The Needle Drop

Nicolas Jaar - OUR WORLD

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Check out this glorious hour-long mix that Nicolas Jaar made in honor of John Lennon for the 33rd anniversary of his death. There are many standout phases Jaar goes through here, opening with an interview with Lennon; going on to string together various clips of drones, film scores, and experimental piano work; and at one point sampling a bit of Black Friday mayhem. But the highlight is definitely his powerful remix of Lennon's "Oh My Love," which closes out the stream. You can listen to and download it in full above via Soundcloud.

This mix was the 16th issue of the weekly podcast hosted by Jaar's Other People imprint. Check in on its site for a new mix every Sunday.

Flying Lotus - Ideas+drafts+loops

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Download: Flying Lotus - Ideas+drafts+loops Flying Lotus has announced that he's entering the mixing stage of his fifth studio album, likely due out early next year. To tide his fans over, he's shared a free compilation of unreleased material, and because this is FlyLo; the production on these tracks are just as stellar as that of some of the best electronica you've heard this year. The tape also has myriad guest artists - among them are Shabazz Palaces, The Underachievers, Until the Quiet Comes collaborator Niki Randa, alter ego Captain Murphy, and Thundercat even turns up on a remix of Kanye's "Black Skinhead." Grab it above and enjoy!

Hopefully we'll be getting another project from Captain Murphy soon, as well. A reminder that his mixtape Duality was one of the most sensational trips of 2012:

Young Fathers - "WAR"

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A brand new single from the Scottish experimental hip hop outfit Young Fathers. The group is getting set to drop a new full-length via Anticon on February 3rd. The title of this thing: DEAD.

"WAR" isn't one of Young Fathers' most hard-hitting tracks, but it is one of their strangest, alternating between intense stints of spoken word, and impassioned group singing. Enjoy!

YC The Cynic - "Hunts Point Diaspora"

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New York rapper YC the Cynic drops a b-side from his last full-length LP, GNK, which you can catch a review for below.

A lot like many cuts from GNK, YC delivers smart rhymes over a moody beat with some sharp rhythms. Seeing that this guys "throwaways" are great gives me hope that his future output will continue to be stunning.

Guerilla Toss - Pink Elephant

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Some abrasive, strange sounds coming from the band Guerilla Toss on the track "Pink Elephant," which is a cut from the band's latest full-length on NNA Tapes. The title of this album: Gay Disco. Hah! It's pretty clear that these guys don't take themselves too seriously, but their music is still an eye-wideningly weird portrayal of post-punk, noise rock, and no wave. Enjoy!