When it rains it cold monsoons around here. As it happens, two different exclusives I’ve been scheming on for several weeks—1) a sneak preview of Poirier’s version of “Click Mi Finger” from the forthcoming Truckback remix EP and 2) a full, free download of the unreleased ZZK vol. 7 mixtape from Buenos Aires braincase King Coya—came to fruition simultaneously. In short, pretty much everything I’m running in this week’s blend is a crazy exclusive of some kind so let me just jump into the tracks.
GP74 Versus blend
Eddie STATS & Dinesh, “Mohawk riddim”
Busy Signal, “Da Style Deh” Douster Dagga refix
Erup, “Click mi Finger” Gramzilla remix (Truckback)
Erup, “Click mi Finger” Poirier remix (Untrust riddim/Truckback)
Vybz Kartel, “Yuh Love” (Smoke Machine riddim/Dre Skull)
La Yegros, “Trocitos de Madera” (King Coya version)
Download: Ghetto Palms Versus Blend
First up: Busy Signal vs Douster. Busy’s brilliant “Da Style Deh” gets the refix it’s been begging for from King Coya’s ZZK labelmate and it’s everything a Douster track should be, all prehistoric chimes and frenetic vocal chops on a hi-NRG reggaeton pattern. This was actually posted on the Masala blog weeks ago but so far has been criminally under-utilized outside the francophone tropics.
Erup vs. Poirier. Exclusive! A while back I streamed the Gramzilla club remix of “Click mi Finger” (used here as an intro) and then, just after his “Cool Baby” refix dropped, Poirier gave me a preview of his bombastic version on the Untrust riddim (also backs Burro Banton on his Run the Riddim EP). As soon as I heard the opening bars of evil house synths chopped into dancehall tempo, I hit my doopses at Truckback for the exclusive—all unawares they were about to unleash a whole Erup refix EP on an unsuspecting world. The remix project hits iTunes Nov. 3rd and in between Poirier, Gramzilla and a few others is a remix by FADER alumnus and Fool’s Gold chief wrex-ecutive Nick Catchdubs, so this is definitely not he last you’ll hear about it on Ghetto Palms.
Vybz Kartel vs. Dre Skull. Technically, this is not a remix or an exclusive but the Gaza vs Williamsburg vibes fit the whole versus theme, and even though Dre Skull dropped the single at the end of August the video premiered this week, so it seemed like a good time to mention it. Like it’s uptempo ancestor, the Skull riddim, the track is deceptively minimal and musical and brings out Vybz at his best; a flow and mood similar to his “Teenage Pregnancy” rap even though this is more slo-grind bashment than rockers.
King Coya vs. The World. Exclusive! The last track on the blend is an alternate version of the La Yegros jam “Trocitos de Madera” which we posted a while back courtesy of the Dutty Artz crew. The track is originally produced by King Coya who is also a major architect of the ZZK sound out of BA. In real life, dude composes the music for De La Guarda and whatnot but the King Coya persona is his outlet for arty cumbia rebajadas-type experiments, kind of a Peter Gabriel on pibes aesthetic.
Which brings us to the payoff. King Coya’s new CD officially drops Oct. 13 but you can download 20+ minutes of his ZZK Vol. 7 mixtape below. That’s like a whole nother Ghetto Palms for the price of one, and let me just say it’s a good one—Coya’s heavy treatment of Colombian bullerengue diva Petrona Martinez is my personal joint.
Download: King Coya Cumbias de Villa Donde Mix
