Drum & bass veteran dBridge—who this week turned in a stunning mix as the latest edition of XLR8R‘s podcast series—is set to release a new EP from his 4/4-focused alias, Velvit. The Nudge contains two tracks of scuffed, organic-sounding house and techno from the Exit label head, who will also release the breakbeat-heavy Move Way EP under his dBridge moniker next week via R&S. On the a-side, the record’s title track offers up dark dub-techno with ominous clipped vocals, while “The Act” sees the producer channeling the sounds of Detroit with uptempo sensibilities and bright chord stabs on the flip. Previews of both tracks can be streamed in the player below before The Nudge drops via Electric Minds on August 27 on vinyl and on September 30 digitally.
Following the announcement and subsequent digital release of his collaborative LP with funk legend Steve Arrington (of Slave fame), LA boogie maestro D?m-Funk (a.k.a. Damon Riddick) has shared a video interview in which he gives background and insight to collaborating with his idol on their new full-length for Stones Throw. The years-in-the-making Higher LP was the result of Riddick reaching out to Arrington, who refrained from music-making for nearly 20 years during his tenure as a minister. And this collaboration—as D?m-Funk explains in the interview, which can be seen below—perhaps involves a tinge of fate, as Stones Throw label head Peanut Butter Wolf first met D?m-Funk when Riddick gave him a rare, bootleg videotape of a live TV performance by Slave. Incidentally, we recently shared a tune from Steve Arrington and D?m-Funk’s 14-track Higher LP, which is digitally available now via Stones Throw, and will be released on CD and wax this fall.
French label B.YRSLF Division has seen its reputation steadily build in recent times through a series of genre-bending, bass-inclined releases from fellow up-and-comers like Obey City, Norrit, and Seapoint. And the label is certainly no stranger to giving music away for free: Last summer, B.YRSLF released the free Summer Crisis compilation, and today, Summer Crisis 2 has arrived. While the second edition is less heavy on recognizable names, there’s no shortage of eclectic goodies to dig through here, with 22-tracks that span the range of current bass music sub-genres from around the globe. Preview clips of the entire compilation can be streamed in the player below, and Summer Crisis 2 can be downloaded in full for the price of “like”-ing B.YRSLF Division’s Facebook page, here.
As announced last month, NYC-based vocalist Alexis Penney‘s debut full-length of “drag pop ballads,” Window, was released this week via Ecstasy. “Your Eyes” is the album’s latest leak, and like the rest of Window is co-produced by Teengirl Fantasy’s Nick Weiss and Jamie Crewe of Poisonous Relationships. The track exhibits a slick synth-pop sheen, with hints of the darker side of Chicago house in its minor-key arpeggios, all of which provides a more than suitable backdrop for Penney’s lovelorn vocals. In addition to a free download of “Your Eyes,” there is also a brand-new, Tony Lowe-directed music video for the track available to view after the jump.
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The New York Public Library‘s Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Sound is parting ways with its enormous hoard of duplicate vinyl records—which altogether amounts to roughly 22,000 LPs, most of which stem from decades of donations—and is currently in the process of hosting a massive sale to prune off the collection. Through a statement on its website, the library endorsed the diversity of the records, and provided insight on their general conditions: “There is a great chance that someone will find more than one diamond in the not-so-rough. Many of the recordings have never been played, bear promotional stamps, and remain sealed in shrink wrap.” Although there isn’t an inventory of the LPs to be sold, crate diggers and vinyl enthusiasts will be pleased to know that New York Public Library has arranged the records by label and issue number “to make it easier for those who know precisely their prey.” On that note, the library also anticipated the rush made by their spontaneous announcement, saying, “We will do our best to provide bags. If you think you will need a box—you know who you are—we will have some on hand while they last.” Day one of the sale happened yesterday, but The Rodgers and Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound will open its doors twice more to help sell off the huge collection; more information can be found here.
Fresh record streams, quality remixes, lengthy DJ sets, exciting collaborations, brand-new originals, and more fill out the space of this week’s Press Play, and it all comes from an array of excellent artists. Gold Panda, Jon Hopkins, Marcel Fengler, Fatima Al Qadiri, Midland, Glass Candy, Krystal Klear, DJ Haus, Cyril Hahn, and others are behind today’s eclectic list of tunes. Suffice it to say that the music on offer is well worth the time it takes to click a play button or, like, 12, which can be done after the jump.
“Breathe This Air” is a sputtering and gorgeous track from Jon Hopkins’ XLR8R Pick’d Immunity LP, and here, it’s refitted with a wispy vocal by Purity Ring singer Megan James.
Soon after the release of his XLR8R Pick’d sophomore LP for Ghostly, Gold Panda delivered this remix of his “Community” single by label mate and fellow UK producer Fort Romeau.
Though Krystal Klear’s “Addiction” single was released earlier this year via Rinse, it’s apparently getting a re-release on September 2, which is preceded by this 2-stepping remix from Royal-T.
This cheekily titled song and video arrived this week from Johnny Jewel’s and Ida No’s Italo-centric synth-pop outfit Glass Candy.
The tenth installment of the Trouw Live Podcast Series finds UK producer Midland and Amsterdam’s own Jorn Liefdeshuis filling out nearly five hours with their top-notch selections.
London grime patron Visionist and Brooklyn Fade to Mind affiliate Fatima Al Qadiri teamed up on “The Call,” an unexpectedly beatless and freeform exploration of mood and vintage synth tones.
On the third installment of Peter Van Hoesen’s three-part Receiver series, the Berlin-based DJ/producer is treated to a couple of choice techno remixes from fellow Berliner Marcel Fengler and Italian artist Neel.
Trumpet & Badman (a.k.a DJ Haus & DJ Q) has unveiled its four-track Love Keeps Changing EP for Unknown to the Unknown before the bass- and brass-heavy dancefloor music drops as a limited 12″ this month.
“Ariel” is the forthcoming single from Murlo & Famous Eno, who will release their skewed, percussion-heavy tune via Mixpak on August 20.
Berlin-based up-and-comer Kyson let go of his glimmering and textured contribution to Friends of Friends’ Show Me the Future Vol. 2 compilation before it drops next week.
Almost a year after his 12″ for 100% Silk, Australian hardware enthusiast is ready to drop a record via Modular’s Club Mod imprint, and has shared its raw and rubbery “Tomita’s Basement” to tease the EP’s August 13 release.
Here’s a remix of Cyril Hahn’s new Shy Girls-featuring single, “Perfect Form,” from London production duo No Artifical Colours.
Dutch producer Kratos Himself has dipped his toes into making original tracks, but it seems his heart lies in remixing. His latest remix is for genre-bending Brighton trio Partpanda, who have no qualms with mixing sounds that run the gamut from elegaic folk to sinister hip-hop. Kratos Himself takes the band’s “Way Back When” song and folds a slippery percussion loop into the mix, making the whole thing seem off-balance in a similar vein to the work of many LA beatmakers. As the song unravels, Kratos Himself layers in a wordless vocal that intertwines with a sparkling synthesizer fragment and a crescendo of ambient noise, only to abruptly pull back as the song comes to a quick halt.
Many electronic producers still outsource the emtional heavy lifting to familiar ’90s R&B vocal samples, but London-based singer Fatima is the real deal. Her latest EP for Floating Points’ and Alexander Nut’s Eglo label is titled Circle, and it finds the Swedish-born artist in a more reflective, low-key mood that occasionally recalls late-era Erykah Badu, a development foreshadowed by the sprawling, Floating Points–produced “Red Light.” From the technical chops and the weed haze to the soul and ace production, Circle uses a familiar template, but it’s hard to argue with the conviction on display. Earlier Fatima releases, like the Mindtravellin’ EP and her freakily compelling Phone Line collaboration with Funkineven, have been almost manically playful, offering maximalism born of friends goofing around in the studio, the torrent of ideas kept in bounds only by the aggregate talent in the room. Circle is more focused, as it distills Fatima’s talent into inviting three-minute chunks that reward repeated close listening.
This time out, Fatima is working with a couple of tipped names from the Los Angeles scene. Sa-Ra Creative Partners does the honors on the title track, and Oh No (Madlib’s younger brother) takes care of “Technology.” (The 12″ also includes an exclusive live version of “Redlight” performed with the Eglo Live Band, though it was not included in the promo we received.) “Circle” follows in the more restrained vein that Fatima and Floating Points established with 2011’s Follow You EP; a striding vintage drum machine cloaked in the distressed tape hiss of There’s a Riot Goin’ On is joined by high, whistling keys and a worming bass that grows out of the grid like those black-snake fireworks. It’s a familiar sound, executed with precision, but Fatima’s vocals, probing cosmological time in eminently relatable terms, deepen with each listen. “Technology” cautions against the disconnection of social media over another adequate MPC groove, one that’s all dusty walking bass and slapping drums. There’s no doubt she’s talking about smartphones with the epithet “lifeline on a string,” but the results are far from preachy, trite, or audience-baiting. Throughout the EP, Fatima’s vocals are present and engaged; although there’s a hint of world-weariness on Circle, the intention is focused and the music never lapses into resignation. As a stand-alone release, Circle is surprisingly brief, but as a teaser for an album, it tracks just how far she’s come in a short period of time.
Finnish producer Albert Swarm has remixed NYC duo Prism House‘s “Someone Save Me,” a track which was released early this year on the group’s Reflections EP for Ceremony. The original track is a bright, collage-like slice of electronic pop, but in the twisted hands of the mysterious Albert Swarm, it takes on much more sinister undertones. Mechanical-sounding beats stumble over one another while distant sounds whir and mutate, resulting in a tune that’s both surprisingly melodic and completely foreboding. (via No Fear of Pop)
Hamburg’s Helena Hauff has attracted a considerable amount of buzz in a short period of time. Building on her celebrated, dark electro DJ sets as a resident of the city’s Golden Pudel club, she’s been singled out for a dizzying ride through the publicity machine in anticipation of her debut release on Actress’ Werkdiscs label, which has lately been broadening its roster beyond the usual suspects with signings like Moiré.
Actio Reactio‘s juggernaut of a title track ghostrides the underground zeitgeist with an arsenal of hardware drum machines clambering into and out of focus. Clocking in at 10 minutes, its length, live-jam immediacy, and in-the-red Tascam sound quality conjure the same sinister vibe that L.I.E.S.’ Two Dogs in a House specialize in. And despite its single-minded focus on deploying every available drum hit while foregoing melody and narrative, it doesn’t seem overly long, seemingly doubling back into strange whirlpools that fold time in on itself. It might not merit repeat home-listening sessions, but it’s legitimately psychedelic for such a stripped-back set-up, and could be a brashly effective DJ tool in punky venues.
The next two tracks clear out the paranoid overgrowth, allowing those missing elements to peek through. “Break Force”‘s 4/4 kicks are a welcome respite from “Actio Reactio”‘s onslaught, and the song’s spacious bass-drum hits are paired with slip-sliding hi-hats and a dirty 303 line that squelches and wails with leaden determination. Despite its more traditional structure, Hauff doesn’t take the track anywhere unexpected, and we feel its full eight-minute duration. The brief “Micro Manifesto” rounds out the offering, forgoing drums altogether for a dirtily shimmering melodic stasis. Still, as far as manifestos go, this one has already been written many times. Actio Reactio falls victim to the expectations surrounding the producer to the same extent that they benefitted her often-fascinating Resident Advisor mix. With a collaborative release as Black Sites due out soon on the PAN label, it remains to be heard whether the immediacy of her approach to production will catch up to her uniqueness as a DJ.
