Cowbell

The third member of ATV, Calibar, is back from a long roadtrip in Europe. We've done our best to fill you up with all sorts of great hip-hop while he was gone, but you can now expect a lot more of that now that he's back. Today's post is just a a little exercise in keeping you up-to-date with what's going on in the wonderful world of music.

Friendly Fires ft Azari & III- Stay Here

Now this was a combination that took me by surprise. Friendly Fires are, of course, huge, but this collaboration with Toronto house group Azari & III (who, coincidentally, are in the next edition of Canadian Club Crunchers) is amazing. Stay Here is an uplifting track that combines everything I like about both groups. Friendly Fires always create the most catchy and memorable pop melodies, and Azari & III's vocals and groove are haunting. This amalgamation of styles and vibes creates a great tune that I'm sure to bump quite a bit in the months to come. This is off of Friendly Fires' mix for Bugged Out:Suck My Deck, by the way, which is coming soon. Can't wait to hear that.

Lorenzo Vector- Turn it Up (Canblaster remix- Skeet Skeet MEGA edit)

"One of my fav producers at the moment canblaster did a really fun remix of this turn it up tune but the drop kinda confused people. so i just made it crazy and it goes over better"

Club Cheval's brightest star + Skeet Skeet = You really can't go wrong. Shrill screams and breaking glass never sounded so pleasant. Music to my ears.

Sick Jargon- LSR (Dub)

Bynie put me up on this producer recently, and I've become a frequent visitor to his soundcloud. This was a free download on his page, so I figured I'd put it up in this space to fill up our quota of bizarre house music for the week. This dub of LSR gallops on at a nice pace, and there are enough off-kilter samples, muted horns and techy madness to keep you satisfied.

Weather

It seems like every time I'm not posting a feature, I just post a bunch of old songs with a summery feel. Who can blame me, I live in a place where snow and freezing weather blanket the city for at least half of the year. I'm in the mood for rebirth and renewal, man. Today's weather was gorgeous, so I'm feeling generous. Please enjoy the vibes.

Shwayze- Buzzin ft Wale (DJ Skeet Skeet & Cory Nitta remix)

This is a great song to cruise around in with the windows down, much like most of Schwayze's songs. It's really simplistic hip-hop for hipsters, but it is still really dope. I played the hell out of this remix when L.A. icon Skeet Skeet dropped it, as I really felt his flip on it. He cut it up a bit, improved the groove, and added Wale, which is, as everyone knows, a winning combination. In my opinion, Wale has fallen the fuck off recently, but his earlier stuff is great. Either way, it's a smooth remix that you can't help but nod your head to.

Bran Van 3000- Drinking in L.A

I'm not entirely sure if Bran Van 3000 were as big in the States in their prime as they were in Canada, but if they weren't, they definitely should have been. Bran Van 3000 is a collective of very talented musicians, writers, vocalists, artists and creative Montrealers, all rallied around its ringleader, Mr James Di Salvio, and this is their biggest and best-known hit. Their sound is varied as hell, usually with a soulful throwback vibe, tinged with electronic sounds. This is a timeless summer anthem that you should definitely know. If you don't, well, you're welcome.

Mikey Dangerous- You are so fine

Mikey Dangerous is an influential figure in the Montreal dancehall and reggae scenes. Known for his fiery performances (I saw him at Reggae Fest two years ago, and he was unbelievable. Definitely the most energetic performance that day) and his work ethic, Mikey Dangerous has also won a Juno (some shitty Canadian music award), so more power to him. I'll be honest, this is the only song of his that I have, but I've bumped it on more than one occasion. Great tune for those late afternoon BBQs. Bless!

Mikey Dangerous Myspace

Boats and Birds- Gregory and the Hawk (Protohype remix) [edit: Ooops, the artist's name is Gregory and the Hawk, not the other way around. My bad.]

Protohype is a duo out of Arizona who pioneer a genre that they call "Dub-hop", whose definition I'm sure you can figure out. They contacted us a few days ago, and sent us their soundcloud, which is filled with goodies. Their songs all have knockin' bass and glitchy percussion, and it works. As well, they've recently uploaded a remix of a cutesy indie pop song by Gregory and the Hawk, and I really dig it. They don't go overboard on the remix, and subtlety is something that is really quite lacking in the majority of reworks of slower songs. Their output is quite banging, I must admit. Kudos, Protohype.

Protohype Myspace

Andre 3000 ft Norah Jones- Take off your cool

I hate to say it, but this sounds nigh-perfect. It lasts less than three minutes, but what a nice blend of the blues, happiness, soul and heartbreak. (Not in that order). I wanna see youuu

buenas noches, kiddos.