Mele

If there is one producer blazing through 2010 right now its my fellow Merseysider, 18 year old boy wonder Mele, who has just dropped a fresh mix for the brand new Kool Kids Podcast which races through House, Garage, Grime & Dubstep, and is full to the brim of freshness from himself and numerous others, as well as a couple of classics to boot.

Fresh from playing Mega Mega Mega in London alongside The Count & Sinden, Fake Blood, Redlight as well as many others, Mele is now putting the final touches to his new E.P which should be landing before the end of the year on Sinden's excellent new Grizzly imprint, which should include the incredible 'Mugged' which has been tearing up clubs for me all year.

Another tune to look out for is 'Trappin', which he sent me last week, and which impressed me all the more as it is a total diversion from what he has sent me in the past, and is a big mad wonky house esque type number (its really hard to describe!), and which I predict is going to be massive and which is already receiving massive support from the likes of Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990 amongst others.

Also, after filling in for me last minute back in May to warm up for The Scratch Perverts at Chibuku, he returns for a second time on October 2nd to play alongside Joy Orbison and Roska in Ink, amongst a whole host of other big names in other rooms (including a Boys Noize vs Erol Alkan set in The Theatre). The mix below should give anyone planning on going some indication of what to expect!

Mele - Kool Kids Podcast (Right Click & Save)

1. Style Of Eye - Homeless (Canblaster Remix) (Fools Gold)
2. Brey - Juno (Dub)
3. MYD - Pistolet (Sam Tiba Remix) (Dub)
4. Redlight - MDMA (Melé What You Talking About Edit) (Dub)
5. Yolanda Be Cool - We No Speak Americano (R1 Ryders Funkitek Refix)
6. Kashmiir Kid - Return Too Bombay City (Gut Instinct)
7. O.Children - Heels (Melé Remix) (Deadly People)
8. Untold - Anaconda (Hessle)
9. Africa Hitech - Boingy (Warp)
10. Jammer Ft Boy Better Know - 10 Man Roll (Big Dada)
11. Young Star - The Formula (Dub)
12. Ruff Sqwad - Mandem (NHNH)
13. CRST - Dial The Operator (Well Rounded)
14. Marco Del Horno vs Swerve Ft P Money - Ho Riddim (Dub)
15. Skepta vs Musical Mob - UFO Pulse (Melé Blend)
16. Musical Mob - Pulse X
17. Bok Bok - Dance Report (Enchufada)
18. Melé - Kanopa Riddim (Enchufada)
19. Melé - I Swear Down (Dub)
20. Toddla T - Sky Surfin (Benga Remix) (Ninja Tune)
21. Usher Ft Nicki Minaj - Little Freak (LaFace)
22. Jakes - 3kout (Hench)
23. Blasta - Feels So Good (Dub)
24. Lil Silva - Pulse Vs Flex (Night Slugs)
25. Mr Mageeka - Different Lekstrix (Numbers)
26. Brackles - 6AM El Gordos (MATH)
27. Big Dope P - Kazfara Juke (Dubbel Dutch Remix) (Dub)
28. Mz Bratt - Selecta (Greenmoney Bruksive Remix) (Dub)
29. Lol Boys - 123 (Palms Out)
30. Melé - Trappin' (Grizzly)
31. Kicks Like A Mule - Funky 4 (Hot City Remix)
32. Coldcut - Timber (Seiji Remix)

Moombahton

If 2010 is remembered for anything, then for me its going to remembered as the year where the Internet more than ever before allowed specific localized scenes and genres such as Juke and Shangaan to spread like never before, and the latest scene to be spreading across the blogosphere is something by the name of Moombahton.

There's no better simple explanation than on the Wikipedia entry for the genre:- Moombahton is a genre of popular music that was created by American musician Dave Nada at a graduation skipping party for his younger cousin in Washington, D.C. in the fall of 2009. The specific event that stimulated Nada's development of the Moombahton genre was him slowing the Afrojack remix of the Silvio Acomo & DJ Chuckie track "Moombah" to 108 beats per minute. Because that beat per minute configuration was close to that of Reggaeton at 95 BPM , Nada created the neologism Moombahton by combining the title of the track and the 'ton' ending of Reggaeton and applied it to his new genre. The word itself Moombahton is pronounced 'Moom-buh-tone'.

Sounds pretty silly to be spouting a whole new genre name off some House bing slowed down right? But this is more than simply "Dutch House pitched down", and the original Moombahton tracks feature chopped vocals, layered acapellas, extended and enhanced build-ups, as well as the introduction of new drums and percussion elements.

To be honest when I first read about it and heard a couple of tracks, I wasn't convinced, but that was until I discovered Munchi. Currently living overseas in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Munchi is a Reggaeton musician searching for a means to renovate that genre, and began to experiment with Moombahton and has now released a series of remarkable original tracks drawing on a variety of sources including both Reggaeton and Brazilian capoeira music.

The Munchi remix of Datsik - Firepower you can listen to below is absolutely fucking INSANE. There is no other way of putting it, and as I explore the music more and more, the more interested I am becoming, and its an interesting occurrence that this music is being slowed right down compared to the frenetic high speed mayhem of the aforementioned Juke and Shangaan. Have a listen to the remix below, and if you like what you hear, then explore this zip folder of tracks thats floating round entitled Munchi's Summer Of Moombahton, featuring loads of big tracks that are currently blazing up the scene. I'll be keeping a close eye on this gear!

Munchi - Summer Of Moombahton (Zip Folder - Right Click & Save)

Datsik - Firepower (Munchi Moombahcore Rmx) by Munchi

DJ Nate

FUCKING HELL! I really don't know what to say. If this in an indication of just how dark and downright nasty a road Juke can walk down then I am very very excited indeed. This makes me feel like biting someones face off. Go and buy the E.P now!!!

Post Strike

This blog is going to go a bit dead the next couple of weeks as I embark on what is going to be the harshest 10 days my body will have ever experienced, starting with flying out to Ibiza in the morning for the 3rd time for 5 days.

Rather stupidly (or cleverly depending on your viewpoint), when I get back from Ibiza I only have 24 hours back home before I go to Amsterdam for 48 hours to ease the post Ibiza blues. Most definitely not the cleverest idea is going to be arriving back from Amsterdam at 11am on a Saturday morning and leaving at 1.30pm to go to Bangor in Wales to DJ at the marvelous Hoofer Doofer festival. I am dreading what I am going to feel like on the Monday afterwards. Ibiza->Amsterdam->Bangor, what a combination. Back in a couple of weeks!

Tv Highlight Of 2010

I haven't laughed so much watching a Tv show in years as I did when this happened totally out of the blue last night. Jack Beats must be made up!