California Sounds: Brainfeeder’s new mixtape, the Alchemist’s Franco-sampling ‘French Blend’ series, Dawn’s ‘Stopwatch’ video and Seven Davis Jr.’s house bangers

Various artists, Brainfeeder 2017/2018 mix (Soundcloud) To mark the new year, Los Angeles experimental beat label Brainfeeder has issued a mix that couples recent and forthcoming jams into a 45-minute suite — and is capped by a new Flying Lotus track.

That shouldn’t be surprising. Brainfeeder, after all, is his label, and the sounds that emanate Medusa-like from his muse strike an aural philosophy that he espouses in his own music.

Mixed by the producer — and one-half of the production team JP Moregun — PBDY, the set features recent, remixed and forthcoming work from Thundercat, Lapalux, Jameszoo and Iglooghost.

Most notable, however, are a few teasers for upcoming projects. The bedroom synth-funk producer Louis Cole (Knower) delivers two short, quirky tracks; and the composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson presents two ethereal works. A central behind-the-scenes session player who has worked with artists including Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Bilal and dozens more, Atwood-Ferguson most recently co-composed, with Flying Lotus, the intro music to Beyonce’s new video for “Family Feud.”

Dawn, “Stopwatch” video (IAMSIAM). The artist born Dawn Richard was formerly best known as a member of the R&B group Danity Kane before morphing into a transgressive R&B innovator. Along with frequent collaborator Travis “Machinedrum” Stewart, she couples her breathy voice with an impatient message on “Stopwatch.”

“I ain’t got no time to waste on you,” she sings in the new video while dancing beneath palm trees. Elsewhere she maneuvers in a darkened room like a warrior. Lighted by neon, she strikes her sword at an invisible enemy, and you can’t help but think she’s defending her aesthetic independence.

The Alchemist, “French Blend” and “French Blends 2” (Bandcamp). The Beverly Hills-born producer Daniel Maman has been making beats for more than two decades, and his impressive resume includes recent work for Kendrick Lamar, Danny Brown, Schoolboy Q and Earl Sweatshirt.

In December, the producer issued “French Blend,” a collection of beats drawn from French funk music of the 1970s and ’80s. Mixing both uptempo disco rhythms and slower soul-infected jams, the instrumentals are accented with sampled vocals from French-centric films.

The follow-up, also available through Bandcamp, was issued on New Year’s Eve, and opens with a funny sample from an unidentified interview. In it, a self-important fellow explains that “the more you focus, that means the more you have to exclude things.” Such as? “Being an international playboy,” he replies — of course.

Seven Davis Jr., “Sev Was Here EP” (Secret Angels). The Los Angeles-based Davis crafts sparse, intense house music with hardened bass-kicks, sibilant high-hats and mid-range accents and noises that cut through the rhythms. Like Chicago minimalist dance labels Relief and Dance Mania, Davis doesn’t need divas to do his vocal bidding.

Rather, he confesses with echoed honesty. “I could really use a blessing,” he utters during “No Mercy,” one of four new tracks he surprise-released at the end of December.

When Davis offers, as on “To Be Continued,” that “everything is working,” he does so with an infectious buoyancy that belies the reality of a relationship-ending situation. “You ain’t gotta say goodbye/You and I would have been perfect together,” he sings while dicing his sampled vocals to create its own rhythm.

For tips, records, snapshots and stories on Los Angeles music culture, follow Randall Roberts on Twitter and Instagram: @liledit. Email: randall.roberts@latimes.com.