Todd Osborn has kept himself rather busy this year: he’s issued records for FaltyDL’s Blueberry imprint, Running Back’s “official unofficial” bonus beats sublabel, and delivered a 7″ as Superstructure earlier this month, while still having a 12″ for the Acoustic Division imprint on the way next week. Adding to his recent flurry of activity, the Michigan-based producer has revealed plans to return again to Gerd Janson’s Running Back outpost with the Put Your Weight on It EP.
A four-track outing, the upcoming effort will find Osborn delivering two versions of the record’s title track, along with “Medium” and “Markert,” a jacking, synth-streaked production which can be streamed in full below. Osborn’s Put Your Weight on It EP will see its release on September 15.
1. Put Your Weight On It (Frankfurt Mix) 2. Put Your Weight On It (Chicago Mix) 3. Medium 4. Markert
South African DJ/producer and pioneer of the “Bacardi house” sound, DJ Spoko will release his debut LP via Lit City Trax next month. Though the forthcoming War God LP will serve as the man’s first full-length release, DJ Spoko has been crafting tracks since the late ’90s and—as we pointed out in our illumianting In the Studio feature with him last year—has studied with Nozinja (the creator of the Shangaan Electro style), and mentored DJ Mujava, who features on the record.
Spoko’s flair for raw, stripped-down rhythms and sharp percussion will be displayed across 20 new productions on War God, an album which will see its official release on September 23. Before then, the record’s artwork and tracklist have been included below.
1. War of the Pizzi 2. Dikwakwa 3. Trigga Happy 4. Motota Mutapa 5. Mshongoville 6. Angels and Demons 7. Chitahuri Dance 8. War God 9. Mzansi 10. After Party 11. Planet X 12. More Pain 13. Bula Ma 14. Oreng Mo (ft. DJ Mujava) 15. Man in Black Suit 16. Phelindaba 17. Civil War 18. Captain Jack Spoko 19. Thugs of the Nite 20. Moon and Sun
French producer Blâme (who also serves as half of the CDBL duo) will debut on the Parisian [Re]sources label next week with the three-track Paranoid EP, a record said to showcase the artist’s “flair for techno breaks, acid basslines, and instrumental grime.” Pulled from the record is “Haunted,” a track whose heavy-handed percussion tones are laced with a dubwise roll, leaving them to chug between thick layers of clouded chord stabs and streaks of acid manipulations. Out on September 1, Blâme’s complete Paranoid EP can be streamed after the jump.
Originally announced back in January, Maxmillion Dunbar‘s Drizzling Glass EP for The Trilogy Tapes label will (after some unexpected delays) see its official release next week. To reintroduce the effort, the imprint is now streaming EP cut “Jubilee” in full.
Set to lead off Drizzling Glass, “Jubilee” is a snaking piece of dancefloor music, one in which static-laden drum hits hold the groove underneath an intertwining series of glass-like synth sequences. The tune can be streamed in full below, while new age-streaked EP closer “Calvin & Hobbes” can be heard here. Dunbar—who himself co-heads the adventurous Future Times label—delivered last week’s exclusive XLR8R podcast; that session can be streamed and download here.
Cooly G has revealed plans to return to the Hyperdub label in October with Wait ‘Til Night, the London producer’s sophomore long-player. Described as “an album of sensitive, lo-fi bedroom music,” Wait ‘Til Night is said to find Cooly G continuing to evolve past the foundation of UK club hybrids that marked her earlier output, with the new LP characterized by “intimate vocals and smokey synths cross-hatched with her broken rhythmic sense.” Furthermore, the record will find the artist’s own voice at the center of the action, with her lyrics aiming to “sketch out dreamy scenarios of seduction, lust, and sex.”
Cooly G’s steamy Wait ‘Til Night LP is slated to arrive on October 21. In the meantime, the record’s artwork and tracklist are included below.
1. Wait ‘Til Night 2. Like A Woman Should 3. Your Sex 4. I Like 5. Dancing 6. Quick Question 7. Want 8. So Deep 9. 1st Time 10. Freak You 11. Fuck With You 12. 3 of Us
Torn Hawk (the sonic persona of Luke Wyatt) has shared details of a new full-length album, due out later this year. As implied by the title, the New York artist’s forthcoming Let’?s Cry and Do Pushups at the Same Time? (artwork above) “grapples with the duality of internal conflict and persona construction,” a theme that carries over from an aesthetic interest in “parodying toughness.” The album’s eight tracks reportedly come constructed as a characteristic hodgepodge, heavily influenced by video and film and including everything from live guitar and drum machines to “junky synths and layers of acid-washed samples.” The record follows Hawk’s previous efforts for labels such as L.I.E.S., 1080p, Not Not Fun, and his own Valcrond Video imprint.
?Let?s Cry and Do Pushups at the Same Time? is out on November 11 via Mexican Summer. The forthcoming LP’s tracklist can be found below, where lead album cut “Im Flexible” can also be streamed in full.
01. I?m Flexible 02. She Happens 03. Afterprom 04. Return to the Pec Deck 05. Acceptance Speech 06. Because of M.A.S.K. 07. Under Wolf Rule 08. There Was a Time
Hailing from the North Russian city of Arkhangelsk, Pak0 is set to drop his “Legacy” b/w “Work It Out” 12″ via fledgling Moscow label Capital Bass next week. Ahead of the release, Pak0 has sent along “Colors,” a garage-indebted workout that is propelled by shuffling rhythms and a series of rounded bass notes which jump around the beat. From there, the Russian beatmaker adds a handful of subtle vocal touches and grainy, droning textures which help give this club-aimed track a bit of an experimental bent. Before Pak0’s “Legacy” b/w “Work It Out” 12″ lands on September 1, the forthcoming effort can be previewed after the jump.
Francis Harris (a.k.a. Adultnapper) and Anthony Collins are preparing their debut full-length as Frank & Tony for Scissor & Thread, which also serves as a platform for likeminded house producers Bob Moses and Black Light Smoke. Both project and label were initiated in late 2011, and the Brooklyn-based pair has since put out six collaborative EPs in addition to ongoing solo efforts. The nine tracks on the forthcoming You Go Girl will be split across three vinyl EPs, leading up to the full album release on November 17. You arrives first, on October 20, Go follows on November 3, and Girl rounds things out on November 17. Snippets from You—including a preview of “Companion,” featuring the inimitable DJ Sprinkles—have been made available to preview below, where tracklists can also be found.
You Go Girl 01. After Days (Digital Exclusive) 02. Faded (Dub) 03. Bring The Sun feat. Gry 04. Villa Seurat 05. Resistance feat. Jason Poranski (Digital Exclusive) 06. Call Me Rain 07. Only By Moving (Digital Exclusive) 08. Love Brut 09. Novella
You EP 01. Companion feat. DJ Sprinkles (Vinyl Exclusive) 02. Bring The Sun feat. Gry 03. Faded (Dub)
Go EP 01. Novella 02. Nine Cities (Vinyl Exclusive) 03. Call Me Rain
Girl EP 01. Love Brut 02. Resistance (Dub) (Vinyl Exclusive) 03. Villa Seurat
Earlier this summer, XLR8R launched the Ask the Experts series as a way of letting our audience directly solicit production advice from established artists. Our first edition featured Modeselektor, while round two is being handled by bass manipulator Om Unit (a.k.a. Jim Coles). A key contributor to the UK’s embrace of juke and footwork sounds in recent years, he was also one of the first producers to seriously experiment with combining those distinctly American rhythms with jungle and drum & bass. Coles’ willingness to try new things doesn’t stop there, as he’s also been one of the innovators of the slow/fast sound, which he recently celebrated by putting together the Cosmology compilation for his own Cosmic Bridge label. With all of this low-end-centric knowledge rattling around in Om Unit’s brain, we knew that XLR8R readers would jump at the chance to throw questions his way, and while he couldn’t respond to all of inquires we received, he’s selected a few that caught his attention and provided some very thoughtful answers.
On the Threads album, you made excellent use of the entire stereo field, which resulted in a finished product with a lot of dimension, a sense of depth, and the true creation of a “sonic landscape” that made you feel like you were actually in a place where these sounds were coming from. Any tips on how this was achieved? Was it just careful panning and automation or was there other processing involved? Thanks, Jordan
Firstly, it is very useful to understand what kind of reverb you want to use. I myself use mostly the Lexicon PCM. When it comes to using reverb, it is good to consider your mix of early reflections (the immediate reverb) and the later (larger) space. Secondly, I think it’s useful to carefully taylor the frequency range of your space. For example, if you have a lot of mids and highs in the reverb, it can take up a lot of space in the mix, and if you have a lot of low-frequency reverb, you have potentially a lot of low-frequency stereo width, which is actually unnatural to the ear. So it is about balance. I would recommend using mid/side EQ for sculpting your sounds and spaces to create the spatial feeling. Checking in headphones can really help to clean up space this way for other sounds to fit in the mix.
I started to get into electronic music production a few years ago, but only in this past year have I really gotten serious about learning the ins and outs of it. I currently use Ableton and the extent of my equipment is an old Midiman USB MIDI keyboard and an Akai MPC500. I’ve made a few tracks that I’m happy with, but those are very few and far between. What usually happens is I’ll create an idea and absolutely love it at the time, but then I’ll return to it the next day and say something like, ‘What was I smoking if I thought this was good?’ So I’ve become way too much of a perfectionist when it comes to producing music, to the point where I don’t even release anything. Do you have any experience with this? If so, how have you gotten over it? Owen
There is nothing “wrong” with this process as such, but there is a discipline to finishing a piece of work. It is about committing to finishing something. It’s important not to be attached to the outcome; there are some traps here, for example, some kind of fear of failure perhaps? The outcome is not as important as the journey, but the discipline of completion is healthy. It’s ultimately better to finish what you like and then consider the “product” afterwards. It’s best not to let comparison with other people’s stuff hinder your progress either. I would also recommend trying some other tools too—cheap drum machines, monosynths, etc.—to allow yourself more spontaneity. Ultimately, you need to let go of the “little hater” that is blocking the way and take a leap! Even if the end result isn’t up to scratch, it’s all part of the process.
Do you have any specific techniques or methods to approach composing melodies or dealing with the melodic aspect of a track, as opposed to drums/percussion? What is your best advice for someone who is comfortable working with drum patterns and breaks but has trouble creating leads, basslines, etc. that are melodic and don’t grate after a few bars? Much love, California Games
My advice would be to learn some simple scales to start with, although this isn’t as important as jamming out to find a harmony that moves you. I would recommend really listening to a lot of music that is outside your comfort zone too. Find music that connects with you outside of your own creative sphere; we can often be boxed in by what we create and the process can become self-referential, and this can lead to stagnation. I can recommend a shortcut too—there a lot of free MIDI scores of all kinds of music online that can allow you to deconstruct and/or reappropriate melodic structures within your own work. For me, I will sometime work on a simple idea first, then add layers quite quickly and then save the work and come back to it later with fresh ears and perhaps keep some of it. With melody, you are dealing with more of a narrative situation too, so it is good to develop a sense of what kind of emotions different kinds of melodies and harmonies make you feel. It is also good to look at what kind of textures to use to help invoke feelings—this is equally important. Ultimately, you have to get outside your comfort zone and take risks and see what you come back with.
Where do you draw inspiration from and how do you implement it into your work? Charlie
I think it is important to be able to compare facets of life to facets of art. From there, you can see how basic forms (whether it be sonic or visual) can impact upon a person’s state of mind. There is such a myriad of objects/experiences/ideas to draw inspiration from and I think that I draw inspiration from life experiences as much as other musician’s work.
Ultimately, we are all receiving sound and interpreting it in our own way all the time, and a lot of art is actually re-interpretation. So we are transceivers of information; I think once we understand that, then it becomes less about making things with such a fixed perspective and more about adding something reflective to the landscape by using our own techniques to hopefully create something unique and convincing. That is at least my ideal about how I like to work.
A regular contributor to the Sonic Router label’s efforts, Bambooman has turned in this remix of “Controller,” a track from Eckoclick‘s (pictured above) upcoming self-titled debut EP for the imprint. Lead by a barrage of sampled textures and expertly layered vocals in its original form, “Controller” is rendered into a more reserved affair in the hands of Bambooman, who elects to focus in on the track’s percussive clacks and delicate melodies, adding streaks of smooth vocal snapshots and—eventually—screeching saxophone runs as the remix moves along. A collaboration between London vocalist Femme and budding producer Crewdson, Eckoclick’s self-titled debut EP will offer the original version of “Controller,” along with five other productions from the pair when it lands on September 8.
