Dexter’s Beat Laboratory Vol. 46
Dexter’s Beat Laboratory is a weekly collection of songs from DA music editor and staff writer Robyn Dexter. With a taste that can only be described as eclectic — to say nothing of a name that lends itself to punnery — DA is happy to present a selection of tracks personally curated by Dexter for your listening pleasure.
G-house guru BIJOU is back with another sultry heater, “Young & Reckless,” featuring Way. The new Dim Mak record continues the Arizona native’s tour de force through the burgeoning world of g-house. It’s stamped with a relentless bassline and and fierce vocals from Way. “The vocal with Way came from a long-standing relationship I’ve had with his manager that started out with me buying shoes from him at Finish Line,” BIJOU says of the track. “Fast forward to today and we have worked on numerous tracks together with this one being hands down our best.”
This week’s drum & bass find got me addicted so quickly. Foreign Concept’s rework of SKS’ “Thousand Lives” has a gorgeous air of mystery about it, and the UK artist does a stellar job of amping up the intensity in a way that’s both a little dark and euphoric. While the full track stands at more than five minutes, this three-minute preview is available as a part of Vandal LTD’s Modern Soul 4 LP.
Texan producer Prismo has morphed Satellite Mode’s subtle pop track, “Gave It All,” into something much more forceful. He toys with singer Jessica Carvo’s vocals, weaving them in and out of an intense pattern of bass he’s crafted. Prismo’s ability to juxtapose this powerful style of bass music with Satellite Mode’s delicate form of indie-pop further demonstrates his strong proficiency in electronic music in all forms.
Tom Budin continues his consistent release schedule with a version of Noy’s “Kamikaze.” This gnarly bass house rework hits hard from the get-go, shocking the listener head on at the minute mark with a speaker-shattering bass. The original, too, featured an astoundingly deep bass, but Budin’s morphed the track into a more dance floor-accessible rendition. New Haven’s verses maintain the fiery intensity of the original as Budin works his magic on the beat.
Matroda‘s teamed up with RICCI on his latest original, a feisty house offering on Dim Mak called “Caliente (Na Na Na).” The collaboration offers a clean combination of house and trap and shows both artists in their finest form: crafting the most hard-hitting bass house they can.