Track of the Day: 'Susan' by LNDN DRGS

From the forthcoming album on Stones Throw comes this track from the duo of Jay Worthy and Sean House. The music is 80s all the way, with that classic synth bass and a bi of a Nu Shooz vibe. The lyrics though are pure 21st century, so if you're the sort of person who's not down with the 'bitches, hoes & niggas' school of rap I'd steer clear. The rest of you will probably lap this up though.

Grab the free download below.

Recommended music: 'Kool Herc: Fertile Crescent' by Homeboy Sandman

Eight tracks of unashamedly old-school hip-hop from the intellectual MC from Queens. Named after, and with the blessing of, one of hip-hop's originators, this is a back-to basics homage to Sandman's inspirations.

Opener 'My Brothers' is one of the strongest cuts here, with its killer vocal sample and racial tolerance lyrics flow. 'Lonely People' recasts Eleanor Rigby as a fame-hungry wannabe with no real friends, while 'Moon' tells tales of lost love and failed relationships.

On 'Men Are Mortal' the sample stakes are raised with possibly the best Shirley Bassey sample ever committed to vinyl - Kanye would've been proud of this one. As Shirley warbles that "men are mere mortals" Sandman spits out fast-paced lyrics comparing himself to Orson Welles, a burning bush and a citadel. The quality level stays high for the closing two tracks - 'Peace and Love' has got a great guitar line and a (possibly Greek?) euro-chorus, and 'I' shuts things down with some Tijuana brass vibes.

This is another track that came to me via the Stones Throw drip.fm subscription - I've been on this for about a year now and I don't ink there's been a duff release, so check it out here and join in.

You can listen to a bonus cut from the album below.

Recommended music: 'Elemental Themes Remixes' by Chrome Canyon

Regular readers of this blog or my twitter feed will know how much I loved last year's Chrome Canyon album 'Elemental Themes' (you can read my review here). It's a record that I probably would never have heard without the Stones Throw Drip.fm subscription service, so I'll be eternally grateful to them for sending it through.

Now, less than a year later, there's a set of remixes of 5 tracks from the album which breathe new life into it and take the music in some different directions. Probably my favourite of all is the track that opens the album, Gavin Russom's remix of 'Branches' but really, there's not a duff version on here. From Airbird's vocal version of Branches through to Peaking Lights' closer, a great version of 'Chasing The Dead', each remixer brings something different to the party - you only have to listen to the two very different versions of 'Memories of a Scientist' by Saarid and Matthew David that are placed together here to see what diverse sounds you can end up with when you start with the same track.

If I have any complaint at all with this it's that only 5 of the tracks have been remixed - I'd like to hear remixes of everything. If there were 8 or 10 different tracks on here it could almost be approaching the first (and seminal) remix album 'Love and Dancing' by The Human League - in fact with a bit of tweaking the Thomas Barfod remix of 'Carfire of the Highway' could even fit on that record.

You can hear some of the tracks from the album below, and even download the Peaking Lights remix for free.

Recommended music: 'Bones In Motion' by The Cyclist

Sometimes records go a long way to reach you. This one was mostly recorded in Derry, Northern Ireland, with a few extra bits in Geurande, France. I know not how, but it was picked up by the LA-based Leaving Records, who specialised in cassette-only releases. They in turn have now done a distribution deal with Stones Throw, who put this out on their Drip.fm subscription service, which is how I came to hear it.

There's a blurry, fuzzy, analogue warmth to the record - it sounds a bit like a mixtape that was made 20 or so years ago and that has played so much that the tape's started to wear away. Parts of it are woozy and wobbling, other bits are repetitive and rhythmic, and it somehow manages to sound like late '80s house and the soundtrack to the future as imagined by the BBC show Tomorrow's World. It's definitely a bit hypnotic, drawing you in to a trance-like state as you sink into The Cyclist's unique take on the world of electronic music.

Andrew Morrison (who is The Cyclist) has described his music as "an attempt to get to a time in electronic music where everything sounds warmer" - you can listen to a couple of tracks from the album and see if you think he's succeeded. For my money he's certainly managed to knock some of the sharp edges off the music, and in doing so he's created an album that's well worth listening to.

New music: 'Anika EP' by Anika

The follow-up to Anika's debut album (which was also called 'Anika'), this gloriously lo-fi set of mostly cover versions is again produced by Geoff Barrow (of Portishead and Beak> fame). The EP starts with an obsessed-sounding 'I Go To Sleep' (originally by The Kinks but probably familiar to more people via the version by The Pretenders), which gives a totally different perspective to the song, like a slightly deranged stalker. You then get covers of songs by The Crystals  Chromatics and Shocking Blue, as well as a couple of remixes from the 2010 album.

The EP will be released on April 16th on Stones Throw (although you can already buy it direct from their site here: http://www.stonesthrow.com/store/ep/anika/anika-ep

In the meantime you can listen to 'In The City' (originally by Chromatics) below. And make sure you watch out for the forthcoming video for 'I Go To Sleep' which will be directed by Berlin director Uli M. Schueppel, perhaps best known for directing the Nick Cave biopic 'The Road To God Knows Where'.

Track of the Day: 'Generations (Chateau Marmont Remix)' by Chrome Canyon

Regular readers of my blog will know that I'm a huge fan of last year's 'Elemental Themes' album by Chrome Canyon (click here for my review). Word is that there will be an 'Elemental Remixes  album later this year, featuring the like of Peaking Lights and Gavin Russom twiddling with the original tracks. In advance of the album you can get a free download of this 'Generations' Remix, which fleshes out the track a bit and generally brightens and refreshes it.

Video of the Day: 'Generations' by Chrome Canyon

Last year's Chrome Canyon album 'Elemental Themes' was one of my favourite albums of 2012 (see my review here). The record is so cinematic you can almost imagine the 80s movie it could have accompanied. Now one of the tracks has its own suitably cinematic video, featuring ballerina Amanda Wells, which adds to the album's mystique.