Dope dope dope dope fucking beats from Lewis James, an Irish producer based in Amsterdam. His  KRAKATOA EP came out last week on Original Cultures, and here’s a mix celebrating it. Largely his productions, as well as tracks by Submerse, Ital Tek, Clicks and Whistles, EAN and Mr. Carmack to tie it all together – damn fine company. While the EP tracks are great, I think the ordering does them a disservice – the first two (Million Dollar Lady and Mr. Cannibal BBQ) don’t grab me nearly as much as the last three. But in the mix, they all really shine – you can really feel the energy and focus Lew put in to these tracks seeping out.

Like contemporaries Eprom, Desto, and Doshy, Lewis James has been producing crunked-out mutant 808 tracks since way before the whole trap thing blew up.  But such base(d) comparisons sell short what Lewis James does in the studio. This is some neon hyphy bitcrushed gangster shit. His 2012 Heavy Romance EP (which featured the best album art of the year) was full of fantastic ideas and great moments; the slap bass on Everything, the sample chopping over gritty bass on Only Me. But the new EP shows a lot of growth. It all just sounds more urgent, more self-assured – cleaner, tighter and far more deadly for the dancefloor.

LEWIS JAMES Xclusive Mix by Mixology on Mixcloud

TRACKLIST:
The whole – Lewis James
Algorithms and Ghosts – Submerse
Cant Believe – Clicks and Whistles
Fire (No Payroll) – Mr. Carmack
All or Nothing – Lewis James
Wrinkle Free – Lewis James
Vesuvius – Lewis James
Burnt – EAN
Powerchild – Lewis James
Powerchild (EAN Remix) – Lewis James
Hyper Real – Ital tek
All Your Demons – Lewis James