For 13 years, Soulection has at been at the forefront of pushing musical boundaries online. From its humble beginnings as a SoundCloud radio show to its present-day residence on Apple Music, co-founder and CEO Joe Kay has done more than most in an effort to expose the world to melodies and harmonies that would’ve otherwise flown under the radar for many listeners. Soulection’s impact on the beatmaker scene cannot be understated; with a superstar roster comprising of such greats as Mr. Carmack, Sam Gellaitry, J-Louis, Mikos Da Gawd, Singularis, and Evil Needle, it’s likely that your favorite pr ..read more

All the glitz and glamour that comes with being a childhood star takes a heavy toll on one psyche. You’re an innocent soul to shelter against the machine, only for corporations to value you as a commodity. Hands marred by greed sought to smear any sense of individuality, desiring to make you into the next overproduced, manufactured pop star. Their interest rarely aligns with the child’s personal development, and distrust is the currency in that transaction. In turn, the trio — made up of Jadagrace Michiko Gordy-Nash, Coy Stewart, and Tyrel J. Williams — also known by their stage name Jadagrac ..read more

Wisdom, soul, and unpredictability. Three words that describe the effervescent, vintage-inspired production of Kaelin Ellis. The notable producer/instrumentalist/DJ’s new album THE FUNK WILL PREVAIL speaks to all of this, with more theatrics (and little time) to spare. The album begins in a whimsical fashion, where a formant-shifted, alien-like voice directly addresses its audience. “Hello,” the voice says (presumably Kaelin himself). “Do not attempt to skip this song. Any other movement will disrupt the force that is about to enter your bloodstream. That force is known as ‘THE FUNK.’” ‘THE FU ..read more

There are times when words are sensory overload that complicates emotions rather than evokes them. While they can paint a picture of our experiences, words could be daunting to take in. With Gradients, 92elm sought to alleviate that pressure to examine by permitting us to feel. It’s palliative and airy, aiming to use its breezy Lo-Fi aesthetic to lift your mood the same way pilots use the wind for takeoff. Known for his future bass sound backed by lush vocals, the Philadelphia producer often layers his vocals an octave lower when paired with the main vocalist. The result is a texture that is ..read more

If you’re familiar with the beat scene, then you’re probably already familiar with the name Elaquent. Despite being quite far from the scene’s Los Angeles roots, the Ontario native made a name for himself through his heart-warming sound, his unique approach to beatmaking, and his lengthy and prolific career. This year alone, Elaquent dropped 3 projects: Komfort Food; In Colour, Vol.2; and In Colour, Vol. 3. Creating imagery through his soothing and texture-laden soundscapes, Elaquent continues to display his chops in the hip-hop scene, holding onto the well-deserved respect he’s ..read more

Finally stepping foot outside of my apartment after 10 days locked up since Omicron stormed through New York City and landed on me, the cold breeze that turned my whole body red was jarring. But after listening to the esentrik edit of SZA’s ‘I Hate U,’ one thing became clear. NYC’s temperatures may be decreasing, but the music coming out of it is just warming up. esentrik just so happens to be one of our city’s finest, so when he dropped this seductive edit on the first Monday of the year, we had no choice but to tell the world about it. In true esentrik fashion, the producer gives the melanch ..read more

Who knew you only needed 13 minutes and 47 seconds to completely ease your mind and soothe your soul? That’s exactly what the new Elaquent EP, titled Bedtime Stories II, does. The anxiety-reducing project is 5 tracks of masterfully angelic goodness and gives us a much-needed brain massage. Another short EP of late night jams I made, much in line with the first. A continuation or second chapter in an audio diary of sorts. Helping me get through a number of highs and mostly lows I’ve experienced over the last few months of 2020. But I don’t think anybody really cares about that, as thats m ..read more

Back in May, I named Lunice #4 of 20 Producers Who Don’t Sound Like Anyone Else with my team over at This Song Is Sick. So when I got the Bandcamp notification that he had a new drop today, I was absolutely elated. For his latest release, Lunice unveils ‘Gasp,’ which is actually a single from his upcoming 9-track project, 180 Deluxe. The project will be an extension of the 180 EP that dropped all the way back in 2015. With the four first tracks on 180 Deluxe having already been released, ‘Gasp’ is the first new track we’re hearing from the series. It’s 2 minutes and 53 seco ..read more

My favorite category of releases has to be funky flips mixtapes. A few weeks ago, we talked about Keys N Krates’  Flips Vol. 2 (which I haven’t been able to get enough of). And in perfect timing, Kaelin Ellis drops his RMX’s Vol. 4. We actually got a taste of what would be in this album in his FUXWITHIT guest mix, but the whole project is here and he did not disappoint. In true Kaelin Ellis fashion, the beatmaker gives his silky smooth take on songs from legendary artists like Aaliyah, Destiny’s Child, Outkast, and more. If you’re in the mood for some throwbacks with a groovy twist,  ..read more

When hip-hop and electronic music collide, it’s always a beautiful thing. Two legends in their own right, Madlib and Four Tet have finally dropped their collaborative album, Sound Ancestors. Both genres are sample-based, so it makes sense they’re here to educate us all on the different facets of music that have made the art what it is today. You might not hear Four Tet’s signature sound in this album, but that was his intention. He told The New York Times, “I wasn’t looking at it being like I want to stamp my sound onto his in any way. It was more, I want to take the t ..read more