We'll start with the easier stuff and save the more challenging sounds for the end.
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/06/the-very-best-ft-knaan-we-ok.html
"We OK" is a happy-pop tune by The Very Best (http://www.theverybestmusic.com/). The core of TVB is Esau Mwamwaya from Malawi and this song is one long shout-out to Africa in lyrics, language and rhythm. But it's also infused with modern Western pop and hip-hop sensibilities and features K'naan, himself an African (Somali) relocated to the West (Canada).
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/06/lana-del-rey-national-anthem-full-remix-pack.html#more-84715
Lana Del Rey's latest single "National Anthem" comes with a slew of remixes. All are worth listening to, though I think I like the Burns one best, giving you a variety of takes on the track. The video is also worth a watch, a very interesting play on modernizing the JFK/Jackie myth, with Lana as a modern/throwback First Lady and a black man president, along with two cute and obviously mixed-race children. The politics of this vid are as good as the music.
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/07/copycat-and-the-living-is-easy.html#more-84885
Copycat has a new "easy listening" set out. It's nearly two hours long and unfortunately there aren't individual uploads for most of the tracks. They're timestamped in the blog post, though so you can do a bit of skipping about. I think my favorite is Xtrafunk vs Ram Jam – "Lazy Sunday/Black Betty". Black Betty is a classic and has been remixed and mashed-up several times but this one is (surprise) extra funky and smooth.
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/07/urban-knights-under-mi-marka-sensi.html
This is one of those tunes I expect nobody but me will like, and that's OK. It's a hard-edged, slightly frantic mash-up of Dub Phizix (http://www.dubphizix.com/) a kind of weird electro-dub d&b producer with South Rakkas Crew (http://www.myspace.com/southrakkas#!) a gangsta/electro/regga/riddim duo. When I was a young adult this is sort of what I thought music would sound like in the future.
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/06/mumbai-science-lotus-alex-gopher-remix.html
Mumbai Science (http://www.mumbaiscience.net/) is a UK indie electro duo (of white guys, despite the name) that is heavily techno but dabbles in things like acid-house. Here Alex Gopher (http://soundcloud.com/alexgopher) a French remixer, does a number on their tune "Lotus". It comes out very electro, somewhat frenetic, and oddly paced.
http://rcrdlbl.com/2012/06/26/stream_nas_the_don_massive_attack_remix_
Nas is one of the few currently popular rappers who manages to avoid overloading his lyrics with n*/b*/ho outbursts. He's certainly not FCC-approved, which is just fine. His raps are fast and frequently smart. So what are Massive Attack doing remixing his "The Don"? Beats me, but I like the results. Electro-wub and hip-hop aren't close neighbors all that often so it's nice to see people trying something new.
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/06/the-very-best-ft-knaan-we-ok.html
"We OK" is a happy-pop tune by The Very Best (http://www.theverybestmusic.com/). The core of TVB is Esau Mwamwaya from Malawi and this song is one long shout-out to Africa in lyrics, language and rhythm. But it's also infused with modern Western pop and hip-hop sensibilities and features K'naan, himself an African (Somali) relocated to the West (Canada).
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/06/lana-del-rey-national-anthem-full-remix-pack.html#more-84715
Lana Del Rey's latest single "National Anthem" comes with a slew of remixes. All are worth listening to, though I think I like the Burns one best, giving you a variety of takes on the track. The video is also worth a watch, a very interesting play on modernizing the JFK/Jackie myth, with Lana as a modern/throwback First Lady and a black man president, along with two cute and obviously mixed-race children. The politics of this vid are as good as the music.
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/07/copycat-and-the-living-is-easy.html#more-84885
Copycat has a new "easy listening" set out. It's nearly two hours long and unfortunately there aren't individual uploads for most of the tracks. They're timestamped in the blog post, though so you can do a bit of skipping about. I think my favorite is Xtrafunk vs Ram Jam – "Lazy Sunday/Black Betty". Black Betty is a classic and has been remixed and mashed-up several times but this one is (surprise) extra funky and smooth.
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/07/urban-knights-under-mi-marka-sensi.html
This is one of those tunes I expect nobody but me will like, and that's OK. It's a hard-edged, slightly frantic mash-up of Dub Phizix (http://www.dubphizix.com/) a kind of weird electro-dub d&b producer with South Rakkas Crew (http://www.myspace.com/southrakkas#!) a gangsta/electro/regga/riddim duo. When I was a young adult this is sort of what I thought music would sound like in the future.
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/06/mumbai-science-lotus-alex-gopher-remix.html
Mumbai Science (http://www.mumbaiscience.net/) is a UK indie electro duo (of white guys, despite the name) that is heavily techno but dabbles in things like acid-house. Here Alex Gopher (http://soundcloud.com/alexgopher) a French remixer, does a number on their tune "Lotus". It comes out very electro, somewhat frenetic, and oddly paced.
http://rcrdlbl.com/2012/06/26/stream_nas_the_don_massive_attack_remix_
Nas is one of the few currently popular rappers who manages to avoid overloading his lyrics with n*/b*/ho outbursts. He's certainly not FCC-approved, which is just fine. His raps are fast and frequently smart. So what are Massive Attack doing remixing his "The Don"? Beats me, but I like the results. Electro-wub and hip-hop aren't close neighbors all that often so it's nice to see people trying something new.