WARMER MIXTAPES #703 | by Rowan Perkins [Debian Blak] of East Park Reggae Collective, The Broken Orchestra and Blak Movie

1. Lapalux | Without You (feat. Kerry Leatham)
Absolute Stunner of a Track. Seriously. I literally listened to it about 10 times back to back the first time I heard it. What's not to like? It's SO Simple but Perfect. The song develops so Slowly and Beautifully, and it leaves a lot up to the listener to get Emotionally Involved. Like all of his stuff the Production is Second to None, and I really like how this guy works with Vocals. Kerry Leatham's a Great Vocalist and I love how she fits on the track with Lapalux's Twisted Production Ideas. He's Never Restrained by an Original Vocal and Not Afraid to Pitch, Chop and Fuck Up What He Wants. I love when the Drop comes - it's so Understated and Beautiful. Just that Extra Synth, and the fact the guy dressed up in a gimp suit to film this video. Props.

2. Shlohmo | Bo Peep (Do U Right) (feat. Jeremih)
Sick. Great Vocal Vibes and the Beat's obviously Sick too. As we all know, this guy can Produce. Actually I remember hearing this track for the First Time and it just made me Feel Good. Kinda track you can get down with and Dance Around your living room too. I'm liking how Shlohmo switches up his tracks and Production too. Never One To Stay Still. I Respect That.

3. Just Blaze x Baauer | Higher
Massively Heavy Tune. Heard this a couple of months ago and I was all over it. I Love how it just keeps Building and Keeps Building. The Vocal Stabs and Cuts work Really Well too, I like the Random Shouts and Pitching. Jay-Z's fucker cracks me up, and basically I just think this track has Loads of Balls. It's so Gutsy and Cheeky with its Structure and Instrumentation - but I guess it's made by Two Hugely Competent Producers, one of which has recently made a Pretty Big Career from being cheeky in his productions...

4. TNGHT | Higher Ground
Great Tune, though I actually really didn't like it when I first heard it. I've never been a fan of such Simple Vocal Repetition, it gets Too Monotonous and Straight Forward for me. But maybe these guys have Changed My Mind. The Beauty is in ts Repetitiveness, and that main horn riff is so Bloody Catchy it's Unreal. This is similar to the Just Blaze x Baauer tune in the way the Structure is just Full of Peaks and Builds, and I Love the Trap-Style Drums. Just makes you wanna bounce as Busta Rhymes puts it.

5. Lion Babe | Treat Me Like Fire
A mate played me this tune at the beginning of the year and I was really Sucked In by it. She has very Erykah-esque vocals and I'm Really Into the Simplicity of the Chord Sequence, with just a Really Rocking Beat Underneath. I like the Really Understated Bass just to support the Synth/Guitar part. It's all about the Beat Complementing the Vocals and she really holds Her Own on this. She's got a bit of Beyoncé in her in the way she holds herself in the video too. Very Confident and Individual. I'm Keen to Hear the next track from these guys - it seems Producer/Singer duos are the Way Forward at the moment!

6. Popcaan | Only Man She Want 
I had to throw this in there. I've spent a lot of my time listening to Dancehall and Reggae, having played in a Reggae band for a few years and I regularly found myself in a corner of a room Vibing Out to a Heavy Sound System Full of Bass. Sub Dub in Leeds was a bi-monthly regular for me and it taught me a lot about Sub, as well as Dub, Early Dubstep and all the Rest. Though this is obviously a Dancehall tune, it's the Feel-Good Element that I Love about this song. It gives me the Feeling that People like Sizzla, Gentleman or Collie Buddz gave me when I First Discovered them in my teens. It's Super Catchy and I just Can't Not Dance when I Feel this Beat!

7. Portico Quartet | Sleepless (feat. Cornelia) (Live At The Roundhouse) 
Really Stunning Track - the Original is Amazing too but this Live Version Really Gets Me. I've been Developing and Geeking out Massively over the past year or so on How to Perform My Music Live and I was Really Interested with how these guys have Embraced the use of Effects, Loops and MPCs, etc. Obviously, there's 4 of them, so its Predominantly a Live Outfit, but I really like the Electronic Add-Ons. I also saw Cornelia play at the end of last year when she supported Submotion Orchestra and she had this Really Interesting Analogue Synth/Guitar-type thing, which she played with a Loop Pedal and was Really Interesting. She's got a Great Voice too and I always find artists who have grown up in Scandinavia have a Really Nice Alternative touch to their Music which works Really Nicely here, Particularly in the Intro. A Great Collaboration!



8. Rustie | After Light
Banger. Banger, Banger, Banger, Banger, Banger. I listened to this On Repeat when I First Heard it in my Car. Luckily I was On My Own on a 2 hour Journey to a Gig so I could just pump it LOUD and Jump Up and Down in my seat. When this first drops in - damn. I Love the Tension and Release After the Breakdown too, with the extra 2 bars when you think it's Already Dropped. Very Simple and Clever. This song is just Fat all Over. Massive.

9. Jacques Greene + Tinashe | Painted Faces
Great Vibe on this track. I Love the Subtlety in the Production, the way Tiny Bits of Percussion Come In and Out, and Evolve Slightly during Each Section. Structurally it works really well too, I Love the Trap-like switch up for the breakdown chorus. I wasn't Massively into Tinashe's Vocals before this, but she serves a Good Purpose for the track and I'm Really Into the Yours Truly and Adidas tune in a day kinda vibe. A few people have done that kind of thing now and it's a Nice Approach to Creating Music. You can Really get sucked into the Development and Writing of a track, and Usually the Simplest and Quickest Beats turn out to be the Strongest!

10. Kendrick Lamar | Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe
I know it's probably a Bit Late to Still Be Hyping This (if you think that way) and I've really liked this song since it came out, but when I Really Connected with this tune was when I heard it in a Club. The Energy of the Room Totally Switched and the Guitar and Vocals just Totally Filled the Room. He's got some serious lyrical talent this guy, and the production's great. I Love the Subtleties, the Big Pre Delay Reverb on the Snare or the Really Quiet 808 Hit. This guy's given Hip Hop a New Face and I Love it. Who said Hip Hop was Dead?