#POPDAR - Bossy Love, Mercedes, Lea Lea

Bossy Love - Wind Me Up

By chucking her sugary AlunaGeorge-esque vocal over a jittery beat and dubby brass hook, Bossy Love is onto a winner with "Wind Me Up". If the idea of AlunaGeorge collaborating with Major Lazer excites you (as it does me), then Bossy Love WILL be your thing no question.

For Fans Of: AlunaGeorge, Wild Belle, Dirty Projectors





Mercedes - Full Tilt

Mercedes is a young UK rapper with ambitions of a US sound. With the creativity of Azealia Banks and the bite of Angel Haze, the early 90s Beastie Boys rave-vibe of "Full Tilt" could well be Mercedes' very own "212".

For Fans Of: Azealia Banks, Angel Haze, Beastie Boys






Lea Lea - Wonderer
Lea Lea (Pronounced Li Li? Le-ah Le-ah?) brings some East London edge to some ultra-sleek back-to-basics South London dubstep. Her voice is light and husky, bringing to mind Lauryn Hill and perfect for this kind of R&B/dubstep crossover. Benga would kill to work with this girl, and indeed, boost up the bass a bit, and you could be fooled into thinking that "Wonderer" was that very collaboration.

Her self titled debut album is out now.

For Fans Of: Delilah, Katy B, Lauryn Hill

- Joe Copplestone, 16/10/13

Party Tracks of the Week!

Chase & Status - Count On Me (ft. Moko)
#Rave #DnB

Making the transition from Drum & Bass front-runners to 90s rave will be a cop out to some and a clever move to others, but there's no denying that C&S bring the breakbeats and piano hooks just as hard as they brought their sharp D&B beats and roaring basslines, and a gutsy top line by crazy-voiced singer Moko seals the deal.
 

Sub Focus - Turn it Around (ft. Kele)
#Dubstep

Sub Focus' upcoming album Torus is a gift that keeps on giving before it's even been dropped. Final single to drop before the album, "Turn It Around" is, much like the rest of Sub Focus' string of singles over the past year and a half, unconcerned with it's shamelessly melodic and commercial nature. The track follows "Tidal Wave" in structure, beginning as a dreamy dubstep number before exploding into full blown D&B euphoria. Kele's angsty voice is a revelation on the track as well, hopefully opening the door to many more D&B guest spots.

Friend Within - The Renegade
#Garage #House

Updating Wildchild's "Renegade Master" for yet another generation, up and coming garage revivalists Friend Within are fast becoming house music elite in 2013, and this bass heavy interpretation of a classic dancefloor hit is sure to cement this status.

Party Tracks of the Week!

Kill Paris - Falling In Love Again (ft. Marty Rod & Alma)
#Electro #Dubstep

Future funk producer Kill Paris goes all gooey-eyed on his latest single "Falling In Love Again", with a lovesick duet no less between two sugary voiced singers. How does it pull it off? With a snarling bassline and earworm synth lead at the incredibly satisfying drop.



Drums of Death - True (ft. Yasmin)
#Garage #House

Token deep house number of the week, "True" ticks all the boxes to please your average house fun, and enough of the extra-curricular atmospheric boxes to please your more picky house fan.



TEED & Eats Everything - Lion, The Lion
#Electro #Garage #House

Two of the UK's more eccentric producers come together to make this somewhat unfriendly but thoroughly hypnotic dance track. A suitable growl of a bassline flattens all in its path, and TEED can be heard in the occasional speck of sunshine in the odd bright conga and shy synth chord.

Party Tracks of the Week! (FREE DOWNLOADS)

Jay Fay - Dibby Dibby (FREE DOWNLOAD)
#Moombahton #EDM #FreeDownload

A crazy Dillon Francis-esque earthquake of a tune, with the funkiest electronic squelch of a bassline at the drop.




Grandtheft - Hear This (feat. Deejay Theory)
#Rave #Jungle #MajorLazer

From jungle to dancehall to a misleading 90s house breakdown before all hell breaks loose in a way that would make Major Lazer proud.



A.W.E - YYY
#Dubstep #Trap #Synth

Following in the footsteps of Melodic Dubstep and Trap pioneers Rustie and TNGHT comes the most colourful and ambitious Trap-influenced act yet. "YYY" bursts with eurodance synth chords, burbling breakdown arpeggios and vangelis synth leads over a Rustie-esque rough-around-the-edges Trappy beat.

Party Tracks of the Week! (FREE DOWNLOADS)

Loadstar - Refuse to Love
#Drum&Bass #RAMRecords

One of RAM Records finest singles of the year, Loadstar's pulsating "Refuse To Love" rivals Chase & Status at their peak. Dark yet anthemic, and unrelenting.

Monsta - The MONSTA (FREE DOWNLOAD)

#Trap #Dubstep

A track as crazy as "The MONSTA" would be the crown jewel of many a dubstep or trap DJs, but for a group as benchmark-setting as Monsta, this is just a throwaway free download. Every weird trap and dub trick in the book, chucked into one surreal yet addictive tune.

Karma Kid - In My Arms (FREE DOWNLOAD)

#House #Garage #Summer

A sunnier tune you are unlikely to hear this summer. Somewhere between deep house and a juicy Hed Kandi tune, Karma Kid manages to create something ultra credible and yet totally joyful.

Party Tracks of the Week!

Porter Robinson & Mat Zo - Easy

#EuphoricDance #ProgressiveHouse

After Porter Robinson's almighty "Language" tore it up in 2012, I predict his glorious collaboration with Mat Zo "Easy", will do the same for 2013. Like Daft Punk's "One More Time" but with an even bigger euphoric-drop payoff. 

Chloe Howl - Rumour (Unicorn Kid Remix)

#House #Rave #Chiptune

There's no mistaking a Unicorn Kid Remix, all 90s rave beats, Inner City pianos and occasional chiptune flourishes, and his bonkers but addictive remix of Chloe Howl's "Rumour" delivers on all accounts, like a Inner City's "Good Life" played through a Game Boy soundcard.

Shift K3y - WIggle With It

#Dubstep #Trap #2Step

Shift K3y's modern take on 2 Step takes from Dubstep and Trap, making it probably the coolest music on the planet. Thunderous brass hits and shimmering whining synth take centre stage before dropping to a gritty garage bass and then to a Skrillex-esque wall of synth, before the whole thing starts again. 

Party Tracks of the Week!

SpectraSoul - Away With Me (Feat. Tamara Blessa) (Kito Remix)

#Electro #Dubstep

One of the biggest tunes of the year, reviving the lagging corpse of dubstep no end, with a machine-gun synth bass and stop start beat pummelling through an earworm vocal loop. Resist at your peril.



Jakwob - Detox
#Trap #Dubstep

Branching out from ravey dubstep for a hot minute (or 3), Jakwob brings us a glorious, celebratory trap track, with a huge vocal sample and even huger beat.



Rustie - Slasherr
#Trap #Dubstep

Never one to disappoint, Rustie gives us his first taster of new material since his incredible "Glass Swords" album. Always one to surprise with his mixes, an alarmingly loud kick thuds menacingly through a pulsating razor sharp wall of brass synths.

Dr Meaker - Skyfall (Adele Cover) (Me Darker Mix)

On the whole, Adele remixes have always made me cringe. The last place I want to hear the queen of heartbreak balladry is on the dancefloor. However, upcoming Drum'n'Dubstep fiends Dr Meaker, have managed to take one of Adele's most forlorn and melodramatic numbers, and with their harder Me Darker mix (an anagram of Dr Meaker, see that right there?) turn it into a tense, breakneck speed Drum and Bass track, with a killer drop on the chorus. "Let the sky fall" sounds despairing when Adele sings it on her original Bond theme, but here, it's positively euphoric.

FOR FANS OF: Rudimental, Pendulum, Sub Focus

Monsta - Holdin' On

Even when a genre is on its way out of fashion, in this case the once colossal dubstep genre, truly great cuts will survive the recession, and Monsta's "Holdin' On" is one such cut. Nodding not-so-slying at Alex Clare's Major Lazer-co-produced "Too Close", "Holdin' On" pairs a thunderous growl of a bassline and a startling chipmunk vocal sample with a ravenous male vocal not dissimilar to Mr Clare. What sets Monsta apart from Alex Clare however, is that whilst Alex Clare pulls off the novelty singer/songwriter-produced-by-in-a-dubstep-style act, Monsta makes it sounds like a new genre entirely. The EP of the same name is out now, and is all of a high calibre, so if you want to give yourself one last dip into dub, now's your chance.

FOR FANS OF: Alex Clare, Skrillex, Chase & Status

Rusko - Songs (FULL LENGTH REVIEW)

Read my review of Rusko's Songs on Popmatters.com.

CLICK HERE.

Rusko - Pressure (from new album "Songs")

Dubstep DJ Rusko's "Songs" album is out today, an above average collection of squelchy dubstep, spacey dub and energetic 2 step, and album highlight (and undoubtedly future single) "Pressure" is from the latter camp, a wonderfully chirpy garage number straight from the UK scene circa-2000.