MUTUAL- Surface Effect

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Surface Effect is the lead cut from MUTUAL’s debut EP, A1017. The duo from Portugal have just been signed to Hush Hush Records from Seattle and their EP is out March 3. This track’s beat is trance-inducing in its simplicity and is infused with soulful samples and lo-fi haze, all cut with the sparse use of piano and strings. Swaying in and out of ambience throughout the seven minutes, Surface Effect is nonetheless full of energy. Although the soul samples feel a little unimaginative, the rest of the track works well. The song is brilliantly uncomplicated and it is a statement of intent from the two Portuguese producers. If this is anything to go by MUTUAL’s EP should be one to look forward to. – JK

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Brockhampton – Bet I

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Brockhampton have arisen from the ashes of AliveSinceForever, Kevin Abstract’s rap collective of yesteryear. They’ve reformed themselves into what they are explicitly describing as a “boyband”, with this Abstract-led track being filled out with Ameer Vann, Matt Champion, Joba and Merlyn Wood. Describing the group as a boyband might seem like a pretension, but Bet I has a definite potential to go mainstream. The hook is outrageously catchy, and the nearly six minute track manages to hold attention throughout by switching through a number of styles. We picked out Kevin Abstract earlier this month as one of the ones to watch in the world of rap for this year – make sure you keep paying attention. – FT

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Lapalux (ft. Szjerdene) – Closure

Closure is the first single from the UK-based producer’s second album, Lustmore, which is out 7th April via Flying Lotus’ label Brainfeeder. Stuart Howard, or Lapalux’s, new track is a collaboration with Szjerdene, who has also worked with Bonobo on Towers from the 2013 album Northern Borders. Closure starts off slowly but builds in waves of silky smooth vocals to make it all seem soothing and with the constant sound of the rain grounding the song in a rather dreamy setting. While this song has its moments, this type of electronic music has been done to death with artists such as SBTRKT, Shlohmo and Clams Casino all having done this before, and better. Closure is just very stock-standard, and Lapalux has done little to make this track stand out in a very crowded field. Hopefully the album will contain more envelope pushing.  – JK

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Shlomo – Buried

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After spending last year mostly focused on his collaborative output with the singers Jeremih and BANKS, LA-beatmaker Shlomo looks set to return to releasing his own material with a new full-length solo album, Dark Red, billed to hit shelves on April 7. Buried was released last week to tease the album, and proves a good portent for the rest of that record. The single itself is a dark and brooding track that conjures up eerie soundscapes, slowly building over the course of its seven minutes from a quiet echo to a cascade of noise. It wouldn’t sound amiss in the score to a John Carpenter cult classic, and that’s a good thing. – FT

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Video of the week

Run the Jewels- Lie, Cheat, Steal. Directed by Ruff Mercy

Run the Jewels are capping off an entertaining and strange week with this psychedelic nightmare of a video for the track Lie, Cheat, Steal. El-P and Killer Mike have been busy this week after announcing Meow the Jewels, a re-recording of Run the Jewels 2 done solely using cats’ meows, with the proceeds going to charity. Not only that, but they also played a special live show in an old Parisian train station. These two continue to show the rest how it’s done with this fast paced, amazingly edited video. It’s hellishly hectic and if you look away for even a moment you’ll miss something. Also El-P slaps himself in the face twice – it’s worth watching it just for that. – JK