Dexter’s Beat Laboratory is a weekly collection of songs from DA managing editor Robyn Dexter. With a taste that can only be described as eclectic — to say nothing of a name that lends itself to punnery — DA is happy to present a selection of tracks personally curated by Dexter for your listening pleasure.
Listen in playlist format here.
Electronic music’s favorite bickering best friends are at it again. After teaming up for a powerful remix of Knife Party‘s “Sleaze” last month, contending colleagues No Mana and i_o have returned for a collaborative original, “Bad Things.” They’ve enlisted vocalist Fay to give their bass-pounding venture an even more sultry vibe and unleashed it to the world via mau5trap. In the track, they’ve managed to blend a variety of genres, making “Bad Things” pleasing to fans of techno, house, trance, and everything in between.
With Skrillex now releasing music on a more regular basis, his latest endeavors are, of course, being remixed into the ground. His mega-collab with JOYRYDE, “AGEN WIDA,” has been flipped, revamped and recycled countless times since its release in late October. One of the latest to take on the fiery track is FREAK ON, a Venice Beach producer whose catalog only contains this track and one other (a remix of Spice Girls). This intense tech house rework of “AGEN WIDA” provides an awesome new perspective on the track, leaning into its house elements for a groovy rendition.
After sitting on the track for a while, Monstercat‘s Grant found that “Castaway” made for a perfect addition to the label’s reoccurring partnership with video game phenomenon Rocket League. “It’s a song about starting over, and the desire to escape from your current life or whatever it is that’s holding you back,” he says of the track. He enlisted vocalist Jessi Mason as a complement to the serene, easygoing soundscape he’d created and built a song that’s simultaneously complex and smooth.
graves can do no wrong. Just weeks after contributing a massive rendition of “If Only You Knew” to What So Not‘s Not All The Beautiful Things Remixes album, he’s back with a new original piece of work. Tapping the talents of singer EZI, graves uses her breezy vocals to set the tone for the meticulously produced pop/trap synthesis he’s created. His versatile ways of production shine no matter what he’s making, and it’s such a refreshing thing to witness and hear.
“i was lost but i was amazed at what i had discovered,” reads dull machine’s description of “the beauty in the hatred.” I, too, am amazed at what I’ve discovered in this track. This carefully designed song ascends with a minute-long introduction, its delicate melody building up to a theme of full-bodied instrumentation and crashing percussion. There’s a unique, endearing quality here — one that’s hard to put a finger on. Fans of Porter Robinson: pay attention.
Source: dancingastronaut.com
