W. Jeremy - Passion EP (Get Up Recordings)

Get Up Recordings label owner W. Jeremy is back at it again with a four track EP entitled Passion. The EP includes three original tracks as well as one wicked remix from the multi-talented NYC DJ / producer JT Almon.

W. Jeremy is a NYC based DJ / producer whose history of working for DJs and record labels in the ’90s, ranging from Angel Moraes to Tony Humphries, has greatly influenced his DJ sets and production style. His Get Up Recordings label is also clearly influenced by his musical past, with a colorful spectrum of artists and remixers including Kim Ann Foxman, Tedd Patterson, MATRiXXMAN, Rennie Foster, Gavin Russom, and Snuff Crew. His new EP kicks off with “Passion”, a deep house jam with warm leads, a smooth bass line, and bright Detroit-inspired keys.

NYC DJ and producer JT Almon is on remix duty for ”Passion“. Producing and recording around the US and NYC for over two decades, JT Almon currently holds the monthly dance music residency for freaks, BROMO, at Bossa Nova Civic Club, and makes up one half of DJ duo Butched. He has played at top NYC parties and clubs including Output, Good Room, Holy Mountain, 11:11, and The Spectrum. As a multi-instrumentalist producer, he has worked with Machinedrum, Kim Anh, Morgan Wiley of Midnight Magic, Angelica Bess of Body Language, Bill Converse, and Bright Light Bright Light. His remix of ”Passion“ takes the track to a whole different level with its driving bass line and fierce percussion.

The next two tracks from the EP are both titled ”Master Blaster" but are at the opposite ends of the musical spectrum. “Master Blaster (Warehouse)” is for the techno warehouse rave with its techno bass line and huge reverb power keys. Meanwhile, “Master Blaster (House)” is a banging lo-fi four-on-the-floor house jam.

Severino (HorseMeatDisco) – “Wow, furious. Love it!”
Michael Serafini (Gramaphone Records / Smart Bar) – “Passion is my jam.”
Edground (Grooveland Music / 99 FM) – “Very nice remix of Passion. The groove is perfect for the dancefloor.”
Larry Tee (Carnage Music) – “Hot one!”
Danny Ward (Moodymanc / Double D) – “I really like the JT Almon mix here.”
Distant People (Soul Elements Radio Show) – “Passion is a bright and in your face track, the bass has a cool bounce to shake the floor.”
Alinep (Asia Music) – “Nice EP, all of the tracks are good and useful.”
DJMarkCooper (Bedford Falls Players) – “This is ace! Full support.”
Jorge Font (Audio Nights Radio Show – Madrid) – “Bomb! Excellent and brilliant.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle radio show) – “Damn this is serious … passion is wicked with its ever evolving sonics and that bassline is killer!”

Available now from: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, and Spotify.

Bryan Ford - For The Future of Hip Hop Instrumentals (Revolutionary Music)

For The Future Of Hip-Hop is an album produced by Chicago’s Bryan Ford featuring Wu-Tang alum Killah Priest and fellow Chi-city emcees Pugs Atomz and Awdazcate. It was released in May 2016 and received critical praise from publications such as Source Magazine, HipHopDX, and Huffington Post. Bryan played, recorded, and produced all of the music from his studio. The intricate arrangements and musicianship allowed the music to stand on its own, and so For The Future Of Hip-Hop - The Instrumentals has been unveiled to satisfy DJs and heads looking to delve deeper into these beats. The album features a wide variety of instruments and noise makers – from flamenco guitars and 808 kick drums to Moog synthesizers and electric pianos. Also included is the previously unreleased track, “Feel Good Already”.

Bryan Ford has been producing since the late ‘90s under the names Lake Street Project, B. Ford, and Terry Swank. A master on guitar, bass, keys, and drums, he plays all the instruments on his productions. ”Typically when I sample, it’s when I sample myself,“ he notes. In 2011, Bryan released critically acclaimed downtempo EPs Shoe Tree and Hands, which garnered support from renowned international DJs like Mark Farina, Mr. No Hands, and Daze-I-Kue of the Bugz In the Attic.

”I made electronic music, but was always drawn to hip-hop,” says Ford. "My past albums always had a very drum-heavy, boom-bap style. So it was pretty natural for emcees to lay down lyrics over the top of them.” In 2015, Ford heard that one of his favorite emcees, Killah Priest, was in Chicago and invited Priest to the studio to check out some beats. “We originally were gonna do just one song,” Ford recalls. “And he immediately gravitated to the track that would eventually become ‘For the Future of Hip-Hop’ and laid it down then and there.”

Rory Hoy (Howlin' Records / Super Hi-Fi) – “These tunes are fantastic - The future of Hip-Hop is in safe hands here!”
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show / Radio X) – “Yeah ... feel good music!”
Rusty (All Good Funk Alliance) – “I Love these beats. Super well made and super funky.”
Dan Wilcox (KCRW FM) – “I love this!”
Stickybuds (Goodgroove Records) – “Really good instrumentals.”
Azaxx (Tru Thoughts) - “Nice vibes and very good vision of the future.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel - weekly radio show Sydney, Australia) – “I Love it!”
Piiit (Septante Sept / So Watt) – “Excellent abstract hip hop.”
Alinep (Asia Music) – “Real hip hop! The world should hear these.”
Tariq Ziyad (Planet Rave / Dark Horse) – “Great instrumentals, awesome work!”
Robert Lochmann (The Jazzmadass Radio Show on Radio X) – “Very Cool!”
Johnny Luv (Across The Board Radio Show - KANE.FM) – “Good selection of vibes here. Will play “The Stroller” on the show.”

Available now from iTunes, Spotify, Beatport, and Amazon.

Es-K - Passages (Cold Busted)

​​Es-K (Essential Knowledge) was born in Holland, raised in Kansas City, Missouri, and currently lives in Burlington, Vermont. He starting seriously making beats as a teenager, with his first release coming out on the Cold Busted label in 2011. ​​Es-K is also known for his monthly Spontaneous Grooves releases, where a set of instrumental tracks are created in one sitting, the result being truly 'spontaneous' and diverse. This exemplifies Es-K's prolific and workman-like ethos of beat-making, with creative and top notch hip hop soundscapes constantly pouring out of his Vermont studio.
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​​Passages is Es-K's latest release for Cold Busted and it shows his growth as a rhythm-obsessed music producer. With guitar and occasional keys by friend Max Bronstein-Paritz and a couple of crucial studio collaborations with fellow Vermont beat-maker Loupo, ​​Passages adds extra depth and musicality to Es-K's drum mechanics. The album opens wistfully with "IEV", offering a minute and a half of instrument textures and snatches of percussion before the full beat kicks in. "Monastic" showcases Max's funky guitar contribution, "Elevation" features some deep bass line play, and "Mistakes Made" is filled with melodic layers and melancholic moods. These are just some of the highlights from this twelve track album … Es-K satisfyingly goes beyond the beats throughout.

Kid Loco - “Great beats and moods.”
Poldoore (Cold Busted / Chinese Man Records) - “These beats are dope!”
Shantisan (Salted Soul / One Note Samba) - “This release appears to create a new style: cinematic downbeat. Nice.”
Tim “Love” Lee (Tummy Touch) - “It’s a goodie!’
Rory Hoy (Howlin' Records / Super Hi-Fi) - “Beautiful tunes.”
DJ Pippi (Aluminium Records / Valenostrum) - “Ready to play!”
Stickybuds (Goodgroove Records) - “Another rad release to add to the listening crate! I love the Cold Busted label so much.”
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show) - “Easy downbeats … deep!”
SimonG (Deep South Audio, New Zealand) - “An excellent collection … serial sublime and slinky.”
Jon Paul Green (The Blend Radio Show) - “Awesome as always from Cold Busted … big chunky beats and blissful melodies.”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) - “Deep eclectic rhythms … utter magnificence.”
Adrian Lugo (WEFT 90.1 FM) - “Nice mellow beats … snappy drums, dreamy melodies, and good vibes.”
Jay Scarlett (Sounds Supreme Radio Show) - “Funky as a hot summers day on jerk chicken and grits.”

Available now from Bandcamp, Beatport, iTunes, and Spotify.

Jeromy Nail - Dontcha Care (Innerflight Music)

Jeromy Nail returns to Seattle’s Innerflight Music with his latest single "Dontcha Care", featuring remixes from a trio of talented Pacific Northwesterners. Jeromy has had a number of releases for the likes of Viva Recordings, Hype & Soul, House Call, and Uniting Souls, who he's been associated with since the early 2000s. He's been especially busy in the studio lately, and "Dontcha Care" marks Jeromy's second release on Innerflight Music in just a few months.

"Dontcha Care", featuring a fusion of arpeggiated synths over a dynamic bass line, fades in slowly but quickly finds its natural stride. Jeromy keeps the pace moving forward interweaving warm chords, vocal samples, and melodic elements which culminate in a contrast of driving rhythms against fading summer vibes. For good measure, and to help sate the vocal adverse, an instrumental mix is also supplied.

Hanssen (of Jacob London fame, and hot off the heels of acclaimed sophomore full-length Transit on Hush Hush Records) delivers a slower, pitched-down version. A deep, textured four-on-the-floor groove builds over eight minutes. With its superb production, spacious atmospherics, and Hanssen’s signature left-field stylings, this remix is sure to please.

Next up is Liberian-born artist / producer Sam Paye. Cutting his teeth in the 2000s US breakbeat and progressive scenes, Sam toured extensively to support releases on Moonshine and System Recordings. More recently focused on a mélange of hip-hop, dancehall, and electronic soul, Sam turns over a stellar mix which captures the flavor of the original reimagined as a trap-inspired, bass-infused club banger.

Rounding things out with an intricately dubbed-out, tech-house flavored rendition is Portland’s Jon Cates. Known for his work on Om Records as Rocket Empire and Cates & dPL, Jon effortlessly blends snappy, syncopated drums, light percussion, vocal stabs, and melodic synth elements to take the dance floor on a smooth, hypnotic ride deep into the twilight hours.

Nick Warren (Hope Recordings) - “Great original and a killer Hanssen remix!”
Brett Johnson (Bang The Box / Classic Music Company) - “I really like Hanssen’s remix.”
Tyler Stadius (Despite / Dialtone Records) - “I’m feeling the Jon Cates remix.”
Golf Clap (Country Club Disco) - “Dope!”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - “The Jon Cates remix is doing it for me. The original is lovely, too!”
Eric Davenport (Guesthouse) - “Solid futuristic grooves.”
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - “This is so cool. It just has a wicked lifted feel to it … so clean and full of feeling.”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “I’m feeling Jon Cates’s remix here … really solid deepness with a subtle warmth. It’s ideal for my mid-sets.”
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing on WRCT 88.3 FM) - “Every mix of this is good in it's own way … solid release all around!”
Jero Nougues (Deep Essence Radio Show) - “Jon Crates remix is ON POINT! Loving the groove from that track.”
Kid Hops (KEXP 90.3 - Seattle) - “Lovely EP.”
KP London (FEEL Radio Show) - “Supporting Sam Paye remix 100%.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show / Proton Radio) - “Another big release from Innerflight … Jon Cates’s beautiful remix has me hooked. I will be all over this for a long time to come.”

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, and Spotify.