Next month will see the release of Let’s Cry and Do Pushups at the Same Time—the latest full-length effort from Luke Wyatt under his Torn Hawk alias—and ahead of its arrival, the multidisciplinary New York artist has unveiled the visual single for LP cut “Acceptance Speech.” “By playfully making reference to its own artificiality,” a press release states, “the imagery accompanying the track holds a mirror to the chunky digital processes used in its own making.” Mining a similar vein to previous releases on L.I.E.S., 1080p, and his own Valcrond Video imprint, Wyatt’s forthcoming album reportedly takes influence from movies and television (unsurprising, given Wyatt’s parallel projects in video) while continuing to explore the convergence of “aesthetic irony with compositional sincerity and emotional vulnerability.”
Let’s Cry and Do Pushups at the Same Time is officially due out via Mexican Summer on November 10, and the video for “Acceptance Speech” has been posted below.
Gerd Janson is often referred to as a “DJ’s DJ,” but that term doesn’t really do the man justice. Perhaps there was a time where the Running Back label founder, who many people still recognize as “that guy from all the Red Bull Music Academy interviews,” was regarded as some sort of underappreciated DJ commodity, but over the past few years, he’s transcended that notion, in the process becoming one of the most respected DJs on the planet. Janson has long been celebrated for his residency at Frankfurt’s famed Robert Johnson club, but he’s also been added to the stable at Berghain/Panorama Bar and Trouw; it seems that all of Europe’s best clubs are after his services. (It also hasn’t hurt Janson’s cause that he’s one half of Tuff City Kids, a collaborative undertaking with Lauer that has become increasingly active over the past year or two, particularly on the remix front.) Admittedly, the US hasn’t completely caught on to Janson’s talents, but even that seems poised to change, as he’ll be kicking off a quick run of North American tour dates later this week. As such, now felt like the perfect time for Janson to put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series.
Clocking in at just over an hour, Janson’s podcast—which he’s calling Autumn Blouse—is a slow-burning collection of synth- and melody-driven tunes. Janson has a real knack for referencing the past without becoming mired in pointless nostalgia, and many of his selections here touch upon elements of disco and ’80s dance pop, even though the tracklist is almost entirely made of new music. Often times, artists taking on the XLR8R podcast feel compelled to put together an extensive tracklist, perhaps in an effort to showcase the breadth of their musical vision, but Janson has taken a different tack; Autumn Blouse consists of only nine tunes, and while they’ve been seamlessly mixed, technical wizardry largely takes a backseat here. Instead, Janson allows the songs themselves to do the talking; it’s a confident move, and one that reflects his many years of experience in the DJ booth. At this point, Janson doesn’t need to prove anything—he just wants everyone to have a good time.
01 Roy Comanchero “New Horizons” (Running Back) 02 The Joubert Singers “Stand on the Word (7Samurai Electro Dub Mix)” (Stix) 03 STL “Timeblind” (Something) 04 Split Secs “I Stand Alone (Original Mix)” (Machine Limited) 05 Blondes “Elise (Vidis Tool)” (Best Kept Secret) 06 Mount Liberation Unlimited “Clinton Space Funk” (Junk Yard Connection) 07 F.T.R.M. “K.O.N.T.R.O.L.” (D.O.R.I.A.N.) 08 Session Victim “Stick Together” (Delusions of Grandeur) 09 Tiger & Woods “Don’t Try to Stop Me” (Editainment)
Nous and Berceuse Heroique—two ascendent labels highlighted in XLR8R‘s recent Labels We Love series—have come together on a collaborative release. The two-track EP was made exclusively available at longstanding Dutch outpost Rush Hour during this year’s Amsterdam Dance Event festival, and will appear in select record stores later this week. Representing Berceuse Heroique is Healing Force Project (the alias of Italian producer Antonio Marini, first surfacing on Dyanmo Dreesen’s Acido imprint back in 2010), who delivers a-side cut “Cloak Device,” while Willis Anne turns out “The C Track” for Nous on the flip. Both tracks can be streamed in full below before wider sale of the the 12″ kicks off on October 26.
Today sees the release of Pegamentos Vol. 2, a collection of new tracks from artists affiliated with the Discos Pegaos label, based in Santiago, Chile. Pulled from the collection is this effort from Barcelona-based producer Rammsy, whose “Crowded” track joins others from Vaskular, Fantasna, Motivado, Dementira, and Alpha Stronggah on the record. A a dancefloor-rooted production, “Crowded” is led by innumerable layers of winding, space-age synth sequences which wrap around the track’s steady four-on-the-floor. Further living up to its title, “Crowded” sees Rammsy slyly fit the sound of a distant crowd underneath the energetic production. The six-track Pegamentos Vol. 2 compilation is out now in both 12″ vinyl and digital forms.
LA-based collective and online retailer Gene’s Liquor has launched its own imprint with a 12″ from Laurent (a.k.a. IVVVO). As reported by Resident Advisor, Gene’s Liquor has been in operation since late last year, with its website stocking material from Delroy Edwards’ L.A. Club Resource, Anthony Naples’ Proibito, Dancemania, and a selection of dancehall, rap, and hardcore. This inaugural effort from Laurent—a Portugese producer whose output as IVVVO has appeared on Opal Tapes and Public Information—reportedly “speaks to the rawness and attitude of the early days of house, techno, and rap music,” and is available starting today via Gene’s Liquor and Rush Hour. The lead cut from Laurent’s Untitled EP can be heard in full here, and its tracklist is on view below.
Kyle Hall‘s Wild Oats label will release the five-track Insecurities EP from burgeoning London artist K15 later this month. Due out on October 27, Insecurities is said to radiate “with soul and promise” containing a new helping of “sampled dancefloor classics, re-works, and original music.” Continuing to praise the London producer, Wild Oats states that K15 is “an unsung hero in our eyes… his skill of mixing genres is unmatched. Pulling from different influences regardless of genre or era is what gives his music its distinct style.”
Before K15’s debut for the imprint lands later this month as a 2×12″ EP, the record’s soul-swept closing cut, “Yellow,” can be streamed in full below, where Insecurities complete tracklist has also been included.
A1. The Story of HER Life B1. GWRH C1. Insecurities D1. Gratitude D2. Yellow
A New York transplant (by way of Providence, Rhode Island), Ryan Glassman is set to drop his debut EP as Wild Kid tomorrow via Druid Cloak’s fast-growing Apothecary Compositions imprint. Entitled New Bethlehem, the five-track record will present three original compositions from Glassman alongside remixes from Slugabed and Celestial Trax. Here, we have Wild Kid’s “Done Wrong” production, which begins with the strum of a distant guitar before unraveling a flurry of detailed rhythmic patterns intertwined with an immersive array of dense, swimming textures. The New Bethlehem EP sees its official release in cassette and digital form tomorrow, October 21; in the meantime, the rest of Wild Kid’s debut EP can be previewed after the jump.
English producer Joe McBride (a.k.a. Synkro, who also serves as half of the Houndstooth-affiliated Akkord pair), has announced plans to drop a new EP via Apollo, the sister label to Belgium’s well-regarded R&S imprint. Synkro’s stock-in-trade is swooning, atmospheric soundscapes, and the Transient EP looks set to ramp up the emotional punch of his work further still, inspired as it is by the artist’s recent move from Manchester back to the pastoral environs of his childhood home of Derbyshire. No audio previews are yet available for the release, but we’ve included the EP’s artwork and full tracklist below; Transient is set for a November 25 release date.
As we reported a few weeks back, prolific UK producer Jim Coles (a.k.a. Om Unit) will issue a new EP via Goldie’s Metalheadz imprint next month. The eight-track Inversion EP is said to have its sonic roots in “London, Chicago, and Detroit; drums, subs, and textures,” and ahead of its full release, Om Unit has provided XLR8R with a stream of EP cut “The War.” A punchy, rumbling slice of drum & bass, “The War” features guest vocals from London MC Jehst, and finishes with an evocative spoken-word sample; the track can be streamed in full via the player below.
Meanwhile, Om Unit’s recent contribution to our ongoing Ask the Experts feature series can be read here here. The London artist’s current US tour is nearly wrapped up, with stops left in Seattle and Oakland on Tuesday and Wednesday night, respectively. Om Unit’s Inversion EP will see its official release on November 17.
A longstanding member of Los Angeles’ Smog crew, DLX is set to drop his Quantum Bounce EP tomorrow, and has passed along closing cut “Moving Away” to serve as a preview. Spanning just over three minutes, the production sees DLX balancing some introspective musicality with ever-active drum programming, as the beatmaker deftly reshapes his rhythmic structures throughout the track, resulting in an effort that in many ways harkens back to the heyday of IDM while adding an extra bass weight to the proceedings. “Moving Away” and five other new DLX productions will see their official release on Tuesday, when the Quantum Bounce EP officially lands via Smog.
