Indie labels are often tight-knit families of musical miscreants united through their love of a certain underground sentiment—and with the posthumous release of Ewan Robertson’s self-titled final set of work as Offshore, Big Dada stays true to this perception. In the album notes, the ever-eclectic label says that “the sadness felt by those who knew and loved Ewan is still very real, but this record is a chance to celebrate what a unique and talented individual he was.” As is often the case with indie labels, Robertson didn’t just contribute music production, but also design skills: In their obituary for Robertson, Big Dada partner label Ninja Tune called him “one of the greatest designers ever to work for Ninja Tune or Big Dada, responsible for iconic covers such as the Wiley“black playground” image for Playtime Is Over, the Roots Manuvaslime-head for Slime & Reason, and Bonobo‘s Black Sands triptych.”
Given that, not to mention the varied output of Big Dada itself, it’s no surprise that his last work as Offshore is vibrant and varied. Offshore’s lead-off track, “J Bouncey,” harkens back to some of Coldcut’s later, more refined work, while “Church Rhythm” kicks off with what could be a Violent Femmes guitar riff. “Olympian” combines synth-pop sensibilities with syncopated shakers to create what can only be described as post-modern 8-bit. Then, you’re hit with the half-punk-rock/half-Brit-pop, sort-of-Minor-Threat-on-ketamine feel of “Ruin”—and you realize that the album’s main cohesion is just how singular each track truly is.
Once you reach the melancholy toms and staccato rhythm of the title track, which serves as the album’s coda, you truly get a sense of the wistful yearning that all of those who put time in into finishing off and arranging this album must feel for the friend who departed all too early, at the young age of 27. That it took three years after his passing to release this is a testament to the care and tenderness with which this release was treated. It’s absolutely fitting of the Big Dada aesthetic, and a dynamic final expression by the late Ewan Robertson. In a nice touch, proceeds from the album will go to the Marfan Trust—Robertson passed away while undergoing heart surgery for treatment of Marfan Syndrome. Another nice touch: A bounty of remixes, from Amon Tobin, Ikonika, Lockah, Slugabed and others, are available digitally with the CD and LP version, and a separate digital-only remix release will be available on all digital platforms.
Since its founding in 2011, Los Angeles party series and record label Body High—created by Sam Griesemer (aka Samo Sound Boy) and Jerome Potter (aka. Jerome LOL) who together make up the group DJ Dodger Stadium—have crafted a sound that is simple, raw, and organic. As a label, Body High has released over twenty-one albums, EPs and singles from the likes of DJ Sliink, Todd Edwards, and Floyd Campbell. Its sound seems influenced by a plethora of genres including Baltimore Club, Acid House, and Dub. Demonstrating a serious appreciation for its home city, Body High kicked off one of the biggest weekends in LA on Friday night by throwing a FYF Kick-off Party, featuring performances by Joaquin Bartra, Jerome Lol, Samo Sound Boy and the one of the forefathers of UK garage, Todd Edwards. This party would not only play a roll in the lead-up to the festival, but also to the performance of DJDS at FYF on Saturday.
Making our way inside the lobby of The Standard Hotel, I witnessed two anxious young men trying to talk their way onto the elevator that brings you directly to the roof. No such luck for them as we took their place on the elevator and made our way up to the show. The red astro turf that envelops the spacious rooftop of The Standard was welcoming sight, as was the colossal, all encompassing rooftop view of DTLA. These factors give The Standard considerable character, especially at night.
Talk of the FYF lineup was a hot topic of conversation—it established a common ground and created a buzzing social atmosphere that was welcoming and intimate from the very start. The night started off with Joaquin Bartra and Jerome LOL on the decks. Straying from the usual bare-boned and energetic sound that Body High is known for, Bartra and Jerome read the crowd beautifully, and began to consistently built their sets with smooth accuracy. The Body High crew’s delivery was on point, demonstrating excellent teamwork by crafting an intoxicating and unbroken vibe that consistently accelerated as the night went on. Samo Sound Boy was able to capitalize on this vibe immediately, and by the time Samo was in full swing, the crowd was thoroughly warmed up and anxious for more.
Samo started off slow before hitting the crowd with the club mix of Caribou’s “Can’t Do Without You,” before careening into the Four Tet’s “For These Times.” It was from there that the he managed to align the crowd with the Body High sound with tracks from his latest album, Begging Please, and emphatically blasting the latest single from DJ Dodger Stadium—resulting in immediate roars of satisfaction from the many loyal DJDS fans scattered throughout the crowd.
After a break from the floor, we returned to find that Todd Edwards had stepped up to the plate. The well-versed veteran of the scene was all confidence and smiles, delivering a wildfire of inoculable rhythm that spread throughout the venue. His mastery of his own chopped vocals shined true in his various personal edits and original productions dropped during the performance, refusing to slow down at any point for the rest of the night.
By the time the show was over, I was cashed. I had to get home quickly to rest up for the next day. Drifting off to sleep, the contagious rhythm of the night still rattled around in my head.
Fast forward 12 hours later and I am at FYF day one. Hot as can be and running late, I hurried to the festival and prayed for quick lines. The whole affair was spread out, confusing, and disorderly. I eventually made my way into the arena where DJ Dodger Stadium had already began its set. Despite being shielded from the sun, the arena offered no sanctuary from the blazing heat. The crowd was large, but the Arena floor provided sufficient room for everyone to move freely. Once I made my way to the front, I was lucky enough to find a wide-eyed flower child coated in sparkling paint, shuffling to the music and occasionally taking the time to use her hand held fan to cool me off.
The appearance of the crowd could not have been more different from the night before, but both groups expressed the same enthusiasm for the music coming from Jerome LOL and Samo Sound Boy. With only 45 minutes to play, DJDS broke out of the gate immediately playing nothing but its own original productions.
The duo delivered a set that was consistent and full of spirit. Pockets of the crowd had no problem exerting all of their energy during the set, but a large majority was mindful that going all out this early on in the day may be detrimental to their festival experience. With fifteen minutes left in their set, “You Don’t Have to Be Alone” got the entire crowd on the same page. For its closing track, DJDS played “Love Songs” off the Friend of Mine LP. The long-winded, repetitive vocal sample hoisted the crowd up and the duo timed the eventual deliverance of bass superbly and with pulverizing effect.
While many acts resonated with me over the weekend, it was the Body High blowout that brought me the most joy. These producers bring a level of spirit and freshness to their performances that is both animated and naturally uplifting. Body High has a true appreciation for its city and I am positive they will continue to represent and mesmerize Los Angeles for many years to come.
You can catch the Body High crew in LA tonight at The Getty between 6-9 p.m. for a Video Installation & DJ Set. Body High is working the event alongside Claire Evans and Jona Bechtolt from the band Yacht, who have recently launched a new App named “5 Every Day” which unearths obscure events that are happening all over Los Angeles. You can learn more about the event here.
Roscius combines live performance, vocal loops, and production intricacies to make engrossing sounds that are as innovative as they are emotional. After impressing us with his first release, WMD#1, Roscius is back to deliver his second EP on MUTA. WMD#2 is the name of Roscius’s new four-track EP that will be out on September 4. The second cut from the EP is “Petrol,” a housey composition that began as a collection of field recordings Roscius captured during a stop at the famous Tebay Petrol station in the Lake District. The resulting track is eerie, sombre, hollowed out, and absorbing as it bumps along on an insular kick drum layered with melancholic piano.
You can pick-up WMD#2 over on Beatport on September 4 by clicking here, and you can download “Petrol” for free below.
At the end of next month, Justin Robertson will return as Deadstock 33s for his second album under the moniker.
To be released via Skint Records, Everything Is Turbulence is a collection of 12 engrossing cuts of leftfield electronics. Mirroring the multi-disciplinary artist, the album takes many forms, with dub, balearic, psych, house, and techno influences all shining through. “This is a collection of lysergic soul and atomic machine boogie, stripped down and urgent in places, delicate and dark in others, tight but loose, combining the visceral needs of the dance floor with the rich heritage of years of psychedelic audio research,” Robertson says.
Everything Is Turbulence will be released on September 25, and in the meantime, you can stream haunting album cut “For One Touch”—which also features the vocal stylings of Robertson’s wife, Sofia Robertson—in full below.
Lovefingers’ ESP Institute imprint will release an LP from Karamika—a duo made up of George Thompson (a.k.a. Black Merlin), and Gordon Pohl, who’s one half of Musiccargo—on September 25.
The sprawling, 12-track LP will be released on double-white vinyl and digital and is the “bi-product of a creative simpatico, their quest to articulate a vision void of any defined lyrical or melodic language,” says ESP. “The instrumentation is a balanced palette of hard and soft, light and dark, pristine and corroded, droning and orchestral.”
Ahead of the September release date, previews of all 12 tracks can be found below.
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.
Interview – All Day I Dream: XLR8R sits down with All Day I Dream founders Lee Burridge and Matthew Dekay to discuss their brands success and challenges they face moving forward.
XLR8R Downloads: Download tracks from Chaos In The CBD (feat. Archie Pelago), Manik, Nadastrom, Vessels and more.
Labels We Love – Fachwerk Records: XLR8R visited Fachwerk founder, Mike Dehnert, to discuss his calculated methods of protecting the label’s signature sound.
Bubblin’ Up: Aparde XLR8R catches up with Berlin-based artist Aparde to talk about his music and his persona.
Jimmy Edgar‘s Shine EP is coming out next month via Ultramajic, the imprint he co-founded with Argentinian artist Pilar Zeta. The new release will mark the Detroit born producer’s first official release of the year, since taking over the Fabriclive 79compilation back in January.
The new EP will compile five tracks, including a digital exclusive titled:”Tik Tok.”
Shine will be released via Ultramajic on September 18, 2015.
TRACKLISTING:
1. Let Me Tell U 2. The Dip Chair 3. Two of Wands 4. Feel What It Is 5. Tik Tok – Digital Exclusive
If you’re not paying attention, you might easily conflate the sound of Nuages with that of Nuage—and not just because of the near-mirror names. The former, the mid-’90s collaboration between Ludovic “St. Germain” Navarre and Didier “Shazz” Delesalle that released the Blanc EP on Laurent Garnier‘s F Communications label, and the latter, the St. Petersburg, Russia producer who’s just put out the Neida EP on on Project: Mooncircle, both make emotive, rich and melodic music that resonates with sweet-tempered vibes. But where Nuages’ material came equipped with a bit of Chicago bump and Detroit jolt, Nuage—the man we’re concerned with right now—makes songs erased of jagged edges; it’s the sonic equivalent of summer clouds slowly drifting through a deep-blue sky, or petals gently falling from a perfect rose. (Another difference: Nuage, known as Dmitry Kuzmin to his pals, is a generation younger than Navarre and Delesalle.) Nuage started off six years ago as an artist steeped in the soft-edged end of the drum & bass/garage spectrum—there are hints of those origins on Neida, 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. Give the below teaser a listen, and then check out five of the tunes that got Nuage to where he is today.
Nuage: “I decided not to go far into the past, but to show five tracks that I still listen to a lot and are timeless for me. These tracks make for inspiration—and sleepless hours.”
Kollektive Turmstrasse “Tristesse” (Connaisseur Recordings ) The most “nature-influenced” track I’ve heard. I remember we were sitting in the studio playing the video of this track; he video was from the Disney movie Fantasia 2000, and was about about the beautiful spirit of the forest who fought with fire. The track became one of my favorites, and this video and music fit very well together. Minimalist spinning percussion and simple bass, stretching endlessly throughout the track—eventually drowned in ghostly pads and atmospheres. It is a long, mystical journey.
Matthew Herbert “It’s Only” (DJ Koze remix) (Pampa Records) Attention to detail—for that, I love DJ Koze. But his music is not only technical and ascetic, but also deep, emotional, and even with contrast. It is easy to get lost in the details, but it doesn’t interfere with understanding the meaning of the music. The remix fully demonstrates a unique and intelligent approach to the sound of DJ Koze, its even more dramatic and aesthetically pleasing than the original. Vocal delays in the end of the track are really fascinating.
Beacon “Feeling’s Gone” (Ghostly International) I just had this song on repeat. It includes the most of what touches me—it sounds airy and Balearic, and reminds me of a night journey around the city by car. The warmth and lightness of the Beacon sound are combined with depth, atmospheric and original drum programming. This simple secret works great for the timeless music—music without the frames, music for the sleepless.
Eluvium “The Motion Makes Me Last” (Four Tet remix) (Temporary Residence) The combination of instrumental, folk and electronics creates a completely new sound. Four Tet is at the top of this sound, and his music is free of genre. I heard this remix not so long ago in a podcast, and it has been in my headphones when I’m traveling by the train or plane ever since. It reminds me of born memories, and slow moves of a summer day.
Helios “First Dream Called Ocean” (Stray remix) (Medschool) I have a special place for minimalistic, leftfield sound of drum n bass, and this remix by Stray of a song from Helios is one of the most significant for me. However, it is difficult to tag it within clear genre boundaries; it’s just a deep melodic electronica song with an emphasis on the bassline. Stray added even more magic into he ambient Helios original—there are pitch vocals and soft minimal drums that made the sound even more flowing and sleepy, in a good way. It s a really great pill for insomnia.
fabric has announced the next instalment in its mix series will be Mathew Jonson.
The mix is a live recording of Jonson’s set from the London club’s 15th birthday celebration. Kicking off with “Northern Lights” by Cobblestone Jazz—a trio Jonson formed with Danuel Tate and Tyger Dhula—the mix features only Jonson’s own productions and remixes. “I’m really happy and honoured to release this set from the last fabric birthday party as my first commercial live recording. It couldn’t be a better fit,” says Jonson.
The full tracklisting can be found below, with the mix arriving on October 16.
Tracklisting:
01. Cobblestone Jazz – Northern Lights 02. Mathew Jonson – Dayz 03. Mathew Jonson – Learning To Fly 04. Mathew Jonson – Marionette (The Beginning) 05. Units And Measurements feat. Deadbeat – Octopus Brains 06. Tobias. – If (Mathew Jonson & The Mole Remix) 07. Mathew Jonson – In Search of a New Planet With Oxygen 08. Mathew Jonson – The World Will Come Around 09. Mathew Jonson – Automaton 10. Mathew Jonson – Decompression (Mathew Jonson Acid Cut) 11. Mathew Jonson – Decompression (Mathew Jonson Force Remix) 12. Mathew Jonson – Ghosts In The A.I. / Decompression (Mathew Jonson Mash Up) 13. Mathew Jonson – Imagination 14. Subb-an feat. S.Y.F. – Say No More (Mathew Jonson Remix) 15. Mathew Jonson – Cause Baby It Just Feels Right 16. Mathew Jonson – That Girl Can Dance 17. Mathew Jonson – That 101 Is Mine 18. Mathew Jonson – Feels Like Liquid 19. Mathew Jonson – Body In Motion 20. Kevin Saunderson feat. Inner City – Good Life (Mathew Jonson’s Acid Mix)
UK DJ and producer Matt Karmil has had a busy year since XLR8R put the spotlight on him as an artist to watch in a Bubblin’ Up article in May of 2014. Karmil is also no stranger to our downloads section, giving away the track “Sinkhole” from his debut album for German imprint, PNN. Now Karmil is back for another generous download, and this time it’s for the remix of the track “Gryning” from Swedish producer Ishivu. Karmil reworks the original into a more direct dancefloor cut whilst retaining the charm of Ishivu‘s composition. The track starts out with a spacey dreamscape that pulls you close to the rhythm long before the drums kick in. The piece then quickly picks up to a nice chugging pace that sets the tone for the rest of the record, before sliding into a close that walks you through the haze and into the house.
For more info on Matt Karmil and his next release, visit him on Soundcloud. Learn more about Ishivu by picking up the vinyl for Gryning over on Juno.
