in a brand new track called "Pop," alongside fellow fire thrower Blvk Sheep.

I've written about these three before, so you should already be aware of their abilities, and while my favourite from Far & Few trends more to the melodic/future bass side of trap (Street Signs), this one really shows off their penchant for powerful firestorms. "Pop" leans heavily on a cut up version of the amen break, and cracking vocal chops, but really the key to this killer track lies in the gritty, grimy atmosphere that explodes again and again. The builds are as epic as the blistering bass, reminiscent of both bass house and and dubstep, while still remaining tied to trap through fantastic drum flourishes. The second drop features a more future bass tilt through the spiraling synths, before being flipped a la "Era" into a dope DnB section. There's no doubt in my mind that "Pop" will literally have people popping off on the dance floor, absolutely losing their minds. Cop it for free via The Artist Union, here.FOLLOW BLVK SHEEP: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
FOLLOW FAR & FEW: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER