Nick Bike - In The Mix @ Serato Brooklyn

I've been touting Nick Bike and his edits a bunch over the last few months but this 15 minute session live at Serato in Brooklyn offers the best visuals of why he's such a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the wheels of steel. He makes his way from under 100 BPM to over 130 BPM and sprinkles in the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg, Cardi B and DJ Funk. It's a pleasure to watch him work and just as fulfilling to enjoy his blends and quick cuts. His genius shines through early on as the acapella of LL Cool J kick in atop Rick James' "Mary Jane" proving he's here to do work. Later on, the run of "Gin & Juice" with "Ms. Jackson" to "King Kunta" is enough to get you out of your seat. Once you're up there, your jaw will fall to the floor as he brilliantly blends Jurassic 5's "In The House" with DJ Funk's "House The Groove." Finally you'll pass right out when you find out how well Cardi's verse on "I Like It" fits on top of "Fergalicious." Bless you Nick Bike, we are not worthy! Enjoy now below.

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The Melker Project - Ballin' Oates

No it's not Throwback Thursday, but today I got invited to see Hall & Oates at the Air Canada Centre. So I figured no better time to share one of my favourite projects, that of Scott Melker and his ingenious combination of classics from Fleetwood Mac, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and of course Hall & Oates, with rap, hip hop and RnB. Sadly removed from Soundcloud (but still on Youtube below) the Ballin' Oates project is my favourite with Wu-Tang, T.I., Twista and others adding to the allure that is Hall & Oates.

The classics from Hall & Oates are unmistakable, undeniable and still stand strong despite all the additional instrumentation and vocals, and the first track "Claneater" is a perfect example of that. Pitting Wu-Tang against "Maneater" shows off Melker's masterful recasting, as these are actually not the originals, but completely replayed and remixed versions with additional acapellas. And like with "What You Know? You're Out Of Touch!" the pop perfection of their backing track continues to resonate resplendent despite this trapped out recasting.

The visceral vibrations each of these tracks brings is exactly why I'm so excited to see duo take the stage tonight; there is just some kind of magic that permeates throughout their productions. And again that alchemy comes through in droves as Twista's fearsome flow bounces atop the keys of  "Kiss On My List," as though straight out of Big. These tracks are tremendously fun too, and I don't mean just the production either; part of the fun arises in the names as "Rich Girl Meets Rich Boy" and gets some d's thrown on it. The final track "Melker Can't Go For That" doesn't get any additional vocals, but instead receives a pure remix from the man himself. It further showcases Melker's mindset and dank trapped out delivery, alongside the supremely smooth and sultry original synths. It is the kind of track you could end a set or evening with, sonically laying listeners down easy, tucking them in for the night.

If this excites you at all, I strongly recommend checking out more of Melker's catalog (best done through Youtube). Also be sure to follow his socials below and maybe you'll find some download links.

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