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Download: Subp Yao "Chjords"
Label: Saturate

While synthesizer chords certainly have their place in this track from the Netherlands' Subp Yao, the song's most obvious characteristic is a booming rumble of a bass, which sounds heavy and throaty on computer speakers and just might test a club's structural integrity while blasting out of an oversized soundsystem. Pitched-up and heavily processed vocal snippets are scattered throughout the piece, as are off-kilter percussion sounds that shuffle about in a frenzied manner. "Chjords" is taken from Subp Yao's latest full-length, Smoke Up, Drink Up, which was released earlier this month through Saturate and can be downloaded in its entirety free of charge at Bandcamp. Subp Yao also released a remix album earlier this month, 1000 Remixes, which is available for free download here. The tracklisting and artwork for both of those releases can be found after the jump.  Read more » 

Average: 7.8 (20 votes)
 
 

Download: Bok Bok "Dance Report"
Label: Enchufada

In the late '00s, Buraka Som Sistema introduced much of the world to the energetic Angolan sounds of kuduro (which translates literally as "hard ass"), most notably with the release of its seminal album Black Diamond in 2008. Since then, the Portuguese outfit has put plenty of its own spin on the genre, and has actively encouraged other producers to cross-pollinate diverse types of dance music such as baile funk, tropical bass, cumbia, and of course house, bass, and techno. Through its Enchufada imprint, the group has also released six mini compilations called Hard Ass Sessions, in which BSS recruited producers such as Douster, Dubbel Dutch, Brenmar, and Kingdom to try their hand at the kuduro sound. Next week, the best of the various Hard Ass Sessions will be available as one 21-track compilation that will also feature a mix from founding BSS member J-WOW and a previously unheard tune from Slap in the Bass. Bok Bok's "Dance Report," which originally appeared on Hard Ass Sessions Volume II, is a hard-edged bit of kuduro-inspired bass/electro that will be featured on both the CD and digital versions of the comp. Take a look at the artwork for the Hard Ass Compilation, above, and check out the full tracklisting after the jump.  Read more » 

Average: 6 (22 votes)
 
 

Download: Temples "II"
Label: Ecstasy

Ecstasy Records, the Portland-based imprint run by party-starting house outfit Miracles Club, has just released the label's first full-length record, a seven-song LP from Temples (a.k.a. Avalon Kalin, pictured above). The track titles are nothing more than ascending Roman numerals, with the entire work having been dubbed I-VII. Here, we have "II," a floating bit of spacey four-to-the-floor with polyrhythmic percussion and a complex arrangement crafted with what sounds like a xylophone. I-VII was released on Monday, and is available on either limited-run vinyl or digitally with two bonus tracks. After the jump, you can take a look at the record's artwork and view the subtly trippy video for the song "III."  Read more » 

Average: 7.4 (15 votes)
 
 

Download: Nitemoves "Challenger"
Label: Moodgadget

Oakland-based musician Rory O'Connor (a.k.a. Nitemoves) began composing his debut solo effort while serving as the touring drummer for recording artists Tycho and Com Truise. His nine-track LP, titled Longlines, was released earlier this week through Moodgadget, and it's a wide-ranging, synth-heavy effort that touches on easy-going pop, experimental cacophony, and various points in between. As one might expect from a record written largely while travelling in the backseat of a touring vehicle, the songs are drenched in introspection and wanderlust, taking cues and inspiration from various locales while harnessing a feeling of isolation. "Challenger," the second cut from the album, is a straightforward bit of nostalgia-inducing pop that stacks layers of synths over manipulated vocal snippets before melting away into the next track on Longlines. After the jump, take a look at the LP's artwork and full tracklisting.  Read more » 

Average: 7.7 (24 votes)
 
 

Download: Madegg "Kamera"
Label: Flau

"Kamera" brings a strangely cuddly end to Japanese beatmaker Madegg's upcoming Teach EP. Hoots, clinks, and the twangs of an acoustic guitar bob in and out of the stoney haze like an off-kilter choir of emoji singing over a half-time beat. The 11-track record is slated to drop on May 28 via Flau (check the artwork and tracklist after the jump), and will be followed by a full-length album from 19-year-old producer in July. As if to underscore the ephemeral nature of Madegg's sound, Flau will also be offering t-shirts embossed with download codes to people who purchase his debut LP.  Read more » 

Average: 6.7 (24 votes)
 
 

Download: Octo Octa "Deep Hurt"
Label: 100% Silk

There's a major caveat to consider ahead of our enjoyment of this new tune by Brooklyn producer Octo Octa: The dude samples Aaliyah throughout "Deep Hurt." At this point in the acapella-jacking game, anything recorded by the deceased, iconic singer has been re-appropriated so many times that you're treading on some very well-worn ground if you even borrow one hard-to-pin-down phrase from her stellar output. That said, producer Michael Morrison makes fine use of the "We Need a Resolution" clip by dropping it into a bed of deep synth pads and bolstering the vibes with some softly pumping house rhythms underneath. You can likely hear more of the same when 100% Silk drops Octa Octo's Oh Love 12" next month. (via Gorilla vs. Bear) 

Average: 8 (33 votes)
 
 

Download: Saint Saviour "Reasons (Maribou State Remix)"

At this point, Saint Saviour's biggest claim to fame is handling vocal duties on Groove Armada's 2009 single "I Won't Kneel." However, things might be changing rather dramatically in the months ahead, as the UK chanteuse born Becky Jones is about to unveil her debut album, Union. As customarily happens with these kinds of pop-leaning efforts, a slew of remixes has been commissioned, including this dreamy rework from London duo Maribou State. The pair transforms "Reasons" into a swirling, melody-driven number, one in which manipulated bits of Jones' vocals flutter and dance above a chunky, Crosstown Rebels-style bassline and a subtle house rhythm. The track will be released as a digital bonus cut alongside remixes from Ginz, Maxxi Soundsystem, Kissy Sell Out, and others when Union drops on June 25 in Europe and July 24 in the US. 

Average: 8.1 (46 votes)
 
 

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