Top 5 EPs of 2012

5. TNGHT - TNGHT [Warp/Luckyme]

In a year that had Trap Rap all over the radio, only one collaboration of two great producers, Hudson Mohawke and Lunice, could make an instrumental rap album just as boisterous and bombastic as what's heard on the radio nowadays. All of these songs are club bangers, perfect for the bass-centric phase dance music is in right now. All throughout the nearly seventeen minutes of music, the pair, through the use of epic horns, samples, and altered bass tones, rewrites the rules of instrumental rap; the music sounds expensive. A lot of instrumental rap feels more like a pregame than the full out face roll that is the TNGHT EP.

4. The Antlers - Undersea [ANTI-]

Burst Apart expanded The Antlers' discography to include an album more about self-preservation than emotional exhaustion, a new path for the Brooklyn dream-pop band. Where to next? How about deep into the sea. Early single "Drift Dive" was a lucid free fall into cavernous, unknown depths, sporting the usual arrangements familiar to the band, though each instrument was given even more room to breathe than usual. But with the latter half of the EP feeling more like a Korova Milk Bar hallucination, Silberman and company are exploring new waters; waters more familiar with the likes of Sleep Party People. It's hard to pinpoint just how deep The Antlers are willing to go, but it's nice to see they aren't staying stagnant.

3. Angel Haze - RESERVATION [True Panther / Noizy Cricket!! / Biz 3]

Fuck Azealia Banks. If she had the work ethic and artistic freedom of Angel Haze, we'd better understand her talent or lack thereof. Angel Haze is a twenty-one year-old Michigan-turned-Brooklyn girl, as talented as she is open. From the beginning of "This Is Me", you can understand that everything Haze has to say, she means it, truthfully. She wears a lot of hats on this EP, making it even more amazing to see how much she is able to do in just fourteen tracks. This doesn't feel like an EP in length or subject matter; it's what Haze herself calls it, which is further testament to her work ethic. So for everyone who started riding the Azealia Banks' bandwagon after only one to three songs, give fourteen tracks of Reservation a listen, then see if you still back Banks as the up-and-coming female rap artist.

2. Burial - Kindred [Hyperdub]

At this point in his career, William Bevan, or Burial as dubstep purists know him as, continues to be bass music's finest, most consistent producer. Kindred extends Burial's longevity and his uncanny ability to look forward and backward simultaneously. The three songs here are much longer than previous releases - two songs pushing the twelve minute mark, the other seven and a half minutes - requiring a little more from the listener, though this isn't a surprise, and merely a continuation from the expansive songs from last year's Street Halo. The songs are as dark as any other of Burial's, but there is definitely an influence from the dance-floor here, so you can probably bank on Thom Yorke spinning some or all of these songs in a DJ set. With another release scheduled for next year, we can only expect Bevan to top critic's lists for a third straight year, proliferating his influence on electronic music everywhere.

1. AlunaGeorge - You Know You Like It [Tri Angle]

It would be almost too easy to place Burial on the top of this list, being the consistently excellent producer Bevan is, but up until this past year we had no idea what an AlunaGeorge sounded like; that's where the duo makes music so much fun. What you hear on this EP follows some trends, like the emergence of "PBR&B" and some American dubstep elements, yet all of it filtered through some unpredictable weirdness. Though it's only three songs - isn't this what an EP used to be in length? - You Know You Like It echoes more the work of a experienced professionals at the height of their game. The London duo continued to release a single and a few remixes in 2012 - the excellent "Your Drums, Your Love" being the clear standout - and announced a full-length due out in June of 2013, all making this EP feel even more important for a band that is due for a breakout.

Electric Flavor #1

Before I begin with my own introduction, I would like to say that I don’t get the title of this blog. Also, thank Kyle for inviting me to work on this project. Kyle probably has the most diverse and well informed music taste out of anyone that I know. His ability to ferociously devour, comprehend, and adeptly criticize new artists with a wit and contextual understanding to rival P4k’s most pretentious and self-righteous blogger is a quality I have come to both loathe and admire; for trying to keep up with him in this manner has often proved very frustrating for me.  I look forward to reading his musings on future releases and I hope he looks forward to mine.

Now I’m going to tell you about myself:

I started DJ-ing about 5 year ago - in a strange coincidence, almost to the day. After years of playing drums in various bands I was sick of sitting in the back having all the attention focused on someone other than myself. I couldn’t play guitar, so the narcissist in me decided that buying turntables was the next best thing.

My philosophy behind my craft is pretty simple: Don’t get too caught up in trends (and in the world of EDM there are certainly a lot), always push yourself to get better, and for fuck’s sake keep people dancing.

I try to let a diverse taste in music inform my DJ-ing and I will try to let that same taste inform my posts here on Flatted 3rd. Although Kyle brought me on as the resident EDM expert, you can look forward to posts from all across the genre spectrum but always something danceable with a electronic flavor.

Now on to the music...



The Grooviest Track You’ll Hear all Week: Bondax - Baby I Got That



If you haven’t heard of Bondax before, don’t worry, you haven’t missed much. These two teenage producers from Lancaster, UK have only just started out, but they have burst on the scene in a big way.

They’ve been getting a lot of love from BBC Radio 1’s Annie Mac who has featured pretty much every existing Bondax track at some point on her show.

This selection “Baby I Got That” starts off with a airy build that might easily get it mistaken for a Jamie XX record. However, it quickly busts into a groove reminiscent of early 90’s electro pop. Then there’s also a fair bit of fun filter work which gives it a distinctive disco-y feel.

Overall, this track is right up my alley - hopefully we live in the same alley - and I look forward to its official release on August 26th.

(For those interested the Justin Martin remix is equally awesome)



The Best Remix of a Cover of Someone You’ve Heard on the Radio: DjSliink - High for This



With Ellie Goulding sitting rather uncomfortably at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 - still behind Flo Rida’s summer anthem, WHICH IS TOTALLY NOT ABOUT WHISTLING - and after releasing her debut album more than 2 years ago, there are bound to be a number of lackluster remixes and edits of a fair number of her tracks. The most glaring exception is Bassnectar’s “Lights” Remix , but this track also seems to stand out.

I really hate the obsessive subcategorization of every EDM track. The worst offenders being anything that warrants the “-step” suffix. But Sliink and Kiff really kill it on the “Future Trapstep” tip. Their remix of Ellie Goulding’s cover of The Weekend’s “High for This” is chill, one might even say “trill” at times, but it certainly does the original justice; this track has a feel all its own, qualities I value highly in remixes.

I’ll (hopefully) be catching Sliink on September 7th. I pray he beings a similar vibe there that he did in his Boiler Room NY Set.



The Summer Radio Jam Remix You’ll Play Well Into the Fall: Settle Down - Baauer Remix 



Although I try not to get caught up in trends, there is really no avoiding the explosion of Trap music on the EDM scene. Nu-Trap is a hybrid of the trunk rattling southern rap beats you might expect from the likes of Meek Mill, Bun B or 2 Chainz and Bro/Drum/Dub Step. Although this track is not a perfect example of this new genre - If you’re looking for that check out TNGHT - Baauer is by far one of the most prominent producers in the scene. Allow this official No Doubt remix to serve as proof.

Unlike his contemporaries, like RL Grime for example, Baauer steps out of his comfort zone on this remix. He doesn’t rely on the huge drops and constantly rattling hi hats, which are so painfully common in Trap music. Don’t get me wrong, you definitely want to turn your sub on for this one. But the cool island feel of this song accented by the background marimbas and bird chirps is a refreshing breath from the endless stream of trap remixes hitting the internet in the past few months.



The Best Moombahton Floorfiller I’ve Heard in a Minute: Beat Down - Steve Aoki and Angger Dimas ft. Iggy Azalea 


Let me make two things clear:
1. I fucking hate Steve Aoki.
2. Iggy Azalea makes this track.

Although this track has some weak points - most notably some annoying synth tones - overall, it really bumps. Even if you can’t stand this song or video, I still think it serves as a great introduction to Iggy Azalea. This 2/10 Australian almost became a supermodel, but when her agency said she was “too thick" (a distinction I'm totally cool with), She said, "Fuck It" and became a Bad-Ass FemCee instead.

If you’re digging Iggy check out her new Glory EP . I highly suggest you do.

The Track That I Totally Missed the Boat On: Epic - Sandro Silva & Quintino

This track was released in June of 2011. Apparently it made a big splash in Ibiza last summer...I never got the memo.