(Image via thedankles.com)

As some of you may have noticed, Sound Buffet has been on a bit of a hiatus as of late. To make a long story extremely short, Sound Buffet is no longer based in Chicago – it is now officially a DC blog. (Slightly longer story: I moved back to the Dirty District earlier this month and am starting law school in the fall, which will leave even less time for blogging.)

But enough about me - onto the music. I’ve been listening to all sorts of stuff over the past month, but when it came time to decide what song to blog about, Ta-ku’s remix of “Left Alone” was a no-brainer, seeing as I’ve probably listened to it upwards of 40 times since I first heard it a few weeks back. If Flume’s original featuring Chet Faker is a beauty, then Ta-ku’s remix is a freaking beast. By packing the original with a healthy dose of bass, Ta-ku transforms what was once a soulful electronic song into a trap heavyweight. Like Flume, Ta-ku is an electronic producer from Australia. Recently, he’s been making his presence known stateside by churning out trap (the music genre du jour) remixes that are anything but ordinary.

(Image via en.paperblog.com)

Now that the “Harlem Shake” meme has gone viral, the internet world should be pretty familiar with trap as a genre. Most trap music is pretty aggressive, but it doesn’t have to be. Case in point: Branchez’s latest remix of Rihanna’s “Stay.” Branchez, a rising producer from NYC, tweaks the piano-driven ballad – speeding up Rihanna’s and Mikky Ekko’s vocals and adding a subtle trap beat – just enough to make the bootleg a different listening experience without sacrificing the emotional weight that the original carries. Download Branchez’s other material for free on his SoundCloud page.

(Image via salacioussound.com)

So contrary to popular belief (as least among my friend group), Twitter is not just another forum for posting pictures of cats and Instagrammed brunches. It’s also a great place to discover new music. While perusing Ryan Hemsworth’s Twitter yesterday, I noticed that he posted about Alex Young, whom he described as a “menace to society.” Of course I had to check the dude out immediately and I’m glad I did. Young Alex is a DJ from my hometown, Washington, DC. At only 16 years old, he’s already crafting some pretty insane trap beats. Check this kid (and I mean “kid” in the truest sense of the word) out now.

Cults - Bad Things (Alex Young Remix) by ▲lex Young

(Image via facebook.com/TeamBaysideHigh)

Sunday Funday is a lot better in theory than in reality. Needless to say, I’m riding the struggle bus at work right now. Luckily, I stumbled upon this remix on Hype Machine and it’s the only thing (other than an extra large iced coffee) that is keeping me awake right now. Team Bayside High give Matt and Kim’s poppy “Let’s Go” a bass-heavy trap makeover, while still retaining the original’s playful feel. Team Bayside High are a production duo from Chicago who know how to put on a show – I should know, I’ve seen them live three times.

Matt and Kim - Let’s Go ( Team Bayside High Remix ) by Team Bayside High

(Image via frock-and-roll.com)

Move over, Lana Del Rey, there’s a new girl in town. Alex Winston is a classically-trained opera singer, but her sound is clearly influenced by Motown, which originated in her hometown, Detroit. The indie pop songtress been in the biz for a few years now, releasing EPs here and there, but is finally poised to make it big with King Con, her proper debut album which was released on Heavy Roc last month. While I didn’t think “Guts,” one of the slower songs on the album, could any better, it just did. The Sound of Arrows, an electro pop duo from Sweden, give the track a danceable boost while still managing to keep Winston’s quirky vocals in the spotlight.

Alex Winston - Guts (The Sound Of Arrows Remix) by The Top Sound