Dexter's Beat Laboratory Vol. 79 – Dancing Astronaut

by: Robyn Dexter Feb 22, 2019

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Dexter’s Beat Laboratory is a weekly collection of songs from DA managing editor Robyn Dexter. With a taste that can only be described as eclectic — to say nothing of a name that lends itself to punnery — DA is happy to present a selection of tracks personally curated by Dexter for your listening pleasure.

Listen in playlist format here.

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Oakwite puts his unique stamp on his nothing,nowhere remix right off the bat by switching to a different key. He largely keeps the verses and bridges the same as the original, introducing a dramatic drum & bass rhythm for the chorus. The original track lends itself well to a drum & bass pattern, and elements like its melancholic guitar melody led one SoundCloud user to call it “emo dnb.” This fitting description makes an interesting niche for the same artist who (successfully, in my opinion) tackled Post Malone’s “Psycho.”

I’m still riding a high from The Knocks‘ St. Louis show last week, so they were bound to make an appearance in this week’s Beat Lab. The New York duo debuted this Wankelmut remix of “Retrograded” on Feb. 13, giving the smooth track a re-envisioning as a more house-oriented number. The German artist has crafted a lively beat around The Knocks’ catchy vocals, making this a stellar rendition of a standout New York Narcotic track.

Within the span of a month, London’s 1991 has blessed the music world with two of his creations: January’s “Guiding Light” and now “Illusions.” He builds the song dramatically, leading in with gradually crescendoing synths and hints of beautiful female vocals that make a full appearance as the introduction creeps up to the drop. 1991 once again flexes his ample command of the drum & bass realm with this brilliant blend of ethereal vocals and a racing beat.

“Made this just because I really love the original,” Grabbitz noted of his newest release: a remix of The Japanese House‘s 2018 “Lilo.” Where the original is a downtempo, introspective piece that drips with emotion and nostalgia, Grabbitz gives it a more upbeat rhythm and a subtle trap backbone. He leaves plenty of space for the English artist’s vocals to shine in the verses, but chops them up in an intriguing manner in the chorus, mixing them with a distinctive percussion pattern.

Feb. 22 has brought an impressive slew of EPs and LPs to the electronic music sphere—among them, Rameses B‘s. Spacewalk III: Alpha Cen‘s fifth track, “Get Through” with Veela, is a gorgeous, slow-burning example of the Leeds artist’s otherworldly production capabilities. “Veela’s vocals gives us a reason to get past even the most hardest of times, with her soothing yet striking tone of voice paired with minimalistic and melodic liquid drum and bass makes us believe that we can get through anything,” Rameses B observes in the track’s description.