Throughout the week, a whole lot of material gets posted here on XLR8R. And while we know—and love—that some hardcore readers will eagerly pour over every single news story, interview, podcast, video, and MP3 download that appears on the site, we also realize that for most people, it’s impossible to see everything, which means that some quality XLR8R content is likely to get missed in the hustle and bustle of everyone’s daily lives. In the interest of making it easier for everyone to catch up, every Friday we present The Lowdown, a weekly wrap-up of the top 10 tidbits from our site.

1. Todd Terje’s new single “Strandbar (Disko)” hit the internet this week, and everyone basically went bonkers for it.

2. Addison Groove showed off his beat-making skills in a quick video produced by FACT TV.

3. Brooklyn vintage house connoisseur Octo Octa delivered our 299th podcast, which saw him mixing classic dance records with a handful of fresher sounds.

4. A new mix form James Holden appeared on Resident Advisor this week, and the DJ/producer noted that it was a “companion” to his latest LP, The Inheritors.

5. Native Instruments unveiled its Kontrol Z1 for Traktor, which was pretty great news for anyone using the company’s software.

6. We went Deep Inside the astounding fourth LP by Scottish duo Boards of Canada, Tomorrow’s Harvest, revealing many of its themes, influences, and other subtleties.

7. V-Moda is hooking up three pairs of its new Crossfade M-100 over-ear headphones to three lucky XLR8R readers this week, and thankfully, there’s still time to enter.

8. Japanse producer Metome gave away his “Water Cycle” tune from the recently released Phreatic Surface EP for King Deluxe.

9. We reviewed the new iteration of Akai’s legendary MPC production unit, the MPC Studio, and found quite a bit to like about the slim device.

10. This week, UK producer Gold Panda issued his excellent sophomore LP, Half of Where You Live, and enjoyed it so much that we deemed it an XLR8R Pick in our review.

An expanded version of the The Lowdown is also available via a weekly email newsletter. Those interested in an even more in-depth round-up of XLR8R content, including a complete listing of all the free downloads we’ve offered in the past seven days, should sign up by entering their email address below.

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