New Ghostface/Meth/Raekwon LP

Keeping the ball rollin' following Raekwon's successful return to form with "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II", the much rumoured collaborative album between Rae, Ghostface Killah and Method Man will definitely see the light of day.

Here's the projected tracklisting:

1. Criminology 2.5 ft. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man2. Mef vs. Chef ft. Rhythm Roots Allstars
3. Ya Moms (skit) ft. Raekwon and Method Man
4. Smooth Sailing Remix ft. Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Solomon Childs, and Streetlife
5. Our Dreams ft. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man6. Gunshowers ft. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, and Sun God
7. Dangerous ft. Rhythm Roots Allstars
8. Pimpin' Chipp ft. Rhythm Roots Allstars
9. How to Pay Rent (skit) ft. Tracy Morgan
10. Miranda ft. Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man
11. Youngstown Heist ft. Trife, Sheek & Bully
12. It's That Wu Sh*t ft. Ghostface Killah and Method Man

'Wu Massacre' is set for release on March 30 on Def Jam Records, complete with a comic book-style cover. Contender for best Wu Tang album cover ever?

SBTRKT - Laika

Following a series of remixes and bootlegs, mysterious man of the moment SBTRKT finally drops his first official release, this being a one-sided affair on Brainmath. 

'Laika' solidifies his futuristic, smooth technoid style, and pits in the same stable as the likes of Fantastic Mr. Fox, Geiom, Sully and Deadboy. A swinging 2-step rhythm and snapping percussion firmly plants the track into the roots of the dancefloor, with house synths and a warming bassline completing a solid, even track. 

www.myspace.com/brainmathbrainmath

www.myspace.com/subtractone

Mark Pritchard - Elephant Dub/Heavy As Stone

Two massive floor shakers by Mark Pritchard for Deep Medi's latest release. As one of the most versatile, forward-thinking producers in electronic music, Pritchard has quietly notched up an enviable list of production credits during his career, most notably as Global Communication, his classic ambient project with Tom Middleton. 

'Elephant Dub' puts itself up there as one of the landmark releases on Mala's seminal imprint. Swamped with a throbbing bassline and springing, Untold-esque drums, it pulls no punches and drags all comers into a murky, minimal landscape that spits the listener out at the end feeling steamrollered.

On the flip, 'Heavy As Stone' begins innocently enough, with woozy synths and airy vocals skipping across a breezy 2-step vibe, before descending into a feverish, jazz-infused beatdown. Awesome.

www.myspace.com/officialmarkpritchard

www.deepmedi.com

Roska -"Squark"

While the premise of a dedicated UK Funky album seemed strange to some, if anyone can pull it off it's Roska. Constantly pushing the boundaries and spearheading the ever-expanding throng of producers distancing themselves from the funky house orientated sector of UKF, Roska has pulled it out of the bag with "Squark".

Laden with truimphant whistles and oscillating keys riding a stripped back, tribal rhythm, "Squark" sets things up nicely for Roska's self-titled debut, set to drop late March on Rinse. Check the promo video here:

Is there no such thing as "the music industry"?

Thought-provoking article here from Music Week editor Steve Redmond on Drowned in Sound. 


He gives his view on why there's no such thing as "the music industry", challenging whether the separate sectors work as a congruent whole, or are simply their own entities, loosely united by the common ground of music. He also touches upon the subject of Spotify, and if it has the staying power to form any discernible grasp on consumer's listening habits. 


Redmond argues that "what we can be certain of is that Spotify is not the future of the music business", and the "future of the music business will be as varied and chaotic as music itself". 


To an extent I agree with this view. As a frequent purchaser of both CDs and vinyl, I know there is a market out there for consumers willing to part with their cash for a physical product. The advent of the mp3 as a dominant music format has led to widespread cries of the CD becoming a dying breed, with scaremongers throwing statistics left, right and centre to anyone naive enough to listen. The same was said of vinyl when CDs themselves entered the market, but a recent resurgence in spending on black wax has (hopefully) set those rumours to rest.


From a strictly business point of view, it may transpire that Spotify is simply not a financially viable business, despite being an excellent, easy to use program that has proved to be very popular. But the very popularity it has achieved may well be its eventual undoing. 


Along with advertising revenue, Spotify gains most of its income through subscribers paying £9.99 a month for the benefit of advert-free listening, with the added bonus of offline streaming. But how many people do you know who actually subscribe to this service? Very few I imagine, as most are willing to put up with the intermittent advert breaks. But with Spotify recently introducing an invite-only policy for free users, it clearly isn't getting the subscriptions it was anticipating. 


This new policy may have also served as a hopeful solution for another problem: the program's rapid growth. Spotify operates on the basis that each track streamed earns the relevant record label a small royalty. With little cashflow and an increasing amount of users, Spotify will possibly fall by the wayside in a similar fashion to other ambitious music programs who have failed in the past, most notably Napster. 


For the sake of record sales, the demise of Spotify may prove a fruitful one, but its ability to gift a single user with a huge library of music, for free in some cases, is a utility not worth losing.
  

DMZ 5th Birthday

Insane line-up announced for DMZ's 5th birthday bash - but who would expect any different? Those making an appearance at the now legendary night include Skream, Benga, Hatcha, N-Type, Pinch, Joy Orbison, Oneman, Instra:mental and of course the customary Digital Mystikz vs Loefah set. Miss this at your peril.....

Zomby & Actress - 'Nothing'

Since providing us with two untitled tracks a month or so ago, a new Zomby & Actress collab has emerged via Zomby's Twitter page. Much like their previous work, 'Nothing' inhabits a sketchy, misanthropic world, swinging serenely for a brief two minutes before rolling to an abrupt stop. 

The mystery of Zomby and Actress' working relationship continues, with no indication from either whether these presumably unfinished pieces are acting as a precursor to a full release (we can hope).

FACT Mix 122: Autechre

Surpassing their consistently high standards, FACT magazine has scored a major coup - an elusive Autechre mix.

Joining the Warp Records roster in 1992, Rob Brown and Sean Booth's debut LP "Incunabula" drew inspiration from techno, breaks and hip hop, channelling their influences into a fresh sound that drew praise from both critics and fans alike. Six more efforts followed, the most recent being 2008's "Quaristice", which eschewed their usual album structures by favouring short, concise tracks. Their eagerly-awaited follow up, "Oversteps", is set to drop on March 22.

As to be expected, this 80 minute long mix is as essential as essential gets. No tracklisting is available, with the duo simply stating that "it's just some tunes they like". Whilst entrenched in left-field hip hop, the mix features flares of techno, ambient electronica, frenetic breaks and even a dash of black metal.

Download here.

Free Illum Sphere track

Fresh from remixing Martyn's 'Brilliant Orange', Manchester's very own Illum Sphere has posted up a killer track to keep hands at bay until the digital release of 'Long Live The Plan', which is currently available only on 12".

Entering a more linear stratosphere than his previous efforts, 'Agent White' is awash with buzzing bass and swirling, murky synths, tied down by a slick, head-snapping beat.

Download it from his blog Hoya:Hoya

http://www.myspace.com/theillumsphere

New details on Flying Lotus' 'Cosmogramma' + more

In an interview with Pitchfork last month, L.A. beatsmith Flying Lotus spoke about the progress of 'Cosmogramma', the follow up to 2008's 'Los Angeles', citing nothing more than the title, which songs may appear and tentatively scheduling it's release for April 20.

More details have emerged, with the most interesting being that a collaboration with none other than Thom Yorke in planned. 'Cosmogramma' will now hit the shops on May 3, and other guests featured include singer Laura Darlington and jazz saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. Here's the tracklisting:

01. Clock Catcher
02. Pickled!
03. Nose Art
04. Intro//A Cosmic Drama
05. Zodiac Shit
06. Computer Face//Pure Being
07. ...And the World Laughs With You Ft. Thom Yorke
08. Arkestry
09. Mmmhmm Ft.Thundercat
10. Do the Astral Plane
11. Satelllliiiiiteee
12. German Haircut
13. Recoiled
14. Dance Of the Pseudo Nymph
15. Drips//Auntie's Harp
16. Table Tennis Ft. Laura Darlington
17. Galaxy in Janaki

In other related news, FlyLo will bring his 'Brainfeeder Sessions' clubnight to Fabric on March 10, in association with Red Bull Music Academy. And what a line up it is:

Flying Lotus
Kode9
The Gaslamp Killer
Martyn
Dorian Concept
Dimlite
Daedelus
Nosaj Thing
TOKiMONSTA

Tickets are only £10........

www.fabriclondon.com

www.redbullmusicacademy.com

www.brainfeedersite.com

Four Tet - There Is Love In You

For an artist as highly regarded as Kieran Hebden, his body of work under the Four Tet banner sits as a sprawling, inconsistent project. A criticism that could be levelled at him is a distinct lack of cohesiveness, or more importantly an absence of that one career defining record. His latest effort "There Is Love In You" bucks the trend, albeit with mixed results.

2009 gifted fans a stunning collaboration with Burial, in the shape of the 'Moth/Wolf Club' 12". "TILIY" follows the same four-to-the-floor, club-orientated vein. Whilst it was billed as a collaboration, the dense, wistful 'Moth' always felt more in the ownership of Burial, and it's evident from the opening track 'Angel Echoes' that Hebden's talent for utilising samples is usurped by his friend. The soulful, clipped vocals feel clumsy, amidst a bland, lightweight beat that fails to take the listener anywhere.

Greater success is found with the album's remaining seven tracks (omitting interlude 'Pablo's Heart'), all of which follow a simple but effective formula. 'Love Cry' patiently builds over its 9 minute lifespan, slowly layering and uneveloping into a deep house-meets-krautrock fusion, whilst album closer 'She Just Likes to Fight' is classic Four Tet, with clattering jazz percussion and swirling appregios.

No boundaries are pushed here, but instead Kieran Hebden offers a mostly impressive set of songs that encapsulate his potential, and provide a sound that welcomes armchair listening with an ear to the club.