XLR8R’s Guide to Decibel 2014: 10 Acts That Should Not Be Missed

Seattle’s Decibel Festival has literally grown tenfold over its 11-year run, with last year’s edition boasting 25,000 attendees. (Our review of the 2013 edition can be found here.) The volunteer-driven event’s ambition has been rewarded—though Seattle is not typically thought of as a dance music mecca, the festival now possesses an unlikely gravitational pull that trickles across the continent and literally improves line-ups throughout the US and Canada in September and October. This year’s festivities have something of a “back to the roots” feel, as the EDM-crossover bookings have been ditched and the line-up is heavy with artists from Ostgut Ton, Modern Love, Hyperdub, and other heady imprints. That’s not the only change; this time around, Decibel will no longer squeeze into every nook and cranny of Capitol Hill, instead opting to situate larger events in downtown Seattle’s EMP Museum. Still, even with this more concentrated approach, there’s a lot to sift through. Each day, the festival is presenting industry and tech-focused workshops in the afternoon, proper showcases at night, and, beginning on Thursday, afterhours events that will stretch into the early morning hours. With so much to potentially see—the complete program can be viewed here—we figured that some attendees might appreciate a bit of a helping hand, so we’ve to put together a list of artists that should not be missed over the course of the five-day festival.

Arca + Jesse Kanda
Wednesday, September 24 at Sky Church (EMP)
Arca’s warped, pop-conscious production has made him an unlikely man of the moment, shaping Yeezus and FKA Twigs‘ output before the Venezuelan producer signed to Mute for his forthcoming debut album XEN. Clips from the LP find him sounding as fragile and ethereal as ever, and he’s hitting Decibel on tour with Total Freedom and visual artist Jesse Kanda. The tour announcement included this untitled short clip that’s more Raster-Noton than Roc Nation, which bodes well for the trio’s performance on Decibel’s opening day.

Phuture
Wednesday, September 24 at The Monkey Loft
Although acid stalwart DJ Pierre has been going strong for decades, a Spring 2014 Boiler Room session coaxed his seminal Phuture project out of retirement. The reinvigorated trio absolutely leveled the place, manning a table full of hardware centered around the Roland TB-303, the unassuming chrome box which first allowed the group to create dance music lore. (Phuture’s seminal 1987 Trax 12″ “Acid Tracks” was famously created on accident by tweaking the knobs of the small machine.) Now, the group is coming to Decibel, and its tweaking rhythms will hopefully incite a similarly raucous dance party.

Millie & Andrea
Thursday, September 25 at Level 3 (EMP)
Decibel and Modern Love have forged a strong connection over the past few years. Demdike Stare and Andy Stott (pictured here) played a label showcase in 2012, Stott returned for an encore performance last year, and the hazy UK label’s two flagship acts are coming back to the Pacific Northwest again for 2014. However, there’s a twist this time: Millie & Andrea, the project joining Stott and Demdike’s MLZ, is making its Decibel debut. The pair’s excellent debut LP, Drop the Vowels, combined a corroded take on jungle with the blackened atmosphere of the producers’ primary output, and it will be fascinating to see how that translates to a live setting.

Anthony Parasole
Friday, September 26 at Q
Anthony Parasole‘s tough New York techno has proved chameleonic, allowing the producer and DJ to break bread with L.I.E.S. as well as Ostgut Ton. In addition, his gritty label The Corner has provided another perspective on the five-borough sound. He’ll be spinning at the Ostgut afterparty on Friday night, and his blue-collar take on techno could be a headbanger’s delight following more polished fare from Steffi and Marcel Dettmann.

Alessandro Cortini
Friday, September 26 at Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall
Holding it down for the mail-order modular nerds is Alessandro Cortini, the Nine Inch Nails live member who recorded his Hospital Productions LP Sonno while on tour with that angsty unit. A gear nerd’s gear nerd, he’s one of the most notable devotees of the Buchla, but that’s not why he’s worth seeing. Cortini’s beatless soundscapes explore the rarely trod territory between Charlemagne Palestine and Coil; it’s mesmerizing stuff that should be transportative through a club soundsystem.

Marcel Dettmann
Friday, September 26 at Q
The Berghain lion barely needs an introduction, but those who didn’t hear his recent Fabric 77 mix are advised to chase it down. In his hands, techno is supple clay rather than monolithic cudgel. The set might also be a good opportunity to preview upcoming releases on his own MDR records, including mind-altering new material from FBK, ROD, and Norman Nodge.

Avalon Emerson
Saturday, September 27 at The Showbox
Avalon Emerson’s life has changed considerably since the release of her first single on Icee Hot at the start of 2014. (Full disclosure: the label is co-run by XLR8R editor Shawn Reynaldo.) She left a comfortable life in San Francisco to pursue music full-time in Berlin, dropped an additional 12″ on Spring Theory (another is slated to arrive in October), and just returned to the States for a rather extensive tour that has brought her to MoMA PS 1’s Warm UP, Beats in Space, and now Decibel. She’ll open for Lindstrom, Com Truise, and Midnight Magic as part of the Dance Nostalgic showcase.

Efdemin
Saturday, September 27 at Q
Efdemin‘s recent Decay LP is not only one of the best and most slept-on records of the year, it’s also an effort that showcased the producer’s transformation from Dial-style Chicago house revivalist to Mills-ian minor-key techno maestro. The album was conceived during a stay in Japan, where he was undertaking work on a short film, cinema being his other great love. As such, Efdemin’s appearance at the visually minded Decibel festival is a great fit, to say nothing of his pairing at Saturday night’s afterhours event with labelmate John Roberts and hardware wizard KINK.

Richie Hawtin
Saturday, September 27 at Sky Church (EMP)
Simply put, Decibel wouldn’t exist without Richie Hawtin, as festival founder Sean Horton has stated that his formative experiences at Plastikman Plus 8 parties ignited his love of dance music. Paying respect to these roots, Decibel has asked the techno legend to program a showcase—he’ll headline EMP on Saturday night with support from Rone and Guti.

Young Marco
Saturday, September 27 at Islander Cruise Ship
Rush Hour designer turned globetrotting DJ Young Marco will cap his second 2014 visit to the States at Decibel’s Saturday afternoon boat party. His new age-influenced house sound, fully realized on his debut LP Biology, is sure to sound great on the open water; moreover, Marco is a prodigiously talented DJ, an artist who’s capable of seamlessly blending Afrobeat and ’80s oddities with a quirky, psychedelic house sound. He’ll headline after Deadbeat spins an all-45 dub-reggae set and San Francisco’s Matrixxmann takes a turn on the decks.

Egokind & Ozean “Sinus”

Two young producers who met while both attending Berlin University, Egokind and Ozean are set to deliver their debut LP together, Transition, via the Traum imprint next month. Focusing their efforts on intricately detailed electronic hybrids (with an emphasis on sound design), the pair has offered album bonus cut “Sinus” as a free download ahead of the record’s release. Running just under five minutes, “Sinus” is a melodically rooted production, one which sways with a half-time step as manipulated field recordings and FX create active rhythms throughout the stereo field. In addition to offering the bonus track for download, Egokind & Ozean have passed along a video for “Mega,” the Transition LP’s similarly dense opening track, which is premiering after the jump. The Berlin pair’s full debut album is slated to land on October 3.

Sinus

Luke Vibert Readies New Single for Hypercolour

Acid-house specialist Luke Vibert is preparing to release a follow-up single to his recent Ridmik LP for UK label Hypercolour. The forthcoming Halloween 12″ finds the veteran Cornwall producer bringing his TB-303 back into play, and comes described as a “stomping acid tormentor, resplendent with eerie horror FX and ghostly chords,” with b-side original cut “Jack U Whole” treated to a remix from Space Dimension Controller. A second installment of the release, Halloween (Part 2), is also reportedly in the works, which will feature remixes from FaltyDL and Tom Demac.

Halloween (Part 1) drops on October 27, and we’ve included the single’s artwork and tracklist below.

A1. Halloween (Original Mix)
B1. Jack U Whole (Original Mix)
B2. Jack U Whole (SDC’s 1988 Vibe Mix)

Move D and Jonah Sharp Prep New Album as Reagenz

The collaborative project between German DJ/producer David Moufang (a.k.a. Move D) and San Francisco artist Jonah Sharp (a.k.a. Spacetime Continuum), Reagenz will release its third full-length effort, The Periodic Table, via The Bunker NY. Though not necessarily active at all times over the years, Reagenz is a collaboration that spans two decades, with the pair’s first release together appearing back in 1994.

Coming in November, the project’s third LP will take shape as a live album, with its six efforts having been recorded during the duo’s performance at The Bunker NY’s tenth anniversary party in January 2013. The resulting record is said to be “a testament to the power of live electronic music, its ability to transcend time, and remain, when delivered with skill and art, one of the most powerful live music experiences possible.” Furthermore, Moufang and Sharp are said to have used virtually the same gear which they utilized on their debut outing together, making use of a “Roland TR 909, Roland TR 606, Roland JX-3P, Roland SH101, Anyware Instruments TinySizer, Nord Micro Modular, Doepfer Dark Time, Akai MPC 1000, Electro Harmonix Memory Man Delay, and Moog MidiMurf” during the course of the recording.

Ahead of its release on November 11, Reagenz’s The Periodic Table can be previewed below; the forthcoming effort will serve as the first full-length record from Brooklyn party The Bunker NY’s fast-growing label arm.

Marcel Dettmann, Silent Servant, and Anthony Parasole to Appear on Upcoming Split EP for The Corner; Preview It Now

Brooklyn-based producer/DJ Anthony Parasole‘s The Corner label has tapped Marcel Dettmann (pictured above) and Silent Servant for its upcoming 10th release. The forthcoming Bloodlines EP will offer one new track from each artist with Berghain resident and recent Artist Tips contributor Dettmann delivering the record’s a-side cut, “Take One,” while longstanding LA techno producer Juan Mendez (a.k.a. Silent Servant) and Parasole himself will each offer a production on the record’s b-side.

Expected to appear in late October, the three-track Bloodlines EP can be previewed below ahead of its release.

The Cyclist Readies New LP for All City

A producer we deemed one of 2013’s Best New Artists on the strength of his Bones in Motion LP for Leaving/Stones Throw, Andrew Morrison (a.k.a. The Cyclist) will return with a new album in November. Set to arrive via Dublin label All City (who released a 12″ from Morrison under his Buz Ludzha alias earlier this year), the upcoming Flourish LP will offer seven new outings from The Cyclist. As Juno Plus reports, the label describes the record as “lo-fi but not cheap, D.I.Y but not primitive, dancey but not clubby, 4-4 but not straight,” furthermore stating that the LP “may fit into a lot of genres but doesn’t fully belong in any.”

The Cyclist’s next full-length outing is scheduled to drop on November 7; before then, Flourish‘s artwork and tracklist have been included below.

1. Ripples Through Ice
2. Breathless
3. Sand Dunes
4. Break Through
5. Daisy Spirals
6. Flourish
7. Tape Grunge Rave

Download a Collection of Korg ER-1 Samples from Legowelt

Veteran Dutch producer Danny Wolfers (a.k.a. Legowelt) is offering a new collection of hi-quality samples culled from his Korg Electribe ER-1 drum synthesizer for free download. “When I was in Japan last month, I made a sample pack from my Korg ER-1 drum synthesizer in my hotel room,” the producer explains on his website. “The Korg ER-1 is a ‘digital virtual analog’ drum synthesizer from 1999… basically a drum machine with a special synthesizer to make your own drum sounds,” he continues. Boasting 150 wav samples, the pack promises a multitude of “earthshaking bass drums, crispy snares, audacious claps, sizzling hi-hats, warbly FX, and lots more!” Legowelt’s latest collection of free samples can be downloaded here.

Gidge “Dusk”

Today sees the release of the debut LP from Swedish duo Gidge (a.k.a. Ludvig Stolterman and Jonatan Nilsson) via Applescal’s Atomnation label. Pulled from the nine-track Autumn Bells LP is “Dusk,” a moody production which finds the pair lacing a crisp, skipping beat with long-winded pads and rich melodic tones. Spanning over nine minutes, the patient effort swings unhurried through its movements, giving the listener ample time to sink into each section of the dense, far-reaching production. Out now, Gidge’s debut full-length, Autumn Bells, can be streamed after the jump.

Dusk

Machinedrum, Omar-S, Dorian Concept, Martyn, Todd Edwards, and More Announced for BEMF 2014

The line-up for the upcoming seventh annual Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival (a.k.a. BEMF) has been revealed. Set to take place across a number of Brooklyn (and more specifically, Williamsburg) venues, the two-day festival will include sets from Machinedrum, Omar-S (pictured above), Dorian Concept, Martyn, Todd Edwards, Fort Romeau, Martyn, Lee Bannon, Prefuse 73, Move D, Huxley, Jackmaster, Pinch, and Mike Servito, among others.

Taking place on November 7 and 8, BEMF has tapped Machinedrum (who yesterday revealed the details of his forthcoming Vapor City Archives LP) to deliver a mix in celebration of the festival’s announcement. That mix can be streamed in full below while more info on the upcoming event can be found here; XLR8R‘s review of the 2013 edition of the festival can be read here.

Cutty Ranks – The Stopper (Machinedrum Edit)
Congo Natty ft. Tenor Fly,Top Cat,General Levy,Tippa Irie,Sweetie Irie,Daddy Freddy – UK Allstars (Machinedrum Remix)
DJ Vadim ft. Demolition Man – Badman
Schlachthofbronx ft. Buraka Som Sistema – Volumen
Papa San – Perdominant (Machinedrum Remix)
Machinedrum – Bahalahcen
Machinedrum – Don’t Stop Plz
Salva – Gas Pedal Remix VIP
SK Simeon – Ram Dancehall (Machinedrum Remix)
Bunny General – Full Up a Class
Beenie Man – Nah Inna Dat (Machinedrum Remix)
Yaw Mulatto – All of Mi Life (Machinedrum Remix)

Four Tet Remixes John Beltran on Upcoming 12″; Hear It Now

Set to appear as the b-side to an upcoming 12″ for his own Text imprint, Four Tet‘s remix of John Beltran can now be heard in full. A track marked by bouncing string melodies and restless miniature rhythms in its original form, Four Tet’s rework of “Faux”—the a-side to Beltran’s forthcoming 12” for the label—turns the production into a more atmospheric affair, adding a new sonic depth to the effort along with intertwining layers of hand-played percussion.

The Michigan producer’s “Faux” single is expected to see a release via the Text label early next month. Before then, Four Tet’s remix for the record can be streamed in full below, while Beltran’s original version of the tune can be heard here.

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