Premiere: Natasha Kmeto - Last Drop

Portland-based Dropping Gems, the label whose lush electronic sounds follow experimental strands with subtlety over a heavy hand, have just announced the fourth installment in their 'Gem Drops' compilation series. Among the familiar (DJAO, Philip Grass) and less obvious names (The Range, Pixelord) to be found among its 21 tracks is a contribution from close Dropping Gems associate Natasha Kmeto. The multi-minded Kmeto has wowed us before with her powerful, patchworked take on R&B, but on Last Drop she's dived deep into her production, with coo-ing, wordless vocals skimming over pounding soft-focus bass.

In other Kmeto-related news, she's recently signed with Federal Prism, the label run by Dave Sitek of TV On The Radio, with plans afoot for a more "vocal oriented" album release slated for around September. Inevitable, lifted from the slated release, is a sparse, highly strung pop piece, and an intriguing slice of what's to come.