Sango & Waldo-Until Then

Although both are incredibly talented, neither Sango nor Waldo would be where they are today without each other. Until Then marks the duo's third project together, following up last years spectacular NSDE/OUTSDE EP and 2012's Pick Your Own Poison. "Purple Heart" and "Kobe's Room" are still played regularly in my rotation. While significantly shorter than their last album, Until Then is still equally impressive. Though it lacks that one standout track it's clear that the two have created a much more focused and consistent sound, excellently working together to bring out each other's best skills as musicians.

Young The Giant-Islands (Ark Patrol Remix)

Ark Patrol decides to remix one of Young The Giant's older songs, "Islands", from their debut album. The Hawaiian producer strips the already eerie track of all instrumentals and adds his own backdrop. Using a beautiful combination of synth chords, AP carefully builds around the vocals of Sameer Gadhia. For more of Ark Patrols incredible work check out his Ambition EP.

Shlohmoh & Jeremih-The End (ft. Chance The Rapper)

Chance has been shy about releasing music for a while. Consumed by his touring, I'm unsure how much time he's had to work on his new album. However, the touring just ended and he's on a break until Lollapalooza so hopefully we'll here some of his new solo work soon. In the meantime, listen to "The End" off Sholohmoh & Jeremih's excellent new six-track EP No More, which features a short but good verse from Chano.

Trap Playlist

To me, trap is anything with a cool beat and a heavy drop. I've compiled a playlist of all the trap I've liked in the past month and a half. Including a remix of War's "Low Rider" and the theme for the addicting Two Dots iPhone game. I've also put in my favorite producer 20syl's stack patterns, which includes the beat from his and Oddisee's outstanding collaboration, "Ongoing Thing." There's also a rework of Diplo's "Revolution" which will be featured on his upcoming album Random White Dude Be Everywhere. A couple of songs by Tincup are on here as well, which seems appropriate considering the success of his Anxiety EP.

BadCop-Nice Dream (ft. Das Pirate)

Australia-based producer BadCop drops a new track with some vocal help from Das Pirate. The production is a nice break from some of the hectic trap drops that are constantly being released and soothing when combined with Das Pirate's vocals.

Alison Wonderland-I Want U

I was first drawn to press play on "I Want U" because of how awesome the name Alison Wonderland is, but I was surprised by the level of talent I heard in the song. "I Want U" is the best trap song I've heard in a while, it doesn't get carried away with jersey club sounds like so many songs have recently and makes a creative, intriguing, and hard drop that never gets old.

JMR-Closer

I realize it's been a full week since I've made a new post but it's not due to laziness, there's a music drought. May isn't really a month for music, everyone is busy with finals and it's not quite time for summer music. However, I have found a few gems, one being Joshua Michael Robinson's second single "Closer." The song begins with hardly any instrumental, giving the vocals a chilling sound. As the song progresses and the instruments start to come in, the impressive vocals turn into some arresting verses. "Closer" will be featured on JMR's upcoming album, American Hell.

Vic Mensa-Down On My Luck

I'm not sure if Vic Mensa is planning on dropping a project any time soon but that hasn't stopped him from releasing fresh songs at a pretty constant rate. It seems as if he, like his often collaborator Chance, is experimenting with different sounds. First with the freestyle "When The Fire Starts To Burn" and the more rap than hip-hop "Feel That", and now the club track "Down On My Luck." Even over techno-esque production, which most rappers could never lay good bars over, Vic Mensa owns the track with his energy.

Lorde-Tennis Court (Flume Remix)

Fuck the haters, I may never get sick of Lorde remixes. Flume's remix of the New Zealand 17-year old's single "Tennis Court" is no exception. Flume keeps the dynamite verses in the song but greatly improves on the poor chorus, adding some really awesome drops that only Flume could create.

ZZZ-Honey

UK producer ZZZ releases their new track "Honey." The highly caffeinated joint shows ZZZ's incredible flexibility, using a ridiculous combination of synths and samples (Even a little bit of Smash Bros.). The jersey club music is an obvious influence on "Honey" but certainly a step-up from the previous standards of the genre.

Rvdical the Kid & MisterMack-Ethereal

Baltimore producer Rvdical the Kid may be a newcomer to producing but he's blowing up the game with his innovational songs. Rvdical teams with Maryland producer MisterMack on "Ethereal" and creates his best song yet, which may not be that meaningful of a statement since he only has two others but still it's really damn good. The duo uses some amazing snares, percussion, and tons of other incredible sounds that create a perfect harmony.

Benjamin Francis Leftwich-Shine (Kygo Remix)

Kygo can't be stopped. The Norwegian producer is constantly dropping incredible remixes and is gaining incredible traction. This time, he works his magic on Benjamin Francis Leftwich's "Shine."

Elliot Moss-Slip

When I first heard "Slip" the first thought I had was "How the hell have I not heard of Elliot Moss before?". Turns out the New York singer released his first album, composed of 10 songs, all the way back in October. I listened to the whole album immediately and it's obvious the guy has a lot of talent. His music consists of beautifully composed dark alternative electronic songs with emotional lyrics that aren't quite seen as often as they used to be. I was even more baffled when I discovered that Elliot Moss also produced all of his Highspeeds album. Though I highly recommend the album, it's "Slip" that truly showcases future star Elliot Moss' skills as a musician.

Mr. Little Jeans-Good Mistake (Y&S $500 Remix)

Mr. Little Jeans' single "Good Mistake" gets an awesome Y&S $500 remix. The producer takes the singers smooth voice and adds some incredibly innovative beats and makes a chill trap song.

Le P-History (ft. Michael Jackson)

Norwegian producer Le P drops a fantastic synth heavy track with a killer Michael Jackson sample to keep "History" fresh for the full 5 minutes.

L'homme aux 4 lettres-Kimono

French producer L'homme aux 4 lettres releases his first single in a year, entitled "Kimono." With awesome percussion and a great high pitched electronic beat, this song is all kinds of awesome.

Pharrell-Happy (NEUS Remix)

As much as I love Skateboard P, "Happy" didn't wow me as much as it did a lot of people. I didn't hate it or anything but I only listened to it when it was on the radio and even then it started to lose its appeal quickly. Luckily, skilled producer NEUS gave "Happy" a great remix and adds a more funky and simple beat. In my opinion, it works so much better than the original production and really changes the song for the better. Still can't beat N.E.R.D. though...

Redline Graffiti-The Drill EP

Washington D.C. outfit Redline Graffiti have recently released their 5-track EP The Drill. As you can here on "Mayfair", the group sounds a lot like Frank Ocean. Not just because of the lead singer's voice either. The tone of the songs and the electronic production draw numerous similarities. While they don't have the same type of introspective lyrics, they're definitely a band to look out for.

AAZAR-Reload

Not much is known about producer AAZAR except for that he's obviously talented at making awesome trap beats. The first people heard of him was when he worked with UZ on "Shake" and then again when he and the rest of the collective Point Point released "Life in Grey." "Reload" is more similar to "Shake" with hard hitting drops that continue to change enough to keep the track fresh throughout.

Cashmere Cat-Wedding Bells (Nicholas Basquiat Remix)

Alright, time to catch up on posting. First up is the Nicholas Basquiat remix of Cashmere Cat's "Wedding Bells." Basquiat turns "Wedding Bells" from a bit of an unorganized and choppy track into a symphony.