After inaugurating London label Lobster Theremin‘s Black Label series with his Saoryan EP last month, Opal Tapes affiliate Manse has now shared an abstract video to accompany EP cut “Lighght.” The mechanical techno track sets a dark tone for the avant-garde clip directed by Andrew Bever, as distorted and unidentifiable images fade between a distinguishably staged scene of houseplants and a flickering TV screen. The seemingly arbitrary images, saturated in swamp green, emulate the drafty production of “Lighght,” as the various houseplants stretch and sway while the camera lense blurs in and out of focus.
Sylphe “Zepz”
London outfit Sylphe will soon release a two-track 12” simply titled Sylphe06 via the group’s eponymous white label series. Prior to Sylphe06‘s arrival next week, the duo have passed along a dry and digital bonus track titled “Zepz.” The lengthy tune (clocking in at over nine minutes) features wobbling metallic vibrations, a shy rattling beat, and a wandering synth rhythm that calmly propels forth as calculated thwacks and sterile beeps adorn the production’s cool demeanor.
The Trilogy Tapes Shares Another Cut from Anthony Naples’ Upcoming EP
Over the past couple months, teasers for Anthony Naples‘ first release of 2014 have been steadily cropping up on SoundCloud, although no formal release date has surfaced yet. This morning, The Trilogy Tapes posted up another cut from his upcoming four-track EP for the label, “Zipacón,” that suggests Aphex Twin’s more mellow Warp releases from the mid-’90s. While waiting for details on the Brooklyn producer’s full effort to crystallize, two additional tracks from the EP can be streamed in full (find “More Problem” here and “Perro” here), and this latest track, “Zipacón,” has been posted below.
Deetron Launches New Label, Details First Release
Deetron (pictured above) has announced that he’ll be launching his own imprint in early fall, and disclosed details for the first release, which will see him teaming up with Ripperton (a.k.a. Headless Ghost) under the pair’s rarely seen Roots Panorama moniker. According to the Swiss DJ/producer (who contributed an exclusive XLR8Rpodcast last year), the new Character imprint will serve as a platform for both his own music as well as other artists, and typically avoids declaring genre affiliation. His last outing with Ripperton as Roots Panorama was back in 2011, with the Threee EP for Versatile. The concept behind the duo’s inaugural record for Character is reportedly based off a studio jam session, with each artist then individually crafting tracks that interpret the session. While no previews have been shared as of yet, Mars “sees Deetron’s version focus on the melodic and bright aspect of the original recording, while Ripperton takes things deeper into darker territory leading towards a finale with the sort of arresting arpeggio that only he can come up with.” The record is due out on September 1.
A. Mars (Deetron Version)
AA. Mars (Ripperton Version)
MNDSGN Preps Debut LP for Stones Throw/Leaving, Reveals Upcoming Outtakes Cassette
A name likely familiar to those who have followed the West Coast beat scene over the past few years, MNDSGN (real name Ringgo Ancheta) has announced that he will issue his proper debut LP via Stones Throw/Leaving next month—a record which is set to be preceded by a cassette’s worth of outtakes dropping next week. Originally born in the Philippines, Ancheta’s back story is certainly a unique one, as the artist was forced to flee his home country as a child due to the imposing threat of the Aum Supreme Truth terrorist group, landing in a rural New Jersey commune, where his father began to rebuild his family’s life while working as a researcher at Princeton’s Neuroscience Institute, a career that partially inspired the producer’s current MNDSGN (pronounced “mind design”) alias.
Now a fixture of the Los Angeles beat scene, Ancheta is set to issue his debut long-player, Yawn Zen via Stones Throw/Leaving in August. Before that record sees its release though, MNDSGN will drop the Surface Outtakes cassette, a 12-track collection of beats and sketches that did not make the artist’s forthcoming LP. One such effort, “Eggs,” can be heard in full below before Surface Outtakes lands on July 8. Furthermore, MNDSGN has recently launched a monthly broadcast for Bolier Room entitled Breakfast With Ringgo, which will also include the talents of fellow beatmaker KNX; the first episode of which can be watched/heard here.
01 A Brand New Couch
02 Dialect
03 Due Mantra
04 Eating Starfruit
05 Eggs
06 FSHO
07 Goodbye Wavs
08 HLP
09 Overwhelming Gratitude
10 Purrspective
11 Seemingly All G
12 Yestalgia
Watch Heatsick Build a Track Live
PAN affiliate and recent XLR8Rpodcast contributor Heatsick puts his own spin on FACT TV‘s Against the Clock challenge, crafting a beat live using only his Casio keyboard and a few guitar pedals for the ongoing video series. Captured before the producer’s performance at the recent MUTEK festival in Montreal (our full review of which can be read here), the nine-minute clip finds Heatsick punching out a beat by hand before launching into a washy voyage into off-kilter electronics.
FACT TV’s full clip can be watched below, ending with a brief rundown of the gear used to craft the live jam from the artist himself.
Scrase “Heart”
London producer Greg Scrase (who releases tracks simply under his surname, Scrase) will issue his Heart EP next month via the growing Love Love label. Said to be inspired by ’90s ambient house, the record’s title track layers heavenly textures and light melodies atop a straightforward four-on-the-floor beat. As the tune pushes forward, its sonic depth expands—robotic melodies and delicate arpeggios trickle in from the background, as long-winded vocals are repitched with the softest touch. Scrase’s “Heart” will be joined by two other similarly expansive ventures into ambient house, as well as a remix from fellow Londoner Dave Monolith (under his MNLTH alias), when the Heart EP lands on August 11.
How to Dress Well Shares Final Chapter of Video Trilogy
Now that R&B craftsman Tom Krell’s (a.k.a. How to Dress Well) “What is This Heart?” LP officially saw its release via the Weird World label last week, the artist has unveiled the final piece of his eerie and heart-wrenching video trilogy. After initially showing the series’ protagonists grappling with love and death in the first installment with a video for “Repeat Pleasure”—which was followed by the young couple’s struggle to properly say goodbye to their deceased loved one in the trilogy’s second segment set to the dark, trudging “Face Again”—the tortured lovers at last find their release in the final chapter. Set to the hopeful and upbeat “Childhood Faith in Love,” the third installation (again directed by Johannes Greve Muskat) features the dazed pair stumbling around a dusty and desolate landscape before finding solace in a handful of gas station snacks. The feverish duo then proceed to erotically devour the meal as if it were their last. The full video for “Childhood Faith in Love” can be viewed below.
Pioneer Reveals rekordbox 3.0 Update
rekordbox—Pioneer‘s own software for preparing music libraries on USB sticks and SD cards for use with the company’s CDJs and other units—has been updated with a new UI, and a reconfigured system aimed at helping DJs better match tracks within their own library. Released today, the rekordbox 3.0 update is said to be the result of “years of feedback from DJs of all backgrounds” and comes “completely redesigned.” Among the update’s new features, is a comprehensive reworking of the software’s UI, which now allows users to tag tracks and look at multiple playlists at once. Furthermore, a new “Match” feature has been added to rekordbox, which lets DJs link tracks that work well together, making them easier to find while one is in the mix. Similarly, a “Related Tracks” feature will make suggestions to users based on a track’s BPM, key, and other related aspects of the song.
The promo video below shows off rekordbox 3.0’s new feature set, which also includes an in-system crossfader for testing out blends. The rekordbox update is currently free to download for registered Pioneer users here. (via Resident Advisor)
Panes “Bones Without You (Mickey Pearce Remix)”
Lifted from London duo Panes‘ (a.k.a. Tyson McVey and Shaun Savage) most recent Self Titled EP, “Bones Without You” has now been given an austere makeover by Swamp 81 affiliate Mickey Pearce. Pearce’s rendition takes the meticulous structure of the original and proceeds to turn it on its head—beginning in more rhythmically complex territory and gradually stripping down the affair to a more efficient form, leaving the raw production with nothing but haunting vocal chops and detuned synths to carry out the final stretch of its nearly five-minute run.
