First released in 1996 via Manchester imprint Skam, Boards of Canada‘s Hi Scores EP/LP (it clocks in around 33 minutes), will see a reissue in October. Predating the seminal electronic duo’s debut on Warp (the revered Music Has the Right to Children), Hi Scores has been “rerecorded and remastered from the original DAT tapes and will be cut onto heavyweight collectors-edition vinyl” for its forthcoming reissue. A six-track affair, the record is said to have laid down the foundation for the rest of the pair’s output that followed—and ultimately helped define a style of electronic music—finding BoC crafting “dreamy, otherworldly post-rave beat music” while displaying a “keen, one-of-a-kind set of ears for affecting melodic and harmonic progressions.”
Set to be released as part of the Skam label’s 20th anniversary celebrations, the reissue of Hi Scores will see its official release in vinyl, CD, and digital formats on October 13. In the meantime, the record’s complete tracklist has been included below along with a full stream of its remastered title cut.
01. Hi Scores 02. Turquoise Hexagon Sun 03. Nlogax 04. June 9th 05. Seeya Later 06. Everything You Do Is A Balloon
Last month, Vessel unveiled details of his second full-length album, Punish, Honey, and in anticipation of its arrival via Tri Angle this fall, the Bristol-based artist has now made LP cut “Anima” available to stream. On the forthcoming record, the producer born Sebastian Gainsborough reportedly dipped into an arsenal of DIY instruments—using sheets of metal as percussive elements, flutes made from sawed-up bikes, and handmade harmonic guitars—in an effort to move away from “archetypical electronic sounds.” The result of those experiments, Punish, Honey is due out on September 16, and in the meantime, roiling album single “Anima” can be heard in full below.
Vienna-based label Pomelo is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary over the course of the next two months with a pair of 12″ compilations featuring tracks from the likes of Tin Man, Elektro Guzzi, and a handful of other locally based artists. Before releasing the 20 Years #1 12″ on September 1, the label has passed along this contribution from Harlem-born techno producer Altroy (a.k.a. TJ Hicks). On “Tokui Waza,” the artist flexes his dancefloor muscle, lacing the track’s steady stomp with a wobbly bassline and an array of interlocking patterns fashioned from machine-made hits and resonant stabs. Altroy’s produciton for the first 12″ compilation in Pomelo’s 20th anniversary series will be joined by others from Pulsinger & Irl, DJ Glow, and Buffered Multiple when the record drops next week.
Having previously held down an infamous Sunday-night residency at Glasgow’s Sub Club for 13 years, it’s fair to say that Optimo (the duo of JG Wilkes and JD Twitch) knows a thing or two about DJing. The pair has contributed to just about every mix series worth its salt, and although the two DJs have been invited to showcase their talents everywhere from Fabric to Panorama Bar, they maintain a firm belief that “Glasgow is the greatest city for partying on the planet.” Apart from their duties behind the decks, the Optimo boys also head up an eponymous label that’s now half a decade old, and have steadily grown the imprint into a reliable outpost for homegrown talent such as LUMA, Golden Teacher, and Divorce. Considering all of their Scotland-centric activities, it’s no stretch to refer to the men of Optimo as true aficionados of the country’s leftfield music scene; as such, it makes sense that ahead of the duo’s set at The Last Big Weekend festival this Sunday in Glasgow, JD Twitch has volunteered to take us through some of the best jams that have emerged from his homeland over the years.
Robert Rental “Double Heart”
If only he had made more music, I think Robert Rental might have been a Scottish Arthur Russell. He doesn’t sound anything like Arthur, but the few pieces of music he left with us come from a similarly unique part of the soul. I might have listened to this more than any other record ever made, but I still get something from it every time I hear it. I also have an occasional musical project with Neil Landstrumm named after this song.
Thomas Leer “Private Plane”
Thomas was Mr. Rental’s best friend, both of them hailing from a small town down the [River] Clyde from Glasgow. I am massively addicted to early ’80s DIY records and this is one of greatest. So unique, so haunting. The vocal is quite muted, as apparently he didn’t want to wake his sleeping girlfriend when he recorded it.
Fingerprintz “Wet Job”
I often like particular tracks by artists rather than necessarily being a fan of them per se. This is the only Fingerprintz song I love, but it is a beast of a tune. It’s also an accidental discotheque smash. I think now is the best time I have ever known for great music being made in Scotland, but the late ’70s/early ’80s came very close.
Test Dept. “Cha Till Sinn Tuille”
Many people in Scotland have a complicated relationship with the bagpipes. We tend to only ever hear the same annoying tourist-bait tunes being played ad infinitum, but the pipes are a beautiful instrument when in the right hands (or mouths), as this all-time favorite from semi-Scots Test Dept. clearly demonstrates.
Golden Teacher “Dante & Pilgrim”
Okay, so I released this one, but even if I hadn’t, it would still be on the list. Golden Teacher is one of the most exciting bands to come out of Glasgow in the last few years, and this demented, hypnotic juggernaut of a track was its initial calling card. It perfectly encapsulates so much about music that I love that I emailed to ask if I could release it even before I had finished listening to it.
New York outpost White Material has shared preliminary details of an upcoming 12″ from Morgan Louis, a Rhode Island-based producer making his full debut on the label. News of the record follows a move to reissue previous releases in response to high demand (reflected in inflated Discogs pricing), as well as DJ Richard‘s Benzos EP, which dropped in February. Full details of Louis’ forthcoming effort have yet to emerge, but in the meantime, a-side cut “Only1” has been made available to stream. The techno-leaning track registers the rough-around-the-edges style that’s come to help define the label, and can be heard in full below.
Earlier this summer, Bristol trio Elder Island issued its self-titled debut EP (artwork above) via the Four Thieves label. A five-track effort, the record saw the group meld together electronics and live instrumentation for a sound that is somewhat reminiscent of Brooklyn trio Archie Pelago, but with an extra dose of pop and the added presence of vocals. Pulled from the EP is “The Big Unknown,” a funk-touched track which has been given a rework by Ben La Desh. Stretching the tune to exactly seven minutes, the Dutch producer’s remix infuses Elder Island’s original with a late-night pulse which peaks through dense layers of murky pads and a series of cloudy melodies.
Ahead of the release of his debut album, Tayi Babba, Italian producer Clap! Clap! has shared a striking new video for LP cut “Ashiko.” The full album is constructed as an ethnography of an imagined island, and utilizes field recordings and samples from across the African continent in addition to precise drum programming and the influences of footwork and hip hop. According to director M.K. Ceesay, the new video for “Ashiko” interprets the characters found throughout the album’s accompanying artwork, and was inspired by “the mating rituals of certain animals, where the males battle and dance in trying to impress the female.” The video shows male dancers in day-glo, patterned body paint challenging one another for the attention of the central female character, Ashiko.
The full Tayi Babba LP is due out via Bristol-based imprint Black Acre on September 8, and in the meantime, the video premiere of “Ashiko” can be watched in full below. Clap! Clap! also recently announced plans to release a new 12″ to mark the label’s 50th release, “Buck” b/w “Ichnusa,” which is due out this month.
A relatively new artist to the Stones Throw fold, Mndsgn today drops his Yawn Zen LP for the label, and has shared a new video for album cut “TXT (MSGS)” to mark the occasion. Here, the woozy, funk-laced track is accompanied by jumpy images of the LA-based producer himself, which are overlaid with an array of graphic patterns cast in constant motion. Directed by one José Wolff, the full video for Mndsgn’s syrupy “TXT (MSGS)” production can be watched below.
San Francisco-based electronic musician Christopher Willits has shared a full stream of the audio portion from his forthcoming “visual album” for Ghostly. The seven-track Opening LP finds Willits amassing richly textured compositions, which evolve in gradual—at times almost imperceptible—movements, creating a dense sonic landscape that envelops the listener. Not entirely beatless, the producer adds subtle rhythmic charges to a number of compositions, burying live-sounding loops beneath the reverb-washed guitars, bright melodies, and dense pads which stretch throughout much of the record.
Imagined as an album listeners “can open up and expand into, relax, and recharge,” Willits’ lush Opening LP is streaming in full below ahead of its release on September 2.
“Soul Rhythm” is the title track from Spanish duo BSN Posse‘s new EP for the Freshmoon imprint. Described by the label as a slice of “easy-listening footwork,” the tune is heavy on late-night vibes, coming flushed with moody keys and effervescent strings. Rhythmically, the track is very much indebted to the Chicago footwork tradition as sharp kicks, skittering hats, and crisp claps are used to fill the space left by the production’s widespread arrangement. The BSN Posse’s full Soul Rhythm EP is out now.
