The Dirt #128: Laura D + Burn Unit

Friday, August 30, 2013

The Dirt #128: Laura D + Burn Unit

IT’S ANOTHER ROUND OF THE DIRT, HAAAAAAAAAAAAN! A DAY LATE FOR Y’ALLS LONG WEEKEND! *AIRHORN*

In true-to-form fashion, I went a little ham on the R&B influences and remixes… there’s a lot of good stuff circulating right now and whilst still full of summer-driven high serotonin levels I’m basically only listening to stuff that I can sing/rap along to or dance to… or both. There’s a good sprinkling of emotion and a touch of acid just to round it off. Can’t be on one all the time you know. Also I think the median age for the remixers/producers on these tracks is around 20 which means A. I’m getting old and B. college-level guys are way more into Amerie and Ciara (publicly) than I remember.

My good bud Burn Unit really vibing off the British & American producers and vibes, lots of feel-good stuff in his picks from quite a few budding producers.

You can of course download each individual track via Soundcloud but each of us have zipped our selections up for you for easy download purposes. Trust us. – Laura

Amerie – Gotta Work (Phazz Remix)

After falling in love with Phazz’s remix of Cassie on a random Soulection mixtape I stumbled across, I immediately pursued him to do a Guest Mix for us, and what a good one it was. Phazz has mastered the art of enchanting you with soft openings to his remixes and then suddenly pounding you with a loaded synth or bassline. I’m expecting big, awesome shit from this young Parisian in the coming months.

Ta-Ku – We Were In Love

Originally titled ‘I Hate You’, Ta-Ku delivers a wholly emotional track, some really epic-movie-soundtrack drums fill out the low end and perfectly placed vocal snips are sprinkled on top. This is my favorite side of Ta-Ku, and in a non-masochistic way, I hope he delivers this kind of heartbreak-inspired music for a long time into the future.

Jacques Greene – Sorry

I have little hesitation in saying Jacques Greene is one of my favorite producers ever (ahem… ‘Another Girl’ may be my #1 ‘electronic’ track of all time) and Ciara is my #1 girl crush. Put the two together (not for the first time… see previous parentheses) and you’ve got a match made in Laura heaven. Sorry is one half of his free release ‘Greene02′ given out last week.

Travis Porter – Do A Trick (Suicideyear Remix)

Suicideyear is one of my favorite recent discoveries. After being subtly pushed in his direction by Brodinski (who I swear is one of maybe 3 DJs I can 100% rely on to introduce me to shit I’ll really like), I downloaded his free mixtape ‘Japan’ and fell in love. Overtly emotional and dark, his stuff strikes many a forlorn chord in my heart. His remix of Travis Porter is a little more energetic than some of my other favorites like ‘CCCXXV’ and ‘Finale’ but still showcases his signature chords and affinity for rap music.

Daniel Avery – Water Jump (Dimitri Veitar Remix)

Daniel Avery’s upcoming LP Drone Logic out soon on Erol Alkan’s label Phantasy is fucking amazing and crazy and intense. Some of the tracks have existed for a while now (tracks like ‘Taste’), but its cohesiveness and depth is definitely something to be marveled. This remix from Dimitri Veitar was released a few months back, and while keeping all of the haunting vocals that provide the melody, the remix takes things to a much more acid house place than the original.

Drake – Say Something (Stwo Remix)

I mean….. it’s Drake. I don’t need to excuse myself for trumping Burn Unit with an extra track because HELLOOOOOOOO IT’S DRIZZAYYYY!!!! Actually the original is a collab with Timbaland but Stwo takes only the Drake bits and layers them with soft piano chords, vocal squeaks, big kick drums, and intermittent claps.

LAURA D’s DIRT PICKS .ZIP

Casino Gold – Tonight

I couldn’t be happier to see my friends Casino Gold really coming into their own as producers. This song features their own vocals for the first time, and I think really signifies them maturing as artists. Keep an ear out.

Youan – When You’re Around

If you haven’t checked out the Youan GDD Guest Mix from awhile back, you’re missing out. Another quality original production from the budding British producer.

Yasmin – Thinking About You (Billon Remix)

I could listen to this remix by Billon about a billion times. See what I did there? But really, if you’re a fan of Disclosure, Duke Dumont, etc., get this onto your hard drive ASAP.

Goldroom – St. Ides Heaven (Elliott Smith Cover)

Elliot Smith holds a special place in my sixteen-year-old-emo-self’s heart, and to hear the good GDD™ homie Goldroom put his unique and flavorful twist on an otherwise melancholy song really (pleasantly) surprised me.

Hayden James – Permission To Love (Charles Murdoch Remix)

An absolutely mesmerizing remix from Charles Murdoch, the drums in this one will play tricks on your mind while the piano work soothes the soul.