Sinjin Hawke & Zora Jones - God

Praise be to the deity duo of Sinjin Hawke and Zora Jones, who just announced their first collaborative EP, Vicious Circles, which is due out August 3rd on Planet Mu Records. "God" sits stream-ready as the first single from the Fractal Fantasy founders, and delivers the at once debaucherous and divine production quality we've come to expect. Their creativity is captivating and front and centre in this fiery delivery. The Bulgarian choir summons the strength of the booming bass; barbaric brass; pernicious percussion; sinister, spiraling synths and incredible, antagonistic vocal sample as heard in First Opus. Almost exactly like the first time I heard "Monolith (Overture)" last year, I'm absolutely convinced of this record's killer club quality; the intricacy, not just of the design but the interplay and movement, once again sets Hawke and Jones apart from all others in this sphere. Their almighty abilities remain illimitable and unparalleled. Get close to "God" by pre-ordering Vicious Circles and streaming below.FOLLOW SINJIN HAWKE: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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Sinjin Hawke - First Opus Remixes

One year ago today Sinjin Hawke dropped what would end up as my album of the year (see here). In celebration of First Opus' anniversary, he's offered up seven superb remixes, with one hell of a lineup, including the likes of MikeQ, Murlo and Fractal Fantasy favourites Canblaster and Zora Jones.Exactly what made the album itself so good, is what makes this effort so immaculate. Each track delivers a unique alchemy, that fits into Sinjin's club oeuvre exquisitely. The opening remix, a genius jersey club flip from Gutta gouges into the shimmering scent of "In Loving Memory" sending the floor into uncontrollable pulverizing gyrations. It is at once gleaming yet grimy.

Continuing the grime feel, Swing Ting brings Trigga into the equation who doubles the damage of the bass and strings. "They Can't Love You" keeps command of the floor, impregnating it with an incredible groove. The life brewed there arises in the whipped up artificial intelligence of "By Any Means" whose synths dance divine. MikeQ then plays god with "Don't Lose Yourself To This" controlling the skies, bringing thunder and lightning bursting to life in the club.

That club storm brings turns to Murlo to who transports us to the jungle with the "Prophecy Of Bootyspoon." The elemental energy of this mix is obvious, but whether it's from this earth is not. Zora Jones ups everything in her return, with an incredibly unbound take on "Snow Blind." It's power leaves you losing your bearings as though you've all broken all connection to your senses.

As the capstone atop of this monument, the EP ends with cinematic cunning. Canblaster brings even more movement to "Monolith," warping it to his wild want. It's got genius groove sections and pungent percussion that, like First Opus, will leave your jaw on the floor as you scramble to hit the play button again. Stream/purchase the EP here.

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Top 3 Albums Of 2017

Two weeks ago I released the 'shortlist' of my favourite 17 albums of 2017 (here), promising to return with a cut down list, complete with review and reasoning. That time has come, and while the original list included non-electronic albums, I did not include them in this final threesome. This can be chalked up to two points: 1) this is an electronic music blog, and 2) despite still enjoying a fair amount of non-electronic music, the vast, and I mean vast majority of what I listen to is electronic music.

That being said, London Grammar's Truth Is A Beautiful Thing is beyond incredible. Not enough can be said about Hannah Reid's voice, nor even her lyrics, and the poise and craftsmanship of Dan and Dot's guitar/drum/etc is truly awesome. If you haven't given it a listen, absolutely do so. Now on to list.

Fractal Fantasy Hits Toronto

After unofficially entering club season with TroyBoi two weeks ago, the onslaught of awesome club shows continues as Sinjin Hawke and Zora Jones of Fractal Fantasy fame make their way to Toronto this week. First they'll be at Cooper Cole for a pop up shop & interactive installation Thursday evening (RSVP), then they take to the decks Friday for what promises to be an exceptional show. The location for the show remains a secret to those without tickets, but you can get tickets/details here.

Right from the "Onset" it was clear Sinjin Hawke's album was going to live up to it's lofty title, First Opus. While I'll leave it for my end of year wrap up, there's no question it's on the shortlist for album of the year. The epic journey he was able to craft is one thing, but the fact that it consists nearly entirely of "150 Kanye West Demos," makes the "Wolves" producer's dynamism even that much more inspired. But not only is his album all kinds of awesome, he's been busy working with Zora Jones remixing "Bodak Yellow," linking up for several cuts on Fractal Fantasy compilation Visceral Minds 2, and playing a brilliant, bass heavy and excellent experimental set for Boiler Room. Watch below.

Expect the combination of Jones' stunning sound design and captivating animations to make not just the pop up installation an eye opening experience, but the following set a can't miss affair. Adding to the already awesome bill is Toronto's own Eytan Tobin who never disappoints with his chameleon like abilities to blend into whatever lineup he's on. Just last week he opened for Jonah Baseball and Skylar Spence. So yeah, if you're not sold on any of this I'm not sure what more I can do, because I've been anxiously awaiting this night for months. Both Sinjin and Zora are masters of their crafts and truly have catalogs of nothing but quality. See their socials below and take in Fractal Fantasy this week.

UPDATE: The lineup has been expanded with Bambii x Paul Souljoyce and Nick Lazerface x Sunclef. The location has also been revealed to be 191 Geary Avenue.

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Sinjin Hawke - Onset (KRANE & Alexander Lewis Remix)

Ever since Sinjin Hawke teased First Opus with "Onset" the beginning of last month (as covered here), it's been a go to track just about anytime I want to play music. It's hard to count it as the best track of the album, when just about any track could take that title, as First Opus is in my ears not just one of the best albums of the year, but one of the best I've ever encountered. With such epic design and majesty you can expect a tidal wave of remixes in hopes of capitalizing on the genius Hawke has rolled out. While most remixes will fall somewhere short of the original, you can always trust the likes of  KRANE and Alexander Lewis to bolster the badassery of whatever they touch. Add KRANE's god-like sound design and the brass balls of Alexander Lewis' trombone to the already exceptional and sublime Sinjin production and you've got some can't miss magic. Download the remix free via Hive, here. FOLLOW KRANE: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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Sinjin Hawke - Onset

We've finally got our first taste of Sinjin Hawke's highly anticipated album First Opus. Posted today on Fractal Fantasy's Souncloud, "Onset" sits in the 11th spot on the 14 piece tracklist. For those familiar with Hawke's catalog, it's a welcome return to his trademark epic sound design, and for those only finding the Jersey born producer now, there may be no better introduction.

I first came across Sinjin Hawke in his production "Yea Hoe" alongside Gangsta Boo, which may be the only better indication of his colossal creative ability. That awesome artistry lead Kanye to tap him as a producer on "Wolves," which after hearing "Onset" or "Yea Hoe" oozes with the inimitable Hawke at it's heart. But now we've got Sinjin doing Sinjin for Sinjin, which is exactly why people are so excited for First Opus, his first original release since "Prom Nite" on Pelican Fly back in 2013.

"Onset" heralds the return of his eminence, not just because it's our first taste of First Opus, but quite literally through the revelry of the horns in the intro. They are tuned as well or better than any trap horns I've heard, instantly cementing "Onset" as a force to be reckoned with. But the way Hawke builds around those utterly epic blasts with tuned toms, sub-bass resonance and a smattering of vocal clips makes this one of the most intricate masterpieces of production the world of electronic music has seen in years. It is on par with the most original and ear catching tunes I've ever come across, TNGHT's "Acrylics," RL Grime's "Core," and fellow Kanye collaborator, Cashmere Cat's "With Me."

I'm not sure I've got anything left in my vocabulary that can properly quantify just how massive a production "Onset" is, so I'll just leave you to hit the play button over and over. I would however suggest pre-ordering First Opus now, because you'll get "Onset" immediately, with the rest due out May 10th. FOLLOW SINJIN HAWKE: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER