Over the past few weeks, Canadian producer David Psutka has gradually unveiled plans to launch the Halocline Trance label, for which his third full-length record as Egyptrixx will serve as the imprint’s inaugural release. Now, the forthcoming LP‘s title track has been made available to stream in full.
Set to appear as the second cut on Egyptrixx’s Transfer of Energy [Feelings of Power] LP, the newly shared tracked finds Psutka crafting a harrowing piece of experimental club music, one which lays down an onslaught of manipulated percussion samples and otherworldly FX amongst an array of machine-made chord stabs and menacing drones. The full Transfer of Energy [Feelings of Power] album is set to see a release sometime in February of next year; in the meantime, the record’s title track is streaming in full below.
After surprising, and for that matter, disappointing many DJs around the globe with the announcement (back in 2010) that it would discontinue production of its turntables, the Technics camp has revealed another intriguing bit of news, detailing plans to launch a high-resolution music store in January of next year.
According to an article posted earlier today on Music Week, the store—deemed Technics Tracks—will “carry a selection of 24-bit FLAC audio tracks, including tens of thousands in the 192kHz sampling rate… [as well as] an extensive collection of 16-bit/44.1kHz, CD quality tracks.” Appearing to be aimed at audiofiles and high-fidelity music connoisseurs, the service will first be launched in the UK and Germany in January, with no indication yet as to when the service may become available for US customers.
Described by David Preece, head of Technics Brand Strategy in Europe, as “another step in supporting our ultimate goal of bringing the world’s highest-class audio experience to serious music lovers,” Music Week’s full article on the forthcoming Technics Tracks store can be found here.
Earlier this month, LA producer Villain became the latest producer to step up on local label Futra, delivering his Vantage EP via the label. Across its four tracks, the record sees Villain lacing heavy-handed rhythmic structures with dense sonic atmospheres, such as on the record’s closing cut, a “Subterranean Dub” version of the EP’s title track. Stretched across six minutes, the dub strips back the original effort’s drum pattern, focusing on an industrial half-time step which cuts through a wide-spread array of moody chords and swelling pads. Out now, the rest of Villain’s recent Vantage EP can be previewed after the jump.
While in Germany for a string of dates, rising NYC producer/DJ Galcher Lustwerk stopped by Berlin Community Radio to play some records. Now, Lustwerk’s two-plus-hour set is available to hear in full. Across the elongated session’s run, the Stateside selector touches on a wide range of music, beginning the session with the more subdued electronic sounds he’s dabbled in as a producer before moving on to include a good deal of hip-hop, vintage pop and soul, and more throughout the mix’s 140 minutes.
Though no tracklist has been made available, Lustwerk’s recent session for Berlin Community Radio can be streamed in full below.
Earlier this month, NYC-via-Montreal producer Jacques Greene returned to the LuckyMe label with the four-track After Life, After Party EP, the title track from which has now received a video treatment. Accompanying the rich, moody production are images of a variety of people, seemingly projected onto the walls of a large, dark room. As Greene’s spiraling synth lines weave in and out of focus, a variety of guest stars appear in the projections, some dancing to the beat or nodding along, while others simply look around.
The full new clip for “After Life After, Party” can be watched below, while Greene’s EP of the same name (which features remixes from Sei A and Suicideyear) is out now via LuckyMe.
A bonus cut to S-Ampel‘s forthcoming The Escapist EP for UK label Decay, “Playing Games” is an acutely focused dancefloor cut. An efficient tool of sorts, the track leads with sharp four-on-the-floor rhythms and undulating sub-bass, on top of which the Birmingham producer lays down dubbed chords, wordless vocal murmurs, and light touches of percussion and FX. Before S-Ampel’s deep-rooted The Escapist EP lands next week (November 24, to be exact), the upcoming three-track record can be previewed after the jump.
Following previous installments from Illum Sphere and Erol Alkan, Ultramajic label head Jimmy Edgar has been tapped to mix the 79th edition of the long-running Fabriclive series. Having cut his teeth as a DJ and producer in East Detroit, Edgar opens with a nod to “hometown forebearers” Terrence Dixon and Patrice Scott before switching gears to highlight forthcoming material on Ultramajic. Strung through with a number of his own productions and edits, Fabriclive 79 also features exclusive cuts from Danny Daze, Crystal Bandito, and Kris Wadsworth, and is set to arrive on January 19. Until then, both its artwork and tracklist are on view below, and individual tracks on the mix are available to preview here.
01. Terrence Dixon – The Electric 02. POL Style, Vin Sol & Matrixxman – Power Top 03. Patrice Scott – Raw Fusion [Sistrum] + L-Vis 1990 – Hard Drive 04. Crystal Bandito – Let It All Out 05. Truncate & Jimmy Edgar – Submission 06. Jimmy Edgar – Tik Tok 07. Crystal Bandito – EEEwalk 08. Jimmy Edgar – RS2000 09. Crystal Bandito – Work It 10. Jimmy Edgar – Fern Portal 11. Jimmy Edgar feat. DJ Rashad – Walk Show 12. Crystal Bandito – Feel So Free 13. Danny Daze – Ready2Go 14. DJ Godfather & DJ Starski – Another Freaks 15. Crystal Bandito – Be With Me 16. Kris Wadsworth – Uranus 444 (Side A) 17. Jimmy Edgar – Atlantiz 18. Kris Wadsworth – Uranus 333 (Side B)
This week, Amsterdam-based duo Juju & Jordash (a.k.a. Gal Aner and Jordan Czamanski) is releasing Clean-Cut, its fourth full-length and the follow-up to 2012’s stellar Techno Primitivism. Touted as a “tighter, more honest” affair, the new album once again finds the Israeli-born pair utilizing its impressive hardware arsenal and crafting tracks with a uniquely improvisational approach. Of course, Aner’s and Czamanski’s ability to work on the fly didn’t come from nowhere; the two have been making music together for years, and both have extensive jazz backgrounds. And while this biographical factoid has often been mentioned in articles and conversations relating to Juju & Jordash, the duo has rarely been asked to elaborate on its love of the genre. As such, we took the opportunity to ask Aner and Czamanski to put together a list of some of their favorite jazz tunes for the latest edition of our Hi-Five series.
Thelonious Monk “Pannonica”
Gal Aner: Being probably my favorite jazz composer, it was hard to choose just one Monk tune, but this is in my opinion a fine example of everything that makes him so special and great. There is a haunting, sentimental melody on top of a typical, geniusly twisted chord progression, yet somehow everything feels so natural and honest. The studio version starts with a beautiful celeste introduction and soon after, the band joins in. And what a GREAT band that is. (Max Roach = THE man.)
Eric Dolphy “Fire Waltz”
Jordan Czamanski: I’m not really that into live shows; I like consuming most of my music safely behind locked doors. But I would have been willing to go way out of my comfort zone to sit in this audience back in 1961. This recording encapsulates almost everything I love about jazz. Actually, music in general. The frantic spontaneity of Eric Dolphy, the subversive teasing of the quite rigid song structure, and the simplicity of the theme. To me, Eric Dolphy sounds like liberation. He manages to express freedom without ever actually leaving the strict confines of bop. Not abandoning the traditional song structures makes him sound more subversive than if he abandoned those structures. I find it fascinating. Going by the rules while sticking up your middle finger. I know it’s super presumptuous. But beyond the intellectual stuff, I just feel like I know Eric Dolphy on a personal level after listening to his recordings. That’s communication on a primal level—and perhaps what music is all about. Mal Waldron’s laid-back, soft-toned accompaniment against Dolphy’s frantic phrasing makes this one of my favorite jazz recordings. If only life felt that way…
The Art Ensemble of Chicago “Illistrum”
GA: Free jazz at its best! Fantastic and intense explorations of rhythms and otherworldly lyrics. Sirens, whistles, bells, and a ton of other percussion known as “little instruments” make this amazing group improvisation sound so rich. This recording drew me deep into the AEOC world of musical wonders.
Oliver Nelson “Stolen Moments”
JC: Now this is a dream team. You’ve got Oliver Nelson on sax(es), who’s sort of an unsung jazz hero. His name doesn’t pop up as often as one would expect. Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Eric Dolphy playing a wonderful flute solo, and then you’ve got Bill Evans, the Debussy of jazz or something like that, playing his beautiful crazy chords underneath all the horns, together with one of the tightest possible rhythm sections: Paul Chambers and Roy Hanes. The theme is a simple take on the traditional blues structure, just adding some bars (or subtracting—however you wanna see it), but the melody is just so stunning. This theme is so delicate, yet epic. Monumental. This whole recording is perfect and the standout moment for me is Oliver Nelson’s solo starting at 4:16. Besides it being a wonderful melodic solo played in a uniquely delicate tone, you get to hear some light touches of the legendary engineer Rudy van Gelder. Check out the sweet reverb at 4:48—so subtle but so meaningful.
Herbie Hancock “Rain Dance”
GA: This track, recorded in 1972, is as mind-blowing to me today as the first time I heard it (about 20 years ago), or even moreso. From the proto-techno sequences to the awesome handclap on the right speaker, through to Herbie’s amazing Rhodes solo, the crazy drum breakdowns, and the spaced-out, bubbly ARP2600 sounds, everything here is electrifyingly funky and superbly produced.
R-Zone—the Dutch collective and imprint recently featured on XLR8R as part of our Labels We Love series—will close out 2014 with not one but two new EPs. First up, R-Zone 12 reportedly takes its cues from ’90s-era UK, with five tracks geared toward devotees of old-school, hardcore, and rave. Set to arrive on the same day, R-Zone 14 is said to offer three additional left-of-center dancefloor cuts, rife with “raw textures, unfamiliar patterns, subtle, buried deep drums, and dirty, sleazy grooves that sound broken.”
Both R-Zone 12 and R-Zone 14 will see an official release on December 15. Selections from both 12″s can be heard below, where we’ve also posted their respective tracklists.
R-Zone 12 1. Beginning of Life 2. Hardcore Track 3. 321 4. Red Rave #1 5. Red Rave #2
R-Zone 14 1. You Wear the Mask of the Beast 2. Salt Volatile This Sucka 3. Arrowhead
The Sheffield-based Bad Taste imprint is in the midst of celebrating its fifth year as a label, and to mark the occasion have released a name-your-price compilation featuring tunes from Walter Ego, Timbah, Tony Quattro, and this clattering electronic affair from Louville. Spanning almost six minutes, “Dawn ‘46” melds somber chords with a smattering of textured percussion layers, most of which fill the production’s background with various shakes and clatters while a loose, thumb piano-like melody takes the lead. The second of two fifth anniversary compilations, the Bad Taste outpost’s new collection can be grabbed here.
