La Soulchyld turns Missy Elliot’s “Sock it to me” into a tropical masterpiece with his version of the classic. As his moniker suggests, the Rwandan producer adds copious amounts of soul and unshakeable rhythm into this track.
La Soulchyld approaches the original confidently, and sprinkles elements of future bass and house onto it. “Don’t Fall Asleep” feels like a Sunday drive as you don’t want it to end, and a wave of content knocks you off your feet.
Listen/download “Don’t Fall Asleep” below:
South African drum and bass titan Hyphen, created a 52 minute mix in honor of some of the fallen events that served as a platform for 140 bpm rhythms. The ever so incomparable Cold Turkey, Leggo and the legendary Step Up were events that helped mould Cape Town’s bass scene.
It gave artists and listeners a space to come together and revel in their love for the music. We’ll forever be grateful for these events and the people behind them, for the impact they’ve had, and continue to have.
Listen/download the mix below:
Phizicist reveals a softer side with his latest track “Be Kind”. The liquid drum and bass track features the incredibly dreamy vocals of Oregan-based Cartography.
Known for creating intense and hard-hitting tracks, Phizicist effortlessly balances intensity and delicacy with this track. The enchanting vocals of Cartography dance in synchronicity with Phizicist’s stellar production. The two seamlessly intertwine, and are equals in making the track as great as it is.
Listen/download “Be Kind” below:
Baltimore-based producer and DJ j. robb is a musical phenomenon. Known for his re-works, flips and remixes of classic hip hop and r&b songs, j.robb is a producer that’s taking on the world one track at a time.
With a forward-thinking sound and musical palette, the 18-year-old’s audience is consistently growing. This mix is pure bliss and explores varied textures of hip hop, r&b and future beats. It’s is over an hour long and consists of unreleased music from the young producer, and is guaranteed to make a few thousand more j.robb fans.
Listen/download the mix below:
Kwaai-Fi is back with a brand new remix from Fernando, the up-and-coming Cape Town-based producer that’s making waves with his hip hop-centric beats. He remixed DJ Maramza’s “5 Tiger”, a house, kwaito and future beat infused track from the EP Low Magic released last year.
Heavily influenced by hip hop and producers Madlib and J Dilla, Fernando’s love for the genre is reflected in everything he creates. The remix not only articulates his love for hip hop, but why he’s a producer that deserves all your attention.
Fernando effortlessly melts together hip hop, future beat and bass elements with the remix. It’s raw and unassuming, and can be described as a hybrid between lo-fi, kwaito and house. Several layers of the original are peeled back. Despite this, the groove remains unshakeable, and it’s immensely compelling. The remix gives us a peek into Fernando’s seemingly limitless ingenuity. It’s a brave feat remixing a DJ Maramza original, but this remix confidently stands its ground.
Listen to the remix below:
 Kwaai-Fi is the platform pushing the vast landscape of sounds coming out of Cape Town right now, focusing on deep house, sjoko joko, future beats, kwaito and anything fresh out the Cape. Kwaai-Fi Volume 1 was released last November and included six tracks of original music and remixes from heavyweights FOSTA, Dunn Kidda, Terrasoul and DJ Maramza. After some silence the platform is back with a remix of FOSTA’s latest track from Omar Morto, and the promise of regular tracks for the rest of the year.
FOSTA released “Where Have You Been” two months ago on his label 021 Records. The track fuses his energetic afro house style with the glorious vocals of Cape Town-based Fancy Galada. From the production to the vocals it’s a masterpiece, and pulls the listener in with its stirring emotion.
Omar Morto stripped down the afro house track, and created a bold chill wave remix. He built it around key elements of the original like the melody, vocals and drum line, but also completely reinvented it. The remix is a dark and chilling rendition, that’s as intriguing as it is profound. Its simplicity and minimal tone make it so effective. The bass is weighty and tempo slowed, and it’s just as commanding and emotionally gripping as the original. The only critique is that it’s way too short.
Listen to Omar Morto’s remix below:
Davve Beats ventured into new territory with his debut EP, by combining the Brazilian genre of baile funk with South African soundscapes. The EP is his first solo release in two years – as he also forms part of the duo Beat Sampras – and it’s his first release under the moniker Davve Beats.
Baile originated in Brazilian townships, known as favela’s. It became popular in the 1980’s and tackled social issues such as poverty, violence and social injustice with its hard-hitting lyrics. In 2004 Diplo made the genre known internationally, when he created a mixtape called Favela on Blast, from his time searching the favela’s for new baile music and artists. In recent years, Sango from Soulection has been a huge advocate for the raw baile sound, and has helped pioneer the sound as we know it today. It’s intense, emotive and fast paced.
With Baile Ikapa Davve does an incredible job at finding and aligning African tracks with baile samples. Everything flows and nothing feels forced or out of place, even though the tracks are worlds apart. The first two tracks “Introducao” and “Baile” fuse traditional baile samples with heavy-set hip hop and trap beats.
“e-MOTION-al” samples Black Motion’s hit “Rainbow”, and makes use of the iconic horns from the original to assist with its transition to a classic baile track. “Yizo Reprisenta” sees the DJ Zinhle anthem undergo a fierce baile revamp, and adds an exhilirating drop. South African hip hop star Nasty C’s “Hell naw” is sampled in “Chill bro”, and is given a less rigid baile feel. Baile Ikapa is a brilliant ode to what influences Davve and his sound. The EP is bold, and if anything, makes you acutely aware of Davve’s astonishing talent and vision.
Listen/download “Baile Ikapa” below:
As part of a remix competition hosted by drum and bass trio Blu Mar Ten, TehSynes remixed “Titans” off their seventh album Empire State, which was released in December 2016. There were over 300 entries, and TehSynes ended up in the top 16 with his remix.
The remix features vocals from TehSynes and a hair-raising performance from Ntombe Thongo. It unites two worlds; drum and bass and traditional African music, creating a track of unparalleled proportions.
As the track begins there’s an air of mystery and bewilderment, with the dreamy vocals of TehSynes and the backing vocals of Ntombe. As it progresses, it jumps out of its shell and steals all your attention. The tempo rapidly changes and Ntombe’s voice crashes in synchronicity with the beat. With hints of jungle and a messy bassline the track is menacing and profound, with Ntombe sprinkling the perfect amount of soul onto it.
Listen to Blu Mar Ten– “Titans” [TehSynes remix] below:
GinaJeanz linked up with Red Bull Studios Cape Town to create a magical EP. The three track EP is glorious, and gives a glimpse into her remarkable talent.
Gina has taken huge strides with her music and within the industry, and the creation of this EP proves that. Consistency has been one of her key strengths along with her ingenuity, and it’s highly apparent that every track she creates is done with the utmost care and love.
The EP begins with “Fader”, an up-tempo love note that combines the soul of r&b with the zest of a future beat. “Stellar Wave”, is the second track and has a more delicate and minimal approach. In classic GinaJeanz style, it’s rhythmic with a few twists and turns. “Need (you)” is bold and has a knee-jerking beat, and is as emotionally gripping as it is technically profound.
Gina is at the forefront of the future beat sound, and effortlessly combines the warmth and soul of melodies and vocals with futuristic sounds and textures that are often cold and generic.
Listen to the EP below:
Cape Town-based record label and musical collective Straight Feels have released their first offering for 2017 with Straight Beats Vol.1. Straight Beats is a monthly compilation that includes artists from Straight Feels and a guest each month.
This month the two artists representing Straight Feels are Davve Minor and Beat Sampras, with guest artist, the formidable GinaJeanz. The 3-track compilation shows off the intricate, bold textures and soundscapes of Namibian-born GinaJeanz. Beat Sampras also premiere a new track with “Back to you”, which fuses the soul-soothing sound the duo have become known for, with a hard hitting future beat. Davve Minor, who is David Migwalla’s other moniker and solo project, ends the compilation off with a crisp, feel-good track.
Straight Feels are hosting their first event of the year tomorrow night at Fiction in Cape Town. The lineup includes an impressive bill of artists, where an array of frequencies can be expected from Bryan Travis, Dunn Kidda, Davve Minor, Joeyeezi and Luca Williams.
Listen/download Straight Beats Volume 1 below:
The BASSics 