We have taken notice as major vocal artists flirt with dubstep. From Snoop Dogg, Britney Spears, Rihanna, to Wu-Tang, it seems everyone interacts with the genre differently. “Love Never Dies,” from Mr Hudson is one of the best infusions we have heard to date. We didn’t expect any less after learning that British dubstep impresario Caspa was behind the production.

The song is derived from an original Caspa track, “Back For The First Time“. While the song receives raves — already named by BBC Radio 1  as the ”Hottest Record in the World Today,” we wonder how it will take hold in the States, and whether there is a future collaboration in the works for the two artists. With the success of Skream’s remix of La Roux’s ”In for the Kill,” we expect a lot more mainstream artists to test the elements of this up-and-coming genre.  Love Never Dies is available via iTunes today. Check out the video for the track after the jump.

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In June we reported on Mark Ronson’s upcoming whopper of an album, Record Collection. While it isn’t due till September 28th, you can get a taste of what is to come. The latest single to come off the forthcoming album features  Ghostface Killah. If this were facebook, we’d be hitting the like button all over this one. Check out the track below and enjoy.

Mark Ronson Feat. Ghostface Killah – Lose It (In The End)

While this young woman from South East London may not appear to be much more than a pretty face, Andreya Triana’s debut album Lost Where I Belong is an exquisite 9 track journey through heartfelt melancholy and sage contemplation of her place in this world. The British self-taught singer and songwriter grew up submerged in a multicultural atmosphere, and the impact of this has clearly influenced the formation of her music to create aural art that exists outside of traditional boundaries. Andreya began singing when she was only 7 years old, using the sights and sounds of inner city London as her inspiration and the foundation to her inception as an artist. Her natural affinity for communication through music encouraged her to dedicate huge amounts of time to writing poetry, making homemade mix tapes, and recording her own original tracks on battered cassette decks.

Lost Where I Belong is a beautifully crafted album, pairing Andreya’s profound and smokey vocals with masterful production by jazzy beat master Bonobo. Andreya’s haunting and soulful voice manages to rest on that perfect balance that so many R&B singers strive to attain – the delicate tipping point where beautiful melancholy and near sorrow maintains an underlying resilient strain of light and hope. Her voice imparts a certain sense of belief – a steadfast faith that through the darkness of heartache and loneliness, the future is bright with possibility, and every day is alive with chances for new beginnings.

The album opens with the appropriately entitled”Draw the Stars”, a tune who’s wistful melody speaks volumes of dreams and night skies. A simple deep bassline in the background is sprinkled with ethereal sounding chimes, truly transporting the listener to the realm of imagination, as if the notes are raining down from the twinkling stars themselves.

The title track and single “Lost Where I Belong” is next, opening with sultry and scratchy brass notes before introducing her overlaying vocals. The essence of this album, this core feeling of confusion and loneliness underlined by hope, truly flows in earnest from this one central track. This aura  of melancholy and faith is underlined by the string section at the end of the song, which seems to carry the listener into the future, as if to say that the journey is only just beginning. It also serves to transition into the second single off the album, “A Town Called Obsolete”. This mournful psalm is a heartfelt plea for patience and faith in the face of indifference, and once again reflects Andreya’s frustration and inner turmoil through the emotional weight of the production and melody.

Another deeply beautiful song is “Daydreamers”, an incredibly sexy and penetratingly blue tune, with Andreya’s open and raw voice gracefully smoothed across a simple melody, impossibly heavy with heart. Listening to this song feels like floating on still water and staring at the sky, or gazing deep into a fire, in many ways creating an actual manifestation of the content of the lyrics themselves, namely floating away on daydreams.

The concluding track “X”, provides the perfect end to this beautifully emotional album. A feeling of drama and sorrow is carried on the strings of the harp and cello, like saying a painful goodbye to a lover or dear friend. The painful goodbye of this nostalgic and relatively simple song ensures that even after the last note sounds, the remnants of a twinge of heartache is left resounding in your chest.

Ultimately, while the album’s funkier and more upbeat tracks may be more danceable and fun, Andreya Triana truly creates something meaningful and profound through the works of art that are her quieter, simpler, and weightier songs. The heart heavy and dreamy quality that pervades through both her voice and the message of her lyrics shines most brightly when the melody and production is reflective of this quality. It is during these tracks that the material world melts away, and the listener is transported into this emotional journey, where the path may we winding and the road lonely, but there always remains light at the end of the tunnel.

Lost Where I Belong drops September 7th, 2010 from Ninja Tune. Until then, visit Andreya Triana’s WEBSITE to watch the music video for “A Town Called Obsolete”, listen to the Mount Kimbie remix of the same track, download the Flying Lotus edit of “Lost Where I Belong”, and place advance orders for the CD or LP.

Andreya Triana – “Lost Where I Belong” (Flying Lotus Remix)

Mount Kimbie – Crooks & Lovers (Hotflush Recordings 2010) [Vinyl | Digital]

The U.K. society of bass stretches far beyond the bounds of audible range; one can rummage through countless tunes, sub-genres and genres until the brain just shuts down from low-frequency exhaustion. It’s a fruitful time for sure, as we have artists like Mount Kimbie providing a sound that’s so natural and so organic to their musical climate that people get drawn in and never come out thinking about music the same way. The duo of Dom Maker and Kai Campos have been releasing tunes since 2008, forging a relationship with the bass community and beyond. Their most well-known tune, “Maybes”, stunned people from every continent and proved that Mount Kimbie was a sound that wasn’t particularly stuck to one genre. Dark, inviting and enticing all at once, they continued to make tunes, unassuming of the hype that would build up towards their first album release. Enter July 2010, and Hotflush Recordings have graced us with one of the best albums of the year so far, Crooks & Lovers, an enduring journey that’s more than what one would expect from up-and-coming electronic producers.

The album starts off with a tone that’s similar to a train leaving the station in a hurry but then is taken over by a guitar and a child-like vocal sample. “Tunnelvision” is the starter that pretty much sets the table for the journey one takes in listening, as chopped and filtered percussion go between synth notes, guitar notes and vocals (presumably from Kimbie collaborator James Blake). The next tune takes the familiar tonality of previous Kimbie records and spins it into a grainy, dissipating struggle between ambience and notation. Cut-up samples, plopped bass tones and a rhythm that stays in your head for ages, “Would Know” is a perfect trip between positive and negative energies that lead to an ultimately satisfactory purgatory of cloudiness. The next few tracks, “Before I Move Off” and “Blind Night Errand” find a light in the cloudiness, providing contrasting ideas within their audible context but ultimately leading to the gorgeousness of the guitar chords of “Adriatic”. A simplistic tunes of minimal electronics, guitar, handclaps and somewhat-satisfying scat vocals, the short and sweet tune provides a look beyond bass for the duo and more towards the aspect that the Kimbie boys are songwriters and not just producers.

The next track is undeniably a bumpin’ one; “Carbonated” is similar to what you would hear on the intelligent and welcoming dancefloors of London town, expecting invigorating rhythms and cut-up RnB vocal samples. The chords, lush and lamenting, sound like the doing of James Blake, who we don’t know had officially worked on this album. No matter, because it’s a great tune that finds ways to tug at the heartstrings and provide a beat amongst its doing. Again, the next two tracks are complete contrasts of one another; “Ruby” being a dark and dusty walk amongst town drones and “Ode to Bear” being a tale of a long night, being a bit chipper in the beginning and going closer to the grain of bass-filled blues by the end of tune. The following tune might be the most intriguing on the record, as “Field” is a journey that must’ve taken place during an acid trip gone wrong, waiting for it to disperse and longing for a clear-headed viewpoint. Once the madness disperses, the guitar comes out to hopefully shake off the chemically-induced cobwebs and look towards the sun and start the day fresh once again. The final two tracks, “Mayor” and “Between Time” follow the formula of the record, be drastically different. The former, is a bouncy affair between keyboard jumpiness and high-pitched vocal cuts and bumping bass, with the occasional strike of a modular synth in the mix. “Between Time” is the excellent closer of the record, depicting the long journey back from a night on the town, whether it be the moody vocals or bass tones that will make you want to revisit Unknown Pleasures, it’s the perfect way to close out a record that’s full of everything one could expect.

While Crooks & Lovers isn’t close to a perfect record, it’s nothing short of a brilliant debut for Mount Kimbie. Alluding to their love of indie bands, hip-hop and current U.K. bass music, the duo invites us to the world of London from the eyes and ears of people, places and things they hold dear. Honest, humbling and heart-warming at times, Crooks & Lovers is an essential record to pick up in 2010.

Stream “Mayor” below and make sure you check them out October 1st at The Bunker in Brooklyn.

Mount Kimbie – Mayor

The video for “I Am Europe”, the lead single from Chilly Gonzales’ highly-anticipated upcoming album, Ivory Tower, hit the interwebs yesterday, giving us an exciting glimpse of Gonzales’ collaboration with DJ/producer Boys Noize. The seemingly unlikely partnership has spawned a truly unique sound, blending Gonzales’ piano playing and trademark spoken word with a stripped-down version of Boys Noize’s electro beats.

Click through to watch the video, which not only has a fantastic concept, but also features a hilarious appearance by Tiga.

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With vocals by M.I.A. and Collie Buddz, and remixes from Thom Yorke, Buraka Som Sistema, Kicks Like a Mule (KLAM) and others, the latest EP from Major Lazer, Lazers Never Die, highlights the great dynamics between DJs/producers Switch and Diplo. Five tracks in all, these songs are busy and unlike the riddim vibes of their 2009 release, Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do. For $4.95 we’d say Lazers Never Die is a pretty good deal, but nothing beats a free sample - click here to stream the EP on Myspace.

Click through for the track list and a video-teaser for the album.

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Today, Chromeo released “Don’t Turn the Lights On”, the second single off their upcoming album, Business Casual. The track is exactly what we would expect from Chromeo – 80′s funk, synthpop and electro – but not in the least bit disappointing. In fact, it’s just what we needed to get psyched for the release of Business Casual on September 14th. Chromeo’s summer tour will make a stop at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom on July 29. They will also be performing at Lovebox in London on July 18.

CLICK HERE to purchase the single on iTunes or head over to Stereogum for a preview.

Trouble & Bass founder Drop the Lime has finally released the EP and video for “Sex Sax”, the first single off his upcoming album, set for an October release. The catchy beat, which is dominated by a saxophone (duh), is sure to ignite dance floors across the globe this summer. CLICK HERE to buy the EP from iTunes, which features the original track, along with remixes by Bart B More, MJ Cole, Sinden (previewed below), Zombies for Money and Blu Jemz. Then watch the hilarious music video, directed by T&B’s own Patrick “The Captain” Rood, starring Dirty South Joe and Kate Boyer. The video also features a ton of cameo appearances, including 77Klash, Telli Federline, Nick Catchdubs (our favorite), Dust La Rock and of course, the Trouble & Bass crew. Check it out after the jump…

Drop the Lime – “Sex Sax” (Sinden Remix)

Don’t miss Dance Right vs. Trouble & Bass this Friday at the Puma Social Club, where AC Slater, Star Eyes and The Captain will be joined by Them Jeans, resident DJ at Dim Mak Tuesedays at Cinespace in Los Angeles. The event is free with RSVP.

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As a New Yorker, I’m a sucker for art, fashionable people, an open bar, and good music. At the Dash Gallery last Tuesday, we found all four. Featuring art by Mark Roth, Julian Gilber and Innver City Avant Garde, and DJ sets from Bim Marx, Vin Sol, & One Auff to start the night, we couldn’t have been better prepared for the main event.

Celebrating the release of their new single and video for their track, “Black & Blue”, directed by Kahlil Joseph of Directors Bureau, New York’s Cubic Zirconia put on a live performance that heated up the Tribeca gallery space. They have great energy and are completely unpredictable. Words alone can’t describe the mesmerizing and unique experience, so go ahead and check out the photos from their electrifying performance and the moments leading up to it. Also, click through for the video of “Black & Blue”.

The Dash Gallery is hosting the 10th anniversary of The Bicycle Film Festival till June 20th from 6pm to 10pm.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ALBUM

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With the help of thirty musicians – yes you read that correctly, thirty(!!!) musicians – Mark Ronson‘s upcoming album, Record Collection (due in September) will be a gathering of talents from around the globe that qualifies as a form of musical Superfriends. But, don’t be fooled, most of this album, which will feature Ronson’s vocal debut, is being recorded right here in New York City. It’s been three years since he released his last album, Versions, but we would hardly call this an absence - the producer has kept busy on numerous projects, including his band, Chauffeur, with Sam Sparro, Theophilus London, and the Dap Kings.

The first single off his third album, “Bang Bang Bang” features Q-Tip and MNDR (aka Amanda Warner), and was co-written with the Kaiser Chiefs’ drummer, Nick Hodgson. It is a witty play on the French nursery rhyme “Alouette” with a touch of pop. If the single and the 80′s Sci-Fi style video is any indication of the album to come (beyond the thirty artists involved) then it is one to look forward to. Among the Business INTL, Mark Ronson has enlisted Q-Tip, D’Angelo, Boy George, Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, Alex Greenwald, Nick Hodgson, Ghostface, MNDR, Dap Kings, Spank Rock, Andrew Wyatt (of Miike Snow), Rose Eleanor Dougall, Wiley and MC Pill, among others. Where he finds the time between a new Amy Winehouse album and jockey duties at East Village Radio, we have no clue. Without a doubt, a release like this qualifies as a summer jam from the Grammy-winning producer. And while this taste won’t hold us over for long, it will have to do for now. Check out two tracks from the upcoming album below and click through for the new video.

Mark Ronson & The Business INTL – “Bang Bang Bang”

Mark Ronson – “Circuit Breaker”

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