It must have been a minute since we’ve heard anything new from Bronze Whale, but we can assure you that when they pop up in our feed, we’re listening. The guys’ latest work comes in the form of a remix of Imad Royal’s sensual track “Down For Whatever,” and it marks an interesting and pleasant deviation from the Austin duo’s normal routine.
If you’re familiar with Bronze Whale, this remix is probably going to catch you a bit off guard. As they distance themselves from their signature coalescing of future and trap-esque influence, they electrify the original with a new zest. Their production proves flawless as their unique sound surrounds and bolsters Royal’s smooth vocals, prompting listeners to zone in on both the original’s detail as well as the crisp new details of the remix.
So far, Kaiydo has delivered three tracks (one of which we recently covered) that span a wide range of hip-hop influence, and the fourth, “Lottery,” continues this precedent with a smooth blend of all of the previous work from his Colors & Sounds project. Even with a more restrained and mellow production, Kaiydo freely fires off bar after bar with an effortless ease that eclipses his burgeoning career with a sense of professional proficiency. Not only that, he has the tendency to lay down hooks that inherently get caught up in your head after the first listen, and that is certainly prevalent when it comes to “Lottery.”
This Florida rapper has a lot going on for him, and he’s only just beginning. However you approach the up-and-comers in hip-hop, you can’t deny their work ethic and ability to craft something noteworthy. If you’re wanting to compile some intriguing new artists in the realm of rap, Kaiydo should be at the top of your list.
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.
It’s been a tumultuous last couple years for Kid Cudi‘s followers. While some fans, such as myself (an admitted Cudder Stan), rocked out (all puns intended) to his latest material, the majority seemed to absolutely hate it. Like, really really hate it. To the point where comment sections on any new Cudi were pretty much exclusively riddled with “I WANT THE OLD CUDI” or “SPEEDIN BULLET 2 THE TRASH CAN”–I won’t lie I laughed out loud at the latter.
Anyways, recently it appears Cudi has linked back up with Kanye, making a brief but extremely impactful appearance on TLOP, and the rest of his old, beloved crew. A few weeks ago, we got “The Frequency,” a collab with Plain Pat, executive producer of Cudi’s debut mixtape, and it received glowing reviews even from those who despised his new direction. Just a few minutes ago we get yet another new tune from the man on the moon and it’s likely to reignite the fandom that seemed to be dwindling for many.
Produced by 808-master Mike Will Made It, “All In” has booming percussion but doesn’t losing site of Cudi’s spaced out sound. Cudi delivers some seriously amazing vocals reminiscing on past regrets and pouring his heart out as he always does. Even though some may see this as just a return to the Cudi of the past, it’s actually more of a step forward for him. For those who actually did take the time to listen to his more recent projects, you’ll recognize how much they cultivated him as a vocalist.
Kid Cudi returns at an interesting time when artists like Future and Young Thug have developed a crooning of their own. Even though Cudi’s style is completely different, it seems like it might just be the perfect time for him to re-emerge as a superstar.
“Overlooked To Overbooked” is the brand new single from from one of hip-hop’s humblest creators, Love At First Sound. You don’t see a lot of rappers pushing tracks that pass the minute mark, and moreover, the ones that do you don’t see many of them actually holding your attention for that long. With LAFS, he manages to do so, and keep you wanting more.
“Overlooked To Overbooked” is exactly as it sounds, a tale of the underground artist dreaming for the days at the top. The instrumental is a simplistic collection of drums, piano and bass. The tasteful sound could easily be recreated for a live show that would go beyond simply having a DJ and a guy with a mic. With the vocals we get Love At First Sound’s one, two combination of rap and R&B style expressions. “Overlooked To Overbooked” as been independently released as a free download for fans to grab. There’s no download gate, all you need to do is click. It looks as though Love At First Sound is getting back on the horse in a big way with his project, so stay tuned for more.
Over the past month Kai Straw has been releasing singles off his anticipated Toothpick album. Last night at 8PM PST, he dropped his album in full through his own imprint Tenth Gate Records, whose roster includes the producer for this album, James The Bear. Together these two put together an incredible album whose sound takes from funk, hip-hop and indie.
Ten tracks make up Toothpick, a dynamically expressive LP whose content largely focuses around the love-lust dichotomy that plagues the millennial generation. This theme is broken by tracks like “The Business” which is an anthem for the Bay Area, where Kai calls home. This is also the only track with features, as Kai collaborated with fellow veterans Keak Da Sneak and Roach Gigz. Throughout the album Kai manages, as always, to utilize his uncanny ability to formulate the thoughts of his generation, while displaying them through one-of-a-kind musical creations. Give Toothpick a genuine listen through, we guarantee you won’t be disappointed. If you’re looking to dive in a crazy rabbit hole of lots of intriguing tales and records, then you should check out his entire discography on his website.
After bursting onto the scene in 2014 with his self-produced debut mixtape, The Love Project, Philly emcee Tunji Ige spent 2015 slowly rolling out a slew of impressive genre-bending tunes including collaboration with What So Not and Oshi. Fellow Philly rep Noah Breakfast, formerly known as Xaphoon Jones, has become his go-to producer and rightfully so–their styles could not be more complimentary. Breakfast’s inventive, electronic landscapes blend with Ige’s own atmospheric production chops and melodic flows.
Today, the duo dropped Missed Calls, Ige’s first official project since his debut taking the musical exploration to new heights. While the EP still possess a hip-hop flavor, the influence of dance music is felt on each track. “Change That,” the opener sets the tone with banging, forward-thinking production and a characteristically addicting hook from Tunji. As the project progresses, each track presents a distinct facet–subtle house elements can be felt on the smooth “War,” heavier electro-trap prevails “On My Grind” and “Bring Yo Friends” and “22,” the final track, carries dreary future R&B stylings. Missed Calls proves that Tunji Ige has the talent to become a cross over star with a sound that’s both refreshing and accessible. Give it a peep below–you can grab on iTunes now.
