We’ve seen 77Klash perform a few times over the past year, most notably as the MC for Major Lazer’s NYC debut and the Trouble & Bass Three Year Anniversary Party, but today he is finally releasing his first EP on Trouble & Bass recordings, Shadow of Death. The five-track EP, his first release in over two years, was produced by T&B’s own Drop the Lime and AC Slater. Shadow of Death layers 77Klash’s hard-hitting raps over beats inspired by a wide range of genres, including dubstep, ragga, hip hop and of course, bass. Check out the title track below, preview the EP HERE, or head over to iTunes to purchase Shadow of Death.

77Klash – “Shadow of Death” (download via The Fader)

Everyone in New York looks for big things; from big DJs, big clubs and big buzz, it’s all about the size of it all. Enter Dark Disco, MeanRed’s seminal event dedicated to all things massive. Originating from their Central Park event last year with Drop The Lime and Boys Noize, the MeanRed crew go darker and deeper in this installment; housing a multimedia extravaganza in the L.E.S. establishment Element. The fun starts with an atmosphere that will include ice sculpture art, textual imagery and much, much more, but the spotlight is on the group of artists who are coming together to provide the audio goodness for the 7-hour bash.

The artists taking the trans-Atlantic trip over are nothing short of epic; with Werk Discs head honcho Actress (off the heels of his amazing sophomore album, Splazsh), Hyperdub heroine Ikonika and UK Garage don MJ Cole providing the forward-thinking vibes of what’s across the pond with a spread of funky, dubstep and anything in between. Joining them will be NYC heroes Nick Hook (of Cubic Zirconia), Ghostly-based bass crooner Michna, and mythical house master Kenny Dope. In addition to all this, Canadian bass bomber Egyptrixx comes to round out a night full of amazing tunes.

Click through for a chance to win a pair of tickets. Advance tickets HERE.

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In a surprising union, Major Lazer (Diplo + Switch) has teamed up with La Roux to create Lazerproof, a mixtape that combines Major Lazer’s electro-dancehall bangers with tracks from La Roux’s eponymous debut album. No stranger to the realm of mixtapes, Diplo has collaborated with M.I.A. on Piracy Funds Terrorism and Santigold on Top Ranking, creating mixtapes that fuse the respective artists’ debut albums with a selection of hip hop, dubstep and reggae beats. La Roux’s songs have seen their share of dubstep remixes, making her collaboration with Major Lazer a little less surprising (bonus: check out tradehooks compilation of the best La Roux remixes HERE).

Lazerproof balances the familiar with the unfamiliar, while delivering surprise after surprise. Some songs are close derrivatives of their respective archetypes  - the Costra Nostra Edit of “Cover My Eyes” adds a ska beat while keeping the melody and vocals intact. “In For The Kill” gets reworked twice, first in “Independent Kill”, where Candi Redd raps over the original melody, then again in ”In 4 The Kill Pon de Skream”, which takes Skream’s pervasive remix  and laces it with a stripped-down beat from “Pon de Floor” for a curiously subtle result.

“Magic (Falling Soldiers Dub)”, a less obvious interpretation of “As If By Magic”, takes the vocals from its poppy predecessor and lays it over a reggae dub. Stripped of its synth undertones, the song takes on a completely different mood. The two closing tracks – “I Said It (Major Lazer Dubplate)” featuring Opal and “Hold Yuh (Double Dubplate)” featuring Gyptian – left us mystified. Although there are two La Roux songs that didn’t get the mixtape treatment (“Saviour” and “Reflections Are Protection”), neither resembles the tracks in question.

CLICK HERE to download Lazerproof from the Mad Decent blog, a free download if you get it today (Wednesday, May 26). Last we checked, the server was having some issues, so if you need it right this second (as we did), head over to the Stockholm Beat Connection for an alternate download link.

We leave you with two samples from Lazerproof: “In 4 The Kill Pon de Skream” and the mysterious “Hold Yuh (Double Dubplate)”. If you can figure out its origins, by all means, enlighten us in the comments section below.

Major Lazer & La Roux – “In 4 The Kill Pon de Skream”

Major Lazer & La Roux featuring Gyptian – “Hold Yuh (Double Dubplate)”

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After a five-year absence, Robyn is set to release Body Talk Pt. 1 – her fifth studio album – on June 14. In anticipation, she has already released three tracks – “Femebot”, “None of Dem” (produced by Royksopp) and “Dancehall Queen” (produced by Diplo) – through digital outlets; today sees the video release for her first single, “Dancing On My Own”. The video, directed by Max Vitali, is about “being sad on a dance floor”, Robyn said in a behind-the-scenes video,”there’s a lot of dancing in the video, both by me and other people.” Decida, the video’s choreographer, adds: “It’s about her being kind of pissed off… and dancing and bringing out some kind of energy.” Indeed, the video showcases Robyn’s signature dance style that first charmed us on her 2007 tour.

The behind-the-scenes video also gives us a sneak peek of what her upcoming tour will look like. “It’s going to be looking a little bit like what I’m going to bring on tour,” Robyn said of the video set, “So it’s going to be a performance video but it’s also going to be in something like a rave or like a club or somewhere where people are dancing.” In a creative marketing move, Robyn and Kelis engaged in a Twitter conversation yesterday, which served to announce their joint US Tour, tentatively called the “All Hearts Tour”.

Watch the video for “Dancing On My Own” after the jump, and CLICK HERE for a behind-the-scenes look. We’ll be catching Robyn this summer when she headlines the Øya Festival in Oslo, and will bring you more details on her stateside jaunt as they emerge. Stay tuned…

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Our local DJ hero, Nick Catchdubs, squeezed together a sublime selection of tunes for Asian Dan to create Pink Lemonade, and this mix is a gem. One half of Fool’s Gold Records and curator of our favorite Flashing Lights party, Nick continues to enlighten our sonic palate. We look forward to hearing his upcoming release on FG and beyond. Check him spin this Friday, May 21st with Treasure Fingers and Maluca at Webster Hall.

Nick Catchdubs “Pink Lemonade” Mix [CLICK HERE to download via Asian Dan]

Hit the jump for the tracklist and make sure to visit  Asian Dan’s quick Q&A as he discusses future Fool’s Gold projects and gives us some insightful advice.

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After much anticipation, A-Trak has finally unleashed Dirty South Dance 2 on the interwebs. The sequel to the 2007 original flawlessly fuses hip hop vocals with dance tracks and his signature scratching, resulting in fifty minutes of pure fun. With seamless transitions and a top-notch song selection, A-Trak makes it seem like hip hop and electro were born to mingle. Our favorites? “Trizzy Turnt Up”, in which he layers Soulja Boy’s “All The Way Turnt Up” over Claude VonStroke’s “Vocal Chords”, and “Ain’t I a Joker”, which pairs Yung L.A.’s “Aint I” with Joker’s “Tron”.

A-Trak has once again enlisted Shepard Fairey to create the accompanying artwork, to be released in a deluxe pack that will include a poster, t-shirt, and hard copy of the CD. Stream or download the mixtape below, and if you can’t get enough of the dirty south, then definitely check out Southerngold – Terry Urban’s concoction that melds southern hip hop with Santigold’s eponymous debut album.

This week’s volume of Music Monday brings us artists with new albums who have the ability to take simple forms and make them resonate with reverberation inspired either by words, vocals, instrumentals or beats. This Music Monday features The National (High Violet), Fan-Tan (Age of Discovery), Kaskade (Dynasty), Marco Benevento (Between the Needles and Nightfall), Thee Oh Sees (Warm Slime) and a bonus track from M.I.A‘s forthcoming untitled album.

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On Thursday evening, we stopped by Santos Party House to catch Jive Records’ showcase for LA-based  R&B/Electro-Funk musician Miguel. Hot 97′s DJ Enuff warmed up the crowd at the Ciroc-sponsored affair. This was Miguel’s NYC debut, which went well for the fresh young talent.  Backed by drums, bass, keys and electric guitar, his rhythmic slow jams brought together a nice crowd, who weren’t the only ones having a good time – the group seemed to enjoy themselves on the stage as well. Miguel invited J. Cole on stage to perform “All I Want is You”, which is Miguel’s first single. Check out his latest mixtape HERE.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

When we last saw Holy Fuck in New York City, the band took us by surprise. Having heard them numerous times, and attracted in part by their nifty name, their music drew us in like flies on stink. If you’ve ever seen these guys live, this analogy is only fitting, because a fly does not envision this stink how we perceive it, and its attraction is only natural – the same inclination I have towards the music of Holy Fuck. Borderline, their sound is a trance of rock and electronic music. Up to date, they are one of the best live electronic and percussion groups I have ever seen. Their instruments include excursions of makeshift items that are manipulated for their sound and output. From vocodors, stripped magnetic tapes, 35 mm film synchronizers to toy keyboards, their style relies heavily on physical infusions of instruments in an era where anything can be programmed into a laptop. Within their process, considerably,  Brian Borcherdt (keyboards, effects), Graham Walsh (keyboards, effects), Matt McQuaid (bass) and Matt Schulz (drums) are masters in making of a whole new genre and style of electronic music in their orchestral approach to a contemporary form of digital composition.  Beyond performance, the music of Holy Fuck is an experience and a journey in sound. Their latest album Latin is a great encapsulation to their musical testament.

Latin, the band’s third album since their formation in 2004 was released yesterday. The album, in sporadic fashion, follows the format of their title-track, “Latin America”. It is a non-stop excursion of swinging drums, bass and synths pumping irregularly as the group works up a symphony of multiple instruments. When we last checked, their sets included over twenty pieces of electronic equipment between the two mixers alone. This album sounds just as accurate with a multitude of instruments that require skill and coordination, even in a studio. But amazingly, these guys know their instruments and how to blend them in unison.

The driving beats on this album make for quite the experience as one makes their way around the city. In all its infusions, the band reaches a nice plateau that accomplishes a symphony in electronic sound. After hearing the Latin of Holy Fuck non-stop, there’s only one thing left, (and I know Brian Borcherdt will appreciate this), and that is to hear what it sounds like off a vinyl.

Listen to a couple tracks below and click through for an Interview with Brian Borcherdt of Holy Fuck and the Video for their track “Latin America”.

Holy Fuck – “Latin America”

Holy Fuck – “Red Lights”

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