We have another edition to our mixtape series and this time its from The Two Fifteens.

Abe and Andrew Adams a.k.a. The Two.Fifteens mix elements of Techno, Dubstep & Hip-hop to produce a sound that resembles early Warp releases from the likes of Aphex Twin, Autechre & Nightmares on Wax – never bogged down in one genre and feeling like straying from the path once taken is more exciting than going down that road again, their music is as eclectic as they want it to be.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Cameo- Hangin’ Downtown
2. The Eastsidaz feat. Kokane, Nate Dogg, and Butch Cassidy-Cool
3. Actress- Harrier ATTK
4. The Two. Fifteens- Back 2 The Jack (Remix)
5. King Tubby- Natty Dread Girl (Extended Dub)
6. Rich Boy-Convertable Status
7. Cameo- She’s Strange
8. The Avalanches-Radio
9. The Two. Fifteens- S.O.B. (Swaggin’ On A Bean)
10. Grace Jones- Walking The Rain
11. Suga Free- On My Way
12. Willie Hutch-Mother’s Theme (Mama)
13. Chip The Ripper- Movie

We had a quick chat with the boys to see how they attacked the mix for us and what tracks are making them lose their mind right now…

So, who are The Two Fifteens and what do you do?

The Two. Fifteens is a production duo comprised of brothers Abe and Andrew. We specialize in abstract trunk rattling future beaters. We also moonlight as semi pro stunt men.

What defines your sound?

Angular sequencing, analog gear, scientific bass engineering but more than that just having fun while we’re making the sounds.

What angle did you attack the mix you did for Faux at? What did you want to show?

We wanted showcase music that we actually drive around and listen to instead of stuff that just looks good on playlist. We listen to a eclectic selection of music and we didnt want to just re-post stuff that had already been on blogs for the last 6 months.

Favourite track in the mix?

Well, we put Cameo on the mix twice, so it’ll be a toss up between those. We also put a snippet of one of the tracks from our next project “Effective When Used After” in the mix (S.OB – Swaggin on a Bean)

Favourite track of the moment?

My brother is yelling “Racks on top of racks” by Y.C and Future right now That Actress song we put on the mix is pretty dope too.

Nothing gives you the authority to run a record label like a DMC championship, and with 3 under his belt, it’s for everyone’s benefit that DJ Cable has established Triangulum Records, a label specialising in “140 bpm music, with an emphasis on the darker, deeper, purple side of Dubstep, as well as instrumental Grime.” Having toyed with the idea of fitting a record label into a schedule bursting at the seams with guest mixes, radio spots and gigging, Cable finally found time to establish a label that looks to offer the dubstep scene a much needed shot of exciting, interesting, intelligent music.

Drawing influence from a life-long love of music and a refusal to compromise on quality, Cable looks to establish Triangulum not as a ten-a-penny dispenser of party hype and filler, but rather as a foremost authority for forward thinking electronic music; an aim he feels is vindicated by the success of fellow, long-serving independents. “Some of the best independent labels out there – Warp, Ninja Tune, Planet Mu and Hyperdub – the reason why they’ve stood the test of time is because they’ve stayed true to their original mission statement, and are very honest with what they pick/put out.” It also seems that Cable’s desire to take Triangulum to the status of a truly respected independent is made all the more likely by his desire to bring new music to the forefront of the label’s preoccupations, explaining that “There’s so much good music out there that deserves to get heard and made available to the public, but sadly, a lot of these tunes either remain on dub forever, or never even see the light of day. Some of those tunes get overlooked by loads of labels –
not because they’re terrible, but because there are so many people doing music these days, a lot of music gets dismissed in favour of tunes from more established artists,
you know?”

For those wondering, the name Triangulum, Cable explains,”refers to the Triangulum Galaxy. I’ve always been interested in the idea of space and the unknown, and what could be out there. Certain aspects of electronic music (Dubstep in particular) have that ‘spacey’ kind of feel, and I’m into a mixture of weird, wonky and dark music, so it made sense to me to go with that name.” This cosmic aesthetic runs in swathes through the music of Triangulum; recent collaboration ‘Yoshimitsu’ with Essex-based bass-weight duo Fused Forces offered a shuddering glimpse into the darkest recesses of Cable’s galactic fascinations, whilst March will see Triangulum 002 surface, featuring material from widely support new producer DCult (http://www.twitter.com/DCult) a release that looks set to establish Triangulum as an essential new purveyor and supporter of electronic music. But with such galactic, spaced-out fascinations, are Triangulum going to be able to find their feet on the dancefloor? It would seem Cable reckons so; “I believe that you can sit at home, throw on any of the releases and zone out, as well as hear them at a Dubstep or Grime event. Rather than just sign tunes that may be flavour of the month on the dancefloor, I’d rather pick tunes that people can revisit later down the line.” Clearly valuing production values over passing trends and the important of important, innovative music over a quick buck, Triangulum Records are going to be an invaluable addition to electronic music as they begin their ascent towards the stars.

Cable has dropped a mix for our Faux Mixtape series! You can check out the mix and the tracklisting below!

Tracklisting:

01. Fused Forces & DJ Cable – Yoshimitsu (Triangulum)
02. DCult – Requiem (Forthcoming Triangulum)
03. Fused Forces – Molten (Free Download)
04. Teeza – The Set Up (Dub)
05. Teeza – Planets (Free Download)
06. Skream – Lightnin VIP (Free Download)
07. DCult – Woken (Forthcoming Triangulum)
08. Δdmin – Lovebump (Forthcoming Triangulum)
08. DCult – Drunken Master (Triangulum)
09. OH91 – Alesis (Forthcoming Boogaloo City)

Mike Gnacadja, better known as Mikix The Cat, is a 23-year-old musical wonder that hails from Paris, France. This former b-boy got involved with music at the young age of 6, embracing and combining hip-hop, Eurodance, and Afro-beat. By the time he was 14, he was making mixtapes for breakdance crews and had discovered the joy of DJing.

After raising funds DJing at local birthdays and bar mitzvahs, Mikix bought his first laptop in 2007 and started producing hip-hop-infused breaks and beats.

His first release Dead Disco was actually a session out-take of him trying to emulate disco, but after positive feedback it spread like wildfire over the blogosphere, spurred on he decided to blend all his influences into producing heavy 4/4 sounds, and he hasn’t looked back since.

MikiX has dropped us a great new mix to add to our Mixtape series, check it out below, along with a quick interview with Mike. You can also check out his latest Ep ‘Girls Keep On Wondering’, out now on Trouble & Bass.

So, who is Mikix The Cat and what do you do?
MikIX The Cat is a crazy music producer and he likes to DJ. The guy behind the cat is a 23 year old human from Paris named Mike Gnacadja.

How did you get involved with the Trouble & Bass Crew?
It was back when MySpace was cool, I remember sending demos to a lot of people and 4 months later (yes 4…) Luca aka Drop The Lime aka Roast Master asked me if I was down to release a single on Trouble & Bass. The Freeze EP was released in November 2008, and soon after I met Patrick and Luca in New York and spent a week at their place, and now they are like members of my family which is hard for a lonely cat. After that I met Star Eyes and AC Slater and I fell in love with them too! <3

What defines the Mikix The Cat sound?
It’s all in the kick! I build my track around drums and whatever if it’s a big club sound, and if it’s soft I try to keep it groovy with my buddy “low frequency”… as a black guy has to make music.

Has music always been a big part of your life?
Yes, when I was young music was everywhere in the house. It was like a big club with different styles in every room, hip hop in my brother’s, dance in my sister’s and African and the classics from my mother’s. Oh and 9 years of breakdancing helped me, I just stoped 2 years ago to focus on producing.

Is producing something you always wanted to do?
Yes producing but not music, first it was drawing then designer then fashion designer then designer for video games… I still draw because I love it. Maybe I can try and make one of these other things bigger someday…

What angle did you attack the mix you did for Faux at? What did you want to show?
This mix is the music that I love and that has inspired me a lot – groovy, powerful, catchy, crazy vocals, chopped samples…wowowowow so good!
I would love it if someone booked me to only play old dance music one day… can you hear me?

Favourite track in the mix?
Byron Stingley – Love You The Right Way (MK Mix)

Favourite track of the moment?
En Vogue – Hold On (I have a secret private edit of this track… ok it’s not so secret anymore…)

Thank you for your time today good sir, and i’ll leave you with one last question, Where did the name come from?
My name is Mike I love cats and the number 9 which is the number of lives a cat has (in some countrie it’s 7…) so IX = 9 /Mike nine/ Mik 9/ Mik IX / and the cat just to be sure = MikIX The Cat. Also My KICKS for my phat KICKS!

Thanks to youuuu, and follow my adventure on my website www.addmike.com
Bisous

At just 19 years of age Jacob Plant is fast becoming a major force on the dance scene. Already a respected and widely tipped producer talent having worked with and remixed a whole host of household names including Chase & Status, Deadmau5, Little Boots, Sidney Sampson, Chuckie and Major Lazer, Jacob looks set to establish himself further as an artist in his own right and becoming one of the most exciting production and DJ talents in the UK dance scene. Jacob describes his sound as a fusion of inspired Electro/Pop songs through to heavier Dubstep & big bassline club tracks.

The mix demonstrates his varied taste and impeccable ear for a tune. With tracks from Major Lazer, Duck Sauce, Fake Blood as well as his own productions, including two exclusive previews, of his Mike Joyce collaboration ‘Lost’ and up and coming track ‘Warped’. You can find out more about Jacob at his Myspace.

Tracklisting:

1. Tensnake – Coma Cat
2. Justin Martin – Mr. Spock
3. Santagold – Shake It To The Ground (Accapella)
4. Fake Blood – I Think I Like It
5. Jacob Plant – Jump Up
6. Steve Angello – KNAS
7. Major Lazer – Pon De Floor (Accapella) (Jacob Plant Re-Edit)
8. Afrojack & Bobby Burns – Real High
9. Rachel Barton – Goose Step (Justin Martin Remix) (Jacob Plant Re-Edit)
10. Santagold – Shake It To The Ground (Accapella)
11. Big Boi – Shutter Bug (Accapella)
12. Congorock – Babylon (Steve Angello Edit)
13. Duck Sauce – Barbra Streisand (Afrojack ‘Meat’ Remix)
14. Jacob Plant & Mike Joyce – Lost (DEMO) (EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW)
15. Jacob Plant – Warped (EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW)

If you want to check out Jacob live, you could much worse than his up-coming gig at Mistajam’s Speakerbox , Echos, Loughborough featuring a huge line up of Mistajam, Scratch Perverts, Breakage, Jacob Plant & a live performance from Katy B. See the flyer below for more details.

‘Metal Gear Solid’ follows Solid Snake, an elite soldier who infiltrates a nuclear weapons facility to neutralize a terrorist threat from FOXHOUND, a renegade special forces unit. Snake must liberate two hostages; the head of DARPA (an advanced defense research team) and the president of a major arms manufacturer, confront the terrorists, and stop them from launching a nuclear strike.

Metal Gear Solid was met with a huge array of praise on its arrival and is often cited as one the most important game releases ever. It help solidify the “Stealth” genre and re-defined aspects of gaming that still hold strong in some of the biggest franchises today. It’s safe to say, franchises like Syphon Filter, Splinter Cell, Hitman, Tenchu, Assassins Creed & Rainbow Six wouldn’t be in the form they are in today, without Metal Gear.

The series is produced and developed by Hideo Kojima a Japanese game producer and former vice president of Konami (the company that publishes Metal Gear). He hasn’t had many notable games published outside of Japan besides the Metal Gear series but if you ever get a chance I suggest you check out his other games Snatcher & Policenauts.

What made ‘Metal Gear Solid’ such a unique game was its commitment to a cinematic style of story telling and the level of variety provided in both the games inner challenges and end of level boss fights. Its my opinion that the PS1 incarnation is the most well rounded version of the series and whereas later versions may be more advanced with better graphics and expand on the well thought out formula of game play from the first game. The sheer balance of story telling, outright action, puzzling challenges and cinematic tendencies make it the most complete title in the series. My main problem with the later games is the reliance on the cut-scenes to tell the story and the sheer length of them. Konami & Sony went so far as to ban reviewers from talking about the length of the cut-scenes in Metal Gear Solid 4, for fear of bad press and loss of sales.

My favorite stage of the game is the first boss, Revolver Ocelot. After finding arms tech president Kenneth Baker strapped to a ‘Saw’ like trap rigged with C4 explosives, Revolver (so called because of his love of handguns) appears and challenges snake to a fight. The fight takes places in a square room, the center is rigged with the explosives and a series of trigger wires. Snake has to avoid the wires, not shoot the explosives and chase revolver. Its a tactical game of cat and mouse, coupled with the need for some precision shooting. Check out the intro scene below.

Metal Gear Solid consistently ranks as one of the top 50 games of all time and it would easily be in my top 10. Too many hours have been logged fighting through its vast world and too many hours have been wasted toying with some of the games comical features, like hiding in a cardboard box and chasing guards (if you have played it, you’ll know what I mean).

You can check out the full trailer for the game below.

In concept, Twisted Metal is a demolition derby that permits the usage of bombs, machine guns, mines, nuclear weapons and a variety of “off the wall” projectiles. Players choose a vehicle and an arena—or a series of arenas in the story mode—to engage in battle with other drivers. The last driver alive is the winner.

Although each individual game features its own storyline, they all revolve around the same basic theme: a vehicular combat tournament called Twisted Metal is presented to prospective participants with the promise of granting the contest’s winner any single wish they so desire from mysterious host, Calypso.

I have fond memories of this game’s multiplayer. It’s one the first games I had on the Playstation, and one of the first Playstation games I owned that swung me towards multiplayer rather than single player – in the same way that I buy Call Of Duty games or Halo games now; mainly for their mulitplayer modes. It was the sheer choice of weapons, diverse locations and unpredictabilty of both each vehicles ability and the computer A.I. – was I going to be locked in a machine gun fight sheltering behind broken pieces of the Eiffell Tower or was I going caught in some napalm whilst pounding along a strip of highway?

The entire Twisted Metal series never takes itself seriously, the characters are off the wall and are straight out of a deluded childs nightmare – a deformed man with huge tyres strapped to his arms, an insane clown that drives an ice cream truck around, Calypso’s ex wife who apparently died in an accident years ago that was brought back to life by demons….yep….its not exactly grounded in reality. This is also evident in the level design and all the included “special finds” in each level – the ability to blow up the Eiffel tower from a hidden set of bombs or a secret base in the head of the Statue of Liberty.

I’ll admit, Twisted Metal is a very cheesy franchise, the graphics are pretty terrible and each game does very little to expand on the last – but as mentioned before the sheer playability and depth of each game’s multiplayer make it a must play for retro gaming nerds. You can get a good idea of the gameplay from the video below.

CREDIT: ERASER GAMING

With 7 games released so far and an 8th announced at this year’s E3 conference, it is the Sony Playstation’s longest running exclusive franchise. The first game was released in 1995, and has been running on the console for over 15 years, its closest competitor on the console is Gran Turismo which has enjoyed a 13 year exclusive run on the console. Twisted Metal looks to be going nowhere, here is the trailer for the latest version due to be released early next year.

Well, after what seems like forever Klaxons are finally back, and back with a bang. Flashover has that distinct Klaxons sound but has tightened up it’s game and feels much darker than I though it might after all the trouble with their record label. The lyrics “Here comes the flashover” will no doubt be stuck in your head, as they have been mine, for a while to come yet.

Klaxons – Flashover

Jonathan Low is brand new material from Vampire Weekend which will feature on the latest in the series of Twilight soundtracks, Twilight: Eclipse. Some great arrangement from Rostam Batmanglij and the as always pitch perfect vocals of Ezra Koenig make for a great combination which will no doubt keep up the high standard of music seen on the Twilight soundtracks.

Vampire Weekend – Jonathan Low

This mashup of La Roux’s Growing Pains and Drake’s Houstatlantavegas is part of the Major Lazer/La Roux mixtape Lazerproof. The mixtape was released this week for free over at Mad Decent and features La Roux mixed alongside the likes of Gucci Mane, Rusko and Amanda Black. I was sceptical as to whether this would actually work or not but after a couple of listens I was already well and truly sold. You can download the mixtape from the link below.

Major Lazer & La Roux – Houstatlantavegas Pains ft. Drake

Last but not least in a week filled with some amazing new music comes highly anticipated new material from Arcade Fire. So far I’m leaning towards The Suburbs over Month Of May as my preferred track; the general consensus, however, seems to be that people are appreciating both tracks for their own unique sounds. The band’s new album, also titled The Suburbs, is set for release August 2nd.

Arcade Fire – The Suburbs/Month Of May

TRACKLIST

01. (Intro) Tinie Tempah – Pass Out Instrumental (Edit)
02. Theophilus London – Enjoy The Sun
03. Floating Points – For You
04. Take – Crystallia (Edit)
05. Headman – Dirt
06. Spoon – Don’t You Evah
07. Spoon – Don’t You Evah (Diplo Rmx)
08. Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars (Siriusmo Rmx)
09. Madkids – Bolo Bomba
10. Bingo Players – When I Dip
11. His Majesty Andre – Peep Thong (The Mane Thing Rmx)
12. The Aston Shuffle – I Wanna See You (Harvard Bass Rmx)
13. Vitalic – Valletta Fanfares
14. Mount Kimbie – Sketch On Glass
15. Hudson Mohawke – Fuse
16. The XX – Stars

Describing himself as “primarily a dj/producer/performer for club, as well as experimental music”, Rafik began experimenting with turntablism from a very early age. “I grew up making music and always had a very diverse taste in music. I was a drummer and could act out my passion for rock and metal music, but I was also heavily into rap and house/techno. DJing back then used to be all over the TV – I knew immediately I had to get into this. I was super lucky and found someone patient enough to teach a 13-year old hyperactive kid how to mix. Scratching of course caught my attention through my passion for rap music. I had messed around with my parent’s deck before, but now I could practice without getting into trouble.”

Rafik’s approach to the mix comes from a passion for a wide range of music. “In General I have a big pot of stuff that I can throw at people and I always take a moment to study a particular crowd, so I can find our crossing points. My DJ sets are primarily a mix of banging clubby electronica, but I always glue as many genres together as I can if the crowd ain’t too purist.” This is reflected throughout the mix for Faux, which sees a mixture of electro, dubstep, hip-hop and even the XX turning up throughout. So why did Rafik pick the tracks he picked?

“It’s a combination of stuff that I listen to. It is a bit ‘all over the place’ and I like that about this mix. It starts off with some experimental hip hop beats, goes over to electronic rock, over to house and finishes with some of my favorite easy dubstep-ish joints. I picked the tracks because I see this as an opportunity to host music that I love listening too – and that means a whole lot of different styles and stuff that I don’t get to play a lot.”

After 14 years behind the decks, Rafik is looking to begin experimenting with the production side of music, beginning to work on tracks with fellow DJ and producer Pitchben. “Production is the main focus now. I was torn for a good while, trying to find ‘my sound’ before I step up. I think it is very important to be individual with your music and have your own twist to things. Now I realize I just have to take care of dosage and put the different things I do in the right boxes, rather than trying to stick to just one style – that’s not me.”
So after 14 years and 6 World Championship titles, does Rafik think he’s the best he can be as a turntablist?
“I think it’s an ongoing process since I started and will hopefully never stop, I never had a final goal in mind when I started making music. Of course the extreme years of competitions have been intense in terms of technical skill development, but I never stop learning about techniques, crowds and whatever can enhance the way i see and make music.”

Developed for the arcades the game was actually a fairly standard platforming affair. The player works their way through the five levels; from a forest to a base, in order to stop a threatening armed force. The levels themselves, like any conventional platformer are straightforward and semi-linear, decked out with ledges and platforms, with many situations in which there are enemies and other dangers lurking around the corner. Prizes like points and power-ups can be obtained from crates that come on the screen in a parachute (similar to Worms) which can be collected by shooting them. The one key difference and the defining factor in Bionic Commando’s success? You couldnt jump; in the place of a standard jump function, Capcom created the characters grappling hook bio arm.

Straight from huge success in the Japanese arcades the original game was granted a sequel on the Nintendo Entertainment System. In Japan it was released as Hitler no Fukkatsu: Top Secret​ (The Resurrection of Hitler: Top Secret). Across the rest of the world, it was simply Bionic Commando. Why the change in title? I’ll explain in a minute.

The plot is set in the early 80′s, and centers around two warring states: the Federation and the Empire. One day, the Imperial Forces discover classified documents talking of the development of a new super weapon known as the “Albatros Project”, which was started by an organization known as the “Badds”, but was never completed. Killt, the Generalissimo of the Imperial Forces, decides to complete the project himself. When the Federation learns of the Empire’s plot, they send in their national hero, Super Joe to infiltrate the Empire, but he ends up being captured. To rescue Super Joe, the Federation sends in a second operative named Ladd Spencer of the FF (Double Force) Battalion, a team of commandos specially trained to use wired guns implanted into their arms, to rescue him.

The plot differs between the Japanese version and other versions published across the world. The Empire in the Japanese version was actually a Neo Nazi group and their army’s symbol was a Nazi Swastika with a thunderbolt behind it. In the English version, the Nazis were referred to as the “Badds”, the army’s Swastika insignia was changed to resemble an eagle. The leader of the villains, originally called Weizmann was now renamed Killt.

One of the most prominent differences involves the main antagonist of the game, who is meant to be a revived Adolf Hitler. For the English version, the character was renamed “Master-D”, but his likeness to Hitler was unchanged. There is a sequence towards the end of the game in which a close up of the characters face explodes and it’s massively obvious he was based on Hitler (video below).

I love this game and have logged many hours on both this version and its remake on Xbox Live (Bionic Commando: Re-armed). If you have never played the game and call yourself a gamer, I’d just take that left hand of yours and swipe it clean across your face. The Xbox Live remake is not a bad place to start at all as most of the game remains intact and the updated visuals and soundtrack make it one of the best games (visually) on Live.

Last year the game was granted a full 3D sequel; Bionic Commando (2009) for PS3 and Xbox 360. Although fun and visually impressive, the release was heavily criticized for its confusing and long winded plot; and more specifically its terrible plot twist. It’s by no means a bad game, but you’ll either love it or hate it and I highly recommend either digging out a NES emulator or playing the remake before you delve into the HD sequel.

Here’s the first 10 minutes of the game to wet your appetite, enjoy.

01. Jakes – Rhythm (Mensah Special) Intro
02. Mensah – Untitled Future Funk
03. Mensah – Rock City
04. Mensah – Stapleton Road
05. Mensah Ft Eddie K – Steady As She Goes
06. Mensah – 1986 Was The Future
07. Baby D – Let Me Be Your Fantasy (Mensah Remix)
08. Mensah – Acid Dub

Of his own sound, Mensah explains: “I don’t think I have a sound yet. I try and make every tune different from the last. Dubstep is a lot of things, so I like to experiment and see where it takes me. I listen to a lot of different musical genres but my mood at the time of being in the studio has overall effect on what a tune sounds like.” Moving his mix through a whole range of moods, this ten minute sampler brings a diverse sample of the dubstep spectrum, a range of exclusives and tracks brimming with glitch-laden intensity.

First getting involved with Hench through DJing around Bristol, he describes his involvement with dubstep legend Jakes; “I used to go to the Hench parties and I used to DJ at a night called Run and Jakes would MC for me. We’ve known each other for a long time. When I started producing at 140bpm I sent all my tunes to Jakes and he picked up on them. We all know each other well on Hench – so it felt right when Jakes wanted to put my music out on the label.” Collaborating with such a long-established and well-respected dubstep label isn’t taken lightly by Mensah, a long time fan of the label – “I’m all about my music being out on vinyl and with a label that i can trust. Hench is good for me because there is a variety of music being put out on it and so will be going to a wider audience. I have seen it from the early days with Gatekeeper, Wedge, Jakes, Komonazmuk and Headhunter so i know the origins and history behind it. Each release is different and that really maters to me.”

Bringing a diverse range of dubstep’s many sounds to the mix, Mensah demonstrates a pleasing reluctance to be constrained to one genre. “I like a lot of the early (Dubstep Label) Tectonic Plates stuff and I like a lot of modern dancefloor sounds….all in moderation! I have never wanted to be pigeon holed into one thing, so I’m just gonna doing what I do and move forward. The iPod has made it so we can all skip from one genre to another and DJ’s do it a lot more now as well, so it means you can always hear something new.” It won’t be long till the tracks are available for purchase either – Mensah’s remix of Baby D’s ‘Let Me Be Your Fantasy’ is due for release soon, and he explains that his mix is essentially a showcase for exclusive new material. “I wanted to keep it just to the tracks on my EP but I added few other in just for good measure. I have kept it to tunes that are coming out very soon.”

Mensah’s ‘Untitled Future Funk EP’ is available on limited vinyl here.