Brainfeeder X

Ten-year anniversary compilation from Brainfeeder, the massively influential electronic/instrumental hip-hop record label run by Flying Lotus. Born out of the Low End Theory experimental club nights at The Airliner, this label changed the way a lot of producers approached beatmaking and established a unique LA sound for abstract production incorporating jazz and funk. It also broke or played key roles in the careers of dozens of artists ranging from The Gaslamp Killer to Kamasi Washington. Disc 1 (tracks 1-17) are a greatest hits of sorts, while the second disc (tracks 18-36) is all new releases. Tremendously varied—there is a drum and bass song next to a song featuring George Clinton. If you like electronic music at all you are guaranteed to find something you like on here. FCC: 2, 16, 18, 25, 28, 33
 
*1. Stuttering lo-fi beat with jangly textures and fuzzy synth
2. (FCC) Midtempo rap. Lots of similarities to Blu or MED
3. Slow, futuristic-sounding R&B
4. Maximalist giddy footstepy beat, think SOPHIE or Rustie
5. Spacy and jazzy. Strummy guitars, loose snare drumming and a pulsing bassline
*6. Slow lo-fi piano instrumental. Beautiful
7. Flying Lotus collaboration with Matthewdavid. Statifcy, sci-fi, and expansive
8. Deep growling house. Undulating and hypnotic with the occasional vocal sample. Still sounds fresh 8 years later
9. Gyrating fidget house with 8-bit elements. Ed Banger Records sort of stuff
10. Chill acoustic bossa nova
*11. Twinkly intro leads into an abstract 80’s electro funk
12. Heavy Bjork vibes. Percussion-heavy prog rock with emotional female vocals
*13. Grinding electro with lots of J-Dilla influence
14. Groovy funk with velvet-smooth male vocals. (You may recognize his voice from his numerous contributions to Flying Lotus songs)
15. Frantic footwork with tons of jangly samples and animal noises. Reminds me of Blaqstarr, Switch, MIA-era Diplo, etc.
*16. (FCC) Impossibly funky remix of one of Thundercat’s biggest songs. Dancey with heavy flanger and lots of interesting textures
*17. Vocoder vocals, phaser effects, old school funk vibes
18. (FCC) Slow cinematic with strings and soul vocals
*19. Spacey and euphoric. “IDM” if you will…
*20. Lo-fi house with distorted vocals. Similar stuff to Mall Grab, Bondax, etc.
*21. Sci-fi soul with sugary female vocals
22. High-energy, frantic electronica with blown-out levels
23. Funky, upbeat, sounds like a long-lost Pharrell song
*24. Drum N Bass with lots of interesting kaleidoscopic samples
*25. (FCC) Free-form loopy jazzy beat with vocals from George Clinton (yes, it’s really him) and rap verses from Ishmael Butler (Digable Planets, Shabazz Palaces). Talk about a dream team collab
26. Sparse somber beat with echoed female vocals and sad strings
27. Staticy lo-fi beat with repetitive vocals and Sun Ra jazzy freak-outs
28. (FCC) Spoken word poem over frantic jazz beat
29. Atmospheric electric guitar-forward jazz
30. Video game type beat with foggy male vocals in the background
*31. Abstract maximalist beat with hardstyle influence. More Rustie/SOPHIE vibes
*32. Minimal ambient with unique jangley percussion and nice string accompaniment
33. (FCC) Hard-hitting beat with 8 bit elements and grinding bass. Faint vocals and minor chords give this an ominous vibe
*34. Fuzzed out synth driven beat
*35. Lush lo-fi house
36. Washed-out blissfully epic orchestral arrangement