Novocain. Or is it Novocaine? Or Allocaine? Or if you’re Frank Ocean… Novacane? Technically, all wrong. Ubiquitous under the trade name Novocain, procaine is something more or less we’ve all likely had anencounter with over our lives. An alkaloid pharmaceutical used as a local anesthetic (big words, for your health), procaine is synonymous in our minds for dulling pain… and for good reason. By blocking sodium channels into the cell, Novocain is frequently used in minor surgeries and dental work as a way of numbing pain sensations in a small area.
There’s definitely something perplexing about local anesthetics. The paradox of knowing something painful is happening, but feeling it in a different way. Dull, blunt, and softened, like someone is punching you through a pillow. The odd sensation of feeling numb but completely alert at the same time. Behind the jump you’ll find a selection of songs derivative of every direction I could take Novocain in. Blunted songs, songs that feel as though the edge or aggression has been taken off, songs that make YOU take the edge off, ones that make you conscious of their presence in a different way. Get numb.
Maribou State – All Blue
My favorite boys from the Shire twist things up in “All Blue” by putting some sad and emotional female vocals through passive filters which drives the track to a floatier space. PURCHASE
Clams Casino – Motivation
I am a massive fan of Clammy’s Instrumentals mixtapes, one of the many examples that rap beats don’t have to just be appreciated with rhymes spit over them. A lot of Clams Casino stuff sounds Novocain-induced… the signature lack of aggression or sharpness in his tracks makes him a unique and respectable figure in the hip hop game. Try and scrounge up the full mixtapes (there are two so far) wherever you can find ‘em.
Radiohead – Lotus Flower (Jacques Greene Remix)
One of my favorite EPs of last year, Radiohead’s remix EP combined already amazing songs (c’mon, it’s Radiohead) with a dope selection of artists which made for a killer EP. Jacques Greene takes Yorke’s vocals to a deeper level, and the track just throbs with them. PURCHASE
JMSN – Somewhere
Short but effective. JMSN is an amazing singer and the entire album Priscilla shines with his talent and emotion and rawness. But here you have it, an amazing break within the album that blunts his voice and emotion, can you get more anesthetic than that? PURCHASE
Rampa & Hollis P Monroe – Look Out (ft. Overnite)
Overnite seems to have come out of the mist to absolutely crush the vocal game, donating his voice to a few tracks all of which have been climbing the top 10 on Beatport’s charts. I could listen to this track one hundred times over in one hundred different situations and be just as blissfully content as ever. PURCHASE
Sneaky Sound System – Really Want To See You Again (Proxy Remix)
Kind of a different vibe than the super massive & annihilating vibe that Proxy is so infamous for, but once again proves that he is an evil Russian genius. With a chopped up arrangement and a deep bassline that punches from the inside, Proxy delivers another impressive remix. PURCHASE
Loco Dice – Seeing Through Shadows
The king, nay, the GOD of techno just f*cking delivers. I have nothing else to say. PURCHASE
!!!BONUS!!! Brodinski – The Chopped & Screwed Mixtape
One of the many, many reasons I love Louis Brodinski is his contagious love of hip-hop. This whole mixtape takes that entire world and slaps it with a heavy dose of numbness. So dope. DOWNLOAD