“Austere” is one of 13 unconventional beats set to appear on an upcoming mixtape of original productions from NYC artist Quays. A producer who has in the past dropped new tracks via voicemail (allowing listeners to hear the songs by calling a particular phone number), Quays assembles a mix of wonky bells, bouncing rhythms, and sugary synths on “Austere.” Though a bit unusual in its presentation, the tune is still in many ways a very sweet composition, its fizzy melodies likely to stay with listeners after Quays—at least for those wrapped up in the tune’s intoxicating glow—abruptly cuts off his beat just past the two-minute mark.
Gui Boratto has unveiled details for his fourth full-length album on Kompakt, which is slated for release in early fall. The Brazilian producer has sustained a longstanding relationship with the esteemed Cologne-based label for nearly a decade, which oversaw the release of his debut album Chromophobia back in 2007. His upcoming Abaporu LP (artwork above), is named for Brazil’s most famous modernist painting; it’s Boratto’s first full-length album in several years and is described as “an exotic and colorful journey into sound.” Spread across 13 tracks, the LP will reportedly reflect the same strain of pop-infused techno and house that has become his signature, and is due out as a vinyl, CD, and digital release on September 29.
Boratto is also scheduled to release a remix 12″ for the album’s lead single, “Joker,” which is described as a song where “a masterfully sequenced synth drills into the aether while the soulful piano chords add emotional depth, all propelled by the almighty bass drum.” Due out on August 4, Joker Remixe will feature reworks from Dave DK and Michael Mayer. In the meantime, “Joker” in its original form is available to stream in full below, where we’ve also included a tracklist for both forthcoming releases.
Abaporu 01/A1. Antropofagia 02/A2. Joker 03/B1. Please Don’t Take Me Home 04/B2. Get the Party Started 05/C1. Abaporu 06/C2. 22 07. Take Control 08/D1. Indigo 09/D2. Manifesto 10. Wait for Me 11. Where I Belong 12. Too Late 13. Palin Dromo
Ever-evolving electronic artist Caribou (a.k.a. Dan Snaith) has shared an extended, DJ-friendly mix of “Can’t Do Without You,” which initially surfaced last month alongside the announcement of his heavily anticipated sixth studio album Our Love, which is due out on October 7 via Merge/City Slang. The Canadian producer’s chromatic “Can’t Do Without You” offers a taste of what’s to come on the LP, which is reportedly built around “a mixture of digital pop production, hip-hop-inspired beats, muted house basslines, and a love of shuffling garage.”
“Can’t Do Without You” (artwork above) is out now digitally and as a limited-edition 12″ via Snaith’s own Jiaolong label, and the extended mix can be streamed in full below.
After nearly a decade in dance music purgatory, drum & bass and jungle have gradually worked their way back into the spotlight. Throughout this process, few labels have proven more reliable than dBridge‘s Exit Records, and the imprint’s latest offering, the Loving Touch EP, comes from Fracture (a.k.a. Charlie Fieber), a veteran UK producer who also heads up a quality imprint of his own, Astrophonica, with partner and frequent collaborator Neptune. On the record’s title track, Fracture flips Ralphi Rosario’s and Xavier Gold’s house classic “You Used to Hold Me” into a hyperkinetic piece of drum & bass, while the remainder of the EP finds him working bits of footwork, grime, hip-hop, and dubstep into a jungle template. On a basic level, this sort of hybridization and creativity is at least partially responsible for the revitalization of drum & bass, and hearing these tunes left us curious about how the approach would work in an elongated format. As such, we invited Fracture to put together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series.
Right off the bat, the mix is brimming with energy. Drum & bass is a naturally hyperactive sound to begin with, but when infused with low-end-heavy blasts and frequent rhythmic change-ups, the music takes on a whole new vibrance. Over the course of nearly an hour, Fracture employs many of his own tracks—although many of these numbers are collaborative—but he also enlists the talents of like-minded jungle experimenters like Om Unit, DJ Spinn, and Addison Groove. It’s not a session for the faint of heart.
01 Taso “Lose You” 02 MP ”U Dont Know Me” (MP) 03 Addison Groove “Masamune” (50Weapons) 04 Fracture “Bump 2 Dis” 05 Om Unit x Moresounds “Nuff Music” (Cosmic Bridge) 06 DJ Spinn “Dubby” 07 Fracture x Moresounds “Dead and Bury” (Astrophonica) 08 Fracture x DJ Spinn x Taso “Jam #1” 09 DJ Monita “Luv Ta Luv Ya (Fracture’s Astrophonica Remix)” (Skeleton) 10 Kid Lib “Soundmove” (Green Bay Wax) 11 Fracture “Loving Touch” (Exit) 12 Fracture x Sam Binga x Rider Shafique “Back It Up” (Astrophonica) 13 Fracture x Sam Binga ”Grippin’ Grain” (Exit) 14 Fracture x Chimpo “From Early (Fracture’s Reduction Mix)” (Metalheadz) 15 Moresounds “Pure Niceness” (Astrophonica) 16 Overlook “Empires” 17 Great Dane “Invite Only” (Alpha Pup) 18 Fracture x Sam Binga x Rider Shafique “She Want It Ruff” (Astrophonica) 19 Fracture & Neptune “Whatever” (Astrophonica) 20 Moresounds “Rahstok”
Hotflush has always prided itself on being difficult to pigeonhole, but the label’s recent releases have shown a preference for darker shades of techno, as seen in label head Scuba’s PhenixEP trilogy or South London Ordnance’s Contact 12″. It’s no surprise, then, that its next release taps UK newcomer Auden, whose forthcoming debut spans four tracks of “unsullied atmospherics, large-scale techno, acid, dub, and two-step.” Though little is revealed about the producer behind the name (he’s simply described in the accompanying press release as a “fresh voice in UK techno”), the full self-titled Auden EP (artwork above) is slated for official release on July 28, and is available to preview below.
“Deckchairs on the Moon” is the new single from Manchester vocalist Adio Marchant (a.k.a. Bipolar Sunshine, pictured above). The sky-high pop song has seen a release as a three-track package next week along with two house-minded remixes from Eli & Fur and Just Kiddin, whose sleek effort is featured here. On its rework, the Kettering-based outfit laces Marchant’s easygoing vocals with a set of soul-drenched chords and a sharply skipping drums that keep this version of the tune completely focused on the dancefloor. Out now, the full “Deckchairs on the Moon” single package can be streamed after the jump.
German artist Volker Bertelmann (a.k.a. Hauschka) is one of the foremost composers and musicians pushing the envelope of piano performance. His latest LP, Abandoned City (released via City Slang/Temporary Residence LTD.), saw the established talent explore his craft further, with his propensity for using prepared pianos resting at the center of the record’s improvised offerings. Now, the former Artist Tips contributor has taken some time to further reveal his own prepared piano techniques in a new series of short films.
Produced by Boiler Room, the videos find Hauschka carefully preparing a grand piano for an upcoming performance, adding a collection of children’s toys, small rhythmic pieces, and a number of repurposed materials in order to expand the functionality of the instrument. In addition, the German experimenter discusses the use of FX pedals in his performance process, while also delving into the more theoretical inspirations that led him to begin preparing pianos for his compositions.
Both new videos can be watched below before Hauschka helps inaugurate Boiler Room’s new In Stereo series, which promises to “present a different class of music and musicians that we cherish, shot with high-end production values and mixed-down audio in locations that stand outside what we are traditionally known for.” Hauschka’s live performance for the series is set to be broadcast at noon BST tomorrow; more information can be found here.
Today, the fledgling Modern Math label drops its first vinyl release, the four-track White Label Renegade EP from Vancouver producer Taal Mala. Featured here is the new effort’s title track, a bass-loaded affair which fits classic vocal chops, thick breaks, and an array of space-age percussion and FX between its strong-armed kicks and snares. A true hybrid, “White Label Renegade” connects various points from drum & bass, juke, and rave to result in a heavy, club-minded concoction. Two other original productions from Taal Mala and a remix from LA producer Grenier are set to appear on the Canadian artist’s White Label Renegade EP, out in vinyl form today with a digital release dropping July 25.
Earlier this year, Miami-based producer Helix released the first official EP under his DJ Vague alias, the Porsche Trax EP, a three-track effort which landed via Australia’s Templar Sound label. Now, the Night Slugs affiliate has revealed plans to return to his techno-rooted alter-ego on a new EP for DJ Haus’ Unknown to the Unknown imprint. The simply titled Hard Workin’ Trax EP will again offer three DJ Vague productions, focusing on driving drum-machine rhythms and sparse synth work. As of now, the label has not shared any audio previews for the forthcoming effort, but Hard Workin’ Trax‘s artwork and tracklist can be found below before the EP sees its official release on August 11.
01 Hard Workin’ Trax 1 02 Hard Workin’ Trax 2 03 Hard Workin’ Trax 3
Addison Groove is set to return to the Modeselektor-helmed 50Weapons imprint next month with a new EP that will feature a collaboration with the late DJ Rashad. The forthcoming Turn Up the Silence EP is set to feature four distinct new productions from Addison Groove, with its three solo efforts described as “electro undergone a radical undercut,” “hi-NRG,” and “minimal D&B,” respectively. Entitled, “U Been Gone,” the UK producer’s collaboration with Chicago footwork pioneer DJ Rashad is said to sound like “a homage to one of footworks’ greatest… [where] syncopated kicks shuffle around a Motown sample, which adds a certain melancholy to the cleverly twisted jungle breaks structuring this track.”
Addison Groove’s latest effort for 50weapons will see its release on August 8. In the meantime, the record’s full tracklist can be found below, along with a preview of EP cut “Push It.”
01 Dat Ass 02 U Been Gone (feat. DJ Rashad) 03 Push It 04 Masamune
