If you go out in NYC, then there’s no doubt you’ve heard of this DJ, MessKid. Probably the hardest working local DJ I know of – following his twitter account is an exercise in FOMO-resistance, since he plays somewhere cool pretty much every night. Sometimes 2 or 3 parties a night.

All that work pays off. Tonight he’s opening for Rustie and Flosstradamus at Webster Hall.  A few months back, Noise212 posted this great video of Mess doin his thing, running through all manner of dark, minimal UK and eastcoast-inspired bass music.

MESS KID – #031 from Noise212 on Vimeo.

Just wanna give a massive shout out to the fine folks at Turrbotax and Discovery for bringing out Andrés aka DJ Dez on Saturday. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a DJ that good. 2 tracks in, I realized I was putty in his hands. FLAWLESS mixing, inspired selections, perfect pacing, some exquisitely tasteful scratching, all in the pursuit of a higher groove. And oh boy did we find it. Walked out of there feeling just ELATED.

Anyway, I’ve had these jams on loop pretty much since I got home that night, reliving the glory. You know it was a good show when yr still basking in the glow 2 days later.

Everyone’s favorite expat beat-gourmet, Kutmah just upped his excellent all-Dabrye mix. Best way to introduce this is to quote the comment Shigeto left at 0:00:

DABRYE. THE ONE THE ONLY. THE HEADS ALREADY KNOW & THOSE WHO DON’T – NOW WILL.

When a certified star of the current beat scene is giving you props in all caps, that says a lot right there. Of course Zach Saginaw would have the proper reverence for Dabrye – he’s followed in his footsteps in a lotta ways; they’re both from the Detroit area, both on Ghostly International, both purveyors of richly textural instrumental hip-hop. But I digress. The comment is indicative of the status Dabrye enjoys amongst beat-heads, which is demi-godlike. He was a pioneer of next-level instrumental hip-hop beats in the first few years of the 2000s, laying the groundwork for the lush worldwide beat scene we enjoy today.

Simultaneously more raw and more subtle than anything else going on at the time (hell, or since), Dabrye’s minimalism, unique and detailled palette and hypnotic swing instantly sets his work apart. His beats worked with minimal percussion and sub-bass in a way that eerily forecasted early dubstep. While guys like Shadow and Prefuse73 deconstructed boom-bap, Dabrye went inside boom-bap and reconstructed it from futuristic materials. Bottom line: if you make beats, or enjoy beats, this is essential listening.

If you want to really get the full picture, listen to One/Three and Instrmntl all the way through on good headphones. Then remind yourself that they came out in 2001 and 2002, respectively. I know, I know. It only gets more unbelievable with repeat listens. If you REALLY want to go deep, check out Fact Mag’s fantastic 10 page feature, The Essential Dabrye. And if yr in London, go see em all Thursday at Basing House: Kutmah, Dabrye, as well as Patchwork Pirates, Darkhouse Fam, and Widows (featuring Jams F. Kennedy, the best rapper alive).

I’m positively bursting with joy at all the attention my homies Archie Pelago have been getting as of late. Mary Anne Hobbs is a fan. So’s Gilles Peterson. And reigning DMC DJ Shiftee.  They just did a fabulous mix for ep 121 of the very reputable Sonic Router podcast, and a lovely, in-depth interview that really gives you a nice sense of why these guys are different, where the magic comes from (there’s even a diagram).  Anyway, go read it and have a listen below!