Girl Unit, Jam City, Kingdom, Bok Bok, and More to Feature on Upcoming Mixtape from Kelela

Talented LA singer Kelela has been adding her soulful R&B vocals to singles by the likes of Teengirl Fantasy and Kingdom for sometime now, and after her recent live set with Night Slugs co-owner Bok Bok, she has finally unveiled the details of her first solo outing, a 13-track mixtape called Cut 4 Me. The anticipated release is scheduled to arrive on October 1 via Fade to Mind, and will feature loads of brand-new production work from Nguzunguzu, Jam City, Girl Unit, Bok Bok, Kingdom (including an extended version of his excellent “Bank Head” single from Vertical XL), Night Slugs affiliate Morri$, and more. In its press release, Cut 4 Me is described as “a deeply personal body of work” which is “situated in a universe where R&B and pop conventions are both celebrated and challenged.” Before Kelela’s mixtape appears next month, its tracklist and artwork can be found below.

01. Guns & Synths (Prod Bok Bok, Napolian, Tariq & Garfield)
02. Enemy (Prod. Nguzunguzu)
03. Floor Show (Prod. Girl Unit)
04. Do It Again (Prod. NA)
05. Go All Night: Let Me Roll (Prod. Morri$)
06. Bank Head (Extended) (Prod. Kingdom)
07. Cut 4 Me (Prod. Kingdom)
08. Keep It Cool (Prod. Jam City)
09. Send Me Out (Prod. Kingdom)
10. Go All Night: Let it Burn (Prod. Morri$)
11. Something Else (Prod. Nguzunguzu)
12. A Lie (Prod. Bok Bok)
13. Cherry Coffee (Prod. Jam City)

Listen to Paul Woolford Remix George FitzGerald’s New Single

It has been quite a busy year for Paul Woolford; between the DJ/producer’s work under his given name (like his recent 12″ for Hotflush and the just-announced remix for Disclosure) and his Special Request productions (which will soon take the form of a full-length album for Houndstooth), Woolford appears to be unstoppable. And his streak of quality work continues today with the unveiling of his remix of “I Can Tell (By the Way You Move,” the brand-new single from George FitzGerald (pictured above). This piano-driven version of the big-room house tune hit the internet today, almost a month after its youthful music video made its way onto XLR8R, but will officially arrive as a 12″—along with the original single and another remix from The Cyclist—on October 21 via Double Six. Before then, Woolford’s remix of George FitzGerald can be heard below.

Download a New Mix from Mr. G

UK house stalwart and MPC-enthusiastMr. G has shared a new mix for RekidsRadio Show series. While Mr. G is largely known for his production work, this hour-long DJ set shows exactly how adept he can be behind the decks, highlighting his deep love of vintage funk and soul music. Said to have been made “on a summer Sunday evening, chillin’ with a glass of rum,” Mr. G’s Rekids Radio Special mix can be streamed and downloaded below.

KILN “Star.field”

The longstanding (but sporadically releasing) trio of Kevin Hayes, Kirk Marrison, and Clark Rehberg III (a.k.a. KILN) has pieced together its third full-length record for Ghostly, calling it meadow:watt. Serving as a preview is album cut “Star.field,” which tucks miniature melodies and unidentifiable percussion underneath a hi-fi tapestry of granular synthesis and rich, computer-enhanced bursts of chords, blurring the lines between sound design and composition through the use of refracted electronics and bits of live instrumentation. The production is anchored by an almost playful, dub-rooted bassline, and—like much of KILN’s work—is pleasantly reminiscent of Pole and the output of his now-defunct ~scape label. Before Ghostly releases meadow:watt on November 12 (pre-order here), its artwork can be seen above, and its full tracklist can be found after the jump.

01 Roil
02 Pinemarten
03 Star.field
04 Willowbrux
05 Kopperkosmo
06 Moth and Moon
07 Jux
08 Acre
09 Boro

Star.field

Om Unit Announces Debut Album for Civil

Ever-restless producer Om Unit (a.k.a. Jim Coles) just released his own take on the classic drum & bass sound with Grey Skies Over Chicago for Goldie’s Metalheadz label, and now, the Londoner has announced that he is set to release his debut LP via Civil. Threads‘ 14 tracks are said to be influenced by an array of genres—including hip-hop, dubstep, and a variety of jungle permutations—the effects of which are said to outline Coles’ own musical journey with a balance of both introspective and energetic moments. Om Unit’s album also features guest appearances from the likes of Jinadu, Young Echo affiliate Jabu, and the enigmatic Gone The Hero. Threads is set for release on October 28, but before then, its tracklist and artwork can be viewed below.

1. Folding Shadows
2. The Silence (feat. Jinadu)
3. Healing Rain
4. Jus Sayin’ (feat. Gone The Hero)
5. Drift Interlude
6. Reverse Logic
7. Corridor 2013
8. Nagual
9. Patients (feat. MC Jabu)
10. Deep Sea Pyramid
11. Wall of Light
12. Jaguar
13. Wicker and Pearl
14. Governer’s Bay
15. The Road (feat. Charlie Dark)

Pearson Sound and Paul Woolford to Remix Disclosure on Upcoming Single

For this week’s Disclosure news blurb, word has arrived that brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence (pictured above) will soon be releasing a new single for “Help Me Lose My Mind,” the closing track from the pair’s breakout debut LP Settle. And we’re also told that the tune will be packaged with remixes from two club-music powerhouses—namely, Pearson Sound and Paul Woolford—when it drops on October 28. Word of this forthcoming record also arrives with news of Disclosure’s 2014 UK tour dates, which can be viewed below, where the original version of “Help Me Lose My Mind” can also be found.

Delroy Edwards to Launch New Label with 12″

As any XLR8R reader with keen senses of perception may have guessed after listening to this week’s exclusive XLR8R podcast, LA DJ/producer and L.I.E.S. affiliate Delroy Edwards is on the cusp of launching his own record label, an endeavor with the appropriate name of L.A. Club Resource. The Southern California outpost will be inaugurated on October 1 by a 12″ (artwork above) featuring two untitled productions by Edwards himself, tracks which presumably appeared on the artist’s recent mix for us and can be previewed as standalone clips here. DJ Harlow is slated to deliver the second release for L.A. Club Resource, aptly named LACR002, though we have no confirmed release date for that three-track record. But before either records appear in the coming months, a quick trailer for the label can be seen below.

Hi, Doctor Nick! – What to Do in a New City Without a Decent Music Scene and the Good Doctor Says Goodbye to His Weekly Column

Nick Hook is a machine. Over the past year, the man has always found the time to answer our readers’ questions, even when he’s been traveling the globe, stuck in the studio, or overloaded with DJ gigs. Obviously, this reliability factored in when we brought Nick Hook aboard to be our resident advice columnist, but what’s really important is that he’s got so damn much knowledge rolling around inside his head. DJing. Production. Gear. Travel. Collaboration. Writer’s Block. When someone has a question, Doctor Nick has an answer. Need proof? Send him a query at [email protected]. He just might solve your problems.

Whoa. Do you realize that we’ve been doing this shit for a year now? I can’t believe it. 10 years ago yesterday, I jumped on a plane to start a joke band with my homies during a week off from my shitty job. I ended up moving to New York six months later and I haven’t left. Thinking about all that, it’s pretty fucking wild.

Also, in the last year, things have become super crazy in my life. It seems like every week, I am up until 5 a.m. writing this column cuz I’ve been locked in the studio all day or something like that. I was thinking that maybe we should scale this back to once a month. We can get better questions, I can go more in depth with my answers, and we won’t be beating a dead horse with the same shit all the time. Y’all cool with that???

It’s been super incredible to get feedback in real life and online. Just to know that some of this column and what I have to say maybe makes you think and brings some sort of inspiration to people is inspiring to me. That’s all I could ever ask for… lead by example—that’s what my momma taught me.

Alright, it’s time to fall back a bit. Please keep the questions coming though. [email protected]. Okay?

Before I get into your questions, I do want to say: eternal respect to everyone who was in New York on 9/11, both the survivors and people that lost their lives. Salute. Life is short. Make the best of it. We are so lucky to be here doing what we do.

Some new things from me:

I did a mix for these dudes Lexdray and I put my new video out with my dudes Color Film. They are my favorite new band and we’re starting a new label called Calm + Collect to drop their new record. Doc Daneeka, Michna, and Anenon also did remixes. It comes out on October 22 and I’m really excited about it. Shit, maybe I’ll put some music out from some people who sent me demos here. Who knows? I just started it so I wouldn’t have to ask people’s permission to do anything anymore. Anyways, peep that stuff.

I think I need to go hide in a cave soon. Does anybody have one?

Hi Doctor Nick,
I recently moved out to a new city as part of my uni course (Bordeaux, if you’re curious). I’m at that point in my musical life where I’m finally making music I believe in, and I really want to be playing live. But I’ve had a good look, and there doesn’t seem to be a scene for electronic music here, apart from a couple of clubs having the same-old house nights, which isn’t exactly what I’m doing. I’m here for a year, so I want to get as much out of this as possible. What would you recommend? Should I try and get in these clubs even though I have a different vibe? I don’t think starting something up would be an option here.

Also, I’m having real trouble finding a label for me to send music to, because I haven’t found any that I feel fit the same vibe and genre. I don’t want to go around spamming everyone with demos because I know you guys hate that, but I really want to put this music out, and I can’t find anywhere I think it would fit. Have you got any tips for finding the perfect label? I wanna keep up the trend of thanking you for these articles. I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve gained from them.

Thanks man,
Jack

Sup Jack? Damn, these are kinda tough questions. Bordeaux sounds dope. I have had some friends post up there. I’m always curious about different places and how things work.

I think you should just go for it. There has be something somewhere and every show is worth 1000 practices—even if it sucks. Maybe you could open or close those nights you mentioned? I feel you though, starting your own thing is too much. At the same time, being active is generally a good thing—you never know who you will meet that can get you up to Paris or somewhere else. To be really honest, I wish I had some sort of more static advice on how to go about things, but you are there for a year. You might as well make the best of it.

Real talk: don’t let the label thing hold you back. There is a whole Earth of people out there that love music and you can get it to them one by one. Looking for a label is gonna plague you and once you get on a “real” label, you will realize the fantasy of it beforehand was just that—a fantasy. Trust me, when you are ready for those labels, they will be easy to go after. Don’t get me wrong; you should keep going after labels and building relationships, but until you either make a track so banging that they need to put it out, or you are bringing something to the table for them, it’s gonna keep being tough. Make a goal to get some shit on your SoundCloud, get some followers, get some gigs, and build a story. Once you do all of that, then the labels that you like will hopefully know who you are, either from you or, even better, from their friends. After that happens, when you holler, they are gonna be like, “Oh, word? This dude? Yeah, I’m down.”

Really, there is no perfect label. There are quite a few doing great things, but they all have their pros and cons too. I can’t stress this enough—being self-sufficient is everything. Even if you do get on an amazing label, what if they drop you? You’ll need to keep going and you can’t let these brands be everything to you. By the way, the same goes for management, your girlfriend, or anything. If you are self-sufficient, nothing can ever hold you back.

Good luck.

Following this week’s column, Hi, Doctor Nick! will be appearing once a month on XLR8R. Do you have a question for Doctor Nick? Please submit your inquires to [email protected]. Nick Hook can help you.

Atropolis “Urban Chief”

New York native Adam Partridge (a.k.a. Atropolis) pulls rhythmic cues from around the globe, and “Urban Chief”—taken from his recently released Transitions LP for Cumba Mela—embodies the international jumble of his hometown. Partridge’s production references cumbia, modern bass music, and other worldly sounds while still managing to skirt any strict categorization. Instead, the cut starts with a mellow Latin rhythm, escalating to rapid, subwoofer-busting levels around the halfway mark, and then easing to a crawl in its final minute.

Urban Chief [via XLR8R]

Urban Chief

Helm Silencer EP

The buzz around PAN holds the label up as a major outpost for experimental techno. The reality is more nuanced. The bulk of its output is a challenging, historically informed take on the avant-garde, not just noise set to a beat. Bill Kouligas’ label is not opposed to fashion, either, but some of its most rewarding listens are austere, at least on the surface. Recording as Helm, London’s Luke Younger walked the line separating the harsh and the beautiful on his Impossible Symmetry LP from last year. His latest for PAN, the Silencer EP, is as immersive from front to back as that album’s best passages. Its combination of ragged percussion and granular, mangled samples does have a broader appeal than his earlier material, but it feels like a natural and honest development of his core aesthetic.

Given that its opening and closing tracks each last around 10 hypnotic minutes, it’s tempting to think of Silencer as a mini-LP rather than an EP. There’s plenty to discover here, but the record finds Younger radically adapting the kind of basic, sturdy rhythmic ideas that drive dance music, with results that are more Angus Maclise meets Demdike Stare than Basic Channel. The more open-ended structures he explored on Impossible Symmetry are still present, only they’ve been locked into bone-shaking dervishes. Much like Rashad Becker’s album for PAN used compositional ideas from dance music in the service of sounds one would likely never hear in a Berlin club, the EP’s title cut loops a battery of hollow hand drums while a whole weather system of squealing high frequencies and metallic Thomas Köner drones heads off in a dizzying array of new directions. The middle suite of “Mirrored Palms” and “Bergamo” fall back after the intense display, their chilly isolationist crawl suggesting excellent starting points for future Secret Thirteen mixes. “The Haze” closes out the EP on a high note, a razor’s-edge hum whose muffled, quasi-human sounds and foot-dragging cadence suggest a lesser-known ambient masterpiece from the Coil catalog. If it wasn’t clear before, Silencer puts Helm in the same league as Kevin Drumm; one would be hard pressed to put a name to the musicians’ styles, but both have a knack for conveying the sublime and the abject in the same breath.

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