Compa has strayed away from his primary sound, cavernous, sweeping dubstep, to try his hand at remixing something that probably falls into the "club classics" category, the instantly recognisable Insomnia by Faithless.
Whilst it would've been easy to take the vocals, and stick it over a standard, deep-dubstep beat, gotta give credit to Compa for turning his hand to something a little different to what fans may have expected.
Check out this mix from dubstep's rising star Compa, who showcases his tastes that stray a little further away from the deep, dark 140 stuff he's probably best known for. Alongside some of the more well known stuff like our man Burial (you may have heard of him), Bonobo and Compa himself, it's clear he's got an eye for digging, picking up the likes of Phaeo and Rusky too.
Area Recordings can be relied on to bring the constant fire, and they managed to avoid getting sucked into the mire of indenti-kit 'Dungeon' releases with their next release by up-and-comer Compa. Check out the promo video below...
Listen at the end for a little snippet that may or may not be a rumoured remix...
Another recommendation for you today, this time in form of Compa's refix of Mavado's tune "Dem A Talk". Sticking to the dubplate tradition, Compa passed this tune only to a select handful to play out but fortunately, the average joe will soon have the chance to play it in full for themselves.
Listen for yourself and see how you disagree with Compa's description of "this one's alright I guess". It's built on pure weight as anyone that has listened to any of the producers sets or past productions will have come to expect.
This release has been hyped and played by some pretty big names, so I can't see it lasting long on the shelves. The release is a limited 1-sided 12" and will be distributed by ST Holdings, so will be available in the usual online places and in your local shop and should be out at the end of February.
You can also bag it from the Wax shop on Surus. (Please note, the site isn't live until next week!)
We should have Compa in for a guest mix and interview soon-ish, so keep an eye out for that, and keep them fingers crossed that some of his other refixes might surface one day!
Today is the second part of our countdown of the best tracks of the year, so if you missed the first part, I command you to read it here now! Continue reading below for tracks 40-31 and pick up the pieces you like...
Some might call it techno, but to me, this has a raw, garage-y feel to it that sets it apart from many of the standard 4x4 techno tunes this year. Quite a menacing tune that held its own on one of the most impressive releases to land on my radar in 2011. (Buy here)
Ok, so it was a clear mash-up of Burial's 'Pirates' and 'Wounder' but it doesn't stop it being amazingly good. Volor Flex has perfectly replicated that urban sound that Burial did so perfectly on his debut LP, and that's certainly something Night Tracks can get down to. (Buy here)
38. Session View - Orange (from Royal Road (Enypnion))
Session View's release, Royal Road, proved to me that there was more than enough life left in Techno as long as there were stand outs like this. That bassline and those drums could've been crafted by Basic Channel and nobody would've known any better. One of those tracks where everything fits perfectly. (Buy here)
When this dropped when I was at lunch at work and sold out within minutes, I spent the rest of the day searching for a record shop that had it in stock. How could this not be good? Four Tet dropping them on Rinse that night just confirmed what many already thought. (Err... buy here?)
Another show of Black Box's strength, this release from two of the "newer" producers was one of the high points, standing out amongst the bigger names on the label, although those in the know knew this collaboration couldn't go wrong. (Buy here)
35. Andy Mac - Everytime(from Everytime/Asteroid Belt (Punch Drunk))
Apparently a bit of anthem in the Bristol area for those lucky enough to hear it, but the rest of us had to wait for a full release to be surprised by the sort of track that really would conquer the mainstream if only Radio 1 played it. (Buy here)
34. Radiohead - Lotus Flower (Jacques Greene Remix)(from The King Of Limbs Remixes (Ticker Tape))
Jacques Greene's remix of Lotus Flower might not have been released when the hype around this series was at its fullest, but it was certainly the strongest. Whilst others focussed on more experimental edges, Greene managed to make something so danceable. Those who held their attention during the epic build up were definitely rewarded. (Buy here)
33. Massive Attack & Burial - Four Walls (from Four Walls/Paradise Circus (Inhale Gold))
Fans had wanted this since they first heard snippets dropped by Kode 9, recorded on mobile phones, years ago. This had been "forthcoming" for some years, and many had given up. Forget the controversy about prices, forget the controversy about possible sound issues. In fact, if you haven't got much patience, forget about the first 9 minutes of this track, because even if it only consisted of those last 2 minutes, it would still be on this list. (If you're very rich, buy here)
Compa is definitely part of a group of "up-and-comers" that are producing their own take on the halfstep variety of dubstep. Posting a youtube link of 'Dreams' doesn't really do the track justice, so I can't recommend that you buy a high quality download and turn on your sub to enjoy it. Then pray that one day Compa gives you his dubplate of his Anti-War Dub refix. (Buy here)
31. Fedbymachines - Last Stop (from First Light EP (Warminal))
Probably the most frantic drums on any release all year, that really keep you on edge, and in this case, that's a good thing. They really are the focal point, but that's only because the grainy pads and ghostly vocals lurk so deep in the ether and that's just where they're meant to be. This is music to be out on the streets to. (Buy here)
Keep your eye's peeled for 30-21, and again, if you missed the first part, 50-41, check it out here.
