"Attak" ft. Danny Brown- Rustie

Are we sure Detroit rapper Danny Brown and Glasgow producer Rustie aren't twins separated at birth? Never mind the age and race differences. When I hear Brown's schizoid voice doing cartwheels across Rustie's rapidly shifting electronic landscape in "Attak" my mind start's inventing JFK-sized conspiracy theories. One household could never contain so much fiendish energy, so the two were split up for the sanity of their parents. 

Developing such an outlandish theory is all I can do to explain why Brown and Rustie work so well together. Some of Old's most awe-inspiring moments came when the two were teaming up and creating addictive, MDMA-fed trap rave. But efforts like "Side B (Dope Song)" and "Break It (Go)" are relatively "sedate" when compared to the blinding speed of "Attak." The drum machine hi hats tic faster than a clock in a time travel montage. Futuristic air raid sirens swirl around the track at F-5 tornado speeds. What I can only describe as glitch-ridden noise swipes across "Attak" like an insanely judgmental person on Tinder. In short "Attak" is fast, but remarkably Brown is able to keep up. He raps "back in 2003 used to post up and roll up bag of pounds of meat, used to trap OG with E, Greyhound bus one pair of jeans," with such lightning quick detail you'd swear it happened yesterday. Brown never seems to be straining, whether he’s remembering his days of slinging or the times he had to scrap. "Knock your brain out the hat while I cop that," he nasally threatens in the second verse. If he doesn't follow through on the threat, Rustie surely will.



Rustie's sophomore album Green Language drops August 26 on Warp Records.

What's New(s)?

Arcade Fire to perform Reflektor on NPR

As the long steady march to the release of the Arcade Fire's Reflektor continues, the group has announced they'll be performing live on NPR October 28, the day before the album drops. The Canadian septet will play in Hollywood's Capitol Studios and broadcast on NPR's "First Listen". The show is slated for a 10 pm East-coast start on NPR affiliates, and will also be streaming live here. 

Last night, under the guise of "The Reflektors" the band performed on the Colbert Report where they pitched a travel plan to Haiti for Colbert and donned their giant masks for Reflektor track "Normal Person". They saved new single "Afterlife" for a web exclusive, performing under the glow of disco lights. Check it out below and look for Reflektor October 29.

Rustie remixes "Trouble on My Mind"

At some point after the release of Pusha T's engaging solo endeavor Fear of God II in 2011, plans were made for a remix entitled Lucky T. The tracklist 've featured the likes of: Lunice, Machinedrum, Hudson Mohawke and others but never officially surfaced. Today British producer Rustie has given us a taste of his remix of the hedonistic "Trouble on My Mind". Rustie replaces the Neptunes original electronic scrawl with pattering handclaps, Sleigh Bells noise bursts, and tingling steel drum; sending the original song's confidence into overdrive.

The track is available for download here and Rustie is currently touring the U.S. with tour dates below:

10/22 Santa Barbara, CA - Velvet Jones
10/23 Boston, MA - Middle East
10/24 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
10/25 Asheville, NC - Mountain Oasis Festival
10/26 Miami, FL - Bardot

12/15 Los Angeles, CA - Lure
12/17 Seattle, WA - Neumos
12/18 Portland, OR - Rotture
12/19 Vancouver, British Columbia - Electric Owl
12/20 Chicago, IL - The MID

12/21 Toronto, Ontario - Wrongbar
12/22 Austin, TX - Empire Space 

 

Solange announces R&B compilation

If you've ever wished for a compendium of indie-leaning R&B, Solange will soon be granting your wish via her Saint Records imprint. The compilation Saint Heron promises 12 original songs by like-minded R&B artists including: Cassie, Sampha, Kelela, Jhené Aiko, and others. 

Solange herself will be issuing a new single for the LP, which drops November 12. The first single is Kelela's dreamy trap-influenced "Go All Night" found below.