Layers of shakers and heartbeat kicks form the mossy ground work for Matt Shadetek’s skittery trip through an affected soul. Strange squeaks and bleeps call out like Tamagotchi birds in a digital rainforest. Swung rim shots swirl around gleefully as brushes maintain a steady pace. Crushed hits flutter while dilated bloops hold a transfixed gaze and hand drums keep things organic. Throughout this steady theme, each element comes in and out, constantly shifting but never fully deviating. The song is part of Dutty Artz‘s Return to the Planet of the Sloths, acting as the final track for their recent New York Tropical compilation. The mix was a prelude to the return of their tropical parties, and the next Event will occur Feb. 11 at Williamsburg’s The Cove. Shadetek also dropped a new EP this month called Dutty House which you might want to cop. Our favorite on that is “Coco 13“, which features apocalyptic Highlander choruses, keyboard jingles, and a driving 4/4 beat sculpted into a syncopated ornateness. (Photo by Farhan Adenan.)

Our first juke post should maybe have been a Chicago joint, but this track by Paris’s Leatherface really deserved its shine. It floats in two tempos at once, allowing listeners to focus on either the slower half time highs or rapid bass drums and kicks. He switches up the drum patterns frequently, flips various snares and such throughout, and uses a dynamic drum palette. Some might be turned off by the repetitive vocal sample – and juke in general probably isn’t for them. But Leatherface chops it up in interesting ways; it frequently acts as a straight up percussive element; and the baritone grumble of the narrator sounds something like a textured bassline.

This song was featured on a mixtape the producer posted on Dave Quam’s blog last month. He’s part of a crew called the Nightmare Juke Squad, which usually keeps it on the horror tip with a dark vibe and rips its names from American horror movies. Their use of recognizable samples is pretty entertaining and works well – like Leatherface’s “Notre Dame” and Candyman’s “Scrooged” – and they mix that with some intricate drum work. The Squad flipped a free EP that you can grab here, and they also dropped a compilation album called Rated R, which you can cop at the digital store of your choice. (Photo by Heather McGrath.)

Last time we interviewed Blockhead, he noted that he wasn’t all that excited about hip hop and said he was diggin the more commercial side of things. But with a diverse crop of ‘underground’ heads doing their thing these days (Obama? Recession? Internets?), he seems to have found a renewed interest in emcees on a tip more akin to his own styles. We asked him to share what he was fellin these days, so he put together this little compilation for us as a sort of holiday treat. It ranges from the teen shock rap of Earl Sweatshirt, to the introspective, wobbly bass steelo of Shabazz Palaces, to some newer rhymes by Diamond D. He also included a couple of his own remixes on there as well. Catch Blockhead in Brooklyn alongside Emancipator at the Williamsburg Music Hall in late January. (Image by Rob Sheridan.)

“The Light” is a mournful meditation on lack of faith and wilting motivation. Rider Shafique‘s lyrics ring clear and deep, invoking images of a populous blind to their situation and disinclined to improve it. His assertions float comfortably in I.D.‘s arrangement, which features a hypnotic bass roll and clean, rich drums. Each element provides the others ample space while avoiding a feeling of emptiness. The fluid half step beat tumbles along, switching up the downbeats and adding surprising but subtle variation. A fill of rapid break style percussion and some simple tambourine and high hat polyrhymths keep the pace moving on its course towards dark ends. Cop it on my gee’s BandCamp page.

At the risk of sounding lazy, we’ll allow the record label that picked this Bio Ritmo song up to handle the description duties:

“Dina’s Mambo is a slab of tropical funk that showcases the band’s playful instrumental side but also reveals a muscular cinematic swagger. Consequently there is a pleasingly Persian flavor to the proceedings (in keeping with the band’s previous leanings towards minor-key tunings), as well as tasty hints of progressive Afro-Cuban funk of the 70s.”

Brooklyn’s Electric Cowbell Records released the song, and besides picking good tunes, they offer surprisingly engaging write ups for most of their music. Whether it be cop show funk, Afro Latin beats, or Ethiopian club music from the 70s, its always quality. Diverse, creative, and unpretentious, Cowbell does BK proud. They specialize in 45s, which you can browse and purchase on their web site. But all of those are available as digital downloads, including the records that are out of stock. They also have a bunch of free stuff on their SoundCloud page, which is worth scooping up. (Photo by Kris Cook.)

We made our debut appearance on the airwaves early this blistery morning. Lamin invited Waer Rock to come through and rinse out some beats soaked by the stormy weather. Our sneakers are still drying, but the archives are nice and crispy. The selektion features a bunch of unreleased tunes by local heads and others. If you click through to the playlist, you can browse the tracklist. WFMU is the longest running freeform radio station in the country and has one of the illest radio Web sites ever. Enjoy. (Image by Jeff Finley)

Skeme is a beast, and he recently dropped a nasty free album called Pistols and Palm Trees. That’s Roosevelt on the beat, and he’s got four tracks on Pistols. We slept on it, but better late than never for an effort this nice. (Outs to SWTBRDS for putting us on to it.)

Dubblestandart‘s rubber armed pace is snapped into a skipping gallop as Brooklyn’s Liondub shifts directions for a new era. It initially accelerates due simply to a downhill momentum, but is soon shaped into a fit, top speed dash. With wide-legged steps, it playfully traverses this new detour seeking similar ends as the previous version advised. Subatomic Sound counseled a series of remixers, who all took their own routes in pursuit of the same goal. Since then, the soundsystem has traveled from NYC 2 Africa and back, all under the threat of vampires & informers. (Image by Dvnoid.)

The scope of these drums create boundless skies and countless paths into unknown futures. Their diversity builds a setting that’s vivid but intangible. And the Bansuri flute wraps it all within a detailed but mysterious narrative. Everything rings natural and acoustic, but it’s still deep and atmospheric. The drums are based around samples of Japanese taiko drums and layered with bongos, finger cymbals, a doumbek and more. The Bansuri was played by Eric Fraser. Much of the elements from the track are included in the sample pack that comes with purchase of the album it comes from, Triggers. Read the full Q&A about “Vagabond” after the jump with Dave Sharma, one half of the Brooklyn duo that is the Swara. (Photo by Sei Sato.)

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Voyeur after voyeur is revealed in this work by video artist Morgan Beringer, which climbs through an endless wormhole of classically painted windows. He usually creates pieces that deal with more abstract imagery, which could easily be used as VJ material and would look great in the club. But Beringer frequently incorporates earthy and organic color schemes and textures – a departure from the prevailing techy tone found in the majority of VJ content. The artist also recently collaborated with Ghostly to supply a Matthew Dear song with powerful imagery.