Soul II Soul - Back To Life (Follow Me Remix)

Just because it's cold as f#%* outside right now, doesn't mean we still aren't in the mood for some sweet summer vibes. Luckily for us, Brooklyn's Follow Me was kind enough to send us over some fine summery grooves in  the form of his remix of the classic 'Back To Life' by Soul II Soul. 
If you are feeling the chill, this track's warm bass and tropical house vibes will get you right where you need to be. It's not quite back to reality, but who needs reality when we've got tunes.
Grab the FREE download now via Facebook.
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Bailey - C'est Un Oui / Run

Just recently we posted up a remix by Brighton based House and Garage producer Bailey. Since then Bailey has been hard at work, with two brand new production already hot of the presses;
'C'est Un Oui' is a 4x4 oriented track with what many a calling that 'Bristol' vibe. Expect sexy pitched vocals, prominent 808 drum samples and plenty of deep loved up grooves. Call it what you like, this is exactly the kind of thing that gets us up and moving.
'Run' turns the pace up a notch, still falling into that House 4x4 rhythm, but this time with more emphasis on the strong leading synth melodies and completing vocal. Though there's less of a groove factor in comparison to 'C'est Un Oui', there's certainly just as much euphoric energy and emotion.
There's always a somewhat pointless, yet inevitable urge to compare such different tracks when released simultaneously.  Regardless, the point to be taken is that there's clearly something here for everyone, whether its the Bristol House/Future Bass crowd or the more Tech/Progressive. If you like your House, then Bailey has got the kind of range to please all.
Both tracks are available for FREE download, so grab 'C'est Un Oui' here and 'Run' here
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DJ Zinc - FREE Downloads

Remember when Zinc used to make DnB? We sure as hell do, Zinc's riddims were easily some of the heaviest classics around. Well now Zinc has decided to give the fans what they want and has uploaded loads of his old classic releases to Soundcloud as HQ FREE downloads. It's all there, big breaks old and new including old dubplates and white labels like his bootleg of The Fugees 'Ready or Not', both the original and the 2003 remix. Of course these days Zinc makes some pretty sweet Electro House music too, so if you're into large basslines and 4x4 rhythms, then be sure to grab the FREE 'Crack House' downloads as well.
Check out our selection of stand outs below, including 'Thinkin Back', a jazzy bit of liquid....'Angry Frogs', a bass heavy House roller....and the classic 'Fugeez Or Not' jungle bootleg.
Plus, make sure you head over to Soundcloud to grab all the FREE tracks.
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Enk Collective - EnkTape Vol.1

You might remember The Enk Collective as the UK bass community behind artists like The D.A who's remix was featured some weeks back. The guys have since got in touch to share their first mixtape 'EnkTape Vol.1', a dub/bass oriented album with  live dub reggae from General Roots and Flatline, grime/moombahton tunes from Rinse Fm's Sypro and Dubloke, Future Bass/House oriented tunes from  DrDr, Rendar & Leebo and  even some smooth RnB from Fortay.
Throughout the first half of the mixtape, the Jamaican/London influences are strong and you can expect to hear plenty of deep frequencies and classic dub instrument-reverb. Ironically however,  the efforts from the seasoned General Roots band generally come off as the weakest here with 'Stop & Search' sounding a little hollow and 'Green Xmas,' being an amusing yet ultimately unfulfilling track. The same can be said of Sir Spyro's grimed out instrumental dub 'Fox', which is as much a fond reminder of grime's brief domination of the London scene, as it is under-produced and somewhat flimsy, at the very least in need of a solid remastering.
On the other hand, the two Flatline tracks come across as highly accomplished and well produced Reggae/Dub instrumentals, exactly the kind of thing you'll want to sit and smoke to, you simply just can't fault that kind of effectiveness. Likewise Dubloke's 'Spray Can' maintains the high production standard, even if the dancehall/moombahton vibes aren't your thing.
By track 7 things have taken an interesting and welcome House turn, starting with Fortay's light and grooved out electro remix of 'Crazy In Love' and then heading deeper with DrDr's 'Extra'. This is the 'Enktape Vol.1' at its most accessible, with DrDr's vocally lead production touching on 'Future Garage' rhythms whilst still holding the kind of 'Pop' appeal you'd find in many a Katy B track for example, by no means a bad thing and  indeed one of the mixtape's highlights.
Onto the tape's only RnB track and Fortay's second contribution, the reworking of Brandy's 'Getting Me Down'. This track really is a silky as they come, it won't be long before Fortay's slick production and Brandy's sultry vocals have you laying back and clearing your mind as all your troubles drift right to the back of you mind. Expect this one to start cropping up on your most played list soon.
At this point we turn to House again as Rendar & Leebo's 4x4 beats carry us home in 'Hyperspace' and 'Echo Base'. Though the former is the stronger of the two tracks and certainly the most uplifting, the deep end focus and spaced out feel of  'Echo Base' is certainly not without its charm and a well chosen wind-down to the end of the mixtape...incidentally both are arguably the stand out tracks alongside 'Getting Me Down', 'Extra' and 'Ream Dub'.
Altogether the mixtape is a real achievement and a promising start for the Enk Collective's ever growing talent roster. It's safe to say we've been critical here, but the fact is; these young talents have the potential to go bigger and better with each new release, and we just want to make sure they keep pushing to show us what they can really do.....watch this space for big things in 2013.
Preview the mixtape below and grab the FREE or name your price download here.
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Disclosure - Latch ft. Sam Smith (Bailey Remix)

In the world of electronic music one's thing for sure, those Surrey Disclosure boys know just how to press my audio buttons, with 'Latch' easily being one favorite releases of 2012. That being said, it would have to take one hell of a producer to rinse out the track on the remix and take it even further. Enter Brighton based Bailey who's funky vibrant House remix of 'Latch' has somehow managed to pass us by until now. With support from the likes of Karma Kid, Booddha and the Disclosure lads themselves, remix credentials don't get much bigger than this.
Grab the track for FREE via Bailey's Facebook page and be sure to check out the rest of his stuff on Soundcloud.
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Brian McKnight - Stay Or Let It Go [Sabre Remix]

Few things can brighten up a Monday quite like a bit of FREE Drum & Bass. This weeks contender is London based producer Sabre with his remix of Brian McKnight's 'Stay Or Let It Go'. With percussion on the light end and deep reese vibes on the low, this smooth bit of jazzy liquid funk is bound to mellow you out and put a smile on your face after a long cold winter's day.
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Rudimental - Not Giving In (Stay+ Remix)

 We may have already mentioned our love for London quartet Rudimental, 
Nevertheless we were more than happy to hear that fellow Londoner Stay+ has given their track 'Not Giving In' the remix treatment. It's safe to say that he's managed to get the best out of the original, creating something euphoric and dancey, but without removing any of the depth and emotion that we've come to expect from Rudimental tracks. Even better, this one comes as a FREE download courtesy of the lovely Annie Mac.
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Pledge - Some Timez

Pledge is another mystery producer who we've not been able to find much out about, other than that he hails from the UK and has already dropped some releases via the notable Slime and L2S Recordings.
Nevertheless, what's important is that he's making seriously tasty music. The track in question, 'Some Timez', is a sweet little garage roller with a downtempo vibe, but still just enough groove to get feet shuffling on the dancefloors. This lush bit of UKG is available for FREE download here, so grab it asap and head on over to Pledge's Soundcloud to show some love and check out some more awesome FREE downloads.
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Joey BADA$$ - 1999

2012 has been a decent year for Hip-Hop, with a new MF Doom album, plenty of mixtapes and even album releases from the likes of new boy Kendrick Lamar exceeding expectation. Meanwhile the underground has provided a steady stream of decent new artists like Blu, Chill Bump and Dee Brown....keeping things fresh and interesting for the future.
With this in mind, the latest new boys, Brooklyn's Joey BADA$$ and his Pro Era crew, have a lot a competition as Hip-Hop starts to gradually claw its way out of commercial hole it's been stuck in for the past 4 years. There's a lot resting on one little mixtape here, the long awaited revival of the East coast...and the good news is that Joey and Pro Era don't disappoint.
The naming is everything and with the '1999' mixtape the message is clear, bringing back that classic 90's 'boom bap' feel is the main objective here and it's achieved with flying colours. 'FromdaTomb$' and it's accompanying video was perhaps the first single release to really affirm the 90's revival being shot for here and there's a reason why it captured Hip-Hop fans globally, Chuck Stranger's tight production is reminiscient of the classic Crooklyn Dodgers sound while both Chuck and Joey deliver sharp lyrics with the veteran flow of many a rapper much their senior. Joey describes it as Hip-Hop without 'gimmicks', and although that's not entirely true, it's definitely music with substance well above its '90's/Golden Age motif'. What's more, it's the consistency that really shines through the mixtape, with each of the 15 tracks able to stand on their own and not a single filler in sight. Of course one of the biggest contributing factors at work here are the big name producers and borrowed productions behind each track, with the late J Dilla, MF Doom, Knxwledge and Lord Finesse all featuring, and although more has been repurposed than originally composed,  it's apparant that the Pro Era guys have some seriously good taste.
In a mixtape so consistent there are still highlights however; aside from the aforementioned 'FromdaTomb$'.....'World Domination', 'Waves' and 'Righteous Minds' are all perfect examples of top notch production meeting intelligent, and flawlessly delivered lyrics. Apart from the few borrowed beats there's really nothing to fault here and although it's probably better to judge an album on it's merits rather than a lack of faults, it's difficult not to make comparisions with the flawed, inconsistent, yet impressive mixtape releases of other young rappers and Hip-Hop collectives (read: K Lamar, OF etc). The fact is, while there may be nothing here to really 'wow' with innovation, there's still 15 solid Hip-Hop tracks here and that's the real impressive feat. Yes mixtapes have been done before, but maybe, just maybe they've never been done this well and if that's not enough for people to stand up and take notice of Joey BADA$$ and Pro Era then I don't know what is.
'1999' is simple a no-brainer, 'get-it-right-now' FREE download, and an essential addition to any Hip-Hop fan's library....more than that...it might be the best mixtape you'll hear all year.
Check the 10-track preview after the jump and be sure to grab the whole FREE download here. WANT MORE? Then follow The HotBox on Facebook and Twitter
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Earl Sweatshirt – Chum

We haven't really heard much from Odd Future's Earl since 'The OF Tape Vol.2'.  'Chum' is his latest and first release since coming back from Samoa, a mellowed out , emotional track about his family life over light pianos and drums. Many expected Earl and the other OF guys to have fizzled out by now, but with this being the latest of a series of impressive releases from the crew, we can only see big things ahead of Earl, Tyler, Hodgy and co.
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Bicep - Feel It

British house duo Bicep has just released deep house / garage crossover track in 'Feel It'. Here's what the guys have to say about the release themselves: Produced early last year, this version was actually a rough demo. We went on to change the track considerably, evolving it into what became '$tripper'. However with some space we came back to it and actually loved it's raw feel. This led us to test her out on our BIS mix - And here she is!
This stripped out track really is as vibrant as they come, so go ahead and grab the FREE download here, before the limit runs out. While you are at it, check out their dub of Medlar's 'Terrell', linked below and also available for FREE download here.
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Virgin Minds - Better Girl

The Monday chillout is in full swing this week as we bring you another smooth electronic vibe. 'Better Girl' is the second release from promising newcomers Virgin Minds. With its subtle melody, trapped out  structure and hypnotic vocals, this deeply mellow track is sure to make you forget all about work.
Check it after the jump and grab the track for FREE here.
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Maribou State - Scarlett Groove

Something a little different from Londoners Maribou State.  'Scarlett Groove' is a laid back and throughly blissed-out chiller, perfect for a stressful monday. Add in a soulful, yet slightly un-nerving vocal and you've got that Southern Fried label sound to a tee.
Grab this one for FREE here courtesy of Annie Mac. 
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Pascäal - Lamborghini / Apollo

Fresh off the back of our post on Booddha, we've got word of another top release on the Amsterdam based VRESH label. This time, Texas based producer Peter Wiley aka Pascäal is rocking our headphones. Previously known for a large number of releases under his previous alias, Subvader, Pascäal is taking a new direction and a brand new start with his debut EP 'Lamborghini / Apollo '.
The two track EP doesn't disappoint, with the opener 'Lamborghini' really shining. This upbeat house roller takes a minimal, deep approach, complete with muffled synths, pitched vocal samples and a killer bass sure to give any raver their much needed fix. Meanwhile the second track 'Apollo' features a similar paced build, taking a smooth breaks infused garage tip. The spartan approach keeps the audio space and atmosphere large, whilst subtle use of appegiators and the deep rolling bassline give the track irrisistable groove appeal...'Apollo' truely is a track as at home on the dancefloor as it is at the post-party cotch/chillout.
All in all, 'Lamborghini / Apollo' is a top release and an excellent rebirth for Peter Wiley, who's sound has now taken on a shape somewhere between the depth of Booka Shade, and the vibrance of Jacques Greene. Check the EP after the jump and grab the complete FREE or Name Your Price download via the VRESH Bandcamp.
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Booddha - Good Vibes

'Good Vibes' is probably one of the most accurately named tracks i've ever seen, with it's sweet housey piano licks and garage inspired rhythms providing plenty of uplifting audio pleasure. The production wizard behind this track is Amsterdam based Booddha, of whom 'Good Vibes' is just a small part of his impressive, bass orientated release back catalogue on the VRESH label.
You can grab the FREE download of 'Good Vibes' here, but be sure to check out the rest of FREE downloads as well as his two EPs 'She Was Lost' and 'Intense / Never Expected', both of which are Name Your Price releases.
With a keen ear for complex field sample work and solid production Booddha could easily be The Netherlands answer to Joy O or even Bashmore...regardless it won't be long his tracks start blowing up all over the scene.
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