[16 To End 2016] Ninja Dom Edition

#1 – “Tangle Formations” by Explosions In The Sky from their seventh studio Album, The Wilderness.

  • The experimental post-rock band has moved past their days of scoring Friday Night Lights and set their sights on even more ambitious goals with a reinvented sound. The Wildnerness is as much of a conceptual and enjoyable journey as the previous projects, but with more structure and direction.
Explosions In The Sky
Tangle Formations

#2 – “Laputa (Taylor McFerrin Remix)” by Hiatus Kaiyote from their remix LP, Recalibrations Vol. 1.

  • After releasing one of my favorite projects from 2015, the Early Riser LP, McFerrin made another splash this past May by reimagining a track from Hiatus Kaiyote’s 2015 album Choose your Weapon.
Hiatus Kaiyote
Laputa (Taylor McFerrin Remix) (feat. Anderson .Paak)

#3 – “It’s A Memory Feat. Elohim and Mansions on the Moon (Amtrac Remix) by Fred Falke from his remix EP, It’s A Memory – the Remixes.

  • In an unsurprising turn of events, Amtrac has put together the most impressive EDM remix of 2016, fusing the elements laid out by Fred Falke with his own brand of wizardry to create a one-of-a-kind track.
Fred Falke
It’s A Memory ft. Elohim, Mansions On The Moon (Amtrac Remix)

#4 – “Earth Girls” by Jesse Boykins III from his mixtape, Bartholomew.

  • While the album has features from the likes of Noname, Little Simz, Willow Smith, Syd, Mick Jenkins and others, his best work is done on a solo piece, Earth Girls. I wrote about this song earlier this year here.
Jesse Boykins III
Earth Girls

#5 – “Nights” by Frank Ocean from his second studio album, Blonde.

  • While it took Frank 4 years to give us another album, he certainly delivered with Blonde. In releasing his 2016-version of “Pyramids”, Frank gives us a growing piece that stands up to any criticism lobbed his way.
Frank Ocean
Nights

#6 – “Ultralight Beam Feat. Kelly Price, Donnie Trumpet, Chance the Rapper, The-Dream and Kirk Franklin” by Kanye West from The Life of Pablo.

  • The introduction track from the most hyped release of 2016 also gave us the best hip hop verse of the year – in addition to the most diverse contributors to a single track. Another instant classic to go in Kanye’s hall of fame catalog.
Kanye West
Ultralight Beat (feat. Chance The Rapper)

#7 – “My True Name” by Bloc Party. from their fifth studio album, Hymns.

  • 4 years after the release of Four, and after a major band member shakeup no less, Bloc Party returned to the studio headed by Kele to deliver one last time with another intimate, topical record.
Bloc Party
My True Name

#8 – “With Me” by Lane 8 from his project, This Never Happened.

  • The Leipzig-based producer started out 2016 with “Midnight” and has been a beacon of consistency for the electronic music world. Each of his releases have been of superb quality, but “With Me” is the best of the bunch. I wrote about it earlier this year here.
Lane 8
With Me

#9 – “All Night Feat. Knox Fortune (Kaytranada Remix)” by Chance the Rapper from Kaytranada’s 0.001% mixtape.

  • In a year where Kaytranada finally got over the hump, graduating from blogospher fame to mainstrem musical fame, he took a victory lap of sorts in the latter months, giving us some of his best material yet. His remix to Chance’s “All Night” will be a mainstay in dance clubs for many months to come.
Chance The Rapper
All Night (feat. Knox Fortune) (Kaytranada Remix)

#10 – “Alaska” by Maggie Rogers.

  • Maggie Roger’s rise based on the strength of Alaska mirrored the same path Ryn Weaver took after her song Octahate became the flavor of the year in 2014. While Roger has not yet amassed the same following, her single is as impressive and minimalistic as one could hope for from a debut.
Maggie Rogers
Alaska

#11 – “Eva” by Punctual.

  • As an eclectic deep house track with samples and influences ranging from Indian pop to 80’s synth, Eva is as groundbreaking and novel today as it was the first few hundred times I listened to it.
Punctual
Eva

#12 – “Clementine Feat. Lex Famous” by Rambo V.

  • Claiming this song as “Soul House”, Rambo V set off the soundtrack to my summer with Clementine. This dreamy, fun-loving track grooves along fusing the line beautifully between future bass and house.
Rambo V
Clementine Ft. Lex Famous

#13 – “All Night Feat. Dornik” by SG Lewis.

  • SG Lewis released one of my early picks for song of the year, dropping All Night with Dornik in February. This track harnesses some of the emotion captured in his previous classic “Warm” while adding a more upbeat, poppy spin to the piece.
SG Lewis
All Night(ft. Dornik)

#14 – “Homemade” by Matthew Chaim.

  • Hailing from Montreal, this Canadian pop producer unleashed a catchy piece along with the help of Noah Barer and Cavewerk earlier this year. I wrote about the track previously here.
Matthew Chaim
Homemade (prod. Noah Barer & Cavewerk)

#15 – “Gettin’ it Done” by Ross From Friends.

  • As perhaps the best named artist from this group of sixteen, Ross from Friends also put together one of the best house tunes to come out in 2016. While injecting elements of 90’s R&B with a persistently building bassline, the song has elements that appeal to a wide range of aficionados.
Ross From Friends
Gettin’ It Done’

#16 – “The Look” by Halpe and Sophie Meiers.

  • My favorite track that maybe 2% of my friends have heard before. This vocalist has a handful of mesmerizing tracks, but pairing with Halpe pushes The Look into another category entirely.
halpe
The Look w/ sophie meiers
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[Soul/Hip-Hop] Hiatus Kaiyote – Laputa (Taylor McFerrin Remix) Feat. Anderson .Paak

Hiatus Kaiyote
Laputa (Taylor McFerrin Remix feat. Anderson .Paak)

The current era of music has seen a shift in which risk-taking is rewarded. Those who have pushed genres into the forefront, or combined technical aspects across previously uncrossed planes have been showered with praises of ‘breakthrough’ and ‘genius’.

Comparable to the way in which Tame Impala championed psychedelia and had universal success, Melburnian band Hiatus Kaiyote is still waiting to reap the same scale of appreciation for operating in their own niche of the musical landscape.

“Under appreciated” is usually not a phrase used to describe multiple Grammy-nominated bands, but HK is by no means as recognized as their talent would dictate. Leading the way in the future soul and nu-jazz realms, they have been immeasurably successful in outpacing their contemporaries since their formation and debut album release in 2012.

Following up with Choose Your Weapon in May of last year, HK has since slowly gained recognition for their structural aspects and skillful composition. Further demonstrating the versatility of their sound, the quartet released their newest EP, Recalibrations, Vol. 1, a collection of remixes which came out this past Friday.

With the collaborative efforts of solo artist Taylor McFerrin and up and coming producer / vocalist Anderson .Paak, listeners were graced with a remix to “Laputa,” which debuted on their 2015 album Choose Your Weapon. The original, a song praising the Hayao Miyazaki film by the same name, is a minimalistic track that relies heavily on the talented vocals of lead singer Nai Palm. The remix, put together by frequent collaborator Taylor McFerrin (see their previous work together here), is a perfect extension of what existed previously.

Injected with a dreamy, beatboxing style seen in his own solo works, McFerrin’s “Laputa” takes a turn towards a redeeming love song following a psychedelic-synth bridge at the 2:00 mark. Anderson .Paak, capitalizing on the success of his January release, Malibu, provides the finishing touches by smoothly and soulfully rapping to the conclusion of the song.

With Recalibrations, Vol. 1 available now on iTunes, Hiatus Kaiyote will be touring the world and making believers of their brand one city at a time; they will be playing Lollapalooza, Osheaga, and Outside Lands to name a few. Fans new and old can keep up with the latest releases on their Soundcloud page.

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[Neo-Soul] Hiatus Kaiyote – Nakamarra (Feat. Q-Tip)

Hiatus Kaiyote
Nakamarra feat. Q-Tip

While this might be the first time we’re featuring Hiatus Kaiyote on our pages, we’re hoping this isn’t the last. We may have missed the Australian quartet’s Tawk Tomahawk EP last year, but lucky for us they’re gearing up for a re-release on their new label, Flying Buddha. The marquee single of course is this one right here, a remix of “Nakamarra” featuring the amazingly talented Q-Tip. Getting a co-sign from such a legendary figure in the music industry is definitely encouraging, but not surprising once you hear (lead singer) Nai Palm‘s soothing, sun-dipped vocals. Although the band markets themselves as “future soul,” the loungey vibes on “Nakamarra” seem to hearken back to a simpler time that serve as a reminder of why we fell in love with the genre in the first place. With the revamped version of Tawk Tomahawk set to arrive tomorrow, it might be a keen idea to check out the original release before purchasing. Now excuse me while I fantasize about what A Tribe Called Quest‘s reunion project would sound like.

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