The ‘James Drake’ mixtape is a collection of James Blake and Drake songs mashed up by Philly DJs Bombé and Mr Caribbean for our listening pleasure. Sit back and swoon…

Download links via soundcloud

Lovely laid back Sunday vibes for y’all in this mix by James Blake collaborator Airhead [Brainmath], click here to listen and download (via Electronic Explorations). Really look forward to hearing more from this guy, what a talent.

“Remember when you first heard James Blake, Ramadanman, well remember this is where you first heard Koreless. Remember this: Koreless with a K”… That’s what Gilles Peterson had to say about Koreless, not a bad start to your music career now, is it? I was sat in Alex’s (co-founder of Pictures Music) studio listening to some stuff and he played me a few tracks by Koreless around a year ago. After two tracks I was pretty hyped.

I know very little about the guy personally but I do know he is from Glasgow and the underground music scene has been bubbling up there for a long time now. He is in all the right publications and all the right DJ’s are making the right noises so it only seems a matter of time before this guy is a household underground name. I know the Matt and Alex over at Pictures have high hopes for Koreless and I for one believe he will be a success too. Here are some tracks he has up on his Soundcloud, a nice Jacques Greene remix in there and a great original called ‘Up Down Up Down’. Both are great tracks but keep tabs on this guy, I have had a sneak peak of his next release and it is awesome! Due out on Pictures in late March, defo one to watch.

BUY KORELESS ‘UP DOWN UP DOWN’ HERE: PICTURES MUSIC

PICTURES MUSIC

Koreless – Up Down Up Down by Pictures Music

Jacques Greene – The Look (Koreless Remix) by Koreless

FEBRUARY MIX by OUZO GET SOME UK

TRACKLIST

Lenny Fontana — Spirit of the Sun (S Gurley Mix)
Kode 9 – You Don’t Wash (Dub)
DVA — Step 2 Funk
Hercules and Love Affair — My House
Ramadanman & Midland — Your Words Matter
Falty DL — My Friends Will Always Say
George Fitzgerald — Don’t You
Hackman — Bam Bam
James Blake — CMYK
T. Williams — Heartbreak (Mosca Remix)
SCB — 3_5
Karizma — Groove A ‘K’ Ordingly
DND Presents — Diamond Rings
Jaques Greene — Holdin’ On
Breach — Man Up
Gugu — RockAByeBaby
Julio Bashmore — Battle For Middle You
Pariah — The Slump
Gerry Read — Patterns
Gerry Read — Last Time

Whilst scoping the web, researching another article I’m writing, I came accross this. When you read the article in question, which will ask ‘Who really invented Dubstep’, you will understand why I made a step from listening to early Timbaland instrumentals to this, one of my all time Jodeci favourites ‘What about us’.
People are quick to say that the likes of Joker wouldn’t have taken their grime and dubstep sounds to where it is now if they hadn’t been exposed to Timbaland, but for me there has to be just as much influence coming from these guys, who where in turn drawing on funk sounds pioneered by the likes of Roger Troutman. F#ck it, I don’t even know what I’m getting at here. Just check this beat. Now tell me you can’t hear a touch of James Blake.

Woon teams up with a more house-oriented Burial for Night Air, a previous collaboration on Wayfaring Stranger being a staple of my record bag. The Ramadanman remix does the original more than justice.

James Blake’s cover of Feist and Chilly Gonzales’ Limit to Your Love is something different altogether. Blake sings the vocal himself, rather than sampling, combining his signature keys with a dread half-time beat reminiscent of a Mala production. HEAVY.

New James Blake joint on R&S, TASTY.

James Blake – Klavierwerke (128) by factmag

This one is from James Blake who didn’t even have a record out this time last year but I expect his name to be on everyone’s lips in 2010. Here is a clip from his latest EP which is out on Hessle Audio (a personal fave of mine), unfortunately, YouTube was the only place I could find it. Apologies if the quality isn’t great, have a listen!

PEACE

Its hard to ignore the Red Bull Music Academy this year as it invades London. From live shows, to daily newspapers, to seminars the RBMA is involved in so many things these surrounding months. But its not all about the Academy that takes place each year – over on their website, they record and post hundreds of live sets from around the world.

Mount Kimbie, easily one of my favourite acts of last year, played a live show at Manchester’s Deaf Institute and RBMA were there to capture it. 60 minutes of leftfield electronic music that breaks the definitions of any genre I could think to place it in. Essential.

Listen up.