The EP features ambient and acoustic landscapes amidst field recordings and textures created with everyday sounds. It was originally written for a multimedia dance performance called “Some Silver Burns,” which premiered at The Place, London as part of Resolution Festival, where it was accompanied by movement choreographed by Magnus Westwell and visuals created by Amy Dang.
Piksel’s music draws influences from film soundtracks and classical music, which she has studied since a young age in Lithuania and the UK. Hybrid artists such as Burial, Djrum, and Jon Hopkins have been strong influences, as well as classical composers such as Mica Levi and Steve Reich. Previous releases include her album, Places, and an EP, Conform, released in 2018.
Tracklisting
01. Space 02. Into The Darkness 03. Quartet
Some Silver Burns EP is out digitally on May 29. You can pre-order the release over at Bandcamp, where you can also hear “Space.”
We’re back with the next edition of XLR8R+, and this one’s curated by Patrick Gräser, better known as Answer Code Request.
Answer Code Request is a resident of Berghain and a signee to the club’s affiliated Ostgut label. In true Answer Code Request form, he headlines this edition with a dark slice of breaks-driven techno fresh from his Berlin studio—and his first new material since 2018’s Gens album.
To accompany him, Gräser has selected Ryan James Ford, a Berlin-based Canadian; and Adlas, one of the most recent signees and a producer to keep your eyes on. Each track takes a small step away from the peak-time slots, with pad-driven harmonies and swirling synth lines, making for three slabs of cerebral if a little melancholic techno.
To accompany the release, Gräser has delivered an exclusive sample-pack containing sounds from his XLR8R+ contribution and a recent iteration of his live set. The pack features 30 samples that include kicks, bass, pads, atmospheres, and loops.
Artwork comes from Luca Christakopolous (a.k.a mesobroke).
The package, including the tracks, zine, and wallpaper artwork, is downloadable via Bandcamp once you SUBSCRIBE HERE.
You can stream snippets of the release below, along with a preview of this month’s zine.
For those unfamiliar, XLR8R+ is a member-supported music community and curated subscription service. Every month, you will get three exclusive tracks—sometimes more—by amazing artists that XLR8R has supported over the years, as well as access to the member’s area where you can submit tracks and DJ mixesto be showcased across XLR8R’s channels and to the XLR8R+ community, as well as exclusive editorial content, mixes, FREE passes to music festivals and events, playlists, and more.You can find out more here.
DJ Healer has shared three new mixes, titled “ins herz der dinge lauschen,” “der traum,” and “die wüste,” available to stream below.
There’s no information disclosed around the mixes, but they popped up on the the mysterious producer’s Planet Uterus SoundCloud page earlier today. It’s their first new material in over a year, and it spans from ambient to techno. Tracklistings are included in the respective mixes.
Christian Löffler has shared a video for “Roth” (feat. Mohna), taken from his latest album, Lys.
“Lately, life has become very ‘online,’ this might seem limited and small, but we also have to remember that nature is both outside and within us, and that there are still many kinds of freedoms left for us to enjoy,” Löffler tells XLR8R. “This video refers a little to that—dancing somewhere in between trees and screens.”
Lys serves as a contrast to Graal, its predecessor. Whereas the latter is the result of a six-month period spent largely on the road in between live shows, the former is a studio release in the truest sense, recorded and compiled in the serenity of Löffler home studio.
Rather than capturing a specific moment in time or emotion, Lys is a selection of Löffler’s favorite productions from the past three years, carefully compiled into one “enchanting and deeply moving listening experience,” the label explains.
Lys LP is available now on Ki Records. In its support, you can stream the video for “Roth” (feat. Mohna) below.
MOOD is Rødhåd’s first ambient experimentalist release, comprised of his own solo archival material from 2017/18, while “working on a plane of spontaneity, devoid of set structures,” he tells XLR8R. We’re told to expect a “life-giving, intimate, and solipsistic work” awash with field recordings, droning loops, and subtle granulations.
Across 18 tracks, Rødhåd crafts emotive textures through detailed layering of ethereal pads and simple synth melodies, aiming to reflect his meditative sensibilities. The album features some more beat-driven tracks like “He Didn’t Seem The Kind of Guy Who Would” and “Pigeons Dancing On The Roof,” which employs trip-hop beats atop washed synths and textural loops for a more downtempo affair.
Rødhåd, real name Mike Bierbach, released his debut album, Anxious, in 2017. MOOD launches WSNWG—BACK TO ZERO, a sub-label of his fresh imprint WSNWG, intended to provide a space for solo releases.
Silent Servant (a.k.a Silent Editions) has contributed the album artwork.
MOOD LP is available for free download today, ahead of a vinyl pressing on July 10.
Tracklisting
01. A Huge Plume Of Ash Rose From A Volcano 02. Flying Between The Clusters Of Trees Without Buoyoant, Floating Wing Beats 03. He Was Beginning To Despair Of Ever Knowing 04. Like Sleepwalkers Ghosting Through A Dreamscape 05. Lions In The Supermarket Don‘t Sound Like Humans 06. Misty Fog Covering The Side Window 07. That Appeal Has Been Put Into Suspense By Reason 08. He Or She Will Then Drill Into The Pulp To Reach The Root Canal 09. Into Your Brain – A News Report Said The Line Carried 13,000 Volts of Electricity 10. No Forms To Fill Out, No Instant Check, No Waiting Period 11. The Film is About A Clown Who Leaves His Circus And Lives In A Building Near The Railway Station 12. She Wanted Her To Grow Up In A Nice House With A Backyard, So She Could Play 13. The Drawings Were Rearranged, As If By Magic 14. He Didn‘t Seem The Kind Of Guy Who Would Just Get Talking To A Stranger 15. Pigeons Dancing On The Roof 16. When They Returned Home After Midnight 17. I Wanted To Hold Her Close And Whisper In Her Ear That She‘d Be Fine 18. Good Bye My Love
As Patricia, Ravitz is a mainstay in New York’s DIY electronic music scene, with releases on labels such as Opal Tapes, Nona, and Ghostly’s Spectral Sound. This is his first album since 2017’s Several Shades Of The Same Color, and his first ever on Ghostly proper.
Over the course of 10 songs, Ravitz presents a more varied stylistic approach than past Patricia releases, shifting away from some of the “lo-fi” sounds he’s known for. The album draws its title from his childhood nickname and broadly encompasses acid, IDM, and techno.
Accompanying the announcement is lead single “Downlink,” streaming below with a video made by Ravitz and his partner using analog video techniques from the 1960s and ’70s. They modified a Vectrex game console for voltage control, allowing them to control the screen with a modular synthesizer, and rescanned the Vectrex with a camera and colorized using LZX modular video synthesizers.
Ravitz also releases under his own name and in duos Inhalants, Masks, and Pulpo.
Tracklisting
01. Dew Point 02. Myokymia 03. Dripping 04. Triune Brain 05. Julia Set 06. Downlink 07. Dr Oetker’s Ristorante 08. Crushed Velvet 09. Turtle Funk 10. Ctenophora
Maxyboy LP is out on June 26 on vinyl and digitally. Meanwhile, you can pre-order here and stream “Downlink” below.
Stephen Wilkinson will release Sleep On The Wing, his new album as Bibio, next month on Warp Records.
Pieced together over the course of last year, with a few exceptions stretching back into Bibio’s older repertoire, Sleep On The Wing is a largely instrumental collection recorded in Wilkinson’s home studio in the UK midlands countryside. It arrives just over a year after 2019’s Ribbons, and follows a pattern Wilkinson has established in his work: sharing a follow-up release after an album that explores similar sonic ground. The album draws on a familiar range of influences from traditional folk, peaceful atmospheric soundscapes, and field recordings from the natural world.
On lead single “Sleep On The Wing,” a gentle melodic theme is bowed and plucked, and Wilkinsonsings of hope in the face of something painful or tragic. The track’s title and lyrics, inspired by a swift’s ability to sleep during flight, have been brought to life in a video animated by Sonnye Lim. The video presents a swift flying from dark city to rural landscapes as spring turns to summer.
Animator Lim says: “I wanted to capture the feeling of a temporary escape from the bustling city. The swift provides a glimpse of a serene, and carefree world.”
Tracklisting
01. Sleep On The Wing 02. A Couple Swim 03. Lightspout 04. Oakmoss 05. Miss Blennerhassett 06. The Milkyway Over Ratlinghope 07. Awpockes 08. Crocus 09. Otter Shadows 10. Warching Thus, The Heron Is All Pool
Sleep On The Wing LP is out on vinyl and digitally on June 12 via Warp. Meanwhile, you can stream the lead single below, and pre-order here.
Not too many of you will have heard of Benjamin Freeney, but the rising Berlin-based DJ-producer—a sort of behind-the scenes-operator—has laid his hands on a whole lot of quality music. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in his role of A&R of Foom, a London-born label now rooted in the German capital, where Freeney has coaxed new records from Matthew Herbert, Mica Levi, and Half Hawaii (Bruno Pronsato & Sammy Dee). Coming next on the label is work from Thurston Moore, Melchior & Pronsato, and Tobias Freund, in partnership with Ransom Note.
Freeney also lends his production ear to a lot of Pronsato’s production work. Fans of the American’s US Drag album might recognise Freeney’s work on “Hands Reach Up,” included in this podcast, and “Brighter Than Her Daughter,” a collaboration with Liars. Trusting Freeney’s ear, Pronsato has enlisted him as a guide for a new album he’s working on for Perlon, and also as an editor on the upcoming Melchior & Pronsato EP.
As a DJ, Freeney began playing house parties in his hometown of Dublin, but he’s been floating around the European club circuit since 2014. He’s influenced by the style of the late Andrew Weatherall—”I saw him play probably 100 times, all different kinds of stuff. I learned a lot,” he says—but he also notes Margaret Dygas, The Mole, DJ Harvey, and DJ Richard as artists he’s moved by.
His XLR8R podcast, recorded in his Berlin apartment, is compiled of records that, for him,” feel close to perfection (in whole, or in part),” he says. It opens with almost 20 minutes of smooth dub techno, and the pace picks up shortly thereafter. Across 70 minutes, you’ll hear records from Cassy, Baby Ford, Thomas Melchior, Moritz Von Oswald, Etapp Kyle, and more—and it closes with a rather surreal blend of Thomas Melchior and Arthur Russell.
01. What have you been up to recently?
Setting up my new studio in Berlin. Being confused by resonance issues. Wearing an inordinate amount of navy.
02. What are you working on at the moment?
Working on my own music and others’. I just edited the next Melchior & Pronsato EP, I’m finalizing a new Thurston Moore album. Both will be on my label, Foom. There are also some remixes. I’ve also been curating an event that will take place in Berlin next year.
03. Where and when did you record this podcast?
A couple of months ago, in my old apartment in Mitte, in Berlin. My neighbor told me he liked the basslines that he could hear coming through the wall.
04. What equipment did you use?
My ailing Technics 1210s and a dusty old Vestax mixer. Plus a CDJ-400, Dynaudio monitors, and then I did some edits in the computer.
05. How did you select the records that you’ve included?
I picked a large bunch of records that, for me, feel close to perfection (in whole, or in part), and then I got ideas from their possibilities/limitations as a suite. I always find making mixes a bit like solving a puzzle, assembling smaller pieces to express a larger idea/form a particular shape. I have also been doing the blend (that closes the mix) of Melchior & Arthur Russell in DJ sets over the last few years and I always wanted to document it. It felt like the perfect note for the narrative to end on.
06. Where are your favorite places to dig for new music?
Online mostly. Discogs is such an invaluable resource. I spend so much time on there, seeing who produced on what, who released what where, who played on what. I love Bandcamp too, and really appreciate how progressive it is, and I use YouTube also. I like to do the research online, and the purchasing in the shops.
07. Which artists and/or labels are impressing you right now?
Lately, Chris Korda, Julius Eastman, Steven Warwick, Jim O’Rourke, Max Loderbauer, Oliver Coates, Fumiya Tanaka. I can’t think of any labels who’re particularly on fire right now, but I’m always particularly impressed by Perlon, Dial, Lovely Music, Octatonic, Audika, ECM, Steamroom, Accidental, Thesongsays, Drag City, Warp, On-U Sound.
08. What’s up next on your agenda?
I’ve got a 12″ of three different dubs that I’ve done of “Temperature High,” a track by Tim Burgess & Peter Gordon, coming on Foom in Autumn. It’s got Peter Zummo, Mustafa Ahmed (who played percussion for Arthur Russell), and Nik Void on it, with handclaps by Bruno Pronsato. The source material was very rich and I felt spoiled getting to work with it. I was also supposed to be playing some festivals this summer, but that will have to wait.
XLR8R has now joined Mixcloud Select, meaning that to download the podcast you will need to subscribe to our Select channel. The move to Mixcloud Select will ensure that all the producers with music featured in our mixes get paid. You can read more about it here.
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Tracklisting
01. Biosphere “As The Sun Kissed The Horizon” (Origo Sound) 02. Moritz Von Oswald Trio “Yangissa” (Honest Jon’s) 03. Hatikvah “Big Mind” (Form Resonance) 04. Rhythm & Sound “See Mi Yah” (Basic Reshape) (Burial Mix) / Archangel “Half-Man Half-Lisa” (Peter Gordon Version) (Foom) 05. Round Four “Find A Way” (Main Street) 06. Burial “Stolen Dog” (Hyperdub) 07. Bruno Pronsato “Hands Reach Up” (Foom) 08. Daniel Bell “Deep Down” (Perlon) 09. Gemini “Where Do I Go” (Cyclo) 10. Blaze “My Beat” feat. Palmer Brown (Derrick Carter Circus Mix) (Slip ‘N’ Slide) 11. Loco Dice “How Do I Know!?” (Desolat) 12. Levon Vincent “These Games” (Novel Sound) 13. Cassy “Night To Remember” (Perlon) 14. Baby Ford & M-Core “Rock Tek Da City” (Ifach) / Herbert “Even”(Accidental) 15. Trus’me “Shakea Body” (Terrence Dixon Remix) (Prime Numbers) 16. Baby Ford + Eon “Dead Eye” (Plus 8) 17. Etapp Kyle “Drama” (Klockworks) / Melchior Productions Ltd. “Todo Mundo” (Lick My Deck) 18. Sunpeople “Make It Right” (Trelik) 19. Melchior Productions Ltd. “The Hypnotist” (Perlon) /Wishmountain “Jam Jar” (Live At Sabresonic) (Antiphon) 20. Arthur Russell “Tower Of Meaning” (Section F) (Audika)
Andrey Pushkarev has shared three new mixes via his Soundcloud page, one drum & bass, one ambient, and the other club-ready.
“For a long time, I had an idea to make a drum & bass mix since this genre was my first love in electronic music and I collected a fairly good amount of records,” Pushkarev tells XLR8R. “Also, I was working on my ambient project for a while so my team had the idea to bring something special for people in lockdown; not one, not two, but three mixes of music that inspire me and reflect my current mood.”
The playlist is called “Triptych,” and its accompanied by the artwork from Christine Auger, a painter in Paris, France. “She exclusively created wonderful paintings with her special technique to represent and give form to the energy that we feel by listening to music,” Pushkarev explains.
Moodymann will release a new album, Taken Away, later this month.
Taken Away is the mysterious Kenny Dixon Jr.’s first outing since last year’s Sinner, a double-pack first sold at a barbecue he hosted in Detroit during the 2019 Movement weekend. His album before that never saw full release, but rare vinyl versions popped up on Discogs for over US$500.
“Do Wrong,” the album’s lead single, is available now.
Album artwork comes from Richard Wilson.
Tracklisting
01. Do Wrong 02. Taken Away 03. Let Me In 04. Just Stay A While 05. Goodbye Everybody 06. Slow Down 07. I’m Already Hi 08. Taken Away (Moodymann Mix)
Taken Away LP is out on May 21 via KDJ. Meanwhile, you can pre-order here, where you can also stream and buy lead track “Do Wrong.”
