Boom. Here’s the first Eargasms instalment of 2013 and it’s jam packed with a variety of different songs. It’s been a slow start to the year in terms of new music but we’ve picked out the very best from the fortnight. Yes that is Kerry Washington above, you’ll find out why she’s there on the reverse. What a beautiful human being.

follow YIN on twitter

AZEALIA BANKS

‘BBD‘

In a week that saw Miss. Banks going at it with a few people on twitter we got wind of new music from the rapstress and no I’m not talking about her diss in response to Angel Haze. Though the song is new it won’t find a home on her upcoming debut album, which is a shame since it knocks hard. The beat thumps and the bass cuts through the speakers when played loud. As ever Banks effortlessly rides the beat with her flow however honestly speaking I don’t really listen to what she is saying as I’m too busy bopping my head to the beat ☺.

Selected by DJB

___________________________________________________________________________

BENJI B

‘String Ensemble‘

This is crazy. Benji B teamed up with a string ensemble to play over of his set which features songs from the likes of Flying Lotus, TNGHT, Kanye West, Drake and more. Wait for the violin and cellos to kick in, it’s pretty special. If anyone can find me the mp3 of this set, let me know.

Selected by Yin

___________________________________________________________________________

EXR (ETTA BOND X RAF RILEY)

‘Resolve‘

Yep this right here is one for the speakers. Raf Riley is something stupid when it comes to production, he just knows how to make the head bop. Add to that Etta’s graceful voice and you have a recipe of greatness. The London accent also makes a refreshing difference to the track. Etta already knows how much I love their Emergency Room EP from which this song is taken. If you haven’t got their EP yet then I suggest you go and get that NOW.

P.S. Shout out to the homie Ocean for his lil cameo in the video, I see you!

Selected by DJB

___________________________________________________________________________

JAMES BROWN x 2PAC

‘Unchained (The Payback/Untouchable)‘

What a tune! If you’ve watched Django Unchained then you’ve probably already downloaded the OST. It’s epic like the film, the way Tarantino drops the tracks in the perfect scenes makes it memorable. I’ve always been a 2Pac fan, probably one of the first Hip-Hop artists that I digged the 90′s and this mash-up of him and James Brown is a great combination. Go watch the film, you’ll appreciate the song a whole lot more. It’s definitely a lad’s film.

Selected by Yin

___________________________________________________________________________

MYA

‘Mr. Incredible‘

People have written Mya off and branded her a flop but what people fail to realise is that although they may not hear what she is getting up to she has stayed active in this music game. Recording new music and releasing it in territories that the masses don’t necessarily check for. ‘Mr Incredible’ is taken from her 2011 album K.I.S.S (which is available on iTunes) and is a sexy, sultry concoction of music goodness.

Selected by DJB

___________________________________________________________________________

JOSEF SALVAT

‘This Life‘

I’d never heard of Josef before yesterday but having heard his song ‘This Life’ which hit the net this past week I can say that I am definitely intrigued. I’m not quite sure what it is about this song I like but I just like it. Saying that though I like the verses much more than the chorus, which now leads me to believe I like the song because of its production. Production on the verses of the song in particular, the beat is slow but the right kind of slow that takes it away from being boring or considered a slow jam. Really feeling this!

Selected by DJB

___________________________________________________________________________

JOHN LEGEND

‘Who Did That To You?‘

Another from Django Unchained OST. It’s all I’ve been listening to all day to be honest, any soundtrack with sound bites of Samuel L Jackson wins in my opinion. That guy is too much in this film as uncle Ruckus-esque character. John Legend‘s cut off the soundtrack ‘Who Did That To You?’ is a beautiful soulful cut which revolves around the main character’s journey to find his lost other half. Insane vocals as per.

Selected by Yin

___________________________________________________________________________

MIKE HOUGH

‘I Know You‘

I can’t believe that I almost left this out. My memory can sometimes be awful but i guess remembering late is better than not remembering at all right? Anywho i’m rambling on a bit. Mike Hough released his ‘Stained‘ EP on New Years Day, which I posted here on Y&Y but not content with just advising y’all to download the EP based on previous MH music I wanted to make sure y’all know what to expect. ‘I Know You‘ is by far my favourite on the EP, I seriously love it. I don’t really have any explanation or descriptive dissection of the song where i talk about the instrumentation, lyrics or melody. I simply sit here and say just listen and you’ll hear why I love this track! Click the link to download the full EP.

Selected by DJB