Fall Into The Fire: RL Grime, Critical Music, Smoke DZA & More! Hot & New 9/4

9/4/2023

9 min

With the return of pumpkin spice lattes and temperatures lowering, it’s clear that autumn is knocking on our doorstep. Audius invites listeners to fall into fire (music, that is) as we present a loaded refresh to our Hot & New playlist!

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Shortly after announcing his upcoming tour, international pillar of trap RL Grime now unveils “Around Me,” a track off his forthcoming new body of work. A master of genre manipulation, RL Grime dabbles with bass house in addition to his signature empyrean style of trap. Glistening build-ups are intensified by a pounding bass and sharp, energetic drums. These drop into rhythmically involved, bass house-influenced beats carried by RL Grime’s take on a four-on-the-floor pattern. “Around Me” finds itself at the apex of house and trap, all elements finely composed with RL Grime’s irreplaceable vision and sound design.

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Boundary bending drum and bass label Critical Music boasts an impressive release in the past week: legendary DJ Hazard and his latest two-sided single, “Double D / Undesirables.” Presenting “Double D” on Audius, Critical Music further proves their reputation with this roller. Utilizing a vintage-sounding breakbeat, DJ Hazard immerses 2023 listeners into his decades-long career in drum and bass. Over this drum beat, he layers quavering bass frequencies. Yet, he contrasts this with glowing synth chords. “Double D” is a display in drum and bass mastery, transporting listeners to clubs in 1990’s Birmingham.

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Another iconic release this week comes from Flying Lotus and Smoke DZA as they present their collaborative EP, Flying Objects. This five-track body of work beautifully weaves together Flying Lotus’ atmospheric production with Smoke DZA’s impeccable flow. Indeed, all throughout Flying Objects, Smoke DZA seamlessly shares stories with impeccable wordplay, streaming between metaphors, poetic musings, and total vulnerability. All the while, Flying Lotus matches Smoke DZA’s energy and mood. Flying Objects is not only for hip-hop heads but also for those willing to listen and immerse themselves in a story.

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Audius welcomes Dot back into the spotlight with her latest remix, “Hurts (ft. Sara Phillips),” originally by Charlie Crown. While this song started off as a gentle, emotive future bass production, Dot puts a happy house spin on “Hurts.” A steady bassline carries the technicolor synth chords, all decorated with Dot’s signature flourishes. This iridescent reimagining of “Hurts” takes the melancholy meaning and instead reminds listeners of the joy coming for them. Yes, Dot reinforces to listeners that there is beauty past the pain in her remix of “Hurts.”

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Making their Audius debut, helloworld greets our platform with their remix of “Great Fairy’s Fountain” from the internationally loved video game, The Legend of Zelda. helloworld celebrates their love for video games and music production in this remix, taking the twinkling of the original soundtrack and twisting it into their gritty and experimental vision. helloworld’s remix of “Great Fairy’s Fountain” leaves Audius listeners craving more of their video game-inspired remixes for their own gaming experiences!

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Summer festival season may be closing soon, but that doesn’t mean artists have stopped dropping heaters! Full of legendary artists from their respective genres, Audius curated a stimulating selection of tunes on this week’s Hot & New playlist update.