DJ Rashad Readies New LP and Hits the Road with Hyperdub

Throughout 2013, Chicago footwork pioneer DJ Rashad and London’s Hyperdub imprint have been actively strengthening their partnership. Recent months have already seen the release of two Rashad EPs, Rollin’ and I Don’t Give a Fuck, and this fall, those efforts will be followed by a new full-length, Double Cup. Scheduled for release on October 22, the album—Rashad’s first since last year’s acclaimed TEKLIFE Vol. 1—finds him collaborating with a number of producers and is said to drag “hip-hop, R&B, acid, house, techno, and jungle into its footwork turbine, spitting them out in recombinant fragments glued together with purring 808 sub triplets and jerky polyrhythms.”

Apart from the album, Rashad will also be keeping busy on the touring front. He’s currently in the midst of several European dates with fellow Windy City standout DJ Spinn, but in September he’ll be joining Hyperdub’s US tour, playing several dates with label founder Kode9 and labelmate Ikonika.

The Double Cup artwork and tracklist is below, along with a complete rundown of DJ Rashad’s tour dates.

1. Feelin (Rashad feat Spinn & Taso)
2. Show U How (Spinn & Rashad)
3. Pass that Shit (Rashad feat Spinn & Taso)
4. She a Go (Rashad feat Spinn & Taso)
5. Only One (Rashad feat Spinn & Taso)
6. Everyday of my Life (Rashad & DJ Phil)
7. I Don’t Give a Fuck (Rashad)
8. Double Cup (Rashad feat Spinn)
9. Drank, Kush, Barz (Rashad feat Spinn)
10. Reggie (Rashad)
11. Acid Bit (Rashad & Addison Groove)
12. Leavin (Rashad & Manny)
13. Let U No (Rashad feat Spinn)
14. I’m Too Hi (Rashad feat Earl)

European Tour Dates (with DJ Spinn):
Aug 15 – London – Boiler Room
Aug 17 – Bristol – Timbuk 2
Aug 30 – London – Fabric
Aug 31 – Berlin – Stattbad
Sep 06 – Lausanne (Switzerland) – Electronsanne 2013
Sep 07 – Moscow – TBC
Sep 12 – Odense (Denmark) – Phono Festival
Sep 14 – Lisbon – Music Box

US Hyperdub Tour dates (with Ikonika, Kode9)
Sep 11 – Calgary, AB @ Hi Fi Club*
Sep 12 – Victoria, BC @ Lucky Bar for Rifflandia Festival*
Sep 19 – Middleton, CT @ Wesleyan University / Eclectic House#
Sep 20 – Burlington, VT @ Signal Kitchen#
Sep 21 – Westchester, NY @ SUNY Purchase / The Stood#
Sep 25 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile for Decibel Festival
Sep 26 – Denver, CO @ Casselman’s
Sep 27 – San Francisco, CA @ 1015 Folsom for DJ Dials and 1015
Sep 29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Los Globos for SMOG%
Oct 01 – Detroit, MI @ The Works for Datswotsup!%
Oct 02 – Los Angeles – Low End Theory*
Oct 02 – Boston, MA @ The Good Life for Bassic%
Oct 03 – New York, NY @ Output for Input (with DJ Spinn)
Oct 04 – Montreal – Club Lambi%
Oct 05 – Mexico City, MEX @ Plaza Condesa for Mutek MX

* Ikonika only
# DJ Rashad only
% DJ Rashad and Kode 9

Ma Spaventi “Slowmo”*Most Excellent*

Amsterdam-based producer Ma Spaventi has released a string of techno-minded singles in the last couple of years with labels such as MOS Deep and Secretsundaze, and is now inaugurating the brand-new, NYC-based Most Excellent imprint with his Revolver EP. The aptly named digital bonus track “Slowmo” finds Spaventi toning things down in comparison to rest of his release, making for a tune that alludes to his more synth-based soundtrack work. Throughout the production, rhythms interlock and ebb, forming the base over which the dense synthscapes buzz and whir. Before Revolver is released on September 10, a preview of the four-track record—which includes a remix from veteran UK producer Mark E—can be found after the jump.

Slowmo

Steve Arrington & Dam-Funk Higher

Higher is the kind of collaboration that feels like it was fated to happen. In 2009, singer Steve Arrington—the former frontman of pioneering disco/funk outfit Slave—returned to the music business after 20-plus years of silence (he had quit making records to devote his life to God) and offered up a new solo record called Pure Thang. Following its release, leading funk revivalist Dam-Funk, who had worshipped Arrington while growing up in Pasadena, California, seized on the opportunity to connect with one of his heroes, and introduced Arrington to the Stones Throw family in 2010. It’s all pretty serendipitous when one learns that Dam-Funk first linked up with Stones Throw after bonding with label head Peanut Butter Wolf over a rare bootleg of a Slave performance. Given that, there’s really no better home for a collaboration between these two masters, and Higher finds them spreading the gospel of love, peace, and funky beats.

Dam-Funk and Arrington could’ve easily made a retro album that sounded like it was straight out of 1982, but Higher is more forward thinking than that. With Dam-Funk’s production driving the album, Arrington has room to experiment with the vocals and, at times, get a little weird. On “I Love This Music,” he sings, “I give my heart and soul it’s true, I love this music/Never let the past define me/Never let a hit record own me just let my heart guide me.” He then delves into a quick monologue to address all the people who question his evolving style: “People say to me, ‘Steve, you’ve changed so much, done so many different things’/I say, ‘Yeah, I think like a jazz musician.’” The rest of the song finds Arrington playing around with wordless scatting, only occasionally punctuating the proceedings with sparse lyrics along the lines of “Hip-hop, you don’t stop,” “Make you wanna feel like it,” and “Rock ‘n’ roll.” Somehow, it works.

Positivity and spirituality drive Higher, which is unsurprising given Dam-Funk’s characteristic optimism and Arrington’s religious conversion. “There is healing in the music,” Arrington sings on the title track. In anyone else’s hands, lyrics like “I got the stuff to blow your mind/To keep you satisfied” and “You’re so magnificent/Your flow is so magnificent/And you’re my girl” would sound pretty silly. Yet for the most part, Higher feels completely sincere, and avoids delving into cheese, save for a couple of exceptions. For instance, “Good Feeling” finds Arrington singing, “I remember when mama used to make the bomb German chocolate cake/It was a good feeling/A good, good feeling.“

Occasional lyrical missteps aside, Arrington’s voice sounds as smooth as ever on this album, which is great, although it does overshadow Dam-Funk’s significant vocal talent. Still, it’s understandable that Arrington takes the lead here—Higher is jump-starting the next phase of his musical career. As for Dam-Funk, it’s likely that simply working with Arrington is akin to a dream come true, so he probably doesn’t mind this particular division of labor.

Video Premiere: House of Black Lanterns “Worthless”

House of Black Lanterns is the new project from Dylan Richards, who might be best known for producing dark, twisted dubstep and dancehall under the moniker King Cannibal. As House of Black Lanterns, the versatile producer followed up his debut album Kill the Lights with the You, Me, Metropolis EP for Fabric‘s Houndstooth label, and just sent over the first video for one of its tracks. The monochromatic clip for “Worthless” finds a man walking alone through a desecrated landscape, making his way into the wilderness before reaching a gloomy coastline. It’s more than appropriate as a companion to the track’s rumbling, sub-sonic frequencies and scattered reinterpretation of dubstep.

A Sol Mechanic “1992”*Stereocure*

LA label/collective Stereocure has been steadily growing its catalog with a string of forward-thinking releases over the past year; its latest offering is Emotion Terrace, a full-length from beatmaker A Sol Mechanic (a.k.a. David Blazer). From that LP, we’ve pulled the blissful “1992,” on which Blazer harnesses the beat-focused sound of his LA contemporaries while tweaking the crunchy boom-bap with a slew of playfully bouncing vocal samples and a calm, sun-drenched vibe. “1992” and the rest of Blazer’s Emotion Terrace record can be downloaded for free over on Stereocure’s Bandcamp.

1992

Pegasus Heat XXX Elote Y Paleta Porn

One expects a palpable amount of grit from Sean Hernandez (a.k.a. Chicago Skyway) and Hakim Murphy, two of the best representatives of Chicago’s current generation of house artists. That is certainly intact on this EP, their debut producing together as Pegasus Heat. But with a title like XXX Elote Y Paleta Porn and some unusually suggestive artwork, one might expect these guys to be indulging their sleazy or sensual sides here as well. This is partly true, though one would have to stretch to glean anything truly porny.

Maybe this is for the best. Hernandez and Murphy are evidently content to keep exploring their corner of modern house, and these tracks have all the fingerprints of such seasoned producers. “Candy Mountain” is highlighted by an temperamental acid line that jabs from below floating pads and an anemic, truly eerie organ. “Doorbell Action” is another acidic cut—one that’s melodically sparse, with only some faint keys to balance out its clattering rhythm. These tracks’ lack of frills magnifies their sense of space, and one ends up focused on the subtleties. “Yum Yum,” meanwhile, is atypical of both producers, and the closest of the tracks to the EP’s purported theme. Its rhythm is a woodblock-laden slink that’s slight in comparison to the duo’s more jacking material, and it’s weighed down by smudgy, drowsy chords and trickling synthesizer. The track’s mood music provides an inviting, fuchsia-tinted balancer to its more purpose-built counterparts. Ike Release, Murphy’s partner in Innerspace Halflife, seizes on “Yum Yum”‘s dancefloor potential, giving it a snare-laden gallop and cranky synth clusters. Again, though, its mixdown keeps it far from obvious club filler; it’s about as far from dully linear dance music as one can get.

Check Out Jacques Greene’s Live Mix for Boiler Room

Last month, Boiler Room presented one of its star-studded, live-streaming events as an afterparty for Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, and now, Jacques Greene‘s set from that happening is now available to stream and download in full. Throughout the course of the Montreal DJ/producer’s hour-long mix, he drops a number of his own tracks and remixes—including an incredible, as-yet-unheard version of Autre Ne Veut‘s “Play by Play,” from this year’s excellent, Software-released Anxiety LP—and maintains the R&B-inflected house vibe that the artist has become known for. Jacques Greene’s Ray-Ban x Boiler Room 002 Pitchfork Festival Afterparty Broadcast can be watched in the player below, where its audio can also be downloaded via the SoundCloud widget.

Fort Romeau Announces New EP for Ghostly, Shares First Single

Refined UK house producer Fort Romeau (a.k.a. Mike Greene) has had a solid 2013 so far, issuing the “SW9” 12″ back in March and following that up with the “Jetée” b/w “Desire” single in July. Now, the London-based producer has announced another record for Ghostly, the Stay / True EP, which is set for release next month. The four-track record is said to continue Greene’s masterful reinterpretations of classic house, and precedes a planned sophomore album for 2014. Stay / True will drop on September 16, but before then, listen to the slow-burning, arpeggio-filled title track in the player below, where Stay / True‘s artwork and tracklist can also be found.

1. Stay / True
2. Your Light
3. Trust Me [Vinyl Exclusive]
4. And Now [Digital Bonus]
5. Together

Ben UFO, Kyle Hall, John Tejada, and More to Play Decibel Festival Boat Parties

Seattle’s annual Decibel festival turns 10 this year, and as always, the organizers have put together a massive and eclectic lineup of artists from across the spectrum of electronic music. Last week, the final round of performers was added to the main lineup, and now, the festival has announced details of its infamous boat parties. Presented in collaboration with Resident Advisor, Mixmag, and High & Tight, the three cruises will take place on Lake Washington and Lake Union alongside the main festival, between September 27 and 29, and will feature DJ sets from Ben UFO (pictured above), Axel Boman, Cyril Hahn, John Tejada, Kyle Hall, and Matias Aguayo. Ticketing information and the full breakdown of the boat party lineups can be found here.

Leon Vynehall to Release EP via 3024

After this month’s impending release of Trevino’s 3 and 1 record, genre-bending DJ/producer Leon Vynehall is next in line to issue an EP via the oft-reliable 3024 label. Having come about when label boss Martyn met Leon Vynehall at a gig in Berlin, Open apparently features four of five tracks the producer sent forward to be signed, and will be his fourth release of 2013—following an excellent EP for Well Rounded, a two-track 12″ for Aus, and his collaborative Laszlo Dancehall record for George FitzGerald’s ManMakeMusic label. Before the UK artist’s four-track EP drops on September 16, its tracklist can be perused below.

1. I Get Mine, You Get Yours
2. Step or Stone (Breath or Bone)
3. I Know Your Face, Heroine
4. XVI (Rox Out)

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