Thank Friday It’s Free is back, and boy do I have some awesome tracks in store for you! Thank you to everyone who got in contact with me with suggestions – you guys have brilliant tastes in music! So without beating around the bush, let’s cut to the chase!
Up first, we have Kidd Kool who hails from South Yorkshire. Using a fine blend of influences ranging from UKG to house and techno, he has managed to create quite an individual and unique sound. Kidd Kool first came to my attention through a Beatport remix competition where he worked over Mia Dora’s tune “Raw Kiss” (also available for free download). This remix earned him a lot of praise from his peers and led to him being selected by the BBC Introducing team to broadcast on BBC Radio Sheffield. “Get ‘Em Up” is a perfect representation of what this guy can do: bass heavy, driving rhythms…a great blend of his favourite genres! With his original breakthrough coming in 2015, I’m sure that this is not the last we hear of Kidd Kool, and I for one am really excited to see what the young producer has to offer!
https://soundcloud.com/itskiddkool/get-em-up-original-mix
Now we have a very young, very raw bass producer from the isolated town of Aberystwyth (my old uni stomping ground)in west Wales here to entertain us. Fujin is a bass house producer who draws inspiration from trap, house and drum and bass. This amalgamation has led him to create some interesting vibes in his tunes that I think are worth noting! He recently played at Black House’s 9th birthday party, a night that included names such as Calyx and Teebee and Aphrodite no less! I have nothing but big hopes for this producer, and will be following his career closely!
https://soundcloud.com/certified/fujin-goin-on
This next track I stumbled across a bit randomly during my weekly soundcloud plunder and is courtesy of Loud Luxury. Apparently the inspiration behind this came during a Nina Simone documentary (there is little better inspiration out there to be fair) and is Loud Luxury’s take of her song “Sinner man“. Now already this had me hooked as I’m a huge Nina Simone fan and that is a personal favourite. Don’t just take my word for it though. Here for your pleasure, Old Man by Loud Luxury!
https://soundcloud.com/loud-luxury/old-man-loud-luxury
To round off this week, we return to favourites Harry Shotta and Macky Gee with their “Bang Out of Order Volume 2” mix. The Essex and Kent duo can’t get enough credit for what they do together, and long may the two work together! Last June, Harry Shotta, who is already known for his lyrical prowess and skippy flow, released a track called Animal which saw him smash the record for most the most lyrics in a track (previously held by Eminem with Rap God) where he spat 1771 words. On his side, Macky Gee produces choppy, chopped up tunes that deserve to be heard in their own right, on top of being a brilliant DJ. Drum and bass has seen a massive surge in popularity recently – to the point where the mighty and fiercely independent RAM Records has recently been sold to Sony BMG, which leads me to suspect that BMG/RAM are planning on filling the vacuum that EDM will leave behind when it finally implodes…but I digress. In case you thought that drum and bass was run by labels like Hospital with melodic easy listening tunes, Harry Shotta and Macky Gee are a stark reminder that no one is bigger than the genre, not even it’s self proclaimed “giants”. Relatively recently Macky Gee and Harry Shotta joined forces with Skibadee, Shabba D, Stormin, Phantasy and Alpha under the collective name of SASASAS. So many legendary names under one roof, I need to get to see them! Long may they all live!
Little Red Book 