Earlier this summer, The Bug announced plans to release Angels & Devils via Ninja Tune, his first full-length album under the alias since 2008. The record reportedly finds the UK producer born Kevin Martin exploring oppositional forces in the company of collaborators such as copeland, Gonjasufi, Warrior Queen, Grouper’s Liz Harris, Flowdan, Miss Red, Roll Deep’s Manga, Justin Broadrick of Godflesh, and Death Grips. While LP cuts “Save Me” and “Fuck a Bitch” have already surfaced as teasers ahead of the record’s release on August 25, all 12 tracks are now available to stream in full here courtesy of FACT, and further details of the forthcoming Angels & Devils LP can be found here.

Throughout the week, a whole lot of material gets posted here on XLR8R. And while we know—and love—that some hardcore readers will eagerly pour over every single news story, interview, podcast, video, and MP3 download that appears on the site, we also realize that for most people, it’s impossible to see everything, which means that some quality XLR8R content is likely to get missed in the hustle and bustle of everyone’s daily lives. In the interest of making it easier for everyone to catch up, every Friday we present The Lowdown, a weekly wrap-up of the top 10 tidbits from our site.

1. We examined the current state of ambient music in an in-depth feature that included thoughts from Wolfgang Voigt, Lawrence English, Christopher Willits, Wanda Group, Deru, Heathered Pearls, and many others.

2. This week’s XLR8R podcast was put together by Planet Mu boss Mu-Ziq (a.k.a. Mike Paradinas) (pictured above), who took the opportunity to showcase a bevy of unreleased tunes from his label and some of his favorite tracks from the PC Music camp.

3. In the wake of Ben UFO’s much-lauded appearance at the recent Dekmantel festival, organizers made a large portion of his set available to stream and download.

4. DJ Shadow announced the launch of his own label, and kicked things off by giving away a free EP that includes a remix from Machinedrum.

5. Daedelus shared the news that he will soon be releasing a new album via the Brainfeeder label, and posted a stream of the LP’s first single.

6. The latest chapter of our 20 Questions series featured veteran spinner DJ Harvey, who tackled inquiries about surfing, rock ‘n’ roll, and the meaning of life.

7. Ahead of its release later this month, Surgeon shared a stream of his new single exclusively on XLR8R.

8. Flying Lotus has a new LP slated to drop in October, and this week saw him unveiling the album’s tracklist and a new teaser video.

9. UK artist Floating Points surprised everyone with the sudden release of a new single.

10. The most popular track from our Downloads section this week came from London producers My Panda Shall Fly and Maulin, who gave away a “5 a.m. Minimal Dub” of forthcoming EP cut “Gingerbread House.”

An expanded version of the The Lowdown is also available via a weekly email newsletter. Those interested in an even more in-depth round-up of XLR8R content should sign up by entering their email address below.

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With recordings of Ben UFO’s and Joey Anderson’s excellent sets from the
Dekmantel Festival surfacing this week, we’ve spent much of the past few days reliving some of our favorite moments from the recent Amsterdam festival (an event we deemed one of the year’s best electronic gatherings). Now, another highlight of Dekmantel has made its way to the web, with Space Dimension Controller‘s “lovably irreverent” set now available to hear/watch in full. Spanning an hour, the UK DJ/producer’s time behind the decks found him piecing together an increasingly fun series of tracks, eventually leading to Sylvester’s “Do You Wanna Funk,” a disco rework of the Star Wars theme, and Yello’s “Oh Yeah” all appearing as the mix came to a close.

Originally broadcast live by Boiler Room, Space Dimension Controller’s full Dekmantel 2014 set can be watched/heard below. (For those who would prefer just the audio, the set can also be streamed and downloaded here.) Furthermore, additional Boiler Room/Dekmantel sets from Motor City Drum Ensemble, Surgeon, Tessela, Pariah, Kowton, and more can be found here.

Last month, XLR8R launched a new feature series, Ask the Experts, which gives our audience the chance to pepper established artists with questions and hopefully acquire some useful production information in the process. Our first edition of Ask the Experts appeared last week, and found veteran German duo Modeselektor doling out studio and music-making tips to curious readers from around the globe. For the series’ next installment, we’ve enlisted UK producer Om Unit (a.k.a. Jim Coles).

The Om Unit project has been active since 2010, and over the past few years, Coles has been a key part of the UK’s embrace of juke and footwork sounds from across the pond. He’s also been at the forefront of combining these sounds with elements of jungle and drum & bass; his work under the Philip D Kick moniker flipped numerous jungle classics into modern, footwork-flavored tracks, and this combination was further explored in his collaborative Dream Continuum project with Machinedrum. Jungle elements have increasingly crept into his work as Om Unit as well—he even released a 12″ for the venerable Metalheadz label last year—but his style has more often been tagged as slow/fast, a sound which combines elements of dubstep, jungle, and footwork into a uniquely dynamic brew. Just a few weeks ago, Coles’ own Cosmic Bridge imprint issued Cosmology, a compilation showcasing some of slow/fast’s brightest talents.

Despite of all this activity, Om Unit has offered to carve out a little time and share some of his know-how with the XLR8R audience. If you have a question for him about production, touring, remixing, traveling, or pretty much any aspect of being an artist, email it ASAP to [email protected]. We’ll send all of the entries along to Om Unit, and he’ll select a handful to answer. His responses will be posted in the latest edition of Ask the Experts later this month, which will be followed by a new chapter (with a new artist) every month thereafter. Start sending in those questions now.

Ceaselessly prolific producer Danny Wolfers (a.k.a. Legowelt) is giving away two unreleased, hardware-built tracks for free download. The producer—whose operational base in The Hague accomodates multiple rooms for his collection of synths—has released under a myriad of aliases for labels such as Clone and Creme Organization. Of the two new tracks put on offer yesterday and shared via FACT, “I Have a Soul” is described as “creamy electro-techno with copious amounts of tape juice and a super-thick, three-layer bassline like a luscious chocolate cake,” while “Baia de Guanabara” takes the form of a “slow drifting, timid techno jam.” Both tracks have been made available via Wolfers’ website here, where a substantive holding of further material can also be tested out and downloaded.

Will Saul has certainly kept himself busy in 2014, maintaining the growing catalog of his Aus label while also turning in a number of solo productions and turning in a contribution to the esteemed DJ-Kicks mix album series. Keeping with his prolific pace, Saul has now announced plans to issue a new 12″ under his Close alias next month. Leading off the upcoming No Love Lost EP, the record’s title track finds Saul collaborating with Houndstooth affiliate Second Storey (who recently announced his upcoming debut LP) and Stateside vocalist Kid A. The collaborative track is said to find the trio crafting “a deluge of ghostly tones… built from broken rhythm structures, capacious sweeps, and haunting vocals.”

Along with a funk-lined remix of “No Love Lost” from fast-rising LA producer/vocalist Seven Davis Jr, the forthcoming EP will also see Saul and Second Storey deliver two additional collaborations, “Lacuna Slide” and “WAL.” Serving as the London producer’s first release as Close since dropping his debut LP under the moniker last year, the No Love Lost EP will see its official release on September 1. In the meantime, the record’s artwork and full tracklist are included below.

A1 “No Love Lost (feat. Kid A)”
A2 “No Love Lost (Seven Davis Jr Remix)”
B1 “Lacuna Slide”
B2 “WAL”

London’s fast-growing Lobster Theremin label will issue the three-track Rules EP from German producer Panthera Krause later this month. Described as a “mid-summer trip into the sun,” Krause’s upcoming effort is said to find him “drawing on a plethora of classic house influences” with the resulting productions taking thier cues “as much from the MPC-led West Coast beat scene as the European house approach.” Set to drop on August 29, the EP will serve as Krause’s debut on the label, and follows closely behind his Laika EP, which landed in July via Riotvan.

Ahead of its release, Rules‘ three soul-swept efforts can be previewed below, where a full stream of the EP’s title track has also been included, courtesy of Boiler Room Debuts.

01 Rules
02 Rewo
03 Them Flutes