Sounduo, is the greatest act I know in the Florida region. I can say that with tremendous confidence. I was lucky enough to interview them a few months ago when I lived in Dallas and thrilled to hear of such an act had finally appeared in the Miami area.
Now that I’ve moved back to Miami everyone has been asking me how things are out here. The truth is I knew I was signing my death note for my music career moving out here. The Miami bass scene targets more of the mainstream dubstep fans and not so much of the glitch-hop west coast scene. Don’t get me wrong Miami Dubstep is alive and thriving but it’s quite different from what I’d consider myself part of. The first week-end I was in town I heard about Archnemesis playing a show, which totally blew me away because I had never heard of anyone like Archnemesis coming into town since I left the city. Turns out that Sounduo was opening for them for a few dates in FL. I was thrilled to finally hear and see these guys play live.
WOW. These guys are incredible performers and have their own unique sound which mixes their dub, reggae, and bass roots together into a great package. Zach absolutely crushes it on drums live and Will is behind many controllers playing live keys during many of their songs. They play all originals and can expect them to glitch it up just how we all love and even some massive bass drops. Needless to say I was impressed and consider them one of the best live acts with a drummer in the game.
I’ve had the pleasure of being able to become friends with these guys and man they’re totally legit. They’ve got a lot ahead of them and have a great outlook on everything all around. I’m honored anytime they come over to jam out or play live on my Glitch.fm show. They truly give me hope for the Miami local scene in regards to what I’d consider myself part of. The Archnemesis show showed me some light for this city. There was a super chill crowd and even could pick out about 5-6 Grassroots California hats in the crowd which usually is a good sign.
Overall these are guys you want to keep your eye out for. Their debut release is due out on Made in Glitch which makes me really happy to hear. I assure you everyone who fancies most of the music we post on here will love their upcoming release. Now for the real treat. They contacted me recently that they were working on a tune specifically for the site. It has been awesome getting to know them and playing beside them in my studio and we’ve gotten to discuss what sort of sound I enjoy and am trying to accomplish. The track they send over totally took me by surprise. It’s EPIC. A 7min long tune that sends chills down my body just because after hanging out with them they’ve created something so perfect that fits exactly what I would want to represent Afromonk.com.
I’ll also be working on some new stuff with them in near future, which makes me scream with excitement.
Much love to Will and Zach!
Expect that Made in Glitch release soon!
Ben Samples has hit the legendary status that I knew he would become years ago. I got this in my e-mail a few days ago and was asked to put it out. I figure I post this because lately I’ve been telling the people close to me how hip-hop is what is doing it right now in sets. We all know how quickly Dubstep has been rising but the truth is most of the crowd wants something they know and can sing along too.
This track is a perfect example of what is working right now. Grab a sexy R&B track which has someone spitting on it and add some bass, rearrange some pieces, give it your signature sound and you’ve got a hit. Truth is we all know the top DJs and Producers are the ones who can play things people have never heard and also the hit they all know. The balance or mixture of these two things is exactly what works at clubs, bars, house parties, etc… You want to appeal to the masses but have a unique take on it so they remember you. Ben Samples understands this and has continuously proven that this works. I can’t tell you how many sets I’ve seen where someone uses one of his remixes or originals and the crowd goes nuts. Why? Well even when I drop one of his tunes I get that feeling this is what people want me to be playing yet get some additional bass and version they might not know but can predict whats going to happen so they can still follow the beat and dance too.
I hope you enjoy this and throw this one into your playlist. It’s great to hear something along these lines after his releases of heavy bass dancefloor remixes of some of the classics. After listening to this the first time on my phone when I received it I smiled and knew that this would instantly become a track I’d be hearing quite often at shows.
LoBounce takes a classic track that most the population will remember. After staying in close contact with LoBounce and giving him some feedback on all the new work, I decided to ask for an exclusive. The moment I heard the Cassie – Me & U remix I knew it was the one I wanted. He gives such new dynamic range to an already fresh beat.
If you’re looking for a sexy glitch hop tune that has some luvstep feel to it this is the one you’ve been looking for! I know I dedicated to my lady when I first dropped it.
I assure you this will not be the last you hear of LoBounce and will be wondering how he blasted off so quickly. This track will answer that in the future. LoBounce has become easily one of the most played artist in my sets and can’t wait to hear more of the new material. Look out Chicago cause he going to be launching off from there.
Much Love and Respect to my homie LoBounce!
DOWNLOAD: Cassie – Me & U (LoBounce Remix) AfroMonk.com Exclusive
Elfkowitz over the years has become a close friend and someone I’ve always pushed to everyone. The attitude and perspective he brings to the music industry today is unmatched. He works hard and has been putting in his time. The time is near for Elfkowitz as his name begins to be recognized more and more amongst some of the best in the game.
The life of an artist is tough and while it may seem a bit odd to put out a release called Rent Money to help fund his actual rent money it’s brilliant and only shows you the true colors of Ian. He is no bullshit and one of the most humbling people to be around. Life can be tough and paying rent sometimes can be stressful. When I got the text from him about posting this release I was in Austin and had to sigh because I was taking my break from the blog and knew it’d be awhile till I got around to this post.
It has been awhile since Rent Money came out but I assure you this release contains some of the freshest beats that will remain timeless in the development and evolution of Elfkowitz work. I reached out to him asking if he had anything new he’d like for me to share along with Rent Money and pulled some strings and giving me the honor of releasing another exclusive track for the blog. I hope you enjoy this tune as much as I do and give it some loving. I’ve been testing it out the Turntable.fm room and everyone has been asking when it’ll be available to download. HERE IT IS! Be sure to check out my Turntable.fm room as Elfkowitz does make frequent visits to drop some freshies!
Benito releases his highly awaited release on Street Ritual, Exercise Progression. Considering Benito isn’t one of the most well known names right now I highly recommend this one. Elysha and many others had been telling how much I was going to enjoy this one and boy were they right. Street Ritual always delivers with quality and vibes I enjoy.
Exercise Progression isn’t your traditional styled beats in the bass scene. There’s a large amount of unique sounds that blend together well with clean bass lines and wonky styled arps. I’d consider this borderline IDM versus glitch-hop/wonky where most would put this. Elysha considers Benito to be the next Lorn so you can see where I’m coming from. The track Thuggity totally has that hip-hop glitch feel that shines and great crowd pleasure if dropped at the right time. Every track on this one grabs my attention and give me the feeling that no matter which of Benito’s tracks I pick they’ll all have that unique experience of man this is awesome more people should hear this. Benito might not be some superstar right now but give him a bit more and don’t be surprised to see his name amongst some of the greatest right now with this wonky glitch idm sound.
Proud to bring you all a new track solely being offered via through the site and soundcloud. I’ve had the pleasure of rocking this tune out for awhile and was offered to give it away to you! My good friends Joey and Elysha do an incredible job with the vocals on this track. The vocals give this tune so much more depth. Previewing it to Samples earlier today he commented on how Joey sounds black sometimes, LOL. The layering of Joey’s voice and Elysha was done so well and shows off the incredible dynamics of them together. Their energy and vibe create an VIP version that I had to have first dubs on =)
kHoff is up next
10. Requake – Arma Bass VIP
11. An0dyne – Mayhem
12. Skream – Seasick
13. kHoff – Agoraphobia
14. Jakes – Claw
15. Vannin – Kelevera (forthcoming Abducted)
16. Instigate – Sinister
17. Zimo – 400 Damage Points
18. Bratkilla – A message to the government
19. Bukez Finezt – The Bunch
20. kHoff – Make Me A Mortal
21. Dash Total’d – Here We Go
22. d-Queue & Luke Nukem – Rick Troll
I came across this beautiful gem of a song today from The Walton Hoax, a collab from producer infraBuse and singer/songwriter Peter Vanek out of Antwerp, Belgium. If you’re a fan of the chiller side of dubstep, 2-step, UK Garage and artists like Burial and Asa, then you’ll def dig this track. I’ve been listening to this type of music a lot lately to help me relax and focus when i get stressed or to just wind down at the end of the night. This is a beautifully constructed track with great vocals. I’m definitely looking forward to more music from these talented artists. Much thanks to The Walton Hoax for offering up this amazing track as an exclusive download for our readers!
Bio:
The Walton Hoax is an electronic music project from Antwerp, Belgium. A dark mix of 2-step, Dubstep and UK Garage is molded into a type of bass-heavy sound that is aimed at live sets as well as casual listening. It is inspired by futuristic dance producers like Mount Kimbie, Skream, Jamie Woon, James Blake and of course Burial. The project started in 2010 as a remix collab between the two founding artists. Singer/songwriter Peter Vanek had written some songs for this purpose, and asked producer infraBuse to give them a makeover. After finishing the first couple of tracks, they were so pleased with their sound, that they made it into a separate project: “The Walton Hoax.” Inspired by a 90′s science fiction film, the band name is based upon the supposedly true story of a UFO abduction. A few months after the project’s birth, The Walton Hoax put out a first song: Chemical Burn, constructed out of melancholy vocals intertwining with brooding, live-wire electronics that take the listener for a sizzling ride into the dark. It was supported with a video clip, which earned them no less than 15.000 views on youtube within the first month. This song is a prelude for the 3-track EP called “Chemical Burn” that’s coming out in June 2011. The ep will be up for download and pressed on a limited number of vinyl records, obtainable through www.TheWaltonHoax.be.
A friend and I made a new mix, I think it turned out quite nice.
I’ve been on a bit of a mellow tangent lately and Lb Sand has been on the same road for a while now.
So we decided to make a mix that specifically caters to that very need, DEEP-BASS for the deprived ears.
I must say… I really enjoy Lb Sand’s contribution to the mix and I think the two mixes compliment each other a LOT.
Great vibe, great tunes, great listen, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
SO, sit back, relax, and listen.
These tunes remind me why I LOVE Dubstep so much.
Afro Monk
December 9th by Afro Monk 
Tags: Afro Monk Exclusive, Archnemesis, Glitch FM, Grassroots California, Made in Glitch, Miami Dubstep, Sounduo
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