The Lowdown: This Week’s Top Posts with The Black Madonna, Kode9, and System of Survival
Our most popular posts include Woolfy vs Projections, Monokle, and our Downloads from Cassini, Nate Connelly, and Roscius.
Subscribe to the XLR8R Lowdown
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 a weekly email newsletter.
Luscious, deep, infectious and emotive: All of those adjectives, and a bunch of other thumbs-up terms as well, describe this week’s podcast. It’s a mix that could only come from an entity steeped in classic house tropes—and in this case, that entity is System of Survival, the Italy-born, Barcelona-based duo of Pietro “Bingo” De Lisi and Alex Carpentieri.
XLR8R TV: Interview with The Black Madonna
In an exclusive interview with XLR8R, The Black Madonna speaks on-camera about her roots in the Midwest underground rave scene, her personal ethos about DJing, and her honeymoon at Panorama Bar.
Downloads: Cassini, Nate Connelly, Lance Neptune, Roscius, & More
This week on XLR8R, download the intergalactic sounds of Cassini, floating soundscapes from Nate Connelly and Lance Neptune, and the engrossingly innovative noise coming from the Roscius’ song “Petrol.” All these tracks and more are available for free at XLR8R.com
Hi-Five: Woolfy Vs. Projections
DJ-producers Simon James and Dan Hastie—the pair known as Woolfy vs Projections, take their inspiration from the titular hero of Zazu’s “Captain Starlight,” the 1979 tune that originally helped define the Balearic sound for the outside world. But more than that, it’s the vibe of Woolfy vs Projections’ music: The California-based partners have that hazy, summertime, swaying Balearic feel perfected.
Nuage started off six years ago as an artist steeped in the soft-edged end of the drum & bass/garage spectrum. But really, this is the kind of gorgeous music that you want to listen to while laying on a sunny meadow with some good friends, watching the world spin round. Check out five of the tunes that got Nuage to where he is today.
News: Kode 9 Readies Debut Album on Hyperdub
Kode9 (a.k.a. Steve Goodman) will deliver his debut solo album, Nothing, via his own Hyperdub label this coming November. According to a press release, the LP “throws horror soundtracks, sampled library records, and J-pop into a no-man’s land between grime, early dubstep, and Chicago footwork.” Nothing is set to arrive on November 5.
Premiere: Hear Monokle’s New LP in Full
On September 4, Russian producer Vlad Kudryavtsev (a.k.a. Monokle) will return to Germany’s Ki Records with Rings, the follow up to his critically acclaimed debut album, Saints. Ahead of the September 4 release date, Rings can be streamed in full on XLR8R.com.
Weekly Selections: Piknic Electronik, Sacred Grounds LA, Oktave
This week for our international event selections we have chosen DVS1’s Oktave guest residency at Smart Bar Chicago, where he will play alongside the night’s main resident, Jeff Derringer; Mark Farina and Doc Martin’s “2×6 all night long” set at the 20-year anniversary of Sacred Grounds; and Piknic Electronik Barcelona‘s huge Sunday party, featuring Agoria B2B Scuba, Frankey & Sandrino, and Daniela Cast.
