The Groove Thief

Full-power Flappage is about to invade Hong Kong, so it seems foolish to ignore this monumental musical event! You might think the city would have other regular musical festivals, but that is sadly not the case as profit is routinely prioritized over anything else in this supposedly international city. Sure, HK always has a lot of shows going on, but it’s “see and be seen” over musical quality all too often. At least Clockenflap, the hopefully now annual music fest, is supporting true musical diversity (especially if we ignore the lack of reggae music…). Nonetheless, there’s a lot of great bands and DJs that will be braving the inclement weather this weekend!

Time Out Hong Kong has some solid write-ups, including a feature, their Top 10 acts, local bands not to be missed, an interview with Team Clockenflap, and a helpful map.

The Groove Thief’s official recommendations include:

Saturday:

Azealia Banks, Noughts and Exes, Uptown Rockers, !!!, DJ Enso XXX and Dan F

Sunday:

De La Soul, Brandt Brauer Frick, Magnetic Soul vs Heavy, Bassmen 3, Kid Fresh, Yao and Tiga

Now if only these acts were scheduled so they could all actually be seen…

The Groove Thief - 0:20 Massive Mix

Here’s 20 minutes of bangin’ reggae straight from Hong Kong! Huge tracks from Krak In Dub and Mungo’s Hi Fi bookend an uptempo modern digital mix with featured instrumentals and riddims from Black Chiney, Dub Breakah, FreeRoots & Youngheart, and Riddim Tuffa. A literal anthem appears from High Tone and Pupajim alongside a classically-inspired track from Collie Buddz, a tough vocal from The Beast, and Numa Crew’s alter-ego Gangsta No Play. Made for a mixxtape battle, this is loaded with choice tracks.

Available on both Mixcloud & Soundcloud as well as DIRECT DOWNLOAD.

Astroboter’s Beat Sutras Vol. 1 pushes instrumentals forward, deftly combining diverse source materials into surprisingly cohesive and inventive beats. Music aside, this is an interesting artistic endeavor: not only due to the limited cassette edition available in addition to the now-standard digital release, but also with pairs of tracks being released gradually (or the whole twelve in exchange for your email). As for the tunes themselves, they are heady multi-layered genre-crossing productions. “Ex Voto” is the clear standout (with 8 of 12 tracks publicly available), its hip-hop drums are funky, a nice vocal sample emerges, and then it methodically fades before rebuilding. Everything starts with the simple beauty of “Mara (Prologue),” and “Sounds of Psylence” is thankfully psy-funk not Psy. The majesty is in the details - these beats are well-crafted and deceptively simple. Eastern influences abound throughout, so the theme of Sutras is far from indulgent, and tracks like “Maester & Scholar” and “The Flood” elegantly glide through their short run-times. Latest public releases “Isca” and “Fire Sermon” are both mellower instrumentals. Get these free beats in your head now:

PhOniAndFlOrE present Dubsteady, an electro-dub odyssey that, while clearly prioritizing modern over classic, has echo and reverb hidden amongst its heavy basslines and varied influences. Opener “Disco Dub” fuses hip-hop and electro over a pulsating beat while “Scoopy” is synth-laden and equally relentless. The title track is a bit mellower, yet Injham’s well-layered remix, with its epic intro and almost glitchy drums, pushes the musical boundaries even farther. Closer “Capture” is more heavy electro-dub, a strong final statement on the sound that this prolific producer is championing.

FREE DOWNLOAD from the French Dub Released netlabel.

This Saturday night (November 10th) I will be DJing with True Skool HK at their monthly rooftop party. If you’re in Hong Kong and like reggae, this is definitely worth going to - the scenery is great since Pier 7 (above the Star Ferry in Central) has a view of the whole city, and the music and vibes will of course be perfect as well. I’ll be playing a set of mostly modern tunes, with a focus on digital reggae, steppers dub, and other reggae-influenced beats. Since it’s public space it’s even BYOB until midnight, so come early and dance until late with 100% Reggae Dancehall! Only $120 at the door, which includes a free drink, and I’ll be joined behind the decks by DJs Ray Shizzle, Blood Dunza and Christian Da Phat Selekta. Here’s a recent mix of mine to get your ears ready for Saturday:

Eclectically-sampled beats comprise GHprodu’s freshman beat tape, Beats Overdue,  alternates between lush orchestration, digital rhythms, and various interpolations of funkiness. Some elements are hyper-futuristic, while others have been well dug for. This concoction of influences means each beat is hard to pin down… opener “Clad Myriad” crashes such genres together, while “Time To Go” is much more chilled out; standout “Take Two” features a piano alongside gritty Eastern string-work, before a flute shows up almost late for the jam; “Do It” is bombastic, perhaps awaiting a proper outro; finale “Back” is the strongest in the latter half, an alien disco of of sorts. This is an interesting collection of beats, well-worth a listen if you know no beat is too underground:

Dub Breakah thankfully hasn’t literally done that to dub music, instead producing a slew of strong riddims as well as some fierce tracks. The “Beast Riddim” is definitely my favorite: the skanking guitar intro leads to a nice and heavy track, which as “Babylonbuster (Dub Breakah Remix), is pushed towards anthem status with the ruff vocal reminiscent of Buju Banton. “Roots Riddim,” the most recent production, features some smooth horns and a mellow breakdown. “Tribulations” is another great track, some true reggae dub that sounds hazy in all the right ways while vocal samples echo occasionally alongside a relentless beat. “Jah Freedom Riddim” is another solid effort, and there’s more glorious reggae dub tracks available up on Soundcloud.

Tonight the dub drops in Hong Kong, as my new night - with MC Loki Dolo - begins at Midnight & Co. DIGITAL DUB will explore the vast expanses of the dub/reggae universe, with a focus on modern sounds and styles. For your listening pleasure here’s a 2-hour live promo mix, up on both Soundcloud and Mixcloud. This will be a bi-weekly event, first and third Thursdays of each month, so if you are in Hong Kong you have no excuse not to check out proper dub and reggae music - this IS NOT dubstep or bass, though there will be plenty of diverse influences throughout the night!