Unpiano | Music Blog

Hmm… don’t see a super long shelf life here, even with a string of good tracks. Shit, but then again I have been wrong before. Nicki Minaj comparisions abound over the way her acting chops seep into the rhymes and that’s a good thing in my book. I guess, there is not much to say here yet except that “212″ (produced by the ever-amazing Jacques Greene Lazy Jay) is the jam and the video is a good time for sure. Too bad it’s not hot out anymore..

Azealia Banks – 212
Azealia Banks – The Chills

Bonus:
Azealia Banks – L8R (video)

House producer Mark E got his start like many House producers before him, with Disco edits.  His killer edit of Womack & Womack’s “Baby, I’m Scared Of You” got into the hands of Gilles Peterson, and Mark E’s career was up and running.  His new material is a far cry from the throwback disco edits he came up doing, but you can still hear the funk influence amidst the angular techno 4-on-the-floor.  My favorite track of his right now is Special FX, which is the first B-side off the new record, Stone Breaker.  Special FX has less of a techno edge and features heavy 80′s R&B influence, similar to Onra.  The full-length is a little more straight-ahead Techno House, but the subtle build and mellow funk is hiding there, just below the surface.

Mark E -  Special FX
Mark E – Scared
Mark E – Oranges

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Bonus:
Mark E’s own “Merc” label has a zillion awesome DJ mixes up for free! 
Check it out here!

Jacques Greene is a young producer based in Montreal, Canada.  While Toronto is working their minimal R&B sound out, Montreal is rapidly becoming Berlin Jr. with their all-night House parties and clubs with insane sound systems.  The R&B influence is still strong, but the European Dance is a little heavier in the mix.  The wide range of influence Greene draws from is impressive considering the up and coming producer is only 20 years old; you can hear everything from Chicago House and Acid to Deep Techno in Greene’s tracks.  This kid has obviously done his homework, and his clean, deep house style is loaded with subtle rhythmic funk.  He only has an EP out at the moment, but Jacques Greene is one to keep an eye on.  In the meantime, we’ll be bumping his soulful remixes, patiently waiting for a full-length.

Cassie ft Diddy – Must Be Love (Jacques Greene Remix)
Jacques Greene – Another Girl

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I wrote this dude off because he name was shamefully similar to MSTRKRFT, but when I finally listened to a few tracks from SBTRKT, I wish I had given him a chance sooner.  This London-based producer expertly blends minimal house from the past and present with funky bass lines and dreamy synth pads.  Think Basement Jaxx doing Dubstep on Kompakt Records, with a splash of 8-bit for good measure.  The result is droney, funky minimal tech house that’s just as great for blasting on a huge soundsystem as it is for background party music.  The reworking of Radiohead’s “Right Place” is surprisingly good, considering there are so many mediocre remixes of it out there, I was glad to be caught off guard.  The sweet, sweet drop happens at 1:42 so don’t give up before then!

SBTRKT is dropping his debut album later this month, so keep an eye out.  Wildefire is the first single, featuring Little Dragon on vocals.

SBTRKT – Wildfire (feat Little Dragon)
SBTRKT – Right Place
Modeselektor – Art & Cash (SBTRKT Remix)

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M.I.A. dropped her mixtape on in the last minutes of New Years and it’s pretty off the wall. More of the slow, grimier stuff that seem to call back to her first albums. This ‘Gen N-E-Y’ track was first posted on “her” site and seemed to be a veiled response in her Diplo beef (see the meta tags), but then got remixed even hotter and dropped on the mixtape. She may be all domestic now, but that doesn’t mean she lost the ability to burn it down and I’m still gonna keep my eye out for this new album.

M.I.A – Gen N-E-Y
M.I.A – Gen N-E-Y (alternate mix)
M.I.A – Bad Girls

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A couple of mystery guests helped me compile this mix of super funky disco jams and since the weathers been real nice lately, it’s sort of been killing it. I swear to God, if you put this on during a sweaty house party at 3AM you will burn that motherfucker down. There is some cheesyish pop stuff at the beginning and then it switches up to the solid Chicago house predecessors at the end so everyone comes out a winner. Sometimes.. and only sometimes.. disco saves the day.

Disco Bombers Podcast (mp3)
Disco Bombers Podcast (m4a – with Chapters)

Tracklist:

Ray Parker Jr & Raydio – It’s Time To Party Now
Jermaine Jackson – Burnin Hot
High Fashion – Feelin’ lucky lately
Temper – No Favors
Sabrina – Sexy Girl
David Lyme – Bambina (Vocal)
Laserdance – Power Run
Poussez – Come On And Do It
GQ – Shake
Bombers – (Everybody) Get Dancing
Black Ivory – Mainline
AKB – Stand Up Sit Down
Herbie Hancock – Ready or Not
Change – Change Of Heart
Raydio – Tonight’s The Night

I’m just gonna say right off the bat that I have to hold myself back from doing a 18 page Cam’ron/Dipset thesis here. Bare minimum involved.

Do I even have to introduce this track? I’m pretty sure it has been bleeding out of every tinted car and truck in New York for a minute now, and you probably know it so well from the street noise that you are sick of every bar. That’s all besides the point because it all just shows how addictive Killa Cam’s spaced out flows are. “Milk lemonade/I’m a fucking renegade/Guns, hand grenades/meet me at center stage.” So ridiculous and so on point. Also, could someone tell Cam that when he says “he’s got more poles at his house than a Fire Department” that he isn’t fooling anyone?

Cam’ron – Cookies & Apple Juice
Cam’ron – Silky (No Homo)

Bonus:
I also wanted to tag on The Pack’s newest attempt at a comeback. Pretty weak overall, but they get points for reviving a classic house track and for the best line this week “Boom boom/clap clap/skeet skeet skeet”.

The Pack – Hoes in this House

Sort of can’t wait for the new Caribou album which seems like it’s gonna be filled with dance music. I guess that’s one of the awesome things about having complete control of your band. If you make some indie rock albums and then want to rock the fuck out on the dance floor the next time around, there is no one to tell you otherwise. Good thing too, or else we would have missed this single.

Caribou – Odessa

Another pull from my inbox the other day was this track off the new K-OS album. I sort of played this Canadian rapper off a while back because I didn’t like how he jacked this beat from one of my favorite songs. Back when I used to play house records more often, one of my favorite records was Soho’s ‘Hot Music’ (which still stands on it’s one ten years later). One day I heard this song with someone rapping over it and next thing you know people were acting like he produced it or something. I wasn’t feeling it and filed him under the same title I reserved for other producers who couldn’t be bothered to break a beat. Anyways, I may have to retract that statement a bit because I actually like this new track and a couple of others that jumped out when I went looking. His voice is still a bit nasaly, and his videos are dumb but fuck it.. can’t win them all.

K-OS – 4321
K-OS – Rise Like The Sun

Bonus:
K-OS – Superstarr, Pt. 0

EDIT: I’m second-guessing myself big time on this one. Does this sound just like the Black-Eyed Peas? Fuck, I must be getting old.

I don’t know if it was because I was just in Chicago or because I have been thinking about Baltimore and Philly a lot these days, but I can’t stop listening to this Bmore remix of ‘Reckoner’. It doesn’t even really do anything fancy, but it makes riding your bike through traffic seem like an amusement park ride.

Radiohead – Reckoner (LoveTongueAttack Bmore Remix)