Night Slugs co-owner Bok Bok just uploaded a brand-new mix to his SoundCloud page, a 40-minute set of grime tunes which features live vocals from LA singer and Fade to Mind affiliate Kelela. Though its dated as being from “July 2013,” the soulful, high-energy mix only appeared earlier today, and can be streamed and downloaded via the player below.
XLR8R was happy to share an exclusive stream of burgeoning Seattle producer Kid Smpl‘s Armour EP a few weeks back, and now, “Necklace,” one of the five tracks from that EP, has been paired with some dreamy visuals that perfectly encapsulate its soft edges and glowing atmospherics. Having previously collaborated with the likes of Samiyam, MONO/POLY, LOL Boys, and Archie Pelago, director Annapurna Kumar, a motion graphics and projections designer from LA, takes a subtle approach to this piece, which shows her understanding of how to compliment a song. Neutral watercolors blur into focus as charcoal, hand-drawn graphics appear and collapse; pastel colors mingle with an opaque background of fluctuating images. There’s a serenity inherent in Kumar’s work, and it feels even more fitting as summer approaches fall.
The UK electronic music pioneers of The Orb have announced plans to release a four-disc, 25th anniversary box set called History of the Future. Since forming in the late-’80s, the rotating cast of collaborators, with Alex Paterson at its center, have released over 20 albums and scores more singles. History of the Future will offer a retrospective look at the group’s prodigious output, comprising three CDs which are divided into one disc of singles, another of remixes and rarities, and a final disc of live recordings from the mid-’90s. The Orb’s retrospective release will also contain a DVD with music videos and TV appearances from the innovative group. The History of the Future box set will be released on October 7 via Island, but before then, the collection’s tracklist and artwork can be viewed below. (via Resident Advisor)
Disc 1: The Singles Collection
01. A A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre of the Ultraworld: Loving You (Orbital Dance Mix)
02. Little Fluffy Clouds (Single Version)
03. Perpetual Dawn (Solar Youth Mix)
04. Blue Room (Seven-Inch Version)
05. Assassin (Seven-Inch Version)
06. Oxbow Lakes (Album Version)
07. Asylum (Album Version)
08. Toxygene (Album Version)
09. Once More (Album Version)
10. Ghost Dancing (Album Version)
Disc 2: Remixes and Rarities
01. A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre of the Ultraworld: Loving You (Aubrey Mix Mk II)
02. Little Fluffy Clouds (Coldcut Heavyweight Dub Mix)
03. Perpetual Dawn (Andrew Weatherall Ultrabass 1 Mix)
04. Blue Room (Excerpt 605)
05. Majestic (Heavy Mix – The Orb and Youth)
06. Close Encounters (Smile, You’re On Camera mix – The Orb and Slam)
07. Assassin (Another Live Mix)
08. Toxygene (Ganja Kru Mix)
09. Once More (Mark Pritchard Mix)
Disc 3: Live In Copenhagen & Woodstock
01. Towers of Dub (Live @ Trekkoner Sunset Gig)
02. Little Fluffy Clouds (Live @ Trekkoner Sunset Gig)
03. Blue Room (Live @ Trekkoner Sunset Gig)
04. Star 6 & 7 8 9 (Live @ Trekkoner Sunset Gig)
05. Valley (Live @ Trekkoner Sunset Gig)
06. Assassin (Live @ Woodstock 2)
Disc 4: DVD
01. Fluffy Little Clouds
02. Perpetual Dawn
03. Assassin
04. Oxbow Lakes
05. Pomme Fritz
06. Toxygene
07. DJ Asylum
08. Once More
09. Blue Room (Top Of The Pops ’92)
10. Toxygene (Top Of The Pops ’97)
11. Little Fluffy Clouds (T In The Park)
12. Perpetual Dawn (Ten-Inch TV Advert)
Pioneer has been a steadfast presence in clubs around the world with both its industry-standard CDJs and a range of mixers, and has now announced a new line of reference monitors aimed specifically at the working DJ. Set for release this September, the S-DJ X will be available in either 5, 6, or 8-inch woofer size, which are made with a stiff aramid fiber to prevent unwanted bass resonance. The active monitors also borrow a 1″ tweeter design from Pioneer’s pro-audio TAD brand, and feature auto on/off capability, built-in equalization, a wide “3D” sweet spot, and white or black coloring, among other distinctive features. A short video about the S-DJ X monitors can be seen below, and more info is available here.
“Stop Taking My Time,” the new single by Club 8 (pictured above) from the duo’s Above the City LP for Labrador, began as an energetic synth-pop ballad, but in the hands of Bam Spacey, the track has been transformed into a breezy, pool party-aimed house tune. On his rework, the Swedish producer takes nearly eight minutes to unfold his so-called “Stolen Hearts Dub,” landing on a central groove full of tropical percussion and lightweight melodies. Thankfully, he also takes the time to stop off every so often for the kind of swirling, synth-laden breakdowns that a producer with such an interstellar handle is bound to deliver.
Black Orange Juice is a London trio consisting of Hyperdub affiliate Ossie with singers Paul Black and Tilz. Today, the group has announced the follow-up to its debut Back of My Car EP from last year with an EP called 3 Started Alone. The Black Orange Juice project finds Ossie taking on classic Chicago house and disco influences, and melding them with a distinct London R&B sensibility. Our first taste of the outfit’s new record is “Alone,” a soft-focus, melodic take on garage and house, while the tune’s vocals from Paul Black and Tilz anchor it firmly in melancholic R&B territory. Before True Panther releases Black Orange Juice’s 3 Started Alone EP on September 24, its lead single can be streamed in the player below, where its artwork and tracklist can also be found.
1. Started in Paris
2. Alone
3. I Don’t Know
4. I Don’t Know (Joe Goddard Remix)
Following the latest additions to its already impressive lineup, Croatian festival Unknown has unveiled the first round of acts confirmed to perform on its series of boat parties. Set to take place September 10-14, festival attendees will have several nauticul excursions to choose from: Jamie xx, Four Tet (pictured above), and Floating Points will join Wax:On on one boat, while Michael Mayer and DJ Koze will ring in 20 years of Kompakt on another. Elsewhere, Phantasy label head Erol Alkan will perform a DJ set, bringing along Daniel Avery and Justin Robertson, while the Hivern boat party will feature John Talabot, Pional, and Marc Pinol. Other DJs slated to appear include Julio Bashmore, Jackmaster, and Paul Woolford. The various boat party lineups can be viewed in full, along with more info about the Unknown festival, here.
As we learned back in June, veteran producer Mark Pritchard is in the middle of releasing three EPs under his given name, the first of which, Ghosts, turned out to be pretty great. And now, word of the artist’s second installment in his series for Warp has just arrived. The Lock Off EP is another five-track record from Pritchard, one which is said to explore “a 160-180bpm axis of footwork, jungle, and UK rave.” Our first taste of the release is “1234,” Lock Off‘s lead cut and only track to feature vocals, which arrive from iconic dancehall MCs Ragga Twins. Before the EP is released on September 3, its artwork, tracklist, and lead single can be found below.
01. 1234 feat Ragga Twins
02. Ghetto Blast
03. Lock Off
04. Soundboy Fuck Off
05. 1234 (Instrumental) [Digital Only]
Fantastic Mr Fox has never been a prolific artist, but he is one that we always make a point to check out on the infrequent occasions when he does release new music into the world. Earlier this week, the UK-born, Berlin-based producer issued “The Trap” b/w “Jackal Youth,” once again via longtime label home Black Acre. Curious about some of the sounds that inspired its genesis, we asked Fantastic Mr Fox to participate in our Hi-Five series, and he obliged by selecting five YouTube clips featuring tunes that he found particularly illuminating in one way or another.
Eddie Kendricks “My People Hold On”
I’m working on an album at the moment, so I’ve been trying to listen to music that I can enjoy without being too influenced by it. This is one of my favorite discoveries. I’ve loved the J Dilla version of this for a long time, but hadn’t heard the original until recently. I was completely blown away by the sound of this when I first heard it.
Palace “Mandy” b/w “Armageddon”
The first time I heard [“Mandy”] was in this YouTube promo video with both singles from the 12″ mixed together. I loved it, but then was a bit disappointed when I picked up the release and realized they were actually two separate tracks. I love how unpretentious and playful “Mandy” is though, and have played it out a lot. I’ve got a lot of time for post-bassline speed garage.
Hounds of Hate “Head Anthem”
I swapped a load of music with Hounds of Hate a couple of years ago. All the stuff I have of theirs is really well put together. I’m not sure what’s happened to them, but hope they come back with something soon.
Kassem Mosse “GS02”
Kassem Mosse‘s drum sounds are wicked. I love how his beats sound all over the place yet perfectly balanced at the same time. It’s really difficult to pull off what he does.
Clipse “Cot Damn”
When I first started making music as a teenager, I used to be so confused by how simple The Neptunes’ productions seemed [when it was so difficult] to make anything that sounded like what they did. The Neptunes’ productions, especially their work with Clipse, have always been a big reference point for me. Hell Hath No Fury was a big influence on my new 12″.
It’s a safe bet that most people reading XLR8R are serious music fans, but we also know that a sizable portion of our audience consists of aspiring artists—guys and girls who are toiling away in their bedrooms and spinning records or piecing together beats of their own. That said, there’s more to being an artist these days than just making hot tunes. The music world is a complicated place, and there aren’t many folks out there who are willing to lend newbies a hand and answer some simple questions about how the game works. That’s why someone like Nick Hook is so damn valuable. Every Thursday, he pops in here to shed a little light on the murky topics that our readers want to know about. He’s down to help, whether the questions are about music, gear, production, DJing, travel, romance, food, or anything else. Drop him a line at [email protected] and you just might learn something.
Yo. Hi. I’m in a coffee shop. I’ve been eight million places and my crib is a mess. I also started a new project today.
SF was amazing. I played the best show, with the best crowd, alongside HudMo, Cashmere Cat, Jacques Greene, Om Unit, DJ Dials, French Fries, and more. I wish I could do that everyday. SBTRKT killed it in Brooklyn last week. I also played this ill party where the promoter gave me a bag of mushrooms for free the second I met him. God bless.
I’m back in NYC now and it feels really good. Anyways, I’m gonna get right to it cuz this shop closes soon and I gotta go back to work.
Hi Doctor Nick,
I know you’ve stressed the perils of emailing tracks to random people. Being in “music journalism” myself, I sure know the pains of getting endless bad self-promo emails. Could you talk a bit about what approach to take when it’s time to be proactive? I’ve been producing for a long while now, and my friends are really supportive, but it’s time to try and stir some things up outside that circle. I live in Arizona, so there’s not really a lot of cool networking events at my disposal.
Also, being a female, it feels almost impossible to find other girl producers who aren’t “above me” to try and connect with. Do you have any suggestions?
Nina
I guess it’s all relative to decide when it’s time to be proactive.
Looking back on things for myself, I think, “Why the hell did I send out those tracks to those people? They suck.” The thing is, if you are ready to send music, by all means send it, but don’t take it personally when person X, Y, or Z doesn’t write you back. Also, don’t really pressure them for their opinion. Sometimes it takes a lot of energy to tell someone that you don’t like their stuff, and it’s almost not even your job to do that.
I get promos everyday from people I don’t know or that got my email, and I put them all in the same folder: “DJ Promo.” Sometimes I don’t listen to ANY, even my closest friends’ stuff, and then sometimes I listen to only my friends’ stuff, and then one day I might have a bunch of free time and I’ll scan thru ALL of them. It’s a lot for anyone to wade through, but if your tunes are at least getting into someone’s inbox, it could lead to good results.
To be honest. I just went through this. I made a tune with a friend. We finished it. We were super happy with it. I asked if I could send it to X dude and my friend said yes. Mr. X has a dope label, one that’s well respected in house and all that. One month goes by. No response. None. I figured, “Why not follow up?” So I emailed Mr. X and said, “Hey, did you hear that track?” He was like, “No. Send it again.” I sent it again. Another whole month went by. Then, just last week, I was in California and I was playing it for another friend. He really loved it. We were going to the airport and I got a tweet: “What is up with this song???” And I was like, “How did you hear that?!!?!??!” The guy that tweeted me sent me a link to a mix that X cat did and our track was not only there in the tracklisting, but the credits said “FORTHCOMING ON XXXX LABEL.” I was like, “Wow. I guess he got it, and I guess he heard it, and I guess he liked it.” That was awesome and I’m super happy about it, but before all of that happened, I was literally like, ” Well, I guess he’s not feeling it.” So yeah, you should definitely follow up, but be gentle, and if they aren’t down, who gives a fuck?
I think sometimes those crickets are what motivates you. It’s that “Fuck everyone, my shit is better than yours” chip on your shoulder.
As far as the girl producers, I’m not sure to be honest. What’s different in reaching out to a girl than a dude? I think you should take the same approach. Just get tasteful and try to make it happen. Good luck my dear.
Hi Doctor Nick,
When it comes to the deep scene, more often than not, UK artists do come here to Chicago; artists like Dusky, Bicep, Scuba, Disclosure, and many more will head to clubs like The Mid and Smart Bar. It’s all awesome and exciting, but the problem is that I’m only 18, and the closest I can get to listening to electronic music live is at festivals. To be quite frank, those events really only cater to the mainstream poppy sound, which can be fine, but only in small doses for me.
I’m also a producer and an aspiring DJ and I feel like my age could stop me from actually doing any gigs. Do you think there’s a way around this or is the age-old answer of “Wait until you’re older” going to have to take place?
Lazaro
This is a no brainer. Get a fake ID. Go sweep some floors at the club so you can hang. Tell them you are the DJ. Tell them you are with Nick Hook. Get a friend that’s 30 and people will think that since you hang around him, you must be at least 21.
Don’t wait. This whole thing is a hustle, and figuring it out is the key.
I was out drinking in clubs and playing in bands when I was 16 cuz my best friend was like 31. Then I got a fake ID from my dude with his social security card too. When I turned 21, dudes were super mad at me cuz I had tricked them, but I had already been exposed to so much by then.
I actually think your strongest move to get let in without any of that trickery is to have your talent outweigh your age and start getting booked to play places. Then they HAVE to let you in. Most of the time when you are DJing, you just say, “Hey, I’m DJing,” and the security guard gives you a pound and lets you in. So yeah, finish up those tracks and get on some slots at the Smart Bar. All of the sudden, everyone will know you and you’ll be walking right in there.
Aite. I’m off.
xxxxxx
Hi, Doctor Nick! appears every Thursday on XLR8R. Do you have a question for Doctor Nick? Please submit your inquires to [email protected]. Nick Hook can help you.
