Back in January, Bill Kouligas’ PAN label first revealed plans to drop an EP from Berlin-based producer M.E.S.H. later in the year. Now, with M.E.S.H.’s Scythians EP officially due out next month, the five-track effort’s first single is available to stream in full. Marking his debut effort for PAN, Scythians is said to document the former US-based talent’s “distinctive combination of synthetic sheen and abstract breaks.” As such, M.E.S.H. dives into a slow, finely textured beat on “Imperial Sewers,” which appears late in his upcoming EP. Sharing a few strands of DNA with the Fade to Mind camp’s sound, “Imperial Sewers” balances a bevy of vivid sonics with a bass-loaded, half-time beat.
The new production can be streamed in full below, where the tracklist for Scythians (out June 6) has also been included. In addition to the stream of “Imperial Sewers,” the upcoming EP’s title track can also be heard now over on The FADER.
In celebration of his 56th birthday, an unreleased mix from the late Chicago DJ Ron Hardy is now available to stream and download. Appearing as part of Resident Advisor‘s ongoing podcast series, the 90-minute mix is said to have been recorded at Chicago club C.O.D.’s in 1987, and finds the pioneering jock piecing together an energetic stream of early house, disco, and soul. Brought to RA by current Chicago DJ Zernell, the mix is split into two “almost sequential parts,” and, in Zernell’s own words, finds Hardy as “He was on fire…[dropping] three different versions of ‘I Can’t Turn Around’ back-to-back killed it. That was classic Ron.” The previously unreleased mix from Hardy, one of house music’s earliest visionaries, can be streamed and download here via Resident Advisor.
A new interview with German producer/DJ Motor City Drum Ensemble has surfaced in which the Cologne resident (who recently issued a self-titled LP alongside Marcus Worgull as Vermont) shares his thoughts on good club vibes, teases word of an upcoming MCDE album, and discusses his personal evolution throughout his career in music. Norwegian club Jaeger Oslo provides the interview, an entry for its Æ TV branch that is short and sweet, running at just below five minutes and following Motor City Drum Ensemble’s recent gig at the venue. The concise but insightful interview can be watched in full below.
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Set to release his Boxology cassette tomorrow via 100% Silk, Strategy (a.k.a. Paul Dickow) has sent over record cut “Tomorrow May Never Come,” a sweeping work of uplifting, buoyant house. Here, Dickow’s production is a pleasant synthesis of delicate keys and shimmering pings that can sound reminiscent of animated video game bleeps. Despite its club-ready beat and tones, there is something remarkably fun-loving about “Tomorrow May Never Come”—a fact which makes it all the more an enjoyable listen.
Returning to its Music Nation series with a new documentary, Dazed‘s Jungle Fever traces the roots of the junglist movement. Marking the final entry in the Channel 4-commissioned series (which has included films on the salad days of UKG and the spread of Baleric culture), the new doc includes interviews with key players in jungle’s evolution, tapping artists such as DJ Hype, Fabio & Grooverider, Kenny Ken, Ragga Twins, and others to discuss the history, drug culture, and commercialization of the fast-moving and deeply influential scene.
Dazed‘s 20-minute Jungle Fever Documentary can be watched in full below.
Over the weekend, Jimmy Edgar was tapped to deliver the latest Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1, a two-hour effort that can now be streamed and downloaded in full. Keeping his sights set on a virtual dancefloor, Edgar’s Essential Mix covers a sumptuous range of house and techno with a number of the Berlin producer’s own tracks and edits joined by productions from Kyle Hall, Patrice Scott, Jay Daniel, Plastikman, Helix, and Machinedrum, among others. The Ultramajic co-head also utilizes a number of tunes from his fledgling label’s catalog in the mix, helping to put a distinctive touch on the two-hour set.
Jimmy Edgar’s full Essential Mix can be streamed via BBC Radio 1 here, and downloaded below via Everybody Wants to be the DJ, where the set’s full tracklist has also been included below.
Jimmy Edgar – Medaphysix Attention [White] Disjecta – Track 11 [White] Phalangius – Cold Front Approaching [Strange Life] Fashion – Move On [Artista] B6 – The Tube [White] KMFH – Donz Critique V2 [Wild Oats] Michael Mayer – Amanda [Kompakt] Patrice Scott – Raw Fusion [Sistrum] Aden – Work [Ultramajic] Truncate – Control V2 [Truncate] French Fries – Shift [White] Plastikman – Circles [Minus] Jay Daniel – Brainz [Sound Signature] Armando – 100% Of Disin’ U [Warehouse] Jimmy Edgar – Strike [Ultramajic] TWR72 – Steie [Turbo] L-Vis 1990 – Video Drone (Neana Remix) [White] D.M.C. Project – Mooney Style [Dance Mania] Chambray – Rub [Ultramajic] Claude VonStroke – Lay It Down Re-Smoked (Jimmy Edgar Remix) [Dirtybird] Erik Travis – Return Of Voices [Databass] Hysterics – Code Switch (Club Mix) [Night Slugs] Miss Tina – Miss Tina Dub [White] Jimmy Edgar – Burn Bae [Ultramajic] Aaron-Carl – Down [Metroplex] DJ Godfather – Ride Wit Me (Instrumental) [Databass] Jimmy Edgar Feat. Azealia Banks – Physical Motion [!K7] Blackstreet – Deep [DreamWorks] DJ Assault – Thunder & Rain [Jefferson Ave] Aden – Whip (Jimmy Edgar Remix) [Ultramajic] Jimmy Edgar – Match [Ultramajic] Frankie Knuckles – Baby Wants To Ride (Jimmy Edgar Edit) [Ultramajic] Danny Daze – Silicon [Ultramajic] Jimmy Edgar – Lampshade Brightness [Ultramajic] Gosub – Folding Time [Dominance Electricity] Advance – Take Me To The Top [X-Energy] Posatronix – Shake It [Direct Beat] DJ Assault – Shake It Baby [Electrofunk] Helix – Linn Jam (No Synth) [Night Slugs] Neana – Letter #Metal #Letitall [White] DJ Lusiman – Crow Cries [White] Jody Finch – Jack Your Big Booty (BHQ No Acid Vocal Mix) [Let’s Pet Puppies] Danny Daze – Beatdown (Jimmy Edgar Remix) [Ultramajic] Armando – Warp Factor [Trax] DJ Deeon – Hood Rat [Dance Mania] Cowboy Rhythmbox – Shake [Comeme] Jimmy Edgar – In Deep [!K7] Machine Drum – Untitledrnb 0114 [White]
After sharing a number of cuts in the weeks leading up to its release, Fatima has today dropped Yellow Memories, her debut full-length for Eglo, which is now streaming in its entirety.
On her debut full-length, Fatima’s breathtaking, dauntless vocals are matched by an equally impeccable production team which includes Floating Points, Knx. Flako, and Scoop DeVille, among others. Across Yellow Memories, Fatima and her collaborators forge a wonderfully balanced sound, with neither side overpowering the other, but rather complementing the record’s various moods and directions. With its release today, Fatima’s ambitious debut LP can be streamed in full below courtesy of Red Bull Music Academy, who have also turned in an in-depth feature on Fatima and her new record which can be read here.
01 Do Better (Produced by Floating Points) 02 Technology (Produced by Oh No) 03 Circle (Produced by Computer Jay) 04 Sun Star Solar 05 Ridin Round (Sky High) (Produced by Scoop Deville) 06 Family (Produced by Flako) 07 La Neta (Produced by Flako) 08 Biggest Joke Of All (Produced by Floating Points) 09 Underwater (Produced by Knx.) 10 Rest In Peace 11 Talk (Produced by Floating Points) 12 Gave Me My Name (Produced by Floating Points)
The 2999 Project is an ongoing collaborative endeavor headed by the King Deluxe label in which producers, writers, and visual artists are invited to create the sights, sounds, and stories they imagine will represent the world in the year 2999. The latest contribution to the series comes from Michael Red, a Vancouver producer and head of the fledgling Low Indigo label, whose “Harpoon” production comes accompanied by a cautionary tale (penned by one Bevan Bartlett) in which the inhabitants of the world Harpoon must “eke out a living amid the ruins of their overconfidence.” As such, Red’s production is a somber endeavor, one which takes the “harp” of Harpoon at face value, twisting stringed samples around an evolving chorus of airy voices and an unwavering rhythmic pulse. Red’s contribution to the The 2999 Project can be grabbed below, while past efforts for the collection from the likes of Slugabed, Raffertie, Max Ulis, and others can be grabbed here.
After dropping a new EP for Kompakt last month, Dauwd is the latest producer to take the Against the Clock challenge, attempting to put together a track live in 10 minutes. Appearing as part of FACT TV‘s ongoing video series (which featured Ikonika just a few weeks back), Dauwd utilizes Ableton Live and Push throughout most of the 10-minute session, chopping samples (in particular one from Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”), sequencing drums, and getting the song started in the box before turning to a few hardware synths to add extra layers of sound.
The UK producer’s full Against the Clock session for FACT—which includes Dauwd recapping all the individual steps which resulted in the quick production—can be watched in the player above.
UK duo Bicep (a.k.a. Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar) has undergone quite the transformation over the past few years. Once known primarily for their blogging prowess and a keen ability to unearth quality bits of classic house, Ferguson and McBriar gradually made their way into the international DJ circuit and has boosted that effort by issuing a steady series of high-quality productions. And while Bicep’s initial offerings borrowed heavily from ’90s house and garage, Ferguson and McBriar have slowly expanded their sonic palette, often flirting with techno and making it so that the Bicep sound is now a lot harder to pin down. A big part of this musical evolution can be attributed to the duo’s growth in the studio, not only terms of production skills, but also in terms of how much gear is on hand. With a new 12″ slated for release later this month via Aus Music, we asked Ferguson and McBriar to go through their fleet of equipment and tell us about the five pieces that they think are the most essential to their craft.
Roland TR-909 Yeah, yeah the TR-909, you’ve heard it all before, blah blah… but we’ve got to include it as a real staple of our workflow. It was one of the first things we bought when we delved into the analog world, and it’s safe to say we will never part ways with it. For the kick alone, the 909 is worth it. Kicks are one of those things that are generally important when making dance music, and by just sticking it in a compressor or driving it through a filter, you have thousands of variant kicks to suit your track. I’m not sure where we would be without it now.
Roland SH-101 Like the 909, the SH-101 is renowned in the dance music world as a staple bass machine. This was one of the later things we bought, and with 15 different synths hooked up in the studio at the moment, nothing comes close to her low end. In an ideal world, we would have an ARP 2600—after working in the the studio with Simian Mobile Disco and with Max Pask in NYC, we fell in love with that machine, especially for the low end. But yeah, they are super expensive and not easy to come across in good nick!
Korg Poly-800 Probably one of our favorite synths in the studio is the super-cheap Korg Poly-800. It’s not particularly groundbreaking or versatile, but it just has some really really ace noises. For the price and flimsy build, it really packs a massive punch, holding its own with our more expensive polysynths easily. We got this one modded with a pair of Moog filters (Polybeast mod), making it more hands-on and intuitive. You can really take its classic ’80s sound and bring it somewhere very dark and distorted!
ARP Odyssey We originally got the ARP Odyssey for a lead synth and for bass, as we heard it ‘really’ has got a sound of its own. Some days we are cool and get on with each other, other days it just bounces out of tune every minute… but that’s part of the character of this machine. Back in the ’70s, people loved it because they could get sounds like no other, but it was notoriously a hard synth to play live; even the smallest tweak can change up everything (you have to tune each of the oscillators by hand). As a studio instrument, that makes it fun—you know you are never going to get the exact same noise out of it twice. Apparently, Korg are going to remake this one like they did the MS-20. It will be very interesting to see what they come up with.
Sherman Filterbank 2 Last but not least, there’s the Sherman. This thing is amazing. The fact that it comes with an ‘Abuser’s Manual’ and about 30 warnings how not to blow up your speakers makes you immediately comprehend the power of it. We’re sure this thing alone has upped the tinnitus rate a couple of notches—in the wrong hands, it is an untamed beast. The Sherman is basically the best mod for any synth/drum machine you could ever want; run anything through it and there will always be interesting results. Even stick a £10 casio toy keyboard through it, and it will turn into a raved-out Juno Alpha with acid on top. We still don’t even know half the capabilities of this thing, but we’re looking forward to finding out (with earplugs in).
