Jersey’s Kiff started making waves last year with a style he had coined Jersey soca; a unique blend of Jersey club and the island sounds he grew up on. The pairing picked up on similar traits between the two, specifically Barbados’ style of crop over. The remix culture that such a big part of both soca and Jersey club led to his expansion into broader, less definable, but more deeply Caribbean styles that make up Mix N Ting. From dancehall, to soca, to just straight vibes, Kiff has the cure for your post-Memorial Day tabanca right here.
Author: Mike Steyels
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Flex Masters: A Guide To Brooklyn’s Own Dancehall Hybrid Scene
Who’s Building The Best FDM Riddims Right Now
It’s been over a decade in the making, but Brooklyn’s homegrown style of dance music is beginning to make waves outside of battle circles. Called FDM (short for flex dance music), the sound is a critical component of the flex dance culture that it grew up alongside. While the dancers were refining their styles into a distinct set of movements, producers were doing the same, creating their own sound fashioned out of a wealth of dancehall riddims and sound effects that would provide the soundtrack for major dance competitions. I went deep into the scene over at Pitchfork, so please go read that when you have time. Meanwhile here’s a quick guide to the producers (many of whom are also dancers) responsible for making the sound what it is today. This weekend, Boiler Room will feature its first flex dancer and FDM producer—a sure sign that big tings ah gwan—although they’re keeping the details a secret for now. They’ve also got more plans in the works for FDM later this summer, so this is just a starting point. We figured this would be a good time to provide some basic info about the scene before everything starts to blow up. Audio & Info After The Jump…
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