Kanye West closed Saturday Night Live’s season finale with the debut of two new tracks off his forthcoming album, Yeezus. One, “New Slaves,” was projected on buildings across the globe a night earlier, the other “Black Skinheads,” made its mark on national television with stampeding drums, screeching lyrics, and an energy that blurred hip-hop with rock, with electronic elements.
The morning after Kanye’s latest spectacle, a contributing editor at Rolling Stone shared a quote from his newest Daft Punk interview that has Bangalter revealing details behind their collaboration, indicative of work on “Black Skinhead.”
After exposing Daft Punk to millions of new fans outside of dance music with 2007′s “Stronger,” Kanye West has had his finger on the electronic music pulse well before the EDM explosion even had a name. Although the tracklist for Kanye’s latest album is still being finalized, rumors of big name collaborations have been buzzing around the internet for months with the outspoken MC hosting both Skrillex and Daft Punk in the studio.
“It was very raw,” Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter tells Rolling Stone, “He was rapping – kind of screaming primally.” With a list of collaborators in the electronic music space and a sound appreciation for dance music that goes beyond its mainstream appeal, it would appear Kanye’s latest crossover is worth buzzing about – plus we bet he got permission and credited the artists properly.
Taking to Twitter recently, Kanye left fans with an unofficial release date announcement, “June Eighteen,” further fueling the buzz around his 6th official artist album.
Known to boast some of the most spectacular live performances in music, Kanye West has brought his main act to the Grammys multiple times. At the award show’s 50th anniversary, Kanye came hot on his Graduation album, and delivered an emotional “Hey Mama” before turning up the theatrics for “Stronger.” With just about everything glowing in the dark, Kanye rapped in front of a pyramid, and halfway through his act, the pyramid opened to reveal Daft Punk. The robots contributed their portion of “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” from a replica of their signature Alive 2007 pyramid.
Trap is the most recent subgenre of dance music to emerge as divisive and controversial. While some people just don’t get it, we have to admit its grown on us. Keys n Krates’ remix of “Clique” has all the trappings of success. The trio twerk all over this remix with vocal stutters, a snare drum laced build, and syncopated percussion. Keys n Krates are giving the track away for free. Head here to redeem your copy.
Hip-hop remixes are often hit or miss, but Masuka’s remix of N.A.S.A.’s “Gifted” has been one of our favorites since it was released a few years ago. He recently shared a VIP (variation in production) of the track, giving us a new way to listen to an old favorite. This version is more mellow and less dubby than the first — featuring chopped and screwed vocals and stuttering beats. We’re partial to his initial remix but not by much. Let us know which version you prefer in the comments.
Sazon Booya are gifting fans with a free download of their 2 Chainz’s “Birthday Song” remix. It’s not our birthday but since it is Christmas we’ll just pretend this was a personal gift. The track is full of their signature moombah flavor with a thick bouncing bassline and a beat that will make anyone wiggle their hips. Claim your free download below and check out that album art.
Best of Instagram is a feature from Dancing Astronaut that showcases our favorite pictures from our favorite DJs on Instragram each week. This week, we’ve got gems from Diry South, Sebastian Ingrosso, Dillon Francis, and more.
Do you want to have your photos included in our Best of Instagram feature? All you have to do to be eligible is use the hashtag “#astrogram” in your photo entry on Instagram. Keep your photos DA or dance music-related, and we’ll choose one user-submitted photo to include each week. Click past the break to see this week’s #astrogram contest winner.
Best of Instagram is a feature from Dancing Astronaut that showcases our favorite pictures from our favorite DJs on Instragram each week. This week, we’ve got gems from Afrojack, Tiesto, Steve Aoki, and more.
Do you want to have your photos included in our Best of Instagram feature? All you have to do to be eligible is use the hashtag “#astrogram” in your photo entry on Instagram. Keep your photos DA or dance music-related, and we’ll choose one user-submitted photo to include each week. Click past the break to see this week’s #astrogram contest winner.
Drum ‘n’ bass fans rejoice! Welsh producer High Contrast delivers a killer remix of hip-hop MC Plan B’s latest single from his ill Manors album. This should come as no surprise, High Contrast has been in the game for over a decade and has remixed everyone from Tiesto to Kanye to Adele into a quality drum-and-bass tune. If his remixing resume isn’t enough, he also won Essential Mix of the Year in 2007. In classic DnB style, High Contrast incorporates an uptempo syncopated breakbeat and deep bassline with Plan B’s original guitar, strings, and piano melodies. Careful, you may be tempted to get out of your seat when you hear this one. Download the remix and also check out Plan B’s original mix after the break.
In anticipation for their upcoming album release, Cazzette have decided to give away their grinding dubstep rendition of Kanye and Jay Z’s “N*ggas In Paris” for free. Morphing Kanye and Jay Z’s overplayed original into a smashing, high-energy bass fest, these two prolific producers have managed to breathe new life into the hollowed out corpse of last summer’s most well-known Top 40 track.
It’s a fact that everyone loves free just as much as they love Fridays so grab this one now and add it to your already overflowing iTunes library.
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