The “Buck 4 Ya Dollar” single serves as the first effort of the year to appear from burgeoning Londoner Venice Calypso, and finds the artist working alongside UK newcomer Jack France to craft a heavy-handed piece of club fare. On the pair’s digital single—out now via Senseless sub-label Neon—the twisted “Buck 4 Ya Dollar” comes backed with a more steady “4×4 VIP” version, fitting the production into an even more efficient package. Anchored by a relentlessly heavy four-on-the-floor, “Buck 4 Ya Dollar (VIP Edit)” focuses on the track’s darker elements: a series of organ-like chords, machine-made percussion hits, a particularly brooding piano sequence, and the song’s low-pitched titular vocal sample. In addition to grabbing “Buck 4 Ya Dollar (VIP Edit)” below, those interested can watch the appropriately gnarled video for Venice Calypso & Jack France’s “Buck 4 Ya Dollar” single after the jump.
Hercules & Love Affair, the shape-shifting NYC dance collective headed up by Andy Butler, will soon be returning to the fray with its third album. Scheduled for release on May 26 via UK label Moshi Moshi, the 10-track effort is called The Feast of the Broken Heart and is said to be another “reinvention” of the group’s sound, one delivered by an “impeccable new line-up.” The album features a number of guest vocals and was co-produced by Ha-Ze Factory and Mark Pistel. Commenting on the record, Butler says, “I wanted nasty basslines, stormy, bleary-eyed sounds, fiery, rough, tough and ragged old school house productions that sounded almost techno. I didn’t want polite, I wanted aggressive.”
The Feast of the Broken Heart will be preceded by a new single, “Do You Feel the Same?” Its official release date is April 14, but Hercules & Love Affair has elected to share the track now. A stream of the song is below, along with the LP’s artwork and complete tracklist.
01 Hercules Theme 2014 02 My Offence [ft . Krystle Warren] 03 I Try to Talk to You [ft . John Grant] 04 That’s Not Me [ft . Gustaph] 05 Think [ft . Rouge Mary] 06 5.43 to Freedom [ft . Rouge Mary] 07 The Light [ft . Krystle Warren] 08 Liberty [ft . John Grant] 09 Do You Feel the Same? [ft . Gustaph] 10 The Key [ft . Rouge Mary]
It was exactly one week ago when seminal producer Brian Eno and Underworld co-founder Karl Hyde shared the details of their debut collaborative LP, a nine-track record called Someday World. And though we still have until May 6 before the album drops via Warp, its lead track, “The Satellites,” is now available to stream in full. The music kicks off with swirling soundscapes of lush pads and guitar plucks before it launches into a handful of synthetic horn lines, simplistic drum-machine patterns, and low-register vocal melodies, eventually taking off into more straightforward synth-pop territory. Eno’s and Hyde’s new song is available to hear in its entirety below.
Veteran house specialist Alan Abrahams has been somewhat quiet over the past few years, as barely a peep has been heard from either his ambient-inclined Portable moniker or his more dancefloor-oriented Bodycode alias. In fairness, a new Portable EP on Abrahams’ Süd Electronic label is reportedly in the works, as is a new 12″ for Perlon, but in the meantime, the South African-born artist has offered to provide a window into his current musical headspace by putting together an exclusive mix for the XLR8R podcast series. Having spent long stints of his life in various locales, including Cape Town, London, Lisbon, and his current home base of Berlin, it’s no surprise that there’s nothing singular about Abrahams’ music. Listening to his selections here, it quickly becomes apparent that he has little trouble blending tribal African grooves with the mechanics of Chicago house and the dark precision of German techno. If there’s anything tying it all together—apart from Abrahams himself, of course—it’s a commitment to rich, full-bodied sounds. The sounds aren’t exactly souful, but there’s undoubtedly a real sense of soul at work, and a genuine warmth to the proceedings. It’s a winning combination, and one that he’ll be bringing to North America during a short tour that begins next week. Abrahams’ itinerary can be found below, along with the podcast tracklist.
North American Tour Dates: 3/14 NYC – Output 3/15 San Francisco – Honey Soundsystem 3/22 Chicago – Smart Bar
01 Caswell James “Corazon Angustiado (Juju & Jordash Remix)” (Süd Electronic) 02 Portable “Albatross” (Süd Electronic) 03 Lord Tusk “Female Bodyguards (Arms House Mix)” (Levels) 04 John Grant “Black Belt” (Partisan) 05 Reggie Dokes “Cyber Love” (Still) 06 Wax Master Maurice “Stop Screaming” (Dance Mania) 07 Freund der Familie “Porentief (RNDM Remix)” (Freund der Familie) 08 Sly & Lenky “Now Thing” (Soul Jazz) 09 Bodycode “A New Species” (Naïf) 10 Gabbamonkey “2 Pace Back” (Still) 11 Portable “Continue” (Perlon)
After releasing the Iridis EP under his Alight moniker last year and announcing that his next record will drop via the excellent Houndstooth imprint, UK DJ/producer Ross Tones (a.k.a. Throwing Snow) dropped a record via his own Snowfall label from Vellico, a collaborative project with his brother Alistair Tones. Here, the duo has sent over London producer Chocky‘s smooth remix of “Beck’s Brew,” a cut from Vellico’s brand-new The Pennines EP. Chocky’s seven-and-a-half-minute groove flows through an unbroken rhythm, opening up with a steady four-to-the-floor pulse before it adds airy synth waves to the mix. Vocals and light hi-hats help keep the textured tune fresh; “Beck’s Brew (Chocky’s Groove Mix)” is a fine example of combining minimalist tendancies with engaging patterns and a thoroughly sleek production aesthetic.
Longstanding UK production pair Simian Mobile Disco has revealed plans to record its next album as a one-off live performance in a small venue outside of California’s Joshua Tree National Park. An apparent attempt to shake up their longtime working method, James Ford and Jas Shaw will limit themselves to using “just one synth and one sequencer each” for their performance/recording session. “This forces us to commit,” Shaw points out in a press release. “When we record with it, this is the system, and there can be no turning back.” Furthermore, the press release goes on to explain that the “entire process is going to be open ended and exploratory, as [Simian Mobile Disco] works their way around this new system until that very moment when they come to record, then they will have to commit 100% to the sounds they are making.”
Set to be entitled Whorl, the live recording of the duo’s next album will take place on April 26 at Pappy & Harriets in Pioneertown, California. Following the live recording, the group will return to the studio to mix the record, noting that they will “not slavishly [be] limiting ourselves just to this performance, we’ll be recording numerous takes beforehand in the studio, and when we come to mixdown the album, we might well end up using portions of studio takes as well as those recorded in the desert. At the moment, the whole project is pretty fluid, and there’s no telling where it will be by the time we actually perform.”
Those looking to attend Simian Mobile Disco’s Whorl experiment can purchase tickets here; we’ve included the event’s flier below.
Shortly following news of Inga Copeland’s debut solo LP as copeland, Dean Blunt, the other half of Hype Williams, has shares news of his label deal with Rough Trade for an upcoming solo release which set to arrive later this year. Though further details for Blunt’s follow-up to last year’s The Redeemer LP are still vague, we do have a video for the lead track from the upcoming Black Metal record. Called “Mersh,” the cyclic song drives towards a uniquely mechanical sound while layering the occasional spoken word, and gives us a taste of what to expect from Blunt’s next release while we wait for more details to arrive. (via Resident Advisor)
Hailing from Madison, Wisconsin, Golden Donna is the latest producer to add to the growing catalog of Amanda Brown’s 100% Silk label. Pulled from Golden Donna’s new II album for the imprint (out this week), “Empty Charm Vessel” is a track which exists somewhere between analog synth music and retro-lined darkwave. In truth, it all comes off more as a composition than a track, the song’s six-minute run landing on a number of different musical sections, each with their own distinctive moods and melodic hooks. The vibes woven throughout Golden Donna’s new tune are furthered emphasized by its blurry, clip-heavy video, which can be seen after the jump.
First announced late last year, the debut full-length from Max Cooper, Human, can now be streamed in its entirety ahead of its relase next week. Offering 11 new tracks, the record is said to find the techno/modern classical experimentalist making an “explosive leap” into the album format, enlisting a number of guest appearances to help with the process. Cooper’s upcoming album—out on March 10 via the fledling FIELDS label—can be heard in full over on Pitchfork Advance.
Last year, Jimmy Edgar’s Ultramajic label inagurated a series of releases titled Metaphysix with Mentalism, a four-track record which featured two tracks from enigmatic producer Aden. The nameless producer followed up his first single last month with a two-track split featuring a tune from Edgar, and has now announced that he’ll return once again to Ultramajic with Four, a “house-fueled, techno-touched” collection of tracks inspired by Aden’s own “mystical experiences.” The upcoming release continues in the vein of the producer’s jubilant club music, focusing on a neon-streaked style of dance music across its four tracks. While we await the release of Aden’s next record on March 17, EP cut “Part of Me” is available to stream in full below, where the tracklist can also be found.
