The Lowdown: This Week’s Top Posts with Kangding Ray, Nils Frahm and Olafur Arnalds, and Konstantin Sibold
Our most popular posts include Planet Mu's Mike Paradinas, Synkro, and our Top Ten Downloads of August.
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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. 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 post from our site. An expanded version of the The Lowdown is also available via our weekly email newsletter.
With a string of further releases on Caramelo, Kompakt and Snork Enterprises under his belt, it came as no surprise when he was voted Newcomer of the Year 2013 by the readers of Groove, an award that was accompanied by the #2 slot for Remix of the Year 2013 for his version of “No One Gets Left Behind”, from DJ Yellow and Flowers and Sea Creatures. Sibold’s output to date reflects an artist with an ability to blend genres like few others, and that’s what he done on this week’s XLR8Rpodcast.
Now that the calendar has ticked over into September, and the final downloads of last month have had time to work their magic, it’s once again time to announce our top 10 most popular tracks to land in XLR8R‘s downloads section in August.
Q&A: Planet Mu’s Mike Paradinas
His pioneering, still-vital electronic-music label marks its 20th anniversary with a sprawling retrospective.
When they’re not in Ibiza or otherwise jet-setting around the world, Wink spends time in his Philadelphia home, while Bug resides in Berlin—but XLR8R recently had the opportunity to get the two together on Skype for a chat about tag-teaming, podium dancers, and awkward energy at EDM stages, among other topics.
Manchester, U.K. producer Synkro (a.k.a. Joe McBride) has gone through some big changes in the last few years. If his sound was once in tune with the prevailing deeper resonances of dubstep and the fringes of drum & bass, he’s dancing to a different rhythm now. But while his outlook has altered, this transfiguration is something he’s embraced.
As the phone clicks and a soft-spoken Nils Frahm gives a greeting, it’s hard to imagine how he even has time for an interview, let alone a new project. Now, in the midst of an extensive touring period, he’s found time to deliver his edition of the Late Night Tales series, drawn from his extensive music collection which occupies his home in Berlin
News: Stream Track fromNils Frahm and Olafur Arnalds EP
Nils Frahm and Ólafur Arnalds have launched a new site which features a brand new, 45 minute documentary video of the two artists hanging out in the studio together creating new music. Additionally, there are three releases – two 12”s and a 7” – of Nils & Olafur’s works available for sale now, the newest being Loon, which features new, unreleased music.
Premiere: Hear Kenton Slash Deamons “Syko”
Opening with twisted, almost unrecognizable vocal samples and swelling waves of noise, the nostalgic-tinged “Syko” is a beautiful, organic slice of house music reminiscent of the likes DJ Koze and his Pampa label. It’s the slightly darker, low-slung brother to the previously released “Harpe,” perfect for getting lost on the dancefloor in the early hours of the morning.
Weekly Selections: Horst Festival, Sustain Release, Percolate
Sustain-Release returns for its second year this weekend Sep 11-13 to Camp Lakota in the Catskill mountains of upstate New York featuring acts like The Black Madonna, Mike Servito, Veronica Vasicka, Paula Temple, and Beautiful Swimmers. Belgium’s Horst Arts and Music Festival takes place also for its second year this Friday and Saturday, located in the surroundings of a castle in the green valley of the Hageland hills, and boasting a stellar musical lineup with acts Gerd Janson, FaltyDL / Waajeed – live, Palms Trax, and others, plus visual interactive art curation by architect duo Gijs Van Vaerenbergh. Over in the U.K. on Saturday, XLR8R podcast alumni Leon Vynehall is set to play an eight hour all night set for Percolate at the intimate 200 capacity Studio Spaces E2 loft in Shoreditch.
