Roche “Via Portal”

A San Francisco artist who has released tracks via Hieroglyphic Being’s Mathematics imprint, Los Angeles label 100% Silk, and—most recently—SF’s own Icee Hot outpost (a label, we should again point out, is co-run by XLR8R editor Shawn Reynaldo), Roche has passed along a new production for free download. Spanning well over seven minutes, “Via Portal” finds Roche slowly unraveling an array of hardware textures. Led by a hat-heavy rhythm, the tune spends its first two minutes teasing out vibrant synth sequences, which eventually become absorbed by thick, droning chords and further layers of bounding analog notes, ultimately fashioning “Via Portal” into one particularly hypnotic house voyage.

Via Portal

Simian Mobile Disco, Emptyset, Alec Empire, and More Announced for 2015 Edition of Berlin’s CTM Festival

Taking place early next year, Berlin’s experimental-leaning CTM Festival has revealed the first wave of acts slated to perform at its 16th annual gathering. Among the names revealed today are veteran UK duo and recent XLR8R podcast contributors Simian Mobile Disco, Bristol production pair Emptyset (who will premiere its “Signal” performance at the festival), and prolific electronic musician Alec Empire, who will premiere his “Low on Ice” A/V show, a collaboration with visual artist Zan Lyons. In addition, acts like Gazelle Twin, Klara Lewis, and cosmic synth specialist Craig Leon have also added to the bill of the upcoming festival.

Taking place from January 23 to February 1, the festival will present its performances at a number of Berlin clubs and cultural institutions including Berghain, HAU Hebbel am Ufer, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Stattbad, and Astra. More information on the forthcoming 16th edition of CTM can be found here, where a complete list of the festival’s first wave of artist announcements can also be found.

Mark E Announces Upcoming EP for Spectral Sound, Streams New Track

Having already released his sophomore LP, Product of Industry, earlier this year via the label, Mark E will return to Ghostly’s Spectral Sound outpost next month with the six-track AVION EP. In contrast to Product of Industry—an LP which was said to take much of its inspiration from the industrial rise and fall of the UK’s West Midlands region—AVION‘s four new original Mark E productions are said to be “more breezy and sumptuous” affairs. In addition, joining the longstanding UK producer’s new works on the record will be a a pair of remixes from the consistently on-point Laszlo Dancehall duo (a.k.a. Leon Vynehall and Christian Piers) and budding Brooklyn artist Alvin Aronson.

Ahead of AVION‘s official release on November 17, billowing EP cut “Avion Central” can be streamed in full below, where we’ve also included the artwork and complete tracklist for Mark E’s forthcoming effort.

1. Molyneaux
2. Avion Central
3. Clares Gate
4. The 535
5. Bog Dance (Alvin Aronson Remix)
6. Being Hiding (Laszlo Dancehall Remix)

Monty the Fly “Ahradic”

The fledgling Nothing Odd label will issue its second outing next month in the form of the Free Three Ways EP from label head Sam Smith (a.k.a. Monty the Fly). Closing out the affair will be “Ahradic,” an extended jaunt through twisted house territory. Built atop a steadily bouncing beat, the production finds Smith laying down a seemingly never-ending stream of sonic oddities—heavily manipulated vocals, glitched FX, and reverberant percussion weave their way in and out of the hypnotic, eight-minute affair. Officially due out on November 17, the rest of Monty the Fly’s Free Three Ways EP can be previewed after the jump.

Ahradic

FKA Twigs Announces North American Tour; Shares New Video

FKA Twigs has shared a brand-new clip for “Video Girl,” taken from her recent debut full-length for Young Turks, LP1. The piece—directed by Kahil Joseph—is as eccentric as we’ve come to expect from the London-based singer, choosing an American prison as the setting for the extended film that features an execution alongside the song’s bass-heavy, mechanical lurch.

It comes with news that she will make her US television debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on November 4th before embarking on a full North American tour, with all confirmed dates posted below.

November 2014

6th 930 Club, Washington, D.C., USA
7th Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, USA
8th Terminal 5, New York, NY, USA
10th Warsaw, Brooklyn, NY, USA
11th Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA, USA
13th Metro, Chicago, IL, USA
14th Fine Line, Minneapolis, MN, USA
17th Commodore, Vancouver, Canada
18th Showbox, Seattle, WA, USA
20th Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA, USA
21st Regent, Los Angeles, CA, USA
22nd Regent, Los Angeles, CA, USA
26th Emo’s, Austin, TX, USA
28th Trees, Dallas, TX, USA
29th Republic, New Orleans, LA, USA

December 2014

1st Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN, USA
2nd Terminal West, Atlanta, GA, USA
3rd The Social, Orlando, FL, USA

DJ Koze Reincarnations Part 2

When it comes to remixes, DJ Koze (a.k.a. Stefan Kozalla) doesn’t follow a strict formula. In fact, the only sure thing about his reworks is that they will always be of a certain quality, because the German dance music curio is not someone who simply loads up a trademark Koze synth and lackadaisically layers it in before firing the results back to whoever commissioned his services. On the contrary, Kozalla’s remixes run the gamut: some are subtle reworkings, some tease out only the slightest elements of an original, and some are wholly unrecognizable, but that’s what makes him great.

What’s better, the man himself knows it—and even boasts about his skills. Reincarnations Part 2 actually includes a skit in which a radio host asks him who is the greatest remixer. “I’ve thought about this for a long time and, it’s me. No wait… ummm, yes, it’s me,” says Koze. It may not be the most humble claim, but it’s also a notion that many would agree with; in the mold of other amusingly self-referential figures like Moodymann and Omar-S, Koze is the center of his own curious musical universe. It’s a place where jangling and organic swing (his remix of Herbert’s “You Saw It All”) sits comfortably next to skeletal, glitchy electronica (his rework of The Big Crunch Theorie’s “Distortion”) and somber, downbeat house (his take on Caribou’s “Found Out”). In other words, Koze never does the same trick twice, something that is showcased brilliantly across this remarkably strong collection of remixes, all of which surfaced between 2009 and 2014.

Granted, five years is quite a long time when it comes electronic music, so it’s notable that none of these efforts feel dated. Most hover around a human and inviting 120 bpm, and throughout each one, something always seems to be happening, however surreptitiously. There’s always a new pattern emerging, a weird new sound source referenced, or a curveball coming the listener’s way. Flamboyant a character as he is, though, Koze is smart enough to avoid relying too heavily on sheer weirdness. Sure, he can be bizarre better than just about anyone, but he also knows how to reign himself in. His Hudson River Dub of Who Made Who’s “Keep Me in My Plane” proves that in spades: it’s a perfectly reduced and simmered-down brew of forlorn vocal samples and romantically seductive late-night minimalism that does just enough to keep things compelling.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are efforts like his Grungerwomen Remix of Ada’s “Faith,” a frazzled, distorted, humming, and buzzing affair that busily flickers in and out, as though he’s spinning the wheel of an old FM radio dial. That one is just plain weird, but Koze’s folktronica take on Zwanie Jonson’s “Golden Song” offers soul-soothing bliss while his rework of Herbert’s “It’s Only”—arguably his most famous remix to date—is a slice of classy club fodder built on prickly, sawtooth undulations. Despite these disparate results—and much like the similarly excellent first installment of Reincarnations from 2009—Part 2 unfolds perfectly. Whether the music is charmingly loose and playful, more insular and sensitive, or reveling in all-out freakiness, the album is an absorbing ride through the singular mind of DJ Koze, not to mention something that incredibly makes perfect sense in just about any situation.

Stream a Track From Prequel’s Debut EP on Rhythm Section

London-based label and club night Rhythm Section is on the verge of issuing it’s third release, a four track effort from Australian newcomer Prequel. Although active in Melbourne for a number of years, the Polite Strangers EP marks the debut solo offering from the producer, trading in soulful, Andrés-inspired house and boogie that slots neatly into the imprints catalogue so far.

Ahead of the November 10 release date, they’ve kindly shared slow burning cut “Fidelio” which can be streamed in full below.

Youandewan “93”

Berlin-based producer Youandewan has tried his hand at reshaping a hip-hop classic with “93.” A house edit of Bay Area rap crew Souls of Mischief’s essential “93 ’til Infinity,” Youandewan’s take on the track lifts the original production’s liquid chord progression and muffled bassline, reshaping them to fit within a deep, slightly shuffled house rhythm, on top of which he adds a single layer of airy keys. Smartly not overthought, the former Bubblin Up artist’s edit simply locks into the same groove that made Souls of Mischief’s original track such a memorable one. Coming with word that the producer will have a new EP ready for the Aus label early next year, Youandewan’s “93” edit can be grabbed below.

93

Download a Halloween Mix from Joakim

With only a few days left before Halloween, singular French producer/DJ Joakim has put together a slew of spooky tracks for his Tropicalloween mix. Spanning just over an hour, the set sees Joakim touching down in a number of sonic destinations, beginning the mix with a track fittingly titled “Lucifer Rising” before dipping into sections of dark house, gloomy synth pop, brooding acid, and a number of tropical eccentricities throughout.

Joakim’s Tropicalloween mix arrives ahead of his performance at a Paris event of the same name on Halloween proper, which will see the French talent working solo as well as going B2B with Cómeme boss Matias Aguayo. In the meantime, Joakim’s Halloween-themed session can be streamed and downloaded in full below, where the set’s complete tracklist has also been included.

Bobby Beausoleil – Lucifer Rising
Burundi Black
Fabio Frizzi – Zombie II Sequence 3
Stephane Laporte – Salle Video
The Splash Band – Christine
James Pants – Rhythm Track 9
Chris Watson –
Chris & Cosey – Driving Blind
Maestro – Mechant
Max Jones – Cornetto
808 State – Compulsion
Marc Pinol – The Fix
David Van Tieghem – And Now This (Cosmo Vitelli Edit)
Albinos – Black Orchid
Robert Ashley – Purposeful Lady Slow Afternoon
Randomer – Residents
Yes Wizard – V09D09 (instrumental)
Jimi Tenor – Vega Mix (Pinol Edit)
Harmonious Thelonious – Makeshift
Mayday – The Darkside
Keita Sano – Kung Fu Dog Pt 2
Solenoid – Pharoah Acid
Dat Oven – Icy Lake (original Arena Mix)
Carl Craig – Tres Demented (Laurent Garnier Edit)
Marshall Masters – Stereo Murder
Principles Of Geometry – Polysex (VHS Head remix)
Venetian Snares – Black Sabbath

Firecracker Announces New Album from Linkwood

Edinburgh-based DJ/producer Nick Moore (a.k.a. Linkwood) has announced plans for a new album named Expressions, set to drop via the Firecracker imprint in December. The artist has been synonymous with the label since appearing on its inaugural release back in 2008, going on to deliver the highly sought-after Secret Value 12″ for its Shevchenko offshoot. The forthcoming 12-track effort is his second full-length to date, following an outing via Prime Numbers in 2009, with the title track due to appear in Prosumer’s upcoming contribution to the Fabric mix series.

No exact release date has been revealed as of yet, but the record is available to preview below along with a full tracklist.

01. Sonrise
02. Outside In
03. Off Kilter (No Midi Mix)
04. Object
05. Minus 12
06. Coral
07. Tier 5
08. Reef Walking
09. Expressions
10. Sigma 3
11. Ignorance Is Bliss (Live Mix)
12. Love Lost

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