Longstanding London producer/DJ Mr. G will next land on Bristol’s Just Jack label with the four-track Resonate EP. Following closely behind the artist’s solid Personal Momentz LP (which dropped in November of last year), the upcoming effort is said to focus on “late night rawness designed for the dancefloor,” and furthermore, was originally mastered to tape before being pressed to vinyl in order to give the tracks “that extra bit of juice.” Resonate will also be closed out by a remix from in-demand LA vocalist/producer Seven Davis Jr., who himself has an upcoming 12″ for Ninja Tune on the way.
Planned for a vinyl-only release, Mr. G’s Resonate EP will drop on March 7; in the meantime the forthcoming record’s artwork and tracklist have been included below.
A1. TT Rum Bar A2. What They Think B1. Yo… B2. TT Rum Bar (Seven Davis Jr. Remix)
Los Angeles label Time No Place has revealed plans to issue the debut LP from Pazes, a Brazilian-born producer who currently resides in Berlin (the artist has also appeared in our Downloads section on numerable occasions in the past). Hosting 11 tracks, Pazes’ Induced LP is said to “curiously exude an uncommon sense of mystery and melancholy,” with its productions incorporating elements of “menacing starkness, wistful ambience, creeping bass groans, and the exploration of textures ranging from almost-weightless to gritty.”
Serving as out first taste of Induced is “Remnants,” a sinking effort which features airy layers of rising vocalist Andrea Balency in its run. Set to close out Pazes’ debut LP when it lands on April 27, “Remnants” can be streamed in full below, where the complete tracklist for Induced has also been included.
1. Be Told 2. Poltergeist 3. Left & Right 4. Sion (feat. Biblo) 5. Wall Five 6. Astir 7. Everyone One (feat. Biblo) 8. Grace 9. Induced 10. Guest 11. Remnants (feat. Andrea Balency)
Portland’s Dropping Gems label/collective will kick off its 2015 run with the Astrocentric LP from Citymouth, a core member of the Pacific Northwest crew who has appeared on many of the imprint’s well-received Gem Drops compilations. Said to have been recorded over the past several years, Citymouth’s upcoming album is stacked with features from fellow beatmakers, with the likes of Stones Throw affiliate MNDSGN, DJAO (who released his debut LP via Dropping Gems last year), yuk., and Ages all making appearances on the record. Ahead of Astrocentric‘s release next month, Citymouth has elected to give away LP cut “Glowscraps,” which features Portland’s Gumar, a producer who helped found Dropping Gems in its earliest stages and has also been known to make tracks under the names Break Mode and IBQT. Together, the two craftsman piece together a woozy excursion, one that begins amidst clouds of swirling chords before pieces of slightly broken percussion and sweetly plucked bass break through the fog. “Glowscraps” can be downloaded in full below where the artwork and tracklist for Citymouth’s upcoming LP have also been included; Astrocentric officially drops on March 3.
1. Singlecycles (feat. People’s Palms) 2 Neighborhoodcults (feat. Bone Rock) 3 Glowscraps (feat. Gumar) 4 Circuits Circuits 5 Searchesbirches (feat. Mndsgn) 6 At the Gemplex Live (feat. yuk. & DJAO) (Cassette Only) 7 How2hoodryte (feat. Bone Rock) 8 Holodecker (Brownbear Rmx) 9 Reshine for Devonwho (feat. Teeko) 10 A D Werk for yuk. (feat. Rap Class) 11 Teenagebownzen 12. Broke Jam Live (feat. Bone Rock) (Cassette Only) 13. Michael’s Bounce (feat. Ages) (Cassette Only)
Hamburg-based producer (and force behind many reputable labels) Peter M. Kersten will release a new EP as Lawrence via his own Smallville imprint next month. Titled Manhattan, the record appears to find Lawrence continuing to trade in the crisp and focused strain of house-meets-techno-meets-ambient productions with which he has built up his following over the years. While no exact release date has been set for Manhattan, the record is set to arrive sometime in March. In the meantime, Smallville has provided preview streams of all three EP tracks, which can be heard below.
Tom Demac will reappear on Aus next month with the Smoke Stained Ivories EP. Demac is no stranger to Will Saul’s ever-active label; in addition to last year’s Linda’s Theme 12″, his past collaborations with Glimpse and Will Samson have also seen a release via the imprint in recent years. Demac’s latest solo effort is said to show off the London producer’s versatility, as he employs an arsenal of hardware to create “rattling club tracks peppered with armored kicks and luminescent textures.”
Smoke Stained Ivories is officially due out on March 16, and while no previews have been shared as of yet, the EP’s artwork and tracklist have been included below.
Claude Speeed‘s music is something of a study in contradictions. Though he’s been involved in several projects over the years, most listeners first came into contact with the Scotsman during his time as part of the band American Men, which released a drifting debut EP on Glasgow label LuckyMe (an imprint more often known for its beat-oriented offerings). In 2014, Speeed stepped out on his own, returning to LuckyMe with a solo album largely made of similarly shifting textures. Now, he’s followed it up with a new 12″ for Planet Mu, Sun Czar Temple. It’s a short but sweet listen that, like his work on LuckyMe, initially seems a bit out of step with its record label’s ethos; on subsequent listens, however, the EP unfurls, and its pieces begin to fit into place.
The first track, “Traumzeuge,” is the record’s finest. It begins simply, with soft piano notes lurking underneath a corroded layer of digital hiss. The digital treatments give the piano an ominous feel, and it builds in intensity until it fades away altogether, revealing a gentle guitar melody with an accompanying vocal. It’s the EP’s most human moment, and the brief shift into post-rock after the heavyweight tenor of the first couple of minutes makes for a tender, touching contrast.
The EP’s remaining four tracks feature digital soundscapes that vary in tone and character. “Dr. Liz Wilson,” the second track, consists of coruscating, chirping electronics that could pass for an outtake from a recent Autechre album, in the best possible way. “Vin” is woefully short, clocking in at only 90 seconds; it presents what is perhaps the record’s most soothing, comforting moment, and is something that could have gone on far longer without prompting complaints. On “Fret,” the scattered and stochastic elements of “Dr. Liz Wilson” return, set against a synthesizer background that gives way to disembodied vocals. “R U Sorry?” ends the EP on a melancholy note, featuring the same digital corrosion that the record opens with.
When all is said and done, Sun Czar Temple offers up one fantastic standout composition and a series of secondary pieces that, while compelling, don’t quite measure up to the caliber of the first track. Claude Speeed has a real knack for blurring the edges between digital composition and traditional rock songwriting, but there are a lot of ideas at play here, and the EP might have benefited from a sharper focus.
Funkineven’s Apron label—which XLR8R ranked among 2014’s strongest imprints—has rolled out a 12″ from Brassfoot as its first issue of the new year. The London producer’s four-track Apron EP follows from a split 12″ with Lord Tusk released last May, and marks his first proper solo outing. Largely dealing in hardware-driven, Chicago-inspired acid, Apron is out now and the first three tracks (B-side cut “Senzo Nome” excluded) can be streamed in full below.
A1 Quad by Quad A2 Sepentinas Lust B1 Dogenzaka B2 Senzo Nome
At this point, the Nina Kraviz story is well known to just about anyone who’s been paying even a modicum of attention to dance music over the past few years. Born in Siberia and trained as a dentist, Kraviz worked her way into the electronic music circuit and eventually became one of the world’s most recognizable DJs. She’s prompted plenty of conversation (some might say controversy) along the way, but most of the recent chatter has been squarely focused on her music, namely her excellent recent entry in the esteemed DJ-Kicks mix series. In hopes of unearthing a few new facts about Kraviz, we asked the Russian artist to withstand a barrage of queries for the latest edition of 20 Questions. As it turns out, she was more than up to the task.
1. Where were you born and raised? In Siberia, 50 miles away from the deepest lake in the world.
2. Where do you now call home and how do you like it? Berlin. I love it.
3. Who or what do you miss most when you are on the road, and why? I miss the routine of my everyday life, martial arts and German classes.
4. What is the hardest thing you have learned since becoming a full-time artist? To stay awake when I should have been in bed a long time ago.
5. You post lots of pictures of you doing stuff while on tour. Do you stay extra long in places to do tourist things? Or do you just force yourself to go out when you might rather sleep? My job is the perfect chance to explore new countries and integrate into different cultures. I am very curious and excited to meet new people, enjoy local food, and learn the basics of their language. I find this experience truly inspiring.
6. What is the one thing everyone gets wrong about you? Everyone is clever enough and gets it right about me.
7. What was the last thing that made you really laugh and why? My boyfriend’s refusal to marry me. It’s hilarious.
8. What was the last book you read? Hiromi Shinya’s The Enzyme Factor.
9. You have a clear affinity for acid. Why is that and can you describe what it does to you when you hear it? It just feels right. Every time I listen to it, it’s like aliens have landed and are talking to me.
10. When writing music, do you always start with a specific idea, or do you just experiment until you find something you like? It comes across in a very unpredictable, spontaneous way, with my inspiration as a central point. Normally I feel like my muse comes to me, then I connect everything quickly, hit the “record” button, and start fooling around with a melody or an idea in my head. Then my synth will suddenly do something crazy and I deviate into a totally different direction. In the end, out of an hour of live recording, I only leave the best mistakes, authentic-sounding sporadic moments in between wonky harmonies that sound the most interesting.
11. Tell us about the new label, трип, and why you have decided to start one now. What is the main reason for starting one up? I have reached the point where I have developed a certain musical sense and I didn’t see a place where this kind of sound would be presented in a proper way. So I thought it was time for me to create an independent platform where this aesthetic could find its home. Every трип release has a story, a trip behind it. They are not just random various artists. That’s not the point. All of the music is connected and is visualized graphically and sonically according to a concrete narrative.
12. Will you release music by anyone, or must you know and have a relationship with artists before they appear on трип? The most important thing is to find great music that will resonate with my musical vision in the sense of groove, texture, and spirit. It can be a legend or a total stranger.
13. What is the best trip—of any sort—you have ever been on? When I played Coachella, I went to Joshua Tree park and got lost there counting cacti.
14. About the DJ Kicks—did you set out to represent yourself or a certain side of you, or did you just put together a club-style mix? I recorded a mix inspired by some of my musical background. Psychedelic rock, dreamy ’90s techno from Detroit, New York, Stockholm, and Reykjavik. Dusty house from Chicago. IDM and Italo disco. This music seems perfectly connected to me. When I was thinking about the right concept for my mix, Goldie’s track [“Truth”] suddenly popped up in my memory and I realized that the murky way David Bowie’s voice dilutes into the trancey atmosphere is exactly the way I feel right now. This is exactly my vibe at the moment, at home and in the club. Trippy, repetitive, going nowhere patches of words or just a voice that appears for a second and never comes back again… deviating harmonies and a very specific groove that I built in my mix around Goldie’s track. There is a particular story behind it, but I wanted it to be little untold to give more space for the listener to dream their own dream inside the atmosphere I prepared.
15. For you, is the dancefloor a lonely place where you lose yourself in music or a communal place where you feel connected to everyone? Normally, it’s this magic place where I relax my mind and truly enjoy the music that opens up a certain channel. I call it reaching a state of flow. Once it happens, everything connects into a perfect voodoo sequence. The DJ, the people, and the room become one.
16. You lead a very intense life; how long do you think you can keep it up at the current rate? I hope I can release another 10 albums before I even start to think about it…
17. Would you describe yourself as a feminist? Do you feel some sense of responsibility towards other women in the scene, or the world at large? Every time I play music publicly, I feel responsibility for my listeners. Both women and men, yes.
18. How would you like to be remembered? I’d rather answer this question next time…
19. Have you made any New Years resolutions? I will compose new music, keep on developing my трип label, hopefully start a new label, assemble my own modular synthesizer, and eat fewer carrot cakes then usual.
20. What’s the first thing you’ll do after answering these questions? I’m going to invite you for a cup of coffee and play you this song:
ALSO—the collaborative project between Appleblim and Second Storey—is preparing to release its first full-length outing via R&S in April. The self-titled LP compiles tracks from a trio of ALSO 12″s (EP1 and EP2 are already out; EP3 arrives on March 30) and is said to build on the duo’s shared affinity for “machine rhythms and sleek electronic grooves.” The nine-track collection opens with IDM-influenced exclusive “Arpegmonger,” before cycling through the “uptempo cyborg funk of ‘Blyford Bass,’ heavyweight bass of ‘Dive Prophets,’ bleeping synth squiggles of ‘Formation,'” and more.
ALSO will see an official release on April 6, and its complete tracklist and artwork have been posted below; “Blyford Bass,” meanwhile, can be heard in full here.
Two Spanish producers with their fair share of contributions to our Downloads section, Sau Poler (pictured above) and Pedro Vian have combined forces on “Paral.lel,” a dusty dancefloor excursion. Spanning just over five minutes, “Paral.lel” first assembles a chugging rhythmic base, which is slowly joined by woozy chords and the pluck of off-kilter strings. From there, Poler and Vian weave bits of glass-like percussion, tasteful vocal chops, and—eventually—some cyclical string pads into the mix, resulting in a deceivingly calming dancefloor endeavor, one which makes it easy to conclude that the Barcelona-based artists clearly work well together.
