[Electronic] Manic Focus – Minds Rising LP

Manic Focus has continuously kept in his own lane with his own sound. The amazing thing about him is that his style translates across genre lines, which is undoubtedly evident from his past albums, as well as his newest in Minds Rising. Independently released, this major project is yet another example of why MF is one of the best in the game, with a certain confidence – not cockiness – that most producers lack.

Minds Rising runs the length of twelve singles, with a lengthy list of collaborators including Exmag, Psymbionic, Russ Liquid, ProbCause and many more. As with most of Manic’s tracks, we get whisked away on a chill adventure through several styles, including a few hip-hop records that are just about as dope as you can get. With other tracks like “Pushing” and “Rage Fits” Manic Focus hones in one some groovy basslines and guitar riffs that seduce the soul. Manic always manages to connect with people on a deep level with his music, which is one of the many reasons why he’s been able to do so well on his own.

Through and through this album is incredible. Going into this LP we didn’t expect we’d have to skip any songs and that held true. Some of our favorite musical works have come from Manic Focus and there may just be a few that get added to the list from Minds Rising. Check it out for yourself today and make sure to get a copy.

’Drop In feat. Marvel Years and Chris Karns’
’Putting All Of My People On Feat. ProbCause’
’Joy In The Noise feat. Psalm One’
’Stochastic Resonance feat. Statik’
’Snap Like This Feat. Artifakts And Erick Jesus Coomes’
’Manic Focus & Psymbionic – Pushing’
’Rage Fits Perfect feat. The MFin’ Band’
’Habit feat. Russ Liquid and The RapperChicks’
’Stronger feat. Late Night Radio, Jennifer Hartswick & Adam Deitch’
’Timeless feat. Carlile’
’Sowing My Zone feat. Ryan Viser’
’Your X Now feat. Exmag And Borahm Lee’
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[Get Crunk] Friday Party Playlist (Vol 241)

Every time the ninjas gather for the Friday Party Playlist, it’s always a great time. For us it signifies the mark of the weekend and we hope that it has come to mean the same for you. After all, we’ve only been doing it for nearly 250 weeks now. We want you to keep your money to spend on weekend fun, so we’ve gathered our favorite free downloads for you to have while you’re out enjoying your leisure time. The weekend is only 2 days, so you gotta live it up! This time around you will be joined by the likes of Rad Cat, Mickey Valen, Axel Boy, Jameston Thieves, KJ Sawka, Kasbo and more. Stream ’em, download ’em, whatever way you choose to listen, make sure you #danceirresponsibly to ’em.

’Rad Cat – sorry 4 flexing ft. compulsive’
’I.Y.F.F.E x Paul Couture – Call Me’
’Mickey Valen – Wildcard (feat. Feli Ferraro)’
’avery shyra – pause (MAG Remix)’
’Thracian – OTHRSD (Bootleg)’
’Seafret – Blank You Out (Anden Remix)’
’Axel Boy – I’m With U (Feat. Stevyn)’
’Jackal – Gunshot feat.Jammin (Jameston Thieves Remix)’
’KJ Sawka & WB x MB – Very Bad Things’
’Sam Lamar & Holly – Police’
’Prismo – Weakness (Dusty Bits Remix)’
’Kasbo – Found You (Feat. Chelsea Cutler)’
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[Hip-Hop] Conrad Clifton – Nitemare (feat. Knesecary)

Conrad Clifton
Nitemare (feat. Knesecary)

Brooklyn producer Conrad Clifton first caught our attention with a dynamic remix that found a beautiful balance between elements of dreamy pop and hard-hitting trap. Often times, SoundCloud discoveries of that nature can lead to a dead end–many producers prove to be one-trick ponies, others seem to have struck lightning their one and only time. The most delightful cases, though, occur when a producer surprises you with both quality and sonic diversity. Such has been the case thus far with Clifton’s subsequent glimpses into his upcoming debut album, Beautiful Tragedy.

On his latest single, Clifton showcases yet another facet of his production talents with the help of Texas emcee Knesecary. “Nitemare” grows out of an eerie loop that leaves just the right amount of room for the vocals to glide between the cracks. As Knesecary’s rhymes get more complex so does the production making for an enveloping, mischievous build. Conrad was kind enough to give us some insight into how the song came together:

Most of my songs come from searching through random virtual instruments, and when I came across this echoing plucked string sound effect, it immediately felt like something you’d hear in a scary movie. For “Nitemare”, I literally built the whole track around it…I’ve known Knes for years, ever since I lived in Texas around 2000 – and we did a lot of songs together back then, but I’m really glad I was able to highlight his talent here. He translated what the music was saying with the perfection of a seasoned vet, and the craft of a true lover of Hip-Hop.

If you’re digging this tune, make sure to pre-order Beautiful Tragedy, which drops on April 28th. The release will also be the first on his label, Infinity Pool Recordings, which in his own words will focus on “forward-thinking Electronic music, and Hip-Hop.”

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[Hip-Hop] Exmag – Touch feat. Jubee

Exmag
Touch ft. Jubee

Exmag is back. That should be enough to get you excited. “Touch” is their new single off Majestic Casual that features the emcee Jubee. This funky, hip-hop infused original is just what both the electronic and rap worlds need to hear at the moment. Fresh, fun and fevered, this is one hot single.

The three members of Exmag and Jubee work incredibly well together. Jubee is familiar with the funky future style that Exmag brings to the table so it is not surprising that his performance on this record sounds so fluid and perfect. What makes “Touch” so palpable is it’s organic sound, one that could easily be reproduced in a live setting. From start to finish all we encounter is pure fire, from every tone of the beat to every syllable of the lyrics. “Touch” is currently available, so head over to iTunes if you would like a copy for yourself.

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[Music Ninja Radio] Episode 75: The Return of Disco Dom

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Music Ninja Radio is a podcast recorded and broadcast live on San Francisco’s BFF.fm  every Friday from 4-6PM PST. 

Music Ninja Radio
Episode #75: The Return of Disco Dom

 Soundcloud || Spotify || Tracklist

With Ninja Dom back in the house, we ran down a few new hip-hop releases before closing out the show with an hour and a half of dance music. Standouts from this episode include selections from Smino‘s impressive debut, a Phil Collins-sampling loosie from Chris Malinchak, Ross From Friends’ latest lo-fi house masterpiece and a couple soulful productions from Jessie Rose‘s farewell project. Vibe with us above!

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[Hip-Hop] Gramatik feat. Kennedy Jones – Satoshi Nakamoto (Original Mix)

Gramatik feat. Kennedy Jones
Satoshi Nakamoto (Original Mix)

You may know Kennedy Jones as the party-popping producer/DJ whose slick beats have lead him to travel the world. But, that’s not the only musical talent he has to offer. He’s got heat he ain’t afraid to spit. Just take the single “Satoshi Nakamoto” as an example. Not only do we get some insane lyrics from Kennedy, but it’s atop a beat provided by the one and only Gramatik.

We love that this song starts with the emcee stating “Kennedy Jones don’t rap.” It just starts things off with the perfect tone. He’s not being cocky, just confident in his somewhat unknown ability. From there the beat kicks in and Kennedy delivers a short monologue before letting loose. He raps as a veteran, with a cool, collected tone and lyrics that go deeper than you would imagine. This is real hip-hop. We’d love to hear more of this from Kennedy, whose easily one of the most talented creators and real human beings in dance music. Leave it to him to surprise you with something so good.

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[Future Bass] MEDZ feat. Kings – Unforgettable

“Unforgettable” is the new single from MEDZ released on Be Rich Records. The Auckland duo didn’t go at creating this song alone as they enlisted the help of their fellow New Zealand brother Kings. Although the song follows the future bass format, MEDZ and Kings were able to deliver something with a bit more unique than we are used to.

Together these two acts were able to create a song that at first feels like what we’re used to, but after a few moments you appreciate the subtle, yet powerful differences. “Unforgettable” is just that, it’s going to be cemented in your brain, playing over and over again. The minimal composition leads to this one’s catchy factor being exceptional and given the cool sound design it gives it that extra bump it needs to be a next level future tune. Stream it or get your copy today through digital services.

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