I’m usually not one with much too say in the way of hip hop, but I must admit that this post (and my life for that matter) have had some real hip hop trends as of late. I made a comment a while back, about the time that Ed Banger’s lone hip hop act DSL made an appearance, about how it seems as though France and the US have seemingly begun to swap music tastes (we’ve handed rap over to them in exchange for gnarly electro), and three months later, I’m only further convinced. Check it out:

DatA

A month or so ago, the venerable ol’ Ekler’o’shock artist known as DatA released his first single in quite some time, and to more than a bit of acclaim: His collaboration with Sebastian Grainger of DFA79[R.I.P.] put enough class into his classic French electro to push his beats to the top of The Hype Machine (and all those other lists that tell us what’s up), and all of us were most definitely thinking, “Wow, props to that kid. He’s come a long way from Aerius Light.” I think it’s safe to say, however, that what we definitely were not thinking was, “I can’t wait for the hip hop version of this track.”

“What!?”

Shh shh shh child, this is nothing to get upset about. I assure you, he’s pulled it off quite well. (In fact it seems as though DatA is quickly becoming one of those artists for whom you resign all forms of doubt and simply allow yourself to trust that whatever their endeavor be, it shall be phenomenal.) Essentially, the guy’s emulated a version of the synthesizer that has been the [oh so cliched] backbone of awful American hip hop for too many years, and combined it with a remarkably executed auto-tune effect on Grainger’s voice (think Romanthony’s part on Daft Punk’s One More Time) to stitch together a track that’s both fresh (for the French) and refreshing (for the US). It’s also probably worthwhile to mention that the hip hop style of Rapture Pt II really brings out an element of sadness and desperation in Grainger’s voice that was partly masked by the thick electro waves of the original; It really does give the lyrics a bit of an impact boost.

MP3: DatA - Rapture Pt II

So we’ve hit the hip hop side of disco, now how about the disco side of hip hop?

Aesop Rock

I realize I’m more than a bit behind in commenting on a track from way back in the 2007 era, but some strange form of supernatural has thrust the following across my path so many times in the last week or so that I simply can’t help but share. I’m sure that if you aren’t already familiar with the fast rising act known as Aesop Rock, that you’ve at least heard the name. Aesop has, in the past year or so, been summoned to participate in projects as large as Nike’s Running Man (the very same project for which A-Trak just finished a piece), so naturally, there’s no need to doubt that he has more than a bit going for him, but because that’s likely not enough motivation to get yourself down to Amoeba to pick up his record, I’m going to take the liberty of sharing with you the track that’s been on repeat on my playlist for days. It’s clear that the roots lie in hip hop, but a gently driving 1-2 beat pushes the feel closer to something that could easily have come from Kid Sister, or one of the many other hiptronica fusions we’ve been seeing so much of. I’ll leave you with this piece of advice, if you’re planning on traveling anywhere sometime in the near future, I highly recommend that you reserve the first impression of this track for your journey; I’ve found that it does an excellent job of making the wonder and beauty of everyday life astonishingly apparent.

MP3: Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass

Much more to come later today.

Chromeo

Just a little heads up for those of you that frequently find yourselves engaged in spontaneous dance-offs, break-battles, and foot fights, if you do somehow make it through tomorrow without taking a bit of time off to listen to Chromeo’s latest audio upgrade, you could be at a significantly higher risk for an embarrassing loss: The re-release, cleverly titled, “Fancier Footwork”, will not only include the entire slightly less fancy album, as well as a whole bunch of other goodies that may well prove useful, including a series of five music videos (Fancy Footwork, Bonafied Lovin’, Tenderoni, Needy Girl, and (oh god yes! (Hey wait I just put parentheses inside parentheses…)) DJ Mehdi’s catchy, Chromeo-enhanced I Am Somebody), nine remixes, and a mini, four-song greatest hits section. Needless, to say, knowingly skipping out would be nothing short of self sabotage, and you’re just not one to act in such silliness, right? Here’s a few of the tracks that you’ll certainly be hearing again shortly…

DJ Mehdi feat. Chromeo - I Am Somebody

Chromeo - Bonafied Lovin’ - (Yuksek remix)

JFK and Kid Sister

And just as a bit of a toss in, in case you’ve got a heavier dj set coming up soon, or if you just happen to be one of those guys that lives for the sweaty electro kickers, you might check out JFK of MSTRKRFT’s recently released remix of Kid Sister’s, “Control.” The mix is quite possibly one of the loudest, most obnoxious and beautifully impatient floor shakers I’ve heard in quite some time. And no need to worry about playing it out; You can always count on MSTRKRFT’s tastefully polished production to hold everything together. Long live the king.

Kid Sister - Control (JFK remix)

Whether it be due to the fact that her younger brother is Chicago’s J2K, a talented dj better known as one half of the Flosstradomus duo, or simply because her relentless flow is an irresistible piece of ear candy, Kid Sister is (and has been for quite some time now) where it’s at.  And see the crazy thing is, it just won’t stop.  She’s created a kind of mix between hip hop and electro house that I feel is safe to say has never been done before, and it’s destroying the walls that separate the two genres, and getting her attention all across the musical spectrum.  Naturally, the remixes are dropping all over the place.  Who would have known that the release of Royal Rumble’s remix of “Damn Girl” was only the beginning? It’s been nearly nine months since that release, and the tracks are still coming strong. Give her two weeks and she’ll have scored a remix with every legitimate producer on the face of the earth. I personally cannot wait for the release of “Harder Better Faster Sister”, but while we wait for that, we’ve got remixes by TEPR, Bag Raiders, LA Riots, and A-Trak to keep us entertained.

LA Riots have done a particularly solid job on this one:
kid-sister_control-la-riots-remix

If you’re one of those guys that’s laughing at the fact that it’s taken me this long to throw up a Kid Sister post, you’re clearly already a fan, in which case you might want to check out this summer’s HARD Festival. Yes, it is the same guys that put on the NYE show, and yes, it’s going to be just as epic. Of course, Kid Sister will be there, but that’s not the half of it. Here’s the full lineup:

• Kid Sister
• MSTRKRFT
• N*E*R*D
• A-Trak
• Spank Rock
• Steve Aoki
• The Bloody Beetroots
• LA Riots
• Jason Bentley
• Destructo
• Miles Dyson
• Squeak E Clean
• DJ MomJeans
• Mr. White

Tickets are on sale now, so check out HardFest.com and grab ‘em while they’re still around!

What’s that?  You want more delicious electro meets hip hop tracks?  Well I’m sure you’ve heard MSTRKRFT’s “Bounce”?  You haven’t?  Child, you’re in for a treat.

Killing it as usual:

Bounce (feat. N.O.R.E.) [Extended Version]