The Student Room Group

Best house/bass tracks of the year (Mixmag and Resident Advisor)

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Reply 40
I've been a fan of Zomby regardless of Natalia's Song/Dedication, so I'm not too bothered about the controversy =/
I'm not particularly attached to the artist, nor do I know much about him, but I do like his music.
He did introduce me to dubstep though with Spliff Dub.
His new album and Natalia's Song are great though, if he really did steal it hopefully the original artist will gain some recognition for how great it is.

This is garage but it's one of my current faves:




Original post by mau5
Ahh used to love this when I first heard it.



This is amazing! I've heard big things about Zabiela, any recommendations people?
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 41
Original post by Mo-Amin
I've been a fan of Zomby regardless of Natalia's Song/Dedication, so I'm not too bothered about the controversy =/
I'm not particularly attached to the artist, nor do I know much about him, but I do like his music.
He did introduce me to dubstep though with Spliff Dub.
His new album and Natalia's Song are great though, if he really did steal it hopefully the original artist will gain some recognition for how great it is.

This is garage but it's one of my current faves:






This is amazing! I've heard big things about Zabiela, any recommendations people?



Zabiela is quality, I can't really think of a better live DJ around at the minute. His mixmag CD last year was great, does anyone have a link to it? Only two tracks I can rememebr from it were:



Original post by Mo-Amin
I've been a fan of Zomby regardless of Natalia's Song/Dedication, so I'm not too bothered about the controversy =/
I'm not particularly attached to the artist, nor do I know much about him, but I do like his music.
He did introduce me to dubstep though with Spliff Dub.
His new album and Natalia's Song are great though, if he really did steal it hopefully the original artist will gain some recognition for how great it is.


The guy got recognition. 4AD changed their site to include him:

http://www.4ad.com/releases/21265

Cosmin TRG fans?

Reply 43
Good stuff people!
Got my Parklife ticket on Wednesday, good times.
Mate showed me this, just awesome:

Scuba EP pushing serious boundaries. It's like noise rock fused with electronica. Can't wait for the album.

Original post by Aisha~~
Scuba EP pushing serious boundaries. It's like noise rock fused with electronica. Can't wait for the album.



I love 'the hope.' Massive vibes. Hope the rest of the album isn't all like that though. Kinda prefer the 'adrenalin' sound for general listening. 'The hope' would have me going completely crazy in a club though.
Original post by Aisha~~
**** Julio, she's mine :frown:

The thing is, I don't even know what's wrong with Bax. The groove is really nice, it feels like I've known that bassline all my life. It's danceable as hell, but not really enjoyable to listen to as a whole. It feels quite "stabby", as in, the sounds don't flow into each other, they don't interact. Individually the melody, bass, drums and vocals are nice. But for me, to make a track really good, they all need to work together.

If you have more of his stuff, check out 3:00 on Square One VIP. He gets a kinda crescendo going. The bass, stabs and vocals are all working perfectly together. Pads doing its own cool thing, drums are just keeping the drive.

Just realised I tried to describe the Night Slugs sound...this is probably a failure.

But still, SBTRKT is a ****ing master at this. Listen to this one. Notice how in the loop, the drums take a break for a beat. Thats when the bassline goes from a higher pitched tune, into a punchy low. Gives it a nice, flowing feel.



You have a very good point there about how the sounds don't flow. What you have described is something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

On youtube there are two versions of square one, the vip and the original. Is the VIP just an update? I definitely see what you mean after 3.00 though. It is something that would make me love a track but I wouldn't be able to describe it in terms of bass, stabs and vocals though...you would be a good music reviewer. I remember reading shawn reynaldo's comments for xlr8r on battle for middle you and he had written why i loved the track: 'The track's real magic resides in its low end, as the thick basslines and workmanlike drums provide the perfect underpinning to its subtly soaring melodies, soulful vocal sample, and weird synth stabs that sound like they've been reversed or warped or something.' The way you analyse tunes is quite similar!

And yes SBTRKT is a master. His album was soundtrack to my summer and no doubt many other people's summers.
Scuba's playing in Lakota tonight in Bristol. Really would like to have gone... Instead my mate flakked out of going to Tokyo Dub (was selling my ticket to being ill). So now have to go there. Nopt that it's a chore as it'll be great, but another huge night after last week, taking it's toll ha! Thanks for the link to the new Scuba song, big
Original post by Favourite Worst Nightmare
You have a very good point there about how the sounds don't flow. What you have described is something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

On youtube there are two versions of square one, the vip and the original. Is the VIP just an update? I definitely see what you mean after 3.00 though. It is something that would make me love a track but I wouldn't be able to describe it in terms of bass, stabs and vocals though...you would be a good music reviewer. I remember reading shawn reynaldo's comments for xlr8r on battle for middle you and he had written why i loved the track: 'The track's real magic resides in its low end, as the thick basslines and workmanlike drums provide the perfect underpinning to its subtly soaring melodies, soulful vocal sample, and weird synth stabs that sound like they've been reversed or warped or something.' The way you analyse tunes is quite similar!

And yes SBTRKT is a master. His album was soundtrack to my summer and no doubt many other people's summers.


Thanks. Music psychology is just a thing of mine. Plus, finding out what makes a song catchy can help so much in my own production. BFMY is a tricky one for me. It's a great song, so many new, interesting sounds - all thrown together into an otherwise fairly simple song structure. That stab sound always reminds me of the old Wipeout playstation game, for some reason. I have to say though - 'Everyone needs a theme tune' is another stunner from that EP. Same kinda feel as BFMY, just more laid back, funky vibe, rather than a dancefloor hit. (I'll note I'm blazed right now)

Prefer the Adrenalin sound too. Or, in fact, the Triangulation sound more. I like how he's trying something different though. Shows he's looking for the next big idea. The Hope might not be it, but not far off.
(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 49
Original post by Aisha~~
Thanks. Music psychology is just a thing of mine. Plus, finding out what makes a song catchy can help so much in my own production. BFMY is a tricky one for me. It's a great song, so many new, interesting sounds - all thrown together into an otherwise fairly simple song structure. That stab sound always reminds me of the old Wipeout playstation game, for some reason. I have to say though - 'Everyone needs a theme tune' is another stunner from that EP. Same kinda feel as BFMY, just more laid back, funky vibe, rather than a dancefloor hit. (I'll note I'm blazed right now)

Prefer the Adrenalin sound too. Or, in fact, the Triangulation sound more. I like how he's trying something different though. Shows he's looking for the next big idea. The Hope might not be it, but not far off.


Where's the vocal sample from Adrenalin taking from, any idea? Always bugged me as it sounds so familiar.
Original post by mau5
Where's the vocal sample from Adrenalin taking from, any idea? Always bugged me as it sounds so familiar.


Not a clue. Does sound familiar...if slowed down more than seems natural.



Really can't decide on a favourite track for that EP. All so good.

Plus a nice remix EP out of Warp. German pop techno meets Battles.

(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Aisha~~
Not a clue. Does sound familiar...if slowed down more than seems natural.



Really can't decide on a favourite track for that EP. All so good.

Plus a nice remix EP out of Warp. German pop techno meets Battles.



It is a top EP. Listened to the tracks after seeing this review of it: http://www.xlr8r.com/reviews/blawan/peaches

How do you get hold of your EPs btw? Do you buy them or download them? I can never seem to be able to find torrents for them so end up listening to the tracks on youtube. My music collection has stagnated as I now only listen to this underground sort of stuff which I cannot download. Like I can't get hold of the peaches EP unless i pay £4 for it on the clone record label site. I have long youtube playlists but that isn't ideal. I would just buy it all on beatport/juno records but really can't afford to while still at uni so just buy the odd one for a really good artist who hasn't made it yet.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Favourite Worst Nightmare
It is a top EP. Listened to the tracks after seeing this review of it: http://www.xlr8r.com/reviews/blawan/peaches

How do you get hold of your EPs btw? Do you buy them or download them? I can never seem to be able to find torrents for them so end up listening to the tracks on youtube. My music collection has stagnated as I now only listen to this underground sort of stuff which I cannot download. Like I can't get hold of the peaches EP unless i pay £4 for it on the clone record label site. I have long youtube playlists but that isn't ideal. I would just buy it all on beatport/juno records but really can't afford to while still at uni so just buy the odd one for a really good artist who hasn't made it yet.


Mixture of buying and downloading. Honestly, I don't buy as much as I'd like. Like you, building up a DJ sized collection is extremely expensive as a student. I have a what.cd account which has most reasonably well-known releases torrented almost instantly, if not before release. To buy I use a combination of Boomkat.com, Beatport, and Juno. Plus Amazon and Artist stores (Kompakt and Raster-Norton have nice online stores). Boomkat is great for getting FLACs as well as a decent vinyl/cd backstock.

In an ideal world, having a local record store which stocks this kind of music would be great. You get to know the staff, who can then direct you to new releases which are aimed towards your taste. They'll know what styles you come in and buy on the regular after all.

For online streaming, get a twitter account. Follow any artists you have any interest in. Then follow online and brick building record stores that specialize in this music (Zero-Inch, for example). Also bookmark and regularly check sites such as RA, BBC dance music, Little white ear buds, FACT mag, Mixmag, The Wire. You can get ****tons of free releases if you know where to look, and the odd soundcloud mixtapes. This will help a lot in narrowing down the field in terms of artists you want to listen to occasionally, and artists you want a physical copy of, because they're THAT good.

Another biggie from '11:

(edited 12 years ago)
Reply 53
Listening to this again, really wish there was more progressive house in this style. :frown:

Original post by Aisha~~
Mixture of buying and downloading. Honestly, I don't buy as much as I'd like. Like you, building up a DJ sized collection is extremely expensive as a student. I have a what.cd account which has most reasonably well-known releases torrented almost instantly, if not before release. To buy I use a combination of Boomkat.com, Beatport, and Juno. Plus Amazon and Artist stores (Kompakt and Raster-Norton have nice online stores). Boomkat is great for getting FLACs as well as a decent vinyl/cd backstock.

In an ideal world, having a local record store which stocks this kind of music would be great. You get to know the staff, who can then direct you to new releases which are aimed towards your taste. They'll know what styles you come in and buy on the regular after all.

For online streaming, get a twitter account. Follow any artists you have any interest in. Then follow online and brick building record stores that specialize in this music (Zero-Inch, for example). Also bookmark and regularly check sites such as RA, BBC dance music, Little white ear buds, FACT mag, Mixmag, The Wire. You can get ****tons of free releases if you know where to look, and the odd soundcloud mixtapes. This will help a lot in narrowing down the field in terms of artists you want to listen to occasionally, and artists you want a physical copy of, because they're THAT good.

Another biggie from '11:



Thanks, I looked into a what.cd but it looked like a rather tricky process to be successful at becoming a member. I follow a few artists on twitter, and have RA, FACT mag and Mixmag on facebook. Will look into the others. Cheers for the heads up. Cannot wait to have enough cash to buy more music.

Yeah I really liked that remix. Also liked Solumun and Subb-an's remixes of Around by Noir & Haze. I hear the new Burial EP came out today. Looked on youtube for it and it seems there was a fake up there. It seems like people were raving about how good Burial is only to find out it was a track by a different artist. Then they were like 'yeah Burial wouldn't make this ****.' Ha.
Original post by Favourite Worst Nightmare
Thanks, I looked into a what.cd but it looked like a rather tricky process to be successful at becoming a member. I follow a few artists on twitter, and have RA, FACT mag and Mixmag on facebook. Will look into the others. Cheers for the heads up. Cannot wait to have enough cash to buy more music.

Yeah I really liked that remix. Also liked Solumun and Subb-an's remixes of Around by Noir & Haze. I hear the new Burial EP came out today. Looked on youtube for it and it seems there was a fake up there. It seems like people were raving about how good Burial is only to find out it was a track by a different artist. Then they were like 'yeah Burial wouldn't make this ****.' Ha.


I think most new members get their invites from other users these days. Certainly I got lucky in that my ex had an account. Trouble is, it takes a lot of effort in seeding, both new torrents and those you've downloaded, to reach the rank where you can invite others. Even then, you only get to invite someone once every 3 months or something. Plus, you've got to trust them to be a decent member. If they commit a serious offence, like selling an invite, the entire invite tree gets banned, not just the offenders account. So you're putting your own ass on the line by inviting random people.

Anyways, the EP is kinda cool. Had Ashtray Wasp in some crappy AAC format for a while now, but didn't trust it to be legit until it was released proper. It's a nice release, but the amount of distortion and crackle in his tracks is getting a bit extreme. Reminds me of something like GAS, just in a more bassy form.

Kingdom fan #1 right here.

Reply 56
Friend just showed me this, the last minute's amazing:

Original post by Aisha~~
I think most new members get their invites from other users these days. Certainly I got lucky in that my ex had an account. Trouble is, it takes a lot of effort in seeding, both new torrents and those you've downloaded, to reach the rank where you can invite others. Even then, you only get to invite someone once every 3 months or something. Plus, you've got to trust them to be a decent member. If they commit a serious offence, like selling an invite, the entire invite tree gets banned, not just the offenders account. So you're putting your own ass on the line by inviting random people.

Anyways, the EP is kinda cool. Had Ashtray Wasp in some crappy AAC format for a while now, but didn't trust it to be legit until it was released proper. It's a nice release, but the amount of distortion and crackle in his tracks is getting a bit extreme. Reminds me of something like GAS, just in a more bassy form.

Kingdom fan #1 right here.



Liking the Kingdom track. Nice incorporation of the RnB sounding vocals. Slightly odd that the text for the youtube says DNBstream...doesn't sound like DNB to me. More garagey/funky. Not that the genre names matter much anymore.
(edited 12 years ago)
Original post by Mo-Amin
Friend just showed me this, the last minute's amazing:



Deep track. Garnered a lot of positive attention. Was a good year for Holy Other.
Original post by mau5
Where's the vocal sample from Adrenalin taking from, any idea? Always bugged me as it sounds so familiar.


Figured this out yet? It's been driving me mad since i first heard it!

Edit: Tear You Down by Brookes Brothers is what i was thinking of. Finally managed to find it after piecing lyrics i could remember together. Obviously it's very different with Scuba's thing, but i'm sure that's the familiarity i remember! I don't really remember listening to it as such before, just on a night out.

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