Two formidable tastemakers in the house music scene have joined forces for a masterstroke of a compilation.
The sophomore collaborative compilation between Ghetto Ghetto and Fraudulent Records officially hit the virtual shelves today—and it’s a spoonful of house heaven. The record, which follows their inaugural joint effort almost a year ago to the day, bears the fruits of a long and successful creative partnership.
“I’d say that friendship is the main bond between our two organizations,” said Fraudulent label head CastNowski. “Julian [Ragland, Ghetto Ghetto’s founder] and I have known each other for a long while, I had a release on his label at the beginning of my musical career and we both do share the same vision of the music industry, which is to promote new and upcoming talents through our record labels and give them a chance to shine. We had a similar compilation last year and it was a great success so we decided to repeat the experiment this year!”
“Honestly, I enjoy working with CastNowski and his label on anything,” Ragland added. “He and I have played multiple shows together and have been working on stuff for almost three years now. I also feel like Fraudulent and Ghetto Ghetto have a lot of similarities in terms of records we both respectively sign. It also gives me an excuse to push the envelope and reach out to new people and discover new artists to share with Fraudulent and give an opportunity to artists to get on two labels at the same time.”
CastNowski kicks off the record with one of its unquestioned standouts, “Feel It,” a disco-inspired tech house roller that has “peak-time” written all over it. The track sets the compilation in motion in funky fashion with brisk percussive elements and a visceral refrain that harkens to both labels’ club sensibilities. That’s no coincidence, according to the Canadian beatsmith.
“It is really a late-night dancefloor weapon in my opinion,” CastNowski gushed. “It is quite minimal but also has some good flavoring in the percussion and stabs. It’s one of those records that I just went with the flow and asked myself, ‘What would I want to vibe on during a late night out?’ And there you go! The record was born.”
Another 002 highlight comes courtesy of Rich DietZ, whose bass house cut “Bass Rock” keeps the momentum going just past the halfway point. After a metallic wobble signals the drop in vicious fashion, the fast-rising duo produce relentless layers of bass that run roughshod through the arrangement. They did a brilliant job of producing in between the bars here, sporadically employing granular fills and distorted saw shots.
Check out Rich DietZ ripping “Bass Rock” live below.
French house wunderkind Umbree, who CastNowski said has “enormous potential,” teamed up with JËN to deliver one of the compilation’s best tracks. The two collided on “Boys & Girls,” producing a menacing banger with hypnotic soundscapes and a gritty bass house drop.
Croatian young gun CASHEW provides a nasty G-House tune with “Ice V Neck,” flexing his versatility by producing a blistering trap break rife with thunderous 808s. Chicago producer SOLESDIN goes a similar route with his hip-hop vocal sampling on “Streetz,” but instead opts for a thumping, industrial techno drop that belongs in a dusky warehouse rave.
You can listen to the full Ghetto Ghetto x Fraudulent 002 compilation below.
Ghetto Ghetto x Fraudulent 002 Tracklist:
Castnowski – I Feel It
Dread MC & The Disco Godfathers – Kamikaze
Cashew – Ice V Neck
TRST. & Minor – Snake
Bassani & Fantom Freq – All Night
Rich DietZ – Bass Rock
Kjuus – All The Boys
Umbree & JËN – Boys & Girls
Reezy – Bad Decisions
SOLESDIN – Streetz
FOLLOW GHETTO GHETTO:
Website: ghettoghetto.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ghettoghettorecords
Instagram: instagram.com/ghettoghettorecords
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/ghettoghettorecords
FOLLOW FRAUDULENT RECORDS:
Facebook: facebook.com/FraudulentRecords
Instagram: instagram.com/fraudulentrecords
Twitter: twitter.com/FraudulentRecs
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/fraudulentrecords
