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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G-Buck - The Function (ft. Jesse Slayter & Aziz The Shake)

Although we're on the opposite side of the calendar of Halloween, the latest from G-Buck screams haunted house party. "The Function," with help from Jesse Slayter and Aziz The Shake, emits a dark shadow from the speakers, as ominous as a death rattle. Picture the three hooded figures in the basement of your childhood nightmares performing part satanic ritual, part monster mash. It's like an evil, electro rock band. And for me that's the best part, imagining these three going ham, bringing about utter madness and malevolence from the wretched revelers. G-Buck bangs away at the drums and bass, filling the space with sheer sinfulness, while Jesse Slayter lives up to his name slaying the guitar. But the most important bit is Aziz summoning spirits with his fearsome flow. Like his line "I'm LeBron James, you could try and stop this," you'll find that it's nearly impossible to stop the king, or the craft of this killer trio. Stream the sinister creation that is "The Function" and follow its hosts below. FOLLOW G-BUCK: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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Top 100 Tracks of 2016: 66 - 34

Continuation of the list started yesterday: From 100 - 67, which also includes my disclaimer/preamble. Soundcloud playlist can be found at the bottom.

#66: Meroshi - Summer Friends
It's hard to believe we made it this far into the list without some drum and bass, but here we are. Meroshi's genius is on full display here. His sound design impeccable, crafting instruments that feel so real, imbuing them with life and passion. The subtle effects and progression he works throughout, give the track an incredible energy. It's horny, groovy and those vocal samples get me every time.

#65: Stephen Walking - It Came From Planet Earth
2015 was the year I discovered and fell in love with Stephen Walking. This year marked a change in his productions, leaving behind the bass of "One Man Moon Band" and "The Difference Between Us And The Aliens," in which he explored different BPMs and styles. However, sticking to his interstellar, future disco/funk disposition, "It Came From Planet Earth" exudes awesomeness.

#64: Cashmere Cat - Trust Nobody (ft. Selena Gomez & Tory Lanez)
The rise of Cashmere Cat over the past two years is a testament to his nearly unrivaled ability, not only to produce around vocalists, but to craft truly divine sounds. While his recent work skews further from the kind of beautiful bangers of Mirror Maru or Wedding Bells, "Trust Nobody" shows off his smooth touch and delightful decorum. This further establishes Cashmere Cat as an paralleled producer.

#63: Jadu Heart - Late Night
Fittingly, I first heard this on a late night coming home from the club. That first flourish hit me like a magic spell, utterly alluring and beautifully breathtaking. And while it worked so magically in that hazy atmosphere, I now use it whenever I need a pick-me-up. It holds a special power in its easy flowing sound, so organic and raw as though it were recorded in one take. Heart rending harmonies through truly insightful and emotionally evocative lyrics, it's always on my mind.

#62: Jameston Thieves - Hypnotic
This certainly doesn't sound like a banger for the first 45 seconds, that is until it dives into a deep house beat. Torquing up the tension Jameston Thieves quickly turn "Hypnotic" in to an all out thrasher, banging the bass with massive strobing throbs, that contrasts so brilliantly with the brighter leads. The sound design of the bass in the drop may be the key to the track's quality, but it truly excels and finds itself in this list because of the drums fills leading into the drop as well as the supporting production.

#61: Justin Jay & Friends - Karma (JJ's Late Nite Dub)
Hearing Justin Jay play this at The Hoxton was one of the highlights of the year; I feel too many DJs are scared to play something out of the ordinary, something that doesn't bang, something not designed for the club. This is the kind of uplifting, yet downtempo, track that I could listen to any time of the day. It's built upon a beautiful premise ("You get what you give") and simple yet sublime instrumentation.

#60: Machinedrum - Angel Speak (ft. MeLo-X)
While I've called Machinedrum's Human Energy my album of the year (in my Grammys post), I decided to include only one track from it in this is (though many are deserving). The problem is the album stands as a cohesive collection, so separating tracks seemed wrong. The exception, and stand out track from it is this, "Angel Speak." For me it encompasses all that makes the album so magical. It it full of life, bringing humanity to the the synthesized sounds, begging listeners to move their feet. Like the album itself it also bounces around from different rhythms, instruments and grooves, truly coming alive.

#59: Torro Torro & Aylen - Designed 4 U
(As featured on EFYE) 2016 blessed us with one of the best collabs the bass community has ever seen. Torro Torro and Aylen are perfect for each other, as clearly evidenced in this track. Everything screams sheer brilliance as the synths never stop moving or progressing, and those vocal riffs, while leading the track they also support and play perfectly into the utterly insane and diverse drops. There really is nothing better than drop by drop progression, and these three take that to the next level, making the first, already awesome drop, pale in comparison to the callous second coming.

Kanye West ft Frank Ocean & Caroline Shaw - Wolves (Jesse Slayter Remix)

Early this morning, a soundcloud account called 'mi305tL' posted its first track, an alleged Jesse Slayter remix of the Cashmere Cat produced Kanye West track with Frank Ocean and Caroline Shaw, "Wolves."

Evidence does point to it being a Jesse Slayter production, as he's reposted it on his official soundcloud and it's currently pinned on his twitter. This is what the world of soundcloud has become, when artists create entirely new accounts to release bootleg remixes, for fear of having their official account (followers, plays and tracks) deleted. I wonder when soundcloud will grow wise to this and strike back accordingly. It's obvious when artists like Lido, publicly decry soundcloud's policies, then create another account, clearly under the same name 'lidogotclouds' or explicitly calling them bootleg accounts, that they are subverting the system. Don't get me wrong I'm glad these accounts exist, it's important that music has a place to be shared, but it seems to have reached epidemic proportions. The number of people creating new accounts just so they can download fan-gated tracks without reposting to their official account is insane, which brings us full circle to Jesse Slayter's "Wolves."

Commendably, Jesse's given away this remix truly, 100% free. He's not fan-gating, you don't have to share, follow or comment, just grab the download from mediafire. The sad part, is that we've made it this far and haven't even talked about the quality of Slayter's music, but if you're here in the first place, it's likely because you're already well aware of Slayter's production prowess. He's flipped Kanye's original, into a jam session of sorts; a funky get down, that while utilizing much of the original, transforms it into a stalking predatory production. Must say it's an impressive undertaking from Slayter, who continually dazzles with his wide array of skills and next level artistry.

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Relive BTSM's Church Service with Apashe & Dabin

Last night at The Hoxton was undoubtedly a religious experience as revelers were treated to the thrilling future of Kannibalen artists Apashe, Dabin and label heads, Black Tiger Sex Machine. Dabin was first to take the stage at 11 and were wow right from the get go. When I arrived he had just dropped Flume's remix of Lorde's "Tennis Court" to which the crowd cheered and sang along. Shortly after that Dabin grabbed his guitar and shredded to Queen's "We Will Rock You," only adding to the crowd's sense of awe. Even though he was jumping between DJing and slaying the guitar, he was able to mix smoothly, moving from his "Kyoto" to the Jesse Slayter remix of Hoodboi's "Palm Reader" into Banvox's "Watch Me" and then his "Ghost Hack." While that four track stretch is a highlight in itself, Dabin truly outdid himself when he combined Metallica's "Enter Sandman" on his guitar with some seriously heavy electro drop, absolutely annihilating the ravenous audience. 

Dabin was followed by Apashe who opened his set in full 'Sith Lord' style with a dub remix of Star Wars' 'Imperial March' quite possibly Tujamo's "Darth Theme." Grabbing the crowd by the scruff of the neck he dropped his remix with Oski and Lennon of Backstreet Boys "Everybody." Things were getting pretty intense at this point, bass faces hit their peak when he dropped back to back vomitstep from Snails, in the form of his remix of "Pump This" and the Snails and Ghastly VIP version of "King Is Back." Sprinkling in Torro Torro's "Cashville" Jauz's remix of "Tip Toe Wing In My Jawwdinz," Wiwek's "Riot" the crowd was becoming putty in his hands. Further digging into the Kannibalen crate, Apashe dropped Lektrique & Autodidakt "Shots Fired," Erotic Cafe's "Killed By Humans," Snails "Murda Sound," rounded out with his remix of Excision's "Night Shine" and his originals, "Kannibalen" and "Trap Reqiuem." By the time Black Tiger Sex Machine was ready to take the stage, the crowd had totally bought in a was seemingly ready for anything. The intensity of the BTSM church quickly became a real thing when one of the most hardcore fans I saw the whole night was carried like a corpse and dropped on the couch beside me, clearly having had too much of something. The air was becoming thick and soupy with the temperature rising from the insane amount of movement, with the floors literally bouncing under the weight of the BTSM cultists, jumping up and down. The trio so shrewdly began their set with their track "Religion," while following it with a number of tracks from their new album (which you can stream here) including "Punks," "Blood Moon" and "Numbers." While their own tracks seemed to get the best response from the audience, especially, their "Jack Dat Body," "Stairway," "Rockers" and "Sleep Now In The Fire" remix, they were also able to decimate their followers with Boys Noize's "& Down" and Nom De Strip's "Reward Is Cheese" remix. It was their "Funeral March" that put the cherry on the top for me, book-ending their sacred set. All in all it was an epic night of apocalyptic tracks that simply annihilated the audience, one that I will not soon forget. Be sure to grab Black Tiger Sex Machine's album, Welcome To Our Church, Tuesday and stay tuned to Kannibalen Records for more from dudes Apashe and Dabin.

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Keys N Krates Get Intimate with Midnite Mass EP Preview Video

Keys N Krates don robes to give fans an intimate preview of their "thesis" EP, Midnite Mass, set to release Friday, complete with BBC presenter accents, obligatory airhorns and unparalleled first person camera work, the road warriors bring you into their hotel room and into their crew. Pre-order now for instant delivery, Friday at midnight and pick up your tickets for their tour with Hermitude, Stooki Sound, GANZ and Jesse Slayter.

"Hey guys, here's a preview of our new EP #MidniteMass
Posted by Keys N Krates on Tuesday, 12 January 2016

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Keys N Krates - Midnite Mass Tour & U Already Know

If you've been keeping up with Keys N Krates on Facebook/Snapchat/Twitter/etc you've probably already heard this track as a work in progress, but today they've given it a title and full upload on Soundcloud, "U Already Know" (give it a listen after the break). They've had an absolutely massive year literally playing all over the world, releasing an album's worth of music and garnered countless remixes, but today may have been their biggest yet this year. They've just released a new tour schedule seen on the right and you can expect each and every one of the shows to be absolutely fire. The electronic trio from Toronto never disappoint and always bring their infectious energy. The seem to have outdone themselves this time, teaming up with an amazing collections of artists as the travel all over North America. Hermitude has hit it big lately, first gaining the attention of ravers through Flume's groundbreaking remix of "Hyperparadise," but they've really come into their own with their enigmatic original, "The Buzz." Hermitude is not the only duo that will be joining KNK on their epic journey, Stooki Sound will be supporting the boys on a number of stops. Londoners, Stooki Sound are best known for their many collabs with the likes of Mr Carmack, Mura Masa, and massive up man of the moment, Troyboi. After just a few listens it's clear why KNK asked these two to join them on tour. No doubt the crowd will be getting down in epic fashion. The trio is also joined by amazing solo acts Jesse Slayer and GANZ, who was meant to play at their birthday party this summer but had to cancel because of complications at the border. Slayter has been on fire as of late, supporting other Canadian talents Sleepy Tom with his remix of "Pusher," and Jackal's "Chinchilla," but his latest, might be his greatest, a scorching remix of Hoodboi and Lido's "Palm Reader." GANZ has also had a year to remember, first with his debut EP "Dino War," his re-remix of Flume and Hermitude "Hyperparadise," and his amazing work with Alison Wonderland, including his flip of "I Want U."  I've got nothing but high expectations that I'm positive these guys can live up to. Midnite Mass is sure to be a massive success and sure to sell out nearly everywhere. I highly suggest you grab your tickets ASAP.

Grandtheft - Quit This City EP (Review)

This past Friday (October 30th), Grandtheft finally released his much anticipated Quit This City EP on Diplo's Mad Decent label. Ever since his performance at Bestival on Toronto Island this summer, it was clear that Grandtheft was sitting on a bunch of unreleased gems, the first of which he premiered via a recap video. Of course, I've been a fan of both Grandtheft and Sleepy Tom for years now, so the thought of these two working together was something I could have only dreamt of. When I first saw the video I immediately reposted it on my friend's wall with the caption "best collab ever?" I think we have our answer. These guys are incapable of disappointment.

While "Hold On" was the lead single, and standout track from the EP, the second single and title track is simply amazing. With flawless vocals laid-down by Lowell and the combination of atmospheric synths, Grandtheft's inimitable drums and badman bass stylings all wrapped around seemingly biographical lyrics, "Quit This City" is a picture perfect illustration of the ethos and sound of this brilliant release from one of Canada's biggest and brightest DJ/Producers. Enjoy the video for Quit This City below.