Barrio Lindo “Yaguareté Abá”

An instrument maker by trade, Barrio Lindo‘s “strong bond to the native tribes of his Argentinian home” can be heard throughout his compositions, which draw sounds from handmade instrumentation, and the vibrantly textured “Yaguareté Abá” from Lindo’s forthcoming Menoko LP is no exception. Kicking off with percussive loops composed of hand-tapped drum patterns and wooden clattering sounds, the production escalates as high-pitched astral synth tones kick in, heavily contrasting with the organic beat. Heaving vocal chants are layered into the track, working together to forge a unique blend of rich sounds. The rest of Lindo’s distinct compositions on Menoko are set to drop via Project: Mooncircle on April 4.

Yaguareté Abá

Listen to Todd Terje’s New Collaborative Single with Bryan Ferry

With the release of the debut album from Norwegian space-disco specialist Todd Terje just a couple of weeks away, we’re treated to another one of its expertly produced tracks. But this latest single is quite a bit different from the others, a poignant slow jam lifted from the middle of It’s Album Time which features the LP’s sole guest singer, Roxy Music co-founder Bryan Ferry.

“Johnny and Mary” is a cover of the classic Robert Palmer song of the same name, and one which brings the original version’s underlying introspectiveness straight into the forefront. Todd Terje’s synths highlight the simple groove with their starry, wistful qualities, as Ferry’s smokey voice gives the music a sense of age and nostalgia. It’s absolutely touching stuff, to say the least, and exhibits a side of the Nordic artist that most fans probably wouldn’t expect. Todd Terje’s “Johnny and Mary” can be heard in its entirety below, before It’s Album Time drop on April 8 via Olsen.

Mosca to Inaugurate New Label with 12″; Preview It Now

Mercurial London DJ/producer Mosca has been coasting on the release of his A Thousand Years’ Wait EP since it dropped back in October, though word of his next record has finally arrived. Later next month, he’ll launch his own label with a two-track 12″ of moody house music. Not So Much is a project that Mosca has had in mind for a while, and plans to issue music from both the label head and other artists—sounds he describes as “underground house, techno, and the rest, stuff with darkness and sexiness.” Its first record, the No Splice No Playback EP, will feature a-side cut “Suckle (Twenties)” (said to “work in warehouses”), with “Vinny (Flamingo)” (“a basement thing”) on the flip, all of which will arrive on vinyl on April 28 and digital formats on June 2. Before Mosca’s new label launches with his two-track 12″, both of its tunes can be previewed in the player below.

Legowelt Crystal Cult 2080

Legowelt‘s creative pool runs deep. More than almost any producer in recent years, the Dutchman has released material at a mind-boggling pace while maintaining a consistent level of quality. Countless remixes, compilation tracks, and a string of EPs have filled the 15-month space between his 2012 LP, The Paranormal Soul, and Crystal Cult 2080, but somehow, Legowelt still hasn’t tapped his well dry; his latest album finds the veteran producer delivering yet another solid effort.

Although his affection for cosmic themes and vintage sounds can, for some, come uncomfortably close to gimmick, there is still something undeniably charming about Legowelt. A sort of uncomplicated love for dance music can’t help but shine through on his productions, and Crystal Cult 2080 is no different. Perhaps one of the reasons Legowelt has been able to be so prolific throughout his career is because he does not overthink his tracks, and, to that point, the construction of Crystal Cult 2080‘s efforts are simple enough. Here, the bottom-loaded drum machines do the heavy lifting, loosely pulsing beneath dense layers of interlaced hardware synths—both analog and digital, as the record’s accompanying literature and title, which takes its inspiration from Roland’s ’90s-era JV-2080 synth, point to. The resulting 10 tracks are left suspended between sci-fi electronics and deep warehouse workouts, with various streaks of vintage dance music strewn throughout the record.

To a certain degree, Crystal Cult 2080 exists within the familiar Legowelt sound. Still, to call it formulaic would be a stretch. As always, Legowelt finds ways to bend and twist his usual sonic palette into a number of different shapes and sizes. Album standouts “Fundamental Superstition” and “When the Spring Comes Again” are perhaps the most recognizable within Legowelt’s cannon, while tracks like the trippy “The Future of Myself” and the sinister “Psychotic Endurance” take slight but nonetheless unexpected detours, especially in terms of their rhythms, which provide a welcome expansion on the rest of the record’s more straightforward four-on-the-floor.

Like many of Legowelt’s releases, Crystal Cult 2080 seems uninterested in fitting in to any particular corner of contemporary club music. There are hints of house, techno, electro, and more across the album’s 10 celestial, hardware-fueled tracks, but on the whole, Legowelt is simply being Legowelt, and it’s hard to fault him for that; with a career that spans almost two decades, continuing to follow his own personal muse has certainly served him well. Crystal Cult 2080 may not be a “game-changing” LP, but defining it as anything but quality would be a mistake, especially considering that Legowelt likely has many more of these records left in him.

Hi-Five – DJ Q Reminisces About His Five Favorite UK Garage Bootlegs

Over the course of the past decade, DJ Q (a.k.a. Shollen Quarshie) has dipped his toes into various strains of UK dance music, including grime, bassline, and garage. That being said, he’s probably best known for his work in the latter genre, and has demonstrated a real talent for melding pop sounds with more inventive underground rhythms. Quarshie heads up his own Q Recordings imprint, but in recent years, he’s also become one of the core artists on London’s Local Action label, which will soon be issuing his debut LP, Ineffable. Ahead of the album’s official release on March 31, we figured that an artist with such a wealth of musical knowledge would be a perfect subject for our Hi-Five series. DJ Q was up to the task, and racked his brain a bit before coming up with a list of his favorite UK garage bootlegs. Most of his selections are from the seminal late-’90s 2-step era, but he couldn’t resist slipping in one newer cut that nonetheless sports an undeniably classic sound.

Brandy “Almost (Brasstooth Remix)”

I used to listen to this all the time and think to myself, “This is the style of garage I want to make.” Beats, vocals, bass, and organs! Brasstooth is a producer who’s had a lot of influence on the music I make. This track especially. Every time I use pianos in tracks, I always base them slightly on the ones in this track. This track reminds me of being back in school too; I used to love this track so much I learned how to replay it using the composer on my Nokia phone and it was my ringtone for ages!!

Industry Standard “Got Somebody Else”

There have been a few mixes of the original track by Changing Faces, but this one nails it! Vocal chops, that classic M1 Organ, and drums that swing! What more can you ask for? I remember buying my first ever tape pack from one of the stalls in Huddersfield Carnival around 1998 and this track was the one that stood out to me from the tapes. I [only] got to find out who it was actually by a few years later after some hard research. Hearing it always takes me back to those times.

Brandy & Monica “The Boy Is Mine (Architects Remix)”

Brandy on UK garage never gets old. I remember exactly where I was when I first heard this track too. It was at one of the youth club parties; I remember walking in and hearing this track and thinking, “WTF is this?” I loved it from the minute I heard it and I still love it now. Classic remix. I loved this track so much that I remember remaking the track on the “music” game on the original PlayStation, but then getting annoyed because I couldn’t get the drums to swing the way they did in this version.

K Warren “When I Close My Eyes (Dub Mix)”

This one is a remix of the R&B track “When I Close My Eyes” by Shanice. Back when I was in music class in school, it was the end of the year, so our teacher let us bring our own music in and we all got to play one track each. I took a tape from a Hysteria tape pack and played this song. You should have seen the look I got from the rest of the class. Everyone was playing stuff from the charts and there was me coming through with the underground garage. Everyone told me to turn it off, but funnily enough, as garage started to get more popular, everyone wanted to borrow tapes from me!

Flava D “Happy”

I had to include this one. Even though it’s not even a year old, I can tell I’m gonna be playing this one for a long time. The first time I heard it, it felt like I’d heard it years before. For me, it captures the essence and vibe of the scene back in 1998. It’s a track that I listen and think, “Damn, I wish I made this!” I don’t say that about many tracks, so that says something.

Chevel “Viewpoint”

“Viewpoint” is the kind of production that shines in its details. Appearing as the closing cut for Italian artist Chevel‘s forthcoming One Month Off EP, “Viewpoint” delicately builds a lattice of hi-fi percussion patterns, on top of which layers of glassy textures are gradually introduced. Eschewing any musical narrative, the track simply stands on its own as an immersive soundscape and an impressive expedition into detail-oriented electronic production. Before One Month Off drops on March 31 via Stroboscopic Artefacts, Chevel’s other four tracks from the EP can be previewed after the jump.

Viewpoint

Stream Newcomer Erosion Flow’s Debut EP for ManMakeMusic

Continuing to serve as a hotbed for rising talent, George FitzGerald‘s ManMakeMusic label is set to drop the debut EP from Danish producer Henrik Koefod (a.k.a. Erosion Flow) next month. Before the self-titled release hits, though, it can be streamed in full exclusively on XLR8R. On his debut outing, Erosion Flow delivers four gritty house numbers that successfully balance soulful shuffles with a floor-minded rhythmic impact. Taking slightly divergent paths, each production showcases a budding talent with his own spin on deep, textural dance music.

Koefod’s Erosion Flow EP can be heard in its entirety below, before it sees an official release on April 1.

The Lowdown – This Week’s XLR8R Top 10 with KiNK, Lee Bannon, Addison Groove, and More

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. This week’s XLR8R podcast was a breakneck session put together by up-and-coming Brooklyn producer Lee Bannon (pictured above).

2. Bulgarian producer KiNK has a new LP slated to arrive in May, and ahead of its arrival, he shared a video detailing both its creation and his impressive studio set-up.

3. Damiano Von Erckert gave away a digital version of Love Based Music, his previously vinyl-only album from last year, and the download package included a new remix from Motor City Drum Ensemble.

4. Native Instruments unveiled the Traktor Audio 2, which is being billed as “the world’s smallest premium DJ audio interface.”

5. This week saw the release of Vermont, the self-titled debut LP from the new collaborative project of Motor City Drum Ensemble and Marcus Worgoll, and our review gave the album glowing marks.

6. House legend MK invited Resident Advisor into his studio for an interview, and the piece included detailed photos of his extensive gear set-up.

7. It’s not often that Timo Maas appears on XLR8R, but the veteran producer offered up the juke-fueled Addison Groove remix of his song “Grown Up” as a free giveaway in our Downloads section.

8. French producer Joakim will be issuing a new album in May, and he elected to give away “On the Beach,” a piece of hypnotic vocoder pop that will also serve as the title track of an EP that will precede the album.

9. Modern Love stalwarts Andy Stott and Miles Whittaker will soon be releasing Drop the Vowels, the debut LP from their Millie & Andrea project, and a stream of the album surfaced online this week.

10. California-born, Japan-based producer Magical Mistakes passed along “Laid Out,” the bell-bathed, slow-swung lead track from his upcoming Decompose / Reassemble EP, for our Downloads section.

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, including a complete listing of all the free downloads we’ve offered in the past seven days, should sign up by entering their email address below.

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Schlachthofbronx Announces Third Album

Two-piece DJ/production outfit Schlachthofbronx has shared details on its upcoming Rave And Romance LP, marking the duo’s first release since their Dirty Dancing album arrived two years ago. The 10-track effort features guest appearances from the likes of Diplo collaborator Nicky Da B, Skream collaborator Warrior Queen, and Bonde Do Role. Below, the artwork and tracklist for Schlachthoxbronx’s Rave And Romance is available to peruse before it drops on May 28. After the album’s arrival, a release party is scheduled for May 31 in Munich, featuring performances from Modeselektor, Rustie, DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, and SCNTST; the details for that event can be found here.

1. Lights Off feat. Nicky Da B
2. Up
3. Slo Bang
4. Melt feat. Warrior Queen
5. Bump And Grind feat. Nicky Da B
6. More feat. Candelilla
7. Grinder
8. Lick Down
9. Hot Hot feat. Warrior Queen
10. No Job feat. Bonde Do Role

MacBeth Details New Elements Analog Synthesizer

Renowned synth designer Ken MacBeth has revealed the details of his latest creation, the MacBeth Elements Analog Synthesizer, a unit which aims to offer “top quality features” without making for any “sonic compromise.”

The high-end boutique synth has long been in development, but its details were officially released recently as part of Europe’s Musikmesse conference. Among those specs, Elements boasts “three wide-ranging voltage controlled oscillators,” a “temperature compensated VC low-frequency oscillator,” a noise generator, ring modulator, voltage-controlled filter, tape delay simulator, spring reverberator, and a touch-capacitive, gold-plated articulator keyboard. Essentially, each component has been constructed and integrated with an intense attention to detail which leaves a plethora of options in the user’s hands along every step of the synthesizing process. Clearly, the MacBeth Elements is not for the faint of heart, especially considering the $6,500 price tag that comes with it.

The video below finds MacBeth himself showing off the features of his impressive new unit, and Analogue Haven breaks down the Elements’ full specs in plain English here, where the mega synth is also available to pre-order. (via Synthtopia)

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