American-born, now Tokyo-based producer Hamacide and Shanghai vocalist ChaCha recently issued their second collaborative release, the Thirty Hours EP, which presented a collection of ethereal pop constructions led by airy vocal layers of “abstract Mandarin Chinese.” Enlisted to close out Thirty Hours with a remix is Japanese producer and sound designer Yosi Horikawa, who reworks the moody, funk-laced EP cut “Annie Gun” into a dense, water-logged beat filled with a large array of minute sonic details that draw the listener even further in. Horikawa’s finely crafted new remix can be downloaded below where Hamacide’s and ChaCha’s full Thirty Hours EP is also streaming.
Bubblin’ Up alum Toby Ridler (a.k.a. Becoming Real) went very quiet not long after our 2012 feature on him, but we never really knew why. As FACT reports though, there was a horribly good reason: Ridler had just finished recording his debut LP when all trace of it was wiped out by a hard drive crash. It would take some people a lifetime to get over such a calamity, but fortunately it’s taken Ridler only a couple of years.
The reinvigorated producer’s first post-disaster release has now arrived in the form of the five-track LQD OIL EP, which is out now on Ridler’s own newly launched ZONE label. A collection of “rougher jungle, techno and sound pieces,” the record has been released as a limited run of 50 cassettes (with download code). Ridler has also reportedly finished re-recording his as-yet-untitled debut album, and says it will see the light of day in the the next few months via the Transgressive label. In the meantime, Becoming Real’s LQD OIL can be streamed in full using the player below.
Those who have been following along this week have seen Berlin-based artist Levon Vincent first tease the release of his debut full-length album with a Facebook post and video, only to reveal the record’s tracklist days later. Now, Vincent has used another Facebook post to share a free download of a new production, “Anti-Corporate Music,” which soundtracked the album teaser film. The ethereal-yet-muscular eight-minute cut can be downloaded from a WeTransfer link included in this post, though Vincent stresses that the track is “for your personal collection only – you may not distribute it on SoundCloud or your blog, [or] any website. etc etc”.
Over the course of its five-year run, Catz N’ Dogz’s Pets Recordings has hosted a variety of artists, including Eats Everything, Tom Demac, Uffe, and Jay Shepheard, amongst others. Now, the imprint has invited hardware wizard KiNK to join the fray with “Fantasia,” a percussive outing featuring long-time Pets Recording artist Rachel Row.
Row’s dreamy vocals weave in and out of a light and well-tamed acid line throughout the duration of the original, which relies upon a steadily churning kick drum to anchor the track firmly in place. As the song proceeds, there are moments where “Fantasia” builds and hints at something more psychedelic developing on the horizon, but we’re never given a chance to hear it. It feels like KiNK is holding back, rather than unleashing something a tad more trippy—and potentially more interesting. Still, the track is perfectly serviceable on its own, and any sense of disappointment it provokes likely has more to do the weight of expectation that comes with KiNK’s solid reputation as a live performer.
On the flip side is a rework from LA-based producer Truncate, who employs a hypnotic vocal loop, slowly stretching it back and forth and pushing it through various filters to create a dizzying effect. The sudden arrival of attention-grabbing claps provides an unexpected flurry of last-minute energy, yet they quickly disappear in the track’s final minute as the whole affair gradually glides to a close.
In today’s digital music realm, one would not be wrong to, at times, wonder if there are in fact just too many remixes floating out there in the world. Then something like this rework from Leeds outfit Vessels comes along, helping make the case for the continued legitimacy of a well-crafted remix. Here taking on Rival Consoles‘ “Recovery”—a cut from the London artist’s 2014 Sonne EP for Erased Tapes—the Vessels crew manages to reshape the somewhat hyperactive original into an enveloping piece of textured electronics, one touched with just a few subtle (but effective) nods to the dancefloor. Furthermore, the remix lands at a somewhat convenient time for Vessels, who is currently in the midst of prepping a new long-player for a March release. In the meantime, the group’s skillful reworking of Rival Consoles’ “Recovery” composition can be downloaded below.
Sorry, download removed due to DMCA copyright infringement
After announcing the details of his debut LP yesterday, the first single from Hessle Audio co-head Pearson Sound‘s upcoming full-length record has hit the web. Premiered on Benji B’s BBC Radio 1 show last night, “Glass Eye” will serve as the second effort on Pearson Sound’s nine-track self-titled LP, which is slated to see a release on March 9. Built around a series of miniature electronic glitches, booming kicks and snares, and some sparse melodic content, Pearson Sound’s new single can be heard (with the occasional commentary from Bejni B) using the player below; the full details of the man’s forthcoming debut LP can be found here.
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A staple of the Warp roster for many years, NYC-based beatmaker Prefuse 73 has announced that he will issue three releases via the Temporary Residence imprint later this year. Announcing the news on his Facebook page, the producer revealed that he will issue two EPs and an LP in the coming months: Pt.1 Forsyth Gardens EP, Pt.2 Rivington Nao Rio LP, and Pt. 3 Every Color of Darkness EP. No exact release dates, tracklists, or artwork have been shared for the trio of records at this time, though Prefuse 73 did share two teaser videos for his upcoming efforts, both of which are on view below. Furthermore, the artist’s forthcoming efforts are also slated to be joined by “a whole lot of other shit,” according to his Facebook post. In the meantime, the aforementioned teaser videos can be watched below, while Prefuse 73’s 2013 XLR8R podcast can be streamed and downloaded in full here.
San Francisco party-turned-label Icee Hot (which, we should again point out, is co-run by XLR8R editor Shawn Reynaldo) will conclude its run with its 10th and final release next month, a collaborative effort from prolific West Coast producers Vin Sol and Matrixxman. The forthcoming Daddy Issues EP is said to find the Soo Wavey label heads “putting their fleet of analog gear to work” across the record’s three original tracks, which come joined by a remix from Icee Hot co-founder Ghosts on Tape. While the EP’s title is partially a nod to San Francisco’s rich history of mixing electronic music and burgeoning counterculture, Daddy Issues also stems from a personal connection between the two producers at its helm. “The truth behind it is painfully simple actually,” Matrixxman explains in a press release. “Vin’s father died at young age and my father is dead to me, figuratively speaking. Subsequently, we both have grappled with myriad daddy issues over the years. It’s a common bond that we have shared. We are blood brothers actually, an oath we took about six years ago, as a result of this.”
The 10th and final record from Icee Hot is set to arrive on February 2. Ahead of its release, the SF crew will throw its final party on January 24 and 25; a 28-hour mini-festival of sorts that will include sets from Robert Hood, Gerd Janson, Joey Anderson, Kowton, Maxmillion Dunbar, Pender Street Steppers, John Roberts, Galcher Lustwerk, and many others in its marathon run. A flier for the party has been included below, while more details can be found here. Furthermore, Vin Sol & Matrixxman’s upcoming Daddy Issues EP for the label can also be previewed below.
A1. Lotus Position A2. Lotus Position (Ghosts On Tape’s ‘Natural Instinct’ Mix) B1. Interrog8 B2. What You See
After contributing some memorable productions to Fatima‘s debut album, Yellow Memories, last year, London-based producer Dario Rojo Guerra (a.k.a. Flako) will return to his work as a solo artist with a new EP for Five Easy Pieces later this month. Entitled Kuku, the four-track record serves as a preview to Flako’s forthcoming debut LP, Natureboy, which will see a release in March of this year. Two of the upcoming album’s tracks, however, will first appear on Kuku alongside two productions exclusive to the EP, which will see its official release on January 26.
In the meantime, Flako has shared a full stream of “Kuku,” his debut LP’s first single and the upcoming EP’s title track; the fast-paced production can be streamed in full below, where the tracklist for the Kuku EP can also be found.
1. Kuku 2. Solo For Chloë 3. Albedo 4. Gone (Reprise)
Dutch label Crème Organization (who yesterday previewed a forthcoming EP from Legowelt) celebrates 15 years in 2015, a milestone the imprint plans to mark with the release of a number of free compilation. Today, Part 1 of There Is No Authority But Yourself – 15 Years Crème Organization has arrived; consisting of 15 tracks, the collection boasts contributions from a number of quality producers including Legowelt, Unknown to the Unknown label head DJ Haus, BNJMN, Jorge Velez, Drvg Cvltvre, Photonz, and Innershades (who we recently highlighted as an Artist to Watch in 2015), among others.
Said to serve as “the first batch of many to come this year,” the inaugural installment of Crème Organization’s There Is No Authority But Yourself compilation series can be streamed in full below, and grabbed as a name-your-price download here.
