Hello and welcome to another edition of your favourite playlist, the Howl & Echoes best new music of the week! This week we’ve got a hot ‘n heavy selection of dirty hip hop, seeeeriously smooth R&B and funk, with a couple less-suggestive electro tracks in case ya need to cool down a bit. Enjoy!
Rapsody, Don’t Need It Remix ft. Joey Bada$$ & Merna
“Fuck what they say, I don’t need it, why build it in a day, just to tear it down?” starts this seductive, power hungry R&B track. Rapsody is one of the best female rappers in the game right now, and teaming up with Bada$$ was obviously the right decision. Smooth and laid back, this is a really enjoyable listen.
Blu, A$$hole (prod. Playa Haze)
This one might not have the poise and sensuality of the above track, but it’s still sexy as hell. A low range verse slithers its way above a veritable minefield of glitchy synths and eerie chords. Spacey music behind the spaced out lyrics and hazy delivery make this a strange, but utterly cool listen.
Kwamie Liv, Pleasure This Pain ft. Angel Haze
Another beautiful female-fronted hip hop/R&B track, this glides way under the radar. Also a frontrunner for my favourite new track, there’s something so completely cool and collected about the Danish newcomer and the ever-brilliant Angel Haze. Angel grows more aggressive throughout the verse, adding a completely new layer to already-cool track. “Can you love me despite the cracks?”
Dam-Funk, Glyde 2nyte ft. Leon Sylvers III
A Stones Throw shoe-in for the playlist is Dam-Funk’s latest. I’m sorry to write this, readers, but Dam puts the FUN back into FUNK. Equal parts bouncy and smooth, he’s brought that bass out of the shimmery disco-ball era and into the tech age, while the vocals are straight out of ’90s R&B. A match made in heaven.
Jodie Abacus, Good Feeling (MXXWLL Remix)
Jodie Abacus’ original track actually featured in last week’s playlist, but this remix is cool enough that we decided to spin it twice. Slowed right down, the house track has been given a smooth R&B makeover, with ambient underlayers and a great beat. The tampered track grows glitchier throughout, keeping you on your toes.
Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders, Her Hands (Donny Benet Remix)
Everyone who reads this website knows Jack Ladder is one of my favourite local bands, so any new releases are exciting. Today, we’ve been blessed with a remix of 2014 single Her Hands, courtesy of Dreamlander bassist Donny Benet. Loaded with an artillery of synths and ’80s bass, there’s a cool Depeche Mode vibe to it all.
Cash+David, Pains 4 U ft. Rome Fortune
Cash+David released one of my favourite songs of 2014, and I’m happy that they’re back on the field again, with the bright new single Pains 4 U. With an air of sentimentality – musically and lyrically – to it, I absolutely love the melody, and the way it plays around with different voices and tones.
Diva, Divinity in Thee
Electronic pop artist Diva has a so-called “inter-dimensional” debut album coming out at the end of the month, under Peanut Butter Wolf’s own pop-centric Circle Star, a Stones Throw imprint. Sparse and transcendental, it’s a bright, rich track with a catchy beat and Scandinavian-style vocal hops.
Anatole, Away ft. Tash Parker
This is a beautiful, wholly engaging track from start to end. Each phrase feels different to the last, with really gorgeous production and a myriad instrumental, electronic and rhythmic layers, each toying with the melody at various points throughout. A really immersive, impressive new track from Melbourne’s Anatole.
LUCIANBLOMKAMP, From Afar
Probably my favourite new track this week, I’m saving the best for last. Melbourne’s LUCIANBLOMKAMP is once again slaying the local electronic scene with his dark, atmospheric and completely unique productions. From Afar is intense, rich with deep melodic layers and heavy-handed synths. The blend of a deep rhythm with crackly strings is simply stunning. Click here to read my full review.