Hip-Hop, Indie | Sunkissed (Vol. 1)
Posted by JT on November 3, 2014
There are very few producers who can claim to have elevated to the top in 4 short months and cop a record deal with Sony Records. Coming out of studio hibernation-mode, David Youssef (Shèmce) has released hit after hit, many of which he showcases in the first of his Sunkissed series. He has embraced Tropical House as his religion and is well on his way to shaping the future direction of this genre.
Volume 1 begins with a fresh, tropical squeeze of Notorious BIG’s “Juicy,” a re-fix that would have the king of flow himself vibing. Think of your favourite beach, because that’s where Shèmce wants to take you. He’s no stranger to giving a crowd what it wants; before becoming captain of the Tropical House ship, he pioneered his way into the industry as resident DJ of a small-town club. Think twice, this is the same venue that saw Skrillex, Avicii, Zedd, Dada Life, Porter Robinson, Rusko, and Benny Benassi (to name a few) bless its decks (this was also when tickets were $20 … the good ol’ days). It only makes rational sense that a producer/DJ of David’s calibre has risen through the haze of heavy bass, broken glowsticks, half-empty water bottles, and endless streams of stage-rages. He lives two lives, prescribing the right dosage of feel-good therapy during the day, and heavy dancefloor beats during the night.
Expect the unexpected, ladies and gentleman – let him take you to church. In Shèmce’s heart, its always summer and this series is a testament to his philosophy. Thanks to David for this bit of “Free Sunshine.” – we here at FNT are very excited to watch Shèmce grow in the coming months and years.
Deep House | BANKS – Beggin For Thread (Gryffin & Hotel Garuda Remix)
Posted by Middy on October 23, 2014
Gryffin has gotten soundcloud famous very quickly. In the matter of 8 months from his first remix of John Newman “Love Me Again” to this “Begging For Thread” alongside Hotel Garuda that has incredible momentum behind it, things have really taken off for the NYC producer. BANKS has been a popular artist to remix and the combination works perfectly here as the three producers use the vocal, chopping it and manipulating it as well as I have heard in a remix, setting it over deep plucks and distant, reverbed guitars riffs. As per usual with these three, the tune is a free download, so make sure you grab it below.
Free Download: BANKS – Beggin For Thread (Gryffin & Hotel Garuda Remix)
Electro-House | Stafford Brothers & M35 – Carne Asada
Posted by Middy on September 29, 2014
You probably know the Cash Money records signed Stafford Brothers by now and have heard of M35 for their tunes “Revolution 909” and “Go!” alongside MAKJ. Short and to the point, this tune wastes no time getting right the gritty, hard-hitting electro house that M35 has made his mark with. They switch things up a little, moving away from the bass line used in his last two tunes, but still keeping the power found in those. This is a big collab from the three LA based producers.
Beatport: Stafford Brothers & M35 – Carne Asada
Electronic | Dirty South – Unbreakable (Elephante Remix)
Posted by BIGLIFE on September 28, 2014
Elephante dropped off a massive remix last week of Dirty South’s release Unbreakable. This remix stands on it’s own and is defiinitely one of my favorites from the fastest growing producers in EDM. Make sure you keep up with Elephante and follow him on Twitter.
Featured | FNT Goes To ADE, and we have the top 5 reasons why you should too!
Posted by VMan on September 19, 2014
As most of you are eagerly anticipating TomorrowWorld in the next coming weeks, here at FNT we have our eyes set on Amsterdam Dance Event, the most exciting dance event in the world which brings together artists, producers, press agents, labels, managers, journalists, and pretty much anyone or everyone who’s affiliated with dance music and is willing to be a part of this event from October 15 to October 19. Last year Nimada and I attended the event, linking up with DJ Snake, Calvin Harris, Ayah Marar, Duke Dumont, TEED, DJ Shadow and many many more, so it was obvious to us that we had to come back this year. In honor of our attendance we’ve decided to put together the top 5 reasons to attend ADE, and yes it’s Amsterdam, so you can already imagine what the city has to offer, but believe us when we say, we’re going for the music! Click on the jump to check out the list, and if you’ve got a couple bucks to spare for a plane ticket to Amsterdam, do it, you won’t regret it!
Albums, Hip-Hop, Mixtapes | QuESt – Searching Sylvan
Posted by Grubeats on September 2, 2014
There are mixtapes and there are albums. Although Searching Sylvan is available as a free download, I hesitate in calling it a mixtape. It’s too complete, too cohesive, too deep, too polished, & too original to be called anything but an album. This, my friends, is a comprehensive work of art. Miami native, QuESt, has supplied the magnifying glass and opened his front door. Encouraging us not to download the project, but to listen to his story, Q’s genuine appreciation for his fans and his music is a true sign of his character.
You hear it often, but this is honestly one of those records that you have to listen to from start to finish – at least the first few times through. There are tracks for every occasion, but to fully understand QuESt’s story, as a fan, I ask you press play and don’t next until the conclusion of “May 10, 2012”. Then you should press play, again.
There are countless quotable’s throughout this project, but the second half of “Automatic” exemplifies to me what this story is all about. The below is just a bite and even that doesn’t fully grasp the message he’s putting forward.
“Aspirations, responsibilities, caught between them I’m torn
Tug of war with both of my arms
Strategize the cards that I’ve drawn”
There are life lessons, struggles, successes, high highs and low lows, and most importantly an endless hunger heard through and through. It’s still too early for me to pick favorites but the few that stuck out during my first listen through; “Biscayne Blvd”, “Make It Out Alive” (…YesQuEStCanSing), “Automatic”, “Erase Me”, “Hunger”, “Struggle Rapper”, “Jon Bellions One Way To San Diego (Outro)”, & “May 10, 2012”. Shit, well that really narrows it down doesn’t it? Rather than listening to me, head over to SearchingSylvan.com for a track-by-track breakdown by Sylvan himself! There is no weak link in this 17-song masterpiece.
Production credits belong to the entire VMG roster along with Q’s in house producers, The Marvels, the homie OB, as well as other very talented beat scientists. First and foremost, 6ix, who is said to be one of QuESt’s biggest fans, is as committed to succeeding with QuESt as anyone else out there. They continue to grow and together create beautiful music. We’ve heard what Logic and 6ix can cook up together, now is our chance to hear what 6ix can do with QuESt. Feed them hot sauce with their Chipotle and hell, you’ve got bangers like “Hunger” and “Automatic” – two of my favorite songs of the year. Next is Q’s in house producers, The Marvels, who clearly know him as an artist and can craft their work to his liking. From start to finish, these guys put it on. Another one that may have caught some of you by surprise is Visionary’s own, Logic. For the avid listener, we know Logic can produce and can produce well. He’s working hard at improving this aspect of his game and his work on “Biscayne Blvd” and “No Love In The City” attribute directly to that. And don’t let me forget OB, a resident VMG contributor.
Without further adieu, I present to you QuESt’s “Searching Sylvan”. One of the best collections of music you’ll hear this year.
Extra credit reading: “5 Things to Know About Searching Sylvan” by the good people over at The Redefined.
Free Download: QuESt – Searching Sylvan [Mixtape/Free Album]
Electro-House, House | Mat Zo – The Up Down Left Right EP
Posted by Middy on August 17, 2014
Not too much time left on this, but the master, Mat Zo has released his debut release on his new imprint Mad Zoo under Anjunabeats. He releases his previously released collab with The Knocks, “Get Down 2 Get Up”, alongside a totally new tune that shows the versatility in the Mat Zo production arsenal. “Get Down 2 Get Up” is much funkier than what we have seen and “Left To Right” heavier, so it will be interesting to see if he continues to experiment in the coming months or try and go with this trend, with some drum n bass mixed in.
We will see the direction of the label going forward, whether or not he goes with strictly his own releases, or also finding tracks from new producers and releasing them on Mad Zoo. He will release the songs for free first and then go with a traditional label for release. As we wait for what the future brings, grab the two track EP below for free.