Saturday, March 23, 2013

Shaolin Squad - Angel Dust


I would like to begin with a quote from the Staten Island demi-god Ghostface Killah as he regaled his past drug-use to an interviewer asking about the origin of his style:

"I was a dust-head, man...I used to drink a lot back then too; especially around [Only Built 4] Cuban Lynx... There's a lot of that mentality in certain hoods on the island... Which is why I think I sound so aggressive on a lot of shit from around then..."


Now, personally, I'm not gonna talk about my thoughts on drug use; whether or not it's "okay" is entirely up to whoever is involving themselves with it (I know a kid who can't handle three beers... yup, three... but I also have met a man who weekend warriors with 8-balls and manages a restaurant flawlessly... so....)

But it's true that a lot of bass music entwines with drug use; raves and rolls are very often said in the same sentence. Even kids who go underground "just for the music" must notice the masses of sunken-eyed wall flowers and glow-painted girls drooling on themselves, don't they?
So when listening to this track here's a thought; while it's true that this shit might have been born from a run-down house party off Jersey St. and while it may be the most evil trap song you'll hear for a while, and even while trap music ITSELF was born from southern crack-cookers bumping in the kitchen; we don't have to bow down to drugs in order to bump trap music, but we should respect where it comes from. 

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Ded Beatz - Exhale

So, you wanna be a street punk?
Well let's go over a few things you'll need straight-off:

- a ratchet-ass skateboard (you don't have to actually skate; just throw it at people when your pissed.)

- a petty criminal career (we've all been careless and gotten busted once or twice, come on!)

- an 80's style ghetto blaster (the bigger the better, but don't go nuts; Radio Raheem got choked out for that)

- a vicious dog (pitbulls have been done; why not try a gangsta-ass poodle?!)

And once you have all these things I've got the perfect song for you to blast while you're smoking a blunt on a porch that's clearly not yours. It's the latest track from the producer Ded Beatz; this kid is the epitome of hard trap music, blended with a quiet precision that makes his tracks party worthy, while still being hang-out approved. Yes, the 808's are pounding, and yes, the snare hits are crispy. But what about the legions of hoodrats who'll be bumping this shit down the line? You could be one of those bass-heads.

So whether you need a soundtrack for pulling your first kick flip, or something to block the store surveillance audio so they can't hear you and your delinquent friends robbing them blind; this is the track you've been waiting for.

Please bump responsibly - F.T.S

Friday, March 15, 2013

Kingdom - Take Me (ThumbsuckR Remix)

So I want you to picture it, you’re with someone you hope to make your significant other; be it whoever for whomever you are, a beautiful girl, a beautiful guy, or hey, even an above-average looking sheep. The point is it’s come down to that moment, when you two have a lull in the activities of the evening and your stressing over what kind of music to play…
You wanna go for something that’s on the one hand weird and unique so they think you’re naturally well-cultured and have good taste; but on the other hand you want to bump something that’s still inherently digestible. Stray too far to either side and you’re probably gonna get some raised eye-brows (f.t.s. fact: it’s actually impossible to fuck while a Borgore track is playing).
So to remedy this I’ve dug up an obscure track from the S.I. producer ThumbsuckR; one of the Shaolin Squad’s more unknown weapons. It’s a Kingdom remix (whose the shit……….btw…) which basically took the original track to the farthest corners of moombah music and went all Pepe-Le-Pew-Goes-Gangsta on it. Like some nasty fusion of pure Neo-Soul and unadulterated Bass Music.
Enjoy ;)
Kingdom - Take Me (ThumbsuckR Remix)

FTS - March Mix

Well, it’s finally here! The very first-ever FTS mix: some of the scene’s most innovative underground bass music lazily mixed by some dude on his laptop at 3am. Being one-third of S.I.’s Shaolin Squad I couldn’t help but leak a track that didn’t make it on our new FREE mixtape (stupid legal reasons). But I guess in a way you might say this mix is a hype for said mixtape which should be dropping this weekend courtesy of our bros over at Homegrown Studios (homegrownstudios.us) so definitely go pick it up on our soundcloud (soundcloud.com/shaolinsquad) to hear our collaborations with Montreal super-producer Antea and Chicago rising trapstar Kersey D o.O
Cause if you don’t, what’ll you say when some douche bag is trying desperately to show off his knowledge of Staten Island music? What’ll you do when your girlfriend says she’s tired of listening to just Nero and Bauuer every time she’s in your car? What’ll you demand be bumped at some god forsaken late-night bass party when you really want to head-bang in slow motion?
You’ll basically just be a cultureless retard…
 So bump to this mix, and when the weekend comes download our free mixtape… Cause you don’t wanna be a cultureless retard do you?

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Phranq - All In This

A lesson in atmospheric production; that’s all there is to say about this beautiful track from Phranq. Staten Island’s funny hip-hop knucklehead (you never heard of Sauce Man and The Thick One?!) woke up one day and decided to get fucking real all of a sudden and I’m personally digging it.
That crisp synth is like the end of some epic anime journey and the wet-sounding bells keep giving you shivers; even for those who don’t like a lot of trance music this a track you should really pay attention to. I’m not even really sure how it got on my ipod; but it came up in shuffle as I was skating home tired as shit one day and I don’t have ANY trance music. So being curious I immediately put it on loop and pretty much grooved my way home.
As far as Phranq goes, I just hope he starts turning out these tracks more often; cause this scene needs more producers like him.
Phranq - All In This

Skifcha - Gaunter

Okay, we all know what to expect by now from a Skifcha song; a well timed dub-beat and a light synth melody… Quickly followed by a massive amount of modern talking and enough filthy wobbles to slaughter a bass head into a million pieces. I can tell you that by the end of his free album "Meow" I was pretty sure that as far as brostep goes Staten Island’s little genius (the kid’s like 15) has gotten things pretty much worked out to a tee.
But that’s what so great about this post, this track, is that it’s not about the bass… It’s all about sub-bass. This dark and mysterious track creeps up at you with layers of adrenaline and ferocity from what seems like the depths of whatever hellish basement party you’re currently drunkenly head-banging at.
So… What’re you waiting for?
Get head-banging.
Skifcha - Gaunter (Original Mix)

Lukevoice - Mainstream



Whimsically gunning it to 120mph down the expressway at 3am? Making a horrific nuisance out of yourself in shoprite’s parking lot with your drunk friends? Breaking out a last-minute smoke session on your roof with blunt wraps and ghetto blaster in tow?
Well then, have I got the track for you my friend
Staten Island’s Trap King is back with a monster of an underground anthem, a certified blaster for late-night bass parties. Beautifully produced and lyrically executed to the highest degree, Luke brought all of his telltale trap tools to the table; liquidity pops all throughout the song, with high-pitched horns and the crisp-ist snare breaks I’ve heard in a while. But what I found interesting about the track was that it wasn’t exactly rap music discovering the electronic trap format, it was almost as if trap music was re-discovering the art of storytelling.
Lukevoice - Mainstream (Original Mix)