Amon Tobin

Amon Tobin has always transcended categorizations as a DJ or producer or even DJ/producer. He's more like a filmmaker who spends so much time perfecting his soundtracks that he never gets around to making the movies. And that's OK because, wow, those soundtracks are something to hear. Orchestral arrangements mingle with stormy soundscapes, beats without borders prop up artificially intelligent samples, sinister rhythms give way to buoyant melodies. The whole world is Tobin's canvas, which makes it somewhat unfair to post only one track, the sublime opener to his most recent full-length, Foley Room. But hey, mathematically, one is infinitely more than zero, so take what you can get and let EMusic or another outlet feed the rest of your inevitable Tobin addiction.

Bloodstone [MP3, 5.8MB, 192kbps]

www.amontobin.com
myspace.com/tobinamon
www.ninjatune.net

Ghislain Poirier

Trying to keep it Francophone here...Montreal DJ Ghislain Poirier has range. His distinctive rebel beats draw from a range of styles — from Ragga to Detroit techno. (Ghis prefers to call his sound "le gros," as in the fatness, which I won't dispute.) He teams up with a wide range of MCs, from dancehall toaster DJ Collage to fellow Quebequois Seba. And he's been called upon to remix a range of artists from Les Georges Lenningrad to Lady Sovereign to some up-and-comer named Jay Z. While these MP3s are nice tastes his best work can be found on his two albums for Chocolate Industries, a label that unfortunately doesn't provide freeloads. Don't let that stop you from having a listen (they're available on eMusic). He also has an album slated for the fall on Ninja Tune.

from Rebondir EP (2006):
Papa Pimp [MP3, 5.6MB, 192kbps]

from Bounce le Remix (2006):
Jay Z "Dirt Off Your Shoulder (Ghislain Poirier Remix)" [MP3, 5.5MB, 192kbps]
Busta Rhymes "Light Yo Ass on Fire (Ghislain Poirier Remix)" [MP3, 3.5MB, 128kbps]

www.ninjatune.com
www.chocolateindustries.com
www.ghislainpoirier.com

Coldcut

I was raised on Coldcut, or at least raised after my rebirth as a Ninja Tune baby. Cold Krush Cuts, a two-CD set mixed by Coldcut, DJ Food and DJ Krush, pretty much changed my whole perspective on DJs: these guys could rock a block party 'til the break of dawn with a sound just as at home at the Whitney Biennial as on a dancefloor. They're still doing it, and like true producer-minded DJs they've brought in a stellar cast of MCs and collaborators on their upcoming full-length of originals, so give this one with Roots Manuva a spin or two.

True Skool [MP3, 3.3MB, 128kbps]

www.coldcut.net
www.ninjatune.net

Kid Koala

The first time I saw Kid Koala spin was at the Wetlands in NYC at a Ninja Tune night some years back. He plowed through a crate of novelty records and hip-hop classics with the glee (and haste) of a two year old, mouthing the words to every last cut and leaving a pile of used vinyl on the floor. The first time I saw Kid Koala perform was at the El Rey in Los Angeles a couple years later, when I saw him recreate his turntable masterpiece "Drunk Trumpet" on stage. He used the pitch control slider to extract different notes from a single horn part on a jazz record as our collective jaws hit the floor. "Skanky Panky" is a similar experience, in that it needs to be seen and heard. Fortunately for all who haven't had the pleasure, you can do just that on his CD/DVD, Live at the Short Attention Span Theater.

Skanky Panky [MP3, 3.2MB, 128kbps]

www.ninjatune.net
www.kidkoala.com

Blockhead

Another Ninja Tune victory: scratchy electronic that sounds like how the movie 28 Days Later felt. This track seems to feature a bit of Strongbad right towards the end as well.

Bullfight in Ireland [MP3, 4.3MB, 128kbps]

http://www.ninjatune.net
http://www.ninjatune.net/blockhead

Sixtoo

Halifax's art-hop pioneer evolves his doomsday mic checks into full-blown audio armageddon (see "Storm Clouds & Silver Lining") for his Ninja Tune debut.

Storm Clouds & Silver Lining [MP3, 12.1MB, 192kbps]
Germ [MP3, 2.5MB, 96kbps]
Testimony (featuring Sole and Sage) [MP3, 3.0MB, 96kbps]

www.ninjatune.net
www.midheaven.com