Lurka

Dubstep has become something of a generic brand recently. You have more 'mainstream' artists releasing filthy, filthy tunes that make the kids fill the dancefloor, and then there is the minimal/funky influenced dubstep, which is catered for a more 'refined' ear. Lurka, in my opinion, is creating a middle ground between these two states of dubstep.

Lurka is a 21 year old producer hailing from Bath, a town not too far from dubstep's cultural home of Bristol. His MySpace lists forward thinking dubstep extraordinaire Headhunter and Drum & Bass label METALHEADZ as his influences, so you can grasp an idea of what his music sounds like.

There's no news of any releases yet, but Lurka is definitely one to watch out for.

Listen to his tracks on SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/lurka

MF Borat - The Mask and the Moustache

This is a mysterious EP that has recently surfaced on the interwebs. Here’s the story behind it:

'In 2006, during a stint out west to promote his then new movie, Sacha Cohen, (aka Borat) met Daniel Dumile, better known as Zev Love X, or MF DOOM. Their blazing freestyle ciphers and mutual love of Purple Kush led to an impromptu recording of Doom’s ‘My Favorite Ladies’ verses (see Herbalisers’ Something Wicked…album) over a beat Borat had made back in ’05 with Kulki Boolchek, a Khazak producer. Later that year Doom ventured east, and recorded three more gems with Cohen at the castle of Rudolf II in Prague, renowned for its stone acoustics. DigDug bought the master off a based-out gypsy in East Oakland and the rest is history! **Please FREELY DOWNLOAD THESE GEMS**, as they have been labeled ‘Degenerate Music’ by the Putin administration and the whole album is banned in the greater East. Censorship will never extinguish true heat!'

I have no idea who made the beats, or whatever, but it’s a pretty nice EP all round. The track ‘Dedicated to Love’ is the highlight, with a deep fuzzy bassline. As an avid Doom fan, this will have to tide me over until the next Madvillain album, and Doom’s live album Expektoration, due in September on Gold Dust.

MF Borat - Rescue Kazakhstan (Featuring Arethra Franklin)
MF Borat - Bing Bong Bing
MF Borat - Dedicated to Love (Featuring Samantha Alexes)
MF Borat - So Good to Me
MF Borat - Towers of Ears (Featuring Diana Ross)

Mount Kimbie - Crooks and Lovers

I have been following Mount Kimbie since I heard ’50 Mile View’ (Sketch on Glass EP, Hotflush Recordings) at a friend’s University halls of residence, last September. The smooth, laidback electronic synth lead of ’50 Mile View’ hooked me into their unique blend of melodious electronic sounds and downtempo beats. Since then, I’ve made it my mission to hear and own everything they have released. Maybes EP (Hotflush Recordings) and Sketch on Glass EP are both intricate and ambitious works in themselves, and both their Remixes Part 1 and Remixes Part 2 (Hotflush Recordings) offer some excellent reinterpretations of their sound. James Blake’s remix of ‘Maybes’ is particularly noteworthy, as he transfuses the track’s sweet high-pitched melodies with his own brand of minimal dubstep.

It goes without saying then, that I am looking forward to their debut album, Crooks and Lovers (Hotflush Recordings, released July). I have had a listen to a promotional copy of the album, and it sounds amazing. Mount Kimbie have taken their spacey electronic sound to another level with tracks like ‘Carbonated’, which brings in a monstrous mix of sounds to develop a totally atmospheric yet pumping sound, and ‘Mayor’, which offers a more ravey affair for the duo. Crooks and Lovers is a seriously deep work, and I am hoping that it places Mount Kimbie at the forefront of atmospheric and harmonious electronic music.

Crooks and Lovers is out in July, released by Hotflush Recordings

Mount Kimbie - 50 Mile View (Sketch on Glass EP, Hotflush Recordings)
Mount Kimbie - Maybes (James Blake Remix) (Remixes Part 1, Hotflush Recordings)
Mount Kimbie - Carbonated (Crooks and Lovers, Hotflush Recordings)
Mount Kimbie - Mayor (Crooks and Lovers, Hotflush Recordings)