B E A TS & C A TS

Just discovered Sam Gellaitry the other day and not only is he the newest member of Soulection, he definitely the youngest. This Scottish producer is making beats waaaaaay beyond his years (he’s 18) - incorporating dream synth progressions, sultry vocals, and heavy hitting drums. You’ve definitely heard some of his tracks in mixes by Mura Masa or Mr. Carmack before.

It baffles my mind every time I hear about the latest 18 year-old producer who can make ridiculously good tracks like this one. I get overwhelmed just opening up FL studio or Ableton sometimes, so kudos to Sam and all the young producers out there who are consistently defying music genres.

RATATAT IS BACK!!!!!!!

Excuse my excitement, it’s been five years since LP4 came out so this is incredibly refreshing. I was a little worried that Ratatat would make a comeback with a new style of music or an experiment project and completely change the Ratatat label, but no (and how could I be so foolish to even doubt them), they picked up right where they left off!

What seems like a simple track is jam-packed with over 30 layered guitar tracks at once. In addition to the tune, the music video features 4000 hand-drawn illustrations done by Ratatat’s own E.Vax.

This is how I feel about this song:  ƪ(˘⌣˘)┐ ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ ┌(˘⌣˘)ʃ

I cannot stress how much I love this EP and this track especially. I’ve been listening to these 7 tracks over and over and I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of them. 18 y/o Alex Crossan is absolutely killing it in the electronic music department. I was already impressed with some of his tracks like ...Girl and Tough On You previously, but Someday Somewhere is truly something special.

I’ve never heard such a diverse production of music in a single EP before. It ranges from upbeat future tracks like Firefly to heavy raw hip hop featured in Low. Watch out for this guy because he is a true definition of musical talent. 

In another desperate attempt to avoid studying, here is a track that I’ve been looping over and over whilst writing my essay.

Mount Kimbie is a duo consisting of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos. The two are from London and have been producing music both separately and alone in the past. Originally releasing only dub-step tracks, the duo have stepped out of their comfort zone to produce tracks like this: ambient, glitchy, and post-dubstep?

I know I have not been using BEATS & CATS in almost a year but I am back. I’ve surprisingly returned because it’s exam season and I’m trying real hard not to study. 

Here is a track that’s keeping me going. It combines two of my favourite things: BADBADNOTGOOD and Legend of Zelda. It’s a jazzy rendition of Saria’s Song/Lost Woods, which is arguably the best track in OOT. These guys are straight from my hometown Toronto; just a couple of awkward 20-somethings who have collaborated with some of the best artists such as Tyler the Creator, Ghostface Killah, and Kaytranada. Check em out!

I can't get enough of 20syl. In fact, he's the only artist I've been listening to in the past week. This song in particular has really caught my attention with its combination of gritty and impactful vocals by King Krule and 20syl's subtle bass, percussion samples, and trap style. Altogether it really makes a good remix.

Who is 20syl? He's dropping the most creative beats I've ever listened to. BET DAP GOOM BOWN is a remix of a beat he created back in 1999. Using a flute, harp, and a heavy drum kit to progress the production, 20syl creates an amazing hip hop instrumental track. This beat was made to promote the Boom Bap Hip Hop Festival in France, and I definitely recommend any individual in the area to check it out. 

London pop trio Years & Years, consists of Olly, Michael, and Emre. They have one of those sounds that is 'never gonna let you go'. While this may be the first time you’re hearing of them, I can assure you that they’ll stick in your mind like your high school crush.

Quite possibly one of my favourite songs of all-time. Rituals takes you on a journey like no other in just under five minutes. The gradual build-ups, rich analogue instruments, broken vocal samples, and finally the climaxing and intertwining of all instruments really do it for me.