Amsterdam’s Dekmantel Festival is partnering with Dutch streetwear brand Patta on a capsule clothing and EP collection. In the run-up to this year’s event, which takes place from July 30 to August 2, the two entities will release four bundles of music by Dutch artists alongside specially branded items. Young Marco and Fatima Yamaha team up on the first EP, due out later this month, Awanto3 (pictured above), Mark du Mosch, and Robert Bergman take the reigns on the second, Tom Trago and Deniro deliver “timeless slow-burning house and techno funk” on the third 12″, and Makam, Aardvarck, and Interstellar Funk round out the series at the end of July. Hoodies, bags, and other specially designed merchandise will become available as each EP drops.
EP snippets can be previewed below, where a full release schedule has also been included. More information and lookbook images are available here via Patta’s website.
June 20: Hooded Sweater + DKMNTL X PATTA 01 July 4: Long sleeve + DKMNTL X PATTA 02 July 18: T-Shirt 1 + Label Bag + DKMNTL X PATTA 03 July 30: T-Shirt 2 + Bucket Hat + DKMNTL X PATTA 04 + Box-set
DKMNTL X PATTA 01 A1 Young Marco – The Best I Could Do (With What I Had) B1 Fatima Yamaha – The Creature From Culture Creation
DKMNTL X PATTA 02 A1 Awanto 3 – Cover Up B1 Mark du Mosch – 2nd 5ystem B2 Robert Bergman – Wings
DKMNTL X PATTA 03 A1 Tom Trago – Brutal Romance B1 Deniro – Swing
DKMNTL X PATTA 04 A1 Makam – The Struggles B1 Aardvarck – Kubaa Rumbaa B2 Interstellar Funk – Androids Know Love Too
Dutch outpost Rush Hour has detailed an upcoming retrospective of Ron Trent‘s Prescription label. Trent, a Chicagoan, founded the legendary house label with Detroit producer Chez Damier in the early ’90s, taking over as its sole head in 1996. Prescription has since been responsible for putting out key deep house releases from artists like Romanthony, Heaven & Earth, and Trent himself.
As reported over at Resident Advisor, Prescription: Word, Sound & Power will be released as a boxset and aims to capture the essence of the label’s sound. “Starting from Inception, which was 1993, we’re trying to get various aspects of the label,” says Trent. “As time went on the label changed, the sound changed. Sometimes the material that we picked up from other people changed as well. So we are aiming to secure the essence of Prescription, what it used to be and what it still is.”
Prescription: Word, Sound & Power arrives in fall/winter 2015, and while an official tracklist has yet to be shared, Trent introduces the project in the trailer below.
Over the past few months, UK duo Disclosure has teased an upcoming album with two new singles, “Bang That” and “Holding On” with Gregory Porter. Now, official details of the Lawrence brothers’ sophomore full-length, Caracal, have surfaced. Set for release on September 25 via PMR/Island, the record will reportedly feature collaborations with Lion Babe, Nao, and Kwabs and is available now for pre-order. An album teaser can be watched below.
Following up from their February 2015 Dance Abilities EP on Young Adults, Marvin & Guy are set to release Egoísta, their debut EP on Hivern Discs.
Egoísta sees the duo further expand their palette with three tracks that push the boundaries between the disco culture and a techno spirit.
“Egoísta” is a highly hypnotic joint driven by a warm analogue bassline and a spacey pad that has become a staple in John Talabot’s sets during the lasts months. “Canción (Para Tí)” manages to blend an italo arpeggio, a 303 bassline and pumping disco beat with a certain latin spirit to create a crushing dancefloor belter. “The Man who Lost the Hat” is an obscure trip builded around psychedelic synths, a rolling bassline and topped with spooky vocal samples.
Ahead of the EP’s release on June 8 via Hivern Discs, XLR8R spoke to Marvin & Guy to hear more about their inspirations for the release. Lead track “Egoísta” is streamable in full below.
Talk to me about your visions and inspirations for Egoísta. How did these differ from your ideas for your earlier EPs? Is there any particular motivation behind it?
For Egoísta, we really tried to change our vision of making music because in this historical period doing disco edits is not enough and also because we wanted to have something more original – something more Marvin & Guy. Looking over the stereotypes of classic House Music, Techno, Disco and Boogie stuff, we had this idea to mix up all these genres to have that particular touch – but it was important that we remained instinctive at that moment. It wasn’t too studied.
You’re sound is very disco-orientated though mixed with touches of techno. How did you discover this sound? When the project was originally born in 2011, did you intend to create a unique sound, or was it very natural?
Today, it is very difficult to find a unique sound – almost impossible, we would say. But we didn’t try to create it. I think we have been helped by our age gap because we have two completely different visions of making music – a special mix between experience and freshness.
We love to call our style “Groovy Techno” actually. A fan from France coined this months ago after our Nuits Sonores‘ set in 2014. We really like that term.
Briefly describe to me the production processes behind Egoísta.
This release, Egoísta, was particularly instinctive (as we previously said about our music). It was recorded almost one year ago and all the tracks started just from the percussions, not from the drums, and not from the bass – just those Toms or Claves, or Rimshots. Thats why we have that “Disco touch” – because first of all we think about percussions. From this stage, it takes a very short time to bring it to a happy ending. The curiosity about “Canción (Para Ti)” is that it was recorded from the bathroom, just to ensure we had an original reverb.
Following on from the stream of “I Haven’t Been Everywhere But It’s On My List”—one of DJ Koze’s exclusive cuts on his upcoming DJ-Kicks compilation—!K7 has released a full stream of DJ Koze’s edit of Portable’s “Surrender,” one of several exclusive edits on the mix. You can hear “Surrender (Kosi Edit)” in full below ahead of the full compilation release on June 15.
Correspondant—the label headed up by DJ and producer Jennifer Cardini—will release its third compilation, Correspondant Compilation 03, on June 15. The compilation features contributions from a range of artists including Roman Flügel, Man Power, Chloe, Antenna, Red Axes, Bird of Paradise and Sigward, among others. With eight tracks, split over two records, Compilation 03 represents the undefinable yet unmistakable sound of Correspondant.
In support of the release, XLR8R has been given the exclusive stream of Antenna’s “Bells and Trees,” a dark and groovy ride through the nether regions of disco and house. Driven along by sharp drum-machine percussion, the track evolves across its five and a half minute run with alien-like pads, splashes of acid, and haunting vocals.
You can hear “Bells and Trees” in full below, ahead of the full compilation release on June 15.
Glasgow-based electronic music producer Toby Ridler (a.k.a. Becoming Real) released his debut album, Pure Apparition, on May 26 via Transgressive Records—home to revered artists Flume and Foals. The 12-track album follows on from previous releases on GETME!, RAMP Recordings, Moshi Moshi and his own Zone label and finds the young producer expanding upon his playful, post-grime soundscapes into a more industrial techno inspired sound palette. “Sps 7” is a trudging amalgamation of Becoming Real’s sound; gritty samples meld with dirt covered percussion, floating pads, and a growling bassline. You can download “Sps 7” for free below, with Pure Apparition available here.
BPitch Control founder Ellen Allien has announced a new EP to be released, as usual, via her own label. High, which is the German producer’s first output of the year, brings together a hypnotic pair of gently driving house cuts that should do brisk business on the terraces of Ibiza and beyond this summer. No preview streams are currently online, but the EP’s artwork and tracklist can be found below ahead of its June 29 release via BPitch Control.
Last month we reported on the Cómeme affiliate Philipp Gorbachev‘s new PG Tune label, “a platform for a string of digital singles due out over the spring and summer.” Having inaugurated the new imprint with his “Power of the Funk” single in May, Gorbachev has now dropped the label’s second single. Named “Let’s Dance,” it is (according to FACT) “a nine-minute number built around a booming kick drum, ‘complete with a nasty and hustling aural hi five which consigns it to the dance floor infinity.'”
The track has been a constant in Gorbachev’s sets of late, including his recent ARMA podcast, which can be streamed in full on the player below.
Slow and steady (not to mention subtle and seductive) win the race. Need proof? It comes in the form of James Priestley and Giles Smith, the maestros of the London-based, lowercase-averse secretsundaze party. It was 13 years ago that Priestley and Smith began refining the secretsundaze ethos—rock-solid house and techno, of the deep, rich and emotive variety, often played in the open air and, whenever possible, on Sundays. Nowadays, the pair are doing pretty much the same thing—except now they travel around the world, and spin for crowds of thousands. The secret of secretsundaze, which has also expanded its global reach to the secretsundaze record label and a booking entity called TSA Artists, is that it’s not too showy or trendy—you’ll find only high-quality music played with love. (To that end, the everyone from Jus-Ed and DJ Qu to Peverlist and Martyn have hit the secretsundaze decks over the years.) Priestley and Smith are in the midst of a tour that takes them to the States, Barcelona (for an Off Week Sónar event) and Fabric—you’ll find the specifics below—so we figured this might be a good time to find out just what makes the party tick, and the duo responded by naming a few of their fave secretsundaze anthems. A footnote from Priestley and Smith themselves: “These are just a few tracks that have been played at the party a lot in the last 14 years. They’re not our definitive ‘Top 5’ secretsundaze tracks, but representative of the party and its sound.” Whatever the case, it’s a top-tier quintet of tunes, with artists ranging from the New Jersey house icons of Blaze to the newest signing to the secretsundaze label, Endian—along with a surprise guest appearance from Brian “BT” Transeau.
This magnificent first release by Los Hermanos (Gerald Mitchell and Rolando) on the label of the same name was a huge track for us in the very first year of secretsundaze—2002. We used to open many of our peak time sets with it and still do from time to time. It has that majestic, powerful yet serene Detroit flavor with the Latin influence present in all Los Hermanos productions. “Quetzal” and “Resurrection” from subsequent EPs are staples, too.
Endian “Finish Me” (secretsundaze) A future classic for sure. It’s only just been released on our own label but we have been playing this in every set since we signed it mid to 2014 and it totally devastating. The sound George Levings achieves is just huge and the simple combination of the heavy, heavy kick drum, percussion, rude brass stabs and the Detroity strings make this a total winner. George grew up in the same area as us and we have been friends for many years, so it’s nice to support and put out a killer from him.
Scott Grooves “Detroit 808” (Dub Delay Panther Version) (Natural Midi) Huge fans of Scott Grooves. Could have picked a number of his tracks but this just pips it. Mesmerizing, game-changing vibes. If you wanna switch it up, bring it down or whatever this creates a special feeling on the dance floor every time.
Brian Transeau – “Relativity” (Carl Craig Urban Affair Dub) (Deep Dish Records) Another track that we have played to death and has that technoid kinda hi-tek jazz/soul vibe. Futuristic, yet very soulful.
Blaze “Lovelee Dae” (Classic) Could have picked so many Blaze tracks—”My Beat,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” Fantasy,” “Sacred Sex,” ‘”The Garden’,” ‘”Lovely Ones,” “So in Love’…we could go on. Just a perfect track. A little bit more modern production wise from Josh Milan and Kevin Hedge compared to some of their more classic NYC vibes on this one—pushy, hypnotic and soulful with that sweet vocal. Can’t but get smiles from the crowd when we drop this during the daytime or as the sun comes up.
