London dubstep femme fatale Ikonika has released her debut LP Contact, Love, Want, Hate on Hyperdub Records. It’s synth-heavy electronica of the tech variety. Thinking man’s music, underground and instrumental, she plays around with hip hop, dnb, dubstep and reggaeton tempos. Ikonika is only the third artist to release a full-length on Hyperdub, after Burial and label boss Kode 9. If you’re feeling the future beat movement you’ll enjoy this album, and you’ll probably want to go back and check out her highly regarded XLR8R podcast #136 as well.
Rusko’s new album O.M.G! has arrived through Mad Decent/Inertia. Full of heavy hitting dubstep, there’s no intellectualisations here, no techno diversions, just massive ridiculous bass, and to be honest it’s fairly diverse for all it’s similarities. Rusko gets creative with his ‘80s synth work and some digital reggae tempo stuff with vocalist Rod Azlan. The sounds are nothing revolutionary but straight-up but wall-of-bass dubstep people with go mad for it.
Kode 9’s DJ Kicks landed on the Soul Sedation desk last week, but I haven’t been back for a repeat listen. The guy is unquestionably an amazing collector of electronica, but for my mind the mix moves too quickly and most of the beats are fairly experimental so the groove never sticks for long enough. It’s almost like a document, not a mix, but Hyperdub fans will probably think this is the best ish ever. Soul Sedation is not sure, however, that some of the newer artists invited to mix a DJ Kicks are compiling them in quite the right spirit.
Jamie Catto of One Giant Leap fame has turned out an album with South African band Aluta & The Mystics. Entitled The Struggle Continues it’s primarily traditional reggae, slightly pop-tinged, with plenty of soul as well. The production duties have largely been taken care of by Kiss FM jockey, and sometime Grand Central records collaborator Manasseh. It’s going to be too close to pop for some people, but if you like lazy, world music sounds you’ll definitely have an appreciation for it.
If you take one thing from the column this week get your hands on an album from El Remolon called Pibe Cosmo. He’s Buenos Aires’ answer to Diplo, before Diplo got massive. The guys makes electronic cumbia rhythms, or digital cumbia, and it’s killer global dancefloor material. Soul Sedation’s favourite tune is ‘Guajira’, but ‘Cumbia Bichera’ has legs as well, and is the one that’s catching most people’s ears. Crazy sounds, nice slow-burning tempo, really exciting stuff!
You can pick up some dancefloor funk from Favourite France with the Funk League’s Boogie Down Bombers EP. The League have collaborated with Andy C (Ugly Duckling), Diamond D and Sadat X on this one and it’s all up tempo party hip hop. The Favourite label puts out dope party bangers and are well worth following.
Oslo’s diskJokke has dropped his second full-length album, En Fin Tid, on the incredible Smalltown Supersound label. Cosmic disco fans will need to get down with this one, he really is an exceptional, off kilter talent. The man has serious studio skills, and I guarantee your nu disco sets will sound deeper and weirder and infinitely more epic with diskJokke on the playlist. It’s nice and slow stuff as well, all 120BPM and under.
Sydney side: Oxfam have teamed up with a good swathe of local hip hop talent to bring you a Wednesday nighter at the Oxford Art Factory. The Hip Hop Approach looks to support progress on global poverty through awareness raising. The Tongue, Thundamentals, Tru Vibenation, live visual arts crew Sketch The Rhyme and DJ Triptrix will all be illin for the cause on the night. It happens Wed 14 July, and there’s no cover charge. If you’re in Sydney, they’re also looking for some volunteers to assist with the night in various roles.
ON THE ROAD
Oxfam Presents The Hip Hop Approach – Wed 14 July @ OAF
Scuba – Fri 23 July @ Civic Underground
Funkdafied Warehouse Party – Sat 24 July @ TBC
Jazz Rooms – Sat 31 July @ The Basement
A Tribe Called Quest – Wed 11 Aug @ The Hordern
Horrorshow – Sydney – Fri 3 Sept @ Gaelic Theatre
Soul Sedation 