Pulled from Finnish outfit Femme En Fourrure‘s The Beach EP (released earlier this year via the Cocoa imprint), “Palms Glide Up Thighs” has been remixed by UK producer and Night Slugs affiliate Neana. A dark, boundless production in its original form, the track is reshaped here to fit a more club-ready structure, where thick pulsing drums are placed between ghostly chopped vocal layers. The resulting production finds a clever balance between the forceful rhythms Neana favors and the more abstract roots of Femme En Fourrure’s original effort.
Today sees the release of a new single from Jon Hopkins with a new version of “We Disappear” featuring vocalist Lulu James (a video for which appeared earlier this month) backed by a remix from Moderat (a.k.a. Modeselektor and Apparat, pictured above), which can now be streamed in full.
Pulled from Hopkins’ excellent Immunity LP—a record which we deemed the top release of 2013—”Abandon Window” is rendered into a more heavenly affair in the hands of Moderat. Led by sharply chopped chords and precise percussion, the remix builds in a dramatic fashion, methodically adding layers of sonic depth as the rework’s momentum carefully builds. Considering the combination of seasoned artists involved here, it’s no surprise that the resulting production is a quality and considerably enveloping affair. Moderat’s rework of “Abandon Window” is streaming below.
Parisian producer/DJ (not to mention former XLR8Rpodcast contributor) Canblaster has never been known for subtlety—his productions are more likely to cut straight through a dancefloor than they are to delicately enter a mix. Such is his approach to remixing “Turn Me Up,” a track from NYC artist Gina Turner. Employing a large array of sharp drum hits, Canblaster crafts a charged dancefloor excursion, one which continuously shifts and evolves throughout its run, adding layers of precise percussion around every corner. This “Large” remix and a dub remix from Canblaster are set to appear alongside Turner’s original version of the tune on the “Turn Me Up” digital single, out today via Turner’s own Turn It imprint.
DJ Slugo (a.k.a. Thomas Kendricks) is a Chicago house and juke veteran who made his name in the mid-’90s with a slew of hard-hitting releases for legendary labels like Dance Mania. His debut EP for Nicolas Jaar’s Other People imprint dropped today, and can now be streamed in its entirety. Arriving after issues from Drew Gragg, Vtgnike, and Jaar himself, it finds the DJ/producer in typically rambunctious form, opting for a mixture of raw drum machine patterns and spliced vocals that’s refreshingly at odds with the burgeoning label’s output so far.
King Of Ghetto House can be heard in full below, where a tracklist has also been included.
A1 From The Back 2009 A2 Get Down (What The Fuck) B1 Work Them Jaw B2 Worker
The world of house music was dealt a huge blow earlier this year when the “Godfather” of the genre, Frankie Knuckles, unexpectedly passed away. Now, believed to be one of Knuckles’ final remix commissions, a new rework from the Chicago-bred innovator is available to stream in full.
A collaborative effort alongside Eric Kupper, Knuckles remix of “Follow Your Heart”—a new track from UK pop veteran Holly Johnson, a former member of Frankie Goes to Hollywood—will see a release as part of the “Follow Your Heart” single package late next month (July 27, to be exact). For now, the uplifting, piano-led affair is the latest reminder of the enduring legacy the “Godfather of House” has left in his absence.
Throwing Snow has been tapped to deliver the latest in FACT’s ongoing podcast series. The London-based DJ/producer born Ross Tones (who we recently featured as part of our Deep Inside series, available here) has been a visible figure in electronic music since debuting in 2007, but up until now his style has continued to evolve, making his discography near impossible to pin down. His inaugural album, Mosaic, dropped via the Fabric-run Houndstooth label this year, but he’s also issued hybrid releases for a slew of others labels, including Local Action and Sneaker Social Club. This new mix, which dropped today, features artists such as Visionist who have appeared on his A Future Without and Left_Blank labels, as well as new material from his Alright alias and as Snow Ghosts, his collaborative project with Augustus Ghost.
The mix and a full tracklist can be found below.
1. Drekka – Go From My Window 2. FIS – DMT Usher 3. Paul Jebanasam – Rites II 4. Timo Chinala – Kaleidoscope 5. Maxwell August Croy & Sean McCann – Parting Light Suite 6. Benjamin Damage – End Days 7. Visionist – Can’t Forget 8. T_A_M – Graze Tha Trax 9. Memotone – Vilnius 10. Trevino – Shorty 11. Chaska – Dragon Breath 12. Caski – Elephant Tribe (Troy Gunner Remix) 13. Circle Traps – Portent 14. Will Plowman – Symphonic Ensemble 15. Paul Jebanasam – Rites III 16. Kreng – La Poule Noire 17. Kaboom Karavan – Parka 18. Purple – The Club 19. Gantz – Witch Blues 20. Kloke – Flood 21. Alight – The Fog 22. Snow Ghosts – Static Interlude (Binaural)
There’s no shortage of innovation in the Brainfeeder camp, but one could argue that of all the artists Flying Lotus has signed to the imprint, Matthewdavid (a.k.a. Matthew McQueen) just might be the most adventurous. The LA-based producer, sound experimentalist, and cassette enthusiast—who also heads up his own label, Leaving Records—is releasing a new LP this week; entitled ‘In My World,’ it’s a surprising effort that sees him expanding upon the ambient leanings of past work while embracing his own vocals like never before. At first glance, it’s seems like quite a departure, yet there’s no mistaking that the music still sounds like Matthewdavid. Curious about the album’s creation, we asked McQueen to tell us a bit more about exactly how he made the record. Granted, XLR8R already took an extensive look at his set-up for an In the Studio feature back in 2012. This time around though, he was willing to go into even more detail, and broke down a handful of his most useful studio techniques.
Over-compress All day everyday. No reserves, I tend to go in on the threshold—way in—and see how it sounds. Do you not like an over-compressed sound? Then back off! Or don’t even use compression! But personally, I can’t do without it, and I think it says something about the experimental/unconventional practice of my music. There are compressors with a more transparent sound (outboard/analog!), and compressors with a hyper-sensitive and colorful sound; I’ve been going between the two a lot lately, [putting] compression on vocal groups with many, many layers of vocal tracks in the group. This topic leads into the next…
In-project mastering Secrets of the bedroom production illuminati… I always do it. Even though many engineers, producers, and other miscellaneous “proper industry folk” have advised against this, it always gives me a greater sense of satisfaction. All traditions out the window, I always mix down with master-bus compression and multi-band limiting. I treat my track in the box as I’m constructing or even writing my song. And by just adding that signature sound overall with mastering experiments in tape saturation, or miscellaneous outboard gear (compression EQ), I can attain a loudness and dynamic texture to the whole without leaving my laptop.
In My World
Chorus Shouts out to Silk Rhodes (upcoming on Stones Throw, cough cough) for lacing me with this knowledge I will bestow now upon thee. Dense chorus harmony layering, each layer/track with a similar but not exactly the same GarageBand chorus effect. Try it, trust it—a great sound. I’m sure there are other chorus plug-ins and outboard hardware boxes that generate the same sound, but every Mac comes stock with GarageBand. I’m sooooooo in love with this sound for vocals. I implemented multiple chorusing experiments with the Ableton chorus, other developers’ chorus, and even some special chorusing pedals on my album; [it was all] inspired by this GarageBand effect to add a depth, width, and doubling/layering sound to vocals.
Harmony cheating This is really useful for me when I can’t find my perfect fifth on my own, but want an original harmony backup vocal or synth in Ableton. I duplicate the audio track and adjust the sample up or down a fifth, seventh, or an octave even (warp on). With the pitched duplicate quickly mixed in to the project serving as a model, I can play or sing that melody now on its own original audio track—using my voice mostly, or even another instrument. Instead of using that duplicated, re-pitched clip (which can actually sometimes sound pretty cool, with the bass cut for instance), the original/virgin audio provides for a clearer, truer, cleaner harmony.
Flip the hits. I’ve been stoked on cover songs, remixes, edits, and interpretations of classic tunes for a performance setting—there’s nothing like classic jump-off jams to set off an audience and bring people together, you know? If you hear a tune on your favorite oldies station that really inspires you, or is nostalgic, don’t be afraid to go ahead and sample it, flip it, and create something fresh from a classic and recognizable song. Chart busters of ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and yes, even ’90s soul and R&B make great crowd-pleasers, and adding that updated/electronic touch to the tunes gets folks freaked out! It doesn’t even have to be a complicated project—a simple edit or mash-up with a jungle break (Amen preferable) and an 808 bass drop is what I’m thinking… 😉
Earlier this month, Berlin producer Phon.o (pictured above) returned to the Modeselektor-helmed 50 Weapons imprint with Cracking Space Pt. 2, a three-track affair led by “Whi5tleblower,” a dense production for which Phon.o premiered a video on XLR8R back in May. Now, the tune—in part dedicated to the ongoing efforts of famed NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden—has received a remix treatment from Cubenx (who delivered one of our Top Downloads of May with his “First Wave Front” track). Here, Cubenx takes “Whi5tleblower” to even darker territory, laying into to a pummeling four-on-the-floor rhythmic base as sheets of gritty pads and molten textures are stretched across the rework’s seven-plus-minute run.
A former RBMA participant and an artist who appeared in our profile of Barcelona’s growing pool of budding electronic producers earlier this year, Clip! has today released a two-track single via local label Classicworks. Titled “Real Talk” b/w “Missing Out,” Clip!’s new effort can now be streamed in full via XLR8R.
In the single’s accompanying press release Clip! is referred to as a “local master of house and techno,” and the two efforts heard here certainly support that claim. Each come built around rugged rhythms and gritty sound palettes, wasting no time laying into deep, rolling grooves that keep a steady momentum throughout the record. With “Real Talk,” the producer chooses to focus on overdriven synth tones while “Missing Out” favors more icy and droning textures—still, their desired effect on the dancefloor is the same. Available now as a digital single via Cardopusher’s and Nehuen’s Classicworks imprint, “Real Talk” b/w “Missing Out” can be streamed in full via the player below.
Sun-soaked house duo Talaboman, the collaborative project between John Talabot and Axel Boman, has announced its debut 12″, Sideral (artwork above), which is set to drop later this summer. The single first aired on Talabot’s Balearic DJ-Kicks mix last year, and while the production pair has made some live appearances in recent months, this constitutes its first official release. Officially due out on August 11, Sideral will be jointly issued by Talabot’s Hivern Discs and Boman’s Studio Barnhus label, and comes with a remix from recent Bubblin’ Up subject Matt Karmil, whose debut album on PNN dropped earlier this year. The original track can be heard below, where a tracklist can also be found.
