Music Submissions Roundup: October
A selection of our favorite music submitted by XLR8R+ members last month.
Music Submissions Roundup: October
A selection of our favorite music submitted by XLR8R+ members last month.
We’re back with another roundup from our submissions portal. We couldn’t help but include “Let’s Go Out”, another new track from Manchester pair ZULA & glue70, who featured in our September roundup, but most of the the other names are pretty new to us. Minimal fans will surely dig the hypnotism of mysterious Romanian artist Сай, but if you’re looking for something more sensual there’s a new track from Godford, the French artist whose debut album evokes the romance of late nights. And if that’s your thing, Ostrowski’s “PanNa” is also for you, and what about the organic melodies and intricate sound design of Japan’s Lycoriscoris? In terms of mixes, Pattrn’s Reflexions podcast, made of all-original material, is the perfect antidote for Ex.Hale’s outing in industrial drum & bass. Thanks, as always, for sending us your work and for your continued support.
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.
Michael Donoghue “Aequorea IV“
Michael Donoghue is a Rotherham, UK-born artist composing left-field electronica and drawing influence from electro, techno, and IDM. He began composing in 2017, releasing several EPs as Cosmosapien before finally dropping the alias in 2020. He put out his debut album, Landing, a collection of industrial, ambient, and electro, in September 2021, and we’re streaming “Aequorea IV,” a stomping techno jam, here.
Kör Boira “Zukunft“
Kör Boira is a DJ-producer from Valencia, Spain but currently based in Berlin. He runs a collective called SLET together with other like-minded artists, and he’s just released “Zukunft,” a thumping new single that comes with a video by Ojos De Sol featuring dancer Maddi Fuente Ubani. The track is available for free download.
Сай “Back on Track”
Back on Track, the debut EP from Сай, a mysterious Romanian artist, delivers five tracks of atmospheric grooves and minimal hypnotism. If you like this sensual title-track, streaming here, the full EP is worth your time. It’s available now on Coral Riffs.
Labelle “Eclat!“
Eclat, the fourth album from Labelle, is about the telepathic language between musicians playing together on stage. It’s the second part in a series of explorations into classical music and composition which started in 2019 with Orchestre univers, and it was born when the young French composer witnessed how the heart of an orchestra communicates with each other in a wordless language. As exhibited with this delicate title-track, the album unites elements of rock, jazz, electronics, and classical music. It’s scheduled for release in January.
@Braila “Motion Map“
In June, @BRAILA released Distant Memories, a debut EP with four tracks in the Lithuanian artist’s distinguishable style of electronica with degraded analogue production and field recordings. “Motion Map” is a jagged breaks cut that wouldn’t look out of place on Ilian Tape. “Fall Back Signals,” the opener, also stands out.
Phelan Kane “Ram Pressure“
Phelan Kane is a Berlin-based music producer and specialist in sampling. In October, he put out a new EP for Bulletdodge; though the Scottish label has manoeuvred itself into the realms of electronica, Kane’s EP takes a turn towards the darker shades of electro, and it comes backed by remixes from Werner Niedermeier, Inhmost, and Stockton and Malone. “Ram Pressure Stripping,” the opener, is our pick.
Listen/Buy
Godford “Say My Name“
Non Binary Place, Godford’s sumptuous debut album, evokes the romance of late nights, and now the French producer is back with a new single, “Say My Name.” Little is actually known about Godford’s origins but we recommend this single. We’re told that it captures the clashing feelings of anger and attraction towards someone, and that the balance between the lyrics and production mirrors this dichotomy. It’s available on Pack Records.
Gabo Rio “Sequence” (Original Mix)
Gabo Rio is a DJ-producer based in Miami, but he grew up in Managua, Nicaragua, where he began listening to deep, minimal techno. “Sequence” is his latest track released by WAPM Records, and it’s available for free download. It’s a micro-house gem for your collection.
Ostrowski “PanNa“
Ostrowski is a self-described experimental improviser from Poland with albums on local labels like Recognition and Pointless Geometry. His most recent work for Brutality Garden draws influences from batida, gqom, and afro-house and, across five tracks, he blends these styles with the glitchy techniques that have characterised his earlier music. We’re streaming the closer here.
Last month, we featured “Elevate Me,” a refined R&B offering that fuses ZULA’s sugar-sweet vocals with glue70’s molten beats. The collaboration was forged in the small hours of big nights out while soaking up inspiration from the pair’s home city of Manchester. The pair have now shared “Let’s Go Out,” their latest piece of electronic pop, where pitched vocals interplay with ZULA’s sultry vocal tones, all driven by glue70’s off-kilter synths and percussive grooves.
Lycoriscoris “Shizumu”
Born and raised in Japan, Lycoriscoris, the alias of Yunosuke Senoo, finds inspiration in the likes of Radiohead, Boards of Canada, and Nils Frahm, but his balance of meditative spaces with rhythmic beats sounds more like Christian Löffler or Lane 8. Earlier this year, he released Chiyu, his debut album on Anjunadeep, and it includes “Shizumu” which, with its organic melodies and intricate sound design, is a standout track.
Hugo Mesi “Y.K.I.G.T.B“
Tallinn, Estonia artist Hugo Mesi has released most of his tracks as Killerkat, broadly within the realms of techno and trance, and on his new EP, Brain Activity, he turns up the temperature using his birth name. “Y.K.I.G.T.B” is a hardcore techno jam that needs to be played out loud. It’s available on MÜRK Records.
Pattrn “Reflexions Podcast”
As a producer, Brice Deloose’s (a.k.a Pattrn) work bases itself on patiently evolving textures. Earlier this year he shared the sixth Reflexions podcast, a sonic journey comprised of acousmatic compositions that he specially recorded for the mix. The music is based around the theme of time—the way we perceive and manipulate it. For the best listening experience, lie down comfortably, take three deep breaths, relax, and allow yourself to be taken away.
With releases on OSM Tapes, Voidance Records, and Occultists, Ex.Hale has established himself as a rising name in drum & bass, and now he’s delivered a mix for Abaddon. You can expect one hour of dark, industrial drum & bass and unrelenting, experimental techno that’ll shake your walls.
Ses “sunday:MOOD“
MOOD, a music collective in New York, has shared a new mix by one of its residents, Ses. He’s one of several friends who bonded over their passion for exploring auditory frequencies and this particular podcast is from the series’ all-day summer closer party hosted in an open air venue in Brooklyn. So over 90 minutes you can expect uplifting jams that’ll transport you to a Brooklyn rooftop as summer draws to a close.
