Music Submissions Roundup: August
A selection of our favorite music submitted by XLR8R+ members last month.
Music Submissions Roundup: August
A selection of our favorite music submitted by XLR8R+ members last month.
As October approaches, we’re ready to present some more of your submissions, and this collection is another really strong one. As we’ve explained numerous times, we opened up our submissions portal to give original artists the opportunity to reach us, knowing that not only their music will be heard but that if it resonates with the XLR8R team it’ll be showcased to our valued XLR8R readers. Overflowing with interesting sounds and names, few of which we’ve heard of before, this edition encapsulates precisely why the portal has been such a success.
The submissions range from the time-suspending ambiance of Broken Chip all the way to the soulful house of Frank Lee. With its warm chords and dusty samples, Quimbie’s Sunday Fiction is an album we’ll be coming back to for years, as are the funky sounds of Indian duo Baalti and the haunting piano lines and warm chugging drums of Yasin Hazim’s latest podcast. If these sorts of cinematic sounds are your taste, then HAELIUM is possibly also for you—but scroll down a little further to “00#1” by Kobrik if you’re looking for something darker. Needless to say, dig some more and you’ll find the usual broken-beat, bass, and techno that so often frequents this monthly platter. Whatever your taste, there’s something you’ll enjoy, so go explore as you wish.
Editor’s note: we’ve made a point of linking each artist’s Bandcamp page, or a place where you can buy their music, and we encourage our readers to support these independent artists by buying their music. Let’s keep independent culture alive!
For those unfamiliar, XLR8R+ is a member-supported music community and curated music experience. Every month, you will get three exclusive tracks—sometimes more—by a wealth of amazing artists that XLR8R has supported over the years, as well as access to the member’s area where you can submit tracks and DJ mixes to be showcased in this feature series and to the XLR8R+ community. There’s also exclusive editorial content, mixes, FREE passes to music festivals and events, playlists, and more. You can find out more here.
Zig Wolf “Dion“
Zig Wolf was introduced to house and techno while growing up in Budapest, Hungary, as a teenager. In June, he put out three intense techno tracks as part of the DShop EP, and next month he’ll put out Vamp on EINZ records. We’re told that the four tracks fuse minimal techno, evolving bleeps, and groove, and we’re streaming “Dion,” a slice of hypnotic techno inspired by countless nights out in the German capital. You can hear an EP preview here.
Quimbie “Sunday Fiction”
Sunday Fiction is the debut album of mysterious producer Quimbie. Drawing on a riot of warm chords, dusty samples, booming bass, and infectious rhythms, the album is imbued with a charisma that appeals as much to the mind as it does the body. We’re streaming the title-track here, but we also highly recommend the woozy Kaytranada-esque “I Made You A Tape” and “Same Time Same Place,” a taut slice of wonky deep house. The gorgeous “L,” which brings the album to a close with its bubbling tom toms and swirling chords, is also notable. Grab the album now from Germany’s JANX Records.
Asta Hiroki “Half-Bloom“
Asta Hiroki is an experimental hip-hop producer based in Brighton, on England’s south coast. Having honed his craft working as a composer in the world of contemporary dance, he defines his works with nuanced, textural beats with an ethereal quality. Earlier this year, he released Entropy, his sublime debut album, and now he’s back with “Half-Bloom” through his own new Folded Music label. Drawing on Hiroki’s love for jazz, electronica, and lo-fi, the track flutters between between downtempo hip-hop and ambient. All profits will be donated towards reforestation projects.
Baalti “Aame“
On their recent debut for Krunk Kulture, Baalti, an Indian duo based out of San Francisco, exhibited a funky sound with retro Asian samples that give each of the four loose-limbed cuts a crunchy, lo-fi feel. We’re streaming the opener “Aame” here but the full EP is a memorable club record that stays true to its cultural roots without taking itself too seriously.
Marco Baresi “Warning“
Marco Baresi began his journey in music as a professional drummer for several bands. Nowadays, he’s making a crossover between funk, jazz, and deep house, and Endless Track, a four-track EP, is the latest demonstration of his work. With its deep melodies and old school electronics, the opener, “Warning” creates a unique atmosphere that’ll have you shuffling your feet on the dancefloor or nodding your head on the couch.
Broken Chip “Winter Rain”
“Winter Rain” is a stunning new work from Broken Chip, a synth collector based in Australia’s Blue mountains. It’s taken from a new ambient improvisation EP on Australia’s lo fi spiritual imprint which captures the tender emotions involved in the human experience. For maximum time-suspending effect, consume the full EP as a whole.
Frank Lee “Taken“
Frank Lee is an Australian producer who studied jazz and toured as a professional trombone player before settling in Berlin, where he fell in love with the creative freedom of electronic music production. His music is inspired by the soulful grooves of Theo Parrish, Moodymann, and Madlib, and “Taken,” the title-track from an upcoming EP, captures these inspirations. An elegiac vocal cut is repeated to create an uplifting groove that is embodied by the groove and drums. More information on the full EP will come soon.
2ape Pax “Anxiety“
The mysterious 2ape Pax is the latest signee to British label Absolute Loss. With four dark tracks that span broken-beat, bass, and electronica, his Anxiety EP is a fitting soundtrack to the uncertain times we have been facing for the last 18 months, but it also hints at better times to come. The fusion of sampled live instrumentation and perfectly constructed electronic beats makes this record a real audible treat, and the title-track, which opens the release, is a stunner that we’ve been digging into from the day it was submitted.
HAELIUM “For You“
HAELIUM’s dreamy electronica mixes cinematic textures, ethereal atmospheres, and punchy beats, and it’s influenced by the sounds of Warp, Brainfeeder, and Erased Tapes. Expanding, available on Future Archive Recordings, is the French artist’s latest effort, and it displays the same delicate approach to electronic music through blissful melodies and lush vocals. Although wide in their emotional content, the seven tracks are cohesive in their musical aesthetic. In June, HAELIUM released Freckles, a smooth downtempo track made in collaboration with Barcelona-based production duo PALLADIAN.
Halbert “Itsyourdream“
Through hard work and years of introspective studio time, Halbert has developed a mysterious and melodic sound. Growing up in Spain, he moved into electronic music after playing bass guitar in various bands, and since then he’s been exploring a range of different genres. “Itsyourdream,” a dark electro jam, is the highlight of his debut EP, Paradigm Shift, scheduled for September 30 release.
Sebastian Maria “Firefly Romance“
Sebastián Maria is a Colombian-American sound artist producing and spinning experimental Latinx music. He also helms New York-based Latinx collective Sazón Department. His work draws upon anything from música urbana, reggaeton, and cumbia to musique concrète, house, and even hardcore. In July, he released Through the Skin of the World, an album of intricate sound worlds filled with rapid-fire beats and chopped South American chants. We’re showing “Firefly Romance” here.
Bella Cross “Outer Space“
Hailing from China, Bella Cross has been a passionate house music fan since her younger years and in July she delivered Outer Space, her debut album of minimal techno and experimental electronica. We’ve chosen to present the title-track here because it sets the tone for a highly original and utterly captivating record.
Yasin Hazim “Interpretation 77”
Growing up in Paris, Yasin Hazim learned about music through an education in classical music and his family’s Moroccan and Algerian roots. From these influences, which also broadly encompass the likes of Leonard Cohen and Keith Jarrett, he draws his own style, ranging from blues and folk to psychedelic disco. His recent mix for Lughat alRouh‘s podcast series is inspired by a painting in his childhood home representing the soul—see the artwork. “It’s a whirlwind of words and colors, a vision of a soul’s many faces,” Hazim says. “I tried to approach something spiritual and heartfelt, an exploration of the language of the soul—an emotional journey through learning, obstacles, grief, and joy. Tune in for a personal journey awash with haunting piano lines and warm chugging drums. We couldn’t recommend it more highly.
Kobrik “00#1“
Stefano Pea is a Sydney-based producer who originates from Italy and releases as Kobrik. He launched the alias in 2018 with the Chronic Elevation EP on Dublin label Variance, showcasing a dark and atmospheric production style. While he hasn’t shared any original music since then, he has shared two mixes, the first of which, “00#1,” we’ve been really digging. It treads the line between dusty, lo-fi house and darker, brooding techno, and we recommend “00#2,” which he shared more recently, too.
