Catching Up With James Blake, His EPs and His Singles...

In 2011, James Blake put out one album, two EPs and three singles. That's 29 tracks or nearly three times his 2010 production. I've argued here at length why Blake is an electronic savant, a dubstep wunderkind, but at some point, tripling your artistic output (all while touring, which Blake has in '11) is going to have diminished returns, right?

The last time I discussed Blake in this space was back in June, on the cusp of his "Linesfarne" single release. Since then, he dropped the Order / Pan 12", the Enough Thunder EP and his latest, the Love What Happened Here EP. Each effort continues Blake's mercurial trend of shifting sounds and ideologies, but he's finally reached a point where some material returns to the well.

Note: this isn't a slight against his songwriting. If anything, some fans would prefer Blake to stay in the same mold for more than three songs or even return the R&B sampling of the CMYK EP.

Starting with the most recent product, Love What Happened Here finds Blake drawing on the avant-garde electronic stuttering of his earliest releases, reminiscing the Air & Lack Thereof 12" and Bells Sketch EP, minus the dubstep decibles.

Order / Pan is an oddity in Blake's discography. Released after his eponymous LP, it's a two-track single that finds James tempering any and all pop leaning, toying with space and silence, and exploring his most experimental affections.

Enough Thunder is an interesting combination of Blake's piano balladry and the abstract sampling of his Klavierwerke EP. Rounding out the EP's four original compositions are a beautiful Joni Mitchell cover as well as a Bon Iver collaboration that sounds like you'd expect.

In all, they're three very different experiences which mostly answer my leading question. Despite the dearth of new material, Blake manages to sample the right chords and deliver songs that hold up the weight of his discography thus far. Though some sigh that he's mostly abandoned his early, dubstep leanings, Blake remains an electronic composer conjunctively using his voice and laptop in ways we hadn't heard yet. It's a shame his debut album isn't making a bigger dent on the "Best Albums of 2011" lists we see cropping up on the web...

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James Blake - We Might Feel Unsound
James Blake - At Birth
James Blake - Fall Creek Boys Choir (feat. Bon Iver)
James Blake - A Case of You (Joni Mitchell Cover)
James Blake - Pan

MediaFire Link: Download a complete ZIP of all three new releases discussed above.

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MP3s: Benga's New "Faithless / Acid Lie" Single

Remember when you first saw the video for The Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up"? How about the first time you watched (and heard) The Matrix? Well, if those musical memories have any kind of cache in your cerebellum, your ears are going to big fans of Benga's new single.

The dubstep veteran just released his Faithless / Acid Lie single on Joker's Kapsize label and it spills over with early 2000s house and techno allusions, which happens to be a good thing.

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Benga - Faithless
Benga - Acid Lie

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Download Now: Mount Kimbie's New Carbonated EP

Mount Kimbie's Crooks & Lovers was an LP I slept on for most 2010, but having now listened to it ad nauseam, I can easily call it one of last year's most underrated records.

So then, you could imagine my pumped-up-ness when I got my hands on the dubstep duo's new Carbonated EP half a week early. While the release is a mere six tracks long, the three original cuts are up to snuff (especially the title track) and remaining three remixes aren't half bad--though not as good as James Blake's re-work from last year's Maybes EP

MediaFire Link:

Mount Kimbie - Carbonated EP

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Mount Kimbie - Carbonated
Mount Kimbie - Maybes (James Blake Remix)

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Album of the Week - SBTRKT by SBTRKT

You know what's a trend I can totally get behind? Gentrified dubstep. Allow me to qualify that. Of course, I'm not referring to race, income, et al., but rather the mainstream re-modification of this rather specific genre of electronic music.

Dubstep has by now developed a relatively concrete template--it may be hard to describe to friends in one sentence, but you know it when you hear it--so much so that if one departs from its standards, they must be re-labeled "post-dubstep" or "witch-house" or some other genre that the collective press has yet to stupidly* name.

But as dubstep continues to grow up and out of the underground, artists like Jamie Woon and SBTRKT are co-opting its styles and praxes, stripping away all the warble, murkiness and grime and re-purposing said conventions for mass, pop appeal.

"Is 2011 turning out to be the year UK bass music goes semi-mainstream?" asked Pitchfork's Jess Harvell in an April review of Jamie Woon's Mirrorwriting. With the release of SBTRKT's self-titled debut right around the corner (June 28th), alongside Woon's output and the championing of James Blake, she may be onto something.

SBTRKT's record, which I've already spun several times between Sunday night and now, runs all over the place stylistically speaking; there's something for everyone. And while the LP is delivered in broad strokes, it's more than "generic UK garage."

Don't get me wrong, the lo-fi output of Burial, Zomby, Benga, Mount Kimbie or Kode9 define dubstep, but not everyone has an ear for a track like "Endorphin." Even if you do, do you always have the patience/appreciation for it? Wouldn't you rather just dance? Honestly, it's refreshing to hear London bass in a much more glossy, digestable form and SBTRKT delivers just that.

I could complicate things further by throwing around genre terms like funky, 2-step, drum & bass, four-on-the-floor, grime, ambient, or breakbeat, but the takeaway here is to cheers an album that captures UK electronic music in an easy-to-swallow 40 minutes, not to pick SBTRKT apart influence-by-influence; its originality exists in its straightforward delivery.

*Can we honestly not do any better than "Chillwave" or "Witch-house"?

MediaFire Link:

SBTRKT - SBTRKT

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SBTRKT - Wildfire
SBTRKT - Something Goes Right
SBTRKT - Right Thing to Do

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MP3s: That New Burial 12" Doesn't Disappoint Whatsoever

Well, finally. After lying low* for four years, Burial has released some new solo material. Coming in the shape of a three-track 12", the Street Halo EP is everything you'd come to expect from the clandestine UK producer.

Burial's still playing with his usual pallet of fuzzy hi-hats, tinny snares, gooey bass and haunted vocal samples, but there's subtle evolution buried in each songs' hazy mix. The 4/4 thud of "Street Halo," anemic yearning of "NYC" and lung-heavy, house-vibes of "Stolen Dog" all showcase a delicate refinement to Burial's distinct formula; the latter being one of the strongest singular tracks he's ever produced.

This isn't Untrue.5, it's better.

* He released a 12" with Four Tet in 2009 and a 12" collaboration with Thom Yorke and Four Tet in March.

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Burial - Stolen Dog

Burial - NYC

Burial - Street Halo

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Purity Ring Drops the B-Side to Their Upcoming 7"

Back in February, I posted Purity Ring's "Ungirthed." The track, which sounded like Burial at the mall, came out of left field--the unknown band dropped it on their unknown Tumblr. Well, "Ungirthed" will finally see a vinyl release next week and it officially has a b-side: "Lofticries."

Good to hear more Purity Ring, good to hear more dubstep/pop genre clashing.

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Purity Ring - Lofticries

Purity Ring - Ungirthed

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Free Gucci (Again)... The Burrrtish Edition

Sometime last year in-between stints of Gucci Mane's jail-time, Diplo co-opted a bunch of friends to release a remix LP of their favourite Gucci tracks. The results were aptly-named Free Gucci and half the tracks were forgettable. As for the other half? Pretty solid, especially that Emynd remix.

Earlier this month Mad Decent released a second volume of icy remixes, Free Gucci 2: The Burrrtish Edition. This time around, some fine British talent injected dupstep flavours behind Mr. Radric Davis' raps.

Again, the results are hit-or-miss, but if you like Gucci and/or bass music, there's something here for you. That, and the These New Puritans remix is the closest thing we'll get to a Gucci Mane/Thom Yorke collaboration (for now).

Grab some Burrrtish highlights below or click the links above to download the respective Free Gucci effort.

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Gucci Mane - Brand New (Rustie Remix)
Gucci Mane - Party Animal (Hudson Mohawke Remix)
Gucci Mane - Dollar Sign (These New Puritans Remix)

Also awesome...

Gucci Mane - Frowny Face (Emynd Remix)

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You Must Download Purity Ring's "Ungirthed"

When I threw the excellent new Purity Ring jam into yesterday's Valentine's Day mix, I realized I never blogged the track on it's own.

So, anyone who heard and dug "Ungirthed" can now grab it below. If you haven't experienced the pop-by-way-of-dubstep stylings, it's a must hear.

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Purity Ring - Ungirthed

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Now That's What I Call Dubstep! - Vol. 1

Last week, Diplo released Blow Your Head - Diplo Presents Dupstep, a compilation of his favourite purple tracks. The mixtape attempts to condense the zombie genre into 16 must-have cuts. Is it a success? Well, sure -- the mix touches on most of the genre's staple artists and has a decent amount of classics*, what it's lacking is more: Where's Burial? Where's "Purple City"? etc. etc. etc.

Regardless, it's a pretty good primer for anyone new to grimy jams and, more importantly, is a pretty great excuse to publish some solid dupstep myself. Crank your subwoofers and download 12 teeth-rattling tunes below.

* Rhetorical question: Does it get any better than "Sweet Shop" or "Archangel"?

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Purple City - Joker & Ginz
Sweet Shop - Doctor P
26 Basslines - Benga
Tears in the Rain - Zomby
Tron - Joker
Sunset (feat. Diplo) - Borgore
Burn (Stenchman Remix) - Jessica Mauboy
Stop What You're Doing (James Blake Remix) - Untold
Puzzled - Randomer
Boss - Ginz
Strange Fruit - Zomby
Archangel - Burial

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