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SWEATER BEATS
TRIPPY TURTLE RATKING DAVE 01
volume 01
FEATURES 66
kaytranada
76
what now?
Our interview with talented young producer and his funky globe-trotting dance music.
How will soundcloud changes affect music? 5 songwriters, DJs, and tastemakers share their thoughts on the topic.
88 that court-side hustle game
NY Ballers stunt In Winter’s sportiest look and meet the downtown girls that always make room for basketball on the side.
96 visual identity Art and music? Music and Art? Kevin Beasley talks on how sound shapes his art.
INDIVIDUALS 18 it’s sweater season
Getting to know Sweater Beats and his HW&W homies
20 rising royalty 22
STYLE 34 fresh new
57 remixes
40 style q&a:
58 twitterverse
Menswear brands to know for this fall.
daveo1
LidoLido talks about his opening for Beyoncé.
We got the questions, he’s got the answers.
party animals
bombs away
Our thoughts on the new mysterious Trippy Turtle.
24 grunge champs
42
Ten artists discuss where they started, where they’ve been and where they are now.
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OCTOBER 2014 • DITIE MAGAZINE
Nothing more classic than the bomber jacket
49 land of the geek shirts
NYC’s grunge champs, Ratking talk tours.
30 #tbt
REVIEWS
Can you say Zeeeeldaaa?!?
51
j’s on my feet We just really like having brand new kicks, okay .
Our thoughts on top soundcloud remixes.
Twitter reactions to the best and worst.
60 fresh albums
New albums you need now.
62 technologic favorites
On the real drooling.
102
last word
Last few words on current baddie trends. We ain’t even sorry.
INDIVIDUALS
IT’S SWEATER SEASON YOUNG DJ/PRODUCER IS MAKIN’ A MOVE. BY GABRIEL IBAGON
WHO: Seducing the world
via his own brand of “dream soaked pop and lushed out R&B”, Antonio Cuna, AKA Sweater Beats, is a mighty force to be reckoned with.
<<<
i make music to make yr booty bounce. HOW: Since the release of
his single “MLLN DLLR” on Bondax’s Justus Recordings in 2012, Cuna has gathered support from Diplo, Annie Mac, Para One and more with his unique tracks and bootlegs.
INFLUENCE: Sweater Beats
credits Timbaland as a huge influence of his, and states he’s a big fan of R&B, revealing, “I do my homework and straight up just listen to ‘90s R&B. R. Kelly all day.”
MARYLAND LOVE: Though based in Brooklyn, NYC, Cuna hails from Rockville, Maryland. “Growing up in those suburbs definitely influenced my music.”
soundcloud.com/sweaters
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HW&W GAME
GAN Z
K AY T R ANADA
T A–K U
Amsterdam producer GANZ has a knack for reinventing music. Each of his remixes has come as a pleasant surprise — man knows his way around a solid hook.
Kaytranada began his career under the alias Kaytradamus in 2010. He released 8 projects as Kaytradamus before changing his name to in 2012.
Perth producer, TA–KU commits to his beats, delivering glitterwave, electronic, future beat and trap in a collection of super solid dynamic tracks.
>>> soundcloud.com/iamganz
>>> soundcloud.com/kaytranada
>>> soundcloud.com/takugotbeats
OCTOBER 2014 • DITIE MAGAZINE
IMAGES COURTESY OF GOOGLE
MEET THE HOMIES
>>> REPPIN’ THE
REVIEWS
REMIXES S T WO “Or Nah” — The Weeknd
>>>
BY JESSICA KINAMURA
NEW LUSH WARM KEYS AND SMOOTH PERCUSSIONS.
WE’VE BECOME BIG FANS of UK producer Mura Masa recently thanks to standout tracks like “Lotus Eater” and his “Upper Uchelon” remix. Known mainly for his exciting trap music experiments, this month, Mura Masa gives a snippet of his other American passions including a jazzy trip hop affair, including “day 1”— a track that seems to be pulled from some hazy Sunday afternoon, the kind where you sip on glasses of fine wine on well-manicured lawns. As evening draws near, a self-content sax wafts in atop breezy piano and absentminded bass, and the body cannot help but sway to its gentle motion. Digital interference and grainy hip-hop drums complete the beat, providing texture to the classy vibes from this talented young producer. In addition to this he gives us some Sunday turn up with his latest tune, “Day 23: Have Faith in Me,” which is like a cup full of sunshine, old-school funky drum-work and radiant soulfulness. Turn the volume up, open those windows, and just let this one play out to the world. You can check out the rest of his tracks on his soundcloud at soundcloud.com/muramasamusic
[ D R O P T HE G A ME ] >>>
HOW A SINGLE TRACK BLEW OUR MINDS
The post-EDM electronic scene in Australia has gotten a lot of attention because of Flume, a DJ and producer who has been selling out shows around the world with his subtler, sexier dance floor workout. Earlier this year he dropped the Drop the Game EP with fellow Aussie Chet Faker, who has lent his richly mumblemouthed vocals to Flume’s instrumentals before. Drop the Game’s title track has now received the remix treatment from Brooklyn beatmaker Sweater Beats, who will be releasing his own Cloud City
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EP this fall on HW&W. Sweater Beats (real name Antonio Cuna) toured with Flume and Faker this past year and has received endorsements from Toddla T and Diplo, both of whom have played his sultry extended mixes on their BBC shows. Though he traffics in similarly downtempo themes as Flume, Sweater Beats gives “Drop the Game” more urgency with a violin interlude, mechanized shrieks and understated synthesizers revving like a distant engine in the background. He’ll be on the road this fall for
OCTOBER 2014 • DITIE MAGAZINE
<<<
a series of university shows, some with Jason Derulo and Travi$ Scott.
these beats be straight baby makin’ music shit. >>> soundcloud.com/sweaterbeats
>>> soundcloud.com/stwosc 2 0 SYL “Liquid Spirit”— Greg Porter 20syl‘s take on Porter’s stomping theme is a solid dose of funk that explodes at every turn with bright chords and synths that burst against the clap-driven rhythm of the original. The expertly produced rework follows his Motifs EP and a steady stream of airtight remixes including his take on sick tracks from ScHoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar.
>>> soundcloud.com/20syl S NA K EHI P S “Cigarette Song”— Raury We all know Snakehips doesn’t miss. The duo opts for a more sensual approach to “Cigarette Song,” full of jazzy arpeggios and lush ambiance. Raury tugs at the heart strings as he searches for love over this carefully crafted backdrop. Snakehips has stepped up to the plate yet again, and we couldn’t be happier.
>>> soundcloud.com/snakehips
IMAGES COURTESY OF GOOGLE
MURAMASA IS BACK
Shortly after The Weeknd put his spin on the Ty Dolla $ign and Wiz Khalifa collaboration “Or Nah,” producer Stwo steps in to remix that remix. This edit of “Or Nah” adds to a long list of impressive remixes we’ve gotten from Stwo in recent months, including what he did with Cashmere Cat’s “With Me” and Drake’s “All Me.”
STYLE DO YOU THINK CHARACTER INVENT STYLE OR DOES STYLE INVENT CHARACTER?
STYLE Q&A: DAVE O1
It works both ways. Clearly a strong personality has a stylistic counterpart, but I think your style can also make you get into character. There’s nothing wrong with that. Look at Bowie. Style and character mutually inform each other.
>>>
AGAINST THE GRAIN IN A STYLISH MANNER BY BOOJIE BAKER
Even if you don’t know Dave 01 (a.k.a David Macklovitch) by name, I’m pretty certain you’d recognize his look now. One half of the electro-funk duo Chromeo, he typically wears slim blazers and even skinnier jeans — and never without Wayfarer sunglasses. We caught up with Dave 01 last week for a quick interview. See what he had to say!
YOUR MUSIC OR TASTE IN FASHION, WHICH ONE CONVEYS YOUR SENSE OF STYLE THE MOST?
I remember when I was seven years old, my mum bought me a pair of neon socks. That felt pretty good.
WHAT WAS THE BEST PURCHASE YOU HAVE EVER MADE? The dopest purchase I made was when I was about 14. I saw one of Jamiroquai’s early videos and Jay Kay was wearing Adidas Gazelles. You couldn’t find retro Adidas sneakers in Montreal back then but that summer I went to New York and I brought back a pair of shell tops. People would call me “Jamiroquai” in the street.
BUT THOSE SHADES THOUGH... OUR PICKS FOR THE DOPEST SHADES THIS FALL. 40
DO YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON BRAND NAMES AND DESIGNERS? Brand names and designers don’t matter, but the fit is key. When I was a kid I’d wander around in a jeans and a T-shirt but I never understood why certain icons like Bruce Springsteen who wore the same thing looked amazing, yet I looked like a schmuck. I don’t think I really understood the importance of the perfect fit. Once you get stuff that just really compliments your own body then you can look great in anything.
PEOPLE HAVE DISCUSSED BEFORE HOW MUSIC INFLUENCES FASHION BUT DO YOU THINK IT GOES THE BOTH WAYS? Look at how A$AP name checks fashion designers as sources of inspiration. Kanye started that with his friend McQueen. I think that in rap especially — inasmuch as it borrows from a fashion world that was, initially, a totally different sphere (Versace didn’t design glasses with Biggie in mind), fashion is a huge influence on the form and the content of the music.
you can’t let the effort show. the moment you do, it’s game over.
É T U DE SxS U PE R
CAR R E R Ax J IMMY CHO O
SOL M OSCOT
This collaboration between Études and Super employs a shape from the latter’s archives and the french-future vibes of the former.
These shades— the first ever from Jimmy Choo in collab with carrera— feature a quiet, camouflage frame you can actually hide behind.
The Ezra is a new style from Moscot for this fall season, and it’s got just the right shape: a rounded square that works on most people.
OCTOBER 2014 • DITIE MAGAZINE
IMAGES COURTESY OF GOOGLE
WHO WAS YOUR BIGGEST STYLE ICON AS A KID?
Music always comes first for me. If you look at the earlier Chromeo photos, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, fashion-wise. P’s always been on point though. But in my case, my music and my sense of fashion don’t really match all the time. Well, maybe they do…in a Robert Palmer kind of way.
nk y XL de bu t fu on w ie rv te in e iv ex cl us
for the soundcloud generation of producers, it’s a game of survival of the fittest. to gain hype you’ll need to feverishly collect likes, stars and hearts from the clicks of rapid scrollers. kaytranada, as a result, is a lucky one, having escaped. check it. INTVERVIEW BY IRA QUINO PHOTOGRAPHED BY ZOE DOUGLAS
snapback by supreme sweater by a-life
Somewhere, on a long-lost hard drive in a house in suburban Montreal, there are crude recordings of Kaytranada and his little brother, Louis-Philippe, freestyling over 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop.” “I didn’t understand any of it,” Kaytranada remembers, a smile skewing his French-accented English. “I just wanted to be an American rapper.” Born Kevin Celestin in Haiti and raised in Saint-Hubert, Quebec, Kaytranda is only 22, but he already speaks wistfully of the years when creativity came without any pressure, and before music became work. Kaytranada’s teenaged rap exploits quickly gave way to beat-making, thanks to a cracked copy of Fruity Loops and a family piano purchased by his father. “Art and music were just about the only things I cared about,” he says. Producing was better suited to the chronic shyness of his youth. “I didn’t like to talk very much, and you could say I was alone a lot. Music could be like its own world for me back in those days. I wasn’t lonely, though. I think it definitely all worked out for the better.” The dance-friendly trademarks of his production now—gummy bass, larger-than-life hand claps and floating, feather-soft vocals—are rooted in personal history, too, harking back to the Haitian kompa, vodou and pop his dad played around the house, the trippy neo-soul favored by his older sister and the hip-hop he and his brother discovered online. At once global and placeless, Kaytranada’s sound lives somewhere between it all. For years now, Kaytranada has busied himself making DJ mixes and recording as many as two dozen beats a week, mostly for his own enjoyment. However, one of those cuts, in 2012, was an unauthorized remix of Janet Jackson’s “If,” which brought the 1990’s hit into the present by replacing Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’ distorted guitars and dense instrumentation with a minimal but thumping bass groove. When the remix suddenly racked up thousands of SoundCloud plays and favorites in simply a matter of hours, it came as a total surprise. “I didn’t expect all this love for one remix,” Kaytranada laughs. “It was my first taste of succes. I have to say, though— I think I made way more amazing stuff than that.” Despite his misgivings about it, the bootleg has amassed millions of plays and is still a favorite for many.
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i had no choice but to play like top 40 pop music
thank god i wasn’t known
As Kaytranada’s profile has increased, remixes have remained his calling card, with his ebullient club versions of deep cuts from Teedra Moses, Amerie and Missy Elliott breaking through on dance floors that tend to prefer Atlanta’s syrupy strip-club anthems. Earlier this year, he reunited with his little brother for a hip-hop mixtape, recorded under the moniker The Celestics; this time, only Louis-Philippe raps, while Kaytranada sticks to the beats. But his greatest potential lies in his growing body of solo work. Instru-mental singles like 2013’s “At All” and “Hilarity Duff” share the warm, bubbling quality of Kaytranada’s remixes while proving he can sound even funkier by starting with a blank canvas. “Back in the day, it used to be remixes, remixes, & more remixes,” he says. “Now I just want to make original stuff. I’m gonna keep the bootlegs for myself.” On a forthcoming EP for XL Records, though, he’s still figuring out how to actualize his vision for what he calls, simply, “uptempo R&B.” Tentatively titled So Bad, a reference to how much Kaytranada says he wants to find success, the record is his biggest label look to date, set to feature appearances from Chicago rapper Vic Mensa and vocalists Reva DeVito and Shay Lia. Yet as he puts on the finishing touches, industry realities like deadlines, producer’s block and abandoned collaborations are weighing harder than he’d expected, manifesting in nostalgia for the simpler times. “I was doing three beats a day cause I was so into it,” he says, fresh off one European trip and days from starting another. “Now it’s more difficult, because nothing really happens when you’re touring.” For an artist on the rise, though, booking too many shows is certainly a promising problem. “It’s still so amazing,” Kaytranada says of the nascent fame he both longed for and didn’t expect. “I’m getting used to it.”
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snapback by culture kings glasses by ray-ban
YOU’RE RELEASING AN EP ON XL THIS FALL SEASON? XL is definitely the record label that I really wanted to put something out with for a long time. I love them and they’re always tearing up the rule book. It’s one of the labels I always wanted to be on and eventually, it happened. They sign dope artists, one a year, and essentially give them free fucking reign. I have faith that more people [will find] my stuff through them. They’ll find my music, and give it a listen just because it’s on XL. It’s a good label for people who are sort of lost and are like, “Hey, what’s good. Let me see what’s going on in the music game right now.”
YOU’RE GOOD HOMIES WITH VIC MENSA, RIGHT?
SO WHAT EXACTLY SHOULD WE EXPECT FROM THE EP?
When Vic came to Montreal we hung out backstage and I made an appearance during Vic’s set; it was pretty funny. We went to this after-party and we got really fucked up for a bit. Vic was not that friendly when I first met him, but we showed respect to each other. He’s a good rapper, and he actually liked my stuff. Now our relationship’s grown—he’s always texting me about a song or beat. We made a bunch of songs that haven’t been released yet; it will be on the XL project this summer. Probably gonna hear one or more songs on his project too. They’re sick.
Expect more original music. It’s definitely gonna surprise you. It’s gonna be more abstract-feeling. I tried to do more of my unique stuff—the uptempo, neo-soul type of stuff. I’m aiming to make it as funky as possible. I’m actually expecting a bunch of crazy features like Kareem Riggins, a crazy jazz drummer, and Reva DeVito—I made a song with her it’s called “Friday Night”. We have another song that gonna be on my album, and some girl that nobody knows yet—she’s from Montreal and her voice is dope. Vic Mensa, also—that song’s called “Drive Me Crazy.”
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that t o g e w yeah,
yeah, we go t that
snapback by culture kings glasses by ray-ban chain by phillip crangi shirt by american apparel pants by topman shoes by the generic man
ebook c a f y m heck c i n e h w over e k i l e e s page and imes t e m o s , owers l l o f k 5 7
t i e v e i l e b t ’ i can YOU’RE CLOSE WITH DISCLOSURE? They’re so cool. They’re the nicest guys ever compared to any other artist that you meet. Those guys actually talk to you, you know? They discovered my music and they followed me on Twitter and they were like, “Yo, your Teedra Moses remix is bomb,” and then we met on Holy Ship!—that’s when we became really good friends. I did a show with them not long ago at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. It was a big, amazing crowd, turning up and getting fucked up. It was crazy. Lately, I’ve been getting way too wasted and drinking too much Hennessy, and you can’t mix that with everything. I actually threw up in Disclosure’s van in the after-party. Somebody mixed up iced tea and Hennessy— it’s way too sweet. I was kind of a mess. I threw up in a bag, oops.
A LOT OF YOUR LIVE SHOWS HAVE BEEN SELLING OUT QUICKLY. THIS WEEK YOU’RE PLAYING IN HONG KONG AND YOU’RE ABOUT TO TOUR EUROPE AGAIN. WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS ABOUT YOUR SETS THAT GETS PEOPLE SO STOKED? No idea. I always play stuff that nobody’s ever heard. I don’t play only my stuff—I play stuff that you never heard of from the ‘80s, like rare funk disco of that era, and I see how the crowd reacts. Sometimes people don’t feel it, some people fucking love it. Compared to everywhere
that I tour, I get the best response in Europe. In Paris and London, no matter what kind of silly shit I do, people are screaming. It’s so ridiculous to me—it’s awesome.
I FEEL LIKE IT’S COMMON FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO HAVE A LOT OF IN SIDE-PROJECTS. IS THAT THE CASE WITH YOU AS WELL?
I only played a club once and I had no choice but to play like Top 40 pop music, but, thank god, I wasn’t known— that would’ve been embarrassing. That was in Montreal when I had old managers that didn’t really know the type of stuff that I do. They put me in weird college festivals and clubs and I had to play, like, mainstream and Top 40. At the time I didn’t care; it was just about the money.
Yeah, I actually have a project I’m doing with my brother. He’s nineteen. He’s really trying to like be in the game or whatever, but he’s a good rapper. It’s under the name The Celestics—that’s my side project. I do the beats and he’s the rapper and we have this mixtape coming out. We just mastered it. It’s more of a hip-hop side of me. Sometimes I wanna make more danceable stuff, and then next I wanna make more hip-hop. It’s like the seasons. Every summer I make dance music.
YOU’VE ALSO WORKED WITH MOBB DEEP— THAT’S WILD.
DO YOU HAVE MORE REMIXES IN THE PIPELINE?
DO YOU EVER DJ IN CLUBS?
That was like, “Whaaaat!” It was sort of out of the blue. Red Bull was trying to set up the Mobb Deep and Kaytranada meeting and it actually went well—went crazy. I showed them a couple beats; they liked it and did a song that they actually rapped on, and it was recorded in my face and it was a pretty epic and insane part of my life. I grew up listening to Mobb Deep. They were like, “Waddup son.” It was crazy to hear them talking about The Infamous, and they were saying, “Yeah son,” and I was actually hearing that voice next to me. Seriously though, that shit was life-changing.
There are remixes that I haven’t put out just because of this or that. I’m trying to not put them out and just chill, but I might lose my cool or whatever. Maybe in a while I’ll put it out on Mediafire as a .zip file and just to give it to the fans.
ARE YOU FEELIN’ THE KAY TRANADA VIBES? Check out our October monthly mix online for more Kaytranada beats www.ditiemusic.com/monthlymix
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LAST WORD
EDM TRENDS THAT NEED TO VANISH
We wish everything could be PLUR and all but as electronic music gets bigger and bigger, it’s every fan’s responsibility to call out parts of the scene that make it less enjoyable for everyone. Here’s our list of 9 EDM trends that need to vanish now.
OVERUSE OF THE WORD “TWERK”
HATING ON THOSE WHO MADE IT
Yes, this word has already burned out like a Roman Candle. It was funny at first, even endearing to ratchets everywhere. But when than corny monstrosity MLC started abusing it, well it was over like Disco when Saturday Night Fever hit.
When solely hating on a producer/because they are popular, you look like one of the most bandwagon-riding individuals out there. A DJ or producer is winning, so your immediate thought is to spit on everything they’re doing? How childish is that? You don’t have to like their music, but if they aren’t doing anything shady manner, why throw unwarranted hate at them?
GHOST PRODUCTION All good if you link up with someone on a track, just give them proper credit. If someone produces an entire track for you, and you take all the credit, You are a bitch-ass perpetrator. GTFO.
OVERDOSERS Yo, we’re not telling you not to have a good time. Just don’t be dumb. Controlled substances, alcohol, cigarettes, energy drinks, all that is extremely bad for you. If you take too much it’ll make you sick or kill you. If you want to be treated like adults, act like one and be responsible and educate yourself.
THE SAME GODDAMN TRACK DJ’s if you all play the same tracks, the same hits, we are totally going to start calling you out. People pay top dollar to hear you dance around in front of your LED screen and not mix, the least you could do is play fresh shit and not the Beatport Top Ten. If it’s even on the top ten, don’t fucking play it. Let’s move on, people. The future is now.
BROS/BRAHS/BRUHS Let’s just explain this one before everyone jumps on the grenade here… Bro’s are not just frat guys or muscle heads. The negative stereo type of “Bro” stems from guys that act entitled at festivals, are arrogant, have no idea how to behave, are generally rude, annoying as all fuck and lack intelligence. So if you’re a bro, FYI everyone thinks you suck.
YOLO GEAR You only live once? How are you even living when your wearing clothing that states a tired, played out catch phrase (would put on a “Bling Bling” shirt? Didn’t think so) that was used way too many times by Aubrey, aka Drizzy, aka “the softest rapper in the game”.
!
ASSHOLES WHO MAKE LISTS Wait, What?
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