Free Beats

Once again the Bot has been endlessly crawling the internets for the best in free and legal music for the listeners and this week unearthed a stack of beats.

First up is this 4 track E.P from our homie and label boss Sub of Syncopathic Recordings. Tirelessly working to promote fresh producers is Subs game and for this release we see Double O, Theory and LXC on production duties alongsie a VIP from the man himself. ‘Come Close’ by Theory features on this weeks Robot Bodypop show because it’s mega. Available on Soundcloud and Sub has also kindly provided links to either MP3 or WAV meaning you can take these beats to the dancefloor as well.

Next up is a mighty 14 track long player from net label Future Grooves and this is compilation Vol.1. This collection sees unheard and unfinished tracks from producers from the UK, Europe, USA and Canada and moves through future garage, dubstep, juke and much more. Published as an attempt to gain these producers more followers and make no mistake about the quality of tracks on here. Several of our favourite producers feature such as Qualmsound with his atmospheric 2-step in ‘The Object’, Crystal Eyes with the deep and rolling vocal tinged ‘Black Magick’ topped off with ‘Stay’ by Henry Krinkle who’s smooth groove and vocals ensured inclusion on this weeks Robot Bodypop show.

A serious amount of talent on display here so be sure to check out the producers other works.

Finally another compilation this time from Mad Decent with Jeffrees Vol. 4. In their own words:

“Just barely 7 months old and we’re already on the 4th volume of Jeffree’s compilations! This one continues the series with a diverse selection of new talent from across the electronic music landscape, beginning with 19 year old Phat Deuce’s “Bubble Di Sistem”, a staple track in Diplo’s live set. Next up is the new J-Wow (of Buraka Som Sistema) project called Branko, featuring Dominique Young Unique and a remix by French producer French Fries. Scotland’s Lockah follows with a penchant for melody in the context of sub-octave bass music that defies any one genre. A series of 4 instrumentals from the mysterious producer UZ comes next. Having first caught our attention when he came out of nowhere with a string of huge trap-inspired beats on his Soundcloud page, UZ is one of the most exciting new producers in this growing scene. DJ Shaun D from the Netherlands rounds out the package with two more banging club tunes that Diplo has been rinsing out for quite some time.”

‘Now You Wanna’ by Lockah features on this weeks Robot Bodypop show so be sure to check out more of his productions

http://soundcloud.com/lockah/

Shift Key – Left & Right EP | Bullet Train Records

On our show we are all about pushing the sounds that are making a difference – It makes us happy when we find music that is harder to categorise. That’s the blueprint of this latest 5 track wonder from Shift Key. To best explain what his new EP is all about, here is the man himself:

The tracks all have a hybrid feel to them – In ‘Low’ haunting pitched vocal samples and trap beats eventually give way to an epic Dubstep breakdown. There are commercial boxes ticked with the vocal intro of ‘Close’ and the sound of Shift Key‘s own voice singing on ‘Left & Right’. Tear out synths and syncopated percussion ensure that the stadium sound is ever present and these tracks will no doubt do well at the festivals this summer. Available to buy now on Beatport. Preview all 5 tracks right here.

Free Beats

As always we’ve sent out the bot to scour the interweb for the finest in free and legal downloads to shake your speakers. Or headphones if they aren’t them crap free ones.

First up is a young producer from Hungary, goes by the name of LeAp. A few free tracks there on his Soundcloud but it was ‘Main Stream’ that caught the bots ear chip. A deep electronic track with a sweet vocal and the bass ripples under the tight percussion while the beat switches throughout.

soundcloud.com/leapdubz

One again the FatKid delivers. Made available through the website which has become an important source for bass music fans everywhere. Big fans of Ghost Note and the Kiwi superproducer returns with yet another free EP. 4 tracks in there with ‘Transmission’ making the Robot Bodypop show set list this week but it wasn’t an easy selection as the other 3 tracks are just as lush. Smooth builds and deep drops a plenty as Ghost Note further finely tunes his sound.

FatKidOnFire
Ghost Note

1nejack features 2 freebies in his set this week, the first of which is an evocative garage piece from remixer and fully competent track smasher Enigma Dubz, titled ‘We At War’ sampling Kanye West‘s ‘Jesus Walks’. It’s a great track – well worth the click for the 320.

Lastly we have an off key grime riddim from Whyrez. This one has a bit of a old school Humphrey Bogart detective theme to it. Think 1940’s 12HP Rover saloons with trenchcoated hoodlums toting tommy guns hanging off the wings, shouting ‘oi blad!!’ to passers by. Or just listen, like, download and share. 

Transmit Sessions Volume 7 | Janner

Fusion time – but not in the Jazz sense. We’re talking Fukishima levels of heat and radiation here! We’ve had to keep this one on ice in a reinforced nuclear bunker for the past few months due to the glow emenating from the hard drive – Now its time to break open the asbestos seals..

Janner delivers a meticulous meltdown of diverse and intriguing tracks fusing sounds from his influences and contemparies’ along with his own productions.

We caught up with the man himself and asked the standard questions.

Long time no hear from. What have you been up to?

Hmmm not a lot of interest to be honest! Lots of really middle-aged stuff like working for the man and child-rearing… I’ll be getting back on those buttons shortly tho.

Middle age can wait – We need more tunes! Belgium is home to some really great bass music artists. Are there any you would care to recommend?

Absolutely. Obviously there’s my mate BunZer0 who I’ve done a number of releases with and who was one of the first people to get me into Dubstep through his legendary Fresh Off The Boat show. Bun has been taking big steps froward with his productions and has been making some cracking beats this year. Then you have Dailey pushing the 2-step sound, the Science crew and ARtronics who are pushing the deeper darker stuff, and last but not least the Grimlock crew who as well as having made some amazing tunes, also put on some incredible parties back in the day.

We like the fact your sound is not formulaic and you always try new things in your music. What is it that drives you and what will be your next direction?

Thanks! I guess what drives me is the base desire to make music for myself, and what i like to listen to is stuff that challenges me from a rhythmic perspective, but also has melodic structure as well as being sonically impressive. The worst thing is getting stuck in a rut so I’m always trying to push forward – or look backwards if that is what I’m in the mood for. I want tracks to be inspirational so I guess that is what I am aiming at when I sit at the console. Next direction? No idea.

You have lived in Plymouth, Manchester and Brussels. What comparisons can you draw between each city’s music scenes?

Well when I was growing up in Plymouth we had an amazing time but it wasn’t due to there being many great parties…I was a few years too late for rave, and back when I was a kid, DnB was only really available on vinyl and very little of it filtered down as far as Devon. Then when I got to Manchester it was a revelation as Ed Rush and Optical had just dropped Wormhole and the whole dark Techstep/Neurofunk thing was kicking off. Gotta say I went to some pretty amazing nights that were a huge contrast versus my sheltered southwesterly upbringing. Then when I moved out to Brussels it took a while for me to discover the local events, and also a while for Dubstep to kick off, but then things started properly happening and I went to some truly brilliant nights.

Who skanks the hardest?

Not trying to blow smoke up your arse, but I’d have to say Manchester.

Haha, yes mate! <brofist> What is the most annoying thing about the music you work in?

That’s a tough one. Probably the speed at which everything moves now, and how quickly the formula is identified for something that was previously emergent, allowing it to be pinned down and bled dry. Kinda takes the romance out of the discovery process as well as stifling creative development.

On the flip side, what makes you happiest?

Drums, breaks, prehensile, tentacular basslines, and the imaginative ways people find of making them interact.

What’s the biggest animal you can throw over a crossbar?

Possibly a Coconut Land Crab.

Thanks again for such an awesome mix! Big up!

You can check Janner’s sounds out on these assorted pages:

http://soundcloud.com/janner
http://myspace.com/jannerdubs
http://discogs.com/artist/Janner
Janner on Juno

2 Free Dubs

Just a couple of free tracks featured on the show this fortnight, both on a dubstep tip. Starting off deep, the first comes from Legend4ry with a remix for Sparc made back in 2010 which somehow never saw the light of day. With no prospect of a release he’s put it up for free download on soundcloud in all its glorious 320 kbps.

And lastly we step into some abstract filth from Posij, a crazy dutchman with a free EP entitled ‘Empty Lungs’ available from his Facebook page.  We featured the title track, but you want to make sure you check out the whole thing as its full of gold.

Reggae Roast – RR10

The 10th release on the vibrant UK reggae label sees ‘Show Babylon’ by Linval Thompson given the remix treatment. This collective thrives on providing uplifting vibes either in the series of releases or live at any number of festivals. This 4 track sees Dutch bassweight specialist TMSV on remixing duties alongside 3 dub and version cuts of this mighty track. Featured on this weeks Robot Bodypop show its yet another addition to a fine back catalogue and we’re already excited to see what comes out of release 11.

Hopefully you can catch Reggae Roast this summer as the 3 piece soundsystem takes to the road. Check out their website for more info

http://www.reggaeroast.co.uk