Soundcloud Selects takes you through our top picks this week from the online platform’s forever-scrolling catalog of remixes, edits, bootlegs, unofficial releases, mixtapes, and more.
Have a tip for a track we should check out? Make sure to leave us a note in the comment section!
It was a pleasant surprise this week when I came across HOP BOX during my digging, a Baton Rouge native pushing for a “Glamourwave,” which in my opinion refers to pretty colorful ideas regarding trap-driven beats. These “Missed Calls,” however, aren’t quite as trappy as the rest of his tunes, and is actually a pretty fresh approach to Caribbean rhythms and a hint of South African house. Worth mentioning the free download available right now. –Adrián Méndez
https://soundcloud.com/dosflakos/kandy-kyle-hughes-abnormaal-dosflakos-bootypreview
I’ve been warming up to EDM. I’ve seen it transition from a shudder-inducing catch-all term for dance music used by festie bros into its own, mislabeled genre; an acronym for a style of music thats essentially an offshoot of electro house and dubstep. Thump recently reported that big names like Tiesto & Martin Solveig are backing off the term, which means its ripe for reappropriation. Enter Dos Flakos, two dudes from the Bronx who just flipped this otherwise generic EDM track into a poppin Bubblin track. Also, FYI they’re throwing a party on Feb. 13th if you’re in town… –Marco Gomez
One of the most enigmatic and cutting edge producers coming from Mexico’s electronic underground scene is Monterrey’s Zutzut. We’ve seen him pass through a lot of experiments, all without losing his dark/eery and tropically raunchy approach. This last couple of months the man has been adding a bit of a baile funk to his already reggaeton-influenced vybes, coming up with tracks like this very recent “DOCE HORAS” that goes through a lot of ideas in a brief amount of time regarding this funk carioca/Boricua dembow fusion. –Adrián Méndez
Following up on this recent approach to baile funk by a couple of underground digs I did, this week we have Kryone’s new “Com Capuz” that belongs to a mix between baile funk and drill, in the producer’s own words it’s “Brazdrillian (…) a word I just thought of to classify Brazilian funk with drill sensibilities. I like making up words.” Big ups to that. –Adrián Méndez
Another player in the very rudimentary sounding scene of Tech Mex, weirdo house, or stupid techno in Mexico City is a fellow known as Macaulay, a close collaborator of another frequent Remezcla favourite Mijo aka La Royale. Although we’re pretty sure it has nothing to do with the Home Alone child star, it sure seems like it, and it adds to the atmosphere created by tracks such as “Propina,” a very raw but colourfully illustrated series of ideas that are creating a space of their own in Mexican techno music. –Adrián Méndez
https://soundcloud.com/meandmyselfmusic/me-myself-silencestep
Mexican Future Garage and 2 step must be a pretty foreign subject even for Mexicans, but at last, here it is after many local experiments that didn’t quite nail the idea. Me & Myself is one among very few young producers who are leading the production of these types of genres south of the border in current days, with a clear and heavy influence from the British approach to garage and grime. This “Silencestep” is a pretty extended adventure through several ideas regarding these genres, reminiscent of more than a couple releases from L2S recordings. It’s clear we’re dealing with a new proposal for a different crowd than the one you’ll find in Bristol or London; we’ll see how this MX Garage evolves along with likeminded producers. –Adrián Méndez
It’s interesting to see electronic labels popping up in Latin America, especially when they take in certain influences from the outside, flip them, and turn them into something driven by local identity, something that makes Latin Americans truly Latin American. Among new proposals in this 2015 is the Brazilian “Frente Bolivariano” label that is ready to jump at the world with its variation of rooty electronics, and this slow wonkyish edit of legendary Brazilian musician Luiz Gonzaga do Nascimento is exactly what they want to conquer it with. I can literally state that the texture on this track reminds us of the old but the production keeps everything in the present, and perhaps tells us what’s coming up next for Latin American music. –Adrián Méndez
It’s not the first and certainly not the last time we mention Dany F in this section. This Medellin native is the straight up godfather of what you might call Deep Cumbia, a type of deep house flip on güiro and guacaracha driven beats that’s been part of this producer’s official signature sound. “Bonita (ft. BTP)” comes in a 2 piece free EP along with another powerful track that reflect a more mature and polished work on this Deep Cumbia, definitely something from the Latin American future. –Adrián Méndez
https://soundcloud.com/edgarmondragon/sets/mondrag-n-sense-of-dark-single
Mondragón is an artist that has had the opportunity to work with some very respected indie labels in Mexico such as abolipop (now suplex) and Indian Gold Records. Some would say he makes techno; I choose to say it’s a bit more than that overall, but this track is definitely a banger that could fit in perfectly in any set that aims at completely hypnotizing anyone that steps on a techno-ready dance floor. –Adrián Méndez
I got into Equator Club recently thanks to Chicago crew Them Flavors who are really bringing a new edge to the city’s music scene by adding a bit of Latin spice to their influences already rooted in ghetto house and club-heavy influences. “When it’s raining” is one of the deepest dembow tracks I’ve heard lately; it’s a perfect blend of original Dominican dembow samples and a more US clubby/R&B approach in instruments and synths, not to mention the use of cell phone ring samples and auto tuned vocals here and there. –Adrián Méndez