Having premiered last night on Rinse FM, the latest weekly broadcast from Scottish label LuckyMe—which features sets from Lone, Brooklyn up-and-comer Obey City, and the two label heads who make up The Blessings—can now be streamed in full. The Blessings and Obey City largely use their portions of the two-hour segment to drop an eclectic range of techno, soul, bass-centric sounds, and other inventive electronic sounds, but Lone’s set especially shines here, as he spends his half-hour mixing together a tasteful array of dusty and classic hip-hop. Though there’s no proper tracklist to share, the whole show can be heard in the player below. (via FACT)
The lineup for this week’s edition of Press Play looks almost like it could be for a premier electronic music festival, meaning that this post is chock full of artists from around the world who dabble in all kinds of styles and subgenres. Between the strains of hip-hop, house, techno, synth-pop, and beyond put forth by the likes of Four Tet, Kyle Hall, Cut Copy, RJD2, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Machinedrum, Factory Floor, and Huxley, among others, we’ve got seemingly every electronic sound imaginable crammed into the myriad YouTube and SoundCloud players located after the jump.
We’ve already heard it as a radio rip, but now Four Tet’s new “Kool FM” can be streamed as a higher-quality, full-length tune.
The same week we reviewed Machinedrum’s new single for Ninja Tune (and named it an XLR8R Pick, for that matter), the producer born Travis Stewart also posted its b-side cut, “Body Touch,” online.
Detroit mainstay Kyle Hall—who we just so happened to speak with this week about his FunkinEvil project with FunkinEven—delivered this excellent podcast for London music outpost Data Transmission.
Before it releases next week, Fantastic Mr. Fox is giving fans a full stream of his “The Trap” b/w “Jackal Youth” 12″ for Black Acre.
This week, Australian synth-pop phenoms Cut Copy returned with new single “Let Me Show You,” an analog-driven dancefloor jam that gives a healthy nod to Haçienda-era acid-house.
RJD2 unveiled the first sample- and beat-driven single from his upcoming More Is Than Isn’t LP, “Her Majesty’s Socialist Request.”
UK crooner Leon T. Pearl was treated to this slow-burning roller of a remix for his “Take You To Market” single by fellow London up-and-comer Huxley.
While we continue to wait for Factory Floor to drop its self-tilted debut LP via DFA next month, the London trio has given us its latest rigid, motorik single, “Turn It Up.”
Here’s the gritty title track from Brooklyn producer Bookworms’ upcoming three-song 12″ for L.I.E.S.
This arrestingly strange and beautiful video comes from FKA twigs, a burgeoning London-based singer/producer whose new single for Young Turks, “Water Me,” was co-produced by of-the-moment artist Arca.
Swedish synthesist Bam Spacey released his River EP this week via Ceremony, and simultaneously shared a full stream of its four spacious tunes.
Before UK label Blank Mind drops the duo’s drum-addled 12″, Alan Johnson’s “Goron Sound” b/w “Fickle” record can now be streamed in its entirety.
The Brooklyn-based instrumental virtuosos of Archie Pelago may have just inaugurated their own label with the release of the band’s “Breezy Whey” b/w “Backflight” 12″, but that hasn’t stopped them from moving on to Brooklyn label Styles Upon Stylesfor their follow-up EP. Entitled Hall of Human Origins, the five-song record is set to drop on September 17, and sees the trio further exploring its soulfully heady and effortlessly intricate take on electronic music. A preview of Archie Pelago’s forthcoming EP can be found below.
Ukraine-based producer Volta Cab (a.k.a. Konstantyn Isaev) is developing quite the reputation for his elegant, bass-infused take on classic house and garage sounds, not the least of which is last year’s killer remix of MJ Cole’s classic “Crazy Love.” Isaev will be returning in September with a three-track EP for Voyeurhythm, I Cannot Sleep, and we’ve scored an exclusive download of EP track “Jamelia.” The production opens with a sultry moan, while its driving organ line and low-key shuffle call to mind the sophistication of early-’90s NY garage productions from the likes of MK and Kerri Chandler. I Cannot Sleep will see a release on September 23 in both 12″ and digital formats.
Berghain‘s in-house label Ostgut Ton has announced the imminent release of a various artists compilation called, appropriately enough, Various. The eight-track record is billed as a double-EP and will feature new productions from artists across the label’s roster—including Barker & Baumecker (pictured above), DJ Rolando, Function, Tobias., and Din, among others. The two 12″s are said to be “a journey through ambient electro styles to mellow techno grooves” and the artists involved were instructed to “release tracks a little off-centre from their known production styles.” Following Ostgut Ton’s announcement yesterday of the second album by Marcel Dettmann, Various is set to drop on September 30. In the meantime, the tracklist can be viewed below. (via Resident Advisor)
A1 Barker & Baumecker – Meiose A2 Fiedel – Grunewald2 B1 Tobias. – Dark & Troubling Things B2 Rolando – Neglected C1 DIN – You Are C2 Virginia – Pulse D1 Crushed Soul – Shades D2 Function – Golden Dawn feat. Stefanie Parnow
Coated from start to finish with loads of blissful melodies, “Clouds In My Puddle” is a solid introduction to the graceful work of Texas-based production outfit Limalo, who just released its debut full-length last week. While organic sounds seep into nearly every track on the Human Bloom LP, that influence is particularly noticeable here, as “Clouds In My Puddle” has a certain warmth that conjures sunlit images of clear, free-flowing waters. And also worth mentioning is Limalo’s well-honed production style, as the duo uses a variety of self-recorded textures throughout its album, a record which is available as a name-your-price download on Bandcamp.
With the arrival of August, we take a look back and compile our monthly list of the top 20 most downloaded tracks from the past 31 days. Quite a few names stand out in this current crop—namely, Maceo Plex (pictured above), Bibio, Doc Daneeka, Brenmar, and Mount Kimbie all appear in some form or another. But maybe what’s most interesting is that a couple of these tunes hit the website barely a week ago and have still beat out others that were published at the start of July. It all makes for an eclectic smattering of high-quality remixes and original productions, the full extent of which can be perused after the jump.
Few places are more enjoyable than Montreal in the summer, and the city’s likability index is jumping an additional few notches this weekend, courtesy of Osheaga MEG Pro. A Voltron-esque combination of two esteemed Montreal festivals (the long-running MEG Montreal Festival and the indie-leaning Osheaga), Osheaga MEG Pro is billed as an “international music industry gathering,” but what we truly care about is that the four-day event will be filled with some top-flight electronic talent. The festivities kick off tonight and run through the weekend, during which time the likes of Shlohmo (pictured above), Para One, Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team, Poirier, Machinedrum, Jimmy Edgar, and several others will be performing. The entire weekend’s schedule can be viewed here, although that does not include the listing for MEG Montreal’s closing boat party, which will include sets from The Hacker and Zombie Nation. As it happens, MEG—which initially kicked off last week and will ultimately run for 10 days in total—is celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2013, and it seems that the festival organizers are celebrating that milestone in fine fashion. XLR8R will be attending MEG this weekend, so make sure to check the site next week for our festival review and some interviews with a few of the artists performing.
East London grime producer Spooky (not to be confused with trip-hop veteran DJ Spooky) has been running around the UK scene for a while now: He produced 2011 standout “Spartan,” he runs the Ghost House label, and also hosts a weekly show on DejaVU FM. So it’s no surprise that his latest single, “Baby,” is backed with five remixes from well-known producers such as DJ Q, Matrixxman, and Mista Men. Flava D, the sole female producer amongst the five remixers, takes Spooky’s original track and blurs the edges, injecting the rolling beat with even more swing and bounce. Choosing to focus on the big picture instead of each individual element, she creates a tune that has a natural flow and could easily be injected into just about any party mix. It might not be drastically different from the original version, but Flava D’s minimalist take on “Baby” is nonetheless refreshing in its straightforwardness.
Announced today, T. Williams and Mosca (pictured above) are set to tour the US and Canada this fall, playing a string of 12 dates in September and October. The joint tour will take place on the back of the August release of T. Williams’ Feelings Within EP via PMR, while for Mosca it follows his new Residency show on BBC Radio 1. Kicking off in LA on September 19, the DJ/producers’ North American performances will come to close on October 5 in Miami. The full run of upcoming dates can be viewed on the tour poster below.
