Food & Tunes

It’s rare that we find ourselves loving everything about an Artist.

Let’s face it, when you work in the music industry it’s easy to find things to criticize or dislike - it’s simply, the nature of the beast. Now we could tell you we think KASTLE, aka Pittsburgh native (he now calls San Fran home) Barrett Richards, is the one of the most brilliant producers we’ve heard, leave you with a link to his Soundcloud and let you do the rest… but why not prove to you why we actually believe the aforementioned statement to be true?

Some may throw the term “genius” around too freely, but when Richards was able to teach himself the guitar and piano before reaching his teens, you can see that we’re talking about a special talent here. Years djing in the Northeast rave scene coupled with an obsession for r&b and hip-hop has given birth to some of the freshest sounding tunes we’ve ever heard. 

Take this remix of JMSN’s Alone. As haunting as it is chilling, you’d be forgiven for thinking Diplo, The Weeknd and Disclosure were behind the wheels. Yet, it sounds unmistakably Kastle. That is, filtered r&b vocals (“sampling is considered an art form”), teamed with devilishly crisp beats and lush, soaring strings. Press play above, it won’t be the last time you do it, trust us.  

This effort is only bettered by, and perhaps the most definitive Kastle original to date, Stay Forever.    

I just want you close, where you can stay forever.

Words can’t describe how beautiful this track is. 100BPM bass goodness + a mysterious half-time beat + syncopated synths = fucking brilliance. You can listen to the full Stay Forever EP, released on Kastle’s own, and recently formed Symbols imprint, below. Be sure to check out other hot producers on the label like Cosmic Revenge and UK duo Maribou State. 

Now that’s enough jibber-jabber out of us.

Do yourself a favour and get involved with Kastle.

If you’re not convinced, you probably need your ears checked. And perhaps a slap across the face. And a long-hard look in the mirror probably wouldn’t go astray either.  

Few things can beat that feeling you get when you listen to a song for the first time and instantly, it grabs you. Straight away you’re in a groove… your head and shoulders bouncing… your feet tapping… and then, before you can control yourself, you’re up, out of your chair, busting out. That’s how we felt when we heard “Up” for the first time - the debut single from the aptly named German duo Nod One’s Head (aka Lotte & Moritz). 

Plain and simple - Up is mesmerizing - we’d go far as to say it’s one of the freshest things we’ve heard this year, sitting somewhere between Disclosure and The Magician = pure fucking gold. Berlin is in the building people.

The duo’s first EP, ”She’s A Criminal”, will be released on July 1st.

Here’s a taste of what’s to come - and trust us when we say this, these guys are going to be big.

Happy Friday everyone.

Tjena läget hur mår du? I should know more Swedish than that considering I’ve been best friends with a Swede for five years. Well, I know a couple more things, but basic anatomy only gets you so far.

While I might not have picked up much in the way of vocab, I have been able to get my ears onto some fantastic Swedish pop. I don’t feel as though I came into the friendship particularly green (after all we did meet partly because I was able to rattle off a few Swedish bands), but I do have to give credit to Magnus for the introduction to Tiger Lou and many others.

I instantly fell in love with the first album Is My Head Still On? and everything since. Now, technically Tiger Lou is no more, but it’s some consolation that the man behind the moniker, Rasmus Kellerman, has continued to write music. His 2010 album under his own name was fantastic, and he has just announced that he’s formed a new band. Have a listen to what he’s achieved so far and decide for yourself, but personally, I can’t wait to hear what’s coming next. Puss och kram!

RIGHT! It’s my first post for F&T so might as well kick it off the best way I know how – with my favourite track at the moment (see here)

A$AP Rocky (photo by Ysa Perez)

I don’t care what people say about Swizz Beatz not being able to rhyme, his beats are insane and he knocked up Alicia Keys so in my eyes, the guy is a BAWSE. Plus having araabMUZIK on the boards is a major coup. Two of the best producers I know on the one track (I hope you’re reading Timbaland, you big sell-out. What the hell happened to you, anyway?). A$AP Rocky spits on it too – he’s defo doing big things at the moment.

Check out A$AP Rocky being interviewed by Nadwuar doing his usual thing: breaking rappers’ brains. (Definitely NSFW) 

Shout out to the guys doing the Chappelle Show robot and the Harlem Shake at the end.

Have to say, though, hearing Swizzy saying “GODDAMNIT” repeatedly reminds me of an interview funny man Aziz Ansari did with Complex magazine last year, when he described what it was like to be in the studio with his friend Yeezy and Jay-Z when they were recording Watch The Throne:

“Some stuff with Swizz, and it was so funny just hearing him do the Swizz Beatz ad-libs. Just like, [imitates Swizz] “Uh-huh, Goddamnit! 1-2, 1-2. Vroooom!” I was just sitting there dying, I thought that was the funniest thing in the world. I wanna be Swizz Beatz. I don’t want to do comedy anymore, I just want to do ad-libs. Just make noises before rappers start rapping. [Laughs.] That would be a great job.”

Ok, on to the next one. E-40 ft. Juicy J & 2 Chainz – They Point. Absolute tune and an unmistakable Bangladesh beat. Great club track with your regular rap video with loads of T&A, cars and grillz. Ticks all the boxes, check it

Also massively obsessed with this

Big K.R.I.T. can do NO wrong in my eyes. That beat. That flow. Yes and YES! Check out his latest mixtape 4EvaNaDay right here 

Something ridiculous for y’all: Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE pasta. So a rap about it is another level. Off Green Lantern’s upcoming mixtape Invade the Game, it’s Future featuring Pusha T and Emilio Rojas

To sign off, this one’s for Mrs F&T. LOOK HOW DAPPER HE IS, HIM AND HIS EYEBROWS AND SWOON-WORTHY VOICE. Here and here.. 

Till next time, lovers. X

P.S. I realize there’s not much food here but I promise I’ll be more diligent in documenting my meals. In the meantime, here’s slow-cooked David Blackmore wagyu beef with chimichurri on a sourdough rolI that I had on a recent work trip. So delicious it hurt.

We are all unique. Or are we? Most people are fucking boring to be honest.

It’s a pretty bold opening statement to an album that is everything BUT fucking boring. For those not in the know, Scuba is Paul Rose, the genius behind one of the world’s premier underground labels, Hot Flush Recordings. Now these cats were churning out dubstep releases (Toasty, Search & Destroy and later on Benga) well before there was any “bro” in anyone’s step. These guys brought us the magic of Joy Orbison’s Hyph Mngo. Yep, THAT epic tune. And even introduced us to Mount Kimbie.

Now that you’re clued up, lets chat about the LP. Have to slightly disagree with Pitchfork when they deemed Personality to be essentially a techno record. There’s plenty of elements in there (see If U Want and Action) - but it’s not like you’re going to listen to it and think “oh yeh, this sounds like a record Turbo would have put out.”

The standouts for me come in the shape of the beautiful July, that delivers perhaps the most “uplifting” moment on the record - forgive me, I’m the half of F&T that likes happy music. It’s 80’s-inspired synth-leads are married so brilliantly with it’s bouncing-bassline that all you want to do is get up and bust it.  

On a similar tip is album-opener Ignition Key, whose randomness is as intriguing as it is engaging (the latter is something I enthusiastically seek-out in all opening tracks) and Ne1butu, that features some well-timed-yet-unexpected soaring piano chords and soul vocals.   

Right at the other end of the scale you’ll find The Hope - a dark, twisted, acid-overload that almost takes you to the brink, and Gekko, which makes The Hope look like an afternoon stroll - it’s six minutes of non-stop intensity.

It’s perhaps this amazing diversity that makes Personality one of the standout records I’ve heard this year. Do yourselves a favour and buy it ASAP, you won’t regret it.

Preview the album here:

http://soundcloud.com/hotflush/sets/scuba-personality/

Isn’t there something soothing about listening to deep house when it’s raining cats and dogs? Almost makes you forget about all the chaos ensuing outside… on that note, may we introduce you to ADANA TWINS, two Hamburg lads doin’ their thang on tastemaker imprint Exploited.

It all started a few years ago when graphic designers Benni (the ‘energizer’) and Friso (the ‘straight and fluffy guy’) bonded over a mutual love of Turkish food and groovy house - definitely our kind of fellas. Their name, “Adana” is actually taken from the “adana kebab”, Turkish meat spits.   

Between a residency at Neidklub and running the amazing “Deep Jeudi” parties at Baalsaal (drawing in the likes of Zombie Disco Squad, Renaissance Man, Homework, Sacha Robotti etc), the duo went on to release the highest selling single on Exploited in 2011 - the Notorious BIG inspired “Juicy Fruit” (with frequent collaborator Doctor Dru).  This song is a perfect example of off how house music and r&B are supposed to co-exist - something the likes of Perseus and Danny Daze have further showcased more recently. 

Now it’s quite clear that 2012 will be the boys breakthrough year. Their new “Everyday” EP is well on the way to becoming a worldwide smash, and sitting pretty in all the Beatport Charts (#2 Deep House / #25 Overall)…

It’s doing just as much for F&T as the amazing “It Goes On” by Storm Queen.

And in case you want a full taste of an Adana Twins set, we’ve got the rather tasty mixtape they did for the Cream Radio show…

It’s Friday, it’s time for some fun. Go to it now. 

FOLLOW US TODAY, click ^^^ 

**As if life at F&T HQ couldn’t get any more exciting.. Did someone just say THREE HUNDRED FACEBOOK LIKES?! YES THEY DID, cue the happy dance! We have been lucky enough to bring a new contributor into the fold.. And this one is a real coup! Lisa C has straight up impeccable taste on all things from food to music and even travel and fashion. Even better than this, she is a real live journalist to boot. So needless to say we’re excited. What better than an intro from the Lady Du Jour herself**

Once upon a time I had what I called a “music blog” but it ended up just being a long, online love letter to hip hop, rap and Lil Wayne. As much as I try to be a well-rounded lover of the entire family of music, I can’t help but have a favourite kid… and it happens to be really good at rhyming.

I’ve been asked by my lovely friends at F&T to contribute to this already-amazing blog. It’s like being invited to a dinner party of a lifetime that’s catered for by Rene Redzepi and you’re standing at the palatial door holding one, sad cupcake that you took a bite out of on the way over.

Okay, that may be a little too extreme. But how do you improve on something that’s already pretty darn-tootin’ fabulous?

I’ll tell you how. More rap. More hip hop. More food.

My column will give a round-up of all the new tunes I’ve been listening to and what I’ve been eating, which by sheer volume may blow all your minds. Just saying.

To sign off, some words of wisdom derived from one of Kanye West’s legendary tweets: “Fur pillows are hard to actually sleep on.”

Yes they are, Yeezy. Yes they are.

Whether you know him as the producer/drummer of Chiddy Bang, that young kid making beats for hip-hop royalty (Kanye West, Big Sean, Beanie Segal) or the mastermind of mash-up remixes for Radiohead, Tinie Tempah, Grouplove, Rihanna, Passion Pit, Darwin Deez and a gazillion more artists, one thing is clear… Xaphoon Jones is the M.A.N… If like us, you’re lucky enough to know Xaphoon (aka Noah) on a personal level, you’ll also know that he’s pretty much the nicest, most down-to-earth, total legend we’ve met in the music game.    

Straight up - there isn’t much that he can’t do. You can add the following to his already impressive repertoire - renowned DJ, collaborator, mixtape-maestro and more recently, video director (see below)!!! That’s no mean feat for someone, who until last year, wasn’t legally allowed to drink in the United States!    

So to celebrate the release of Chiddy Bang’s debut monster album Breakfast (sitting pretty at #8 on the US Billboard Album Charts and at one stage #4 on iTunes), F&T caught up with this talented whiz-kid and asked him all the real questions… 

THE BASIC INGREDIENTS:

• My name is… Xaphoon Jones (AKA Yung Noah Breakfast AKA wads of Ca$h in my sweatpants)
• I am… A Producer / Beat Maker / Chef / joint roller for rap music’s finest
• I hail from… Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., Earth
• My drink is… Man all these rappers are drinkin’ Gin & Lemonade but I’m on the red wine bit right now
• My favourite food is… Sandwhiches.. not just normal sandwiches, some real crazy ones

THE MAIN COURSE:

1.      What meal do you crave from home when you’re on the road?

Good Jewish Deli food

2.      The best gig/show/party I’ve been to lately was… 

Our new years party at my friends house. I DJ’d for 5 hours and it was like 500 kids in a basement proper Philly style

3.      What was the best meal you’ve eaten recently? 

Jalapeno mac and cheese from Nada, a restaurant in Cincinnati, Ohio

4.      Who are you listening to at the moment? 

Chip Tha Ripper and 2 Inch Punch

5.      What does the next 6-12 months hold for Xaphoon Jones / Chiddy Bang?

We just dropped this album so I have no idea, probably lots of press, more shows etc. Hopefully we get to come back to Australia soon. This USA radio things killing all my Australia vibes!!!

http://www.xaphoonjones.com/

http://chiddybang.net/

**Thanks Noah… In case you guys hadn’t heard, Chiddy Bang were scheduled to perform at the Groovin the Moo Festival in May, but unfortunately had to cancel (DEVASTATED)! Understandable though when you consider how MASSIVE they are becoming overseas (Jimmy Fallon, Jay Leno anyone?)… We’re sure we will see them out here REAL soon!**