Free Downloads 2012

Damn, that boy Mirrors knows how to smooth things out. After rinsing his retake on the Petria classic ‘I Miss Your Love’ earlier in the year, Chris McFarlane returns this week with a seriously seductive interpretation of Fonda Rae’s 1984 hit ‘Touch Me (All Night Long)’. With the original in danger of choking itself with hairspray, you’ll be pleased to hear that Chris has crafted something completely different.

Truth be told, we’ve been meaning to feature Nevada Base for a while now. Perhaps one of Glasgow’s hottest dance-orientated live acts, they’ve featured at a number of our favourite club nights, causing a stir on the dancefloor long before the DJ has fired up their copy of Serato.

2013 is going to be some year, and there's perhaps no one we’re more excited about then Andy Graham aka Sei A. With releases on the likes of Kompakt, Turbo and Simple, his sound is uniting bass and techno heads alike, creating an unnerving fusion of dark, broken beats and gothic synths.

So here’s something to make your Monday instantly better. He may have just had a release on the ridiculously hip Sccucci Manucci label, but one of Glasgow’s hottest new House producers still has time to give away the odd free download to his growing fan-base. If you like things deep and techy, then ‘Houghton’ is going to tickle your techno-tash from left to right.

We’ve been waiting a long time fo this, and on hearing the first offering we’re certainly not disappointed. One of Glasgow’s most colourful artists, Dam Mantle announced details of his debut album last night, including a free download of new single ‘Canterbury 1’ and album track ‘Full Moon & Moth’.

You’ve got to admire the generosity of some producers. Handing out free downloads which could very easily be released officially is always a pleasant surprise, and certainly a good way of showing appreciation for their fan’s support. One of the best candidates for this is slo-mo House producer AliOOFT! who has been responsible for some of our most played and popular tracks of the last few years.

It’s been just over a year since we launched Synth as a fully-functioning website, and last weekend we reached one of those annoyingly relevant (but nonetheless satisfying) 21^st century landmarks with 1000 of you now ‘liking’ us on Facebook. The last twelve months or so of supporting and documenting what’s going on in Glasgow has truly been a pleasure - we’ve seen new producers rise to prominence, good friends go on to get signed, fresh labels demand attention and exciting new club nights take things to another level.

Just how long have we been waiting for the return of The XX? Their self-titled debut rocked our very foundation back in 2009, and with the recent announcement and now release of new single ‘Angels’ it seems like they’ve never been away. Drifting in on familiar chords and Romy’s delicate vocals, their new offering very much maintains the ghostly beauty of ‘XX’, shattering hearts while simultaneously healing them.

As you’ll probably be fully aware, we are in complete admiration of Glasgow’s own Bunty Beats. Consistency, quality and a work ethic which is nothing short of extraordinary make him one of the hottest Hip Hop producers in Britain, and we’re certainly willing to ‘co-sign that’. Unsurprisingly, his talents have been recognised stateside, with recent collaborations with Chox ‘Chose’ Mak and remixes on Nutso standing toe to toe with the big players of boom-bap 90s throwback.

It’s been a while since we last heard from them, but the ever-inventive Heartbeats collective are still doing big things for new electronic music in Glasgow, and this week they released their sixth themed compilation, the cleverly named ‘Soul To Sole’. Featuring music from the likes of Dirty Basement, Heartbeats head-honcho Megamegaman and Mirrors' side project, Will Da Beast, the sixth instalment is all about turning Mo-Town on its head with samples galore and some very interesting interpretations of a classic sound.

It’s been a while since we last heard from Fall, infact it was back in January that we featured him in our Get To Know segment. But as suspected, he’s been working on something rather special to treat us with as we hurtle headlong into summer, and although the weather is far from seasonal, this new collaboration with up and coming singer-songwriter Amy Lyon is beautifully poised.

So as the rain continues to fall here in Glasgow, we can at least take solace in this splendidly distracting release from two of the city’s most interesting up and coming producers. ‘Eccentric’ is perhaps the most fitting description for ‘Little Bear/Bowlin’, but certainly not in a way that would suggest a conscious attempt to unhinge itself completely from normality - both producers have been pushing the boundaries for some time, and this is no different – however it’s a tangible unfamiliarity which makes Cur$es and Arm Wtchs Fngrs so appealing.

We’re still patiently waiting for Barrientos’ debut album, but in the meantime remixes for This Is I and now Glaswegian indie band, Queen Jane will more than suffice. This landed in our inbox last night, and on listening this morning we were predictably captivated by what we found. If you’re a fan of quality House music with a deep, Balearic atmosphere then Barrientos is going to instantly appeal.

We’ve literally been inundated with free downloads recently, which is of course no bad thing. Today we present something rather classy from up and coming producer Cruffy on former Local Hero, Adam Forbes. Taking the Balearic chords of the original and applying them over an understated but nevertheless solid foundation, this will appeal greatly to those who are looking for a refined heater to get the dancefloor moving.

The weather may have been questionable and the Olympic Torch might have caused an Olympic tailback, but we were definitely still jealous of those who were lucky enough to be at Rockness this weekend. One of the finest small festivals in the world, and with a line up to match any of its bigger cousins, it never fails to disappoint. Having said that however, we know a lot of you will be feeling less than savoury right now, so let us ease you back to reality with the ever-soothing Soosh.

This was somewhat of a standout track when we featured it in our Local Hero rundown two weeks ago, and perhaps realising it was too hot to keep for himself, Mirrors has decided to make ‘All The Reasons Why’ available for free download. Spanning seven minutes of soul-burning desire, this really ticks all the boxes for us, taking a familiar vocal sample and making it unequivocally his. Subtly warping basslines and reflective synths make this perfect for a laidback Sunday - if only the sun was shining!

Cur$es just never fails to amaze. His output may somewhat intermittent, but when he does drop something new you know it will be worth the wait. Yesterday he uploaded ‘Venus’ to Soundcloud, and at the risk of being over dramatic, it quite simply took our breath away. Short but oh so sweet, you’ll find this hypnotic slice of shimmering synth work utterly mesmerising, washing over you like a tropical wave on a deserted island.

Believe it or not, we first featured Sega Bodega (or simply ‘Peace’ as he was previously known) back in February 2011, and since then he has developed into one of Glasgow’s most exciting new talents. From being featured as part of the Scotman’s Radar series, to picking up remixes for the likes of Jakwob and recently being booked to play XOYO, his status as a producer has certainly soared over the last twelve months and it looks set to continue that way.

So here we are then, melting into a weekend of blissful sunshine and what will hopefully be a long, hot summer. How better could we sign of this week than with a free download from the ever dependable Grobbie? Fresh from releases on Tuff Wax and a recent signing to the Ill Booking Agency, he has decided to unearth this feel-good gem to see you purposefully vibing through Friday night. Taking on the instantly memorable vocals of T2’s 2007 hit ‘Heartbroken’ and wrapping them round uplifting synths and a reflective bassline, this couldn’t have been better timed. Take this one to the park…

Fresh from announcing the release details of his much hyped collaboration project with Lunice, while also delivering an outstanding remix for Bjork, it seems Hudson Mohawke has yet even more up his sleeve as the Glaswegian super-talent teams up with Nick Hook for ‘Jumanji’ – a track produced for Azealia Banks new mixtape ‘Fantastic’.

Monday just got a whole lot better. It’s hard to put into words just how excited we are about up and coming Glasgow producer Mirrors, and after listening to this free EP of super-fresh ghetto-anthems, you're likely to feel much the same. Exploding into 2012 with a super slick House jam by the name of ‘Dip You’, Chris McFarlane has kept the heat coming week in, week out. Unleashing ‘Superior’ last night and offering exclusive downloads to the readers of both Synth and iAM respectively, this is what the future of modern Hip Hop sounds like.

Following on from Sei A’s utterly essential ‘Flux EP’ earlier this year, the leftfield Techno producer has once again come up trumps with this incredible free edit of LA band Warpaint. Taking the original and giving it his trademark gothic edge, you can expect to find swirling vocals floating amid an industrial soundscape of twisted textures and unsettling undercurrents. Broken beats and off-kilter synths combine to make this disturbing and beautiful in equal measure, and while we patiently await Sei’s next official release, this will certainly see you right in the meantime…

The fact that producers are willing to give away music of such high quality for free is truly life-affirming, and no, we’re not half-cut and buzzing with morning-after emotion – this is generally how we feel. Last week Local Hero, Esa of Sensu/Rememory Music fame released a hot edit under the title ‘Clear Cutz + Vibe’ and how we melted when that bassline dropped.