Cosmic revenge

Star Eyes’ Top 10 Producer Gems of 2011


Judging by the quality of their tracks, the following dudes (and yeah, they are all dudes, unfortunately) are probably not new to the production game but they all came to my attention in 2011, so they are new to me. Beyond that, they are sick as – I think they’re all going to do big things in 2012. Go check out them out and don’t blame me if you blow a speaker.

Love  xx Star Eyes
 
Cosmic Revenge
I’ve heard this young Bay Area dude deliver spacious yet super-hyphy nuggets and hood electro, but his real secret weapon is romantic future garage. Already repping for such labels as Frite Nite, Pelican Fly, Embassy, and LS2, I’m sure 2012 is gonna be totally cosmic for him.
http://soundcloud.com/cosmic-revenge

Champion
Champion flies the flag for the grimy side of UK funky. Tunes like “Lighter” and “1994” use classic jungle samples over the deepest and bubbliest of bass so you know I’m down. These rudebwoy tunes always get everyone on the floor going, from die-hard DJ nerds to weekend warriors.
http://soundcloud.com/championdj
 
RackNRuin
Matt “RackNRuin” Scott makes tracks that mix up genres while remaining heavy on the dancefloor. I love his jungle/rave breaks stuff best ­– his remixes of Heavyfeet “V’s Up” and Riz MC “All of You” are two of my top \ tunes of 2011 – and the bassline pop he makes with vocalist Jessie Ware is also dope.
http://soundcloud.com/racknruin

Bert on Beats
Estonia-based Bert’s tunes are a marriage of Jack Beats with Buraka: tropical drum styles from kuduro and baile funk mixed with hard-hitting European electro-bass. This is big-room house with a brain and I like it, especially the work he’s done with Ghanaian vocalist Anbuley.
http://soundcloud.com/bert_on_beats

5kinandBone5
“Skin and Bones” is a pair of California-based Taoist gangsters making hip-hop, 2-step garage, grime, and whatever the hell they want for labels like Grizzly, Fools Gold, and Unknown to the Unknown. Personal faves include “Bitch I’m Psychic” with rapper YG, a truly mental remix of Sinden’s “G Like Me,” and of course the cybersexual Tumblr.
http://soundcloud.com/5kinandbone5

Mak & Pasteman
More UK dudes on the come up… what do they put in the water over there? Two unsung heroes from a DJ background and it shows: Mak & Pasteman’s funky/garage/bass tracks always work and twerk a dancefloor.
http://soundcloud.com/mak_and_pasteman

Mr. Mitch
Too many sick grime producers on the come up this year (D.O.K., Terror Danjah, Royal-T, S-X, to name a few), but I like Mr. Mitch cos he’s so unpredictable. He’ll do some pensive soulful shit and then out comes loopy pounding brain-twisting club monsters like “Wildfire” and his remix of J-Sweet’s “Can’t Stop My Grime.” Gwarn Mitch.
http://soundcloud.com/mrmitchmusic

NastyNasty
Glowing neon fuzzy crunchy 8-bit leftfield beats for your intergalactic vehicle of choice. In fact, all the reviews of this guy mention gangsters, California, aliens, sci-fi, dubstep, and stoney-ness, which is pretty accurate… but don’t let that put you off. NastyNasty’s stuff is addictive as hell.
http://soundcloud.com/jaspey

Pangaea
We share an obsession with old-school UK hardcore, he’s one-third of the storming Hessle Audio label (home to Pearson Sound, Blawan, and Peverelist), and he made “Hex” – the musical equivalent of looking in the mirror and saying “Bloody Mary” three times. And he’s 24 years old. Badman tings.
http://soundcloud.com/pangaea

Clicks & Whistles
Can’t say enough good things about North Carolina’s C&W, who came roaring out of the gate with a truckload of 140 bpm gems that you can drop in your dubstep, future garage, or rap set without feeling like a goober. I’m still loyal to “Cranberry Goose,” but ultraviolet Chipmunks love songs “Can’t Believe” and “Raw Passion” also be gettin’ me going. America, fuck yeah!
http://soundcloud.com/clicksandwhistles