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-----------------------------------
"Stucco (feat. Y2K)" by bbno$

Curated by: Jared Paul

Spotify: http://bit.ly/stuccoBBNOmoolah

Genre: #hiphop

Something seems a bit off here...and yet it feels so damn right. Out of god-knows-how-many rappers there are out there right now, how did my go to when craving the genre become a white dude out of Vancouver named Alexander Gumuchian? The answer is simple...because almost everything he puts is straight fire. 

I first heard bbno$'s "who dat boi" about six months ago and immediately it got featured on Rock With This. Since then it's been this consistent love affair. The pace at which Gumuchian drops bombs is meteoric but what's even more impressive is the quality of this swiftness. 

No shit, it was between "Stucco" and a half dozen other of his tracks that we were deciding on for today. And all of them came out in the past year. We went with "Stucco" because of its infectious beat, exquisite production, and it's cameo of the oft-featured Y2K, whose flow perfectly compliments bb. 

Fun fact: In China he has absolutely blown the F up thanks to the Chinese dance crew, TFBoys. Their crew member Jackson danced to his track "Yoyo Tokyo" at his bday party and the rest is history. 

If we have anything to say about it this man is bound to blow up in the States as well.

bbno$ - stucco (feat. Y2K)

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------
"Into Nirvana" by Maverick Sabre

Curated by: Jared Paul

Spotify: http://bit.ly/IntoNirvanaMaverickSabre

Genre: #indierock

Ever heard of Maverick Sabre? I hadn't until a few days ago. His debut album 2012 album was #2 on the UK charts and yet I bet I don't know a single person who knows his name.

Why is that? There seems to be an annoying trend where talented singer-songwriters from the UK break big time across the pond and then years later the United States finally catches on. In this case, SEVEN years later. SMDH.

This English-Irish talent offers a catalogue where you can go deep down the rabbit hole. Unlike many songwriters, there style is consistent and unwavering, not Maverick. I read a review where they suggested this track is R&B/soul, but I don't hear that. I hear a milder Kings of Leon with a bit less drawl than Caleb Followill but with a similar depth. And that slinky bassline. That shit is soooo KoL. And I love it. Also don't miss his lyrical ode to Oasis - "I was chasing oasis, Champagne, supernova, I wonder walls through the city, And do we all live forever?"

Now for shits and giggles go pop on his track "I Need", then "Come Fly Away", and finally his collab with Jorja Smith "Slow Down". I mean c'mon. This guy is phenomenally diverse and phenomenally phenomenal.

Alright enough is enough. I know our backwards ass country takes decades to catch up in so many areas, and music absolutely isn't the priority, but I'll take it as a start.

Maverick Sabre - Into Nirvana

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------
"Freakin' Out On the Interstate" by Briston Maroney

Curated by: Jared Paul

Spotify: http://bit.ly/FreakinOutBristonMaroney

Genre: #rock

After being mind-blown by a Phish cover band (if ya like Phish you gotta see A Live One) last weekend in my future home Austin, Texas, the wifey and I went back to a good mate's place to sustain the evening. Alongside tasty treats and beverages his lovely lass, Hayley Creasey, manned the musical responsibilities and did not disappoint.

My favorite moment of said "afterparty" was when Hayley fired up Briston Maroney's track "Freakin' Out On the Interstate". I was unfamiliar with Mr. Briston Maroney up until this point but within one strum of his guitar I knew I was in for something special. Then within one "Freakin' out" vocal, I was in dumfounded bliss.

It was one of those moments that you just don't forget. Not only was I hearing one of the finer rock songs that I'd heard in months, but the emotion Hayley displayed for this song was straight out of Almost Famous. Dancing and singing like it was the last damn song she'd ever hear. Ya know how people talk about "being in the zone"? Well she was in the fucking zone.

I haven't had a ton of time to dig much into the Nashville singer-songwriter's work but I've got a nice 26 hours road trip ahead of me to do some more freakin' on the interstate.

Briston Maroney - Freakin' Out On The Interstate

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------
"Murderer of Blue Skies" by Chris Cornell

Curated by: Natalie Silver

Spotify: http://bit.ly/MurdererofBlueSkiesChrisCornell

Genre: #rock

I was that kid rolling up to every soccer game with thick strips of eyeblack underlining the glare of my impermeable pregame focus, excessive amounts of caffeine in my Nalgene (thanks, Dad) and the hardest rock I knew escaping the windows of my family’s silver minivan. I was ready to party, and I showed up to win.

I had one pregame album that always did the trick: Soundgarden’s Badmotorfinger, which basically became the soundtrack to my prepubescent life. It is a compilation of pure, raging, hard rock and primal screams--noise that served the dual purposes of both riling up my victorious enthusiasm and satiating my agony in defeat, whatever was appropriate depending on the circumstances. And no, this is not a metaphor. I am, in fact, talking about winning or losing soccer games, which was a weekly reality that pretty much represented the entire range of my emotional being--violently vacillating from soaring euphoria to the depths of self-loathing and shame. And, like many competitors, I truly believed in the consistency of my pregame ritual and music.  Specifically, I truly believed that I required the aural transmission Chris Cornell’s intensity to activate my inner savage on the field.  

I can’t say it didn’t work. As I grew up, I turned to Cornell’s guidance in other areas of my life. 

I grew older, got more emo, and my emotions complicated as they became rooted in darker and deeper concepts and experiences--mental health and illness, love and betrayal, intimacy and commitment, risk and fear, self-actualization and perfectionism, a flawed universe and my role in it. My taste evolved, and as it did, I, perhaps subconsciously, traced the trajectory of Cornell’s work on my own timeline. Somehow, my discoveries of his more broody and tender pieces synchronized with times in my life that paralleled those sentiments. When I discovered “Murderer of Blue Skies” on his 2015 album Higher Truth, I welcomed its songs in minor and words in torment as a complement to my own period of wrangled introspection--a stage of my life in which my view of the world would be harshened or rosied by something other than a win or a loss. 

Higher Truth, which ended up being the last studio work before his suicide in 2017, is Cornell’s total artistic masterpiece--after over three decades of acts including Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Audioslave and solo work. I love it all, but I truly believe that this last solo studio album is the culmination of all of his artistic talent and torment as it somehow brings the heat and fury of true hard rock, the anguish of grunge, and the liberation of early punk to an album of pure, beautiful and tragic lullabies. 

Cameron Crowe calls “Murderer of Blue Skies” the ultimate anti-love love song of a protagonist who naively consents to the promise of love and loses hard, reflecting in blameless agony. It’s tender, sweet and universally heartbreaking, and became an essential piece of a boyish, 12-song testament to Cornell’s life, love, torment and talent that ultimately lives on as his dying words. 

Some may argue Cornell’s music was his fuel for life; others may see it as the natural carnage of his own self-destruction. Perhaps it is both, which makes enjoying the raw beauty of his music undeniably and irrevocably painful. Perhaps that is simply the music doing its job.

Chris Cornell - Murderer Of Blue Skies

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------
"HOT" by Dodgr

Curated by: Jared Paul

Spotify: http://bit.ly/HOTDodgr

Genre: #electrosoul

***1,073 Spotify plays. This my friends is absolutely absurd.***

UPDATE: This is a repost as our original post tagged the wrong Dodgr, who ended up bring a complete dickhead and vehemently disagreed with us making an honest mistake and using his bio and picture. Spotify also has made this same mistake and has his music on the intended (and better) Dodgr's profile. Always smart of be an a-hole to people who spend their time promoting artist's music FOR FREE. Anyway...

Monday's at Rock With This have unofficially become the day we feature our favorite track from the previous night's Euphoria episode. With only two more episodes left in the season, the simple life is about to come crashing down.

All of the details from our original post about Dodgr (being from Atlanta, creating bass/trap music, etc.) were clearly wrong but after some sleuthing here's the little we found about the REAL Dodgr. Alana Chenevert, a.k.a. The Last Artful Dodgr, is an American hip hop recording artist from Portland, Oregon. She has been producing and rapping since 2011.

What I can share in a bit more depth is what I hear on "HOT"; and what I hear a glorious piece of music that is reminiscent of 50's doo-wop. A track that offers lots of space for each element to do its thing and for the vocalist to lay down his gold on top of the groove. The string work throughout is also choice. The genre lies somewhere between R&B, hip hop, and electro soul. This is a damn good song. Dig.

Dodgr - Hot

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------
"Deadcrush (Ben de Vries remix)" by alt-J

Curated by: Amanda Scharkss

Spotify: http://bit.ly/DeadcrushAltJremix

Genre: #indiedance, #remix

∆. I’m not trying to make this a post about some Illuminati conspiracy, but that’s the symbol that appears when one presses the sequence “alt-J” on a keyboard. Jokes aside, alt-J is a band that needs no introduction. Their music is the quintessence of the alternative genre, and their song “Deadcrush” is within their top five most popular tracks according to Spotify plays. So, without further ado, I’d like to turn the attention over to the Londoner who’s been playing the game from underground: Ben De Vries.

Ben De Vries is not only a producer for himself and other artists such as David Gray and Lunacre, but also a composer. The bloke has been a part of the original scores for movies like Suckerpunch and Kickass, along with documentaries like BBC’s “Wonders of the Universe”. Given the nature of these films, there’s no wonder to the atmosphere he creates within his music. In his remix of “Deadcrush,” he takes the meat and spices from Alt-J’s original rendition and flips the track into an even cleaner, fine dining meal.

He cleverly starts and ends with the same alert sound in order to pull everything under one large circuit, while using Alt-J’s alternative flares as a foundation for the electronic loops he spreads throughout. The Middle Eastern flavors from the original shine far as the snare serves as a spine to the rest of the glorious madness that’s happening around it. If not to experience the magnificence more than once, you might want to play it again just to make sure you heard it right.

I don’t know what a deadcrush is, but if I did, I think it’s safe to say that Ben De Vries dead-crushes the game.

alt-J - Deadcrush (Ben De Vrie remix)

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------
"Plastic Fantastic Lover" by Jefferson Airplane

Curated by: Natalie Silver

Spotify: http://bit.ly/PlasticFantasticLoverJA

Genre: #psychedelicrock

I’m five minutes into cooling off period after a brutal shuffleboard loss at Kingfish...my hyper eyesight rapidly shifting from sticker to sticker on the graffitied wall, to the drink in my hands, and then back to that guy who looks just like my uncle--anything to avoid giving attention to the never-ending taunting from my obnoxious friends in their victory.

Neon strobing lights permeate my peripheral vision and my attention is seized by a jocular and vibrant electric jukebox--a gawdy ornament completely out of place in this dingy Oakland dive bar.

And then, as if by divine intervention, Eric Clapton’s “Cocaine” fades out and a new acoustic guitar parades into the room, and this time in heat. She’s blaring a stampeding rhythm that matches the the pulse of my agitated being.

And as the electric guitar enters in furious exhale, the coincidence of the delivery hits me in the face and the full body of Jefferson Airplane’s “Plastic Fantastic Lover” comes raging from the DayGlo mouth of the animated jukebox, delivering the metaphor of the song’s title to me in a beautiful moment of innocent serendipity.

“Plastic Fantastic Lover,” as it turns out, is not about a sex toy, but rather was written by Marty Balin in the late ‘60s about his then-new stereo system.

It is written brilliantly; he personifies the stereo in a voyeuristic love song that builds into complete hysteria, ultimately delivering a criticism of the music industry and foreshadowing the impending Digital Age.

The marching percussion and vehement vocals by Grace Slick convey the infatuating toxicity of the technology--and all that she represents. Her characteristics are odd and futuristic, yet dangerous and infectious. Engaging with her is a consciously haphazard decision; an epic freefall into a precarious love. It’s playing with fire at its finest, and the thrill is phenomenal.

And now it’s 2019, and I’m staring back at this flashy jukebox--a 21st century version of the same symbol behind the song’s name--taking in this classic in a profoundly new way, sipping an Anchor Steam and briefly forgetting about my shuffleboard loss. I smirk at the screen...and I could swear she howls back at me in laughter.

Jefferson Airplane - Plastic Fantastic Lover

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------
"Valkyrie Missile" by Angels and Airwaves

Curated by: Jared Paul

Spotify: http://bit.ly/ValkyrieMissileAVA

Genre: #rock

"This is so strange, I want to wish for something new, This is the scariest thing I've ever done in my life, Who do we think we are?"

The day has finally arrived. Well, at least the night before. For so many years I never envisioned leaving California, and yet here I am on the eve of our departure to Austin, Texas. Leaving everything that has grown normal to us...the majestic hills, the bay, Karl, our friends, family, favorite spots, and the place where Rock With This was conceived. Tomorrow we begin a new adventure...to start a family, make new friends, be closer to family (my side), and to take the biggest risk yet, to try and turn Rock With This into the greatest music brand in the world. As one of my best buds quoted at our goodbye dinner..."Fortune favors the bold."

Early last week I began thinking what song would be right for this post. I needed an all-encompassing monumental melody that summed up my last 14 years in the Bay Area. One that not only helped pen the final page of this life chapter but also served as fuel for the rocket ship to my next novel. A song that was equal parts thoughtful, inspiring, and energetic. I had a couple masterpieces in mind - this being one of them - but decided to dig a bit deeper and hit "shuffle" on our Curators Playlist. And as synchronicity has guided me since I decided to TRUST, out of the 642 songs, this one came on first. A track that I listened to probably 20 times on a drive from SF to Vegas during the pinnacle of my transformation - the first time in my life where I knew, and felt, that everything was going to happen exactly as it was meant to. And everything was going to be alright.

I arrived in San Francisco via Atlanta in May 2005. I was a man seeking, very much in need of purpose, and yet I had little idea how lost I truly was. It wasn't until 2008 after a failed relationship and the decision to leave the corporate world to start my nonprofit A Good Idea, did my real life begin. The decision to finally be selfless, opened up a whole new world.

I finally had purpose...to bring people together to experience soul-quenching moments while serving the homeless members of our community. I found community - a group of amazing people who either led me to or are some of the most meaningful friendships that I'll ever experience. I discovered my spiritual self - leading me to a 13 year journey packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. And I found the love of my life - after numerous relationships with wonderful women, I finally met the most wonderful of them all. I credit Eckhart Tolle's 'The Power of Now' as "waking me up" and my wife Kira Moler Paul as "settling me down".

"Valkyrie Missile" absolutely nails how I'm feeling in this moment. The ethereal intro beaming with emotional synths launches me into a mind-flight of glorious reflection. The riveting rhythm track gets my heart pounding, my blood flowing, and my soul inspired. And that soaring U2-inspired guitar riff sets the stage for a poignant lyrical onslaught that just had to be written for these very moments.

So many decisions, moments, experiences, and people led me to this evening. With my wife laying next to me, utterly exhausted from a brutal week of packing, we rest amongst cardboard boxes of artifacts from our past and sit with minds swirling with dreams of what just might be.

Goodbye California. I will forever be in love with you.

Angels & Airwaves - Valkyrie Missile (Audio Video) - Timestrech - 0.93x

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------
"Do You Remember (feat. Death Cab for Cutie & Bon Iver)" by Chance The Rapper

Curated by: Mike Floeck

Spotify: http://bit.ly/DoYouRememberChancetheRapper

Genre: #hiphop

Here comes Chance, diving into your summer playlists and making a splash just when you thought you had all the jams you needed to complete you. He’s the millennial master of all that makes us bubble over with joy while reaching for the happy parts of our day - throughout his discography, Chance reminisces. 10 Day reminisces the days before undue punishment seconded everyone. Acid Rap reminisces a time of peace, highlighting the violence plaguing Chicago. Coloring Book looks back at feelings he felt when he cared what others saw in him.

“Do You Remember”, a highlight from The Big Day, reminisces this summer from the eye of the present, highlighting why it’ll be remembered. Like most recent Chance tracks, the liner notes read off like a Hostess ingredients list: production is handled by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and features contributions from a cast including Francis Starlite (Francis & The Lights), a frequent Chance collaborator. Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie) steals the show, making the absolute most of a hook by bringing an analog, sophomoric nostalgia to the chorus. It’s pervasive and haunting as he ponders his adolescence then reiterates his present as if he were gazing down upon it. It embraces the listener as if they were caught up in shared success with this man that can’t help to keep his feelings down.

The Big Day in general is joyful, expressive and celebratory: it celebrates Chance’s wedding night and his vows, his elation and his physical expression in the form of dance. “Do You Remember” is a record for participation: belief’s crucial, just as Chance expresses belief in his union, but doubt in himself. But as Ben sings on the hook, the summer lasts forever.

Chance The Rapper - Do You Remember (feat. Ben Gibbard & Justin Vernon)

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------
"Agua" by saib.

Curated by: Dane W. Iliff

Spotify: http://bit.ly/AguaSaib

Genre: #chillhop

Uh oh. Your cocktail party starts in 5 minutes and you completely forgot to put together a chill and classy playlist. Don’t trip, just throw on some Saib. Let him masterfully paint that suave and sophisticated lounge vibe you didn’t even realize you had to offer. The Casablanca-based beat-maker and guitarist has consistently released dope jazzy chill-hop beats for a few years now. You could reliably play his entire Spotify catalog on random and never have to worry about changing a track for the entire soirée. Always crucial to have an artist like Saib in your arsenal.

“Agua” is the upbeat opening track off Saib’s recent release Basement Grooves, another fantastic collection of worldly lo-fi hip hop beats infused with a melting pot of experimental Bossa nova and Asian flavors. He’s able to sprinkle in an impressive amount of sounds and cultures within one album and sometimes within a single track. The album artwork for Basement Grooves provides an in-depth look at some of Saib’s influences. It’s (presumably) him chilling on his bed with vinyl records and posters of Dr. Dre, J Dilla, Tom Misch, Kaytranda and others scattered around his room. You can absolutely hear each one of those influences in Saib’s music.

Saib makes you feel like the present moment is flowing like it should be. As if all the pieces of the puzzle swirling around in your head fit together for a reason. Chill out. Sit back. Light one up if you have to. Saib’s got it from here.

Saib. - Agua

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------
"Shifter" by Yotto

Curated by: Jared Paul

Spotify: http://bit.ly/ShifterYotto

Genre: #deephouse

After a 5 day road trip - starting in Oakland and taking us through Sedona and Santa Fe, we've touched down in Austin, Texas - the "Live Music Capital of the World". I couldn't think of a better place to build a music brand than this spot and so, we moved here. Yep, it's motherfuckin' go time. 

Feeling pretty blasted while on the road somewhere between Sedona and Santa Fe I decided that doing some curating would wake me up. A few songs in to the session this doozy, "Shifter" by Helsinki producer Yotto, began to ooze from the speakers. It was exactly the jolt of life and focus that I needed. 

When you're on the open road for hours at a time, it's easy to lose sight of why exactly you're driving for hours upon end through oftentimes monotonous scenery. Or perhaps the nerves and pressure of this impending move made me want to forget. Either way, Yotto wasn't having it. 

The intro synths were a true "Shifter", shape-shifting me into a prize fighter training for the biggest fight of his life. My clarity sharpened. My blood pressure began to rise. The energy in the car became palpable. I felt like I just downed three cups of coffee and/or a half tab of acid. Then as the build starting at the 2:06 mark began I had an aha moment - realizing that my entire life was about to change. Buying a house. Finishing the IVF process. Raising money for RWT. And hopefully building the life of my dreams. 

The power of music is incredible in so many ways. To get to build my life around something I love so dearly makes me a fortunate man. LFG!!!!!!!!

Yotto - Shifter

"Crowns for Kings (feat. Black Thought)" by Benny The Butcher

Curated by: Andrew Gale

Spotify: http://bit.ly/crownsforkingsbennythebutcher

Genre: #rap

The butcher comin’ n-word! This is Benny’s catchphrase and motto, something he ominously mentions frequently before one of his verses. It’s true though, because his rise has been swift and he is going after it like few do today. Nobody is releasing quality music as prolifically in hip-hop as Benny today, aside from the members of his group Griselda Records, and my beloved Roc Marciano. Griselda Records is definitely worth discussing, as their group composed of Westside Gunn, Conway, Benny, and El Camino have been killing the game with their in-house producer Daringer.

The Griselda Records guys come from Buffalo, NY. formed by Westside Gunn. Westside Gunn happens to be brothers with Conway, who is also a force to be reckoned with. I was listening to them for a while and started to see Benny’s name pop up more and more, and at this point he is my favorite out of the group. Black Thought is the feature on this track and needs no introduction. His work as a solo artist and with the Roots has him solidified as a top MC all-time.

“Crowns for Kings” is one of the singles off of Benny The Butcher’s excellent tape The Plugs I Met. The instrumental courtesy of DJ Shay who I am unfamiliar with (and will need to get familiar with) is a moody piece that combines crisp drums, a creepy violin, and a haunting vocal sample that sounds like a ghost moaning. The verses are so thorough; if you don’t believe me, the line “I was weighing hard back when Nicki Minaj was in a training bra”, is all the evidence you need.

Benny The Butcher - Crowns For Kings (feat. Black Thought)

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------
"Easy To Come Home" by Dojo Cuts

Curated by: Natalie Silver

Spotify: http://bit.ly/EasyToComeHomeDojoCuts

Genre: #soul

“Easy To Come Home” by Dojo Cuts is my Summer 2019 gospel--not only as the breezy, enchanting energy of its song, but also as the four words that happen to summarize my entire postgrad reality.

Yeah, dude. I’m writing this tucked away in my small hometown with every single friend I have miles away, melting into the heat of Roxie Ray’s vibrato and basking in the anonymity of my soulful summer soundtrack while I heavily contemplate deleting my LinkedIn and living this easy forever.

This 2012 song emerging from Sydney, Australia was a totally random discovery, which is why I was able to establish a completely platonic relationship with it. Because it’s not ensconced in memory or context, I am able to simply enjoy the music for the way it sounds and how it makes me feel, rather than for what it represents in the grander scheme of my life or its history.

The entire listening experience is pleasant and effortless. But when you really tune in and break it down, it becomes astounding how much is going on: blaring horns, jazzy keys and raunchy percussion are all coated over with Roxie Ray’s howls. Her voice is money; she has Amy Winehouse’s sultry delivery and epic range but with a uniquely angelic tone.

When I researched the musicians, I was shocked to discover that the band is super lowkey. Though their work is of high production value, their output is pure and mixed well, and everything sounds goooood, there’s not a lot of information about them out there. They don’t even have a website.

Dojo Cuts - Easy To Come Home

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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-----------------------------------

"Baianá" by Bakermat

Curated by: Jared Paul

Spotify: http://bit.ly/BaianáBakermat

Genre: #dance

I love music that makes ya feel good. And I love songs that rip. I call 'em "heaters" or "burners". Accomplishing both gloriously, give Bakermat's "Baianá" one listen and you'll quickly realize why I dig it so much.

An edit of the Brazilian song "Baianá" by Barbatuques, Dutch DJ and producer Lodewijk Fluttert flips the original by speeding things up and elevating the whole damn joint. Starting out slowly with lyrics being sung in Portuguese, the tempo gradually increases and eventually zooms into an all out heater/burner/ripper. Call it what you will!

In iconic Bakermat fashion, Fluttert infuses the soul at teh 1:21 mark, bringing in one of his signature sax solos. It is this sound that has made Bakermat a household name.

This one is meant for Fridays and weekends are meant for celebrating. It's been a 104 degree Austin, Texas hot-ass minute since I've heard a song so worthy of celebration so crank up this motherfucka and LFG!

Love y'all.

Bakermat - Baianá

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-----------------------------------
"Station" by Låpsley

Curated by: Maddie Swarr

Spotify: http://bit.ly/StationLåpsley

Genre: #chill, #downtempo

From the very first listen, “Station” is a song that will stick with you for good. Through a series of melancholy chords, cooing voices weave their way between them and transport you to a space you didn’t even know existed in the dark depths of your own thoughts. What sounds like a delicate duet is actually Holly Fletcher a.k.a. Låpsley singing alongside her own pitched down vocals. While the composition itself is surprisingly simple, there is an intention behind every chord and accent that carries more emotional weight than can possibly be processed in just three minutes.

Though the 23-year-old English musician hasn’t released anything new since 2016, I’d say she’s already accomplished enough in the first quarter of her lifetime to deserve a break. Having found a home with XL Recordings, her name appears on an all-star roster of names such as Radiohead, Kaytranada, and Adele. Operating since 1989 as an independent record label, XL has always put the music first, investing loads of money in never-before-heard artists in order to support them fully in their creative endeavors. Låpsley is no exception. 

Getting her start in the music industry via bedroom recordings that gained a dedicated following on Soundcloud, Låpsley has written, produced, and performed her own music since the beginning, and she has made it clear that she will continue to do so. You can hear it in her music -- she is not operating under anyone else’s artistic limits. Considering that her first and only full length album was mostly a compilation of carefully crafted EP’s and singles that she recorded and re-recorded over multiple years, Låpsley is a master of her own craft. If it means waiting years in between releases so that she can maintain that sense of ownership over her artistry and create the sort of music she wants to create (and the sort of music we want to hear), then I am fine waiting.

Låpsley - Station

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-----------------------------------
"Madison" by FlashBaxx

Curated by: Brandon Asher

Spotify: http://bit.ly/MadisonFlashbaxx

Genre: #triphop

It is going to be a hot one this summer. Chances are you have already experienced a blistering day or two. This is a friendly reminder to stay hydrated and be prepared for the warm days ahead. You might be cruising to the beach or heading up the mountain to go camping with your friends. I understand you have big plans and are excited to get on with it, but please make sure you have an adequate amount of water and an ample selection of music before you head out the door. Start your journey on the right note with this fresh selection by Flashbaxx. If all that sunshine doesn't get you, the heat from this joint is sure to.

With stabbing keys and a smooth bassline to draw you in, Flashbaxx does not stop short with "Madison." Packed tight with bright textures and rich sounds, this song provides the perfect background to any outdoor activity. Even if that means just kicking back in a hammock. From the coconut percussions to the jazzy guitar and subte horns, every element seems to compliment the beats on this track and brings in an overall Bossa nova vibe. It all culminates flawlessly to form a well layered jam for your summer afternoons.

Flashbaxx, aka Daniel Stenger, has been doing his thing since the early 2000's. Although he carries the title of DJ, he also produced his first EP 'The Changing Tides' in 2008. Six years later, he released his album 'Something to Believe,' which includes "Madison" and other beats and gems that are well worth checking out.

Flashbaxx - Madison

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-----------------------------------
"Old Graffiti" by Bibio

Curated by: Mike Floeck

Spotify: http://bit.ly/OldGraffitiBibio

Genre: #indierock

Stephen Wilkinson has figured out a thing or two about timing and tempo: Ribbons is Wilkinson’s tenth album as Bibio, and although his tenure resulted in a bit of diversion and experimentation, his predominant lane resembles folk music and experimental electronica without breaking a sweat about the comparison. Ribbons sits right in this lane: “Old Graffiti” settles down like a fresh spring rain shower of medium density, pattering against the windowsill, drops randomly striking at different angles and intensities. Wilkinson’s voice apparates from seemingly nowhere, echoing short syllables that he coos and barks through the song.

Bibio has credited phonemes as influences for his uniquely bizarre lyrical phrasing and articulation. Phonemes, per Merriam-Webster, are “[members] of the set of the smallest units of speech” that separate and identify one syllable from another. An example is when two words end in different consonants yet sound phonetically similar, e.g. “tad” and “tab”. The phonemes would be the “d” and “b” sounds, distinguishing the two words but just barely. You feel the tension of the “p” hanging on Wilkinson’s lips as he sings “makeup” and the word echoes rapidly behind; you sense the restraint as he transitions from the hard “e” sounds in “graffiti” into a yodel, howling over the plains of his percussion-driven arrangement.

Speaking of percussion, Bibio says “Old Graffiti” began with it whereas most of his compositions begin on guitar. He was “inspired by listening to old Batucada and Capoeira recordings,” both influenced by African percussion and native to Brazil. This broad-reaching influence lends an exotic air to “Old Graffiti”, a lost gem in a modern world.

Bibio - Old Graffiti

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-----------------------------------
"21 Days" by Geoffroy

Curated by: Amanda Scharkss

Spotify: http://bit.ly/21DaysGeoffroy

Genre: #dance

Having written just about 30 posts since I’ve started curating for Rock With This, I found myself a little burnt out. So, I kind of took a personal hiatus. But, let me take a few minutes to tell y’all about the song that instantaneously made me want to write again. It’s called “21 Days” by the Montreal born and bred musician, Geoffroy. 

First of all, anyone who can pull off their standalone first name as a stage name already deserves utmost respect. Second of all, I don’t personally know him, but good ol’ Geoff seems to live the very life I wish I could. He spends many a day traveling around the world, making music, and filming music videos to accompany the releases of his singles. After approximately 10,000 hours of playing around the world, returning to North America, releasing his first EP, attending Berklee and receiving his masters, and finally releasing his first LP, the electronic folk singer-songwriter went out traveling again. 

As it relates to “21 Days,” Geoffroy filmed the music video in Rajasthan, India about three weeks prior to its release. There’s no other way to say it: this song is perfect. The first few moments set the scene, giving us a subtle, aural flavor of what it’s like to be out on the streets in India. The hissing sounds of the desert then fuse with the bouncing instrumentals as they rise to meet with Geoffroy’s airy voice. In full honesty, I’m not exactly sure which instruments are playing at any given moment. It’s a big hodgepodge of ethereal, worldly sounds that somehow results in an easy-listening, spiritually evocative soundscape. The whimsical and meaningful lyrics flow along in exact time. Even on a subconscious level, the audio levels rise and fall flawlessly as the track shifts from one component to the next. The only thing I want to do is go out into a wide open space where the sunlight is inescapable, spread my arms, and twirl around until I fall down laughing. Apologies in advance if this song is suddenly all you want to hear for a while.

Geoffroy - 21 Days

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-----------------------------------
"Cocaine Biimbie" by Siimba Selassiie

Curated by: Natalie Silver

Spotify: http://bit.ly/CocaineBiimbieSIIMBASELASSIE

Genre: #hiphop

You’re reading the words of a total, unapologetic music snob--so it’s POSSIBLE that you’re inclined to believe that I, and people like me, have a brutal stranglehold on our methods of music discovery, and that we meticulously and intentionally hand-craft every single thing we listen to. It’s POSSIBLE that we’re not the most open people in the world to new music. 

I get it. But listen, at least consistent with my pretension is that I tend to heavily believe in omens and signs; I let energy guide me. So, when the forces that be shove me into a reckless stumble into the abyss of new music, I don’t question it at all.

I can--sometimes--be sold on new music without even hearing the song, but only through a haphazard assembly of the bits and pieces of information on the artist orbiting my world, like the content, the social media presence, the headlines, the hooks and riffs and beats and voices and words. 

If that’s the case, however, those bits and pieces had better be pretty damn enticing. It’d better be a hard sell. 

And when it came to finding SIIMBA SELASSIIE--the Ethiopian-American hip hop artist based in Brooklyn who spent a couple months darting in and out of my cognitive periphery--it was, and I fell in love with the dude before I even pushed play on “Cocaine Biimbie.” 

These were my clues:

5) He runs in the same musical circle as and has collaborated with one of the most brilliant and poetic artists of 2019 hip hop, KAMAU. I trust KAMAU’s taste and sensibilities with all of my being. 

6) I have found footage of some insanely rowdy pits at SELASSIIE’s shows. My college music magazine once put me on a one-month probation for glorifying the epic violence of the pits in Bay Area punk scenes. Some people think there’s a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow; I believe there is a neck-breaking, moshpit orgy of pent-up aggression. 

7) Rumor has it that Mr. SELASSIIEhas a cunnalingus appreciation song on deck with the impending release of his next album, VIICES. 

8) The man breathes fire. Literally. 

I was sold. Here would be the part where I talk about how Cocaine Biimbie actually SOUNDS, but I kind of don’t want to do that. I want you to succumb to the forces that be (i.e. me) and blindly delve in like I did. 

I’ll see you in the pit.

SIIMBA SELASSIIE - Cocaine Biimbie

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-----------------------------------
"Work (feat. PONGO)" by Kazy Lambist

Curated by: Maddie Swarr

Spotify: http://bit.ly/WorkLazyLambistPONGO

Genre: #indiedance

I know this is a music blog and you came here to escape the news and all the headlines that paint a demoralizing but accurate picture of the state of the world we’re living in. BUT, I have to take just one post to address the obvious -- life is bad right now. Well, let me clarify -- I don’t mean my personal life. My day-to-day struggles, which involve trying to avoid looking at a screen before bed and remembering to call my mom, are luxuries compared to the realities of those who are fighting the system every day to be recognized as human. 

I can hear you now -- “Well, what are you doing about it then?” This is probably about 50% self-defense and 50% what I actually believe (an oxymoron?), but I think this question is a dangerous one. It’s a slippery slope into hopelessness and defeat because it implies that we all need to be doing something, and that something needs to be big, something like discovering the next renewable energy source or eliminating widespread xenophobia. I apologize if this is turning into a lecture, but I think it’s important to remind ourselves that all the problems in the world today can be traced back to a simple lack of understanding, and when framed like that I think it makes possible solutions a little more tangible. Solutions like -- you guessed it -- music. 

Music has this incredibly powerful ability to bring people together that, in a world of fear, hatred, and borders, might otherwise be difficult to achieve. To me, Kazy Lambist’s collaboration with Angolan-born, Portugese-raised singer Pongo on “Work” is a beautiful example of this. How a song that fuses various musical influences can avoid appropriation and create an environment for exposure and exploration into other cultures, as well as a space for personal healing and catharsis. Pongo energizes the French producer’s cool composition with some Kuduro style, characterized by danceable rhythms that fuse Coca and Zouk with African percussion as well as lyrics generally sung in Portuguese. While perhaps a new and exciting sound to the Western ear, for Angolans Kuduro is not just music but history captured in sonic form. Its origins are intertwined with a story of political turmoil, civil unrest, and an undying hope through it all. So if you like what you hear and you find yourself curious, go to Wikipedia and take some time to educate yourself -- help make the world a better place.

Kazy Lambist - Work (feat. PONGO)

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-----------------------------------
"5 to 50 (feat. INDIA)" by Benny The Butcher

Curated by: Andrew Gale

Spotify: http://bit.ly/5to50BennytheButcher

Genre: #rap

This track is literally my #1 anthem of 2019. I have played it more than anything this year. Previously “Crime Pays” by Freddie Gibbs held this title, but this song has eclipsed that in plays, so it officially takes the throne! I’ve gone Griselda Records (Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Benny The Butcher) crazy as of late after seeing them live. It was the hardest rap show I’ve seen live and I’ve been to a lot of incredible hip-hop concerts. It actually felt to me like I was hearing Mobb Deep or Wu Tang back when they were on the rise. 

Before seeing them live, Benny The Butcher was the only one out of Griselda that I truly loved. While I appreciated both Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine, I didn’t gravitate towards them nearly as much as I did Benny. Benny’s lyrics paint pictures in a way that other artists just can’t, except for maybe Danny Brown. Benny’s life is far different than Danny’s though, so you are hearing an entirely different story. The story told here is one born from drug dealing on the streets, but told with such clarity you feel like it’s a documentary.

“5 to 50” is produced by the legend known as The Alchemist. I’m a huge Alc fan and this is one of my favorite beats of his. It blends trap drums with a menacing groove, the perfect backdrop for Benny to rip. And rip he does. The cleverness and rawness of the lyrics are in full effect here. In the first verse he starts discussing his process for cutting up coke, then cuts himself off and decides not to tell his listeners, which to me is the coolest thing ever. Start following Griselda for the love of Jehovah.

Benny The Butcher - 5 To 50 (feat. India)

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-----------------------------------
"Grits (feat. Masta Killa & Allah Real)" by RZA

Curated by: Natalie Silver

Spotify: http://bit.ly/GritsRZAMastaKilla

Genre: #hiphop

Will Ferrell once told Rolling Stone that the “dinner scene” is incredibly advantageous to comedy because it forces a natural halt in the narrative, giving the writers space to let the characters truly play out. In comedy, the dinner scene is a tame, daily and universally experienced setting that serves as the perfect neutral for outrageous behavior to be juxtaposed against; in literature, poetry, music and cinematic dramas, the dinner scene is equally important for a similar reason -- it’s a window into the truths of individual existences. It’s a chance to look in, slow down, come together, and disrobe the day. At dinner, everything is exposed.

RZA’s “Grits” from his 2003 studio album “Birth of a Prince” is, quite literally, a song about eating grits for dinner, and RZA manages to use the imagery of this meal as a vehicle to convey an entire memoir of his upbringing.

“Grits” is RZA’s most popular solo track, but certainly not his claim to fame. Founder, leader and mastermind behind the Wu-Tang Clan, RZA changed the hip hop world forever and influenced the next generation of its genre’s leaders. Perhaps more significant and special than his lyrical charm, offbeat flow, business savviness and messianic instinct, however, is his uncanny and freakish talent in music production.

We all know this from his work in the Wu-Tang Clan, his soundtrack and film production, his time with Gravediggaz and beyond. But his solo projects are more understated, and what he exhibits in them is something different altogether. 

Of course, “Grits” still has Prince Rakeem’s magic touch in production. Sampling the classic soul piece by Jones & Blumenberg, “I Forgot to Remember,” RZA has Allah Real come in and sing the hook, which is mixed so seamlessly that it sounds like it was written with the sample itself, perfectly setting the tone of soulful retrospection. 

But this nostalgic song is a double-edged sword. It’s a sweet tale of a humble and bonded existence, but it is also one that exposes an incredibly limited livelihood. RZA, somehow, through as few words as possible, beautifully conveys the impossibility of poverty, its social entrapments, and its natural liaison into crime and self-destruction. Though not explicitly referenced, RZA himself was acquitted of an attempted murder charge in the early ‘90s. This song is an ode to his roots, and a testimony to the intensity of their conditions. 

The first verse is about innocence and youth, and the second, performed by Masta Killa, is laced with introspection from the weathered perspective of the young adult, conveying the thrills and tragedies of the inevitable mortality of innocence. 

The song ends by going back to the refrain--the truth that has remained constant, be it retrospective or indicative of the present. Either way, eating grits for dinner every night represents the brutal stagnancy of low-income urban realities, and still the sweet, hearty comfort that it is not necessarily something experienced alone. 

It’s another stroke of brilliance from RZA. This time, however, it is through the song of lived experience--an echo of the past that ages into fervent doctrine.

RZA - Grits (feat. Masta Killa & Allah Real)

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-----------------------------------
Flamagra is the sixth LP from resident Galactic Commander-In-Chief, Flying Lotus. An expansive and bizarre collection of beautiful tracks with stellar guest appointments fill up the whole album to the brim, so much so that getting to know each track intimately takes an especially long time. Kick back to the skipping drums and vocals in standout track “More”, courtesy of Anderson .Paak, and hear Flying Lotus’s spooky touch drift above the drums. Then, at the 0:48 mark, another egg is cracked, a spark of kinetic energy that ignites Paak’s drums and vocals.

“More” was recorded in FlyLo’s home studio and, according to the artist, stemmed from a set of jam sessions with RWT favs Georgia Anne Muldrow and Thundercat. Along with Dennis Hamm and Taylor Graves, Paak jumped on the track and ignited the wheel that spun out enough times to create this deviating, yet centered, track. Paak’s association and inclusion is totally logical; his music on its own is meandering and sometimes sprawling, his tendency to jam out creeping in. Here, it’s summarily married to FlyLo’s psychedelic warbling and it rolls hard.

A visual, directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, dropped in May. Watanabe is known for his anime series, Cowboy Bebop, that originally ran from ‘97 to ‘98. The “More” music video casts Paak as an android inhabitant of a Tatooine-esque planet, spinning a record through a table built in to his chest. Paak and Fly Lo (animated in his truly signature seriousness) duel in stance until FlyLo is absolutely obliterated, destroyed and transformed in splendorous anime glory. It’s a bizarrely fitting visual companion to a song that ponders for more meaning, and it’s awesome to watch.

Flying Lotus - More (feat. Anderson .Paak)

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-----------------------------------
"Breakfast Club" by DJ Z-Trip

Curated by: Brendan Boland

Spotify: http://bit.ly/BreakfastClubZTrip

Genre: #hiphop

Producers have a unique ability to connect us to memories that often remain dormant. It’s unreal how specific sounds or samples can transport you into a place or time in your life. Artists like Perc bring you to the warehouse with industrial sounds echoing across his atmospheric techno tracks. Washed Out always transports me to the beach on a sunny afternoon, the lush layers of sound he produce lap against my ears like the waves in Half Moon Bay. And on "Breakfast Club", Z-trip, a disciple of the Boom Bap, evokes the feeling of a stoop in the Burroughs on a brisk Saturday morning. 

The crisp hits of the hi-hats from the sample of Al Green's "I’m Glad You’re Mine" and Fresh Gordon’s "Gordie’s Groove" set the stage for this ode to youth. The beat is dynamic, creating a sense of excitement and familiarity perfectly accompanying the narrative stylings of his partnered MC.  
 
Murs remains one of my favorite personalities in hip hop. Taking a similar comedic lyrical style, his narratives lead you along a bromance of nostalgia, friendship, and childhood. Any child of the 80s and early 90s can find themselves reminiscing about early morning replays of classic cartoons on cartoon network - personally I was awkwardly addicted to Johnny Quest and his questionable relationship with Haji. Seamlessly name-dropping every animated star, the track speaks to a time where fun and play were our only prerogative. Sit back. Listen. And go watch your favorite toons.

Z-Trip - Breakfast Club

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-----------------------------------
"Song 32" by Noname

Curated by: Amanda Scharkss

Spotify: http://bit.ly/Song32Noname

Genre: #hiphop

Even the simplest of serendipities can brighten my mood for the rest of the day. I’m currently sitting here at a coffee shop like any cliche freelancer, self-resentment easing its way to the forefront of my mind as I realize that, once again, I unknowingly left my headphones powered on for the past week. Whomp. While I’m sifting through my mental musical cache for “Song 32” by Noname, the lofi beat from my mind suddenly starts playing on the speaker at the coffee shop.
No, I’m not able to listen on repeat before I write, but it’s as awesome a sign as any that this post must be written right here, right now.

Born and based in Chicago, Fatimah Warner is an artist that caught my attention immediately. Because, at the end of the day, an artist’s and/or song’s title doesn’t have to matter—it’s the content which lies within (profoundness intended).

Presumably as desired, I’m solely tuned in to the lyrics. Having started out in slam poetry, Noname has crafted “Song 32” into one giant, satirical metaphor with the stunning cadence of a haiku. She comments that artists are willing to exchange their talent for fame. She highlights the irony of political figures and big corporations. She raises the point that America cares more about Cardi B’s engagement ring than Cardi’s music. No metaphor necessary, “America at its best” is “the pettiest that gets.”

Ultimately, though, I think this song is about celebrating that we’re all “humanly a hypocrite.” We love to call out others on their bullshit, but how often do we take the time to point that finger at ourselves? Just some food for thought as Noname geniusly ventures into her own self-criticism and, simultaneously, self-praise. Yippee-kay-yay motha f*****.

Noname - Song 32

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-----------------------------------
"Where My Girls" by Dai Burger

Curated by: Natalie Silver

Spotify: http://bit.ly/WhereMyGirlsDaiBurger

Genre: #hiphop

The first song of the night is the click clacking of pedicured feet into the Uber XL. They pollute the conversation with talk of their exes and the air with a sickly blend of designer fragrances. Bubble gum snaps and coats the sterile Ciroc-flavored exhales with a pink hue. Chrome pink acrylics tap against keyboards as she sings out, “Do you have an aux cord?” and the second song of the night takes over.

It’s a girls’ song for a girls’ night; it’s for girls, of girls, by girls. And most important it’s calling all girls. It’s calling you.

Maybe you’re drunk in the backseat, playing with a daisy in your hair and waiting for the red light selfie lighting, resisting in agony the urge to text You Know Who.

Maybe you’re Dai Burger--Queens-bred female rapper and eminent figure in NYC’s fashion and music scenes--spitting out “Where My Girls” under rainbow locks, electric makeup and heavy body ink, rallying the troops and igniting girl power far and wide.

Maybe you’re me--writing about a song you have a hard time qualifying despite hearing it a thousand times, writing for no reason other than wanting to advance its reach and expand the network of gangster, feminist music.

Maybe you’re reading this--hearing this song for the first time ever, accumulating your first impressions. You realize this song is a continuation of the same larger opera to your young adult life, an odyssey composed of acts which violently vacillate between swagger and vulnerability with absolutely no rhyme or reason.

There is an intangible and amorphous common denominator of the experiences young female consumers of mass media--especially music, and especially hip hop--live out. It’s a genre that has deeply embedded roots in an unquestioned misogyny that has been consistently written off--and even celebrated--as humor, as typical behavior, as hyperbole, as locker room talk.

But for the first time, this decade’s girls in hip hop are rallying us to not only reject that standard, but also to create a new one. We’re traveling together--pink lips, tight skirts, hairspray and all. And we’ve got a killer soundtrack.

You take in the night’s song in full and without a second thought, add it to your own queue, still twirling that daisy as it wilts in your hand.

Dai Burger - Where My Girls

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-----------------------------------
"Mexicali (Simple Symmetry remix)" by Polo & Pan

Curated by: Brendan Boland

Spotify: http://bit.ly/MexicaliPoloandPan

Genre: #frenchhouse

The first time I heard Polo & Pan I leapt off my couch, grinned as wide as the court gesture in Disney’s Hunchback of Notre Dame, and gave way to a revelry that scared my dog and worried my wife. Since, they’ve played Coachella, they’ve released a few collaboration tracks (check out "Lost in Time" with Fakear and "Cadenza" with Yusek), and their Circle video – shot in the middle of a carnival tent -- may be one of my favorite live recordings to date.

"Mexicali’"s bells and whistles lead to a sonic plunge into the weird that help creates the group’s distinct sound: a Tim Burton-esq Carnivàle.that entices one to dawn technicolor masks, an impish grin and a wild gait. The lyrics, however, speak of another truth. Sonically a wild ride, the song’s lyrics describe “La Bestia”, also known as “el tren de la muetre” – a network of freight trains that create an underground railroad for migrants, refugees, and others to cross from Mexico into the U.S.

Simple Symmetry’s remix twists and transforms the original’s song into a darker carousel, while maintaining the original’s theme – impending danger, adrenaline, and ominous fate. Here, the bells no longer call forth as a beacon of unbridled imagination. Instead, they seem to offer a last warning before we fully emerge in the harsh, almost inhuman world.

Simple Symmetry (Sasha and Sergey Lipsky) is a brother duo from Moscow. Signing to Disco Halal records for their early releases, the tandem is known for mixing world rhythms and instruments over darker, psychedelic sounds. As in this remix, their songs weave narratives best suited to reverberate across a concrete shadows of the underground.

Polo & Pan - Mexicali (Simple Symmetry Remix)

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"The Drop (feat. Joe Dukie)" by The Nextmen

Curated by: Mike Floeck

Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDropTheNextmen

Genre: #funk

“The Drop” starts out with a percussive drum loop and a little bit of clavinet to get the hips rolling, rather than just rocking. As Joe Dukie swings in with his caramel vocals, velvety and rich in timbre, the whole environment of the song clicks into place and we begin to get where it’s going. “The Drop” not only alludes to Joe dropping this relationship that’s messing with his head so bad but more literally that he’s got the inside scoop. He’s figured out all the messiness his significant other is spreading around, and he knows how to counter it now.

It doesn’t always come as a total shock when you decide your lover is a piece of shit, ergo Joe’s nonchalant, totally-controlled inflection through the lyrics, which are nonchalant in their own right. Nothing about this song screams urgency; its groove is slow-burning and low-flying, hugging the ground and rolling smoothly. It’s not offensive, it’s not brash or mean, or even erratic: he’s just simply making it known that he’s got the drop, and the buck stops here. Though it’s not always cut-and-dried, such as when he sings “Oh you don’t get me high no more, but I still love you just the same.” Oh? You do? Even though you got the drop?

This general matter-of-fact frankness resonates with the general public: remember CeeLo’s “Fuck You” How could you forget? The cultural attitude is incredibly meta now, focusing on thoughts that scream I-don’t-think-about-you-anymore-but-I’m-still-gonna-say-it because that embodies and inspires confidence that’s inherently powerful. And who doesn’t want to feel that?

The Nextmen - The Drop (feat. Joe Dukie)

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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"Clouds (PurpleDiscoMachine remix)" by Martin Waslewski

Curated by: Brendan Boland

Spotify: http://bit.ly/CloudsPurpleDiscoMachine

Genre: #house

Veteran readers are familiar with the lightning in a bottle that is Purple Disco Machine. His deeply embodied sense of groove is always infectious and belongs on any pool party playlist. His vision for disco and house allows his mixes to seemly bleed from one track to the next while maintaining a distinctly playful & sensual vibe.

Waslewski’s original version of "Clouds" featured a heavy standard house beat. The key difference is the use of the vocals - Waslewski chose to hide the vocals across a pitch fader that gave the track incredible atmosphere, yet created uncertainty and unease. The main vocal track leaps out from beneath the synth. It grabs attention, but does so in a forceful, alarming way. PDM’s remix of "Clouds" infuses the song with a layer of sensuality. The bluesy harpsichord gives the composition a richer texture. The softer, layered drums add a groove. And the unedited vocals returns the blues-funk quality to the sample. Rather than focus on ambience, PDM refocuses the construction on the dichotomy between the beat and the lyrics.

The Temptations’ vocals give the song an outstanding foundation. Evoking the sounds of the more soulful side of disco, "Cloud 9" provides a lush blues soundscape that lures the listener into the groove. The song remains one of my favorite Temptations songs for the variety and range of sound on the track. Opening as a more blues ballad, it quickly shifts into a bouncing funk track. The lyrics offer biting social commentary of social inequity and hardship, while the melody and beat remind us that music and dance are a means not of solace but catharsis and release. We are beckoned to move and groove for the very reason the Temptations sing their song - to thrive: emboldened, resilient, and jubilant.

Martin Waslewski - Clouds (Purple Disco Machine Remix)

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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"iMi" by Bon Iver

Curated by: Jared Paul

Spotify: http://bit.ly/iMiBonIver

Genre: #indie

Having just watched a segment on how this song came to be, it is a must feature. The level and sheer amount of thought/energy/creativity that went into this single piece of music is not only ultra-inspiring but reminds me why I love music so much. The song itself is amazing but it's the communication between the human beings, the meeting of all the minds, and the space in between that makes this one so special. It's what music should be.

If you're interested in watching what I just watched...the making of Bon Iver's "iMi"...here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoDqdIBtOh0

Justin Vernon is one of my handful of musical heroes. Right up there with Stevie Ray Vaughn and James Murphy, he can do no wrong. His plight of being human is one that I resonate with. One that criss-crosses between glory and tragic, tightness and vulnerability, happy and sad, and the everyday kaleidoscope of unknown's that make up the journey of being human.

Been a minute. Happy to be writing again.

Bon Iver - iMi

Rock With This' (www.rockwiththis.com) mission is to help you discover your new favorite songs. Our goal is for people to have heard less than 20% of the tracks and to love 80% or more!

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"Shinjiro" by DJ KRUSH

Curated by: Andrew Gale

Spotify: http://bit.ly/ShiniroDJKrush

Genre: #hiphop

My buddy played this for me the other night and I was shocked. I did not recognize this killer Mos Def track that slipped past my years. This was recorded in 1997, and I can tell you with full confidence that this is a fucking timeless track. Mos Def and hip-hop in general were still in their peak back in 1997. DJ Krush is someone I’m less familiar with, though my buddy tells me he is a legend. Having Mos Def on here I am likely to believe that DJ Krush has the credentials. I’m also too lazy to do the homework now.

Mos Def formed Black Star in 1997 and this track dropped the same year, so this might even pre-date Black Star. This is probably one of Mos’ first times on wax. If you aren’t familiar, he is a legend in the hip-hop game and has also acted on television and film. He is known for being one of the best “conscious rappers” of all-time, a title given to artists who craft intelligent/profound/thoughtful lyrics over boom-bap beats.

“Shinjiro” has a classic dusty boom-bap beat that will instantly transport you to the 90’s if you remember that time. If you are born after then, you’ll still love it if you enjoy hip-hop. “Shinjiro” is a quintessential hip-hop track in every sense of the word. Mos Def gives this classic beat a few classic verses and a beautiful chorus. Kendrick Lamar might’ve been influenced by this! Peep the track to find out what I mean.

DJ Krush - Shinjiro (feat. Mos Def)

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