CHOON OF THE DAY: "JET BLACK" - Channel Tres

Our favourite "new kid on the block" Channel Tres represented by GODMODE - a mine of artistic talents the likes of Yaeji and Shamir, returns with his second single "Jet Black". Channel Tres' impossibly addictive debut single "Controller" was a tough act to follow but "Jet Black" transfixes in a similar manner with the Compton artist's effervescent collage of urban vibes, electronica, Detroit House and hip-hop. Deservedly praised across the entire blogosphere, Channel Tres' sounds are genre-bending, vibrant and very current.





Here's "Controller" once again in its freshly released Andrés remix:

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SHREM'S CLUB BIZARRE PRESENTS: "SANDÍA" - Nathy Peluso

Jazzy cream is how Nathy Peluso intriguingly describes her music. This Argentinian genre-bending performer will soon be the talk of all the blogging musos, always hungry for fresh, unique sounds. The seductive mixture of meaty beats (produced by Madrid based Oddliquor), slow tempo rhythms, exaggerated vocal acrobatics, urban rhymes and clever samples all interweave to create a one of a kind soundscape which floats somewhere between the artistic galaxies of FKA Twigs, Bahamadia and Fatima. It's future soul, it's experimental Hip Hop, it's a Latin flavoured trip-hop extravaganza. "SANDÍA" is where Peluso's concept reaches new highs. It's both completely hypnotising and boundary-pushing for the more conservative music lovers out there. A rare and eccentric jewel.

The ever so trendy VHS-style video for "SANDÍA" was directed by Sandra Iglesias Rey. You can purchase the song on Bandcamp.

The producer of the track, Oddliquor has also just dropped his own new single "Sweet 90's" and what a sweet tune it is indeed:

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SHREM'S CLUB BIZARRE INTRODUCING: "UP OUT MY FACE" - Cakes Da Killa feat. Peaches

One of the Queer Hip Hop movement's most prolific figures, the multi talented Cakes Da-Goodie Goodies-Killa is about to release his debut album "Hedonism". The record is promoted by an explosive collaboration between Da Killa and Peaches - the explicit club-ready hip house anthem "Up Out My Face". This undeniable club banger was produced by Jeremiah Meece, known for joining forces with another avant-garde rap aficionado - Mykki Blanco.

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "LET A BITCH KNOW" - Kiddy Smile /// "IT GIRL" - Mister Wallace

You can always rely on Shaun J Wright to deliver stellar vocal performances on some of the sauciest underground house records of the past few years but you can also always rely on his music recommendations. Thanks to him I have discovered these two excellent, innovative and boundary-pushing singles this week.

The explicit and instantly anthemic "Let A Bitch Know" is a ballroom dancefloor ready vogueing extravaganza from Parisian DJ, producer and vocalist Kiddy Smile. The talented artist was just signed by the cult house label Defected. All you cool club kids will soon be suicide dropping to this masterful gem!

Official press release:

"To announce the signing, Kiddy Smile and Defected have unleashed the exceptionally powerful visuals for their first single together ‘Let A Bitch Know’, which is set to be released in late August. Deeply influenced by the sleazy, lazy feel of 80s / 90s house music and artists such as Frankie Knuckles and Romanthony, the track is an infectious slice of classic-sounding Chicago acid house, with Kiddy’s own fresh French twist.

Seeking to spread the love through his beats Kiddy Smile is an innovative artist, understanding the importance of music and aesthetics working in perfect harmony. Through his music and performances, Kiddy has kept the nostalgic sounds of the dancefloor very much alive, with a firm eye on the future - a huge part of Defected’s ethos for 17 years and counting."

The second track "It Girl" comes from the charismatic debutant Mister Wallace. The self-proclaimed post-gender artist joins the ever so expanding and ultimately vibrant Queer Hip-Hop movement with the likes of Le1f, Mykki Blanco, Zebra Katz or his collaborator Cakes Da Killa. Mister Wallace's debut EP "FAGGOT" is out now via Futurehood and with this flamboyant gender-fluid music video this kid is about reach to alternative masses with a boost from The Fader who premiered "It Girl" today. One to keep a close watch on.

Have you seen him in a magazine?

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SHREM'S BIGGIES BUT GOODIES BASKET: "GO OFF" - M.I.A.

Skrillex and Blaqstarr produced this stellar new single from M.I.A. which is whetting our appetites for Maya Arulpragasam's hotly anticipated 5th studio album "Aim" now scheduled for 9th September. "Aim" (formerly known as "Matahdatah") is announced to be M.I.A.'s final full album. Apparently the rebellious artist intends to get involved with other projects as well as rather concentrate on releasing one-off singles instead.



It's not the first time Blaqstarr and M.I.A. are joining musical forces. Remember the excellent "Believer" from her 2010 "ΛΛ Λ Y Λ" album?

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CHOON OF THE DAY: "RINSE & REPEAT" - Riton feat. Kah-lo [Video]

It feels like Riton has been around forever at this stage. Never short of musical suprises, always open to new sonic territories, this English producer has actually dropped his first single back in 1999. I discovered him 3 years after with the arrival of his exquisite nu jazz track "Let Me Be Mine". Henry Smithson is just back with an absolute stomper of a tune "Rinse & Repeat" featuring Kah-lo which following the enormous success of Azealia Banks' "212" has recently become a massive hip house club hit in the UK. The track's vitality, dancefloor-ready beats, witty rhymes and clever video (directed by Dan Streit & Dillon Moore) all contributed to its commercial victory.

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SHREM'S CLUB BIZARRE INTRODUCING: "REFUGEE" - Nadya

Somewhere between the musical planets of M.I.A., Skip&Die and TĀLĀ lie the sounds, the rhythms and the rhymes of Nadya. From Sweden via Iran. Powerful, in-your-face, poignant, slightly disconcerting and immensely fascinating.

Further background from Nadya's official website:

"On the outer quarters of the Swedish town Jönköping, Nadia Kardar Tehran was born. At the age of five, she arose as an artistic and rebellious individual with a distinctive passion for musical expressions. With background in a Christian middle class society, her teenage years were characterized by misadaptation and the sense of not belonging, which lay the essential foundation for her futural music creation. As a singer and front figure as well in unpolished punk bands as within electronic hip hop with Middle East influenced sound, she got the opportunity to leave room for her esthetic creativity and intuitively driven musicianship. With an extensive genre range, she is currently upcoming with her solo project Nadya, which has grown from an eccentric stage-inclination, propulsive engagement and not to mention the free will to act along the exclamation of her heart.

As a result of the theatrical vein and outspoken individuality, she became increasingly devoted to both political commitment and the urge to freely make statements throughout her music, which are mostly rooted in delineations of the society and unopposed, critical perspectives on her surroundings. The concept is permeated by an unrestrained and peculiar boundlessness to genre, given the middle finger toward the predictable. Nadya is initiated by the borderless and revolting punk-attitude, applied on everything in between fragile pop melodies, rhythmic electro beats and hip hop. In essence, this is the interconnected answer to the contrast Nadia – the Muslim in the Christian town, foreign in the Swedish class society and the Swede in the Iranian family. A self-representation that portrays the world and Nadia’s place in it."

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SHREM'S LIST OBSESSION: TOP 20 BEST MARY J BLIGE TRACKS

While anticipating Mary J Blige's 11th studio album "The London Sessions" which is coming out on 21st November... Let's get all Mary!

20 "Love No Limit" - from "What's The 411?" (1993)

19 "Can't Get You Off My Mind" - from "Share My World" (1997)

18 "Family Affair" - from "No More Drama" (2000)

17 "My Life" - from "My Life" (1994)

16 "Beautiful Ones" - from "Mary" (1999)

15 "F For You" - with Disclosure (2014)

14 "You Remind Me" - from "What's The 411?" (1991)

13 "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" - from "My Life" (1994)

12 "PMS" - from "No More Drama" (2001)

11 "Till The Morning" - from "Growing Pains" (2007)

10 "I'm Goin' Down" - from "My Life" (1994)

09 "Real Love" - from "What's The 411?" (1992)

08 "Time" - from "Mary" (1999)

07 "Right Now" - from "The London Sessions" (2014)

06 "Be With You" - from "My Life" (1994)

05 "I Used To Love Him" - with Lauryn Hill (1998)

04 "Searching" - from "Share My World" (1997)

03 "All That I Can Say" - from "Mary" (1999)

02 "You Bring Me Joy" - from "My Life" (1994)

01 "Be Happy" - from "My Life" (1994)

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "FLAWLESS (Baddygirl 2 M.I.A. Partysquad Remix)" - Beyoncé /// "DOUBLE BUBBLE TROUBLE (live)" - M.I.A.

The uncompromising ultimate "Bad Girl" M.I.A. returns with this hyper-energetic remix of Beyoncé's "Flawless" and we get to see her performing "Double Bubble Trouble", one of the stand-out tracks from "Matangi", live before the premiere of its official video directed by Miss Arulpragasam herself. And so the "Matangi" era continues...

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "TRY ME" - IAMNOBODI feat. Ego Ella May /// "STUPID" [produced by Dornik] - Ego Ella May

I simply adore discovering new musicians, especially if I stumble upon them by complete chance like it was with this very special lady who goes by the rather cool name of Ego Ella May. This London based chanteuse also owns a remarkable, velvet voice full of soul and her vocal acrobatics are both understated and expressive. "Try Me" is Ego Ella May's joint effort with an urban guru IAMNOBODI and it is my latest song obsession spinning on my iTunes on repeat. There's a free download of the track too which is such a treat. While browsing through the artist's Soundcloud, to my delight, I have also come across a song called "Stupid" which was superbly produced by Jessie Ware's collaborator Dornik who stole our hearts twice already with his r&b gems: "Rebound" and "Something About You". Here's Ego Ella May who found a very special fresh spot among my favourite new female singers right next to Fatima and Julia Kwamya from Germans.

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CHOON OF THE DAY: "2 IS 8" - Lone

This slightly surprising, urban flavoured track is taken from Lone's forthcoming album "Reality Testing" available 16.06.14 on R&S Records. Available on a transparent yellow vinyl among other versions! Apart from "2 is 8" the record will also include Lone's superb tracks "Airglow Fires" and "Begin To Begin" which we've enjoyed immensely last year already. Lone remains one of my absolute favourite producers out there and I simply can't wait to hear "Reality Testing" in its full glory.

Tracklist:

01 First Born Seconds
02 Restless City
03 Meeker Warm Energy
04 Aurora Northern Quarter
05 2 Is 8
06 Airglow Fires
07 Coincidences
08 Begin to Begin
09 Jaded
10 Vengeance Video
11 Stuck
12 Cutched Under

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SHREM'S ACADEMY OF ALL TIME BEST SINGLES: "YOU BRING ME JOY" + "ALL THAT I CAN SAY" - Mary J. Blige

"YOU BRING ME JOY"
RELEASE DATE: 1995
CHART PEAK: US Dance #1, US R&B #27

"ALL THAT I CAN SAY"
RELEASE DATE: 1999
CHART PEAK: JP #1, US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop #3, UK #29

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SHREM'S DOUBLE TROUBLE: "BOOM" /// "WUT" [Live at David Letterman] - Le1f

We're entering the ever so trendy Queer Hip-Hop zone now with one of its most prolific pioneers, the flamboyant Le1f. With his phenomenal debut single "Wut" which at this stage enjoys a cult status among all the urban musos, Le1f launched his fruitful career that now includes 3 critically acclaimed breakthrough mixtapes ("Dark York", "Fly Zone" and "Tree House"), countless collaborations with the most progressive producers and now also a big indie label debut "Hey" EP which was just released via Terrible Records. "Boom" is probably Le1f's most accomplished track to date since "Wut" and his awe-inspiring joint effort with Boody "Soda". The track was produced by Dubbel Dutch. The now legendary "Wut" is present here too and was Khalif Diouf's TV live debut when the incredible rapper performed it accompanied by Blood Orange live at David Letterman last week, looking and sounding fierce as always. I am such a fan!

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SHREM'S LIST OBSESSION: Top 10 Best Neneh Cherry Tracks

It's 18 year that we've been waiting for Neneh Cherry's new studio album for!!! Now that "Blank Project" is finally out and just 4 days before her most anticipated come-back gig here in Twisted Pepper, Dublin courtesy of the ever so reliable Bodytonic crew, it's a rather fitting opportunity to go over the Swedish singer's vibrant and versatile back catalogue once more... Here's my personal very subjective (as always!) selection of her best tracks to date. The rumour says she does not perform any of her old stuff during this tour but if she did, any of the songs below would be a massive treat for a long-term fans like myself.

10 "Together Now" - with Tricky, originally taken from Tricky's "Nearly God" concept album (1996) then included on Neneh's 3rd studio album "Man"

09 "Trout" - with Michael Stipe, taken from "Homebrew" (1992)



08 "Inna City Mamma" - 5th single taken from "Raw Like Sushi" (1989)

07 "Peace Of Mind" - taken from "Homebrew" (1992)

06 "Move With Me" - taken from "Homebrew" (1992)



05 "Buffalo Stance" - debut single, taken from "Raw Like Sushi" (1988)

04 "Somedays" - written and produced by Portishead's Geoff Barrow, taken from "Homebrew" (1992)



03 "I Ain't Gone Under Yet" - produced by Gang Starr, taken from "Homebrew" (1992)



02 "I've Got U Under My Skin" - Cherry's interpretation of Cole Porter's 1936 classic, taken from "Red, Hot + Blue" compilation (1990)

01 "Manchild" - 2nd single taken from "Raw Like Sushi" (1989)

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