Track of the Week – Kingdom - 'Goodies Remix'

LA-based dance producer Kingdom hasn't released new solo material since last year's 'Drema EP' (Night Slugs), and this swampy bass-fuelled take on Ciara's 'Goodies' is the first taste of his forthcoming 'VIP Edition' EP. The track lifts Ciara's orgasmic acapella from her 2004 hit, overlaying it with a pumping house beat and oasis-like FX, much in the same vein as his recent remixes of Fatima Al Qadiri's 'Corpcore', and Chris Brown-exorcising edit of Brandy's 'Put It Down'. 'VIP Edition' will be released on 31/12/12 on Fade to Mind, the label he runs as the US counterpoint to Night Slugs. Useful timing, just in case your NYE DJ turns out to be a bust. 

VIDEO OF THE WEEK Autre Ne Veut - 'Counting' feat. Mykki Blanco

Imagine waking from a hospital bed to find Mykki Blanco and Arthur Ashin as your nurses! For the odd, super-intense video for 'Counting', Ashin (aka Autre Ne Veut) teams up with the performative rapper to huddle around the hospital bed of a dying woman, as the shots veer from horror-movie quick cuts and quasi-humorous shots of rec room texting. As zippy synths kick in towards the mournful song's final minute, the track moves into a trance-like energy with strobe-lights accompanying Blanco's chants "I need you right now/ I need you right now". 

COVER VERSION OF THE WEEK – Julia Holter - 'Gold Dust Woman' (Fleetwood Mac Cover)

This song was apparently written by Stevie Nicks during a 4am coke blowout, but Julia Holter's sparse and stately reinterpretation of the classic is a rush of chem-free ecstasy. With a slow-build opening, Holter dreams the song into new heights with reverb-saturated piano, echoey vocals and a brilliant, crescendo of "GO HOOOOME!"

OLD TRACK OF THE WEEK Candi Redd – Independent Bitches

I got turned onto Candi Redd's 2010 fiery anthem after spontaneously picking up a female rappers-themed zine this weekend, and immediately fell for the video showing Candi Redd ballin' in Gucci and hair-flicking in a glossy hi-rise. She may be toasting her $$$ with Rasheeda and Kandi, but she still steps out to the clothing store to distribute her mixtapes. Hustle!

CHRISTMAS RECORD OF THE WEEK Dawn Richard - 'WHITEOUT' EP

Don't expect carols and festive schmalz from Dawn Richard for Yuletide. The independent RnB singer and ex-member of Diddy Dirty Money nods to the the season with tracks like 'And The Bells' and 'Wynter', the latter a frosty audio landscape where Wynter is our black-eyed heroine. With Richard's 'Armor On' EP one the most surprising releases of 2012, 'WHITEOUT' is a welcome tide over until her debut album 'Goldenheart' is released in January. 

SEXY SONG OF THE WEEK Maseratay - Sexxxy

Simmering futuro-soul from Belgium label On-Point, with a gorgeously filmed video of a plaid-shirted plaid-shirted heroine who lives in a caravan. She wistfully looks out at a lake, wistfully goes for a stroll in the woods, and wistfully watches a flock of birds. What can it all mean? Luckily, the label sent us a poem to explain:

On what planet are we? 

Are you sure this is Earth? 

I could swear I was burnt in the first degree 

In a place called Berserk.

Which clears everything up.