While it seems like 2010 got off to a slow musical start, the torrent of summer releases is literally turning the tide with exciting material.  Today, we’ll take another look (a double take, in some cases) at what’s hot, what’s heating up, and in the process save you some time sifting through the crap.

Sepalcure – Love Pressure – Love Pressure EP

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Few 2010 releases have had me as excited as Sepalcure‘s debut Love Pressure EP.  If you haven’t yet heard what Mary Anne Hobbs of BBC’s Radio 1 called, “one of the finest releases I’ve heard in a thousand years,” now is your chance– it’s out today, courtesy of UK-based Hotflush.  I remember the first time I heard this track, it had me begging for a replay the entire rest of the weekend.  It’s appealing, as with most forms of this new lovestep groove, for it’s emphasis on balance– sure there’s plenty of sub in there to be enjoyed, but there is a melodic aspect on top, and a further layer of percussive savagery on top of that.  It’s almost as simple as it is complex, as appropriate for the dance floor as it is for the bedroom, and certainly as worthy of your listening consideration as any other release you’ll come across in the dubstep section this year.

James Blake – CMYK – CMYK EP

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Young is on fire, making enough consistent noise to stay on everyone’s speakers and in conversations since his debut, he’s made quick, almost systematic work, of converting listeners of every sub-genre of two step, not to mention plenty of those on the periphery, to appreciate his categorization-eluding style, which is almost subtle and overt at the same time, blending ephemeral R&B samples (can you hear Aaliyah in there? *swoon*) with basslines and beats that defy Garage and even IDM without going off the deep, glitchy edge.  His newest EP, CMYK, came out last month on R&S Recordings.

Ital Tek – Strangelove V.I.P. – Midnight Colour

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One label I really don’t know enough about, despite housing some of my other favorite dubstep artists like and , is Planet Mu.  Well it just so happens that Planet Mu just released an excellent full-length from , another musician who has found themselves happy at home with a strong, reputable label for a few years now.  Midnight Colour, Ital Tek’s newest outing shows restraint without muzzling the pure heat being channeled into the track.  This samurai-esque sense of restraint is more apparent than before, the darkness is certainly still abundant, but colorful melodic strands shimmer like LCD lights (note, not neon lights), brighter than ever, giving this a bit more heart and soul.  Definitely moving in the right directions.

JDSY – Lighter – Blue Newspaper

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‘s newest full-length, and third release was released today– Blue Newspaper.  Despite having an album cover that seems to have foretold the BP Gulf Spill disaster, play a track or two and things quickly become real clear: this is future music you’re listening to.  Blue Newspaper is wildly eclectic, but a bit more positive this time around, without abandoning the darker aspects of avant pop abound in the record.  Of this standout track, Lighter, Joey explains, “the song came about from me trading samples with Jay Bodley (, ), and the majority of the sounds are from his song, remixed into lighter, totally different direction but his influence is there as far as crisp hip hop sounds there are in there.”  You can stream the entire album here.

Posted in Music Posted by Alex on Jun 15 2010 10:53 pm

Tags: Dubstep, Experimental, Hotflush, Ital Tek, James Blake, JDSY, Lovestep, Moodgadget, Planet Mu, Sepalcure