Since 2011, Decadence NYE held in downtown Denver, Colorado has been one of the largest music festivals in the southwest US. Its lineup and influence continues to grow, featuring world-class artists and all-new locations hosting different branches of the festival, which now has setups in Arizona and Utah, bringing with it more opportunities to grow, and bring dance culture to a region where it has been lacking in the past.
Round one of announcements of the Denver 2016 lineup definitely did not disappoint, and huge names such as Big Wild, Bob Moses, Disclosure, Kasbo, Keys N Krates, Marshmello, RL Grime vs. Baauer, and Zeds Dead. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, round two brought about Bassnectar, our boy Flume, Griz, Phantoms, Snails, and EDM artists like Tiesto and Eric Prydz.
Between the chill and luxurious vibes of Bob Moses and Kasbo, to the once-in-a-lifetime RL Grime vs. Baauer set, to the trap/band feel of Keys and Krates, and can’t miss visual experiences from Bassnectar and Flume, there’s plenty of magic here for music fans of all types. Decadence NYE, the largest New Years Eve dance celebration, is well stocked with surprises in store and enjoyment to be had.
With more to join the lineup, and 2 days of great music and shelter from the December chill (at least, for the American audience), we couldn’t imagine a better way to bring in the new year.
More info can be found here, and tickets can be purchased here.
Image: Decadence NYE
In 2016, every genre is starting to blend into one another. You’ve got indie bands adopting electronic elements, you’ve got pop music incorporating blues, rock, rap, you’ve got hip-hop utilising jazz and gospel more than ever.
One of the best cross-genre blends comes from the marriage of hip-hop and electronic music. Solid rhymes can sound incredible atop slick production and collaboration between these artists can create something really remarkable.
Here’s some of our favourites.
1. Baauer – Kung Fu ft. Pusha T & Future
Harry Bauer Rodrigues, better known as Baauer, was always heavily influenced by hip-hop in many of his early works, including a Jay-Z feature on 2013’s Higher. His production skill and its applicability to rap is no secret, as his debut full-length album Aa (pronounced Double-A) has four rap tracks, including features by Pusha T, Future, M.I.A., G-Dragon, TT the Artist, Leikeli47 and Novelist. Kung Fu is one of the singles released prior to the album’s release, and it remained one of the album’s best moments. The sampling just serves to showcase the rappers’ verses, and it makes you feel as if every beat is in exactly the right place. Listen below:
2. RL Grime – Kingpin ft. Big Sean
As instrumental trap continues to rise in popularity, it’s no surprise that the genre, strongly rooted and based off of hip-hop production, would feature rap vocals. Much of the work that RL Grime has put out has had these roots, and some of his songs (Core, for example) have become iconic to the point where you just about can’t hear a trap set without his influence. Big Sean takes the spotlight on this one, and this eerie lead in leads us to verses brimming with power, and make it so you can’t help but feel like a kingpin.
The Mura Masa remix gets an honourable mention on this one. The subterranean bass and tropical feel mixed with Mura Masa’s unique sampling create a wholly new atmosphere.
3. THEY. – Motley Crue
This track is a bit different from the others, as THEY., a duo comprised of L.A. natives Drew and Dante, both vocalise and produce their own music. They blend electronic, R&B, hip-hop, soul, and whatever genre you can think up to realise their vision and create truly unique music. Motley Crue references classic rock and makes for a soulful and enchanting track that just makes you want to cruise down Sunset Boulevard.
4. Flume – Lose It ft. Vic Mensa
It’s definitely been Flume’s year, and he is definitely no stranger to hip-hop production. His debut album featured collaborators Freddie Gibbs and T-Shirt, and as Flume grows his following his list of collaborators for his 2016 album Skin he’s definitely broken into the popular scene, with collaborators like Vince Staples, Allan Kingdom, and Raekwon. Lose It has the wonky and captivating vibes that Flume is known for, and when Vic Mensa screams “Lose It,” you can’t help but to lose it right alongside him.
5. Zhu – Hold Up, Wait a Minute ft. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Trombone Shawty
Zhu’s production is always top-notch, and this is absolutely no exception. This song from 2015’s Genesis Series EP utilizes electric guitars, saxophones, the epic trombone work from Trombone Shawty, and of course the vocals of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony coupled with Zhu himself create for a jazzy and utterly unique song that is sure to win you back the AUX cord. Read our more in-depth analysis here and listen below.
6. Moody Good – Hotplate ft. Knytro
Moody Good is a classic example of dubstep and how it can be utilised to convey completely different emotions and styles. The sampling on Hotplate creates for a classic environment with incredible verses, and an infectious vibe that transitions between the softer and harder sounds of this type of electronic music perfectly.
7. Clams Casino – All Nite ft. Vince Staples
We enter with these wobbly synths that make the whole song feel like its of a colder temperature. Michael Volpe, the man behind Clams Casino, utilises classic hip-hop production style while adding unconventional and compelling sampling to create unparalleled soundscapes. His debut album 32 Levels had many surprising features, and Vince Staples’ verses contribute to his created dark environment. The blending of styles is highly effective on this release that just isn’t quite like any other.
8. Rustie – Attak ft. Danny Brown
In a conversation about rap and electronic joining forces, this modern classic is often referenced, and has definitely made its impact for doing just that. This toy-like instrumental contrasts the unique grit of Brown’s voice, and when the bass hits, it’s hard to not get up and dance.
9. GTA & What So Not – Feel It ft. Tunji Ige
Australia native Chris Emerson, also known as What So Not, and American duo Julio Mejia and Matt Toth, also known as GTA, joined forces in creating a song that is oh-so summery with the perfect vibe for any situation. This absolutely cinematic song compels you from the first line, and Tunji Ige’s verses give the perfect edge that keep you hooked. The song is featured as a closing bonus track to What So Not’s Divide and Conquer EP, and will be featured on GTA’s upcoming EP.
https://soundcloud.com/wearegta/gta-what-so-not-ft-tunji-ige-feel-it
10. Ty Dolla $ign – Stand For (prod. Diplo)
A shameless inclusion of one of my favourite songs. The samples create an experience that can best be described as ethereal. Ty Dolla $ign delivers verses in his signature style over globally renowned producer Diplo’s production, it creates something like magic. Diplo later utilised this beat for another song, titled Long Way Home, that was created to marry hip-hop production to create an alternative song, which features Grizzly Bear’s Edward Droste and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam. This same overall song structure was used to create two completely different soundscapes, and they both marry their respective genres effortlessly, which I will include as another honourable mention of sorts. Listen to both below:
This list is ever-expanding, and collaborations that cross genres are very prevalent in music now. In 2014, many producers were remixing alternative songs, and today it seems that hip-hop and rap is doing it’s time in the electronic and alternative spotlight. These collaborations all do what they promise, and marry genres for a wholly enjoyable experience.
Image: YouTube
Producer Harry Bauer Rodrigues, aka Baauer, knows a thing or two about global travel. As a child, he lived all over the world, spending time in England and Germany, as well as the US, and a multi-racial upbringing taught him to appreciate travel and global culture of all types.
This is especially apparent in his new Beats 1 Radio show, Studio B, which shares a name with a previous Las Vegas residency. His bi-weekly show is set to feature a different country every week, and focus on a different aspect of global music.
His premiere show featured an hour-long set from Tropkillaz, a Brazilian duo who spotlighted their Latin flair during their appearance on the show. Baauer also premiered a new single, entitled How Can You Tell When It’s Done? featuring artist CZ. This experimental and industrial banger is available worldwide for free, linked below.
This week’s show is to feature DJ N*g*afox, a DJ hailing from Portugal who will bring his unique style to the table. Baauer is a leader and innovator in the trap genre, and his album Aa has been called one of the best albums of 2016. We can’t wait to see what he’ll do next.
Listen to the show on Beats 1.
Image: livemusicblog.com
It’s fair to say that majority of producers and musicians will, for the majority of their careers, stick to what they know. They might stay with the same instruments, but in most cases, the same genre. In a world of music that is ever changing, lines between genres are constantly shifting, so one might be forgiven for mislabeling something every once in a while.
With the release of his debut album Aa, Philadelphia producer Baauer, real name Harry Bauer Rodrigues, has thrown off the shackles placed on him by the masses – pigeonholing. Having for years been labeled as a trap producer, Aa’s 13 tracks see him moving from genre to genre, and demonstrating his abilities across all facets of electronic music.
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GoGo! is the first single taken from Aa, which Harry released before his Halloween show in Sydney last year. It’s been quite a while, and at first listen, you might have imagined what the rest of the album would have been like – the same heavy and intricate trap production that the Baauer name has become known for. Further down the track we got Day Ones – Baauer’s very successful attempt at a bass heavy grime track featuring vocals by up and comers Leikeli47 and Novelist. It’s exactly what you’d expect, and it’s been working its charms since it debuted on Colbert early last month. Then just less than a month ago we got Pusha T and Future coming together on Kung Fu – with production you could’ve mistaken was an original for either MC (so fitting). If you’ve been paying any attention to the release of Aa, you would have already known that there was a huge bunch of features coming – with M.I.A., G Dragon, TT the Artist and Tirzah all perfectly complimenting Baauer’s work in impressive and varied ways. Each track is constructed in a way that gets the most out of each feature – with Baauer’s instrumentation and flow perfectly complimenting the voices of his collaborators, and those collaborators each giving some of their best performances in recent memory. The only disappointing guest feature, as surprising as it is to say, is Rustie. Though Church Reprise is a beautifully entrancing one and a half minutes, it’s not what a Baauer/Rustie collaboration should have been. With both their masteries of bass and crazy synths, Church Reprise should be the banger of the year without a doubt – but maybe them not doing that was a statement about their work in itself?
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Part of what makes this album such a joy and an experience is the diversity in the sounds that Baauer makes use of. Those who are familiar with Baauer’s work may have seen a documentary done by Red Bull Music a little over a year and a half ago, following Harry as he globetrotted, sampling sounds for use in his work. Some of those sounds and soundscapes make their way into Aa, and those that Harry’s made himself are as different as they are a pleasure to listen to. Though it’s not just synths, guitars and samples that are manipulated throughout, there are so many different and ever changing time signatures and tempos through this record that keep it sounding vibrant and playful after each and every listen. Even within the same tracks these tempos and genres are constantly shifting – Make It Bang goes from house influence, to straight up trap, and tops it all off with a jersey club finish – such impressive stuff. On top of all the huge sounds on the record, Baauer has also peeled it back on a number of songs, which are more like interludes. Sitting at the very middle of the album, Good & Bad is a minute of swirling vocals that help to split up the more intense moments of Aa – but if only it was longer. Most of all though, this album is versatile. Almost every track finds its home both in a set of headphones and on a dancefloor. On one level, it’s all so intricate, with so many layers working together to dazzle your ears. On another, it bangs – HARD.
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There’s no doubt in my mind that if I were to say the word Baauer to anyone on the street, majority would immediately reply – “is that the dude that did the Harlem Shake?” They’d be right of course, but they’d be missing out on work by a producer who has over the last few years shown that he’s so much more than that. Aa is Harry’s scream to the heavens that he’s one of the most versatile producers around at the moment, and the fact that every track on this record is gold makes clear that he’s not slowing down any time soon.
Earlier this month Baauer made news for his crazy performance of his track Day Ones on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert – largely because as DJ he simply pressed play and let his collaborator Leikeli47 take centre stage. Having just released the video for Day Ones last week, Baauer is back again today, premiering Kung Fu, with huge features from Pusha T and Future, on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1.
While Day Ones and GoGo! are more in banger territory, Kung Fu is by far the most hip-hop track that Baauer has released from his upcoming album Aa (pronounced “double a”). Baauer peels it back a bit on Kung Fu – demonstrating his ability to make the most of his collaborators abilities by producing tracks that really let them shine on it. It almost feels like it could be a straight up Pusha T or Future song, but Baauer keeps reminding you it’s him – from the obviously slick production to the very Harlem Shake vocal sample that’s chopped and screwed throughout. These are by far the most anticipated features on Aa, and it definitely lives up to expectations.
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That said, there’s still some huge features to be heard, and you can check the tracklisting below before Aa comes out on March 18. With the quality of what’s been released so far, it’s not unreasonable to say that Baauer’s Aa could be one of, if not the biggest dance album of the year.
Aa:
01 Church
02 GoGo!
03 Body
04 Pinku
05 Sow
06 Day Ones (feat. Novelist & Leikeli47)
07 Good & Bad
08 Way From Me (feat. Tirzah)
09 Temple (feat. M.I.A. & G Dragon)
10 Make it Bang (feat. TT the Artist)
11 Kung Fu (feat. Pusha T & Future)
12 Church Reprise (feat. Rustie)
13 A.a
Photo: LuckyMe
What do you get when you mix trap, grime, and a hectic female rapper?
Well, besides a very excited H&E editor, you get the amazing new video from viral-sensation-turned-trap-legend Baauer, for his new single Day Ones, featuring rapper Leikeli47 and grime lord Novelist.
Now, we’ve never made a secret of the fact that trap and grime are among the most ultimate of guilty pleasures, but if this is anything to go by, Baauer’s upcoming debut album Aa is going to be something else.
Baauer first debuted Day Ones on Late Night With Stephen Colbert, and the video is now available below via Apple Music. Directed by Hiro Murai (who has previously worked with Earl Sweatshirt, Massive Attack and Flying Lotus,) it’s as intense and adrenaline-filled as the song itself.
Leikeli47 is an absolute standout – she released one of our favourite albums of 2015 and we’ve been championing her ever since. One of the loudest voices in the uprising of a new generation of female hip-hop artists, her bars, not to mention those from South London’s Novelist, have made for one hell of a trap single.
Baauer is set to drop his debut album Aa (pronounced “double a”) on March 18 via Warp/Inertia. As well as Novelist and Leikeli47, the album will feature a slew of big names, including Future, Pusha T, M.I.A, Rustie, Tricky-collaborator Tirzah, and plenty more.
Delivering an incendiary rendition of Day Ones (ft. Novelist and Leikeli47) on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, producer Baauer has announced that his debut album will be dropping on March 18th.
Perhaps best known for his viral single Harlem Shake in 2013, the 26-year-old producer has continued to prove his chops with a string of singles including 2014’s One Touch and 2015’s GoGo!
Titled Aa (pronounced ‘double a’) the album draws inspiration from rap and dance music from the producer’s native Brooklyn, as well as influences from his travels abroad. For his debut, Baauer will be joined by a string of big-name collaborators including Future, Pusha T, M.I.A, Rustie and Tirzah. The album will also continue the producer’s visual collaboration with LA-based artist, Jonathan Zawada.
“I started making music when I was 15. From the beginning I was influenced by real sounds of the world. I spent my childhood bouncing around the globe – I lived between London, Philly, and Connecticut – my beats started off as a mix of the cultures I was surrounded by” reveals Baauer.
Reflecting on the lessons learnt from a hectic touring schedule and over two years on the road, the producer offered insight into the creative impetus for his debut album: “What makes a sound special to me is its imperfections, its peculiarities. I spent the last couple years trying to get all of those imperfections into one record, and I think finally it makes sense.”
Aa is out this March 18 on through LuckyMe via Warp/Inertia.
Pre order here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etUVKcVBoMI
Tracklist:
- Church
- GoGo!
- Body
- Pinku
- Sow
- Day Ones (featuring Novelist, Leikeli47)
- Good & Bad
- Way from Me (featuring Tirzah)
- Temple (featuring M.I.A, G-Dragon)
- Make It Bang (featuring TT The Artist)
- Kung Fu (featuring Pusha T, Future)
- Church Reprise (featuring Rustie)
- Aa
It was up there with one of the best releases of the year, and now it’s been giving an all-star remix treatment. That’s right- four remixes have now been released from Shlohmo‘s brooding, mysterious Dark Red, and they are just as good as the originals which is really saying something.
Baauer, Jacques Green, Chet Faker and Jim-E Stack have all offered up their own takes on cuts from Dark Red, and have all brought their A-game by turning the tracks on their heads. Jim-E Stack’s percussion-led take on Slow Descent; Chet Faker providing some intimate and vulnerable vocals over Remains; Baauer and Jacques Green both choosing the stunning Ten Days of Falling to lend their signature touches to- these remixes provide even more mystery and depth to an already really dark, mysterious and deep record.
You can purchase the remixes on iTunes now, or head to his Soundcloud to download them for free. Shlohmo was in the country earlier this year for a quick jaunt around his Splendour In The Grass set, and will be wrapping up 2015 as one of the most successful years he has had. Whilst the unnerving sounds on Dark Red would have caught more than a few fans off guard, it has opened a new sonic chapter for Shlohmo. Here’s hoping we get a lot more of this next year!
Photos by Filip Drazovic
We celebrated Halloween in style with BBE, at Oxford Art Factory in Sydney.
Trap lord Baauer left the sold-out room a heaving, sweaty mess, with brilliant support for Deckhead (not pictured), Zuri Akoko and Hatch.
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