Release date: July 9/21 

With a sound reminiscent of DJ Shadow, Orbital, Massive Attack and The Orb, and having grown up in LA, as member of the group, Global Phlowtations, it's a pleasure today to welcome NY-based producer Thavius Beck with a premiere of 'Inner Space' off his new 18-track album on dutch label U-trax. A happy fusion between hip-hop beats, moody melodies, and deep drum-heavy techno vibes.

Thavius Beck 
@thaviusbeck
www.instagram.com/thaviusbeck/
www.facebook.com/themostbeautifulbeck

U-trax 
@utraxqdm
www.instagram.com/utraxquitedeepmusic/
www.facebook.com/UTraxRecords/

Artwork: Sfera Louis

Getting Deeper
@getting-deeper
linktr.ee/gettingdeeper
www.instagram.com/gettingdeeper
www.facebook.com/gettingdeeper
bit.ly/GettingDeeper

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20 years of beats production - with a techno edge.

Since the first contact of U-trax with NYC based producer Thavius Beck in 2018, he sent us over 100 unreleased tracks, or beats, as he calls them. 25 of them have been selected for releases on U-TRAX, good for over 2 hours of music, across one album and an EP.

The tracks vary in style a lot, but what they have in common is that they either are moody – in U-TRAX lingo: deep - or they are drum heavy. The common denominator would probably be ‘experimental/instrumental hip-hop’, reminiscent of producers like Flying Lotus.

People have tried all sorts of comparisons to pinpoint Thavius’ sound, ranging from ‘between DJ Shadow and Orbital’ and ‘a mix of Massive Attack and The Orb’. None of these are spot on, yet quite a few of these tracks feel like a happy marriage between hip-hop beats and techno sounds.

The stunning hand painted artwork for both releases was created by NYC artist Sfera Louis.

21UTRQDM13 / 21UTRQDM15

Cosmic Noise

Premiere: Thavius Beck - Inner Space [U-trax]

You cannot use this song pllzzzzzzzz

Sickest Kenyan drill/genge/rap crud from DJ Iche, racking up her first international release with Hakuna Kulala.

Unflinchingly upfront and echoing the viral US/UK sound, but mostly rapped in Bantu Swahili, ’Nai Yetu’ is an unmissable introduction, where needed, to the world of Kenyan urban music. It stars a stellar roll call of Mombassa’s hottest drill rappers; Natty, Buruklyn Boyz, Dyana Cods, Jovie Jovv, Da Vaji, Tulia, Wakandinali, Mbogi Genje -  as well as select cuts of the more dancefloor-primed Gengetone sound from the likes of Mbogi Genje / SWAT/ Kenya Sihami/ Oksyde, and contemporary Kenyan “urban”, such as Nah Eeto  / Monski/ Oksyde ft. Ares66 - BAZUU/ Mastar VK, for 74 minutes of properly crucial listening.

At the helm is DJ Iche, a central player in Mombassa, whose production and singing is heard across her mix, bridging the related but distinctive styles, and toggling the pressure in a way that mirrors the road-level heat and molten flows that links southside Chicago to London’s north/south sounds and Brooklyn right now. Like the Ghanaian drill styles showcased by the likes of Shannen SP in the UK, DJ Iche’s take on the genre portrays the young Kenyan sound at its most rugged, replete with icy minor key motifs and transfixing glyding basses, but also leaning into killlller bits juggling jungle and drill and its Gengetone parallels unique to Kenya.

Double Up

ThaviusBeck

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