We’ve been flowing through playlists full of reworks, remixes and samples of some amazing artists, check the series so far: Sade > D’Angelo > Jhene Aiko > Janet Jackson. Loads of artists we’ve featured in this playlist, different genres, different vibes, I had to cap it off with the Jay Dee Revenge Mix. If you know a Janet joint that should be on this playlist tweet us or hit the comments section.
I have been following Misterrcha’s work for some time now, he is part of the Producers United collective which is home to so many talented producers. If you have been following First Ear for a while you may remember my post on Misterrcha’s standing EP, if not then check it out here. His latest release, Remixes EP, offers some amazing remixes of tracks from James Blake, Haim, Aaliyah & Death Grips to name a few. Like most of my favourite producers right now it is very hard to pigeon hole Misterrcha’s music into any one genre although this EP does have a very electronic vibe. Also included on the EP is an outstanding mashup of Dilla and MF Doom which is one I have been constantly bumping.
Remixes EP is available on a “name your price” basis, enjoy the music and show support to a talented young artist.
Berlin based Chiara Noriko, who has previously been featured here on FirstEar, recently dropped this soulful track entitled ‘Feels So Right’. Mellowed out with soft, melodic vocals, you are guaranteed to be put into a dreamy state while listening to this. Complete with the use of the classic Dilla beat ‘Flowers’ – this right here feels more than right.
So go ahead, hit play below to vibe out.
Young West London rapper Tega Akpod is one to look out for, creative lyricism and superb delivery over a Dilla flavoured beat makes this track one of my favourites. she has a few tracks available on her soundcloud as free downloads as well so be sure to check out her page and give here a follow here
18 years old. London. Tom Misch.
The talent of this guy is insane and as a songwriter and aspiring producer myself, listening to his work is simultaneously a pleasure and motivation to up my game.
J Dilla’s mum recently shouted him out on twitter and it is not a surprise when you listen to the new Soulection white label which is comprised of 3 of his songs.
The standout song for me is ‘The Journey’ which is indeed a musical journey with instruments frequently being taken out and reintroduced. Notably, the guitar work on this is incredible, really complimenting the soothing chords and drums.
download the EP with the 3 songs here.
Jill & Dill, début Mixtape from The Wordstress is nothing short of impressive. Jill Scott influenced lyricism combined with Dilla beats is always a recipe for good music, I have heard attempts at it in the past, but few have caught me like this mixtape has. Listen, download, enjoy
Grab it as a free download from thewordstress.co.uk
We’ve been looking forward to this EP for a while now after featuring Tino Apex on First Ear a couple of months back. Crate Diggin is an apt title for the EP as it sees Tino spitting over some classy sample based beats, including joints from the masters J Dilla and Madlib. You can stream the EP on bandcamp and download it on a ‘name your price basis’
Duncan Gerow has just put out this amazing mashup. Vocals from Mya – “Case of the Ex” laid over the J Dilla produced The Pharcyde – “Something That Means Something” this combination just works! I’ve been following Duncan Gerow’s work for a while now, the idea of mashups like this isn’t anything new, but to put it simply Duncan Gerow just does it better than anyone else. This post is flooded with links but I wanted to show you a couple of my favourite mashups he’s done (All free downloads), and I cant possibly post this without a link to The Pharcyde – Something That Means Something.
FIRST EAR 