Pulled from his recent EP of the same title, West Coast porducer/vocalist Nick Monaco‘s “The Stalker” has gotten a rerub from brothers-in-funk Soul Clap and a psychedlic video to match. On its percussion-filled “American Tribal” remix of Monaco’s sleek and somewhat sleazy tune, Soul Clap works the original production into a more low-swung, late-night affair, a vibe matched rather well by the Dia-De-Los-Muertos-meets-psychedelic-moon-dance visuals which make up the rework’s accompanying clip. “The Stalker” and Soul Clap’s remix are both available on The Stalker EP, out now via the Soul Clap label.
Deltron 3030 Announces US Tour Dates
Veteran hip-hop outfit Deltron 3030 is preparing to embark on an upcoming tour which includes performances across 11 US cities in support of the sophomore album which marked an end to the trio’s 13-year hiatus, Event II. Along with core members Del the Funky Homosapien, Kid Koala, and Dan the Automator, Deltron 3030 will be accompanied by The Mars Volta and Racer X affiliate Juan Alderete throughout dates in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. More dates of this year’s “world tour” should be announced soon, but until then, Deltron 3030’s spring schedule can be found below.
March 22 – Scottsdale, AZ @ Pub Rock
March 23 – Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
March 24 – El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls
March 26 – Dallas, TX @ Trees
March 27 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s East
March 28 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues
March 29 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
March 30 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
April 1 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
April 2 – St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theater
April 3 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
Duke Slammer “Flatland”
Hailing from the UK, Duke Slammer is a producer who values the art of “the funk” more than most. “Flatland,” a one-off freebie from the active artist, is a fine example of the brand of synth-soaked, funk-laced boogie and house he is keen to craft. Built around a thick, squelching bassline, “Flatland” is light-hearted but by no means simple, as the tune restlessly shifts through a handful of melodic ideas and percussion patterns, keeping things lively across its entire run. In addition to sending along his new track, Duke Slammer has also shared a cheeky animated video for “Acid Duke” (lifted from an upcoming 7″ release for the Karl Marx Land label), which can be watched after the jump.
M-Plant to Mark 20th Anniversary with EP Series and Compilation
M-Plant, the label helmed by minimal techno pioneer Robert Hood, marks 20 years in the business in 2014, and will release a series of EPs and a new compilation to celebrate. Throughout the year, Hood will release a number of records which focus on his older work, pairing some of his classic tunes with new remixes and re-edits. The EPs will then eventually be put together as a compilation that will appear later in the year.
As Resident Advisor reports, Hood has stated that he wants to “re-imagine” M-Plant (a label that has almost exclusively released the producer’s own music under a number of different aliases). “The younger generation weren’t even born when it started, so I want to bridge the gap between the old and new,” Hood further explains. “I don’t want to make just another compilation. I want to celebrate the journey both looking back and to the future.”
Exact details on the EP series are still forthcoming, in the meantime, Hood’s 2011 XLR8R podcast can be revisited here.
This Week in Music Tech: A Modular Synth Masterclass, Another Aira Teaser, Prefuse 73’s Free Ableton Live Session, and More
In the wake of NAMM, this week brought just a few new updates and surprises, while Aira continued to tease its Aira drum machine. In addition to tying up a few leftover NAMM threads, our latest gear round-up checks out a modular synth masterclass led by Mute founder David Miller, takes a look inside Solvent’s studio, and shares details of an Ableton Live session from Prefuse 73 which is now free to download.
If you missed it earlier in the week, XLR8R went down to the annual NAMM conference in Anaheim so you didn’t have to, and we collected the best and weirdest of what we found in one convenient article, The Best (and the Weirdest) of NAMM 2014. Our full list of findings can be perused here.
Amidst the NAMM shuffle, Waldorf unveiled the 2-Pole Analog Filter, a behemoth of an analog filter that brings with it an interesting array of extra filter control. The full specs can be found here.
After teasing its upcoming Aira drum machine in the build-up to NAMM, Roland still has yet to unveil the exact details of the TR-08. With more news on the horizon, Roland leaked another video teaser, which gives a much better idea of what exactly the unit will look like whenever it lands.
London’s Point Blank Music School invited Mute Records founder and noted synth aficionado Daniel Miller to give a masterclass in modular synthesis during last year’s LEAF conference. Now, the intensive and illuminating 30-minute session can be watched in full.
Attack Magazine offered a virtual tour of Solvent‘s studio this week. Taking up a single room in the producer born Jason Amm’s home, the compact space fits an enviable array of hardware, including a Yamaha CS-5T that was used by Aphex Twin while working on Selected Ambient Works Vol. 2. Solvent’s full studio tour can be seen here.
Lastly, as part of the Blend online music collaboration platform, veteran beatmaker Prefuse 73 offered a complete Ableton Live session for unreleased track “Thursday Ringing.” The session is free to download for Blend members, though the platform appears to be a free service for all. After signing up, Prefuse 73’s full Live 9 session can be downloaded here.
Burial Confirms Identity, Teases New Release Plans
In a page unveiled on Hyperdub‘s website today, the press- and camera-shy producer known as Burial has seemingly come forth with his identity once again, confirming in a message and photograph that he is indeed the same William Bevan who has been purported to be behind the project all along. The UK artist writes, “Hi, this is Will. I just want to say thank you to anyone out there who liked my Burial tunes and supported me over the years. It’s really appreciated.” He goes on to talk about trying to finish new music this year ahead of the release of the Dark Souls II video game, because he needs to “play that game a lot,” but will “try to get some new tunes together before it comes out.”
Bevan continues, “Also, I want to go and find some old tunes I did that still sound alright and never came out. It would be nice to finally put some of them out on vinyl one day.” Though there are no concrete details or release plans shared in the message, it’s nonetheless a surprising treat to hear from such a patently quiet artist. And with any luck, Burial’s new music won’t arrive too long after his excellent Rival Dealer EP from the end of last year. Burial’s entire message can be read here.
Dusky 9T8
Together as Dusky, Alfie Granger-Howell and Nick Harriman have formed an uncommonly dependable partnership. With each Dusky record that has surfaced since 2011, listeners and—perhaps more importantly—DJs have learned that the London pair could be counted on for at least one effective (and usually rather catchy) garage/bass/house hybrid per effort. With its first release of 2014, Dusky has come up with another piece of well-mannered club music, taking only the smallest steps outside of its comfort zone in the process. The outfit’s dependability may be unshaken as a result, but “9T8” is ultimately far from exciting.
“Painting by numbers” is a criticism thrown at dance music a bit too often, especially when one considers that house and techno are largely formulaic to begin with, having their basic rhythmic structure and bpm range determined simply by the nature of the genre. Still, something about the charge rings true for Dusky here. Although there are a few aspects of “9T8” that sound new to the group’s palette—the track is a touch more rugged and aggressive than “Nobody Else” or “Flo Jam”—the tune is nonetheless still largely devoid of spontaneity. Even with its charming set of airy chords and occasional rhythmic flairs, “9T8” is just too easy and predictable of a ride; a quality to be lauded in some spheres of electronic production perhaps, but certainly not when it comes to underground club music. “9T8” can even teeter on being monotonous, especially with the overuse of the song’s titular vocal sample, the irrelevance of which is hammered home by unnecessary repetition and its prevalence in the mix.
At the same time, “9T8” is not going to scare anyone off the dancefloor, and futhermore, the pair of accompanying reworks (one for the vinyl and another for the record’s digital release) from Horsepower Productions affiliate Benny Ill actually do manage to inject a bit character into the track. Still, it’s hard to view Dusky’s first record of the new year as anything especially remarkable. When one considers that the brand of clean-cut garage hybrids Dusky helped shape is becoming more and more commonplace by the day, records like this are not doing the duo any favors when it comes to standing out from the growing fray.
Sabota “Jeans”
Next month, Canadian producers Max Ulis and Robbie Slade will release their first collaborative LP as Sabota via Vancouver’s Hybridity label. To preview the project, the pair has sent along “Jeans,” a brightly introspective house number that accurately reflects the vibe of the street after which the collaboration was named: “Sabota Road… an infamous area in southern Canada where kids sneak out to congregate, smoke weed, and watch the sun come up.” In that spirit, “Jeans” tastefully incorporates sunsoaked textures into its run, balancing melodic themes with an energetic bounce that seems fitting of a place utilized for both early-morning reflection and substance-induced decompression. Ulis’ and Slade’s self-titled debut full-length as Sabota will see a full release on February 21.
Press Play: Stream the Latest Audio and Video from DJ Rashad, Madlib, Shlohmo, FKA Twigs, and More
There’s no need to really sell this edition of Press Play; the artists responsible for this week’s selection of fresh audio and video speak for themselves. So, if the likes of Madlib, Shlohmo, DJ Rashad, Mickey Pearce, FKA Twigs, Glacher Lustwerk, Maddslinky, Luke Abbott, Ricardo Villalobos, and Osborne sound like an intriguing bunch, we suggest that all interested parties get to pressing the play buttons located after the jump ASAP.
Chicago artist and Teklife mainstay DJ Rashad collaborated with MoonDoctoR and FreshtillDef on the smoothed-out footwork of “Angel Dust,” which will appear as part of a compilation along with tracks from the likes of DJ Manny, DJ Earl, DJ Spinn, and others.
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib’s latest tune “Robes” features appearances from Odd Future’s Earl Sweatshirt and Domo Genesis.
Produced by burgeoning beatmaker Shlohmo, “Brain” is the latest single from LA singer Banks.
Don’t miss this gorgeous video of rising UK artist FKA Twigs performing her song “Hide” amidst Mayan ruins.
Before dropping next month via Formula, each track from Hayfever’s Ground Collapse EP—which features remixes from Maddslinky and Mickey Pearce—can now be previewed.
This “Low Blood Pressure” remix of singer Neneh Cherry’s new “Everything” single comes from techno giants Ricardo Villalobos and Max Loderbauer before her Four Tet-produced Blank Project LP drops on February 25 via Smalltown Supersound.
Watch rising White Material affiliate Galcher Lustwerk’s recent DJ set for Boiler Room.
Ahead of its release on February 3, the title track from Mumdance’s Springtime EP for Unknown to the Unknown is streaming in full.
Speaking of Mumdance, the busy Londoner also posted the set from his appearance on last night’s Rinse FM broadcast, a mix which is said to explore “the grime x techno x hardcore axis.”
Check out this remix of Swedish pop group Simian Ghost’s “Echoes of Songs” tune from UK artist Luke Abbott.
Ghostly stalwart Osborne remixed Hollow & Akimbo’s “Singularity” single, and is giving away the production as a free download.
Inventions, the new project from Eluvium and Explosions in the Sky Drummer Mark Smith, has shared “Entity” from the duo’s upcoming self-titled LP for Temporary Residence.
Directed by Laid Eyes, this new video for “Ksenia”—from Ensemble Economique’s recent Light That Comes, Light That Goes LP—matches the synth-heavy music in warmth and experimentalism.
Irish production duo Lakker dropped a full stream of the bassy “K’antu,” a heavy cut of soundsystem music from its upcoming Containing a Thousand EP for R&S.
Featuring remixes from the likes of Silent Servant and Jesse Ruins, Soft Metals’ Lenses Remixes record can now be streamed in full before it drops next week.
Benedek “Ease Out”
Last year, Los Angeles producer and Funkmosphere collaborator Nicky Benedek (a.k.a. Benedek) began working with Peoples Potential Unlimited (or PPU), a Washington, DC label known for heralding obscure soul, boogie, and house from decades past. As one of the few modern artists on the roster, Benedek crafts funkified, bass-heavy music grounded in tradition and history, albeit with his own futuristic slant. “Ease Out”—taken from Benedek’s recently released Untitled LP—shines up a throwback boogie production with a slinky bassline and prismatic pads, like a cruise-ready version of London tunesmith Lone.
