The Carry Nation - Breakwater (Get Up Recordings)

Get Up Recordings welcomes back NYC hometown DJ / producers The Carry Nation with their infectious house jam “Breakwater”. The release has some heavy backers on the remixes: Batty Bass label head honcho Hannah Holland as well as Chi-town bosses Banjee Report.

The Carry Nation, comprised of Will Automagic and Nita Aviance, have been producing tracks and remixes for the past five years for such labels as Batty Bass, TRAX, Nervous, Get Up Recordings, TRIBAL, Night People, DFA, and Twirl. Their party, also named The Carry Nation, started at Brooklyn’s infamous after-hours spot The Spectrum and lived at both Steel Drums and 43 Scott before landing at Good Room. Their productions and the infamy of their parties have brought them around the world in recent years from Berlin to Chicago, Helsinki to San Francisco, Milan to Paris, Pittsburg to Austin, and their second city, London, including Block9 at Glastonbury Festival. The duo have past releases and remixes on Get Up Recordings, such as “Warriors” with The Cucarachas, Nita’s side project Brooklyn is Burning, and Will’s side project Automagic. Their catchy, ethereal house jam “Breakwater” continues to showcase their amazing talent at producing. They also include a dub of the track, entitled Praise Mix.

First up on remix duties is London’s Hannah Holland. Hannah’s career began ten years ago with legendary DJ residencies at seminal London clubs Trailer Trash, Batty Bass, and Dalston Superstore. Hannah regularly appears at clubs such as Fabric London, Dance Tunnel, Ministry Of Sound, and Bugged Out. She has toured the world extensively; China, Singapore, Australia and North America have all rocked out to Hannah’s distinctive bass-heavy sound playing alongside such luminaries as Steffi, Rodhad, Green Velvet, Andrew Weatherall, Ivan Smagghe, and Jennifer Cardini. As well as remixes for The Knife, DJ Hell, O Children and Planningtorock, Hannah has original releases on Legendary, Nervous Records, and Get Up Recordings. Her current releases include The Lush EP on Derrick Carter & Luke Solomon’s Classic Music Co. imprint and an incredible remix of the Spatial Awareness EP on Twirl. Her distinct productions, which fuse many styles into a hybrid of house, techno, and bass can be heard on her massive groove remix for “Breakwater”.

Next up is semi-new producers, but life-long artists, Banjee Report, aka Mister Wallace and aCeb00mbaP, who really got their start in the summer of 2011 as a party for the under-represented Queer class in Chicago. By the fall of 2012, the party grew to a globally-inspired podcast that reached over thirty-five countries. They dropped their debut mixtape, “Banjee Report First Edition”, in January 2013, followed by touring that included stops at Via festival in Pittsburgh and SXSW. After founding member aCeb00mbaP launched the label FUTUREHOOD, co-founder Mister Wallace released his debut EP, FAGGOT, in February 2016 to critical acclaim. Their remix for “Breakwater” is a sublime drum-infused dream.

Vanilla Ace (OFF Recordings) – “I like Hannah’s remix.”
Tyree Cooper (Chicago Vinyl Records) – “Breakwater is a nice track.”
Galen (Sunset Sound System) – “Raw and in the groove. Very nice.”
Black Mighty Wax (Irma Records) – “I’m gonna play the nice Hanna Holland remix!”
Fine Cut Bodies (Chi Recordings) – “Some nice oldschool vibes!”
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle) – “Hard to pick a favorite. I'm really digging them all!”
DJ Zach (107.7 The End – Seattle) – “Timeless sound. Dope.”
Al Mackenzie (Great Outdoors) – “Banjee Report mix is nice.”
Ken Liu (Headset Recordings) – “All 4 are quality feel-good tunes. Lots of groove.”
Jon Wesley (Music Goes On Radio Show) – “Excellent vibes here. I like the breakbeat style of the Praise mix and that Hannah Holland remix is nice too. I'll play all of these.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, and Spotify.

Peanut Holmes - Hello (Beatservice Records)

Peanut Holmes is a duo consisting of Chris Holm and Eirik Blåsternes, hailing from the city of Bergen, Norway. They have previously been working with everything from the far east underground hip-hop scene in China to the vast cornfields of American indie-rock. They have been through it all, movie acting, playing national league beach soccer, skateboarding through the streets on their own signature pro-models.

The past few years Chris has been busy with his own projects – Young Dreams and Bloody Beach – while touring the world with Sondre Lerche, Paperboys, Thea Hjelmeland, and Miss Tati. Eirik has been producing gems for the likes of Ralph Myerz, Son Of Light, Xiao Ou, The Youngfellaz), Sadat X, Lupe Fiasco, and Suga Free.

They met touring as live musicians for Paperboys and Miss Tati. Now they are joining forces under the Peanut Holmes moniker ready to explore the electronic abyss of Scandinavia.

Their debut EP, titled Hello, is the beginning of a journey through Peanut Holmes’s magical and wondrous universe. Mixing up instrumental hip hop and weird electronica grooves with a leftfield attitude this release will surely trigger endorphins.

Steady raps, soulful melodies, vocal contributions in Icelandic, French, and even Swahili. As long as the world keeps buzzing in weird, whompy, and synthesized slopes anything can happen, right?

Steve / Fort Knox Five - “Love the world influence. Perfect for the ‘Funk the World’ series.”
Tim “Love” Lee (Tummy Touch) – “Great stuff, love it.”
Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s) – “LOVE Astin Min, it’s a beauty.”
Chris Massey (Paper Recordings / Dunn & Massey Show) – “Will give Déjà vu a few plays on the show for sure!”
Fine Cut Bodies (Chi Recordings) – “Super cool release. Loving it!”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) – “Straight forward from the left field. Totally Excellent!”
David Bassin (Freefall weekly radio show) – “Some next level sound here.”
DJ Jazzy L (Jazzy Lounge Radio) – “Astin Min caught my attention, and Snow is a sweet, underground hip-hop track.”
J. Crocker (HMWK Radio Show) – “Superb EP. Love the textures, creative sound design and beats.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel on 107.3, Sydney) – “Wonderful musicality and a unique sound on these, and playful too.”

Available Now From: Bandcamp, iTunes, Juno Download And Spotify.

An Interview and Live Performance from Tokyo's Salty

Salty is Tokyo-based producer / videographer Naoya Ninomiya and an exciting new talent on the global instrumental hip hop scene. His early years with a breakdancing crew led him into an appreciation of b-boy music, crate-digging, turntablism, and eventually music production. His new album, Camera, was sent as a demo to L.A.'s The Content Label and it was immediately snatched up and released without much embellishment – just a top notch mastering job by legendary Japanese hip-hop studio engineer ‘The Anticipation Illicit’ Tsuboi was added.

Here's a video displaying Salty's uncanny acumen … with two turntables, a sampler, and some effects he performs the album track "We'd Like To Do A Poem" live:

8DPromo caught up with Salty to ask a few things that we were curious about. Here's the interview:

What is it like crate-digging for vinyl in Japan? Is it difficult to find records and beats that have not been discovered by other hip hop producers? Have you had a chance to crate-dig in other countries?

Salty: I think Japan is a great country for hip hop producers because there are many talented buyers in each record store. A lot of the store managers also have a profound knowledge about hip hop and sampling. My favorite stores in Tokyo are Weekend Records (SHIMOKITAZAWA), Rubbergard Record (JIMBOCHO), and Ballroom Record (KICHIJOJI). Also, yes, I have had a chance to crate-dig in other countries. My favorite spots have been New York, London, and Bangkok.

What past music from your life influenced the sound of Camera?

Salty: This is difficult question to answer because there are so many influences, but, If I had to choose I would say that during my teen days I was inspired by mixtapes, especially the ones produced by B-Boy Soji. Also I love music that expresses feelings of traveling, calmness and passion and I think Camera has the same feelings.

Tell us a little bit about EN TOKYO and what it does, and what your involvement is.

Salty: EN TOKYO is event in which participants go to record stores to dig in the day and create beats from the outing that night. My role is as a designer for the sessions. In my country there are not a lot of media outlets that showcase beat-making, so EN TOKYO functions to connect producers and acts as guide to educate people about beat-making and crate-digging.

Camera started as a demo tape sent to The Content Label. How did you discover The Content Label and why did you choose them to release your album?

Salty: In 2006 or 2007, I learned about The Content Label for the first time via Dday One’s Loop Extensions album and I have loved the label's output since then. I choose to send a demo to them because I feel they completely fit my style.

Are there any other great new hip hop producers from Japan we should be looking out for?

Salty: As far as the new generation of producers I would say that Yagi is one of my favorite beat makers in Japan. Actually, he is featured on my song “The Thing” from Camera. Also there is Bugseed, Tajima Hal, and STUTS which are also great modern producers. We are the same age and close friends.

What is next on the agenda for Salty?

Salty: Currently, I am thinking about expanding my live set and creating a new exciting live performance style. Other artists like DJ Krush have taken performance in Japan to a higher level and I would like to build on that.

Salty's album Camera is out now on The Content Label and is highly recommended. Listen to the full album on Bandcamp by clicking HERE.

Salty - Camera (The Content Label)

The Content Label, Los Angeles’s ‘experiential’ hip hop imprint, rarely signs an artist based on a demo, but an impressive delivery from Japan recently broke the trend. Recorded by Salty – AKA Tokyo-based producer / videographer Naoya Ninomiya – the demo arrived as a nearly complete object, ready for dissemination to the global hip-hop headz-space. The songs have been mastered by legendary Japanese hip-hop studio engineer ‘The Anticipation Illicit’ Tsuboi and, with Dday One acting as executive producer, unveiled as the thirteen track album Camera. It’s a fantastic audio journey that gives a glimpse into Japanese beat-making prowess while sitting proudly within the instrumental hip hop echelon.

In his teens, Salty joined a local breakdancing crew which fueled his love of early electro and breakbeat music. Hunting for vinyl treasures, the art of turntablism, and learning about production and studio technique naturally followed. Studying sound and visual programming at university further honed Salty’s skills, along with the constant flow of rare records he absorbed. Today Salty is known as designer for EN TOKYO, a party and beat-making crew that also counts Pigeondust and Bugseed as members.

With Camera, Salty showcases a diverse set of styles and an acumen for rhythmic patterns and tone, developed through his years of crate-digging and experimentation. And there are many moments to claim as highlights … “Remonoganac” with its gentle piano, atmospheric textures, and tough beats; the laid-back hip hop funk and scratches of “ADSL”; the ’90s downtempo vibe of “The Sea Came At Midnight”; and “Melting In The Dark” with its cinematic layers and haunting vocal. These all qualify for honors, among other possible choices. With Camera, a compelling portrait of Salty as a rising star on the beat-making scene has emerged and The Content Label is on the case.

Tim “Love” Lee (Tummy Touch) – “Really digging this!”
Renegades Of Jazz (Agogo Records / Mojo Club) – “So good! Been a Big fan of The Content Label from the first hour, I have every release.”
Stereo 77 - (Plimsoll Records) – “Damn, this is good.”
Danny Ward (Moodymanc / Dubble D) – “Lovely stuff, thanks!”
Azaxx (Tru Thoughts / FCLR music) – “ADSL is a very good track. Nice project!”
Ben Mono (Undertones Gang / Plant Music) – “Dope release. Will definitely play on my radioshow.”
Amrisha Prashar (IAMRISHA / A Worldwide Thing radio show) – “I Love UBIQ.”
Lebrosk (Warriorz / Mixmag) – “Some gems in this package.”
Belabouche (Midnight Riot / DiscoDat) – “Very nice album.”
Ross Wakefield (Part-Time Heroes / Wah Wah 45s) – “Niceness!”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) – “The left-field side of beats at their best, and not one one filler track among the lot!”

Available Now From: Bandcamp, iTunes, Juno Download, and Beatport.