Terrible Chris' Fave Albums of 2010, Part the 2nd

i know, i know, you were so blown away by yesterday's list, you're wondering if you can take anymore. All the money i spend up in this bitch, you best believe you are.

6. Alex B, Moments--i dig Alex B's sound in a BIG way. Possibly my favorite beat album of the year.

7. Teebs, Ardour--Or maybe this one. Both were damn fine beat records. 'Nuff said.

8. Grinderman, Grinderman II--i've said it before, and i'll say it again--i can only hope and pray that my mid-life crisis sounds 1/100th this kick ass. This, my friends, is gutter rock blues at its finest.

9. Big Boi, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty--The until-now-less-heard-from-half of Outkast proves his worth and then some on perhaps the best rap CD of 2010.

10. Erykah Badu, New Amerykah, Part Two (Return of the Ankh)--Ms. Badu continues her perfection of odd funk and R&B.

ED. NOTE: ALL MP3 LINKS WERE REMOVED FROM THIS POST AS DICTATED BY THE MAN.

Beat Meet: The Galloping, 24-Hour, Throttled Edition

With the weather in D.C. today being of the stay-indoor variety, today's beat tracks seem particularly apropos. Drop the following onto your mp3 player of choice, take two, and funk me in the morning.

First off, can i once again declare my love for XLR8R? This recurring post would have a lot less material if those cats weren't surfacing some of the best stuff out there for nerdish collectors such as myself to devour, and this week is no different.

i meant to post this earlier, but Mt. Kimbie dropped a full podcast for XLR8R, and, as you'd expect, it's a laid back chill trip of the finest degree. Of course, there's ample booty shaking grooves on this roughly 45 minute mix, with tracks from Zomby, Dam-Funk and Kode 9, amongst others, so there's something for head nodders of all shades here.

mp3: XLR8R Mix (Mt. Kimbie on XLR8R Podcast)

i figured Baths would take the crown as the Brainfeeder champion for 2010, but Teebs continues to make his push to snatch the royal dome for himself. While i anxiously await the October 9 release of his Ardour, he continues to be the gift that keeps on giving with tracks like this for the latest in the on-going LA Series by All-City (the other side of this release shared with none other than Daedelus).

mp3: Anchor Steam (Teebs from LA Series 6)

My aural equivalent of Ju-On, Shigeto is back in the mix. In anticipation of his Full Circle hitting shelves November 9 by way of Ghostly, he's dropped the single, "Relentless Drag." It starts off with droning Asian strings before settling into a groove before kicking up the freak factor in the closing minute. This kid continues to grow on me.

mp3: Relentless Drag (Shigeto from Full Circle)

To close things out and simultaneously show that i do read more than just XLR8R, Caribou recently posted a Daytrotter set. i've had tickets to see the former Manitoba twice now, but keep getting called out of town for work when he does show. Here's a taste of what i keep missing.

mp3: Bowls (Caribou from Daytrotter Session, 9-16-10)

Beat Meet: The Back Up Edition

Can we get a round of applause for Ms. Megan's brilliant effort last week? While i was enjoying the 111 degree beauty of Phoenix and flying through thunderstorms with enough turbulence to have me grabbing the leg of a stranger sitting next to me (OK, she was a cute, blonde, Canadian nurse, but still), she was getting it done for you here at LET. At the very least, you should offer her a kiss on the cheek at the next show you see her attending. She likes that. Of course, who doesn't like getting kissed on the cheek? Nobody. Not even your grandfather.

The one good thing that came of my overly busy work week last week was the amount of time i spent on a plane. More specifically and importantly, the amount of time that afforded me to catch up on some excellent beat tapes making the rounds.

The kids over at the WEDIDIT Collective have been busy. Long timer Earnest Blount posted his work with yet another collective, this one called NOVA (i guess your collective needs to be in all caps to be taken seriously these days). The result is Illumination!, with contributions by Chris Adams and (waves:delicious), to name a few. The great thing about these groups/guys-who-get-together-to-assumedly-smoke-a-shitload-of-weed-and-play-beats is that each one has a distinct sound. These cats make music for long distance UFO runs between intergalactic convenience stores, particularly apropos if your alien captain has the munchies. Separately, WEDIDIT posted the latest from Juj, who may or may not actually be the guys in the collective itself. Regardless, the beats are fresh and crisp, not unlike good lettuce. And i'm talking romaine, motherfuckers. None of that cheap Iceberg shit here.

mp3: Golden_Dawn (Chris Adams: A Human Expressing Experience from Illumination!)

mp3: howlamme (Earnest Blount from Illumination!)

mp3: Manners (Juj from Slack)

In a world of beat production, crate diggers increasingly are getting left behind in the discussion of what's popping on the scene these days. Proving that Madlib isn't the only one out there making strides on the wheels of steel, Left Channel are back with a new one, Food and Entertainment. Sampling everything from old cartoons to "Waiting for Guffman," the boys continue to perfect their craft, building loopy beats for a madhouse world. Well done again, lads.

mp3: FOOD (Left Channel from Food and Entertainment)

mp3: Eunuch with a Hammer (Left Channel from Food and Entertainment)

Who needs to have friends in a collective when you know the cats at the label? Svetlana Industries has dropped a new mixtape featuring such roster stars as Prohor and Teebs, all for the low, low price of whatever you feel like spending. You can't beat that with a stick, and these beats are bumping, so whether you go cheap bastard or Medici with your patronage, you're still not spending enough for what this beast is worth.

mp3: Eye 2 (Prohor from Come On Let's Go)

mp3: Everyone Alive Wants Answers (Teebs from Come On Let's Go)

And finally, i've inadvertently been sitting on this one for a few weeks now, not entirely sure where to place it. Probably more trip-hop than anything else (think instrumental Zero 7), it's a haunting piece with underlying beat sensibilities. Perfect way to end the day, perfect way to end this post.

mp3: Cats in the Flat (Franklin from Wool Recordings)

Beat Meet: DJ, Mix Me a Mix Edition

Lots of LOOOONG mixes for this installation of the Beat Meet, so i hope you've got some time mapped out for all this noise i'm bringing your way.

To get things rolling, however, let's start with the thin mint goodness of "Why Like This?," another track from Teebs' forthcoming Ardour. If the first two tracks are any indication, the latest Brainfeeder uber-beat-maestro is going to have his own entry in the "Top 10 Beat Albums of 2010" like so many of his other label mates seem to be doing this year.

mp3: Why Like This? (Teebs from Ardour)

To help Mary Anne Hobbs close out her final show on BBC Radio 1, Burial and Kode9 put together the following mix. If you don't know who MAH is, you probably have no business reading this particular column. Regardless, this mix does not disappoint.

mp3: MAH Mix (Burial & Kode9 from MAH Show)

i keep trying to spread the love for Andreya Triana, but i'm not sure if the message has been well received. Perhaps this mix from the good folks over at The Couch Sessions, highlighting far more of her career than i have, will help to prove my point.

mp3: The Dream Suite Featuring Andreya Triana (JConda from The Couch Sessions Presents...)

If Flying Lotus says to check out a mix, well, you check out a mix. You can decide for yourself whether or not he's on spot this time with the latest from Lukid. Personally, i say the Floating Flower remains on the money with this banger filled with new and exclusive material from the extended Brainfeeder family, but you're big kids now. You can make your own decisions. Hopefully, we've been raising you right, so it's all good.

mp3: brainfeeder mix (Lukid from Brainfeeder Website)

Ed. Note: i don't normally comment on the accompanying post pictures, but is it just me or is the Buddha totally scoping out that DJ's ass? Good on you, Fat Buddha!

Late Night Free Music Friday: The After Hours, Beat the Meet Edition

It's been a looong fucking week at the office, but i ain't gots no time for none of that bullshit and various other grammatically incorrect vernacular vehemence! That being said, there was just too much good music this week not to share. As it happens, i probably could have made this a Beat Meet just as easily, but check your calendar, bitches.

I'm gonna get you high today, 'cause it's Friday; you ain't got no job... and you ain't got shit to do.

Old school gets a lift from the new generation, which is an excellent thing for beat music fans. Brad Laner has a new one out called Natural Selections. What caught my immediate attention, however, was the fact that Baths decided to remix the first single. The Master of the Tub adds his airy touch to an already otherworldly jam. For the helium minded, natch.

mp3: Crawl Back In (Baths Remix) (Brad Laner from Natural Selections Remix)

Ever since i saw them open for Lykke Li a couple of years back, i've been impressed by Wildbirds & Peacedrums. And every new track i hear shows growth and improvement from the last, highlighting their growth as musicians. On this new one, the percussion heavy band adds steel drums to create a breezy, slower jam that's a nice send off to the quickly fading summer.

mp3: The Drop (Wildbirds & Peacedrums from Rivers)

OK, i've dug 2010's foray into fuzz-reverb-heavy, Spector-esque chick bands as much as the next guy, but i think i'm about ready for this phase to wrap itself up. i'm well aware that Frankie Rose and the Outs comes from the highest of pedigrees within the genre, and this track isn't too shabby, but let's watch ourselves here, eh, kids? Too much of a good thing is just going to give you gas, children.

mp3: Little Brown Haired Girls (Frankie Rose and the Outs from Frankie Rose and the Outs)

i kept meaning to check out Prince Rama, but there are only so many hours in the day, right? Of course, much like with Mr. Laner above, it only took the right man to remix things to pique my interest. Enter Sun Araw and one hell of a tribal treatment to his highness' beat.

mp3: Storm Worship (Sun Araw Mix) (Prince Rama from Shadow Temple Remix)

And now a hearty thank you to the fine folks over at the Brainfeeder camp who just decided to overload us with audio riches this past week. Teebs' first single, "Arthur's Birds," for his Brainfeeder debut, Ardour, sounds like the music made by cyborg parakeets, so we've got that. The Gaslamp Killer is getting ready to drop a new one, too. To tease Death Gate, they've released a new track with Gonjasufi, which quite frankly, is the best Gonjasufi track i've ever heard; the two apparently like-minded artists just nail this Far East sounding jam. And what would Brainfeeder be without the magic of their maestro, Flying Lotus, behind it? That's conjecture for another day when we've got more weed than we do now, but you can groove along with him as he sits in with the Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble from this set, live in Los Angeles, July 23rd, 2010.

mp3: Arthur's Birds (Teebs from Adour)

mp3: When I'm in Awe (ft. Gonjasufi) (The Gaslamp Killer from Death Gate)

mp3: Drips/Take Notice (Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble ft. Flying Lotus from a live show in LA, 7-23-10)

With the weather hopefully just starting to cool off a bit, i think i'm going to have to make good on my promise to start "paying back" Levi for their incredible Pioneer Sessions with the purchase of some denim. This week, it's Nas' take on Slick Rick's classic, "Hey, Young World."

mp3: Hey, Young World (Nas from Levi's Pioneer Sessions)

Just when you think you've had enough and right after i bitched about having too much of a good thing, you don't think i'd send you off without this wafer thin offering from Low End Theory, did you? Here's Podcast 17, featuring Daddy Kev and Baths (sumbitch is everywhere lately, which is nice). Oh my.

mp3: Episode 17: Daddy Kev and Baths (Low End Theory Podcast)

Now off with you, and for my U.S. compatriots, enjoy the start of a long weekend.

Blog-On-Blog Love: For Your Poolside, Occasionally Booty Thumpin' Good Times

As is the case with most folks these days, i imagine, i tend to find myself more interested in individual tracks these days than full albums or even EPs. Well, some of my fave writers from around the blogosphere have unearthed some pretty damn good full affairs lately, for FREE, no less. Far be it from me not to spread the love like peanut butter syrup over banana pancakes to you fine dead beats.

While Gorilla vs. Bear tends to find and post some incredible 7 inchers and individual tracks, i was pleasantly surprised when they recently hipped me to Monster Rally. At the time, GvB was pimping Monster Rally's latest, Palm Reader, over at his bandcamp page. Fortunately for me, the band had an additional EP up there for my listening pleasure, every bit as good as the latter. MR samples 50s and 60s polynesian and surf music, plain and simple, but he does it to brilliant effect. Plus, he's got one of the best MF Doom remixes i've heard in quite some time. While the Doom track is the exception, both the EP and Palm Reader are winners from start to finish. This is tiki torch pool party music right here, children, and it's good stuff.

mp3: Maori Mai (Monster Rally from EP)

mp3: A Voice (Monster Rally from Palm Reader)

Apple Juice Break continues to be an excellent source for beat music, and their taste for mixtapes and remixes is on par with the best of 'em. So i guess it was no surprise that i found out about Exile's Radio Bonus Album from them. What did come as a huge surprise is how freaking good this thing is. i'm almost afraid to buy the "original" when it comes out August 31. Exile has some monsters on duty for the remixes here, including Teebs, DJ Rhettmatic and Dibia$e. Plus, it's got the first heavy opera sample i've heard in a long, long time, so you know you're interested. You've got some of the bigger names in beat production, plus some damn fine up and comers, all for your listening pleasure. Highly recommended, he said bluntly.

mp3: So We Can Move (Teebs Remix) (The Dirty Science from Exile Radio Remixes)

mp3: It's Coming Down (DJ Rhettmatic Remix) (The Dirty Science from Exile Radio Remixes)

Completely by fluke whilst perusing Hype Machine, i found unouomedude on Dead As Digital. More spacey, poolside music, with reverb drenched vocals over ethereal beats and keys. i've never much bought into the whole "the season makes the music" mentality, but this music clearly would be wasted in an igloo, and you'd be a fool not to have it booming next to your deckside summer chair.

mp3: Buildings (unouomedude from Marsh)

And to close things out, a nod to our very good friend over at Berkeley Place. As fate would have it, he did a post earlier today on Chiddy Bang. Just this past weekend, one of my hip hop head buddies suggested them as a new band to check out. While i've only listened to it once myself and still am forming my own opinions, if those two recommend it, hell, that's good enough for me, which should be more than enough for you jackals.

mp3: Pro's Freestyle 1.0 (Chiddy Bang from The Swelly Express)

mp3: Silver Screen (Chiddy Bang from The Swelly Express)