Sonolmoss Makes Really Good Hip Hop

Sonolmoss makes pretty wintery music. Although, since it is actually winter and its doing that rain/snow combo that always soaks your feet through by the time you get home, I am associating this music with the the feeling of finally getting back to your (hopefully) warm and toasty room, and basking by the light of your desktop PC of choice. However, if it was spring out, maybe I'd call this 'Spring-ish' music. Either way, this is touching stuff. The music is halting, stutter stepping hip hop with great texture and no bombast to be found. Plus it's better than Flying Lotus. You heard me.

Tracks:
Sonolmoss - Dream Bear (zsharesux)
Sonolmoss - Sit Still Assile (zsharesux)



You can get all sorts more here: Download
Myspace: Sonolmoss
He's got a blog too: Sonolmoss at Blogspot

NOW BOARDING: Air France

words by David Day

We first heard about Air France from the crazy folks at Revival Boston, the every-so-often Tuesday/Monday night party at the Middlesex Lounge. They founded a Facebook group called, funny enough, Bring Air France to Cambridge. Naturally, a parade to the blogs followed. We thought we'd join the cacophony inside the Hype Machine chamber and post a link to Collapsing at Your Doorstep, the insanely pretty song from this Swedish duo.



It's equal parts Boards of Canada, the Avalanches and dreamstuff harvested from the mind. Like The Field or Lykke Li or, shit, every other thing that has ever come from Gothenburg, expect Air France to win a sweeping amount of critical acclaim in 2009. (We're not sure how Guardian music maven Alan McGee missed them, but at least he picked up on Pantha du Prince)

Audbile: Air France - "Collapsing at your Doorstep"
MySpace: Air France

For When You Just Need To Know

Good goddamn I love this [particular remix], so I'm making sure it accompanies the long drive from New York to Boston this weekend.

Audible: Moby - "Disco Lies (Dusty Kid's Fears Remix)"

Christmas in the Tropics

Man, I really held out as long as I could on all this 'world sounds/live instrumentation' techno and house that's been so popular recently. "No!" I said to myself, "techno should be DARK and COLD and sound like MACHINES!"

But slowly and quietly these tracks have creeped their way into my iTunes playlist in the last few months. Sis' Trompeta really blew the whole thing open for me, and now Steve Lawler is making me go "FUCK YEAH MARACAS"

I blame the Brazilian air I've been breathing for the past week. For my friends in the northeast US, put this track on blast, close your eyes and forget about winter for 11 sweaty minutes.

Steve Lawler - Kalimba (R&S Records 2008)

MDSLKTR remixes: Rustie, Dettmann, Byetone

If we were able to, I'd have put Modeselektor's Happy Birthday! on the Top Ten for 2008 AGAIN (alongside 2007's Chromophobia by Gui Boratto) because the record is so goddamn good. Over the course of this year, some great remixes have surfaced, but nothing compares to the latest release (BPC184) of "Black Block."

The EP includes reworks by Rustie (whom we've just blogged about, and is featured twice in Shuttle's new mix), Marcel Dettmann (who is coming to Make It New on January 8th!), and Byetone, whose 2008 Raster-Noton release Death Of A Typographer was definitely on my top ten for this year.

The "Hiddennsee 2008" mix is MDSLKTR thickening the basslines that were laid out in the LP version, making it more of a peak mix point for the likes of Thunderdome or Trouble & Bass. The Rustie rework is definitely one to get you more acquainted with the young talent's spastic style, and Dettman's calls for some patience in the build-up and pays up tenfold when the track explodes about halfway through. An incredible difference wedged between Rustie and Byetone's reinterpretations...

These are all so well executed that I'd want to post them all up here, but I've got to stick to one. Byetone's remix is so otherwordly, and only contains traces of the untouched version of "Black Block." For those of you on the fence about "Plastic Star" or the entirety of Death Of A Typographer, this track is an incredible mindfuck for your synapses.

Audible: Modeselektor - "The Black Block"
Audible: Modeselektor - "The Black Block (Byetone Remix)"
Purchase: Boomkat
MySpace: Modeselektor

Rustie On The Hyphy Grind

We're still in heaven with the new mix by Shuttle - the reincarnate of Basstown's very own Etan. Inside the mix include two Rustie bits, and it's worth bringing tot he forefront.

An addition to your heavy rotation should come from Glaswegian Rustie, a young producer who recently put out "Zig Zag" - a track that sounds as good as the vinyl release looks...



You can have the track down below, but that sort of design and sound is a guaranteed kiss on the cheek from any hot dubstep and techno lovers. Check out Wireblock to purchase.


Audible: Rustie - "Zig Zag"
Purchase: Wireblock
MySpace: Rustie
Review: Resident Advisor

Etan is no more. He hath Risen.

Our golden boy. Wizard of Ableton. Maker of an angry Diplo. Etan and now Shuttle.

Due to legal reasons or some shit, Etan has had to change his name to Shuttle. To commemorate this turn of events, he's put together a pretty eclectic mix with gems from Brian Wilson, dubstep guy Zomby (who I think Sinden discovered, but I could be wrong about that. It's a blog, who fact checks?) and a few of his own tracks and remixes. Here's the rundown:

1. Brian Wilson - Our Prayer
2. Shuttle - w1
3. Thom Yorke - Cymbal Rush
4. Martyn - Broken
5. Aaliyah - Are You That Somebody?
6. Kode 9 - Bad
7. Joker & Rustie - Play Doe
8. Crissy Criss - Don't Mess About
9. TC - Where's My Money? (Caspa Remix)
10. Nero - Something Else
11. Rustie - Tempered
12. Zomby - 1 Up
13. Output Message - Glint
14. Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit - Funa Funa
15. Flying Lotus - Roberta Flack (Martyn's Heartbeat Mix)
16. Cardopusher - Homeless (Quarta 330 Remix) w/ Aphex Twin - Flim
17. Rob Sparx - Thug Step
18. Darkstar - Need You
19. Shuttle - Tunnel
20. Radioclit - Secousse (etan remix)
21. Daedelus - Hrs Mins Secs (etan greenwich mean report)
22. Reso - If You Can't Beat 'Em
23. Shuttle - Tunnel (High Rankin Remix)
24. High Rankin - Bubble & Squeek
25. Spankrock - Bump (etan's french film remix)
26. Alborosie - Kingston Town (Uproot Andy Remix)
27. Black Rabbit - 1992
28. Shuttle - Eighty
29. The Deathset - Impossible (etan's positive outlook)
30. Micachu - Golden Phone (shuttle's golden pager ringtone)
31. Our Prayer Rev-prise
32. Shostakovich - Op.86 No. 1

Link: http://www.zshare.net/download/52640187f2efece4/
Obligatory Myspace link: http://myspace.com/shuttle

Shuttle's first release is coming out on Ninja Tune in March 09 with a track featuring Cadence Weapon.