Throwback EDM Sub Focused on Holding On

I was lucky enough to have chosen @skrillex as my gateway drug to Dubstep last year. He's without a doubt one of the best in his lane right now and a solid bridge for those who enjoyed electronic music before Dubstep. Now that I've gained a little more familiarity with the genre's landscape, I'm starting to pick new favorites like @subfocus. In an attempt to turn back the clock two years to a time where Dubstep and EDM didn't really exist in the US, I felt compelled to share a throwback favorite from 2010 tonight. Before you hear Sub Focus's version of @ruskoofficial's track Hold On featuring the beautiful @amber_coffman of the @dirtyprojectors, check the original below...

First off, I'm going to go out on a limb and opine that Amber Coffman has a great 90s hook voice. I mean that as a compliment too because she sounds alright on the original version of Hold On, but when Sub Focus injects some heavy synths into the original, it completely transforms the track into something brilliant. The build up that gives way to the electronic symphony of awesomeness is EDM at it's finest in my humble opinion. That should mean more than it did a couple months ago when I only started scratching the surface of EDM as a whole.

Rusko feat Amber Coffman - Hold On (Sub Focus Remix)
|iTunes

"Old School Caddy or a New School Benz"

In a perfect world, producers wouldn't need to employ rappers to drop verses over their instrumentals to create new music. Wouldn't it be cool if they could pull a @JColeNC, @kanyewest, or @timbaland and do it all themselves five-tool style like @TheRealMattKemp from the production to the verses? Unfortunately, it's more often the exception than the rule, so when it happens, I tend to freely give dap to recognize such feats.

What does all this have to do with a new @hit_boy track? Well, you may or may not be aware that Hit-Boy was behind the boards on @liltunchi's and @eminem's Drop the World, Jigga and Kanye's N****a's in Paris, and most recently @djkhaled's Wish You Would. In an effort to get himself a combo meal, it would appear Hit-Boy is preparing to take flight on his own solo gig with his new @wizardcud featured single Old School Caddy. Real simply put, the rolling thump of the beat is what will reel you in on the track below. Sure, the Cudi verse is icing on the cake, but the track as a whole takes a page out of Outkast's stylistically, which is a breath of fresh air in my book...#CaddyOverBenz

Hit Boy feat Kid Cudi - Old School Caddy

The Wall is On the Rise

You'd be hard pressed to find an EDM artist that @evasimons hasn't collaborated with recently. This time she hooked up with up and coming Dutch house producer @djapster on a new heat rock titled I Need More. Chalked full of uptempo club rocking synths and sultry lyrics, it's about as contemporary club as you get.

As a side note, it's becoming increasingly clear that similar to Hip Hop with Young Money and G.O.O.D. Music, there are a few big time record labels in electronic music that seem to reel in a lot of the well known talent. The first that comes mind is Ultra Records, which used to have @tiesto and currently has @BennyBenassi, @basshunt, @CalvinHarris, @kaskade, @deadmau5, @steveaoki and @wolfganggartner to name a few.

The next label that is starting to build a stable of serious electronic talent is @djafrojack's outfit, Wall Recordings. Holding down the Netherlands like a boulder size paper weight, @wallrecordings now houses (pun?) the likes of Afrojack, Apster and @djr3hab to name a few artists I've recently posted tracks by. Call it a mini-stable or a developing movement to be wreckoned with, either way they're putting out some great music and starting to make some noise in the electronic industry...#YouveBeenWarned

Apster feat Eva Simons - I Need More
|Beatport

Videos of the Week July 27th

If you haven't seen the video for Korea's Ace Power horse riding apparatus, then complexly ignore what I'm writing right now and just press play below. If you thought the Shake Weight was good, then you'll probably appreciate the way we were just one upped by the Koreans. All I'm waiting for is the porn industry to start a summer camp that trains all the "sex muscles" using the aforementioned training devices.

Not a big week on actual videos, but it was cool hearing Swizzy talk about the whole Megaupload case and seeing @bobatl take over Atlanta. Oh and this just in, Chelsea Lately loves black men. Anybody else have tickets to see the Budweiser Made in America tour? Should be a show Philly hasn't seen in years...#Epic

Horse Riding Fitness Ace Power (*Funny*)

Swizz Beats Speaks on Megaupload Case & Reebok

Jay-Z's Made in America Budweiser Commercial

B.O.B. Takes Over Atlanta Braves Game

Rick Ross Interviewed by Chelsea Lately

"Let Me Redefine Foreplay So You Need Five"

Now that the vicious scavengers have gotten to @rickyrozay's new album God Forgives, I Don't six days early, I might as well chime in on one of the more talked about tracks circulating the interwebs. It's the most talked about because it's not everyday you get @wale and @drake on the same track together. On the track Wale does his "Ambitious Girl" routine where he waxes poetic Def poetry jam style in attempt to subtly spit game with an err of reverence to his delivery. I really like it when he does that because it's a lost art that Hip Hop has somewhat lost with it's newest generation, so when he brings it back in his own way, it allows him to show off what makes him better than the next artist.

It's been a while since we've been privy to an all R&B hook from Drizzy too, which was a welcome change up. Kudos to @Cardiakflatline for the quiet piano instrumental that played well with all the pillow talk throughout the track. In case you missed it, God Forgives, I Don't lands on iTunes next Tuesday, July 31st. My bet is it takes less than three weeks to go platinum and that's probably underselling it's potential by A LOT...#GFID

Rick Ross feat Wale & Drake - Diced Pineapple (prod by Cardiak)
|iTunes

The Cataracs Love Fat Taco Shops

Real quietly @thecataracs just released a dope new EP last week. Appropriately titled after their favorite Bay Area Mexican restaurant, Gordo Taquiera is an over-sized burrito full of high powered electro-pop. As is their signature, they mix in high pitched samples with funny verses that aren't meant to be taken seriously. Simply put, they make fun party music to dumb out and shake your ass to.

As I'm listening to full EP, I'm starting to question whether I picked the right track to post. In other words, don't all the sudden assume this is the cut to check out because I decided to post it. You'd be just as well off pressing play from track 1 and letting Campa and Cyrano take care of the rest.

It's not everyday that a group known for making great music for others puts together an album to promote their own brand. Lots of hidden treasures that probably won't see the light of day as singles, so don't be bashful in supporting them...#GordoTaquiera

The Cataracs - Calling Me
|iTunes

"Miami, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Spain, Lost"

After a few laps around Channel Orange, I feel like I'm now comfortable picking a favorite. There's just something about Lost that I find myself singing every time I listen to it. The beat has a happy-go-lucky, cheerful vibe to it that Frank plays off of well with his soulful harmony sprinkled throughout. The picture he paints of a woman truly struggling to find herself everywhere she goes is a story that will probably resonate with a lot of people. No matter where you go, if your lifestyle is the same, you'll always find yourself getting caught up and somehow lost.

In case you missed it, Channel Orange made a huge first week cannonball splash on Billboard, landing at #2. For those keeping score at home, he sold 131,000 digital copies solely on the iTunes store, meaning big box retail outlets haven't even had a chance to put his album out on shelves yet. Kudos to Frank, that's a statement in and of itself. I can't think of many other artists I'd rather support right now than @frank_ocean for a lot of reasons. This week it's his music, which will hopefully rise to #1 by next week...#GoCopChannelOrange

Frank Ocean - Lost

|iTunes

"Standing in the Hall of Fame"

After two really solid albums, it's not a big surprise that @thescript is now starting to reel in some high powered features on their upcoming album #3. The high powered feature I'm referring to is the omnipotent international pop superstar known as @iamwill (pictured above in studio). If you're worried that The Script switched up their style with Will on the track, fear not. They still managed to stick to the manu-script that got them to the level they're at now. (I know, that was forced...my bad)

The strength of their music has always been their irresistible hooks and undeniable piano-heavy instrumentals. Hall of Fame is par for the course with Will I Am (suprisingly) only chipping in a few background vocals. The track below will serve it's purpose well as the lead single off their upcoming album #3, which is scheduled for an October 9th release. I can only hope it'll be as good as their first two albums...#TheScript3

The Script feat Will I Am - Hall of Fame
|iTunes

Afrojack Rocks the House

My weekly visit to Beatport turned out to be fruitful this week as I uncovered the new electro anthem Rock the House by @djafrojack. The track has it's fair share of build ups and crescendo's to go with a catchy "Rrrr ra ra rock this house" sample. The original mix below is a marathon of a track eclipsing the 7 min mark, so if you're one who reads the cliffnotes to books, you may want to hold out for a radio edit at some point.

If you forced me to choose between his new one below and his previous single Can't Stop Me Now, I'd have to side with his previous release. Between the beat being a little less repetitive and @shermanology pitching in some high octane vocals, it's the all around better track. Still, tracks don't get to #1 on Beatport by being sub-par, so if you're a hardcore electronic fan, you may prefer the vocal-less track below...#CantGoWrongWithAfrojack

Afrojack - Rock the House (Original Mix)

|Beatport

Matt & Kim Say Let's Go!

Pardon my tardiness on the song below since I'm now a month late to get on the bandwagon. The song's title is appropo as I can hear the Indie fans chanting Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go! I'll let the ball on the string skills by Pete the Roc speak for themselves below...

Easy listening, positive and straight up happy music is all that @mattandkim are capable of making. I'm excited as hell for their upcoming album Lighting, which is scheduled to land on October 2nd. Check the tracklist here and keep supporting Matt & Kim. The world needs more groups like them...#PositivityWins

Matt & Kim - Let's Go

|iTunes

Videos of the Week July 20th

The onslaught of high powered videos continues this week with plenty of Hip Hop videos to go with a @nodoubt comeback video. I'm still wondering just what in the hell is going on in @liltunchi's My Homies Still video. Think of the most random yard sale ever and on top of that the most random things you could do with those objects. That's the video in a nutshell. You can expect the more typical Hip Hop videos from @meekmill and @MrTeriusNash, with more than a fair share of video girls.

On the other hand @neyocompound will satisfy those looking for a higher degree of visual entertainment and skill. Likewise for No Doubt, who seem to have maintained their sound through the years. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little anxious to explore their new album...#DontCallItAComeback

Lil Wayne feat Big Sean - My Homies Still (Video)

Meek Mill feat Drake - Amen (Video)

Ne-Yo - Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself) (Video)

The Dream feat Pusha T - Dope B***** (Video)

No Doubt - Settle Down (Video)

"You Should Listen to This Beat Through My Headphones"

The phrase highly anticipated seems like cliche hyperbole when @rickyrozay, @drdre and @S_C_ get together on a track. With God Forgives, I Don't about a week away from landing, the Funk Flex release of the new single is timed just right for getting some momentum going. Despite the high profile cast it still smells like a "street single" rather than typical hook driven promo/radio single. The lack of hook and continual head nod beat cooked up by @jakeuno are the streetworthy elements I'm basing my opinion on.

So does the high powered lyricism live up to the hype? Well..let's take a quick inventory on the verses. Dre got to shout out his headphones, Jigga got speak creatively about how embarrassingly rich he is and Ricky Rozay got to uh...you know...do his thing by rapping about the usual money, cash, cars. You could say it's all around par for the course given the cast and simple, get the job done beat. As I write this the track has gone from tagged to untagged too, so you could say it's getting some attention on the interwebs tonight.

If you like Rick Ross, you'll like this track. Post Port of Miami, I wouldn't call myself the biggest Raaaawwws fan, so I can respect the collabo, but it won't have a high replay value on my revolving daily iPod playlists, no matter how much I really try to like it. Still, all signs are pointing toward platinum for #GFID.

Rick Ross feat Dr. Dre & Jay-Z - 3 Kings (prod by Jake One)

|iTunes

JoJo Will Show You How It's Done

In my humble (daily) opinion, matching up @JoJoistheway and @OVO40 on a single together is a good look. Seeing that 40 is @Drake's right hand man when it comes to production, playing the R&B card isn't a stretch at all. I've said before that I'm not afraid to admit being a fan of JoJo and even though Demonstrate probably wouldn't rank in my top five favorite tracks of hers, it's still a solid all around effort.

The track will serve as the second single off Jumping Trains following her previously released Disaster. No word on a concrete release date on her Fall album, but it's becoming increasingly clear that she's breaking out the big guns this time around with @timbaland, @boi1da and @RodneyJerkins all making appearances on the album. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until August 28th to cop the track below on iTunes, but until then feel free to sample below. #TasteBeforeYouBuy

JoJo - Demonstrate (prod by Noah "40" Shebib)
|iTunes

"Hey They Givin' Out Degress For Studyin' Me"

I've learned over the past few years that whenever posting any track featuring @chuckisdope, I might as well attach the 808 Check label before even listening. It goes something like death, taxes and Chuck Inglish's trunk rattling bass. I'll take it one more step and say that his throwback, dumbed down style consistently finds a way to be trendsetting despite sounding "old school". That's not an easy thing to do, but any smart man knows it's easier to find a new use for the wheel than reinvent it...ya feel me?

Anyways, I'd imagine Back Up is going to surface on Chuck's new Convertibes LP due out October 7th. If you haven't already guessed, it will feature lyrics unlike his past two beat tapes Wrkout and Wrking. To me it doesn't really matter because the beats he's able to put together are downright disgusting. Don't be shy on the volume with the song below, it's meant to wake up the neighbors...#BassWins

Chuck Inglish - Back Up (Schoolin' pt.2)

Passion Pit - Constant Conversations

It's been a while since I dusted off my Indie hat, so here goes nothing. Word on the streets is that one of my favorite bands, @passionpit, is coming out with a new album titled Gossamer due out in about a week on July 24th. They're already two upbeat singles deep in the form of Take a Walk and I'll Be Alright, so it should come as no surprise that they slowed it down for #3.

Number three comes in the form of Constant Conversations, which is more of a dreamy, new school lullaby. If you listen closely, the lyrics are all about surviving in a world where people are going to use you when they need you and ignore you when they're whole. It's a subtle message buried deep within a track that sounds like a joyful sing along. While I'm inclined to tell you to go with the flow and lose yourself in the easygoing vibe of the track, it's never a bad thing to take a personal inventory of those in your life that don't just call you when they need you...#RealFriends

Passion Pit - Constant Conversations

|iTunes

"Pool Full of Liquor Then You Dive In It"

Word has it ya boy @kendricklamar's debut studio album good kid, m.A.A.d city is going to drop on October 2nd. I know, I know, what about Section 80 you ask? It was released independently, compared to his new one which will be backed by Aftermath/Interscope. It's  a slight difference that will involve a lot more money and high powered production features that should translate to 1000 times more exposure.

The goal for Kendrick's new track below is that it gains as much traction as his @drdre featured Cali anthem The Recipe. It'll come close because of the on point production donated by @ProducerTMinus and smooth, machine gun flow exhibited by Compton's prince. Shoot Kendrick even channel's his inner @eminem the back and forth alter ego dialog throughout the track. It helps the hook does down smooth too. Who wouldn't want a swimming pool full of liquor to dive into? #GoCrystalClearBelvedere

Kendrick Lamar - Swimming Pools (Drank)(prod by T-Minus)

|iTunes

Bei Maejor & Diplo Party at the Crib

I've been a fan of just about everything @beimaejor has done from his numerous production/writing credits to the mixtapes he has released himself. I've always maintained that his original Upside Down mixtape was my favorite mixtapes in 2010. Still, to date it's only been mixtapes and behind the scenes work with no studio albums to extend his fan base.

That's all going to change around the end of 2012 when he is set to release his studio debut Making Up. On the album you can probably expect his two previous singles Trouble with @JColeNC and Lights Down Low with @WakaFlockaBSM. You can add to that the song below featuring the production of @diplo. What you can expect is a laid back party track with plenty of repeatable, chopped up lyrics. I'm not sure yet whether I will end up liking it more than Trouble, but either way, it's going to get some serious play on Top 40 radio...#SummerAnthem

Bei Maejor - Party at the Crib (prod by Diplo & Bei Maejor)

|iTunes

Videos of the Week July 13th

Interesting week for videos in that the two most interesting videos came in the form of interviews rather than videos. The most interesting by far borders around the potential ramifications of the $10 million lawsuit filed by @LordFinesseDITC vs @MacMiller. The dispute it over Mac's Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza track that sampled Finesse'sHip 2 Da Game from 1995.

This past week, they have traded social networking shots first claiming that they hadn't talked and then talking, but now the situation has deteriorated on twitter. The track was never on a studio album, but on Mac's 2010 K.I.D.S. mixtape. While neither song really made huge waves, in the court of law it's all about setting standards and in Hip Hop the sampling/copyright standard on beats has been non-existent. Think about how many rappers have freestyled over beats that weren't theirs on mixtapes. Can you imagine a world without free sampling in Hip Hop? That world is not somewhere I want to live...#FreeSampling

Timbaland feat Ne-Yo - Hands in the Air (Video)

Werner von Wallenrod Breaks Down Mac Miller vs DJ Finesse $10 million lawsuit

DMX feat MGK - I Don't Dance (Video)

B.O.B. Freestyles in The Backroom (Video)

Narduwar Interviews DJ Premier

"Roof Behind the Grill, Barbeque Sauce"

You'd be hard pressed to find a more summer friendly jam than @asherroth's new one with @meltslovebuddy. I'll take it a step further and opine that if you don't feel like buying some charcoal and making some burger after listening to this track, then you must not be listenin' right. The bangin' beat put together by @hudmo sets the table with plush white linens, allowing both the lyricists to rap about anything and everything involving a cookout.

Ash Roth and Buddy work well together trading increasingly high octane bars as the track progresses. At the very least this track should have you chanting "Barbeque sauce, Buh-Barbeque sauce, barbeque sauce, buh-barbeque sauce" and thinking of your favorite BBQ saaawwwce. If KC Masterpiece or Hunt's doesn't make a commercial using the song below, then someone in marketing is sleeping on the job. Matter of fact, I'ma go and check the fridge to make sure I'm stocked up after thinking about all this time...#MolassesIsWhereItsAt

Asher Roth feat Buddy - Roof Behind the Grill(prod by Hudson Mohawke)

"I Just Can't Keep Hanging on to You and Me"

In case you've been living under a rock and haven't witnesses the ascension of @elliegoulding to worldwide pop star, here's another chance to hop on the band wagon before her second album drops. This week she took to Soundcloud and extended both her arms out to deliver us a tranquil gem featuring @TinieTempah. There's something innately soothing about her harmonization, but on the flip side she has a raspy alter ego that frequently emerges, which gives her sound a unique twist.

No word yet on when or if Hanging On will surface on her sophomore album, but if it does, she was awfully generous to provide it to us for free. Between the track below and her recent cover of the Weeknd's track High For This (which now has over 595,000 plays), I'm 100% sure I'm a big fan of Ellie. Put it this way, I'd give an arm and a leg to see her and her boyfriend @skrillex perform Summit live together as part of the Full Flex Express tour this summer. We'll see if that comes to fruition, but if not, I'm cool with a new album...#BeggersCantBeChoosers

Ellie Goulding feat Tinie Tempah - Hanging On

|Soundcloud