Green Velvet – Unshakable [Album Review]
For a lesser producer, an album consisting entirely of collaborations might hint at artistic insecurity. Not so for Curtis Jones. Unshakable finds the Chicago veteran at his best, exploring new sonic ground with his talented contemporaries, while ensuring his own artistic hand can be heard in every one of his album's 13 tracks.
The Bloody Beetroots ft. Paul McCartney and Youth – Out of Sight (Riva Starr Raw Dub)
The pairing of The Bloody Beetroots and Paul McCartney left some excited for an eccentric outing, and others pondering its abnormality. The end result highlighted both act's strengths, fostering a pop-friendly release on all fronts. The track placed in Riva Starr's hands, nevertheless, gets an entirely new facade; diving into the unexpected deeper and darker realms of progressive and minimal house. Most have come to expect bouncy tech house from Riva Starr, but this rework sees a throbbing bass line, using weird chord sequences to make an entirely new track of its own. Borrowing marginally from the original, Riva Starr strips down the track's core elements and demonstrates what a proper remix ought to be.
Riva Starr feat. Rssll – Kill Me (Claptone Remix)
In 2012, Claptone's Wrong EP charted in Beatport's overall top 10, igniting an instant buzz about his production abilities and making him out to be a stand-out act to follow. On yesterday's release for Riva Starr's Snatch! Records, he was called upon to provide the remix treatment for the label head's "Kill Me." The track's delicate indie vocals from Rssll are left unaltered, but given a proper deep basslined groove to make it a sure pleasure on any given dance floor. Claptone is in the midst of finishing up a US tour, wrapping things up this week at Couture in LA, Shine in Vancouver, and Monarch in San Francisco.