Atlanta’s fledgling CGI label is prepared to continue growing in 2015, with its first release of the year landing this week in the form of the Trench Foot EP from Grey People, an artist raised in Chicago who now calls Nashville, Tennessee home. On his new effort, the artist-born Alex Michalski delivers a helping of raw, machine-made funk, of which the slithering “Moonstruck” is perhaps its catchiest endeavor. Fueled by the stomp of a red-lined drum machine, the track focuses on a new-wave indebted synth sequence which bends and twists as Michalski generously manipulates a slew of background textures. The second of four cuts on Grey People’s new release, “Moonstruck” can be downloaded below, where a full stream of the Nashville producer’s Trench Foot EP has also been included.
Croatia’s Dimensions Festival has announced the first tranche of acts who will appear at its upcoming fourth edition, which will take place from August 27 – 30 at Fort Punta Christo in Pula. The standout names on the initial bill include Moodymann, Ben Klock, Motor City Drum Ensemble, John Talabot, Mount Kimbie (DJ set), Rødhåd, Surgeon, Lee Gamble, Lil’ Louis, Daniel Avery, Goldie, and Hessle Audio’s Ben UFO, Pearson Sound, and Pangaea. Two label showcases have also been announced, with Konstantin, Vril, Edward, and Dustin lined up for the Giegling label’s event, while Tenderlonius, Al Dobson Jr, Henry Wu will be on hand for the 22a Records showcase. In addition, an opening concert will take place at the 2000-year old amphitheater in Pula on August 26, with the line-up for that event still yet to be revealed.
The full list of acts announced so far for the 2015 edition of Dimensions can be found on the flier below, while more info on the upcoming festival can be found here.
Lost Themes is something of a post-modern marvel. After all, John Carpenter is one of America’s most beloved filmmakers (amongst a certain cadre of viewer, at least), a figure who’s responsible for a spate of the best horror, action, and dark comedy films of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Essential to his films’ success were their soundtracks—sparse, simple, all-synthesizer affairs rife with tension, dread, and drama, all of which were composed by Carpenter himself (occasionally in concert with Alan Howarth, a frequent collaborator). Over the years, these soundtracks have proven to be so effective that they’ve inspired legions of imitators, including a bevy of electronic musicians who hew so close to the Carpenter blueprint that they blur the line between homage and appropriation (see Umberto, Xander Harris, and Cliff Martinez’s soundtrack to Drive for glaring examples). Surfacing after a long period of relative quiet, Lost Themes is Carpenter’s first non-soundtrack album, and was written with no accompanying images to score to. It is, essentially, John Carpenter performing as John Carpenter, a slightly surreal situation in which the auteur has become so notorious that he riffs on his own notoriety—a musical 8½.
But that’s all somewhat beside the point—is Lost Themes a good record? Yes—with a few reservations. The LP contains nine tracks, averaging about five and a half minutes in length, all of which have evocative one-word titles plucked straight from the Carpenter oeuvre. They’re more accurately described as suites or medleys, each one consisting of short pieces stitched together, giving the album a true “soundtrack” feel. The sound palette is classic Carpenter, with some haunting, spooky bits (“Fallen,” “Night”) and a good deal of gloriously cheesy guitar riffs and rockin’ drums during the uptempo pieces (“Domain,” “Abyss”). The album is relentlessly cinematic, almost oppressively so, which makes listening to Lost Themes from start to finish a bizarrely visual experience; whereas a great deal of electronic music is remarkably open to interpretation (this being one of the genre’s greatest strengths, arguably), it’s difficult to listen to Lost Themes without imagining a burly action hero bursting out of a burning building or a masked murderer silently stalking his prey. Granted, this may or may not be to the listener’s taste.
The digital edition of the album includes six remixes from a well-selected collection of artists who were clearly influenced by Carpenter: Zola Jesus with Dean Hurley, ohGr, Silent Servant, Blanck Mass (a.k.a. Benjamin John Power, half of Bristol duo Fuck Buttons), J.G. Thirlwell, and PAN boss Bill Kouligas. Their efforts range from good to excellent; Zola Jesus’ contribution, in which she lends her searing voice to the throb of “Night,” is a standout, as is Blanck Mass’s rework of “Fallen,” which transforms the original into a slow-burning psychedelic drum track that builds toward an explosive climax.
In the press material accompanying the record, Carpenter says “Lost Themes was all about having fun,” and it shows. It’s suffused with a particular kind of glee, the kind that comes from having mastered one’s craft inside and out. At the same time, that kind of mastery comes with its own kind of limitations—there are no surprises here, for better or worse. Furthermore, the fact that Carpenter’s studio has expanded significantly since the Halloween days means that the incisive, cutting simplicity of his early work is nowhere to be found. In the end though, none of this matters too much, because Lost Themes is a still blast to listen to.
Just before 2014 came to a close, Miami-based DJ/producer and former XLR8R podcast contributor Danny Dazeannounced that his upcoming Four EP would serve as the newly launched Omnidisc label’s inaugural effort when it arrived in February. Featuring four collaborative tracks between Daze and four seperate producers, Daze’s effort for the EP alongside Miami newcomer Deroboter, “Drowning,” is now streaming in full on XLR8R.
Spanning six minutes, “Drowning” gradually builds into a driving dancefloor effort, one which drapes new-age pads and sharply rising melodic leads over a skeletal rhythmic structure. Set to sit alongside further collaborations with 214 (a.k.a. J.Alvarez), Philipp Gorbachev, and Drvg Cvltvre on the upcoming Four EP (out on February 16), Daze’s and Deroboter’s “Drowning” can be heard in its entirety via the player below. In addition, Daze also launched a new monthly podcast series, Sunday Morning, earlier this week, the first episode of which can be streamed and downloaded here.
Just last month, XLR8R profiled Lena Willikens as part of our annual Bubblin’ Up Week series. The article highlighted the Cologne selector’s love of unusual sounds, and her ability to make them work on the dancefloor. Her eclectic tastes have most recently been on display via Phantom Delia, Willikens’ debut EP, which saw the light of day just a few weeks ago on the Cómeme label. Still, as promising as that record is, it’s as a DJ that Willikens really shines; her monthly Sentimental Flashback program, which airs as part of the Radio Cómeme podcast series, continues to be a revelation, and her 2014 mix for Resident Advisor was undoubtedly one of last year’s most compelling listens. Given that, we jumped at the chance to have her put together an exclusive XLR8R podcast.
True to form, what Willikens has assembled isn’t something for people in search of a polished session of neatly constructed dance music. Her selections come from all over the map—both musically and geographically—as cuts from her Cómeme cohorts sit alongside bizarre slices of post-punk, jagged electro, stripped-down house, and assorted electronic oddities. In truth, it’s quite unlike most of the mixes that appear in this space, but the podcast is ultimately as thrilling as it is strange. That being said, a cohesive thread has been woven throughout the mix’s nearly 70-minute runtime; its seams might not be taut, but the music’s looseness and Willikens’ remarkably open-minded outlook is all part of the fun.
01 Louise Huebner ”The Demons Spell for Energy” (Warner Bros. – Seven Arts) 02 I–F ”Torment” (Disco B) 03 Red Axes ”Shin Shim” 04 BWL ”Coro Delle V3″ (BWL) 05 Rumanians “Vos Sos Dios (Carisma Remix)” (Dengue Dancing) 06 Zombie Zombie “L’Esprit Du Cimetière Part 2 (Thème Principal)” (Versatile) 07 Lucas Croon & Carsten Dämbkes “Ecke Rolandstrasse” (TFGC) 08 Jan Pravda ”Stompd Galaxy” (DMD) 09 Kotai ”Luxury” (WMF) 10 Matias Aguayo ”ELEFANTE 123 BPM” (Cómeme) 11 Cowboy Rhythmbox ”Rattle” (Phantasy Sound) 12 Shitcluster “Doop 3” (SD) 13 Acid Arab ”Zahr” (Versatile) 14 Unit Moebius ”World Turns Around” (Clone Classic Cuts) 15 Vessel ”Red Sex” (Tri Angle) 16 Ana Helder ”Chabond” (Cómeme) 17 Dreamweapon ”Moonland” (Holger) 18 Christoph Haberer ”Give My Best to G.!” (Jazz Haus Musik)
After turning in a remix of Rival Consoles’ “Recovery” for our Downloads section a few weeks back (a rework which made for one of the site’s Top 10 Downloads of January), Vessels returns to XLR8R with “Echo In,” a new single from the Leeds-based group’s upcoming Dilate LP (artwork above). Scheduled for a release via the Bias label in March, Dilate is set to see the five-piece outfit shedding their roots as a guitar-oriented endeavor in order to fully embrace their electronic side. “Echo In” is a fine example of Vessels’ evolving sound—streaked with spiraling synth lines and buzzing chords, the track takes shaped as a fast-moving electronic hybrid, one which is quick to weave live drums in with skittering hats, pulsing melodic samples, and sneaking Moog-like leads. “Echo In” can be downloaded below before Vessels’ new full-length record arrives next month; the group’s upcoming UK tour dates have also been included below.
March 12 Convergence 2015, Village Underground, London (with Clark, Rival Consoles & Luke Abbott) March 13 Convergence 2015, St. John At Hackney (DJ set with Kiasmos and Rival Consoles) March 14 Start The Bus, Bristol March 15 Rainbow, Birmingham March 16 Soup Kitchen, Manchester March 17 Nice n Sleazy, Glasgow March 18 Belgrave Music Hall & Canteen, Leeds April 25 Opium Rooms, Dublin (with Jack J)
The record’s a-side features the rework from longstanding French producer I:Cube, who takes “Leisure Suit Preben” into even more cosmic (and slightly darker) dancefloor territory than Terje had originally intended. On the b-side, fellow disco don Prins Thomas gives “Preben Goes to Acapulco” a lively makeover, one which appears enhanced by the presence of additional live instrumentation. Out now in both digital and vinyl formats via Terje’s own Olsen label, both reworks from the new Preben Remixed 10″ can be streamed in full below.
Late last year, West Coast artists Eprom, Grenier, and Hej Fundannounced the launching of Sister City Limited, a new label endeavor. Following the imprint’s inaugural release—a two-track digital single which saw Grenier collaborate with Max Ulis and Sergio Levels—the imprint’s second effort will arrive later this month in the form of the debut solo EP from Hej Fund. A self-titled, four-track affair, the productions housed on the record are said to each find “their own place in an after-hours selector’s arsenal.”
Hej Fund’s debut EP will see its official release on February 16, to be followed by Sister City’s first fully collaborative effort in March, a record which will see all three label heads working together to craft three new joint productions. In the meantime, the full Hej Fund EP can currently be streamed via the player below.
After originally developing their CW/A collaboration as a live project, Italian producers Clockwork (a recent Bubblin’ Up artist) and Avatismdebuted together on record last year with the Conducting the Method EP for Vakant. Now, the pair have announced plans to release their sophomore collaborative effort as CW/A next month via Clockwork’s own Parachute imprint.
The four-track A Day of Riddance EP will include two new productions from CW/A alongside remixes from seasoned UK techno artist (and former XLR8R podcast contributor) Lucy and Ilian Tape head Dario Zenker. Billed as a “barrier-trashing wall of sound,” the production duo’s upcoming EP can be previewed below before the record sees an official release on March 2.
The 100% Silk label will deliver its first efforts of 2015 next week, with new cassette/digital releases from NYC producer Policy, Chicago’s Potions, and DC-based artist Cosby all set to arrive on February 10.
Having issued his Postscript album via 100% Silk in 2013, Policy will return to the label with The Republic, a 10-track effort which is described as an “unbroken 50-minute piece of music.” Furthermore, the record is said to have been inspired by a trip to the artist’s old childhood neighborhood in the Taiwanese city of Taipei, where his parents briefly settled after fleeing China in 1949, and where “he felt a communion by riding the city’s MRT train through hazily remembered suburbs and landscapes.”
Joining the label’s catalog alongside Policy’s upcoming record will be Cosby’s Mirror Box and Potions’ Phased cassettes. The former endeavor is said to find Cosby (who also runs the ever-active Car Crash Set label) looking to “an amalgam of real and imagined locations” as the inspiration for its six productions ideal for “playing loud and long after the sun goes down,” while the latter effort will see Pretty All Right affiliate Potions using “MIDI technology of decades past” to craft the seven tracks included on his record.
All three releases are set to be available in cassette (each limited to a run of 100) and digital forms beginning next week. In the meantime, a track from each of 100% Silk’s three upcoming efforts can be streamed below, where the records’ full tracklists have also been included.
Policy The Republic 1. Shipai 2. Mingde 3. Shilin 4. Jiantan 5. Shuanglian 6. Zhongshan 7. Taipei Main Station 8. NTU Hospital 9. Daan Park 10. Taipei 101
