Kwes on Young Turks

The latest release on the ever growing Young Turks label is UK talent Kwes. Around this time last year he released a mixtape with classical instrumentalist turned grime producer Micachu. I wasn't a fan of Micachu & The Shapes but as a producer she deserves a lot more recognition. According to his Fader interview only took him a few days to put the EP together and for something created so quickly the finished product is fresh. If you read the interview with Fader you'll see that he uses live sampling to record sounds from chopsticks to keys jingling. This ingenuity means that any object becomes an instrument. This helps to avoid producers who use the same software from sounding the same....like abuse of the brutal electro sound that is used in many tracks (sounds big on Street Fighter Riddim though!)

YT045 - Kwes - No Need To Run EP by Young Turks


I guess you'd called it experimental...have a listen and decide for yourselves! I strongly urge you to pre-order the EP! PRE ORDER HERE. 'In & Out the UK' is my however the equally good 'No Need To Run' seems to to be the most popular track on the EP with over 4000 plays on soundcloud. This would definitely go off in a rave. It's a big synthy, summery number and I hope at some point over the summer I hear this on a massive system! Aside from this release he's got his own label called 'Bokkle' so look out for releases on here.

For the UK Hip-Hop fans out there Kwes is producing for UK rapper Dels' album along with Joe Goddard (Hot Chip),Micachu and Young Turks own Sampha. If you like Ghostpoet then you should like Dels even though his flow isn't as laidback . He's been signed to Big Dada for three Albums all of which which I'm sure will be fire seeing as he's already being compared to Roots Manuva! Catch him live at Roots Manuva's Banana Klan vs Big Dada event at The Queen of Hoxton, July 23rd! The perfect way to celebrate my birthday!

You can download his track that was produced by Micachu, 'Violina' that was on the Kwesachu Mixtape HERE.

Download the Kwesachu Mixtape HERE - the tracklist is on Kwes' myspace.


Kwes’ Dollars To Pounds Mix
Actress – Wrong Potion (BIGGG!)
James Blake – I’ll Stay
Jamie Lidell – You Are Walking
Todd Rundgren’s Utopia – Utopia Theme (excerpt)
These New Puritans – Attack Music (BIGGG!)
Big Boi – Shutterbug
N*E*R*D – Run To The Sun
Slum Village – Climax (Girl Shit)
EHHHM – Middle Name Period (excerpt)
Sinatra/Count Basie & The Orchestra/Quincy Jones – One For My Baby (excerpt)
Konono No.1 – Paradiso
Paul McCartney – Secret Friend (excerpt)
Oneohtrix Point Never – Laser to Laser
Yuzo Koshiro – Streets of Rage II Level 1 music (excerpt)
Randy Newman – Mama Told Me Not To Come
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Can’t Hear My Eyes
Joanna Newsom – Go Long
Kwes – Canary

Download his mix for Fader magazine HERE

Make sure you keep your ear close to Young Turks because the imprint has brought us some of the freshest electronic music to date - The xx, Sbtrkt, Pariah and now Kwes!