As things have raged out of control at work lately with nothing but 12-13 hour days to keep me company (who knew working 10-12 hour days the last two years made me lazy?), I wanted to pop in with a couple things that've formed the soundtrack to the insanity and kept the energy high before I disappear completely. Both offerings are from world-class DJs I've written about before who offer the musical equivalent of tapas or Old Country Buffet on their sites, depending on your socioeconomic status. First up is Diplo, who releases all sorts of hour-long mixes at his label site under the cover of Mad Decent radio -- they've had everything from New Orleans rap to hardcore/punk hours by himself and his DJ buddies. They're a hit or miss affair at times, but always give a nice taste of the disparate musical styles and varieties so you know what's out there and can maybe pick up a new strain or two for your rotations.
They've done close to 70 so far, but the one that's been blowing my brain apart the last month is the one he did on Moombahton, a style itself that's been hypnotizing me all summer. For those that don't know, Moombahton was invented by DJ Dave Nada here in DC this year when -- according to the story -- he had to spin at a party for reggaeton-heads and didn't have any of those records in his crates. To save the event he decided to slow down what he had to the reggaeton range of 108 bpm and cross his fingers, starting with Afrojack's remix of "Moombah." It obviously worked (hence the genre name -- moombah+(reggae)ton), and gave us the latest electro genre to grapple with, taking the best part of reggaeton (that undeniable, sensual beat) without the shitty Spanish rapping.
The genre keeps the Latin feel by cutting in various Portuguese/Spanish lyrics, depending on the DJ (Dillon Francis, Diplo) in addition to hip hop for the urban edge. (David Heartbreak) Diplo does a great job showing off what the relatively-new style has to offer -- including the song that got me hooked on the style in the first place, Dillon Francis' "Que Que" -- and if you aren't sold by the time the remixed version of Adele shows up around minute 17, there might be something wrong with you. Check out both the mix and the style's perfect introduction here:
Diplo's Moombahton Summer Mix
MDWWR #67 Diplo's Moombahton 2k11 Mix by diplo
Dillon Francis
Next in line is a similar smorgasboard from Belgium's 2ManyDjs, the godfathers of mashups and masterminds of the legendary Radio Soulwax mixes. I first got introduced to these guys when I was living in London and they'd have their weekly show on Radio One. We'd have it on in the background as we were getting ready to go out, chock full of the then-unheard-of mashups and killer dance tracks, and it got the party started for us every single weekend. I got to catch the live version of their show a couple years ago at Lolla, and it was every bit as good as I remembered, only now it had the excellent addition of their visual wizardry, which cuts together the cover art of the tunes they're spinning, creating a whole new layer to their technical prowess.
Both are on display at their website (2manydjs.com), but even moreso on their free iPhone/iPad app, Radio Soulwax. (The website only lets you stream one of the mixes and doesn't let you select which one.) There are a dozen or so mixes that are available for free download at any given time, ranging from an all-cover mix and "bad rappers" mix to a Chicago house retrospective and a set of spacy instrumental sets, all of which the duo makes eminently listenable. They add new mixes every month (the iPhone/Pad apps send push notifications when they're available) and each of the sets come with custom visuals, too, that the duo does themselves, which adds another layer of enjoyment to the experience. (Especially on the iPad's crisp HD display...)
Two of the mixes stand out from the rest, though, and are required listening/downloading. The first is a version of their live show mentioned above, Under the Covers: Volume I, which has lots of the pieces they did in their Lolla show and comes complete with the cover art visuals too. It's a great set even without the other tunes they'd normally cut in and has been running on repeat for several months now. The second is a hometown affair (for them), an hour-long mix of Belgian techno music that they grew up hating, but have now fallen in love with as they've slowed the beat down. (I guess that's the message for the week -- if things aren't working, slow it down. A good suggestion for the guy working 60 hour weeks non-stop...) Titled This is Belgium, Pt. II: Cherry Moon on Valium, it's a slamming straight up electro set that's made all the better by the visuals -- they got friends/natives to do the "official" dance for the song/style that was popular at the time, so it's a fun mix of standard pogoing and strangely complicated leg kicks, all by people wearing 80s-era garb as is appropriate. It's streaming now at their site, and is available on demand on the iPad/Phone apps. So get downloading! You won't be sorry...
Radio Soulwax: For a good time, click here.
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We'll close with one more tune that's been battering my brain of late, the surprising collaboration between Clipse's Pusha T and Odd Future's Tyler, the Creator, "Trouble on my Mind." It's a surprise mainly because of the seemingly incompatible styles and subject matter of the two -- Pusha T is known for incredibly smooth, clever lines (often about selling cocaine) spit with a nonchalance that would make Obama look stressed; Tyler (and the entire OFWGKTA crew) is known for their raw lyrics (often about sex and violence) and rougher beats and delivery. Yet somehow they gel well here on the single. (A point acknowledged by Pusha when he raps "who else could put the hipsters with felons and thugs...two different worlds, same symmetry.")
Pusha again shows why he (and his missing Clipse mate Malice) remain the best thing going in rap the last ten years (sorry Jay), and Tyler provides an effective foil to his ultra-smooth delivery with his gruff voice and street corner lyrics. I have to admit, I've been resistant to the growing "Odd Future are gods" movement that's been cropping up -- because while their DIY style and homespun beats are at times irresistible, the ultra-violent and -crass lyrics they throw on top seem lazy and unnecessary, and in the end distract you from the other positives.
I'm sure part of it comes down to immaturity (the group as a whole is relatively young age-wise and has only been rapping for a year or two at most professionally) and will hopefully mellow with age (group mate Frank Ocean has already showed his maturity on Kanye/Jay-Z's Watch the Throne, showing up on and/or writing multiple tracks), but even on this track the juxtaposition of Tyler's verses with Pusha's highlights the gap in sophistication. That said, it still works -- and while the crew as a whole hasn't quite caught my imagination yet, if they keep throwing down doses like this, I might be hooked soon. Until next times, my friends...
