Axel Christofer Hedfors from Stockholm, Sweden is one of my favorite House producers and goes by stage name Axwell.  Not only is he the driving force behind Swedish House Mafia, but he also slays on the DJ decks.  I first saw him live at the NCMF in Chicago this past year and his set was quite amazing.  A great house set, he kept the energy high and made me forget about wanting to see SHM.  He currently owns his own label and was voted #12 in DJ Mag’s Top 100 of the year 2011.  Below are some of my favorite youtube videos/songs from the man.  Keeping it short and sweet for today, hopefully we can get back into posting more frequently.

Enjoy!

-BarneyFranklin

So I had a pretty long rant written up for today about my opinion on the state of music but then I found Ganja White Knight’s new album and I had to hold off for another week. Don’t worry though, it’s coming, and it’s a good one. Anyways, you must be thinking this album is pretty awesome for me to hold off on a long, well written rant and you would be right. Good is an understatement though, this album is pure gold. Right when I thought dubstep was worn out and overdone, Ganja White Knight brings me back to loving it again. Borrowing elements from so many different and unexpected genres I can honestly say that this is one of the best albums I’ve ever listened to. The amount of time, work, and energy that must have gone into it is seriously impressive and it’s very rare today to see EDM artists releasing full albums instead of just EPs. Usually, I’d list my favorite songs but they are all equally impressive. Listen to this from start to finish in order because that’s the way it’s meant to be heard (at least the first time around).

I can’t embed this album but listen to it free at http://www.GanjaWhiteNight.com!

-GIZMO

Kevin Baird, Alex Trimble, and Sam Halliday have been creating some awesome songs in the past couple years.  Hailing from Northern Ireland they go by Two Door Cinema Club.  Taking a step back from the EDM scene we bring you a band, like many others, who are responsible for making the EDM scene what it is today.  Without traditional bands, singers, and artists we would not have some of my most favorite electronic remixes, collabs, and productions.  These guys came out with their debut album in 2010 and have made quite a few gems since.  Probably my favorite song at this point in time was first heard in The Magician‘s mix, Magic Tape 28, which is an Alex Metric remix of “Sun“.  I know there are those out there who aren’t that into the “indie/hipster” scene or music, but honestly give this one a listen!  I definitely have a soft spot for some great vocals and piano, whether it maybe chill nu disco, house, or dnb.  Moulinex has a great take on “I Can Talk” electrifying the original with a great beat.  ”What You Know” is an excellent original from the group showing off their great guitar skills and catchy vocals.  The Twelves do some justice remixing their original “Something Good Can Work”  being an excellent group themselves out of Brazil.  Ames and I were able to see The Twelves a few months ago here in Denver and they played an awesome show down at the Marquis!  Enjoy the super chilled out sounds from this Irish indie group and the wonderful remixes!  Gotta switch it up every once in awhile.

-BarneyFranklin 

Drum and Bass. The only genre that I’m not feeling kinda burnt out on in EDM these days. Underground enough that everyone isn’t trying to do the same cookie cutter track as the next, but popular enough that it attracts some really amazing artists. I don’t know why there’s never really been a big Dnb scene here in the states but I’m super jealous of the UK. I follow a lot of Dnb artists and they are always posting some amazing shows that they’re playing over there. Especially Hospital Records. Damn, do they have some amazing talent and put on some truly epic shows. A recent signing to the legendary label is Keeno. With a background in classical music, this shows through in his tracks. He’s only 18… god damn. What was I doing when I was 18. Oh yeah, nothing.

I love the style of these tracks. Chill and soulful. A perfect match for Hospital Records. Need to Feel Loved is my favorite release of the whole year, although technically it was the end of December I didn’t find it until last week. The rest of these songs are also sweet. Get ready for some “orchestral sin-sations” hehe. Lords of Acid reference…

-GIZMO

Pete H and Daniel D are the trap ambassadors of ATL.  Producing some great tracks in the genre, they always seem to incorporate some heavy electro, dub, and rap.  Showing versatility with their trap music makes them quite unique, bringing some life to their songs!  ”FLEX” , one of their newest, is excellent as they throw in builds, electro, and even have a somewhat moombah tone raging.  ”FROM THE TRAP” hits a little harder than the previous, throwing down the nasty.  ”TRVPSTVR”  is one of their earlier productions, well from soundcloud atleast, having a great beat this one is a bit chiller with smooth transitions.  ”ORIGINAL CHOPPAZ“ is another filthy production, bringing the heat with a solid beat.  Get ready to ride dirty with some ATL Trap, HEROES X VILLAINS.

It’s A TRAP

-BarneyFranklin

Ok so it’s not my normal day for posting, but Ames was hammed last night and is sick/hungover from work today.  So being the nice guy that I am, I thought I’d go ahead an post for him.  Today we will bring in another top notch man from one of the best labels in the UK.  Adam Fenton was born in Liverpool and currently resides in London.  He is another experienced producer coming off of the breakbeat kaos label.  He goes by the stage name of Adam F and has some excellent drum and bass, hip hop, and dubstep productions.  Not only does he produce, but he also DJ’s and has a small acting career, starring in the wonderful film that is Ali G Indahouse (named after Gizmo’s sister of course)!  He has also done some work with one of my favorite Hip Hop artists Redman, however, I was unable to find a quality original online (most were clips from Annie Mac’s Radio or some crappy remix).  His remix of Richard Vission & Static Revenger‘s “I Like That” is a filthy dubstep track that brings in some dnb late in the mix.  ”Circles” is one of his own productions and is more of a chill dnb/jungle track that i really enjoy!  And know come the youtube’s with Sander Van Doorn and Mayaeni‘s “Nothing Inside” an epic song that was remixed ever so nicely from Mr. Fenton.  Next up is a video of “Elements” a solid dubstep song, which goes in and out of the hardcore sounds that come with it, making it subtle yet great.  Last up we have his collab remix with Horx of Prodigy‘s “Take Me to the Hospital” once again a quality remix of one of my favorite songs growing up, gotta love Prodigy!

Great day today, off from work and got some major shit with the courts cleared up!

-BarneyFranklin

Just one question, have you ever heard/seen the music video for Marka? No? Well get on that. This song was seriously my number one jam of all of last year. I know it sounds like a bunch of gibberish and might not be for everyone but the originality and flow to this song is immense. Skream and Benga hyped the shit out of it on their BBC Radio One show and when they dropped it here in Denver, it was awesome.

Dub Phizix has one of the most original sounds in the DnB and dubstep scene today. Though he is classified under these genres, it’s a very loose connection, and he almost deserves his own genre. I would call it African Dub Hop or something like that –  Yeah. I’m guessing that his shows are ridiculous and unlike anything else out there. I can imagine African tribes getting down to this stuff while dancing around a fire. Or like some crazy voodoo party. The innovation that he displays in his music is what the scene needs to continue to drive it forward. Few people can change the path of a genre, or even add a new branch to its progress, but Dub Phizix has been able to successfully do this and will continue to have an impact in the future.

Picking the songs I wanted to share was hard. There are a lot of good ones on the soundcloud. However, I must start with the music video to Marka since I’ve been hyping it up. Don’t get too scared, just let it ride and enjoy haha. As for the rest of the songs? They speak for themselves – deep, dark, and wicked with some top notch flow. Check it.

-GIZMO

Dan and Phil Brookes are two great drum and bass producers out of London, UK.  Oh and you guessed it they are brothers, hence the Brookes Brothers and I’m not talking about some fancy pants, snobby clothes store, which I must admit, I do love (gotta treat yo self!).  These guys are on the epic label that is Breakbeat Kaos with such notable names such as, Nero, DJ Fresh, and Pendulum.  They began producing back in 2002 and signed with another great label Viper Records in 2006, eventually making their way to Breakbeat one year later.  ”Tear You Down”  spent two weeks at the no.1 spot on the UK dance charts, further ascending their claim to fame and solidifying their quality production skills.  ”The Blues“, one of their newer tracks, was released late in 2012 and this one provides some unique sounds making it one of my favorites.  Im sure most of you have heard “Beautiful” featuring Robert Owens an epically smooth dnb song, with great vocals and a video of a boy who makes quite the adventure for a glimpse of some tittays!  ”In Your Eyes” featuring Johnny Osbourne is a pretty filthy track that has a reggae / dubby feel to it.  Enjoy some great dnb from the brothers! Oh and pre-teen girls prease don’t cut your wrists just cuz mary jane stole your man boy >.<

hope the vids work, youtube has been slightly janky on my end…

-BarneyFranklin

Alright, it’s time for my first post of the new year **cracks knuckles.** Being out of the loop for a few weeks had my inbox piling up with a TON of songs that took forever to get all the way through, but now I have a pretty huge stockpile of artists to do posts on and I got some serious quality coming. My pick for today is going to be Singularity. Coming out of LA, this guy has a huge range of tracks and a lot of them I’m really digging. At only 20 years old I’ve got a feeling that we’ll be hearing a lot more from him in the future. The only real background I could find on the producer was that he makes “computer noises,” so let’s dig in to the tracks.

What’s my first pick for 2013? Can you say dirty ass trap? Yes please. Trap remixes do wonders for songs I normally wouldn’t be down for. Once I listened to a trap remix of a Justin Bieber song (not knowing it was him) and I was like “damn, this is pretty sweet.” Then I found out it was a Justin Bieber song and I had to go kill myself. Anyways… The remix of Kanye West’s Clique is one of the more better done trap songs I’ve ever heard. It’s got some serious flow to it and I’ll be pumping it for awhile. Bringing it down a notch, Singularity’s remix of Seven Lions’ Days to Come, is an awesome trip into the trancey side of dubstep. The right amount of bass push to this song accentuates the trance elements perfectly. Another chill dubstep song is the remix of PeaceTreaty’s In Time which will be released on Dim Mak records (Steve Aoki’s label). Finally, the title track from the EP “Breathe” brings a good mix of awesome vocals and a heavier dubstep interlude. 2013!

-GIZMO

It’s not often these days that the Drum & Bass genre isn’t of the new school liquid variety. I was super stoked to hear Phace’s stuff. It’s a breath of fresh air to just hear straight-up, raw, in your face DnB. This dude is from Hamburg, and runs the label NeoSignal with his buddy Misanthrop. In fact, his track Desert Orgy with Misanthrop is an old school DnB classic. With releases on high profile labels like Virus, OWLSA, Mau5trap, and Shogun, he really has been all over the dark DnB spectrum. His tunes all maintain a precise atmospheric drum and bass sound that is super refreshing to hear. But alas, it’s Friday and time to GTFO of my office….. so if you need something different sounding check this guy out.

Enjoy!

-Ames.