Music Submissions Roundup: September
A selection of our favorite music submitted by XLR8R+ members last month.
Music Submissions Roundup: September
A selection of our favorite music submitted by XLR8R+ members last month.
We’re back with another batch of submissions from our portal, and once again they come from far and wide; from producers old and new. Artists like Aspetuck we’ve featured before, but much of the music we’ve heard and chosen is new to us, and likely new to you, too. Hard Drive Library, a Hamburg, Germany, collaboration, submitted an EP we can’t stop coming back to; as did ben & dylan, from Portland, Oregon; and RSlane, from Algeria, North Africa. If you’re looking for something darker, dig into our two mixes, from Dead Pepaya and Anechoic; and if you want something deeper, or more contemplative, be sure to play “Colorinda,” a track from Brazil’s Vinicius Antônio. Thank you for sharing your work with us.
Editor’s note: we’ve made a point of linking each artist’s name to their social media 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, as well as exclusive editorial content, mixes, FREE passes to music festivals and events, playlists, and more. You can find out more here.
Yusuf Misdaq “Spiral Staircase (Dream Breathes)“
Yusuf “Yoshi” Misdaq, born in Brighton, United Kingdom, is an Afghan-English singer-songwriter and producer, and “Spiral Staircase (Dream Breathes)” is one of his latest works. A gentle jam with rich, sensual vocals, it marks the beginning of new material, following 2017’s Misted Almond Legacy album, recorded in Hawaii. “I can’t tell you much about what the song means,” he says. “I don’t know what it means yet, it’s too new, maybe in a year.”
Aspetuck “The Time Capsule Experiment”
Aspetuck, whom we’ve featured in March and June, is the alias of Griff Fulton, a Vermont producer who is fascinated by groove, percussion, and the influence of dub on electronic music. He’s recently released The Time Capsule Experiment, an EP of three originals ranging from house to breakbeat to electro, and all with a nice twist. The title-track is the record’s most left-field moment, and also its most enjoyable. The EP comes with two remixes, one from the label boss, Route 8.
Junto Club “Alameda“
Cult Glaswegian post-punk outfit Junto Club have returned to Snap, Crackle & Pop with their second release for the London label. The Alameda EP, available now, finds Junto Club, four teenage buddies united by their love of drum machines, primitive synths, and taut bass moves, expanding on the sound that has come to define the band, which is to say sparse electronics and percussive post-punk underscoring David Wilson’s haunting vocals. It follows two EPs, Club Junto and Warm Me Up, with Optimo.
James Vernon “Tee Hee Hee”
UZ-MI Records, based in London, has served up Tee Hee Hee, a new five-track release from label founder James Vernon, who also forms part of Money House Club with label co-founder Rick Silver and Second Move with Dario de Marco. The darkly alluring title-track is raw and prickly with jacked up percussion and a low-key vibe that is perfect for gritty backroom spaces. “Darts,” the EP opener, is also one to remember.
Myrezu “Calm Compulsion“
Myrezu is the creative alias of Myles Valle, whose production emphasizes an obsession with otherworldly sounds. “Calm Compulsion” is a delicate new track, taken from SURRENDER DANCE, Valle’s new album. “I have been working on this music for a long time, and I had many plans that may never see fruition,” he says. “At the end of the day, I found it very relieving to let go and move forward.”
Altstadt Echo “Nothing Clever“
Altstadt Echo is a DJ-producer originating from Detroit, Michigan, whose sound signature combines ethereal atmospheres with eroded, broken-beat percussion. He’s been remixed by artists like Erika, Terrence Dixon, and Varg, and last year he released his debut album on Semantica, based in Madrid, Spain. “Nothing Clever,” available now, comes as part of Sacred Sevens II, the latest entry to Modern Cathedrals‘ catalog, focusing on “post-industrial techno from post-industrial cities.” It’s a beautifully broken piece of intelligent techno.
Sebastian Fuentes “13 de Diciembre“
Sebastian Fuentes, born in Mexico City, has developed his musical practice through piano and synthesizers. His tastes and tendencies are mainly directed to ambient and techno, as well as downtempo. “13 de Diciembre,” taken from Entropía Mañana and available on Unos Quantos, is a gorgeous, hard-to-define piece that perfectly encapsulates his sound.
Hard Drive Library “Something Like Heaven“
Hard Drive Library is a musical project of two boys who met in an online forum for old Italian mopeds. As it became apparent that they lived close to each other in Hamburg, Germany, and shared the same taste in music, they decided to join forces with their close friend and graphic designer, who created a piece of art that said: “love songs are bad songs.” This became the group’s identity and the name of the first EP. With two tracks, the release encompasses lush, atmospheric breaks and dubbed-out grooves. We’re streaming “Something Like Heaven” here, but you can check out “Tell Me When It’s Over” here.
Detroit’s Filthiest “Undefeated“
Following on from his Please Play Again EP for Canadian label Philthtrax, Detroit’s Filthiest returns to Casa Voyager with Original Not Crispy, which encompasses a range of styles from ghetto-tech to electro and drum & bass and delivers a head-scratching collection of club cuts. “Undefeated,” an abrasive and frenetic club banger, is the EP’s second track.
VAntonio “Colorinda“
VAntonio, real name Vinicius Antônio, has been performing and making electronic music in São Paulo, Brazil since 2016. He divides his time between working in the computing field, producing video, making soundtracks for his cooking channel, and also electronic music. His work focuses on synesthesia, a neurological condition in which information meant to stimulate one of your senses stimulates several of your senses. “Colorinda,” a beautifully deep and soothing track, is available now on D-EDGE Records Black as part of Humano, Antônio’s debut album.
Edgar Mondragón “Ensoñación”
Edgar Mondragón, an electronic musician based in Mexico City, has been a regular in our submissions features, delivering tracks that blend ambient, drone, noise, and techno. All of the cuts we’ve featured are from No hay recuerdo que no se apague, a debut album coming next month. “Ensoñación,” available now, is the fourth single to be released ahead of this new record. It’s a deeply moving slice of ambience that feels like the soundtrack to a moving picture. Check out the other singles here.
Rachel Palmer “Aureate“
While Rachel Palmer, now based in Cologne, Germany, is most recognized for her live visual performances at electronic music events, she is now combining music production with generative visuals, intent on creating fully immersive audiovisual experiences. “Aureate” is the first taste of her Antecedent album, scheduled for November 27 release on Modularfield. Across nine tracks, she composes expansive soundscapes with intimate and melancholic undertones. Organically structured rhythms are met by billowing synths that invoke the feeling of breathing in a slow-motion dream-state.
Benn Horne “Pluto“
Benn Horne is an artist based in Los Angeles, California, meandering around space, “searching for somewhere remotely peaceful and habitable,” he says. His Perambulation album, released last month, is a continuous journey through the solar system, utilizing frequencies picked up from each passing body. “Pluto,” a brooding slice of contemplative electronica, opens the album.
Pat Carroll “Branching“
Since debuting in the Australian music scene in 2018, Sydney-based producer Pat Carroll has shaped his sound into something intricate and warm, with breakbeat drum patterns and soothing synth lines. This is particularly apparent on Branching, Carroll’s latest EP, available as a self-release, and we’ve chosen the title-track to stream here. Carroll balances music production with his studies in electroacoustic music composition at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
RSlane “Dupa” (Harr Remix)
RSlane is a DJ-producer from Algeria, and one of North Africa’s minimal trendsetters. He’s spent the past decade driving forward the region’s electronic music cultural movement, aiming to merge the dark techno sound of Berlin with the melodic modes of traditional Arabic music. He’s the head of Duck it Records based in Algiers, Algeria’s capital. Dupa, available now, is another breaks-driven, minimal affair backed with a remix from Algeria’s Harr, who opts for a deep and stripped-back take on “Cosmic Breaks” to conclude the EP.
Blue Cloud “Break Through“
Blue Cloud is an unknown producer making ethereal and quite astounding electronic music, and “Break Through” is a new production. It’s a serene, uplifting cut from a talented London artist we hope to hear more of soon.
Stature “Racks“
Stature is the alias of Connor Harrison, a producer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. Having studied music production, as well as being an avid musician since a young age, he now makes high energy beats with a focus on dance. Racks, a new EP, marks a progression in Harrison’s productions, comprising three funky, garage-infused jams. In July, Harrison released Stasis, his first proper release after years of dabbling in electronic music, and we featured the title track in July’s submissions roundup.
ben & dylan “Roo“
Hanging Waters is the debut EP from Portland, Oregon duo ben & dylan and the first release on their new label, waterworks. Though the two have been making music together for over a decade, they haven’t released any collaborative music until now. With the release, they aim to capture the sounds they love in dance and electronic music, “funneled through their own goofy lens.” Comprised of warm chords and off-the-wall drums, these four tracks form a collection of emotional dance music that doesn’t take itself too seriously, drawing influences from artists like Four Tet, Leon Vynehall, Mica Levi, and Kornél Kovács. It’s deep, groove-based music that is smile-inducing, and all-together funky.
Dead Pepaya “Moda Ekuator” (Indonesian Post-Club Music)‘
Moda Ekuator, compiled by Dead Pepaya, a joint initiative by Pepaya Records and Dead Records in Jakarta, is a compilation that showcases the uncharted rhythms of Indonesia’s post-club electronic music, produced by members of the alternative dance and experimental scenes there. The compilation is available now, and this mix is a little taster of what to expect, delivering nearly an hour of forward-thinking tunes, from speaker-rattling jungle hybrids to fractured beat cuts and noise-filled drone.
Anechoic “Podcast PWFM108“
Moroccan-born artist Anechoic‘s music is trippy, textural, spacious, and melancholic, and he’s been working on it for 10 years in Paris, France—we’ve featured his music numerous times in our submission roundups over the last six months. His latest mix, a one-hour journey for PWFM, an electronic music broadcast radio based in Paris, is perfectly suited for the heady, psychedelic dancefloor. Press play and let the time drift away.
