In anticipation of Moogfest once again taking over Asheville, North Carolina this April, Adam Lee Miller and Nicola Kuperus, the husband-and-wife pair behind Detroit’s electro-punk mainstay ADULT., have delivered a new mix focusing on the catalog of their label home, Ghostly International. ADULT.’s 50-plus-minute DJ set reaches across a wide spectrum of Ghostly releases, covering the label’s sound of the early aughts with artists such as Bodycode, Solvent, and Matthew Dear and shinning light on the imprint’s newer class of producers, with cuts from Shigeto and Com Truise neatly nestled into the second half.
ADULT.’s edition of the ongoing Moogfest Mixes series can be streamed below, where its complete tracklist has also been included.
Jim Haynes “This is Radio Sweden” HTRK “Poison” Xeno & Oaklander “Par Avion” Solvent “No One Should Be Living Here” Brian Aneurysm “Das Element Des Menschen” Matthew Dear “Anger Management” JTC “Alpha Helix Bodycode “Equidistant” Audion “Motormouth” 2 AM/FM “Sweatbox” Lowfish “No Longer Accepting Complaints” John Foxx vs ADULT. “Tonight, We Fall” Tropic of Cancer “More Alone” Com Truise “Alfa Beach” Shigeto “No Better Time Than Now” Black Swan “Passing, Heartbreak”
Detroit’s Omar-S is often cast as some sort of mysterious figure, yet the man—who put together a stellar XLR8R podcast last year—continues to release music at an impressive clip. Next month, he’ll be issuing a new EP via his own FXHE label. As Resident Advisor reports, the four-track effort will be called Romancing the Stone and has been scheduled for release on March 7. The record comes hot on the heels of FHXE 10 Year Mix Compilation, a recent mix CD chronicling the label’s first decade in business. As for the new EP, there is no artwork available for the release, and no preview clips have been shared, but the tracklist—which features some straightforward, no-bullshit song titles—is below.
Romancing the Stone A Side A B Side B C Side C D Side D
When it comes to East Coast house figures, there aren’t many artists whose influence looms larger than that of Kerri Chandler. The New Jersey native is perhaps best known for playing a key role in the development of the ’90s garage house sound, but he’s remained incredibly active over the past two decades. During the past few years, he’s re-started his own Madhouse imprint, which was essentially dormant during the ’00s, and has also launched Madtech, an outlet for darker, techier offerings, many of them by up-and-coming producers. (Krystal Klear, Citizen, Lakosa & iO, and Waze & Odyssey are just a few of the artists that have released on MadTech.) After more than 25 years in the game, we found ourselves wondering about the music that shaped Chandler’s artistic vision. As such, we invited him to put together the latest edition of Hi-Five; his selections are intriguing, but more importantly, Chandler has provided some quality anecdotes about exactly how these tracks made their mark on him.
Hamilton Bohannon “Let’s Start the Dance”
I was playing a party with my dad and my uncle. I was 13, and a girl comes up and yells to my Uncle Arnold, “Your speaker’s on fire!” He brushed the girl away like, “Yeah, yeah…” She comes back and tells him, “Really Mister! Your speaker’s on fire!” And then he looks across the room and one of the subwoofers was literally on fire! With flames coming out of it! So he and his friend jump down off the stage, run to the speaker, unplug it, and wheel it outside. I’m running behind them looking at this and watching them try to extinguish the fire. So they unscrew the back of the box and I’m just watching the embers move thru the frame—the paper was just gone! People were still partying and dancing through all of it. So I had to know what song was on—it was Hamilton Bohannon’s “Let’s Start the Dance.” I still play it sometimes and have a laugh about the moment.
Kraftwerk Computer World
It made me want to become an audio engineer and inventor. I used to sit for hours and look at the album covers, trying to figure out what gear was in the pictures. Then I’d sit and try to make what I thought that they possibly were with spare parts I had leftover from other projects.
Imagination “Just an Illusion”
Everything I love about house, all wrapped up in one record. The first time that I heard this song was in a movie, F/X. It was at the very end of the movie [during] the closing credits and I just sat there alone listening to it. I couldn’t believe the harmonies. I had to know what it was, so I stayed to read the credits and found out they were dance artists named Imagination from the UK. I had the pleasure of meeting the lead vocal singer, Leee John, many years later, and we became friends.
Martin Circus “Disco Circus”
I didn’t know it then, but I found one of my best friends and a great teacher when I heard this—Francois Kevorkian. I used to sit for hours and pull apart the sounds, trying to figure out how it was all put together. Some of it was still a mystery until I heard the actual multi-track and discovered the layers sitting on top of each other, like a phased saxophone riding on top of a vocal as a layer.
Tyree “Hardcore”
The first time that I heard the drums on this song, I was shocked by the drum tone. Most records I heard did not have that punch. I needed to figure out what it was. It was a need. So I began tracking down what it might be and I found out it was a TR-909. That began my love of modifying machines and I’ve been “Chandlerizing” them ever since.
“Brandished” is the adventurous title track from anonymous producer Wertheimer’s forthcoming EP for the Lex label (out digitally on February 24 and on vinyl format in March). According to our sources, Wertheimer is a “sheet metal worker from Dusseldorf who makes music in his spare time,” and with this production as our only corroborating evidence, his story seems to check out. The focus of the nearly 10-minute “Brandished” is squarely on the effort’s textures and their detailed construction. As the track progresses, Wertheimer appears to favor tweaking the sonic landscape more than following any particular musical movement, and the resulting composition is one that digs deeper and deeper, constantly revealing new layers of fine-tuned sounds as “Brandished” unhurriedly rolls to its conclusion.
Breakout German house artist Tensnake (pictured above) has a lot on his plate right now, including an ongoing mix series, a North American tour that kicks off early next month, and his debut LPGlow, which is ready to drop on March 11 via Astralwerks. In the midst of all this activity the busy DJ/producer has somehow found time to remix “I Got U,” the latest single from fellow dancefloor favorite Duke Dumont and Londoner Jax Jones, and is now sharing a full stream of his production. As ready for big-room/main-stage DJ sets as one would expect, “I Got U (Tensnake Remix)” isn’t exactly a far cry from the emotive original track, but it does drop one hell of a bassline into the bubbly and infectious house grooves. The whole thing can be streamed below before it drops on March 16 via Blase Boys Club.
It has been nearly three years since LA DJ/production duo Nguzunguzudropped its Perfect Lullaby mix with DIS Magazine, so we have to admit that it’s a bit surprising to discover that the pair unleashed its official follow-up just today. Perfect Lullaby Vol. 2 is said to “explore the more sensual side of Nguzunguzu,” offering 46 minutes of international and otherworldly dancefloor sounds from an array of eclectic (not to mention un-Googleable) artists. Courtesy of DIS, the mix can be experienced in its entirety, along with the naturalistic artwork by Denis Nazarov, here; Perfect Lullaby Vol. 2‘s tracklist can be found below.
Dj Fofuxo & Dj Pausas vs. Yuki Koshimoto – Tarracho Exxelentt/ New Moon (MA edit) Dj Lil Thug vs. Aaliyah – Hot tarraxa/ Dont think they know (MA edit) Dj N.k – Não Chora Mais Não Dj Cratera – My girl. My Music Cassie – Diced Pineapples (NGUZU kizomba remix) Marbonu – Pura Melodia Dj tiba – Tarracha Poderoza 2009 Dj Dadifox vs. Ciara – Tarraxo Dueces (MA edit) Usher Ft. Rick Ross – Let Me See (M&N PRO REMIX) Nova & Jory – La Noche Perfecta Chris Brown – Another Round (Phraze zouk remix) Dj Malcolm – 4 ev Marques Houston- Clubbin Zouk mix (by N.G productions) Dj NigGa fox vs. Kelela- Tarraxo HUMBÃ?/ The High (MA edit) Dj Rick & Dj Lil thug – Saudade Eterna Dj Salez – Tarracha di nhOs Dj Bison – Tarraxo Indiano T Pain – I cant believe it (Peejay Zouk fusion remix) Dj Malcolm – 14 malo Rihanna – Diamonds (Kizomba remix by MalcriadoBeats) Mariah Carey – Touch my Body (Zouk remix by Phraze) Future – Honest (Zouk remix by Phraze & StyloBeatz) DJ Joyce Gomes & Revolucion – Choro do Corno Dj Xocolath – My Song Mary J Blige – Be without you (NA remix)
One of the first big releases (both figuratively and literally) to appear in 2014 was Ghettoville, the bewildering and shadowy fourth LP by innovative London technoist Actress, who also gave XLR8R one its most intriguing podcasts in recent memory. Understandably, we haven’t heard a whole lot else from the producer and Werkdiscs label boss born Darren Cunningham since his album’s release, but that changed today when he posted a link to download one of his previously unreleased tracks. “Miami Retirement Condo” is a shifty cut of dancefloor music which keeps perfectly in line with Cunningham’s penchant for barely there melodies and fragmented grooves. In no way lacking thick moodiness and alien soundscapes, the new freebie from Actress can be downloaded here.
Hailing from Dublin, production duo Lakker is set to issue its first EP for the esteemed R&S imprint early next month, but has dropped off a new mix to help introduce itself beforehand. Covering a wide range of selections from Demdike Stare and Zomby to Robert Hood and Aphex Twin, the 75-minute set—which appears as part of an occasional mix series curated by R&S—showcases Lakker’s extensive tastes, as the Irish outfit flows through a number of moods, genres, and tempos as the mix progresses.
The complete RSMIX004 can be streamed and downloaded below, where its accompanying tracklist has also been included; Lakker’s Containing A Thousand EP is set to appear via R&S on March 10.
Leyland Kirby – Breaks My Heart Each Time – Apollo Allison Chanic – Painlessly In Love (Lakker Remix) – forthcoming Bedouin Eomac – Rainmaker – forthcoming Killekill Lakker – Pano – unreleased Aphex Twin – Xtal – R&S Hell Interface – Midas Touch – Skam Zomby – Tarantula – Hyperdub Patten – Re-Edit20 – www.patttten.com Hank Jackson – SIZZLER – Proibito?Lakker – Untitled – unreleased Barnett & Coloccia – Switch – Blackest Ever Black SND – 082161 – Raster Noton Robert Hood – Clash – M-Plant Ducerey Ada Nexino – School Phosphene – forthcoming Genesa Alexey Volkov – Slow Motion – forthcoming Planete Rouge Lakker – Thermohaline – forthcoming R&S Eomac – DF8 – unreleased Demdike Stare – Null Results – Modern Love Unperson – Unperson2 (Stanislav Tolkachev Remix) – forthcoming Raw Waxes Unit Moebius Anonymous – SD23 C – SD MMM – Grundig – MMM Universal Indicator (Red) – Untitled – Rephlex Boards of Canada – Amo Bishop Roden – Warp
Warp-signed UK trio Darkstar is set to follow up last year’s News From Nowhere LP and its subsequent series of remix EPs with a quick tour of the US this spring. News of the tour arrived today with a note that the four upcoming performances would be Darkstar’s first US appearances since releasing its album roughly a year ago, and that the band is currently in the studio working on new material. They had this to say: “This new material feels like elements from our older dancefloor productions and our more recent song arrangements are coming together. There’s a feeling of urgency about them and the beats are a lot heavier. It feels exciting. We’re trying them out in rehearsals and we hope to have some in the live set when we hit America in April.” The short list of Darkstar’s upcoming US tour dates can be found below.
April 25 – Moogfest – Asheville NC April 30 – Glasslands – Brooklyn, NY May 1 – 1015 Folsom – San Francisco, CA May 2 – The Echo – Los Angeles, CA
Earlier in the year, Cologone outpost Kompakt dropped Cupid’s Head Remixe I, a 12″ which gathered remixes of tracks from The Field‘s Cupid’s Head LP by Vatican Shadow, Barker & Baumecker (stream that one here), and Sonns. Now, Kompakt has announced that the second collection is on its way, featuring reworks from Tim Hecker (pictured above), John Tejada, and Andreas Tilliander‘s TM404 project.
As with its predecessor, Cupid’s Head Remixe II will be limited to a small run of 12″— 500 copies to be exact—and will find Hecker, Tejada, and TM404 each taking on Cupid’s Head cut “No. No…” Before the record sees an official release on February 24, John Tejada’s impressively restrained rework of the track can be streamed in full below.
